"Akritas" – Nikos Kazantzakis' Little-Known Unrealized Epic Project

Author(s): Michał Bzinkowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 20/2017

Kazantzakis’ Odyssey – apart from the abundance of philosophical as well as ideological influences of many different sources which the writer tried to unify into a universal cosmotheory – constitutes a large-scale attempt by a Modern Greek writer to respond to Homeric epic. Yet, the author of Zorba the Greek sketched another epic composition that, according to his vision, aimed at reaching further than his magnum opus. His ambition was to encompass the long-lasting period between Ancient and Modern Greece, namely that of the Byzantine empire and its radiating influence on Greek consciousness and identity. He entitled his project Akritas, thus directly alluding to the only epic poem in Byzantine Greek literature, Digenes Akritas, and its protagonist as well as to acritic songs from Cyprus, where the latter’s name appears. In the present paper I would like to shed some light on Kazantzakis’ approach to Byzantium and its significance in defining the Greek identity through this unfinished sketch that the writer in fact never began.

"Commentatio tertia, nummaria" by Johann Peter Titius. A Contribution to the Knowledge of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins in the 17th-century Gdańsk Academic Gymnasium

Author(s): Bartosz Awianowicz / Language(s): English / Issue: 22/2018

Johann Peter Titz (Lat. Titius, 1619-1689), a professor of rhetoric at the Gdańsk Academic Gymnasium is known as an author of speeches, poems, rhetorical and historical writings. However, in 1676 he published an important (though less known) work on numismatics: Commentatio tertia, nummaria, de pecunia vetere ac nova, abaco tabulisque exhibita (Third, Monetary Commentary, on Old and New Money, Presented on a Plate and in Tables) as a signifcant part (320 pages) of a collection of treatises of more than 1,000 pages entitled Manuductio ad excerpendum. The aim of the paper is to present the content of the Commentatio tertia, nummaria and its ancient and early modern sources. The overall approach to the Titius’ study shows its practical nature (almost a third of the entire argument is devoted to attempts to reconcile the values of various ancient denominations and accounting units with contemporary coins) which seems to suggest that it might have been used by students viewing the coin collection in the Gdańsk library. A more thorough examination of the Commentatio alongside an analysis of the accounts of the seventeenth-century Gdańsk writer’s numismatic collection may contribute to determining to what extent numismatics were a permanent feature in the gymnasium curriculum in Gdańsk in the latter seventeenth century, and to what extent the youth (juventus) of the Academic Gymnasium, to whom Titius was addressing his work, really wanted to and could identify ancient Greek, Roman and Jewish coins.

"ΓΑΔΑΤΗС". OBSERVAŢII ASUPRA UNUI ANTROPONIM DE PE UN GRAFFITO DE LA ROMULA

Author(s): Mihail Vasilescu / Language(s): English,Romanian / Issue: 1/2010

As a result of the archaeological research developed at the Roman settlement of Romula a fragment of a Roman pottery was discovered, which is nowadays preserved in the Museum of Caracal. Here the word ΓΑΔΑΤΗС was incised. D. Tudor considered it a Syrian anthroponym derived from the name of the god Gad, which lead to the formation of numerous Syro-Palmyrean anthroponyms. This opinion was shared by all those who, up to the time being, inserted this graffito in various epigraphic corpora of Dacia, considering it as further evidence of the Syrian presence in Roman Dacia. Yet, the supporters of such a viewpoint did not take into account all the available data which allows us to assert that Gadates is definitely an Iranian anthroponym attested on other sources as following: Xenophon’s Cyropaedia, The Letter of Darius to Gadatas, the Elamite Ka-da-da inscription discovered in the Persepolis fortifications, a Greek inscription from Delos and another Greek inscription from Antiphellos in Lycia pertaining to the Roman period. Xenophon’s Gadatas and the one mentioned in the Letter provide the Iranian character of the anthroponym. Within the Letter, Darius specifically name Gadatas ‘(his) slave’. We encounter this term in the Old Persian variant of the Behistun inscription as comprised in the collocation mana bandaka, meaning ‘my subject’ or ‘my servant’. It exclusively refers to the highest ranked Iranian individuals in the proximity of the Great King. Gadatas anthroponym is probably ahypochoristic derived from Bagadata, a very widespread name in the pre-Islamic Iranian world, having the same meaning with the Greek Theodotos and the Slavic Bogdan, i.e. ‘the Gift of God’. We do not know precisely where Gatates of Romula came from. He could belong to Syria as well, where the Iranian anthroponyms were natural, as the land had been subjected to the Iranian rule for more than two centuries.

"Патриарху крымоведения" посвящается

Author(s): Mikhail M. Choref / Language(s): Russian / Issue: 2/2010

, “Bellator Equus”. Roman Republican Cavalry Tactics in the 3rd-2nd Centuries BC

Author(s): István Fábián / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

One of the most interesting periods in the history of the Roman cavalry were the Punic wars. Many historians believe that during these conflicts the ill fame of the Roman cavalry was founded but, as it can be observed it was not the determination that lacked. The main issue is the presence of the political factor who decided in the main battles of this conflict. The present paper has as aim to outline a few aspects of how the Roman mid-republican cavalry met these odds and how they tried to incline the balance in their favor.

13th International Congress of Thracology Ancient Thrace: Myth and Reality, Kazanlak, 2-7 September 2017

Author(s): Miroslav Izdimirski,Ruja Popova / Language(s): English / Issue: 23-24/2017

145 години БАН – предизвикателства и перспективи

„История на БАН“, част първа (1869 – 1947). Под редакцията на Илия Тодев. София: Издателство на БАН „Проф. Марин Дринов“, 2015, ISBN 978-954-322-791-4

Author(s): Ilia Todev / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 6/2015

2000 godina Varove bitke

Author(s): Barbara Stühlmeyer / Language(s): Croatian / Issue: 1+2/2010

"Bio je to 9/11 Rimskog Carstva, kad su 9. godine poslije Krista tri legije – oko 18 000 vojnika – pobijene u gerilskom ratu upravo u onoj provinciji Germaniji koju se smatralo, iako ne potpuno pokorenom, ipak prilično umirenom. U povijest je taj pokolj ušao pod ne sasvim točnim nazivima: Varova bitka, bitka u Teutoburškoj šumi, Arminijeva bitka i Hermannova bitka. Dakako ne odmah. Jer sami rimski izvori o sukobu između okupacijskih postrojbi i pobunjenih plemena onih naroda koje se tek nakon Cezara jednostavno nazivalo zajedničkim imenom Germani, govore točnije kao o Clades Variana, kao o “Varovu porazu”. Razumljivo. Na koncu rijetko se izgubljenu bitku poistovjećivalo s imenom poraženog. Čak i naziv bitka je neprikladan, ako se pomnije prouče izvještaji rimskih povjesničara i rezultati najnovijih arheoloških istraživanja. Da je došlo do bitke u kojoj su legije mogle pokazati svoje nadmoćne borbene tehnike, pobjednik bi se vjerojatno zvao Var a mi bismo danas govorili jedim od mnogobrojnih romanskih jezika. "

2000 години от битката за Германия

Author(s): Valentin Spiridonov / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 1/2011

The article dwells on the causes which led to the famous Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, its outcome and subsequent significance for the history of Germany. The author focuses on the inclusion of the victory over the Romans 2, 000 years ago in the construction of the German national idea from the from the Renaissance to the present day, as well as on the creation of the myth about Hermann the Victor.

2000-Vjetori i Vdekjes së Perandorit Romak August

Author(s): Naser Ferri / Language(s): Albanian / Issue: 44/2014

In 23rd September of the year 63 BC was born, and in 19th of august 14 BC in Nola near Napoli died Caius Octavius Thurinus, known as the founder of Roman Empire and the first Roman Emperor (Imperator Caesar divi filius Augustus). Due to his intellectual abilities and oratory skills, Octavian Augustus was adopted by his uncle Caius Julius Caesar. Augustus was staying in Illyricum for education in the first half of first century BC, and he arrived in Rome in year 44.BC when Caesar was murdered in Roman Senat. As Caesar’s adopted son he started persecuting the killers by forming the Second Triumvirate in year 43 BC, in order to gain the support of the allies: Mark Anthony, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and the Roman citizens. After the battles near Actium (31 BC) and Alexandria (30 BC) in which ended the bloody Civil Wars, Octavianus ended wars in Egypt and Balkans. He proclaimed peace, secured state boarders, retired the biggest part of Army (about 500.000 soldiers), founded the Roman Empire in form of a Principate, co-ruled by the Emperor and Senate, brought growth to Economy, Culture and brought back ancient roman religious believes, founding also worship of the Emperor cult. It was the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Augustus Caesar to the Crisis of the Third Century, after which it was replaced with the Dominate. In Illyricum Augustus conquered the tribes of Iapodes, Dalmatae, Dardani and some other Illyrian tribes, to which he opened a road to progress in Roman Society. Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD), his adoptive son, inherited Augustus since he did not have a biological son. Augustus was the first and the best Roman Emperor without doubt, and the period when Augustus ruled was the “golden age in history of the Roman State”, because the Roman State arrived the highest splendor.

3D documentation in archaeological fieldwork: a case study from the site of Metsamor

Author(s): Otto Bagi / Language(s): English / Issue: XXVI/2017

Three-dimensional recording techniques, although growing rapidly in efficiency and applicability for archaeologists, have still not been turned to full account, mainly because they require for the most part expensive equipment and know-how. In this respect, photogrammetry is unique, being relatively cheap and easy to use. The joint Armenian–Polish archaeological project in Metsamor drew on the possibilities of this technology, which is relatively new to archaeological proceedings, in the daily recording system used at the site. The following article discusses the step-by-step application of photogrammetry in field documentation and its positive impact on archaeological work, Metsamor being taken as a case in point.

712 jelentősége a 25. dinasztia kronológiájában és az egyiptomi-kusita történelemben

Author(s): Gábor Erdős / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 2/2010

In 2001, Dahn’lel Kahn suggested a new chronology for the history of the 25th (kushite) dynasty which he based on new data of the inscription of Sargon II at Tang-i Var published in 1999. Although his new chronology reinterpreted the events of the contemporary Egyptian and Kushite history at many points, it is not free from misinterpretations and shortcomings. Th e author of the present essay tries to prove why he thinks that Dahn’el Kahn’s theory can not be accepted without any doubts by interpreting the known sources more precisely and joint studying such biblical and Assyrian sources which haven’t been study in the context of the problem yet.

80 години Исторически музей – Самоков

Author(s): Albena Simova / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 4/2016

97 év – 97 oldal

Author(s): Bence Fehér / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2012

Németh György–Kovács Péter: Bevezetés a görög és a római felirattanba. Gondolat Kiadó, Budapest 2011.

A 18. dinasztia idején épült thébai vályogtégla szentély rekonstrukciós kísérletei

Author(s): Zoltán Imre Fábián / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 4/2012

A small mortuary chapel built of mud bricks was exposed in 2008 by the Hungarian Archaeological Mission in Thebes, on the south slope of the el-Khokha hillock. Paintings in a rather good state of preservation as well as several further fragments came to light during the excavation. They represent some characteristic thematic groups typical of 18th Dynasty rock cut mortuary monuments. Especially two groups offer a good chance for the reconstruction and the examination of basic principles of the decoration program, namely, a series of offering bearers and the scenes of beer brewers. On the basis of the reconstruction of painted elements, further conclusions can also be drawn regarding the architectural features of the chapel.

A 20. század eleji erősdi ásatások és a Cucuteni-Tripolje kultúra kutatásának kezdetei

Bevezető sorok László Ferenc Az erősdi edények típusai című tanulmányához

Author(s): Attila László / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: II/2007

This year, we celebrate a century since Ferenc László (1873-1925) began, in 1907, his methodical archaeological excavations on the prehistoric settlement of Ariuşd, considered to be the first systematic research at a large scale, carried out on a site of the late Neolithic-chalcolithic Ariuşd- Cucuteni-Tripolye civilization of Eastern Europe (see NESTOR 1973, 25). This paper is dedicated to this anniversary, as well as the publication, in this volume, of the original Hungarian text of Ferenc László's study on the pottery types from Ariuşd. The study was initially was translated and published in French by Vasile Pârvan after the death of the author (LÁSZLÓ F. 1924/1927. See also PÂRVAN 1924/1927). Until now, only some fragments have been published in Hungarian (LÁSZLÓ F. 1978, 189-202). The first part of this paper is focused on the discovery of the first sites with painted pottery in the last decades of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, not so much inside the Carpathian arch (Ariuşd, Bod, in Transylvania), as outside it, in Galicia (Bilcze Zlote, Horodnica), Bukovina (Schipenitz), Moldavia (Cucuteni), Bassarabia (Petreni) and in Ukraine (Tripolye), provinces which were then parts of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the Russian Empire and the Old Romanian Kingdom. The cultural-historical and chronological evaluation of these discoveries is also discussed in the context of the prehistoric archaeology of those times. As far as the debut of the systematic researches are concerned, we made a short presentation of the preliminaries, the development and the main results of Hubert Schmidt's excavations at Cucuteni (1909-1910) and of those carried out by Ferenc László in Ariuşd (1907-1913, 1925), together with some remarks concerning the research methodology and scholarly approach of the two archaeologists. In order to continue some former researches/research topics/scholarly trends/ (see LÁSZLÓ A. 1973; 1978; 1987 etc), we focused this paper on certain issues such as Ferenc László's formation as an archaeologist, the main stages of his life and scientific activity, his methods of excavation and investigation of finds, his view concerning the purpose of the archaeological research. We insisted on the methodological correctness of the excavations: the careful written documentation, accurate drawings and the photos of the discoveries and of the observed archaeological phenomena (stratigraphic conditions, fortifications, houses, fireplaces, ovens, etc.), the interdisciplinary spirit of the investigations (for example, the chemical analysis of the metal and clay objects, the archaeobotanical determination of the plant remains, or even the ethnographic analogies/comparison), the attempt to reconstitute, using the material remains, the way of life and thinking of prehistoric people. Ferenc. László's (palaeo) ethnological approach is close to the nowadays „New Archaeology" approach according to which prehistoric archaeology is „the anthropology of the past" or „the past tense of the cultural anthropology" and is different from Hubert Schmidt's rather historicizing conception, which sought to define stages of evolution and to establish the traces of some contacts and migrations, sometimes at great distances. In the final part of the paper, with references regarding to the unpublished correspondence of Ferenc László with István Kovács and Vasile Pârvan, we have discussed the contexts in which the study on the pottery types from Ariuşd, still a matter of interest even today, was written and published in Dacia. Finally, some details are given to the publication in Hungarian of the paper in this volume.

A 3rd millennium BC stone stamp seal from the Omani site of Qumayrah Ayn 3

Author(s): Agnieszka Pieńkowska / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Bronze Age seals are a fairly common find in Mesopotamia, the IndusValley and the northern part of the Arabian Gulf. Conversely, theseal assemblage from the southeastern Arabian Peninsula, where sealsemerged in the 3rd millennium BC, is sparse and heavily diversifiedin terms of shape, size and decoration. Moreover, no characteristicseal type was developed in the area and the bulk of the examples areimports or imitations of seals from other regions. A stone stamp sealfrom the second half of the 3rd millennium BC, found at the siteof Qumayrah Ayn 3 in northwestern Oman by the Polish–OmaniArchaeological Mission (PCMA UW) has no known parallels andseems to be of local provenience. It fosters a return to the discussionof the actual function of these seals and the reasons for their rarity inthis part of the Arabian Peninsula.

A Balaton-Lasinja-kultúra települése és kincslelete Magyaregresen

Author(s): Péter Hornok,Péter Kiss / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2017

The Middle Copper Age hoard discovered at Magyaregres came to light from a closed assemblage during an archaeological investigation. The exceptionally fortuitous find circumstances enabled important observations in the field and during the conservation of the finds. The assemblage was also submitted to various scientific analyses. The settlement of the Balaton-Lasinja community that had buried this hoard offers an excellent illustration of the diversity of the period’s architectural traditions.

A BAR KOCHBA-FELKELÉS - A KUTATÁS FÉL-ÉVSZÁZADÁNAK EREDMÉNYEI ÉS KIHÍVÁSAI

Author(s): Tibor Grüll / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2008

According to a commonplace in scholarly literature it is unachievable to write the history of the Bar Kochba revolt. This paper does not attempt the impossible, it merely attempts to take into account the way in which our evidences, that came to light in the last half-century, repaint the traditional picture of the insurrection. The first five chapters discuss the antecedents of the revolt, i.e., the short and long-term consequences of the churban; the uprising under Trajan (the so-called “war of Quietus”); the administrative, economic and military situation of Judaea from 70 to 132 C.E., mainly on the basis of the Babatha-archive. The immediate cause of the Bar Kochba revolt is still debated, as both the foundation of Colonia Aelia Capitolina (ch. 5), and the ban on circumcision, introduced by Hadrian’s legislation (ch. 6), can be taken into account. It is not clear, however, whether these oppressive measures were taken before or after 132; in other words, whether they were causes or consequences of the war. The following chapter is dedicated to Bar Kochba’s messianic pretensions, which, among other things, can be verified with the strong halachic orientation of the papyri produced by the administration of the revolt (ch. 8). Ch. 9 examines the character and magnitude of the Roman military participation in the Bar Kochba revolt, as these are illuminated by the extant epigraphic material. The last chapter deals with the Jewish guerilla tactics and bases: the rebels’ hiding complexes that from the 1990’s have been explored in the territory of Judaea.

A BARADLA-BARLANG RÉGÉSZETI KUTATÁSA

Author(s): Balázs Holl / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2007

The Baradla was the first cave to be examined archaeologically in Hungary, yet it is not fully documented still. We will attempt to construct the archaeological topography of the cave, collecting the data from previous studies and from our own survey. The data from the literature contains several misinterpretations according to our in situ examinations, because the authors has limited or incorrect information on the speleological circumstances. The cave is an important archaeological site compared to the sites on the surface, and other neighboring caves. The only archaeological site known on the surface is at the Aggtelek entrance, and the Domica and Ördög-lyuk (Čertova diera) are the known caves with archaeological finds. The Baradla Cave System is a hydrologically continuous unit from the Domica Cave in Slovakia to Jósvafő, but the archaeological site can only be associated with Aggtelek, because the Jósvafő entrance was opened only recently, and the connection with Domica is hardly passable, at same places only underwater connections exists. There is a clear logical connection to the neolithic site at the Domica, but these are separate sites – the distance is 2 km. The strong erosion of the karstic surface makes the archaeological sites in the caves more important – nothing is preserved on the surface. The finds are usually washed down to a cave, but that can not be considered an archaeological site in a cave. In the smaller caves the strata and other phenomena could be easily damaged because of an improper excavation. In the Baradla Cave the strata and other phenomena are intact on large areas. The cave is located at the Aggtelek karstic region. There are only temporary lakes and streams close to the Aggtelek entrance. Secular changes in the climate or the geomorphology (as filling up of the gullies) could result in different surface hydrological situations after a few centuries. This obviously affects the habitability of the region. We consider the water systems in the caves more stable.