We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
"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. "
More...
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.
More...
Bevezető sorok László Ferenc Az erősdi edények típusai című tanulmányához
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.
More...
Steelyards were commonly used by sellers at agorae and fora during the Roman and Byzantine periods. They are based on the principle of the lever, mentioned by Aristotle and probably well-known even earlier. One steelyard made of bronze has been found, together with an acorn-shaped counterweight, at the agora of Nea Paphos during an excavation conducted by the Department of Classical Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, Jagiellonian University. Also preserved were fragments of chain and two hooks that were used to hang the weighted objects, as well as fragment of a third hook. The device represents the Pompeian type of steelyard and can be dated by analogy to other examples from the 1st century AD. The Paphos balance may be evidence of the use of a local island weighting system based on an operating unit other than the Roman pound (libra).
More...
Pottery data from prehistoric sites in Lower Egypt has been reported using different classification systems dependent on the site where it was discovered. This makes comparative analysis of pottery from different locations highly problematic. The significant majority of pottery excavated at these sites is either incomplete or consists of pot sherds that cannot be reconstructed. This paper will consider the problems that exist in publishing data concerning pottery shape and examine the classification systems adopted in earlier reports. Bearing these earlier systems in mind, the report will consider what the most feasible general classification system would be for the recording and classifying of pot sherd shape data from all Lower Egyptian sites, which would also be able to integrate together even with pottery shape data in the earlier reports as accurately as possible. There might be the feasible system or a prototype of it amongst the systems already in use.
More...
In the collection of the Archaeological Museum in Wrocław is a Greek fibula, which was donated by Wilhelm Grempler, a Wrocław doctor and researcher of antiquity well-known for his contribution to Silesian archaeology. It belongs to the ‘millwheel’ fibula group, which is characterised by the distinctive decoration of its bows. Fibulae of this type have been found in modern Bulgaria, Macedonia and northern and central Greece, although they seem not to have reached its south. Observable differences in the shapes of the decorative elements of these fibulae are of a regional nature and allow two varieties to be identified within the type: North Balkan and Greek. The best analogies for the Wrocław ‘millwheel’ fibula can be found in objects of the same type found at Halai in central Greece, which can be dated to the mid-5th century BC.
More...
In antiquity, a wide range of different types of heat sources were used. The most common were cooking stoves, portable braziers, cooking stands, and grills. In the collection of ancient artefacts of the Jagiellonian University (JU) Institute of Archaeology, there is a small group of objects dated to the Hellenistic period, among which a small brazier fragment can be found. The object was donated to the JU collection of antiquities gathered in the Archaeological Cabinet by Prince Władysław Czartoryski. Braziers are uncommon in Polish collections and the brazier fragment described in this article is the sole example from the JU IA assemblage. It will be described and analysed in full for the first time, and its possible production centre and a dating will be determined.
More...
One of the most interesting ancient artefacts are the lead sling bullets, especially if they have images or inscriptions.The current paper presents a very interesting lead sling bullet, originating from southwest Bulgaria (found somewhere between the villages of Ilindentsi and Gorna Gradeshnitsa, Blagoevgrad district) that was photographed in a private collection in Blagoevgrad some years ago. The lead sling bullet is almond-shaped and is much larger than the known standard sling bullets. The size and weight of this sling bullet puts it among the largest examples of such bullets that are generally rare. Only a few other items similar in size were previously known from Bulgaria, none of which, however, has inscriptions or symbols.It is particularly interesting that the sling bullet discussed here has a surviving ‘ central branch’ and uncut casting residues, i.e. it looks exactly as it was taken out of the mold. Right in the middle of the side depicting a relief thunderbolt, the Greek letters ΦΙ are visible. They are commonly found on bronze coins of Philip V as an abbreviation of his name with only the first two letters. Many numismatics examples define this lead sling bullet categorically as belonging to the Macedonian king Philip V (221–179 BC) and associate it with the campaign of this Macedonian king in the land of the Thracian tribe Maedi and the siege of their settlement Petra in 181 BC, (Livy XL, 22).The artefact discussed here underlines the important role of the sling bullets utilized by the army in the Hellenistic period. If inscribed, these objects can serve as primary sources of information for the reconstruction of some historical events.
More...
Glass finds from Polish excavations in Palmyra from 1959 to 1973 in tombs and in Diocletian’s Camp, not all of them already published, are reviewed and presented with new photographs and drawings.
More...
The process of Romanization of the ancient peoples of the Balkan Peninsula, though an object of research and discussion by several scholars, presents certain problems, the definitive solution of which is still far from complete. First, there are various questions, the main one being the following: Have all the ancient Balkan peoples submitted by the Roman Empire, with the exception of the Greeks, been Romanized? The case of Romanian and the old Dalmatian language already extinguished shows that the process of Romanization has profoundly transformed vast areas of the eastern and western parts of the Balkan Peninsula. This phenomenon should certainly have occurred before the immigration of the Slavic tribes into the Peninsula.
More...
This article deals with the widespread assumption that a significant collection of texts known as the Bible is inherently ‘deceptive’. That is, the Bible does not – it is assumed – say what was ‘really’ going on in the ancient world. The truth, therefore, must be found by going behind or beneath the text (the spatial metaphors should be noted). Here the real story may found, through archaeology or reading the text against itself. This approach may be described as a modernist ‘depth model’, in which the surface attempts to conceal the truth, while the truth itself must be found by going around the surface text. This remains a dominant approach in biblical criticism. However, it cannot be understood without earlier and indeed, in some quarters, current assumptions concerning the realist nature of the text. In this case, the text reflects in a reasonably trustworthy fashion the context of the text, if not the ideological assumptions and positions of the putative authors. Modernist ‘depth models’ may then be seen as attempts to respond to realist assumptions. A third moment is what could be called postmodern: in this case, the distance between surface and depth is challenged, so that the various possibilities become equal contestants for the dominant position. This entails a shift away from the assumption of a singular truth of the text, characteristic of both realist and modernist assumptions, to the understanding of multiple truth claims – not as relative but as absolutes that permit other absolutes. The argument emphasises that these approaches should be seen as dialectically related to one another, rather that mutually exclusive approaches.
More...
Pókecz Kovács Attila: A királyság és a köztársaság közjogi intézményei Rómában. Dialóg Campus Kiadó, Budapest–Pécs, 2014. 142 oldal
More...
The percentage of slaves in the whole population of the Roman Empire was at least 10% according to modern estimates. This proportion might have been higher in certain areas and in certain periods. Interaction with slaves was an everyday experience for the Romans. Slaves, although de jure they counted as chattels, constituted a heterogeneous group within society. Their ranks included miners, potters, bankers, managers, agricultural workers and so on. The slave workforce was exploited to varying degrees to for the biggest possible yield, but the way they were treated was far from identical. Slaves were not simply passive objects of society, but active participants. The brutal murder of Larcius Macedo and the Spartacus-revolt were reactions given to extreme ill-treatment. The fact that slaves did not have a distinctive characteristic, e.g. skin colour, was a special feature of the Roman slave system. Theoretically every person could become a slave. At the same time, manumission was a common occurrence, thus any slave could become free. Their legal status, competence and skills as well as their personal interactions with their masters made the world of Roman slaves’ dynamic and colourful.
More...
The article presents the results of interdisciplinary study of megalithic complex Begliktash conducted by a group of researchers from the University of Shumen. The main conclusion is that Begliktash is a natural phenomenon with interesting stone complex morphology that may have been artificially consolidated and used both to perform rituals and for calendar purposes.
More...
The First Intermediate Period (c. 2184–2040 BC) in Egypt is characterised by both ancient Egyptian cultural memory and earlier Egyptology as a period of political as well as social upheaval and disruption. Recent studies have shown that the changes that occurred at the time should be understood as a profound social transition which, however, the Egyptians of the First Intermediate Period did not experience as a cataclysm. Political decentralization allowed provincial/local leaders and powerful families to increase their wealth and expand their authority over a wider region, while a new intermediary social category (often called “excellent commoners” in contemporaneous texts) rose to wealth and status. Both the elite and the new men recorded their lives in biographical inscriptions written in their tombs and on stelae. By studying the themes and motives of these biographies, as well as their changes over time, the paper explores how the two social groups defined their identities in the new political and social climate. Social and regional variations are also investigated, as well as the relationships between biographical self-representation, social norm and social organisation.
More...
A set of wooden figures representing female deities with painted fronts and flat backs was identified in the archaeological material coming from recent excavations in the Chapel of Hatshepsut. The fragments were scattered through the shafts of Third Intermediate Period date. Most probably they had once formed a single piece of funerary equipment from one of the burials. Remains of nine figures were distinguished. These were divided into two groups by size. The smallscale figures had outstretched arms, while the big-scale ones were shown with one arm raised and the other lowered alongside the body. They are presumed to have been attached to a flat wooden background. Both iconographical types are attested in the decoration of mortuary equipment from the New Kingdom on, though no object decorated with the same set of goddesses has been found so far.
More...
In 1906 a group of finds dated in the Neolithic period belonging to the Körös, Szakálhát and Tisza cultures were brought into the museum from Békéscsaba. They were discovered on the mound called Vezeristye-halom, situated in the outskirts of Gyulavarsánd village (Romanian: Vărșand, Arad County). Later on, in 1949, archaeological excavations were carried out in the same location by Dorin Popescu. The authors of the article analyze the objects deposited in the museum from Békéscsaba. On the basis of the finds from Gyulavarsánd-Vezeristye-halom it is impossible to bring new information regarding the chronological aspects of the Tisza culture. At the same time, it is sure that the site belongs to the big tell settlements of the Tisza culture, and therefore – similar to the other sites belonging to the same culture – its existence began in the period of the Szakálhát culture. The big tell settlements of the period, from south to north, are the following: Csóka-Kremenyák, Battonya-Parázs tanya, Tápé-Lebő A and B, Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa, Hódmezővásárhely-Kökénydomb, Szegvár-Tőzköves, Öcsöd-Kováshalom, Szarvas-Botanikus kert (Botanical Garden), Békés-Povád, Szeghalom-Kovácshalom, Dévaványa-Sártó, Vésző-Mágor, Szolnok-Tőzköves, Alattyán-Tulát. Without any doubt, the settlement from Battonya-Gödrösök can be considered a Tisza culture tell, too. Taking into account its characteristics and its 2.1 meter high stratigraphy, the authors consider that Gyulavarsánd-Vezeristye-halom can be added to the abovementioned list. The big extension of the tell was already mentioned by Nándor Krammer, who estimated its surface around one cadastral acre, which means 0.575 hectare. According to the schematic plan of the site published by D. Popescu, the Neolithic settlement was almost circular, measuring approximately 1.1 hectares.
More...
Francis Fukuyama: A politikai rend eredete. Az ember előtti időktől a francia forradalomig. Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó, 2012, 688 oldal.
More...