The Aesthetics of Violence: Myth and Danger in Roman Domestic Landscapes

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Newby

This paper explores the use of art to recreate violent mythological landscapes in Roman domestic ensembles. Focusing on the Niobids found in two imperial horti it argues that the combination of sculpture and landscape exerted a powerful imaginative effect over ancient viewers, drawing them into the recreated mythological world. Mythological landscape paintings also offered a view out onto a mythological realm, fostering the illusion of direct access to the spaces of myth. However, these fantasy landscapes need to be seen in the light of the associations which natural landscapes held in the Roman imagination. Recreations of mythological landscapes in domestic art express the desire to incorporate the natural world into the domestic sphere but through the presence of violent events they also highlight the inherent powers of those landscapes and the gods who frequent them. They speak to a yearning to immerse oneself in myth and the natural realm, yet also warn of the perils of such a desire.

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 402-405
Author(s):  
Nerida F. Ellerton

Research journals likeJRMEplay key roles through the publication of peerreviewed research, and it is through such publications that the field has the potential to grow. The metaphor of a growing tree is a useful one to explore in the context of mathematics education research. Growth in the natural world is generally multidimensional. A tree's growth is measured not only in terms of its height but also in terms of the girth of its trunk, the spread of its branches, and the development of a substantial root system, all of which are essential for the tree's continued growth and survival. Soil nutrients need to be replenished, and without sufficient moisture, growth is arrested, and the tree becomes stunted. Many of the most interesting natural landscapes include a range of tree species as well as supporting undergrowth.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail Higginbottom ◽  
Antonio César González-García ◽  
Miguel Carrero-Pazos ◽  
Benito Vilas-Estévez ◽  
Víctor López-López

This paper investigates the dolmen landscapes of Neolithic communities found within Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), Galicia. Its goal is to uncover whether or not the megalithic monuments of a particular and coherent area of the south-eastern side of the Atlantic Façade are situated in relation to complex locational variables. In particular, in this paper, we explore the entirety of their surrounding topography. For the very first time, we were able to demonstrate that very specific natural landscapes surrounding the dolmens of this region in Iberia were likely selectively drawn upon, expanding our understanding of the Neolithic of this area and the people's relationship with their natural world.


2021 ◽  

Abstract This book contains 8 chapters that discuss and explore these positive outcomes by delving into how humans perceive and respond to the natural world. It also looks at the different stages of human development and how societal perspectives regarding natural landscapes have changed over time. These perspectives influence our responses to current issues such as climate change and pandemics. Examining our worldviews is critical to developing a deeper understanding of human beliefs and relationships with natural landscapes. Moreover, empirically based theories and models can be useful in enhancing that understanding, but other realities are also important such as traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and a rekindling of a sense of connection with nature. Whether empirically derived in recent decades or handed down through the generations, this knowledge can be useful as we consider the many forms of human well-being, including physical, mental, spiritual, and social.


Author(s):  
Alan W. Ewert ◽  
Denise S. Mitten ◽  
Jillisa R. Overholt

Abstract This book chapter approaches the linkage between natural landscapes and human health through the lens of two guiding questions, the first considering the various ways nature benefits human health from both historic and contemporary perspectives, and the second considering the mechanisms through which this relationship occurs. In doing so, we consider the ways societies and cultures have mediated our relationship with the natural world over time, and the ways human health and planetary health are intertwined. It also examines these influences by providing an overview of what is currently known about specific variables, such as physical activity in natural landscapes, as well as discussing some of the past and current theories that seek to explain how these connections actually work. The book provides a bridge between what we do (individually and collectively) in natural settings and how those actions impact our health and our relationships with the natural world. The hope is that the information presented here empowers students and professionals to learn more and to be part of the rich dialogue occurring in many disciplines to help find ways to increase well-being for all people. The aim is for the readers to think critically about research and be able to analyse and evaluate the results. The bottom line, based on the undertaking of this book and the experience of the authors, is that nature has been and continues to be essential and incredibly positive for human life, and that mutualistic and reciprocal connections with nature will positively influence human development, health, and wellbeing.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 109-140
Author(s):  
Laura Solano

INTRODUCTION Density, public health and safety, quality of life, and sustainability are some of the most confounding issues that major cities face today as they expand in population and area. How do we bring urban populations closer together in the public realm, while still providing space for the individual psyche and also increasing the overall sense of positive connection to the natural world and to each other? Robust natural landscapes have sometimes been considered a luxury within a functioning city, but more and more they are being recognized for the vital role they play in making cities livable. The story of Corktown Common relates how a landscape built of necessity was also designed to deliver myriad public benefits, including enhanced urban ecology and sustainability.


Author(s):  
Alan W. Ewert ◽  
S. Mitten Denise ◽  
Jillisa R. Overholt

Abstract This book chapter begins with a discussion of environmental narratives and the ways they shape their collective beliefs about natural landscapes, and then presents conservation and preservation ideas and strategies followed by a variety of approaches to integrating nature into the places and landscapes where people live, focusing on (1) environmental narratives, (2) conservation and preservation, (3) green by design, and (4) socioecological approach to human health. People from many disciplines have an opportunity to bring nature and people together in forms that can be experienced through everyday life. Simultaneously, we can continue to protect larger conservation areas in ways that are socially just, helping to combat global warming while protecting ways of life, Indigenous knowledge, and human dignity. The future of the planet depends on acting both locally and globally while helping individual people access a sense of connection to the natural world that translates to action to safeguard it for future generations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayse Ilkay Isik ◽  
Edward A. Vessel

During aesthetically appealing visual experiences, visual content provides a basis for computation of affectively tinged representations of aesthetic value. How this happens in the brain is largely unexplored. Using engaging video clips of natural landscapes, we tested whether cortical regions that respond to perceptual aspects of an environment (e.g., spatial layout, object content and motion) were directly modulated by rated aesthetic appeal. Twenty-four participants watched a series of videos of natural landscapes while being scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and reported both continuous ratings of enjoyment (during the videos) and overall aesthetic judgments (after each video). Although landscape videos engaged a greater expanse of high-level visual cortex compared to that observed for images of landscapes, independently localized category-selective visual regions (e.g., scene-selective parahippocampal place area and motion-selective hMT+) were not significantly modulated by aesthetic appeal. Rather, a whole-brain analysis revealed modulations by aesthetic appeal in ventral (collateral sulcus) and lateral (middle occipital sulcus, posterior middle temporal gyrus) clusters that were adjacent to scene and motion selective regions. These findings suggest that aesthetic appeal per se is not represented in well-characterized feature- and category-selective regions of visual cortex. Rather, we propose that the observed activations reflect a local transformation from a feature-based visual representation to a representation of “elemental affect,” computed through information-processing mechanisms that detect deviations from an observer’s expectations. Furthermore, we found modulation by aesthetic appeal in subcortical reward structures but not in regions of the default-mode network (DMN) nor orbitofrontal cortex, and only weak evidence for associated changes in functional connectivity. In contrast to other visual aesthetic domains, aesthetically appealing interactions with natural landscapes may rely more heavily on comparisons between ongoing stimulation and well-formed representations of the natural world, and less on top-down processes for resolving ambiguities or assessing self-relevance.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sridhar Krishnamurti

This article illustrates the potential of placing audiology services in a family physician’s practice setting to increase referrals of geriatric and pediatric patients to audiologists. The primary focus of family practice physicians is the diagnosis/intervention of critical systemic disorders (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer). Hence concurrent hearing/balance disorders are likely to be overshadowed in such patients. If audiologists get referrals from these physicians and have direct access to diagnose and manage concurrent hearing/balance problems in these patients, successful audiology practice patterns will emerge, and there will be increased visibility and profitability of audiological services. As a direct consequence, audiological services will move into the mainstream of healthcare delivery, and the profession of audiology will move further towards its goals of early detection and intervention for hearing and balance problems in geriatric and pediatric populations.


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