The decline and fall of a working classicist

Although the academy tends not to recognize it, scholars and students from working-class backgrounds are automatically at a disadvantage. To demonstrate both sides of the university experience, I provide here a detailed, personal account of my journey from undergraduate to postgraduate to post-Ph.D. researcher. I pay special attention to my chosen subject of classics and ancient history, an area of study with its own set of class-based problems – for while those from working-class backgrounds might be (and are) subject to classism in any discipline, the seemingly inherent elitism of the classics and ancient history field makes it doubly hard for the underprivileged to succeed. I begin by illustrating how ‘working-class knowledge’ of popular culture granted me access into an otherwise closed, exclusionary set of subject materials and go from here to detail how such work is undervalued by the field, before ending on the violent effects that the all-too-familiar casualized employment structure has on those would-be academics who lack access to family wealth, savings and freedom of opportunity/action. Ultimately, I try to show how that – no matter how hard you try – if you are from working-class background, you are highly unlikely to succeed in the modern-day academic system.

ON THE FORMATION OF ETHNOMEDICINE OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS PEOPLES

Статья посвящена истории формирования этномедицины народов Северного Кавказа. Ставится задача уточнения динамики исторического процесса относительно формирования этномедицины народов Северного Кавказа. Материалы исследований многих авторов по истории медицины подтверждают высокую эффективность лекарского искусства в оказании хирургической помощи, которую отмечали многие наблюдатели в период Кавказской войны. Несомненно, опыт лекарского искусства на Кавказе имеет весьма древнюю историю. Он накапливался эмпирическим путем и, передаваясь от отца к сыну, формировал династии лекарей, имевшие свой опыт и свои секреты врачевания. Не исключается взаимовлияние культур народов, в частности арабской медицины, которая способствовала формированию врачей традиционной арабской школы медицины. Таким образом, народных целителей можно разделить на два типа: чье лечение содержало доисламские и исламские методы. Отмечается, что именно народные лекари с доисламским опытом сопровождали войска в походах и показали высокую эффективность своих методов, получив заслуженную оценку многих врачей в годы Кавказской войны. The paper is devoted to the history of formation of ethnomedicine of the peoples of the North Caucasus. The task is to clarify the dynamics of the historical process regarding the formation of ethnomedicine of the peoples of the North Caucasus. The research materials of many authors on the history of medicine confirm the high effectiveness of medicinal art in the provision of surgical care, which was noted by many observers during the Caucasian War. Undoubtedly, the experience of medicinal art in the Caucasus has a very ancient history. It accumulated empirically and, passing from father to son, formed dynasties of doctors who had their own experience and their secrets of healing. The mutual influence of the cultures of peoples, in particular Arab medicine, which contributed to the formation of doctors of the traditional Arab school of medicine, is not excluded. Thus, folk healers can be divided into two types: whose treatment contained pre-Islamic and Islamic methods. It is noted that it was people's doctors with pre-Islamic experience who accompanied the troops on campaigns and showed the high effectiveness of their methods, having received a well-deserved assessment of many doctors during the Caucasian war.

Studying Thracian Civilization Through Serious Games and Storytelling

This chapter presents a novel learning approach for studying ancient Bulgarian history, civilization, and their cultural heritage, namely the Thracian civilization, through storytelling and serious game combinations. The chapter also provides an overview of serious educational games, digital storytelling, and game development tools that can be used to present ancient history and their cultural heritage. The combination of storytelling and serious games successfully helps instructors to motivate student learning, stimulate their curiosity, and make them interested. The authors developed a game editor and a game portal that facilitated the game's development by applying game templates, layout styles, and question pools.

Medieval Kazakh History in Arab and Persian Sources

The relevance of this topic lies in the analysis of the study of medieval Kazakh history. After gaining independence, the processes of the revival of national identity, reinstatement of primitive spiritual and moral values and human mentality, which were sharply suppressed during the period of the Soviet totalitarian system, became widespread. Therewith, the widely discussed national-historical structure of the population, the knowledge of ethnic roots, the restoration of traditions and customs, which served as a connecting link, as well as the specificity and originality of the approach are of particular importance. Currently, the problem of objective reading, coverage, and popularisation of the ancient and medieval Kazakh history and culture is acute. By rejecting one-sided interpretations of historical events, established clichés require impartial, academic analysis based on evidence drawn from a wide range of sources. The purpose of this study is to identify the problems of the history of Kazakhstan in the 13th-14th centuries, the general laws of world historical development and the features of the historical process, folk traditions by using a scientific and systematic approach. Based on the systematisation and classification of data from the geographical and Arab historical records of the 13th-14th centuries, the analysis of written monuments is performed, their interdependence is established, and the degree of completeness and reliability of the data in the works of the narrative is determined in an integral system. Due to the scientific expeditions and research trips to Mongolia, China, and Germany, Kazakh orientalists analysed and performed the first systematic processing of archival materials and historical evidence of the early history of resettlement based on the ancient Turkic manuscript, ancient Indian, and Chinese sources that formed a picture of the proto and ancient history. For example, the features of stone figures give an idea of the military hierarchy, military operations, the settlement of ethnic groups (ethnogeography), the worldview of the Turks, etc.

Exploration of Medicinal Plants: Tinuktuk Concoction in Simalungunese, Indonesia

Plant species have been applied in the traditional treatment of certain diseases since ancient history. The purpose of this study is to explore the efficacy of medicinal plants, specifically tinuktuk, in Simalungunese, North Sumatra, Indonesia. This effort shows the potentials of local knowledge in preparing herbal mixtures, based on geographical existence. The sample concoction was analyzed qualitatively for its health properties, using a pragmatic approach. Subsequent data were obtained from focus group discussions and field demonstrations to determine the plant types, processing mechanisms and efficacy. The results showed that the leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, tubers, and rhizomes of 18 herbal plant varieties were utilized, alongside the evaluation of 8 medicinal properties. Among the species, Zingiberaceae, Arecaceae, and Euphorbiaceae belonged to genera, while Areacaceae, Poaceae, Rutaceae, and Zingiberaceae families were predominantly applied. Therefore, the efficacy determination of tinuktuk concoction appears significant in terms of facilitating lactation during childbirth and subsequently eliminating the unclean blood, enhancing immunity, maintaining stamina and increasing the appetite. In summary, the sample is suitable as a herbal medicine and a product of local knowledge in the treating various ailments across generations.

First Migration of Peoples and Zarubinets Culture

The article is devoted to one event in ancient history, called ‘The First Migration of Peoples,’ which was studied and commented on many times when the Germanic tribes Cimbri and Teutons carried out many years of displacement in the space of Central Europe. Despite their defeat by Rome, this event caused a powerful movement of other tribes, especially towards Eastern Europe, where many new archaeological cultures were formed. Among them, a special place is occupied by the Zarubinets culture and its part in the history of Eastern Europe. The purpose of the study is to determine the place of Zarubinets culture in the history of eastern Europe. The research methodology consists in the use of general scientific, special and interdisciplinary methods. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the Zarubinets culture of Eastern Europe is considered against the background of the Western European tribe’s movement due to Roman expansion. Conclusions. The question of the Zarubinets culture's origin is still debatable. Now there is no particular objection to the opinion that the genesis of Zarubinets culture was a complex process that reflected the peculiarities of both the internal development of the local population and the effects of external circumstances, reflecting the movement of tribes in the Center for Europe.