Empedocles’ Big Break

This paper endeavours to demonstrate that certain strands of ancient and modern cosmological thought are not as dissimilar as one might initially believe. In doing so, it will examine two accounts of the fundamental nature and origin of the universe – one put forward in the 5th century BCE by the Pre-Socratic Empedocles, and one favoured by a faction of 21st Century CE physical cosmologists. After said parallels are highlighted, there will be some speculation on how Empedocles may have arrived at such conclusions two and a half millennia ago, followed by a defence of him being classified only as an ancient poet.

Sapiens ubique civis – Preface

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Marcus Antonius’ Campaign against the Pirates in 102 BC

The struggle between the Roman State and Mediterranean pirates is a problem in ancient history that has not been sufficiently studied. By analyzing events from the turn of the 1st century BC, the author provides information about the first serious military campaign, as well as the qualitative and quantitative Roman staff directed against the piracy in Cilicia. The author concludes that the problem of piracy was not solved and claims that Cilicia was established not as a province but as a military command aimed to resolve the situation in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Loss of Innocence: Catullan Intertexts in Vergil’s Eclogue 8 and the Camilla Episode of the Aeneid

In ancient Rome, some elements of the wedding ritual (e.g. the raptio or the defloration) could be associated with aggression and death. In Catullus 62 and 66 – two poems dealing with the topic of marriage –, these connotations get a special emphasis, in part due to the motif of cutting symbolizing violence and changing. In this paper, I examine the way the above mentioned poems constitute the background for the allusion to Medea in Vergil’s Eclogue 8 and the depiction of Camilla in Book 11 of the Aeneid. It will be of fundamental importance to observe the way aggressiveness – being a traditional characteristic of men – gets transferred to women, by means of intertextual connections.

Identities in Roman Macedonia during the Early Imperial Period

This paper focuses on the impact of the Roman presence in Macedonia on the collective identities of the local population from the beginning of Roman rule in the region in 167 BC until the early 3rd century AD. The societal changes taking place during the first three and a half centuries have been outlined using the available epigraphic, numismatic and onomastic evidence to analyse the evolving identities of the Macedonians and the new forms of expression of these identities. The approach taken in this paper is not one of Hellenisation or Romanisation but of acculturation, focussing on the identities of the Macedonian people that adapted and evolved in relation to the new political and cultural environment.

Guilt and Atonement? Communal Disasters and the Creation of Hero-Cults in Ancient Greece

In Greek Antiquity, communal suffering and misfortune was often interpreted as resulting from divine or supernatural ill-will. In some accounts, it is a wrathful heros who is the cause, and a cult has to be instituted in order to appease him and possibly gain a powerful ally. In this article, I focus on narratives where the hero receiving a cult in this fashion is a historical figure. Specifically, I analyze the different elements of these narratives in regards to how they characterize and frame the hero and his relationship towards his community, focusing especially on the function of the collective disasters and afflictions in these tales.

Visions of Narcissus from the Late Imperial Period Remarks on the Statue of Narcissus from Callistratus’ Ekphraseis

In his longest ekphrasis (5), Callistratus (fl. probably in 4th century AD) uses enargeia and phantasia to depict vividly Narcissus’ marble sculpture and to evoke the tragic fate of the young boy. Based on the surviving works of art, it is well-known that the representations of Narcissus were widespread in the Roman world from the 1st century AD. Therefore, there is no reason to assume that it would have been a difficult task for Callistratus to take inspiration from the statues of Narcissus exhibited in the horti of Roman villas, public parks and baths, or from the large number of wall-paintings and mosaics depicting the young mythological figure. In my paper, I will explore the crucial elements originating from both the Graeco-Roman visual culture and literature that may have influenced this description.

The Silent Revolution: The Roman Army between Polybius and Marius

Traditionally, Polybius’ description of the Roman army in Book VI of his Histories is considered the de facto image of the mid-Republican Roman legions until the major changes introduced by the reforms attributed to Gaius Marius. However, there are several elements highlighting the fact that Polybius’ description actually depicts a rather outdated military system, making it hard to accept it as an up-to-date portrait of the army by the mid-second century. By examining hints within the sources, this paper aims to proper examine the major variations that interested the Roman military system from the mid-third to the late second centuries and to highlight their overall impact.

Quirinus and his Role in Original Capitoline Triad

This article is focused mainly on ancient Roman god Quirinus and his origin, character and role in the First Capitoline Triad of ancient roman religion. This article enumerates theories and views of Roman authors on the origin and character of Quirinus as one of the oldest members of ancient Roman pantheon. The available evidence from literary sources pertaining to Quirinus, his priests and festivals is also considered. Author of this article evaluates the similarities between Mars and Quirinus and their priests (Salii and flamines) and possible warlike competences of Quirinus – his connection to war.

Different from Others? Jews as Slave Owners and Traders in the Persian and Hellenistic Periods

The subject of Jews as slave owners and traders throughout history received much greater attention in the last few decades. But there is no research that focuses on the Persian and Hellenistic periods and their relevant findings. This current article hopes to do exactly that. This article shows that Jews owned slaves and even traded them throughout the Persian period and during the Hellenistic period until the rise of the Hasmonean Kingdom. The slaves themselves were not only gentiles but also Jews, who received no special treat-ment from their co-religionists. Regarding the ownership of slaves, it was found that each Jewish owner treated his slaves differently, showing a huge gap between the biblical laws on the matter and the reality. The different texts and finds brought here are a testimony to the disregard of the Biblical laws on slaves, and the subsequent similarity between the Jews and their gentile neighbours in both ownership and trade of slaves.