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This paper examines a key passage in the Palestinian Talmud (the Yerushalmi), on mGit 4.8, that presents a salient discussion about the halakhic meaning of gentile ownership of lands in the land of Israel. Two theoretical moves are evident within the amoraic effort to define it. The first is an innovative turn, achieved through a creative reading of Leviticus 25, that interprets Jubilee law as a model by which gentile possession of the Land is portrayed as a lamentable yet temporary form of partial ownership, similar to enslaved Jews in gentile hands, until returning to Jewish control.The second is a conceptual deliberation on select legal categories of ownership, most notably the concept of ususfructus , which may be seen in light of their centrality in Roman property law, especially given the key role that such designations hold in Roman construction of hierarchies and space. I suggest viewing the rabbinic use of these categories as a subversive strategy, either as an adaptation to the Roman definition of Italic land or in opposition to Roman perceptions of provincial lands, that is, in dialogue with the very Roman notions of space and control over subordinate populations that the rabbis themselves were confronting in the land of Israel.This sugya thus provides a unique view of how these Palestinian rabbis perceived the Roman presence in their land and their mindset as a conquered community and, in a broader sense, a valuable source for better understanding provincial perspectives under the Roman Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous isotopic studies of Roman diet for individuals buried at Isola Sacra (first-fourth centuries C.E.; Italy) have focused on variation in adult diet or the critical stages of breastfeeding and weaning during infancy and childhood; however, little is known about the characteristics of diet when a child transitioned through adolescence to adulthood. This paper uses dietary stable isotope analysis of incremental tooth dentin from nine individuals (15 teeth, 52 incremental dentin sections) to investigate the transition between childhood and adult diet, and sex-specific dietary patterns for people buried in the necropolis of Isola Sacra in the early Roman Empire. The incremental dentin isotope data demonstrate that males and females consumed different diets as early as 4.5 years of age. Females exhibit a positive correlation between d 15N and age (rs = .41, p = .026), suggesting the greater inclusion of higher trophic level foods as they aged. However, no discernable pattern of dietary change is identified for males, suggesting sex-based dietary variation. For males, isotopic evidence of protein insufficiency around 15 years of age for two individuals raises questions about the effects of pubertal development on protein requirements, as well as changing social roles for young men during adulescentia. This research highlights the importance of considering diet in a longitudinal fashion and working to understand the biological and social changes occurring during adolescence in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about employment and occupations in the Roman Empire can be obtained only partially, due to the limited focus of sources on this subject. Literary sources rarely mention physical work and those who performed it. The paper introduces the type of source that covers this topic best – funerary inscriptions. Epitaphs serve as an irreplaceable, and in many cases the only, source of information about the various occupations held by representatives of the middle and lower classes in the Roman Empire. Many tombstones of citizens, slaves, and freed slaves – men, women and children – have been preserved. The aim of this paper is to present specifically the occupations of women preserved on funerary inscriptions from the city of Rome and to introduce concrete, otherwise nameless persons never mentioned in other sources. The analysis is based on inscriptions from the city of Rome, set in the time of the late Republic and the early Roman Principate (1st century BC – 2nd century AD). The paper addresses concrete inscriptions dedicated to working women, or inscriptions that the employed women made, together with their analysis and translation. The paper can also be used as a source book on the topic of women’s professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an intellectual history of the idea that the later Roman empire and, subsequently, the whole of Byzantium were less 'free' in comparison to the Roman Republic. Anxiety over diminished freedom recurred throughout Roman history, but only a few specific expressions of it were enshrined in modern thought as the basis on which to divide history into periods. The theorists of the Enlightenment, moreover, invented an unfree Byzantium for their own political purposes and not by examining the facts about its political culture. The second part of the paper proposes that the Byzantines valorized a model of positive freedom as legal-institutional protection against arbitrary oppressive power, including against both barbarian domination and domestic abuses. In contrast to modern thought, which tends to see the imperial position as the chief threat to liberty, the Byzantines viewed it as its bulwark. Yet they too had remedies for oppressive emperors, suggesting that the otherwise well-attested invocations of freedom were not a mere rhetorical trope for them but an actionable cultural norm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that one of the central theses of the counter-imperial reading of Paul has been more asserted than proved – namely, the thesis that Paul disguised anti-imperial sentiments in his letters specifically because speaking out against imperial authorities was too dangerous. This claim is the basic assumption behind the search in Paul's letters for 'hidden' or 'coded' transcripts. Such an approach can be found in the works of Warren Carter, N. T. Wright, and Richard Horsley, among others. But how likely is it that Paul would have felt the need to encode his anti-imperial sentiments? Was there really a risk that Roman soldiers would have intercepted Paul's mail or prosecuted him for its contents? Is the 'hidden transcript' idea an anachronistic concept based on modern surveillance states and transposed into the ancient world? This paper questions how likely it is that Rome's provincial governments would have had the inclination or ability to police private correspondence for seditious sentiments. From there, we can determine whether Paul is speaking as openly as he wants or is in fact protecting himself using 'hidden transcripts'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine the philosophical update of Late Antique Graeco-Roman Religion in the attitudes, theories and proposals of Neoplatonic thinkers such as Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus and Proclus. In the framework of the Late Roman state and society two main aspects of this Neoplatonic redefinition of „paganism”are studied here: mysticism and magic, through the religious reading of the Platonic „ascent to the Good”and the practice of theurgy. Moreover, the emphasis of some Neoplatonists such as Porphyry upon the mantic tradition is also analysed, with special regard to the oracular poetry. To sum up, this contribution shows in brief how Neoplatonism represents a renewal of Late Antique Roman Religion upon the basis of tradition - both religious and philosophical - but also as a response and reaction to the new Christian ideas and milieu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Apocalypse of John is filled with monsters who threaten both spatial and cultural boundaries. They are generally understood as ciphers for the Roman Empire and its -rulers. Rather than seeking the ancient Near Eastern origins of the monstrous imagery, the intent of this paper is to use monster theory to better understand why John employs monsters throughout the apocalypse. I argue that the author's portrayal of the threat and punishment of hybrid monsters reveals his own insecurities and fears concerning his communities' assimilation with Roman culture. John uses monsters specifically to target rival prophets in his communities that espouse a different vision of living under Rome rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decade ago, the Syracuse Charter was promoted to suggest guidelines for the conservation, fruition, and management of the ancient theatrical architecture built during the Greek and Roman periods. Among other aspects, this charter outlined the role of the acoustics in the restoration of ancient theatres. However, it is often common to modify the acoustics of historical theaters according to the needs of modern performances. This paper focuses on the little theater of Pompeii, in the South of Italy, also known as “theatrum tectum” or “Odeon”. Pompeii, which became a Roman colony after being a Samnite city, underwent significant social and economic changes, including the construction of several performing spaces. The city was destroyed by the Vesuvius eructation in 79 A.D. This paper first describes the genesis of the “theatrum tectum” of Pompeii which had a truss wood roof. The results of acoustic measurements in the current state of the theater are used to create a virtual model of the building. Then, using archeological studies about the original architectural design of this theater, this paper presents a virtual reconstruction of the original acoustics during the Roman period. The aim of the present study is to compare the different acoustical characteristics that the “theatrum tectum” of Pompeii has had in its over 2000 year history and to discuss the most adequate performances in the actual theater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size, body conformation and skull shape of Roman dogs from the 'Vila de Madrid necropolis' site, where 1480 dog remains were recovered, are described in this paper to provide evidence of the morphometric variability of Roman dogs in Hispania Tarraconensis. The individualized and detailed morphometric analysis of 10 individuals shows that the proliferation and explosion of the morphological variability already documented in different regions of the Roman Empire (Italia, Gallia, Britannia, Pannonia) are also noted here. The presence of very different individuals in terms of their shape and size, similar to the differences that can at present be noted between Pekingese and Doberman dogs, has been documented at the site. The reasons for the appearance of this morphological variability within those territories that were part of the Roman Empire are also discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]