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In this article, I argue that Judith can be read as imitating book 9 of Homer's Odyssey , the story of Odysseus and Polyphemus the Cyclops, in a way that compliments its use of other literary models (e.g., Genesis 34; Judges 4–5; 1 Kingdoms 17; and Homer, Iliad 14). Such an imitation can be read as reinforcing the narrative's explicit themes, especially that of violent opposition to foreign invaders, and as contributing to its characterizations of Judith (who compares favorably to Odysseus) and Holofernes (who is stigmatized by association with Polyphemus). In the process, I situate Judith among other imitations of Odyssey 9 in antiquity and observe how especially Jewish writings in the Hellenistic and Roman eras appear to use it as a resource for opposing foreign subjugation, including to Greek empires. Accordingly, Judith further attests to the participation of Jews in the contestation over the Greek canonical past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our knowledge of the Seleucid Empire has grown immensely during the last century, yet the largest Hellenistic state remains somewhat elusive. The debate on the fundamentals of its organization, ideology and character is still ongoing. One of the more eccentric attempts to force the issue was that of the renowned American historian and epigraphist Charles Edson, who argued that a solution could be found in works of late, Roman-era authors, since the state of the contemporary sources is allegedly so dire that "no coherent picture of the empire emerges". This assumption led Edson to rely overwhelmingly on the Epitome Historiarum Pompeii Trogi by Justin, a late abbreviation and a rewrite of the world history of Pompeus Trogus, a 1st century BC Latin historian. Edson's conclusion was that Justin's text reflects the official Seleucid usage, proving, furthermore, that the Seleucid Empire was not a typical dynastic monarchy of the Hellenistic age, but essentially the old Macedonian kingdom replanted in Asia. Edson's thesis was mostly ignored and rejected by scholars, but the issue of Justin's terminology remains. Why does this late epitomator use expressions such as "Macedonicum Imperium" and "Macedonum reges" to describe Seleucids in some parts of his work? Is it simply because the dynasty was of Macedonian descent, or is there more to it? This paper examines terminology utilized by Trogus/Justin to describe Macedonian imperialism and, more specifically, the Seleucid state and rulers, in order to understand the concepts and intentions behind the words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The earliest sources on the kingdom of Macedon refer to its royal house as the Temenidae. Through this name, the Macedonian kings allegedly claimed descent from the royal line of Argos, i.e., they claimed the right to be recognized as descendants of Temenus, and through him of Heracles himself. Other ancient authors, as well as later lexicographers, refer to the Macedonian royal house as the Argeadae. There were two different explanations for this name even in ancient times: some interpreted it as an indication of the origin of the royal house from Argos Orestikon, a place in Orestis; others thought it was a patronymic, i.e. that it pointed to a descent from a mythical ancestor, the hero Argaeus. A careful analysis of the sources, as well as the historical circumstances in which they mention the ruling house and its name, shows that these names and the corresponding myths were used erratically, with irregular frequency, within a specific narrative with a political goal, to the point that one might even dispute the Macedonian origin of some interpretations. Thus, it is possible that the Macedonian kings before Philip II did not perceive themselves as either Temenid or Argead, and that Philip and Alexander only made masterful political use of the said names and interpretations. The new Hellenistic dynasties did their best to link with the old one in various ways: the Antigonidae highlighted their kinship with Argos, the Ptolemies opted for Argaeus, the Seleucids for Temenus. An examination of these examples shows that the term "Argeadae" had no exactness in historical reminiscence. In Hellenistic times - and that is precisely the time when it appears in common use - "Argeadae" was a general term that referred to the kings of Macedonia. Thus, it would be unwarranted to replace the term Temenidae with another, equally gratuitous, which ultimately lays claim to the same legendary origin, and was first attested a considerable time later; on the contrary, the Temenidae should remain an integral part of the narrative on the Macedonian ruling house. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During excavations at the Hellenistic-Roman port of Berenike (on the Red Sea coast of Egypt) in the winter of 2019, work in the so-called Northern Complex documented a religious space from the Late Roman period. The excavation of a portion of this space recorded material that, together with the architecture, suggests a ritual function associated with a falcon cult. This study examines the features of this edifice and the interpretation of the religious materials found in it and proposes a possible relationship with the Blemmyan population who lived in Berenike between the fourth and sixth centuries CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni is the property of Editrice Morcelliana S.p.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article focuses on 12 fragments of Roman sculptures preserved in the storage rooms of Hadrian's villa in Tivoli. Ten can be identified as portraits of Hadrian, Antinous, Commodus, Caracalla, and possibly Elagabalus. Another is a head with a ringlet hairpiece (Löckchentoupet), which could represent a female member of Hadrian's family or a servant. The 12th fragment is identified as the only known replica of a head that is in the Louvre, and the two are interpreted as Roman copies of the head of a lost Hellenistic original. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although literary and epigraphic texts attest to the widespread use of random selection in the ancient Mediterranean, archaeological evidence beyond the Athenian-style kleroterion is rare. A recent discovery at Morgantina may improve this situation: a terracotta ball inscribed with a personal name was recovered in 2018 during excavations inside a house dated to the middle of the third century BCE. A nearly identical ball inscribed with a different name had been excavated in the 1960s in a nearby house of similar date. Here we consider them together, offering a first publication of the two objects and their inscriptions, including their onomastic and social significance. We argue that these objects most likely functioned as lots (κλñροι) for sortition, based on a review of relevant evidence for the theory and practice of sortition from across the Mediterranean. We then discuss the historical context in which the lots were created, used, and discarded: decades of prosperity in eastern Sicily under the hegemony of the Syracusan monarch Hieron II (r. 269-215 BCE). We propose that the inhabitants of Hellenistic Morgantina may have employed random selection for distributing land during a period of demographic and urban growth generated by that prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arkeoloji Dergisi is the property of Ege University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Excavations at Berenike (Trogodytika) on the Red Sea coast of Egypt provide a foundation date in the third quarter of the third century BCE, which corroborates Pliny the Elder's (HN 6.33.168) claim that Ptolemy II Philadelphus (ca. 285/2-246 BCE) established the port. Named after Philadelphus' mother, Berenike is the only archaeologically attested Hellenistic-era Red Sea emporium. According to literary evidence, it was one of about a dozen founded by early Ptolemaic rulers along the African coast. Study of Berenike's artifacts and ecofacts has confirmed the presence of elephants and has provided data on the diet of the residents and the location, acquisition, and distribution of drinking water. Research has also documented industrial and economic activities. This report presents highlights of these studies.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various classical texts describe European cultural heritage as stemming from Hellenistic aesthetics, Roman law and governance, and Christian religion and ethics. This basis is recognized in the European Union’s political discourses on European cultural heritage. Christianity can be perceived as a complex component of this basis and therefore a difficult topic for the Union. The EU needs to balance the support for Christian conviction with its strong role in the political cultures in several European countries; increasing secularity of European societies; secularism as political thought; cultural and religious diversification of Europe; and liberal values emphasized as the foundation of the Union. This balancing is discussed first in terms of recent theoretical literature on religion and secularism in Europe and the EU. This discussion contextualizes a case study of a recent flagship EU heritage action, the European Heritage Label. This case study explores the role of religion in this action and how the difficulty related to it is reflected in practice, drawing on content analysis of the evaluation and selection reports of sites awarded the European Heritage Label. The article shows that this difficulty is solved in the EU’s heritage discourses by approaching religion as cultural memory, heritage, and tradition belonging to the narrative of Europe’s past rather than dealing with it as a religious practice in the European present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper explores the feasibility of the evidence in Plutarch's Them. 10.5 regarding publicly-funded teaching that the people of Troezen bestowed upon Athenian children refugees on the eve of the battle of Salamis 480 BC. Examination of testimonies from Troezen referring to the generosity (euergesia) exhibited in absorption of the Athenian evacuees, together with the chronology of public involvement in Greek elementary education (paideia), undermines the historical credibility of Plutarch's account and indicates anachronism. This study suggests that the close interconnection between euergesia and paideia, first documented in the Hellenistic period, is the basis of Plutarch's, or his sources', interpretation of the Troezenians' munificence toward Athenian refugees in the form of subsidized schooling. Thus Plutarch's account less reflects the historical reality of the Archaic period, but rather the significance of Greek paideia in the historical memory of later generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents preliminary observations on Hellenistic honorific statuary in Ptolemaic Egypt. Topics include an overview of a statue base dedicated to a Ptolemaic ruler, two statue bases dedicated to private individuals, an Egyptian-style inscribed statue, and a decree that offers honorific statues and articulates a few preliminary hypotheses and questions for further study.

The current paper contributes new evidence to the ongoing discussion of the location and organisation of production of Hellenistic colour-coated ware (CCW), through interdisciplinary investigation of morphological style, technology and provenance of relevant pottery from a Late Hellenistic deposit found in a well in the Agora of Nea Paphos on Cyprus. Through naked eye examination, four major macroscopic groups were identified based on vessel typology and fabrics. Subsequently, 53 representative samples were selected and analysed through a combination of refiring tests, chemical analysis, thin section petrography and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the sheer majority of this pottery, despite some compositional and technological variability, reflects the use of similar raw materials compatible with the geology of Paphos. Therefore, during the Late Hellenistic period, most of the CCW consumed in Paphos were locally produced. The observed variation in the assemblage can be associated with several factors, such as natural diversity of raw materials, a number of co-existing pottery workshops, technological choices made by the potters and to a lesser extent post-depositional processes. This integrated research has a profound impact on studies of production and consumption of the Late Hellenistic pottery on Cyprus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that Luke's characterization of Saul as a god-fighter can be read as modeled on the biblical King Saul and on Pentheus from Euripides's Bacchae, and that the characterization of Paul in Acts 13:4-17:15 can be read as modeled on the Bacchae's Dionysus. My approach, appealing to the Bacchae as a literary model, avoids a weakness of similar interpretations of the name Saul, which date to the early church, that it is a reference to King Saul. Saul remains "Saul" after the Damascus Road experience in order to demonstrate the appropriate response of one found to be a god-fighter, emulating Pentheus's model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a historiographical discussion on the historical source (FGH 155) known as the Heidelberg epitome, a Greek document from the 15th century whose authorship is disputed and that recounts events of the early Hellenistic period (323-316 B.C.). It aims at furthering the debate from Pat Wheatley's hypothesis by inserting the epitome into a brief conceptual and methodological discussion on epitomes and fragments in the Greek historiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article publishes the architecture and ceramics from the earliest phases of the South Basilica of Polis, Cyprus. The basilica transitioned from a woodroofed to barrel-vaulted church in the 7th century. The excavations produced an assemblage of Late Roman fine wares that indicates the site was an entry point for Cypriot Red Slip onto the island. This assemblage complicates longstanding arguments for Late Roman decline and identifies the construction of a mid-sized and well-appointed basilica on Cyprus as characteristic of the transformation of Hellenistic and Roman cities into prosperous trade centers during the 6th and 7th centuries a.d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological site of Ashdod-Yam is located on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, in the southern part of the modern city of Ashdod. In this study, we present the analysis of various metal objects from the Hellenistic period, retrieved at Ashdod-Yam during two seasons of renewed excavations. The objects were characterized by metallurgical non-destructive and minimal-destructive testing methods, including stereo microscopy, XRF and SEM-EDS measurements, in order to determine their composition and manufacturing process. The examined artefacts were originally made of copper alloys, lead and iron. Our research indicates that the manufacturing of the objects involved diverse techniques, including casting, hammering, cold-forging and annealing cycles, drilling, engraving, as well as joining methods such as forge-welding and soldering, indicating that the artefacts were made by trained metalsmiths and were most probably produced in different workshops. Due to the paucity of studies dedicated to systematic archaeometallurgical analysis of Hellenistic metal objects from the southern Levant, this article contributes to a better understanding of Hellenistic technological practices in this part of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the advantages that a semantic system could provide to the group of Hellenistic monumental sanctuaries in Latium. Initially conceived as expressions of local reactions against Rome or as local adoptions of Roman socio-cultural practices, a semantic model allows us to see (architectural) style as a communication tool in different contexts. In this setting, there is a shift from Hellenisation, as an acculturation pheomenon, to Hellenism, as a phenomenon of social expression. Thus, a semantic model also sheds light on modes of self-perception and how style was perceived by various audiences. In particular, Hellenistic sanctuaries should be examined from local, regional and pan-Mediterranean prespectives. The emphasis on contextual applications of the semantic model should also make us take into consideration diachronicity. Given that the phenomenon spanned two centuries (the second and first centuries BC), style and, its meaning and function(s) in society would have changed due to more intense building activity and the increased presence of Hellenistic architecture in Central Italy. This consideration further allows us to move away from a static acculturation approach and acquire a better understanding of cultural contact and ethnogenesis in both the ancient and contemporary worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to bring to light through intertextual analysis some dimensions of conti- nuity between the Hellenistic and Imperial theology of Isis and the figure of the Sacred Feminine as it appears in the Trimorphic Protennoia (NHC XIII, 1). Instead of attempting to establish a diachronic (=historical) relationship of dependence between sources (e.g., borrowing, allusion, influence), this study establishes correspondences that can be traced on the literary level. Through a reception-oriented analysis, it will be possible to show the continuity between the Isiac religion and the late ancient mysticism of the Trimorphic Protennoia. A late ancient reader would have experienced the Nag Hammadi text in dialogue with Isiac traditions, and this literary dialogue with the Isiac religion would have nurtured and shaped their understanding of the sacred feminine described in the Trimorphic Protennoia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the first diplomatic contacts of Rome in the Hellenistic world in 3rd century BC (before the beginning of the Second Macedonian War). The author attempts to discover if Roman Senate had common approach to its eastern policy in this period. In general the author agrees with those scholars who assert that Romans on their eastern diplomacy used the instrument (widespread in the interstate relations of the Hellenistic world) of “informal friendship” (amicitia - φιλία). However, tracing the development of the Roman relations with its “friends” in the Eastern Mediterranean, the author comes to the conclusion that from the beginning of the Illyrian Wars Roman attitude towards those states which established the amicable relations with Rome started to change. Romans more and more perceived these states as clients and expected from them services, which were usually provided by the Roman socii in Italy. The only exception from such a practice was the military alliance with Aetolia during the First Macedonian War which was determined by the extraordinary circumstances of this conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of ancient states brings a historical perspective to the creation of official identities. By looking at legal and fiscal documents preserved on papyri from Hellenistic and Early Roman Egypt (323 BCE to c. 70 CE), this study compares how the Ptolemies and then the Romans established official identities, that is, what priorities they gave to occupation, social status, citizenship, and/or ethnicity in order to construct legal and fiscal identities. It explores how these different priorities created overlaps between the categories, for instance, by an occupation permitting some flexibility with ethnicity, in order to include those in service of the state into privileged official categories. First, it shows that the fiscal and cleruchic policies of the Ptolemies partially reshaped societies so that social status became preeminent and ethnicity did no longer matter to the state already before the Roman annexation. Second, it compares how the demographic and social configuration in Egypt at the time of each conquest stimulated slightly different priorities when constructing official identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines ideas of individual freedom in the Hellenistic city-states (c. 323-31 BCE). It concentrates on the civic ideas expressed in the laws and decrees of Hellenistic cities, inscribed on stone, comparing them with Hellenistic historical and philosophical works. It places different Hellenistic approaches alongside modern liberal, neo-Roman republican and civic humanist theories of individual liberty, finding some overlaps with each of those modern approaches. The argument is that the Hellenistic Greeks developed innovative ways of combining demanding ideals of civic virtue and the common good with equally robust ideals of individual freedom and ethical choice. They did so not least by adapting and developing traditional Greek approaches close to modern civic humanism, in ways very relevant to modern debates about how to reconcile civic duty, the common good and pluralism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the archaeological excavations conducted in the Hellenistic necropolis discovered in Messina (Sicily, Italy) dating back to the 3rd century BC., a skeleton showing evidence of cranial traumas and surgical intervention was found. The skull, belonging to a young adult male, presented signs of 4 head injuries produced by both blunt and sharp-edged instruments. The first 2 lesions, located on the frontal bone, were produced by blunt blows and showed signs of long-term survival. The third lesion, located on the inferior portion of the right parietal, suggests a perimortem nonpenetrating linear cut likely caused by a blade instrument. Finally, a rectangular bone loss is visible on the left parietal bone, involving the full cranial thickness with well-delimited cutting edges and no sign of a reparative process. This injury can be interpreted as the result of a trepanation, performed with the technique defined as “linear cutting” and obtained through 4 linear incisions in parallel pairs intersecting at the right angles. The trepanation is likely related to the multiple head injuries exhibited by the patient, who unfortunately did not survive the surgical intervention. Trepanation in Italy has been largely attested since Prehistoric times, but the case from Messina represents the first evidence of neurosurgical intervention performed through the linear cutting technique in the Italian context and the second case in the whole of Europe. This technique might have been imported in Sicily during the Hellenistic period from the Near East, where it is clearly attested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A late third- or early second-century BCE ostracon discovered within the fills of a subterranean complex (no. 169) at the site of Maresha records the koinon (association) of Kosadar fining a certain person called Rhodon for the sum of no less than 40 silver Drachmae. The ostracon was discovered in the company of two other similar, albeit fragmentary, ostraca. Since the association is named by a personal name, we suggest it was a private association. Though the existence of fines is well recorded in regulations of private associations known from the Hellenistic world on stone and papyri, these are the first documents to be discovered that record the actual imposition of one. Furthermore, this is the earliest evidence for a private association in the Southern Levant, and as such constitutes a 'missing link' in the development of Greek-type institutions in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a sustained politicized reading of the myth of Midas in Ovid's Metamorphoses. It argues that Midas stands, first, as the embodiment of failed, Hellenistic kingship, with its ostentatious display of wealth and heralding of a new Golden Age, and, second, as a warning against the infectious "love of gold," to which Roman politicians are far from immune. While the capture of Silenus and the golden touch episode link Midas with the tropes of Hellenistic kingship, his involvement in the competition between Pan and Apollo raises questions about the tropes of Roman imperial power itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological excavations carried out in the town of Palermo revealed important traces of metallurgical activity related to the Punic Panormos. Five samples of iron slags, recovered during the digging, were characterized by micro-structural, mineralogical and chemical investigations as well as by environmental scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The studied remains are spongy, rust colored, with a plano-convex shape and their textural and mineralogical features suggest they are metallurgical slags produced during smithing process. Wüstite, magnetite, fayalite, kirschsteinite, hedembergite, cristobalite and quartz are the main identified mineral phases, while goethite, lepidocrocite and calcite occur as minor secondary phases. The iron slags show heterogeneous structures such as hammering clues, layering in wustite crystals and presence of calcium-rich minerals which are consistent with a broad variation of the forging temperature due to the use of different smithing techniques. This assumption is confirmed by the different crystallization temperatures of the detected mineral phases. Skeletal and dendritic shapes are indicative of rapid cooling and, possibly, quenching. The chemical composition is dominated by iron, silicon and calcium and it is almost constant for all the samples suggesting that they were produced with similar raw materials and technology. The high Ca content suggests the use of carbonate-bearing rocks, widely outcropping over the Palermo territory, probably exploited as fluxing ores for the metallurgical process. The multidisciplinary approach adopted in this study provided new data for a better understanding of the metallurgical techniques evolution in the Sicilian territory in ancient times. Since the studied iron slags represent the unique traces so far known of metallurgical activity in the ancient Palermo town, our results open interesting perspectives for future study of metallurgy in ancient Sicily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rseudo-Callisthenes Alexander Romance has played an important role in the development of the historical and literary legacy of the antique Hellenistic peoples as well as on the medieval Europe and Asia. In this respect neither the medieval Georgian chronicles and literature were an exception. The Alexander Romance served as the basis for the description of, historical and literary adventures of the king of the Georgians, Vakhtang Gorgasali (fifib-sixth century). His chronicler Juansher, under the influence of the hero of Alexander Romance, created a mystic image of a 'great king' Vakhtang, a victorious knight and a Christian ruler. For the Georgian medieval chroniclers, editors and rewriters, Alexander of Macedon remained the ideal of a powerful, yet righteous ruler and a model of a hero, and this attitude has been reflected in the compositions and literaiy legacy of the chroniclers of this or later epochs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fragments of two perfume bottles belonging to the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and five bracelets belonging to the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods, excavated in the archaeological site of Enez during the excavations in 2000, have been investigated. The samples were analyzed using micro-Raman, FTIR, and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence techniques, in order to study the ancient technology of glass production and to determine chemical compositions of the basic components and coloring elements of the glassware. All the investigated glasses can be characterized as low-magnesia-soda-lime silicate glasses, whose colors are induced by metal ions. The melting points of the investigated glasses are estimated to be quite close to each other and around 1000°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important example of a mixture of red colourants from plant and insect sources has been found during a recent investigation of a purple pigment on a 3 rd century BC oinochoe from Canosa di Puglia present in the British Museum collection. Further investigation was carried out to elucidate both the nature of this pigment and its possible method of manufacture. In a practice typical of the period, Egyptian blue and a pink lake were found to be physically mixed to produce the purple pigment observed on the object. High pressure liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) revealed that the main colourant of the pink lake was derived from madder ( Rubia spp.). However, the samples investigated also contained markers for insect-derived colourants from cochineal ( Porphyrophora spp., in partial agreement with recent archaeological findings from Thessaloniki) and lac ( Kerria Lacca Kerr). Despite allusions to its existence in ancient sources, evidence for the use of lac dye as a colourant (in a lake pigment) from Antiquity has never previously been found. In addition, markers indicative of tannins were also found in the mixture. This was interpreted as an indication of the reuse of a colourant that has been extracted from previously dyed textiles. Although common practice in the manufacture of red lakes from the 14 th to 17 th centuries, this may be the first evidence for this method to produce lake pigments found on an object from Antiquity. In addition to confirming the power of HPLC-MS in terms of the sensitivity and specificity of information, that in many cases allows species differentiation, these discoveries raise many questions, not least of which is the real extent of use of insect-derived colourants, as part of the polychrome palette of these votive objects and ancient polychromy in general. The implications of this use in the wider context of pigment manufacture in Antiquity, particularly in terms of the trade in raw materials, must also be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses that the term "icon" has been derived from the Greek εἰκών, which means likeness and was, in the early Greek social context, used to refer to portrait statues, images erected by decree of a polis in honor of an exceptional person. Topics include the earliest εἰκόνες stated to have been erected on the occasion of athletic victories and views of John Ma about Hellenistic honorary portraits.

The subject of the paper is the analysis of three double-faced cornices excavated in the main courtyard of the 'Hellenistic' House. The decorated blocks constitute a very rare example of architectural embellishment, the more so that they come from a circular structure. The aim of the paper is to present possible types of buildings the cornices originally might have been parts of. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the problem of the political decision-making process at the court of the Hellenistic Kings. The Hellenistic Kings possessed a strong power and vast material and human resources. They took the administrative, legislative, juridical, military and other branches of power in their hands. Nevertheless in many cases when we have the possibility to follow the decision-making process one can notice that many kings preferred the collective forms of searching for the best solution of the state problems. The Hellenistic Kings involved courtiers who were their advisers and consultants in the decision-making process and in many cases were open for dialogue and for free discussions, for the alternative opinions of the advisers. The phenomenon of collective discussion could be easily explained as a political pragmatism, when dialogue, discussion or a brain-storm give much better result to find the right solution and to avoid mistakes. At the same time dialogue and discussion were the immanence of the Greek culture, the Greek cultural “code”. The culture of dialogue and discussion was highly developed in a Greek world. It influenced the education, the cultural and political life, etc. The Hellenistic Kings were educated according to the Greek tradition and they transferred the culture of dialogue and discussion into the political life of the state. Thus political pragmatism was combined with the features of Greek culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the epigraphic records do not attest an exact toponomy to confirm where exactly Hygassos is but rather announce an ethnic, this paper aims to suggest further by chasing the inter-relatability of some selected inscriptions. The supplementary data is also presented to find out and assess the question of settlement and chronology in a variety of contexts. The data repository attained from the close catchment of the Acropolis (in Kızılköy) give a lucid picture of a densely occupied “urban” zone and represents a flashback to the Hellenistic links of the deme, however it is quite a painful job to trace the earlier features that are highly disturbed or misrepresented in the khorai. Even though land use seems to be quite determined by the interplay of environmental and habitational dynamics (the settlement patterns hardly appear to be forcefully driven) in both, the inland deme of Hygassos and coastal/quasi-coastal Phoinix were the two diverse implantations in the Rhodian Peraia, in respect of attraction in the Hellenistic period. Changes within the spatio-temporal context are not that easy to explore, however, when architectural data and micro-plans are reviewed, mobility and/or seasonality could have been there, beyond the smooth layouts, particularly near the coastal hilly terrains of Hygassos. Still, crumbles of ceramic evidence which hint at Hygassos’ potential to offer links with the late Bronze Age and; cultic figures or linguistic rules that manifest her tendency toward a stronger Anatolian, hence Karian character in the Peraia, make her a lot more distinguished than the neighbouring demoi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a landscape archaeology project all the fertile fields around the Sea of Galilee (an area of 50 × 30 km) were mapped. The whole territory was subdivided in 5 regions: Jordan valley, Lower Galilee, Upper Galilee, Golan and Transjordanian Hill Country. Additionally all ancient sites from the Neolithic to the Persian period, which are mentioned in archaeological literature, were collected - all together more than 300 sites. These data allow a reconstruction of the economic conditions in antiquity in the area around the Sea of Galilee. Landscape archaeology clearly demonstrates that the economic basis may have been completely diverse in the five sub-regions, and also during different times. Agriculture played a major role in the economy of ancient people. During some periods and in some regions people lived in the midst of the fields, while in other periods they settled at the edges in order not to waste valuable farmland. On the other hand the position of some sites in some periods clearly demonstrates that trade played a major role for the income of the settlers, or basalt mining and working. Streets can be reconstructed, and our methodological approach allows new insights in the economy of this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article interests in history of armed forces of the antiquity states, their structure, deployment order, the organization of command, evolution of arms, policy strokes, action of armies in the military conflicts, and to their use in internal political fight, as well as to involvement of mercenaries. During the Classical Period of Greek history big fame was gained by armed forces of Athens and Sparta. Athens in the 5th century BC was at the peak of power and pursued active foreign policy which was in many respects supported by powerful army and fleet. The reason of traditionally high interest in history of Athens of the Classical Period including the armed forces history of the polis also lies in it. However Athens and their armed forces suffered a serious loss and got beaten in the Peloponnese war and the final decline of political and military power of Athens occurred after defeat in Lamian war therefore military activity of the polis sharply decreases. Therefore the history of Hellenistic period Athens gets much less attention. Proceeding from it, the purpose of article consists in a research of the role of mercenaries in armed forces of Athens in the period of Hellenism. The leading method of this research is the comparative-historical method allowing tracking mercenaries hire by Athens during the specified period on the basis of a complex sources use. The main research results consist in identification of an order and features of the hired contingents use, their places in armed forces of the polis. Materials of article can be useful to the further scientific research regarding the history of Athens and military ancient history as well as to creating educational and handbooks on this perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavations of a Hellenistic neighborhood at Ashkelon revealed a suite of heavily plastered rooms, one with a mosaic floor, decorated in Greek Masonry Style. These rooms resemble the bathing suite identified in an elite 2nd-century residence at Tel Anafa and likely reflect a Phoenician style of "cleansing bathing" documented at Phoenician sites from the 4th through 2nd centuries b.c. Such suites differ in character, bathing type, and placement from Greek public and private baths in the Mediterranean and Levant, as well as from ritual baths in the Judaean tradition. The bathing suites appear at Phoenician and Phoenician-influenced sites in Israel during the Persian and Hellenistic periods but are presently under-recognized. This article presents a set of criteria by which to understand and identify Phoenician bathing suites and argues that the preference for this bathing style may, in part, explain why immersion bathing--popular in the western Mediterranean--failed to catch on in the Hellenistic East until the era of Roman control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on detailed archaeological survey, Uzi Leibner argued that there was a substantial decline in population in late antique Galilee. This article reviews the evidence from the survey, making use of standard quantitative methods, and points to non-demographic factors that have shaped the evidence on which the conclusion depends. A predominant proportion of the pottery was produced at a single site (Kefar Ḥananiah), and these forms generally have a higher sherd count than non-Kefar Ḥananiah forms. As sherd count is strongly correlated with the number of sites at which a form appears, assessments of the survival and population of sites based on proportions of pottery is distorted by the distribution of Kefar Ḥananiah pottery, which can be shown to decline with distance. Once we control for distance, site size also appears to be an important factor in the proportions of pottery from every period. Although these factors taken together do not necessarily negate Leibner's conclusion, they do necessitate a reevaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a meticulous survey of the reception of some lyric subgenres in Hellenistic poetry and it is meant to be the first of a series of contributions on the subject. Leaving aside lyric in a religious context, the paper is divided into two main sections, namely lyric poetry composed for rulers and lyric poetry written for everyday people. In the new social context lyric poetry was intended for presentation in the royal symposia. The Alexandrians wrote all types of occasional lyric poetry (enkomia, epinikia, epithalamia, threnoi and epikedeia), a fact that is reflected both in the work of distinguished poets, such as Callimachus, Posidippus and Theocritus as well as in the epigrammatic tradition and in poetic fragments found on papyri. Special attention is given to stichic lyric poetry and to the new genre of the mime, whereas the oral tradition of the carmina popularia and the making of lyric anthologies for symposiastic use complete the picture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The people who produced and used the scrolls offer us a particularly fascinating example of the extent to which we might call the people/communities of the scrolls "Hellenistic Jews." The default concept of antiquity that scholars use, the way the term "sectarian" gets employed, and the geography of the Hellenistic world all separate the yahad from the larger Hellenistic world. Yet, the scrolls compare well with Hellenistic discourses and practices of collection, textual scholarship, and scientific knowledge. Moreover, if we read the scrolls alongside of other Jewish texts usually considered Hellenistic, we see similar patterns of thought and common interests. In this sense, then, the yahad and the scrolls fit well into their Hellenistic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on reading culture as an aspect of the Dead Sea Scrolls textual community in its ancient Mediterranean context. On the basis of comparative evidence, the article approaches reading in ancient Judaism as a multi-dimensional and deeply social activity by taking reading aloud, writing, and memorizing as intertwined practices occurring in group reading events. The evidence discussed, such as from Philo of Alexandria, the first-century ce Theodotus inscription from Jerusalem, and ıQS 6:6-8, reflects certain aspects of reading cultures shared between different Jewish communities in the ancient Mediterranean during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods. In addition, it is argued that features such as scribal marks in manuscripts, evidence such as the writing of excerpts, manuscripts such as 4Q159 and 4Q265, or note-taking in 4Q175 and other such manuscripts should be considered within the context of the ancient procedure of reading by intellectual or scholarly readers. Moreover, the article suggests that the Genesis Apocryphon actually preserves a glimpse of the scrolls' elite reading culture described in a text from Hellenistic-period Judaea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soon after the discovery of ıQS, comparisons with private associations from the Hellenistic and Roman world were suggested. There are clearly some parallels in internal organization. However, scholars using this comparison to explain features of the yaḥad have rarely taken the environment that made associations in the Hellenistic world possible into account. By way of a comparison of attitudes towards temples, this article seeks to reintroduce the social context of private associations into the debate. While Hellenistic associations can be said to have developed temple ideologies not dissimilar to certain features of the yaḥad, the conditions, aims and implications of those respective ideologies were fundamentally different. This has obvious implications for understanding the social identity of members, and should caution against decontextualized comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ptisan was a barley soup, consumed as the staple food of the Greeks. Hippocrates chose to feed it to his feverish patients, because its use was very widespread in his time. Soon after Hippocrates, wheat superseded barley as the main consumed cereal in antiquity. But owing to numerous medical polemics, this barley soup survived as food for the sick up until the seventeenth century, even though barley had become an animal feed since the Hellenistic period. Polemics by Hippocrates, Galen, Ibn Zuhr or Giovanni Manardi generated authoritative and controversial texts that insured the longevity of ptisan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a great controversy whether the terracotta figurines representing figures with the characteristics of disease found in Smyrna and dated at the Hellenistic period were used as models of clinical anatomy in the nearby famous in the antiquity medical school or were grotesque representations. In order to answer this problem we propose the examination of these figurines using special criteria. Every figurine should be examined separately to decide if it was a medical model, an apotropaic symbol or a portrait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]