Most recent studies: - Streets, stands, spectators (2022). Non-fiction book of backgrouds of famous European football derbies - Rome, the city of wolves (2018). Non-fiction book about the role of wolves in Ancient Rome Address: Sammuttajantie 8 H FIN 45100 Kouvola
Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tutkia suden uskonnollista merkitystä antiikin Roomassa sekä tuoda es... more Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tutkia suden uskonnollista merkitystä antiikin Roomassa sekä tuoda esille suden ja Rooman välisen erityissuhteen taustoja. Keskeisinä tutkimuskysymyksinäni on selvittää, missä määrin roomalaisten ja lähikansojen susiin liittyvissä kulteissa oli yhteisiä rakennetekijöitä, mikä oli suden merkitys roomalaisille enne-eläimenä sekä välttelivätkö roomalaiset susiin kohdistuvaa väkivaltaa. Tutkimukseni perustuu klassillisen filologian metodiin eli kielellisten dokumenttien kriittiseen tarkasteluun historiallisessa ja kulttuurisessa kontekstissaan.
Osoitan tutkimuksessani, ettei suden uskonnollinen erityisasema rajoittunut antiikin Italiassa pelkästään roomalaisiin. Esitän hypoteesin, että roomalaisten, faliskien ja etruskien parista tunnettujen, suteen liittyvien uskonnollisten arvostusten taustalla voisi olla Tiberin laakson alueella esihistoriallisena aikana harjoitettu suden palvonta.
Myös roomalaisen kulttuuripiirin arkielämässä ja -käytännöissä voi nähdä merkkejä suden poikkeuksellisesta asemasta. Kaupunkialueilla nähdyt sudet tulkittiin antiikin Roomassa enteiksi. Susi oli ainoa nisäkäs, joka oli roomalaisille merkityksellinen enne-eläin. Roomalaiset eivät näytä käyttäneen susia amfiteattereiden metsästysnäytöksissä eivätkä aktiivisesti metsästäneen niitä. He pyrkivät välttämään väkivaltaa susia kohtaan muulloinkin, jos se vain oli mahdollista. Syynä väkivallan kartteluun on mielestäni pidettävä suden antiikin Roomassa nauttimaa uskonnollista erityisasemaa.
x x x
This study aims to analyze the religious significance of the wolf in Ancient Rome and throw light on the basis of the special relationship between the Romans and the wolf. The most important research questions of the thesis are whether any common elements can be found in the various wolf cults of Central Italy, what the significance of the wolf was as a portent, and whether the Romans avoided violence against the wolf. The study is based on the method of classical philology, studying linguistic documents critically in their historical and cultural context. I show in the thesis that in Ancient Italy the special religious significance of the wolf was not limited only to the Romans. I propose the hypothesis that the religious reverence shown to the wolf by the Romans, the Faliscans and the Etruscans could be based on the worshipping of the wolf in the Tiber valley in the prehistoric era. The special position enjoyed by the wolf can also be seen in daily life and practices in the Roman cultural sphere. Wolves that were seen in urban areas were interpreted as portents. The wolf was the only quadruped that was considered by the Romans to be a significant portent. Wolves do not seem to have been actively hunted or displayed in the venationes of Roman amphitheaters. Whenever possible, the Romans avoided violence against wolves in other contexts, too. This must be due to the religious importance of the wolf to the Romans.
Tunnetun tarun mukaan pentunsa menettänyt susiemo imetti Rooman perustajia, Romulusta ja Remusta.... more Tunnetun tarun mukaan pentunsa menettänyt susiemo imetti Rooman perustajia, Romulusta ja Remusta. Antiikin roomalaiset pitivät sutta kansansa esiäitinä. Se oli eläin, johon koko valtakunta samaistettiin. Kaupunkialueella nähtyjä susia pidettiin ennusmerkkinä jumalilta ja roomalaisilla oli jopa erityinen susipapistonsa. Huomionarvoista on myös se, että roomalaiset välttelivät susien vahingoittamista. Niitä ei muista eläimistä poiketen käytetty amfiteattereiden näytöksissä eikä metsästetty.
Rooma, suden kaupunki -teos valaisee suden asemaa roomalaisten tarustossa, taiteessa, arkielämässä, kirjallisuudessa ja uskomuksissa. Esinne nousevat niin antiikintutkijoiden väittelyn kohteena olevat ajankohtaiskysymykset kuin kysymys siitä, miksi juuri susi oli eläin johon roomalaiset samaistuivat. Kirja avaa antiikin Roomaan laajemminkin tuoreita, kiinnostavia näkökulmia. Vaikka suden ja Rooman yhteys onkin tunnettu kautta länsimaisen kulttuuripiirin, ei aiheesta aiemmin ole julkaistu kokonaisesitystä millään kielellä.
FL Mika Rissanen on tutukinut Rooman ja suden erityisyhteyttä lähes kahden vuosikymmenen ajan. Hän on myös väitellyt samasta aiheesta: hänen väitöskirjansa käsittelee suden uskonnollista asemaa antiikin Roomassa. Aiemmin Rissanen on kirjoittanut Sami Kosken ja Juha Tahvanaisen kanssa Finlandia-palkinnon voittaneen teoksen Antiikin urheilu sekä Juha Tahvanaisen kanssa historiallisiin oluttarinoihin paneutuvan kirjan Kuohuvaa historiaa, jonka käännösoikeudet on myyty kahdeksaan maahan.
Kuusankosken Urheiluseura perustettiin syyskuussa 1915. Vuosisataisen historiansa aikana yleisseu... more Kuusankosken Urheiluseura perustettiin syyskuussa 1915. Vuosisataisen historiansa aikana yleisseurassa on harrastettu lukuisia eri lajeja palloiluista yleisurheiluun ja mäkihypystä suunnistukseen. Urheiluseura on tarjonnut useille sukupolville mahdollisuuden monipuoliseen liikuntaharrastukseen, minkä lisäksi seurasta on kohottu maailman huipulle saakka. Neljä Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran jäsentä on voittanut olympiakisojen hopeamitalin – tästä myös tuoreen kirjan nimi ”Hopean hohtoa ja hikihelmiä. Kuusankosken Urheiluseura 1915–2015”. SM-mitaleja ovat vuosien varrella tuoneet niin yleisurheilijat, mäenlaskijat, yhdistetyn miehet, ampumahiihtäjät, pujottelijat, luistelijat kuin suunnistajatkin.
Seuran historian ovat tallentaneet yksiin kansiin historiantutkijat ja -opettajat FT Juha Forsberg ja FL Mika Rissanen, jotka kumpikin ovat myös Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran pitkäaikaisia jäseniä.
Kirjasta käy havainnollisesti ilmi, ettei urheilu ole muusta yhteiskunnasta erillinen saareke. Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran kehitys heijastelee laajemminkin Suomen ja seuran kotikaupungin vaiheita. Seuran ja sen urheilijoiden kautta kirjassa tulevat esille niin teollisuuspaikkakunnan henkinen kahtiajako, sotien koettelemukset kuin yhteiskunnan viime vuosikymmenten rakennemuutoksetkin.
From the Irish monks who spread brewing techniques, and Christianity, across Europe, to how beer ... more From the Irish monks who spread brewing techniques, and Christianity, across Europe, to how beer prompted Martin Luther's Theses, to its role as a sports drink in the Tour de France, Down Beer Street is the history of the world as seen through a pint glass.
Discover the decisive role beer has had in the course of history, how it is central to many European cultures and customs, how it has inspired art, and even brought armies together in a cease fire in the midst of a world war. The history of beer stretches back as far as humans have engaged in agriculture, and it has been a basic food as long as bread. From ancient Mesopotamia to the spread of Christianity and abbey beers throughout Europe, up to Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution and the financial crisis of 2008, this history of the world has a frothy head.
"Kuinka kävi, kun Pietari Suuri päätti tehdä venäläisistä oluenjuojia? Miksi Lutherin Saksassa ol... more "Kuinka kävi, kun Pietari Suuri päätti tehdä venäläisistä oluenjuojia? Miksi Lutherin Saksassa olut veti rintamalinjat uskontokuntien välille, ja miksi maailmankuulu kirjailija, presidentti Václav Havel meni panimoon töihin? Entä kuinka kävi puolalaisten olutpuolueelle?
Olut on aina ollut olennainen osa eurooppalaista historiaa. Kolpakolliset ovat liikuttaneet sotajoukkoja voittoon sekä rakentaneet kansojen välistä ystävyyttä, ja onpa tuoppi muuttanut monen merkkimiehen elämääkin. Tiesitkö esimerkiksi, ettei Louis Pasteurin mielessä siintänyt bakteereista puhdas maitolasillinen vaan täydellinen tuoppi ranskalaista mallasjuomaa?
Kuohuvaa historiaa tarinoi oluen ja historian yhteyksistä vivahteikkaan täyteläisesti, eikä tätä kirjaa ole syytä lukea kuivin suin. Kirjan jokaisessa luvussa on esitelty aiheeseen liittyvä olut. Huurteinen malja sille!
FL Mika Rissanen (1978) ja FM Juha Tahvanainen (1953) ovat olleet mukana kirjoittamassa kirjoja Hävityksen historiaa sekä Antiikin urheilu, joka voitti Tieto- Finlandia-palkinnon."
"The Vandal tribe, under the leadership of King Geiseric, conquered Rome on July 2, 455 AD. This ... more "The Vandal tribe, under the leadership of King Geiseric, conquered Rome on July 2, 455 AD. This conquest was followed by two weeks of plundering and destruction, with which the Vandals ensured that their name would endure on the pages of history. Although the destruction brought about by this Germanic tribe was not particularly brutal or deliberate when measured against some other mass migrations, in later centuries all those causing physical destruction came to be referred to figuratively as vandals.
There has been plenty of vandalism in European history: wartime
looting, cultural purges, attempts at whitewashing history, revolutionary riots and frustrations over past wrongs have led to the destruction of many culturally and historically significant landmarks.
In this book, we examine expressions of vandalism from the days of Geiseric up to the present day. In the first section of this work, we consider vandalism on a general level, examining its causes, effects, and the possibilities for preventing destruction. In the second part of the book, we present twenty-some individual instances from across the centuries.
Our purpose is not to draw up a list of the “Top 20 Vandalisms,” but rather to collect a diverse sample of acts of destruction from the different corners of our part of the world.
Europe — the area we have limited our book to — is more of a cultural concept than a geographic one. Thus, the Library of Alexandria, although it was physically located in North Africa, should be considered a part of European cultural heritage, since it belonged to the Greek cultural sphere, just as do medieval monasteries in Ireland, Moorish castles in Spain, or Orthodox cemeteries in White Karelia.
We wish to use this book to highlight the significance of cultural heritage to identity. For example, Mostar Bridge, which was destroyed in 1993, was much more than a walkway over the Neretva River. The bridge linked the Bosnian areas of East Mostar to the Croat settlement of West Mostar, acting as a symbol and living testament to the centuries-old multiculturalism of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The vandalism of cultural property leaves deep wounds, which take many generations to heal.
"The sporting field appears to be an excellent miniature of Greek society. The ideals are high, t... more "The sporting field appears to be an excellent miniature of Greek society. The ideals are high, the attitudes devout, but the competition is stiff. The rules are the same for all, although some succeed in stretching their limits better than others. Cunning is admired, just as are strength or speed. Champions become heroes—glorified individuals in the midst of a communal culture. They are immortalized in statues and poetic verse, and their reputations endure through the millennia.
Religion is also strongly manifest in ancient sport. The gods cannot help but interfere in humanity's affairs. No one can best their favourite, and the competition of the ungodly is cut short. The audience loves unexpected plot twists. But even if the gods and goddesses of Olympus do follow the contests, women and slaves are not seen on the field or on the sidelines.
The stadiums where the Hellenes competed give modern humanity an idea about the importance of sport in the world of antiquity. Their silence makes these shrines to sport imposing. The gravel does not tell its memories, nor do the stone benches of the stands speak. But even barren and empty they convey the feeling that drew people to follow the games year after year. It is left to the imagination to contemplate what the mood must have been in the glory age 2,500 years ago, when an audience of thousands goaded the best athletes of their time with their shouts.
Records of ancient sport have been preserved, besides the monumental places of performance, in archaeological artefacts and in literature. Admired athletes were a popular subject in art. Archaeologists have found hundreds of items of pottery that depict the different sports. Rich Greeks and Romans often had their homes decorated with sport-themed statues or mosaics. The athletic sculptures of Myron, Polykleitos and Lysippos, which belong to the pearls of ancient sculpture, were copied enthusiastically even centuries later.
In Greek and Roman literature one encounters sport in the most surprising contexts. The great philosophers of Athens appear to have spent a great deal of their time near the sporting grounds. In lyric, hymns of praise to athletes were considered a natural part of high literature. In geographical guidebooks each city’s stadium and sporting history is bestowed much attention. Nevertheless, it is good for the reader to keep in mind that parts of the history of sport in antiquity are also made up of myths and oral tradition. Events have been coloured by those telling them, and not everything written can be considered absolutely true.
Temporally, antiquity extends from the birth of the Greek city-states in the second millennium B.C. to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D. Geographically, the culture of antiquity comprehends half of Europe in addition to the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Our purpose is not to offer an inclusive account of ancient sport in this one volume. In this work we will concentrate on basic questions: How did sport begin? Why did people engage in sport? How did the nature of sport change over the centuries? What sports and competitions were there in antiquity? What sort of foundation has antiquity created for modern sport?
Sport is not just about centimetres and seconds. Especially in antiquity sport was a central part of the popular culture of the time. Simple lists of victors or descriptions of events are just the outward surface. The concept of sport deepens considerably when it is considered as a part of society. Points of contact can be found with ancient national history as well as social, economic and cultural history and a significant number of stories, myths, beliefs and religions.
Next to cultural interconnectedness, another basic idea of our book is the broadest possible use of original sources. The conception of sport in antiquity is conveyed to the reader most authentically through pictures and text fragments. There is nevertheless reason to remember that the literature that has been preserved reflects only the view of the male upper class. We know the ideas of women, children and slaves about sport in only a very limited fashion.
Our book is divided into three sections: In the first part we investigate sport as a part of Greek and Roman society. In the second part we tell about the different sports and training methods. In the third part we present sporting events from traditional competitions all the way up to the most spectacular chariot races. A look into the continuation of the sporting tradition of antiquity is also included. Those seeking additional information may find it using the bibliography at the end.
We wish you all a phenomenal trip from the fields of Olympia to the arenas of Rome!
Taru susiemosta, joka imetti Romulusta ja Remusta, on vain yksi osoitus suden keskeisestä asemast... more Taru susiemosta, joka imetti Romulusta ja Remusta, on vain yksi osoitus suden keskeisestä asemasta antiikin Roomassa. Roomalaiset välttivät susien surmaamista tai vahingoittamista. Lajin suojeltu status ei kuitenkaan perustunut valtiollisiin määräyksiin vaan kyseessä oli epävirallinen, uskonnollinen erityisasema.
Breweries and football have ended up in a symbiotic relationship
since the very beginnings of the... more Breweries and football have ended up in a symbiotic relationship since the very beginnings of the game. In 1886 Henry Mitchell, a Birmingham man and the proprietor of Henry Mitchell’s Old Crown Brewery, set up a football club for his workers. Beer money continues to flow into football today. The sums involved have changed since Henry Mitchell’s day, but so has their visibility.
The time leading up to Poland’s first fully free parliamentary election in 1991 was characterised... more The time leading up to Poland’s first fully free parliamentary election in 1991 was characterised by disappointment and pessimism. Poles wanted change, but without knowing exactly what, and one sign of those turbulent times in the early 1990s turned out to be the Polish Beer Lovers’ Party – in Polish, Polska Partia Przyjaciół Piwa, or PPPP for short.
The Czech screenwriter Václav Havel (1936–2011) played a key
role in the fall of the Communist re... more The Czech screenwriter Václav Havel (1936–2011) played a key role in the fall of the Communist regime in Eastern Europe. The hero of the 1989 Velvet Revolution became the last president of Czechoslovakia and then the first president of the Czech Republic. But Havel’s CV was not limited to just the theatre and politics. He also spent a little under a year working in a brewery.
The protestant reformer Martin Luther was a friend of beer. To his critics Luther stated that it ... more The protestant reformer Martin Luther was a friend of beer. To his critics Luther stated that it was 'better to sit in a tavern thinking about church than to sit in church thinking about the tavern.'
In the same decades of the early 16th century when Europe began fighting over the principles of Christianity, the last major struggle was under way between gruit herbs and hops for the soul of beer.
The Romans regarded wolves that arrived in inhabited areas as portents. The general nature of Rom... more The Romans regarded wolves that arrived in inhabited areas as portents. The general nature of Roman wolf portents was usually not predictive, but rather alarming and warning. The appearance of a wolf in a town was interpreted as meaning a disruption of the pax deorum, and it was often connected with wars that were going on at the time. It is worth noticing that the Romans tried to avoid violence against wolves that were seen as portents.
On the other hand, some appearances of wolves, often those which took place outside of towns, were interpreted as omens, predictive messages. In these cases the fate of the portending wolf might be paralleled with the fate of the Roman army, or the wolf might be thought to foretell the death of a statesman.
The treatment given to wolves differed from the treatment meted out to other large predators. The... more The treatment given to wolves differed from the treatment meted out to other large predators. The Romans generally seem to have refrained from intentionally harming wolves. For instance, they were not hunted for pleasure (but only in order to protect herds that were out at pasture), and not displayed in the venationes, either. The special status of the wolf was not based on national ideology, but rather was connected to the religious importance of the wolf to the Romans.
Acta Archaeologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Dec 2014
The she-wolf with the twins, Romulus and Remus, was identified as a symbol of Rome by both the Ro... more The she-wolf with the twins, Romulus and Remus, was identified as a symbol of Rome by both the Romans themselves and nations under the Roman rule. In this essay I will discuss the Lupa Romana in Roman provincial art. I will present various visual representations of the she-wolf both in the public use and in objects related to private life, and analyze the she-wolf’s symbolic meaning.
The Lupa Romana was an iconic scene that was not used randomly in provincial art. It represented in the first place the idea of romanitas, being Roman. In some cases the use of the symbol could have been in consequence of instructions from Rome itself or from provincial authorities that depended on Rome, but in most cases the motif was used by the inhabitants of the provinces themselves. It can be seen as an expression of loyalty to Rome and the emperor, but at the same time the message could have been directed to other members of the community, too. As romanitas was associated with higher social status, the she-wolf motif in the decoration of one’s house or gravestone could be seen as self-aggrandizement.
The paper discusses the cult of the Hirpi Sorani, comparing it with other wolf cults of central I... more The paper discusses the cult of the Hirpi Sorani, comparing it with other wolf cults of central Italy (Roman Lupercalia, Etruscan reliefs possibly depicting the cult of Calu), analyzing the common elements of these cults, and suggesting that the cults have a common origin.
In 2006, the Italian art historian Anna Maria Carruba challenged the traditional dating of the Ca... more In 2006, the Italian art historian Anna Maria Carruba challenged the traditional dating of the Capitoline Wolf, claiming the bronze statue to be medieval. Recent books "La Lupa Capitolina" (Roma 2010) and "Die römische Wölfin / The Lupa Romana" (Stuttgart 2011) discuss the dating and the historical context of the Lupa from various points of view. No final answer of the dating can be given, but the books give a great example of a fruitful interdisciplinary discussion, being a solid base for further interpretations of the enchanting icon of Rome.
Professor Cristina Mazzoni of the University of Vermont has written the first comprehensive study... more Professor Cristina Mazzoni of the University of Vermont has written the first comprehensive study of the Roman she-wolf. This is a wide-ranging book in which this author illustrates various roles of the she-wolf by analyzing paintings, statues, maps, poetry, fiction, and historical narrative from antiquity to contemporary times. "She-Wolf. The Story of a Roman Icon" is a vividly written book, which skillfully combines diverse sources and standpoints into a coherent and readable study. The black-and-white photographs, some of which were taken by the author herself, support the text and illustrate the diversity of the visual representations of the she-wolf across the centuries.
Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tutkia suden uskonnollista merkitystä antiikin Roomassa sekä tuoda es... more Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tutkia suden uskonnollista merkitystä antiikin Roomassa sekä tuoda esille suden ja Rooman välisen erityissuhteen taustoja. Keskeisinä tutkimuskysymyksinäni on selvittää, missä määrin roomalaisten ja lähikansojen susiin liittyvissä kulteissa oli yhteisiä rakennetekijöitä, mikä oli suden merkitys roomalaisille enne-eläimenä sekä välttelivätkö roomalaiset susiin kohdistuvaa väkivaltaa. Tutkimukseni perustuu klassillisen filologian metodiin eli kielellisten dokumenttien kriittiseen tarkasteluun historiallisessa ja kulttuurisessa kontekstissaan.
Osoitan tutkimuksessani, ettei suden uskonnollinen erityisasema rajoittunut antiikin Italiassa pelkästään roomalaisiin. Esitän hypoteesin, että roomalaisten, faliskien ja etruskien parista tunnettujen, suteen liittyvien uskonnollisten arvostusten taustalla voisi olla Tiberin laakson alueella esihistoriallisena aikana harjoitettu suden palvonta.
Myös roomalaisen kulttuuripiirin arkielämässä ja -käytännöissä voi nähdä merkkejä suden poikkeuksellisesta asemasta. Kaupunkialueilla nähdyt sudet tulkittiin antiikin Roomassa enteiksi. Susi oli ainoa nisäkäs, joka oli roomalaisille merkityksellinen enne-eläin. Roomalaiset eivät näytä käyttäneen susia amfiteattereiden metsästysnäytöksissä eivätkä aktiivisesti metsästäneen niitä. He pyrkivät välttämään väkivaltaa susia kohtaan muulloinkin, jos se vain oli mahdollista. Syynä väkivallan kartteluun on mielestäni pidettävä suden antiikin Roomassa nauttimaa uskonnollista erityisasemaa.
x x x
This study aims to analyze the religious significance of the wolf in Ancient Rome and throw light on the basis of the special relationship between the Romans and the wolf. The most important research questions of the thesis are whether any common elements can be found in the various wolf cults of Central Italy, what the significance of the wolf was as a portent, and whether the Romans avoided violence against the wolf. The study is based on the method of classical philology, studying linguistic documents critically in their historical and cultural context. I show in the thesis that in Ancient Italy the special religious significance of the wolf was not limited only to the Romans. I propose the hypothesis that the religious reverence shown to the wolf by the Romans, the Faliscans and the Etruscans could be based on the worshipping of the wolf in the Tiber valley in the prehistoric era. The special position enjoyed by the wolf can also be seen in daily life and practices in the Roman cultural sphere. Wolves that were seen in urban areas were interpreted as portents. The wolf was the only quadruped that was considered by the Romans to be a significant portent. Wolves do not seem to have been actively hunted or displayed in the venationes of Roman amphitheaters. Whenever possible, the Romans avoided violence against wolves in other contexts, too. This must be due to the religious importance of the wolf to the Romans.
Tunnetun tarun mukaan pentunsa menettänyt susiemo imetti Rooman perustajia, Romulusta ja Remusta.... more Tunnetun tarun mukaan pentunsa menettänyt susiemo imetti Rooman perustajia, Romulusta ja Remusta. Antiikin roomalaiset pitivät sutta kansansa esiäitinä. Se oli eläin, johon koko valtakunta samaistettiin. Kaupunkialueella nähtyjä susia pidettiin ennusmerkkinä jumalilta ja roomalaisilla oli jopa erityinen susipapistonsa. Huomionarvoista on myös se, että roomalaiset välttelivät susien vahingoittamista. Niitä ei muista eläimistä poiketen käytetty amfiteattereiden näytöksissä eikä metsästetty.
Rooma, suden kaupunki -teos valaisee suden asemaa roomalaisten tarustossa, taiteessa, arkielämässä, kirjallisuudessa ja uskomuksissa. Esinne nousevat niin antiikintutkijoiden väittelyn kohteena olevat ajankohtaiskysymykset kuin kysymys siitä, miksi juuri susi oli eläin johon roomalaiset samaistuivat. Kirja avaa antiikin Roomaan laajemminkin tuoreita, kiinnostavia näkökulmia. Vaikka suden ja Rooman yhteys onkin tunnettu kautta länsimaisen kulttuuripiirin, ei aiheesta aiemmin ole julkaistu kokonaisesitystä millään kielellä.
FL Mika Rissanen on tutukinut Rooman ja suden erityisyhteyttä lähes kahden vuosikymmenen ajan. Hän on myös väitellyt samasta aiheesta: hänen väitöskirjansa käsittelee suden uskonnollista asemaa antiikin Roomassa. Aiemmin Rissanen on kirjoittanut Sami Kosken ja Juha Tahvanaisen kanssa Finlandia-palkinnon voittaneen teoksen Antiikin urheilu sekä Juha Tahvanaisen kanssa historiallisiin oluttarinoihin paneutuvan kirjan Kuohuvaa historiaa, jonka käännösoikeudet on myyty kahdeksaan maahan.
Kuusankosken Urheiluseura perustettiin syyskuussa 1915. Vuosisataisen historiansa aikana yleisseu... more Kuusankosken Urheiluseura perustettiin syyskuussa 1915. Vuosisataisen historiansa aikana yleisseurassa on harrastettu lukuisia eri lajeja palloiluista yleisurheiluun ja mäkihypystä suunnistukseen. Urheiluseura on tarjonnut useille sukupolville mahdollisuuden monipuoliseen liikuntaharrastukseen, minkä lisäksi seurasta on kohottu maailman huipulle saakka. Neljä Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran jäsentä on voittanut olympiakisojen hopeamitalin – tästä myös tuoreen kirjan nimi ”Hopean hohtoa ja hikihelmiä. Kuusankosken Urheiluseura 1915–2015”. SM-mitaleja ovat vuosien varrella tuoneet niin yleisurheilijat, mäenlaskijat, yhdistetyn miehet, ampumahiihtäjät, pujottelijat, luistelijat kuin suunnistajatkin.
Seuran historian ovat tallentaneet yksiin kansiin historiantutkijat ja -opettajat FT Juha Forsberg ja FL Mika Rissanen, jotka kumpikin ovat myös Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran pitkäaikaisia jäseniä.
Kirjasta käy havainnollisesti ilmi, ettei urheilu ole muusta yhteiskunnasta erillinen saareke. Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran kehitys heijastelee laajemminkin Suomen ja seuran kotikaupungin vaiheita. Seuran ja sen urheilijoiden kautta kirjassa tulevat esille niin teollisuuspaikkakunnan henkinen kahtiajako, sotien koettelemukset kuin yhteiskunnan viime vuosikymmenten rakennemuutoksetkin.
From the Irish monks who spread brewing techniques, and Christianity, across Europe, to how beer ... more From the Irish monks who spread brewing techniques, and Christianity, across Europe, to how beer prompted Martin Luther's Theses, to its role as a sports drink in the Tour de France, Down Beer Street is the history of the world as seen through a pint glass.
Discover the decisive role beer has had in the course of history, how it is central to many European cultures and customs, how it has inspired art, and even brought armies together in a cease fire in the midst of a world war. The history of beer stretches back as far as humans have engaged in agriculture, and it has been a basic food as long as bread. From ancient Mesopotamia to the spread of Christianity and abbey beers throughout Europe, up to Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution and the financial crisis of 2008, this history of the world has a frothy head.
"Kuinka kävi, kun Pietari Suuri päätti tehdä venäläisistä oluenjuojia? Miksi Lutherin Saksassa ol... more "Kuinka kävi, kun Pietari Suuri päätti tehdä venäläisistä oluenjuojia? Miksi Lutherin Saksassa olut veti rintamalinjat uskontokuntien välille, ja miksi maailmankuulu kirjailija, presidentti Václav Havel meni panimoon töihin? Entä kuinka kävi puolalaisten olutpuolueelle?
Olut on aina ollut olennainen osa eurooppalaista historiaa. Kolpakolliset ovat liikuttaneet sotajoukkoja voittoon sekä rakentaneet kansojen välistä ystävyyttä, ja onpa tuoppi muuttanut monen merkkimiehen elämääkin. Tiesitkö esimerkiksi, ettei Louis Pasteurin mielessä siintänyt bakteereista puhdas maitolasillinen vaan täydellinen tuoppi ranskalaista mallasjuomaa?
Kuohuvaa historiaa tarinoi oluen ja historian yhteyksistä vivahteikkaan täyteläisesti, eikä tätä kirjaa ole syytä lukea kuivin suin. Kirjan jokaisessa luvussa on esitelty aiheeseen liittyvä olut. Huurteinen malja sille!
FL Mika Rissanen (1978) ja FM Juha Tahvanainen (1953) ovat olleet mukana kirjoittamassa kirjoja Hävityksen historiaa sekä Antiikin urheilu, joka voitti Tieto- Finlandia-palkinnon."
"The Vandal tribe, under the leadership of King Geiseric, conquered Rome on July 2, 455 AD. This ... more "The Vandal tribe, under the leadership of King Geiseric, conquered Rome on July 2, 455 AD. This conquest was followed by two weeks of plundering and destruction, with which the Vandals ensured that their name would endure on the pages of history. Although the destruction brought about by this Germanic tribe was not particularly brutal or deliberate when measured against some other mass migrations, in later centuries all those causing physical destruction came to be referred to figuratively as vandals.
There has been plenty of vandalism in European history: wartime
looting, cultural purges, attempts at whitewashing history, revolutionary riots and frustrations over past wrongs have led to the destruction of many culturally and historically significant landmarks.
In this book, we examine expressions of vandalism from the days of Geiseric up to the present day. In the first section of this work, we consider vandalism on a general level, examining its causes, effects, and the possibilities for preventing destruction. In the second part of the book, we present twenty-some individual instances from across the centuries.
Our purpose is not to draw up a list of the “Top 20 Vandalisms,” but rather to collect a diverse sample of acts of destruction from the different corners of our part of the world.
Europe — the area we have limited our book to — is more of a cultural concept than a geographic one. Thus, the Library of Alexandria, although it was physically located in North Africa, should be considered a part of European cultural heritage, since it belonged to the Greek cultural sphere, just as do medieval monasteries in Ireland, Moorish castles in Spain, or Orthodox cemeteries in White Karelia.
We wish to use this book to highlight the significance of cultural heritage to identity. For example, Mostar Bridge, which was destroyed in 1993, was much more than a walkway over the Neretva River. The bridge linked the Bosnian areas of East Mostar to the Croat settlement of West Mostar, acting as a symbol and living testament to the centuries-old multiculturalism of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The vandalism of cultural property leaves deep wounds, which take many generations to heal.
"The sporting field appears to be an excellent miniature of Greek society. The ideals are high, t... more "The sporting field appears to be an excellent miniature of Greek society. The ideals are high, the attitudes devout, but the competition is stiff. The rules are the same for all, although some succeed in stretching their limits better than others. Cunning is admired, just as are strength or speed. Champions become heroes—glorified individuals in the midst of a communal culture. They are immortalized in statues and poetic verse, and their reputations endure through the millennia.
Religion is also strongly manifest in ancient sport. The gods cannot help but interfere in humanity's affairs. No one can best their favourite, and the competition of the ungodly is cut short. The audience loves unexpected plot twists. But even if the gods and goddesses of Olympus do follow the contests, women and slaves are not seen on the field or on the sidelines.
The stadiums where the Hellenes competed give modern humanity an idea about the importance of sport in the world of antiquity. Their silence makes these shrines to sport imposing. The gravel does not tell its memories, nor do the stone benches of the stands speak. But even barren and empty they convey the feeling that drew people to follow the games year after year. It is left to the imagination to contemplate what the mood must have been in the glory age 2,500 years ago, when an audience of thousands goaded the best athletes of their time with their shouts.
Records of ancient sport have been preserved, besides the monumental places of performance, in archaeological artefacts and in literature. Admired athletes were a popular subject in art. Archaeologists have found hundreds of items of pottery that depict the different sports. Rich Greeks and Romans often had their homes decorated with sport-themed statues or mosaics. The athletic sculptures of Myron, Polykleitos and Lysippos, which belong to the pearls of ancient sculpture, were copied enthusiastically even centuries later.
In Greek and Roman literature one encounters sport in the most surprising contexts. The great philosophers of Athens appear to have spent a great deal of their time near the sporting grounds. In lyric, hymns of praise to athletes were considered a natural part of high literature. In geographical guidebooks each city’s stadium and sporting history is bestowed much attention. Nevertheless, it is good for the reader to keep in mind that parts of the history of sport in antiquity are also made up of myths and oral tradition. Events have been coloured by those telling them, and not everything written can be considered absolutely true.
Temporally, antiquity extends from the birth of the Greek city-states in the second millennium B.C. to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D. Geographically, the culture of antiquity comprehends half of Europe in addition to the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Our purpose is not to offer an inclusive account of ancient sport in this one volume. In this work we will concentrate on basic questions: How did sport begin? Why did people engage in sport? How did the nature of sport change over the centuries? What sports and competitions were there in antiquity? What sort of foundation has antiquity created for modern sport?
Sport is not just about centimetres and seconds. Especially in antiquity sport was a central part of the popular culture of the time. Simple lists of victors or descriptions of events are just the outward surface. The concept of sport deepens considerably when it is considered as a part of society. Points of contact can be found with ancient national history as well as social, economic and cultural history and a significant number of stories, myths, beliefs and religions.
Next to cultural interconnectedness, another basic idea of our book is the broadest possible use of original sources. The conception of sport in antiquity is conveyed to the reader most authentically through pictures and text fragments. There is nevertheless reason to remember that the literature that has been preserved reflects only the view of the male upper class. We know the ideas of women, children and slaves about sport in only a very limited fashion.
Our book is divided into three sections: In the first part we investigate sport as a part of Greek and Roman society. In the second part we tell about the different sports and training methods. In the third part we present sporting events from traditional competitions all the way up to the most spectacular chariot races. A look into the continuation of the sporting tradition of antiquity is also included. Those seeking additional information may find it using the bibliography at the end.
We wish you all a phenomenal trip from the fields of Olympia to the arenas of Rome!
Taru susiemosta, joka imetti Romulusta ja Remusta, on vain yksi osoitus suden keskeisestä asemast... more Taru susiemosta, joka imetti Romulusta ja Remusta, on vain yksi osoitus suden keskeisestä asemasta antiikin Roomassa. Roomalaiset välttivät susien surmaamista tai vahingoittamista. Lajin suojeltu status ei kuitenkaan perustunut valtiollisiin määräyksiin vaan kyseessä oli epävirallinen, uskonnollinen erityisasema.
Breweries and football have ended up in a symbiotic relationship
since the very beginnings of the... more Breweries and football have ended up in a symbiotic relationship since the very beginnings of the game. In 1886 Henry Mitchell, a Birmingham man and the proprietor of Henry Mitchell’s Old Crown Brewery, set up a football club for his workers. Beer money continues to flow into football today. The sums involved have changed since Henry Mitchell’s day, but so has their visibility.
The time leading up to Poland’s first fully free parliamentary election in 1991 was characterised... more The time leading up to Poland’s first fully free parliamentary election in 1991 was characterised by disappointment and pessimism. Poles wanted change, but without knowing exactly what, and one sign of those turbulent times in the early 1990s turned out to be the Polish Beer Lovers’ Party – in Polish, Polska Partia Przyjaciół Piwa, or PPPP for short.
The Czech screenwriter Václav Havel (1936–2011) played a key
role in the fall of the Communist re... more The Czech screenwriter Václav Havel (1936–2011) played a key role in the fall of the Communist regime in Eastern Europe. The hero of the 1989 Velvet Revolution became the last president of Czechoslovakia and then the first president of the Czech Republic. But Havel’s CV was not limited to just the theatre and politics. He also spent a little under a year working in a brewery.
The protestant reformer Martin Luther was a friend of beer. To his critics Luther stated that it ... more The protestant reformer Martin Luther was a friend of beer. To his critics Luther stated that it was 'better to sit in a tavern thinking about church than to sit in church thinking about the tavern.'
In the same decades of the early 16th century when Europe began fighting over the principles of Christianity, the last major struggle was under way between gruit herbs and hops for the soul of beer.
The Romans regarded wolves that arrived in inhabited areas as portents. The general nature of Rom... more The Romans regarded wolves that arrived in inhabited areas as portents. The general nature of Roman wolf portents was usually not predictive, but rather alarming and warning. The appearance of a wolf in a town was interpreted as meaning a disruption of the pax deorum, and it was often connected with wars that were going on at the time. It is worth noticing that the Romans tried to avoid violence against wolves that were seen as portents.
On the other hand, some appearances of wolves, often those which took place outside of towns, were interpreted as omens, predictive messages. In these cases the fate of the portending wolf might be paralleled with the fate of the Roman army, or the wolf might be thought to foretell the death of a statesman.
The treatment given to wolves differed from the treatment meted out to other large predators. The... more The treatment given to wolves differed from the treatment meted out to other large predators. The Romans generally seem to have refrained from intentionally harming wolves. For instance, they were not hunted for pleasure (but only in order to protect herds that were out at pasture), and not displayed in the venationes, either. The special status of the wolf was not based on national ideology, but rather was connected to the religious importance of the wolf to the Romans.
Acta Archaeologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Dec 2014
The she-wolf with the twins, Romulus and Remus, was identified as a symbol of Rome by both the Ro... more The she-wolf with the twins, Romulus and Remus, was identified as a symbol of Rome by both the Romans themselves and nations under the Roman rule. In this essay I will discuss the Lupa Romana in Roman provincial art. I will present various visual representations of the she-wolf both in the public use and in objects related to private life, and analyze the she-wolf’s symbolic meaning.
The Lupa Romana was an iconic scene that was not used randomly in provincial art. It represented in the first place the idea of romanitas, being Roman. In some cases the use of the symbol could have been in consequence of instructions from Rome itself or from provincial authorities that depended on Rome, but in most cases the motif was used by the inhabitants of the provinces themselves. It can be seen as an expression of loyalty to Rome and the emperor, but at the same time the message could have been directed to other members of the community, too. As romanitas was associated with higher social status, the she-wolf motif in the decoration of one’s house or gravestone could be seen as self-aggrandizement.
The paper discusses the cult of the Hirpi Sorani, comparing it with other wolf cults of central I... more The paper discusses the cult of the Hirpi Sorani, comparing it with other wolf cults of central Italy (Roman Lupercalia, Etruscan reliefs possibly depicting the cult of Calu), analyzing the common elements of these cults, and suggesting that the cults have a common origin.
In 2006, the Italian art historian Anna Maria Carruba challenged the traditional dating of the Ca... more In 2006, the Italian art historian Anna Maria Carruba challenged the traditional dating of the Capitoline Wolf, claiming the bronze statue to be medieval. Recent books "La Lupa Capitolina" (Roma 2010) and "Die römische Wölfin / The Lupa Romana" (Stuttgart 2011) discuss the dating and the historical context of the Lupa from various points of view. No final answer of the dating can be given, but the books give a great example of a fruitful interdisciplinary discussion, being a solid base for further interpretations of the enchanting icon of Rome.
Professor Cristina Mazzoni of the University of Vermont has written the first comprehensive study... more Professor Cristina Mazzoni of the University of Vermont has written the first comprehensive study of the Roman she-wolf. This is a wide-ranging book in which this author illustrates various roles of the she-wolf by analyzing paintings, statues, maps, poetry, fiction, and historical narrative from antiquity to contemporary times. "She-Wolf. The Story of a Roman Icon" is a vividly written book, which skillfully combines diverse sources and standpoints into a coherent and readable study. The black-and-white photographs, some of which were taken by the author herself, support the text and illustrate the diversity of the visual representations of the she-wolf across the centuries.
""The religious role of wolves in Central Italy: The cults of the Lupercalia, the Hirpi Sorani an... more ""The religious role of wolves in Central Italy: The cults of the Lupercalia, the Hirpi Sorani and Veltha"
In the ancient Central Italy there were three religious cults with analogical elements of wolf priesthoods: the Roman Lupercalia, the Faliscan cult of the Hirpi Sorani and the little known Etruscan cult of Veltha. In my thesis I analyze the cults comparatively making a hypothetical suggestion of their common origin.
"Wolf as a Roman national symbol". Study of various aspects of the wolf symbolism in the ancient ... more "Wolf as a Roman national symbol". Study of various aspects of the wolf symbolism in the ancient Roman art, literature and mythology.
Lectio praecursoria, Jyväskylän yliopisto, 5.6.2018, 2018
Runoilija Propertius kuvaili Rooman varhaisvaiheita:
nil patrium nisi nomen habet Romanus alum... more Runoilija Propertius kuvaili Rooman varhaisvaiheita:
nil patrium nisi nomen habet Romanus alumnus sanguinis altricem non pudet esse lupam.
Rooman kasvatti ei ole perinyt isiltään muuta kuin nimen. Hän ei häpeä sitä, että hänen sukunsa on suden ruokkimaa.
Suden ruokkima suku, tai laajemmin kansa – sitähän antiikin roomalaisten katsottiin olevan. Mutta Rooman ja suden yhteys ei rajautunut pelkästään yksittäiseen myyttiin Romulusta ja Remusta imettäneestä susiemosta, vaan oli paljon monipuolisempi ja moniulotteisempi.
Uploads
Tutkimukseni perustuu klassillisen filologian metodiin eli kielellisten dokumenttien kriittiseen tarkasteluun historiallisessa ja kulttuurisessa kontekstissaan.
Osoitan tutkimuksessani, ettei suden uskonnollinen erityisasema rajoittunut antiikin Italiassa pelkästään roomalaisiin. Esitän hypoteesin, että roomalaisten, faliskien ja etruskien parista tunnettujen, suteen liittyvien uskonnollisten arvostusten taustalla voisi olla Tiberin laakson alueella esihistoriallisena aikana harjoitettu suden palvonta.
Myös roomalaisen kulttuuripiirin arkielämässä ja -käytännöissä voi nähdä merkkejä suden poikkeuksellisesta asemasta. Kaupunkialueilla nähdyt sudet tulkittiin antiikin Roomassa enteiksi. Susi oli ainoa nisäkäs, joka oli roomalaisille merkityksellinen enne-eläin. Roomalaiset eivät näytä käyttäneen susia amfiteattereiden metsästysnäytöksissä eivätkä aktiivisesti metsästäneen niitä. He pyrkivät välttämään väkivaltaa susia kohtaan muulloinkin, jos se vain oli mahdollista. Syynä väkivallan kartteluun on mielestäni pidettävä suden antiikin Roomassa nauttimaa uskonnollista erityisasemaa.
x x x
This study aims to analyze the religious significance of the wolf in Ancient Rome and throw light on the basis of the special relationship between the Romans and the wolf. The most important research questions of the thesis are whether any common elements can be found in the various wolf cults of Central Italy, what the significance of the wolf was as a portent, and whether the Romans avoided violence against the wolf. The study is based on the method of classical philology, studying linguistic documents critically in their historical and cultural context. I show in the thesis that in Ancient Italy the special religious significance of the wolf was not limited only to the Romans. I propose the hypothesis that the religious reverence shown to the wolf by the Romans, the Faliscans and the Etruscans could be based on the worshipping of the wolf in the Tiber valley in the prehistoric era. The special position enjoyed by the wolf can also be seen in daily life and practices in the Roman cultural sphere. Wolves that were seen in urban areas were interpreted as portents. The wolf was the only quadruped that was considered by the Romans to be a significant portent. Wolves do not seem to have been actively hunted or displayed in the venationes of Roman amphitheaters. Whenever possible, the Romans avoided violence against wolves in other contexts, too. This must be due to the religious importance of the wolf to the Romans.
Rooma, suden kaupunki -teos valaisee suden asemaa roomalaisten tarustossa, taiteessa, arkielämässä, kirjallisuudessa ja uskomuksissa. Esinne nousevat niin antiikintutkijoiden väittelyn kohteena olevat ajankohtaiskysymykset kuin kysymys siitä, miksi juuri susi oli eläin johon roomalaiset samaistuivat. Kirja avaa antiikin Roomaan laajemminkin tuoreita, kiinnostavia näkökulmia. Vaikka suden ja Rooman yhteys onkin tunnettu kautta länsimaisen kulttuuripiirin, ei aiheesta aiemmin ole julkaistu kokonaisesitystä millään kielellä.
FL Mika Rissanen on tutukinut Rooman ja suden erityisyhteyttä lähes kahden vuosikymmenen ajan. Hän on myös väitellyt samasta aiheesta: hänen väitöskirjansa käsittelee suden uskonnollista asemaa antiikin Roomassa. Aiemmin Rissanen on kirjoittanut Sami Kosken ja Juha Tahvanaisen kanssa Finlandia-palkinnon voittaneen teoksen Antiikin urheilu sekä Juha Tahvanaisen kanssa historiallisiin oluttarinoihin paneutuvan kirjan Kuohuvaa historiaa, jonka käännösoikeudet on myyty kahdeksaan maahan.
https://atena.fi/kirjat/historia/rooma-suden-kaupunki
Seuran historian ovat tallentaneet yksiin kansiin historiantutkijat ja -opettajat FT Juha Forsberg ja FL Mika Rissanen, jotka kumpikin ovat myös Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran pitkäaikaisia jäseniä.
Kirjasta käy havainnollisesti ilmi, ettei urheilu ole muusta yhteiskunnasta erillinen saareke. Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran kehitys heijastelee laajemminkin Suomen ja seuran kotikaupungin vaiheita. Seuran ja sen urheilijoiden kautta kirjassa tulevat esille niin teollisuuspaikkakunnan henkinen kahtiajako, sotien koettelemukset kuin yhteiskunnan viime vuosikymmenten rakennemuutoksetkin.
Discover the decisive role beer has had in the course of history, how it is central to many European cultures and customs, how it has inspired art, and even brought armies together in a cease fire in the midst of a world war. The history of beer stretches back as far as humans have engaged in agriculture, and it has been a basic food as long as bread. From ancient Mesopotamia to the spread of Christianity and abbey beers throughout Europe, up to Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution and the financial crisis of 2008, this history of the world has a frothy head.
Olut on aina ollut olennainen osa eurooppalaista historiaa. Kolpakolliset ovat liikuttaneet sotajoukkoja voittoon sekä rakentaneet kansojen välistä ystävyyttä, ja onpa tuoppi muuttanut monen merkkimiehen elämääkin. Tiesitkö esimerkiksi, ettei Louis Pasteurin mielessä siintänyt bakteereista puhdas maitolasillinen vaan täydellinen tuoppi ranskalaista mallasjuomaa?
Kuohuvaa historiaa tarinoi oluen ja historian yhteyksistä vivahteikkaan täyteläisesti, eikä tätä kirjaa ole syytä lukea kuivin suin. Kirjan jokaisessa luvussa on esitelty aiheeseen liittyvä olut. Huurteinen malja sille!
FL Mika Rissanen (1978) ja FM Juha Tahvanainen (1953) ovat olleet mukana kirjoittamassa kirjoja Hävityksen historiaa sekä Antiikin urheilu, joka voitti Tieto- Finlandia-palkinnon."
There has been plenty of vandalism in European history: wartime
looting, cultural purges, attempts at whitewashing history, revolutionary riots and frustrations over past wrongs have led to the destruction of many culturally and historically significant landmarks.
In this book, we examine expressions of vandalism from the days of Geiseric up to the present day. In the first section of this work, we consider vandalism on a general level, examining its causes, effects, and the possibilities for preventing destruction. In the second part of the book, we present twenty-some individual instances from across the centuries.
Our purpose is not to draw up a list of the “Top 20 Vandalisms,” but rather to collect a diverse sample of acts of destruction from the different corners of our part of the world.
Europe — the area we have limited our book to — is more of a cultural concept than a geographic one. Thus, the Library of Alexandria, although it was physically located in North Africa, should be considered a part of European cultural heritage, since it belonged to the Greek cultural sphere, just as do medieval monasteries in Ireland, Moorish castles in Spain, or Orthodox cemeteries in White Karelia.
We wish to use this book to highlight the significance of cultural heritage to identity. For example, Mostar Bridge, which was destroyed in 1993, was much more than a walkway over the Neretva River. The bridge linked the Bosnian areas of East Mostar to the Croat settlement of West Mostar, acting as a symbol and living testament to the centuries-old multiculturalism of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The vandalism of cultural property leaves deep wounds, which take many generations to heal.
21.6.2007
Sami Koski – Mika Rissanen – Juha Tahvanainen"
Religion is also strongly manifest in ancient sport. The gods cannot help but interfere in humanity's affairs. No one can best their favourite, and the competition of the ungodly is cut short. The audience loves unexpected plot twists. But even if the gods and goddesses of Olympus do follow the contests, women and slaves are not seen on the field or on the sidelines.
The stadiums where the Hellenes competed give modern humanity an idea about the importance of sport in the world of antiquity. Their silence makes these shrines to sport imposing. The gravel does not tell its memories, nor do the stone benches of the stands speak. But even barren and empty they convey the feeling that drew people to follow the games year after year. It is left to the imagination to contemplate what the mood must have been in the glory age 2,500 years ago, when an audience of thousands goaded the best athletes of their time with their shouts.
Records of ancient sport have been preserved, besides the monumental places of performance, in archaeological artefacts and in literature. Admired athletes were a popular subject in art. Archaeologists have found hundreds of items of pottery that depict the different sports. Rich Greeks and Romans often had their homes decorated with sport-themed statues or mosaics. The athletic sculptures of Myron, Polykleitos and Lysippos, which belong to the pearls of ancient sculpture, were copied enthusiastically even centuries later.
In Greek and Roman literature one encounters sport in the most surprising contexts. The great philosophers of Athens appear to have spent a great deal of their time near the sporting grounds. In lyric, hymns of praise to athletes were considered a natural part of high literature. In geographical guidebooks each city’s stadium and sporting history is bestowed much attention. Nevertheless, it is good for the reader to keep in mind that parts of the history of sport in antiquity are also made up of myths and oral tradition. Events have been coloured by those telling them, and not everything written can be considered absolutely true.
Temporally, antiquity extends from the birth of the Greek city-states in the second millennium B.C. to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D. Geographically, the culture of antiquity comprehends half of Europe in addition to the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Our purpose is not to offer an inclusive account of ancient sport in this one volume. In this work we will concentrate on basic questions: How did sport begin? Why did people engage in sport? How did the nature of sport change over the centuries? What sports and competitions were there in antiquity? What sort of foundation has antiquity created for modern sport?
Sport is not just about centimetres and seconds. Especially in antiquity sport was a central part of the popular culture of the time. Simple lists of victors or descriptions of events are just the outward surface. The concept of sport deepens considerably when it is considered as a part of society. Points of contact can be found with ancient national history as well as social, economic and cultural history and a significant number of stories, myths, beliefs and religions.
Next to cultural interconnectedness, another basic idea of our book is the broadest possible use of original sources. The conception of sport in antiquity is conveyed to the reader most authentically through pictures and text fragments. There is nevertheless reason to remember that the literature that has been preserved reflects only the view of the male upper class. We know the ideas of women, children and slaves about sport in only a very limited fashion.
Our book is divided into three sections: In the first part we investigate sport as a part of Greek and Roman society. In the second part we tell about the different sports and training methods. In the third part we present sporting events from traditional competitions all the way up to the most spectacular chariot races. A look into the continuation of the sporting tradition of antiquity is also included. Those seeking additional information may find it using the bibliography at the end.
We wish you all a phenomenal trip from the fields of Olympia to the arenas of Rome!
5.3.2004
The Authors"
since the very beginnings of the game. In 1886 Henry Mitchell, a Birmingham man and the proprietor of Henry Mitchell’s Old Crown Brewery, set up a football club for his workers. Beer money continues to flow into football today. The sums involved have changed since Henry Mitchell’s day, but so has their visibility.
role in the fall of the Communist regime in Eastern Europe. The
hero of the 1989 Velvet Revolution became the last president
of Czechoslovakia and then the first president of the Czech
Republic. But Havel’s CV was not limited to just the theatre and
politics. He also spent a little under a year working in a brewery.
In the same decades of the early 16th century when Europe began fighting over the principles of Christianity, the last major struggle was under way between gruit herbs and hops for the soul of beer.
On the other hand, some appearances of wolves, often those which took place outside of towns, were interpreted as omens, predictive messages. In these cases the fate of the portending wolf might be paralleled with the fate of the Roman army, or the wolf might be thought to foretell the death of a statesman.
The Lupa Romana was an iconic scene that was not used randomly in provincial art. It represented in the first place the idea of romanitas, being Roman. In some cases the use of the symbol could have been in consequence of instructions from Rome itself or from provincial authorities that depended on Rome, but in most cases the motif was used by the inhabitants of the provinces themselves. It can be seen as an expression of loyalty to Rome and the emperor, but at the same time the message could have been directed to other members of the community, too. As romanitas was associated with higher social status, the she-wolf motif in the decoration of one’s house or gravestone could be seen as self-aggrandizement.
Recent books "La Lupa Capitolina" (Roma 2010) and "Die römische Wölfin / The Lupa Romana" (Stuttgart 2011) discuss the dating and the historical context of the Lupa from various points of view.
No final answer of the dating can be given, but the books give a great example of a fruitful interdisciplinary discussion, being a solid base for further interpretations of the enchanting icon of Rome.
"She-Wolf. The Story of a Roman Icon" is a vividly written book, which skillfully combines diverse sources and standpoints into a coherent and readable study. The black-and-white photographs, some of which were taken by the author herself, support the text and illustrate the diversity of the visual representations of the she-wolf across the centuries.
Tutkimukseni perustuu klassillisen filologian metodiin eli kielellisten dokumenttien kriittiseen tarkasteluun historiallisessa ja kulttuurisessa kontekstissaan.
Osoitan tutkimuksessani, ettei suden uskonnollinen erityisasema rajoittunut antiikin Italiassa pelkästään roomalaisiin. Esitän hypoteesin, että roomalaisten, faliskien ja etruskien parista tunnettujen, suteen liittyvien uskonnollisten arvostusten taustalla voisi olla Tiberin laakson alueella esihistoriallisena aikana harjoitettu suden palvonta.
Myös roomalaisen kulttuuripiirin arkielämässä ja -käytännöissä voi nähdä merkkejä suden poikkeuksellisesta asemasta. Kaupunkialueilla nähdyt sudet tulkittiin antiikin Roomassa enteiksi. Susi oli ainoa nisäkäs, joka oli roomalaisille merkityksellinen enne-eläin. Roomalaiset eivät näytä käyttäneen susia amfiteattereiden metsästysnäytöksissä eivätkä aktiivisesti metsästäneen niitä. He pyrkivät välttämään väkivaltaa susia kohtaan muulloinkin, jos se vain oli mahdollista. Syynä väkivallan kartteluun on mielestäni pidettävä suden antiikin Roomassa nauttimaa uskonnollista erityisasemaa.
x x x
This study aims to analyze the religious significance of the wolf in Ancient Rome and throw light on the basis of the special relationship between the Romans and the wolf. The most important research questions of the thesis are whether any common elements can be found in the various wolf cults of Central Italy, what the significance of the wolf was as a portent, and whether the Romans avoided violence against the wolf. The study is based on the method of classical philology, studying linguistic documents critically in their historical and cultural context. I show in the thesis that in Ancient Italy the special religious significance of the wolf was not limited only to the Romans. I propose the hypothesis that the religious reverence shown to the wolf by the Romans, the Faliscans and the Etruscans could be based on the worshipping of the wolf in the Tiber valley in the prehistoric era. The special position enjoyed by the wolf can also be seen in daily life and practices in the Roman cultural sphere. Wolves that were seen in urban areas were interpreted as portents. The wolf was the only quadruped that was considered by the Romans to be a significant portent. Wolves do not seem to have been actively hunted or displayed in the venationes of Roman amphitheaters. Whenever possible, the Romans avoided violence against wolves in other contexts, too. This must be due to the religious importance of the wolf to the Romans.
Rooma, suden kaupunki -teos valaisee suden asemaa roomalaisten tarustossa, taiteessa, arkielämässä, kirjallisuudessa ja uskomuksissa. Esinne nousevat niin antiikintutkijoiden väittelyn kohteena olevat ajankohtaiskysymykset kuin kysymys siitä, miksi juuri susi oli eläin johon roomalaiset samaistuivat. Kirja avaa antiikin Roomaan laajemminkin tuoreita, kiinnostavia näkökulmia. Vaikka suden ja Rooman yhteys onkin tunnettu kautta länsimaisen kulttuuripiirin, ei aiheesta aiemmin ole julkaistu kokonaisesitystä millään kielellä.
FL Mika Rissanen on tutukinut Rooman ja suden erityisyhteyttä lähes kahden vuosikymmenen ajan. Hän on myös väitellyt samasta aiheesta: hänen väitöskirjansa käsittelee suden uskonnollista asemaa antiikin Roomassa. Aiemmin Rissanen on kirjoittanut Sami Kosken ja Juha Tahvanaisen kanssa Finlandia-palkinnon voittaneen teoksen Antiikin urheilu sekä Juha Tahvanaisen kanssa historiallisiin oluttarinoihin paneutuvan kirjan Kuohuvaa historiaa, jonka käännösoikeudet on myyty kahdeksaan maahan.
https://atena.fi/kirjat/historia/rooma-suden-kaupunki
Seuran historian ovat tallentaneet yksiin kansiin historiantutkijat ja -opettajat FT Juha Forsberg ja FL Mika Rissanen, jotka kumpikin ovat myös Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran pitkäaikaisia jäseniä.
Kirjasta käy havainnollisesti ilmi, ettei urheilu ole muusta yhteiskunnasta erillinen saareke. Kuusankosken Urheiluseuran kehitys heijastelee laajemminkin Suomen ja seuran kotikaupungin vaiheita. Seuran ja sen urheilijoiden kautta kirjassa tulevat esille niin teollisuuspaikkakunnan henkinen kahtiajako, sotien koettelemukset kuin yhteiskunnan viime vuosikymmenten rakennemuutoksetkin.
Discover the decisive role beer has had in the course of history, how it is central to many European cultures and customs, how it has inspired art, and even brought armies together in a cease fire in the midst of a world war. The history of beer stretches back as far as humans have engaged in agriculture, and it has been a basic food as long as bread. From ancient Mesopotamia to the spread of Christianity and abbey beers throughout Europe, up to Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution and the financial crisis of 2008, this history of the world has a frothy head.
Olut on aina ollut olennainen osa eurooppalaista historiaa. Kolpakolliset ovat liikuttaneet sotajoukkoja voittoon sekä rakentaneet kansojen välistä ystävyyttä, ja onpa tuoppi muuttanut monen merkkimiehen elämääkin. Tiesitkö esimerkiksi, ettei Louis Pasteurin mielessä siintänyt bakteereista puhdas maitolasillinen vaan täydellinen tuoppi ranskalaista mallasjuomaa?
Kuohuvaa historiaa tarinoi oluen ja historian yhteyksistä vivahteikkaan täyteläisesti, eikä tätä kirjaa ole syytä lukea kuivin suin. Kirjan jokaisessa luvussa on esitelty aiheeseen liittyvä olut. Huurteinen malja sille!
FL Mika Rissanen (1978) ja FM Juha Tahvanainen (1953) ovat olleet mukana kirjoittamassa kirjoja Hävityksen historiaa sekä Antiikin urheilu, joka voitti Tieto- Finlandia-palkinnon."
There has been plenty of vandalism in European history: wartime
looting, cultural purges, attempts at whitewashing history, revolutionary riots and frustrations over past wrongs have led to the destruction of many culturally and historically significant landmarks.
In this book, we examine expressions of vandalism from the days of Geiseric up to the present day. In the first section of this work, we consider vandalism on a general level, examining its causes, effects, and the possibilities for preventing destruction. In the second part of the book, we present twenty-some individual instances from across the centuries.
Our purpose is not to draw up a list of the “Top 20 Vandalisms,” but rather to collect a diverse sample of acts of destruction from the different corners of our part of the world.
Europe — the area we have limited our book to — is more of a cultural concept than a geographic one. Thus, the Library of Alexandria, although it was physically located in North Africa, should be considered a part of European cultural heritage, since it belonged to the Greek cultural sphere, just as do medieval monasteries in Ireland, Moorish castles in Spain, or Orthodox cemeteries in White Karelia.
We wish to use this book to highlight the significance of cultural heritage to identity. For example, Mostar Bridge, which was destroyed in 1993, was much more than a walkway over the Neretva River. The bridge linked the Bosnian areas of East Mostar to the Croat settlement of West Mostar, acting as a symbol and living testament to the centuries-old multiculturalism of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The vandalism of cultural property leaves deep wounds, which take many generations to heal.
21.6.2007
Sami Koski – Mika Rissanen – Juha Tahvanainen"
Religion is also strongly manifest in ancient sport. The gods cannot help but interfere in humanity's affairs. No one can best their favourite, and the competition of the ungodly is cut short. The audience loves unexpected plot twists. But even if the gods and goddesses of Olympus do follow the contests, women and slaves are not seen on the field or on the sidelines.
The stadiums where the Hellenes competed give modern humanity an idea about the importance of sport in the world of antiquity. Their silence makes these shrines to sport imposing. The gravel does not tell its memories, nor do the stone benches of the stands speak. But even barren and empty they convey the feeling that drew people to follow the games year after year. It is left to the imagination to contemplate what the mood must have been in the glory age 2,500 years ago, when an audience of thousands goaded the best athletes of their time with their shouts.
Records of ancient sport have been preserved, besides the monumental places of performance, in archaeological artefacts and in literature. Admired athletes were a popular subject in art. Archaeologists have found hundreds of items of pottery that depict the different sports. Rich Greeks and Romans often had their homes decorated with sport-themed statues or mosaics. The athletic sculptures of Myron, Polykleitos and Lysippos, which belong to the pearls of ancient sculpture, were copied enthusiastically even centuries later.
In Greek and Roman literature one encounters sport in the most surprising contexts. The great philosophers of Athens appear to have spent a great deal of their time near the sporting grounds. In lyric, hymns of praise to athletes were considered a natural part of high literature. In geographical guidebooks each city’s stadium and sporting history is bestowed much attention. Nevertheless, it is good for the reader to keep in mind that parts of the history of sport in antiquity are also made up of myths and oral tradition. Events have been coloured by those telling them, and not everything written can be considered absolutely true.
Temporally, antiquity extends from the birth of the Greek city-states in the second millennium B.C. to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D. Geographically, the culture of antiquity comprehends half of Europe in addition to the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Our purpose is not to offer an inclusive account of ancient sport in this one volume. In this work we will concentrate on basic questions: How did sport begin? Why did people engage in sport? How did the nature of sport change over the centuries? What sports and competitions were there in antiquity? What sort of foundation has antiquity created for modern sport?
Sport is not just about centimetres and seconds. Especially in antiquity sport was a central part of the popular culture of the time. Simple lists of victors or descriptions of events are just the outward surface. The concept of sport deepens considerably when it is considered as a part of society. Points of contact can be found with ancient national history as well as social, economic and cultural history and a significant number of stories, myths, beliefs and religions.
Next to cultural interconnectedness, another basic idea of our book is the broadest possible use of original sources. The conception of sport in antiquity is conveyed to the reader most authentically through pictures and text fragments. There is nevertheless reason to remember that the literature that has been preserved reflects only the view of the male upper class. We know the ideas of women, children and slaves about sport in only a very limited fashion.
Our book is divided into three sections: In the first part we investigate sport as a part of Greek and Roman society. In the second part we tell about the different sports and training methods. In the third part we present sporting events from traditional competitions all the way up to the most spectacular chariot races. A look into the continuation of the sporting tradition of antiquity is also included. Those seeking additional information may find it using the bibliography at the end.
We wish you all a phenomenal trip from the fields of Olympia to the arenas of Rome!
5.3.2004
The Authors"
since the very beginnings of the game. In 1886 Henry Mitchell, a Birmingham man and the proprietor of Henry Mitchell’s Old Crown Brewery, set up a football club for his workers. Beer money continues to flow into football today. The sums involved have changed since Henry Mitchell’s day, but so has their visibility.
role in the fall of the Communist regime in Eastern Europe. The
hero of the 1989 Velvet Revolution became the last president
of Czechoslovakia and then the first president of the Czech
Republic. But Havel’s CV was not limited to just the theatre and
politics. He also spent a little under a year working in a brewery.
In the same decades of the early 16th century when Europe began fighting over the principles of Christianity, the last major struggle was under way between gruit herbs and hops for the soul of beer.
On the other hand, some appearances of wolves, often those which took place outside of towns, were interpreted as omens, predictive messages. In these cases the fate of the portending wolf might be paralleled with the fate of the Roman army, or the wolf might be thought to foretell the death of a statesman.
The Lupa Romana was an iconic scene that was not used randomly in provincial art. It represented in the first place the idea of romanitas, being Roman. In some cases the use of the symbol could have been in consequence of instructions from Rome itself or from provincial authorities that depended on Rome, but in most cases the motif was used by the inhabitants of the provinces themselves. It can be seen as an expression of loyalty to Rome and the emperor, but at the same time the message could have been directed to other members of the community, too. As romanitas was associated with higher social status, the she-wolf motif in the decoration of one’s house or gravestone could be seen as self-aggrandizement.
Recent books "La Lupa Capitolina" (Roma 2010) and "Die römische Wölfin / The Lupa Romana" (Stuttgart 2011) discuss the dating and the historical context of the Lupa from various points of view.
No final answer of the dating can be given, but the books give a great example of a fruitful interdisciplinary discussion, being a solid base for further interpretations of the enchanting icon of Rome.
"She-Wolf. The Story of a Roman Icon" is a vividly written book, which skillfully combines diverse sources and standpoints into a coherent and readable study. The black-and-white photographs, some of which were taken by the author herself, support the text and illustrate the diversity of the visual representations of the she-wolf across the centuries.
In the ancient Central Italy there were three religious cults with analogical elements of wolf priesthoods: the Roman Lupercalia, the Faliscan cult of the Hirpi Sorani and the little known Etruscan cult of Veltha. In my thesis I analyze the cults comparatively making a hypothetical suggestion of their common origin.
An abstract of my results can be read at the article: "The Hirpi Sorani and the Wolf Cults of Central Italy" http://www.academia.edu/2177407/The_Hirpi_Sorani_and_the_Wolf_Cults_of_Central_Italy"
nil patrium nisi nomen habet Romanus alumnus
sanguinis altricem non pudet esse lupam.
Rooman kasvatti ei ole perinyt isiltään muuta kuin nimen.
Hän ei häpeä sitä, että hänen sukunsa on suden ruokkimaa.
Suden ruokkima suku, tai laajemmin kansa – sitähän antiikin roomalaisten katsottiin olevan. Mutta Rooman ja suden yhteys ei rajautunut pelkästään yksittäiseen myyttiin Romulusta ja Remusta imettäneestä susiemosta, vaan oli paljon monipuolisempi ja moniulotteisempi.