Graeco-Roman Religion

"This book is the first-ever monograph on the family of royal converts from Adiabene including the broader perspective of the cultural and political environment of Hellenistic and Parthian Adiabene. It collects, arranges and discusses all available sources on the topic.
The study consists of three parts. Part 1 (chapters 1-5) is devoted to the longest ancient account on the Adiabene royalty from all ancient literature – Josephus, Ant. 20:17-96 (“the Adiabene Narrative”). It examines the Adiabene narrative as Josephus’ conscious literary product with all its rhetorical features and ideological agendas.
Part 2 (chapters 6-7) deals with other sources about the family of royal converts from Adiabene. Chapter 6 is devoted to Rabbinic traditions about Queen Helena and King Munbaz. Chapter 7 discusses all Jewish and non-Jewish literary sources which refer to the resting place of Queen Helena and to the palaces of the Adiabene royalty in Jerusalem, what is more, it also provides an updated discussion of relevant archaeological sites in Jerusalem (Le Tombeau des Rois and the Givati Parking Lot).
Part 3 (chapters 8-13) presents the material and political environment of Adiabene from the third century BCE to the third century CE. It discusses all available kinds of sources: geographical and ethnographical texts (chapter 8), archaeological sites (chapter 9), epigraphic and numismatic material (chapter 10), as well as onomastic evidence (chapter 11). Furthermore, chapter 12 provides a basic chronology of the Adiabene royalty in the Hellenistic and Parthian periods, and chapter 13 presents the political environment of Adiabene and Judea in the context of the international relations between Rome and Parthia."
P.S.
So far reviewed by K. Atkinson, Biblica 96 (2015) 635-638; D.M. Jacobson, Palestine Exploration Quarterly 147 (2015) 169-170; E. Kettenhofen, Anabasis. Studia Classica et Orientalia 6 (2015) 297-307; E. Lipiński, Polish Journal of Biblical Research 14 (2015) 201-207;  D.M. Downing, Journal of American Oriental Studies 137 (2017) 428-430; E. Nodet, Revue Biblique 122-124 (2015) 634-635; K. Berthelot, Syria 94 (2017) 415-416; J.-S. Caillou, L’Antiquité Classique 86 (2017) 517-519.

I membri del collegio di Nemesiaci oggetti di richiamo imperiale in un
provvedimento del 412 nel Codice Teodosiano sono figure di controversa interpretazione nella storia degli studi. Per comprendere le attività da essi svolte e come queste potessero configurarsi come un servizio pubblico, si analizzano gli aspetti del culto di Nemesi in età imperiale e in particolar modo il collegamento della dea con gli spettacoli anfiteatrali. Si esaminano poi le poche testimonianze epigrafiche e letterarie relative ai Nemesiaci e il loro frequente collegamento con Diana e la caccia. Infine, si propone di leggere il provvedimento sui Nemesiaci nel quadro della politica imperiale di controllo dei giochi pubblici tra IV e V secolo d.C.

This work critically examines every one of the spells and rites translated in Hans Dieter Betz's "Greek Magical Papyri in Translation" and Daniel & Maltomini's "Supplementum Magicum" (plus texts drawn from a number of other lamellae, amulets, etc) with a view to identifying the precise magical technique used in each case. This categorisation is done on the basis of the original Greek or Demotic headwords or key words rather than upon the translation or later imprecise descriptions. The result is an identification of 40+ magical techniques such as autoptos, systasis, agoge, niketikon, oneiropompos, etc, rather than a simple but unhelpful identification each passage as a 'spell' or 'charm'. This is fully tabulated with line count for every single rite, presenting the full panorama of Graeco-Egyptian magic in the form, and with the structure, that the original scribes or magicians would have used. This enables ready access to all of the passages relevant to any one technique. It also removes the difficulties presented by varying translations of a specific Greek technical term by a range of different English approximations (such as 'love spell' for more than 7 different processes). Each of these techniques is then expanded upon showing where they influenced later systems of magic or remained unique in the Graeco-Egyptian world.

Jézabel est comme une silhouette vide sur laquelle s'incrustent presque toutes les images du féminin négatif : séductrice, prostituée, avide du sang des prophètes, faussaire, sorcière empoisonneuse, maîtresse des festins idolâtres. Elle est donc maudite, cause de la ruine de ses fils, écrasée par les chevaux du vainqueur, dévorée par les chiens, répandue comme du fumier, privée d'une sépulture qui porte son nom. Mais son histoire n'est pas très différente de celles d'autres femmes de l'antiquité méditerranéenne. Hypostases de la Fortune qui fait et défait les rois, ces femmes appartiennent à des dynasties qui ont perdu leur pouvoir. Elles ont vu assassiner leurs enfants, ou les ont tués elles-mêmes. Leur sang a, pour ainsi dire, accéléré la maladie mortelle de la race qui les avait accueillies. Elles ont souvent eu affaire à la vigne…

The author analyses the evolution of the idea of magic reflected in the decrees of Christian Roman Emperors included in the Theodosian Code. He describes the place of the chapter De maleficis in the structure of Book IX of the Theodosian Code and analyses its constitutions. Special attention is paid to the possible sources of the norms described and to the connection between the evolution of Christianity and the tightening of anti-magic legislation.
Article is written on Russian

This volume deals with the publication of Temple C of Bakchias, a locality in the North Eastern Fayyum, where the joint Archaeological Mission of the University of Bologna and Sapienza University of Rome works. The temple dedicated to the god Soknobkonneus has been preserved only in the foundations, but it is possible to rebuild it in its overall structure, revealing itself to be one of the most important places of worship in the city.

The inseparable relationship between the cult of Dionysus and politics in antiquity emerged as early as in archaic poleis and continued to evolve until late-antique times. Surprisingly enough, most monographs dealing with Greek and Roman political thought pay little, if any, attention to the essential role played by Dionysiac imagery. The only exception in which the name of Dionysus comes to the fore is the Bacchanalian affair, which has been widely discussed both in relation to Roman religion as well as in relation to Roman politics. Apart from that affair, however, Dionysus/Bacchus is seldom mentioned in mainstream research on Greek and Roman political practice.To date, no monograph systematically addressing the role of Dionysus in Greek and Roman political thought has seen the light of day. In existing studies, interesting and valuable as they are, the issue has been discussed only partially or in passing. The present volume fills this important gap by introducing the political importance of Dionysus into the academic mainstream. It brings together 11 contributions from an international team of scholars, starting with four top specialists in the field, Cornelia Isler-Kerényi, Jean-Marie Pailler, Richard Seaford and Richard Stoneman. The contributors develop an interdisciplinary approach to the subject by combining sub-disciplines and types of evidence: historiography, poetry, coins, epigraphy, art and philosophy, while the chapters also follow a chronological order. Thus, the reader can follow how the political ideas and motifs rooted in Greek classical thought were continued, adapted and developed in successive periods, from Hellenistic to Imperial to late-antique times. The book therefore casts a decisive light on a still underrated aspect of Greek and Roman theological refection on politics, and greatly helps to better understand the ancient thinking on the nature of ruling.

Accumulations of pot shards, many of them from common vessels and deposited below surface, are ubiquitous phenomena in Greco-Roman sacred places. The modern denomination of this pottery in fills, terraces, or pits, as 'sacred waste' falls short, since it implies its use- and meaninglessness after deposition. The first part of the article sets out to discuss the life cycle, transformation and potential agency of these ceramic remains in order to reveal their continuous impact on establishing the places as sacred places through their embeddedness in religious practices. Drawing on examples from Archaic to Roman Imperial times I explore in the second part the production, consumption and deposition of the pottery objects as elements in the chain of interactions with human agents. I argue that very mundane, even invisible, pieces of pottery, due to deposition, establish memories and contribute to the religious significance of the places over generations.

""En Filipo II y el Arte de la Guerra tendremos la oportunidad de conocer en profundidad a uno de los más grandes reyes de la antigua Macedonia. Gracias a su habilidad como estratega, diplomático, político y soldado, heredó un reino pobre, débil y acosado por innumerables enemigos y lo transformó en el más poderoso de toda Grecia.

A lo largo de sus páginas podremos conocer la historia del reino Macedonio, desde sus orígenes míticos hasta la formación de un imperio, de la mano del que, a la postre, se convertiría en el padre del mítico Alejandro Magno y en el forjador de un nuevo ejército que cambiaria el devenir de la guerra en la Antigüedad. Filipo II fue el creador de la falange macedonia, formación que se demostraría como inigualable en el campo de batalla y que reportaría incontables victorias sobre poderosos enemigos, como los ilirios, los tesalios, los tracios, los beocios o los atenienses. Pero no sólo eso, logró integrar en el campo de batalla a la infantería y a la caballería para emplearlos en nuevas formaciones tácticas: armó a sus soldados con las míticas sarissas y apreció como pocos las posibilidades militares que la maquinaria de guerra podía proporcionarle, siendo el mecenas de numerosos avances en este campo. Soñó con conquistar el Imperio persa, cuando ya había logrado lo que nadie antes fue capaz: el control de Grecia.

Sólo la muerte le arrebató esa hazaña, pero sentó las bases de lo que más tarde conseguiría su propio hijo. Su figura levantó tanto odios como pasiones; se le conocía como mujeriego y bebedor, pero también por su habilidad para la oratoria, por sus astucia, determinación y valor. Siempre luchó en primera línea junto a sus soldados y nunca permitió que éstos le llamaran rey, sino solo "General".

This collection of essays offers a rounded examination of the Roman and Italian manifestations of Dionysus. Nine essays address Bacchus at the crossroads of Greek and Roman, combining diverse sources that include art, epigraphy, historiography, poetry, and rhetorical and Christian discourse. The collection emphasizes local inflections in Italian responses to (and appropriations of) Bacchus, and the intersection of Bacchus and Roman politics and society.

Contents
Preface  V
List of illustrations  IX
List of contributors  XI

Fiachra Mac Góráin
Introduction. Dionysus in Rome: accommodation and resistance  1

Simon Perris and Fiachra Mac Góráin
The ancient reception of Euripides’ Bacchae from Athens to Byzantium  39

Stéphanie Wyler
Images of Dionysus in Rome: the archaic and Augustan periods  85

Daniele Miano
Liber, Fufluns and the others: rethinking Dionysus in Italy between the fifth and the third centuries BCE  111

Julietta Steinhauer
Dionysian associations and the Bacchanalian affair  133

Gesine Manuwald
Dionysus / Bacchus / Liber in Cicero  157

John F. Miller
Bacchus and the exiled Ovid (Tristia 5.3)  177

Alessandro Schiesaro
Alius furor. Statius’ Thebaid and the metamorphoses of Bacchus  193

Francesco Massa
The shadow of Bacchus: Liber and Dionysus in Christian Latin literature (2nd–4th centuries)  219

Index rerum et nominum  239
Index locorum  245
Index of inscriptions and visual artefacts  247

"Estas páginas contienen una reflexión sobre un tema importante en el mundo antiguo: el aprovisionamiento de cereal al ejército romano. El hecho de que la base de la alimentación fuera el grano y su ausencia la causa más frecuente del descontento y de las sublevaciones en el seno del ejército motivó el desarrollo de férreos mecanismos de control y administración de los alimentos enviados a las tropas. Este trabajo ofrece información novedosa sobre este asunto y proporciona las claves para conocer mejor la dieta del soldado y las infraestructuras y construcciones asociadas al abastecimiento militar, desde la fase republicana al periodo bajoimperial.

Para el análisis del aprovisionamiento de cereal al ejército, el principal testimonio arqueológico que se conserva son los almacenes y graneros (horrea). El estudio detallado de estos edificios pretende servir de manual de referencia para el profesional que debe interpretar correctamente las estructuras descubiertas, ofreciendo información detallada sobre técnicas constructivas, dimensiones y otros datos de interés. En último término, permite reconstruir la apariencia de estas edificaciones y conocer la evolución de los sistemas empleados en su construcción, que se fueron adaptando a las necesidades del ejército en cada uno de los periodos durante los que se mantuvo vigente la hegemonía de Roma.

Esta obra muestra al público general y al profesional de la arqueología un aspecto esencial en la expansión y consolidación del Imperio Romano, pues el aprovisionamiento de cereal fue una de las claves económicas que permitió a los generales romanos mantener alta la moral de sus ejércitos con alimentos a los que estaban acostumbrados y se convirtió en el motor que impulsó el ánimo y el fervor de las tropas, consiguiendo así su eficacia en la batalla y su lealtad en tiempos de paz"

Book review:
http://www.pyrenae.com/home/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=category&id=20:ressenyes-43-2-2012&lang=es

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9191541&fulltextType=BR&fileId=S0068113X14000075


http://revistas.usal.es/index.php/0514-7336/article/view/9973"

http://www.sehepunkte.de/2013/02/21727.html"""

from the 2010 conference, to be published in in ‘And God Breathed into Man the Breath of Life’ – Dust of the Ground and Breath of Life (Gen 2.7): The Development of a Dualistic Anthropology in Early Judaism and Christianity, and Their Umwelts (ed. J.T.A.G.M. van Ruiten and G.H. van Kooten; Themes in Biblical Narrative; Leiden: Brill, forthcoming)

Résumé:
La consécration d’un autel aux cultes impériaux est un acte complexe entre prescription rituelle, affirmation d’une allégeance à Rome et autoreprésentation du dédicant. L’étude de l’emplacement des différents monuments permet de mettre en avant  ces stratégies dédicatoires et d’analyser chaque échelle de célébration du culte. Cependant, réfléchir à la place prise par l’autel à la période julio-claudienne revient finalement à étudier l’apparition et l’intégration des cultes liés à l’empereur dans les cités de Gaule. Ainsi, plus qu’une enquête sur la visibilité de l’autel, l’objectif principal de cette tentative de remise en contexte est un questionnement sur le caractère structurant des cultes impériaux dans l’organisation urbaine des cités au début de l’Empire.

Abstract:
The consecration of an altar to the imperial cult is a complex act between the ritual prescription, the affirmation of allegiance to Rome and the self-representation of the dedicant. The study of the location of some different monuments allows us to highlight these dedicatory strategies and analyze each stage of the worship celebration. However, thinking about the role played by the altar during the Julio-Claudian period actually means studying the emergence and the integration of the cults associated with the emperor in the cities of Gaul. Thus, more than an investigation on the visibility of the altar, the main objective of this suggested recontextualization is a reflection on the structuring nature of the imperial cult in the urban organization of the cities at the beginning of the Empire.

The relationships between T. S. and hellenism can be found in the character of the (Greek) tyrant that the Roman annalistic tradition built, as well as in the image he wanted to give of himself. Like those of the other “kings” of Rome, the figure of T. S. started to be elaborated in the IVth century BC, probably from the image of the contemporary tyrants of Syracuse. Moreover, the legend of the Bacchiadae origins of the Tarquins seems to have been made up by T. S. himself, as it is suggested by the analysis of some details of the François tomb of Vulci and also by the presence of the acroterial group of Dionysos and Ariadne on the temple of Fortuna at the Forum Boarium. T. S. was thus at the origins of the references that were established between Roman triumph and Dionysos, at a time when Rome was living in a mediterranean “cultural koinè” that was strongly dominated by cultural references of the archaic Greek world.

The Italian Mission in Gerasa has employed most of the human and financial resources for carrying out the conservation and the restoration of the sanctuary of Artemis, the most important religious complex built in the heart of the ancient town. All conservation work has been preceded by rigorous research aimed at understanding the specific context before any intervention. In the area of the sanctuary of Artemis, archaeological campaigns, surveys and cataloguing have all taken place over almost forty years. As a result, our knowledge of the various parts of the complex has greatly increased, however a wide-ranging study, correlating all the results into one historical narrative has yet to be completed.
In this paper, I deal with the problem of the incompleteness of the Antonine temple. This is a riddle often explained by economic issues that, on closer inspection, are not convincing. The new approach undertaken here, therefore, investigates the history of its construction through the study of the building sequence and re-considers the outcome in the broader context of the sanctuary and the rest of the town, using the evidence from several previous, fragmentary investigations.
The new picture presented from the archaeological evidence paints a generation of citizens and worshippers who embraced the project for enlarging the sanctuary, nevertheless under unconcealed pressure from the Roman government. We see changing decisions throughout the process and a background of conservatism.
📌 Ask the author (massimobrizzi26@gmail.com) for the complete paper.