Innholdsfortegnelse for AH 43 i Ancient History Magazine

In the modern world, with vast, industrial-scale agriculture providing food to supermarkets, it is easy to forget just how integral food is to the functioning of society. While urban sites certainly existed before the advent of agriculture, without agriculture, it is unlikely that societies with complex bureaucratic systems – and everything that followed – would have developed. Our understanding of ancient agriculture has only increased as technological advancements enable greater studies in archaeobotany. Recently, a study by Manning et al. in Nature has demonstrated that there was a significant drought in central Anatolia over three years, corresponding roughly to the dating of the Late Bronze Age collapse. The importance of agriculture was certainly not lost on the ancients. The many agricultural and fertility deities worshipped across multiple societies attests to…

An exceptional image of the goddess Roma has been retrieved from a major mass transit construction project in the heart of the Eternal City. While working on the rescue dig on the Metro C Line in Rome, archaeologists found a round shard of glass. When cleaned, it was found to be an image of the ancient goddess of the city painted in gold on clear glass. The finely drawn goddess is depicted in profile, facing right. She wears martial garb and holds a spear with an elaborate spearhead. No other examples of Roma painted on glass are known. The rough edges suggest that it was probably once the bottom of a glass beaker. Clearly it was a valued object, and the base was saved by its owner after the sides…

There is a growing body of evidence for a human presence in the Americas prior to 15,000 years ago, likely initially in Beringia during the Last Glacial Maximum. However, dense ice sheets blocked migration through the continental interior at that time, making a coastal route the more feasible option. A new paper suggests the most environmentally favourable time windows for a migration along the Pacific Coast. Researchers studied records of sea ice variations and synthesized previously published reconstructions of sea ice, sea surface temperature (SST), salinity, and ice-rafted debris from marine sediment cores in the North Pacific. Together, these paleoenvironmental data helped them to discern major climate and oceano graphic changes that may have facilitated – or impeded – human migration during the terminal Pleistocene (126,000 to 11,700 years ago).…

LIVING LIKE AN ANCIENT DENTISTRY AND TOOTH DECAY IN ROME The Romans took oral hygiene and bad breath very seriously – halitosis was as crippling a social and romantic disability in ancient Rome as it is today. Yet, X-rays of their skulls show teeth and gums in remarkably good condition. (Severe gum disease affects the underlying bone, and therefore indelibly marks the skeletal evidence.) In fact, it appears that Romans had an incidence of gum disease that was five times lower than that of Britons of the twentieth century. So how did the Romans manage it? Diet and dentifrica In part, the answer comes down to two things – smoking and refined sugar. The Romans didn't have tobacco or highly-processed sugars – both of which are terrible for teeth (and health…

THEME: Food in crisis THEME AGRICULTURAL RITUALS IN ANCIENT EGYPT While agriculture probably didn't arise independently in Egypt, the knowledge gleaned from neighbouring cultures was immediately made their own. Located far from the simmering zones of war and conflict in the Levant, ancient Egyptians took advantage of the Nile river's annual flood to create a civilization that sought – and found – resurrection, renewal, and fertility everywhere. Agriculture and plenty in Egypt The origins of agriculture in Egypt are a mystery, but one theory suggests that a drought around 6000 BC, in the area of Israel and Syria, forced small farming populations to migrate south along the Mediterranean coast until they reached the Nile Valley. As the domestication of wheat and emmer barley had begun on the Euphrates and in nearby Anatolia…

THEME: Food in crisis THEME FARMERS AND LAND IN THE LATE REPUBLIC For most people, late-second century BC Roman Republican history will bring to mind the Gracchi brothers and their attempt to put an end to the agricultural crisis. Traditionally, the occupation of public land (ager publicus) by wealthy landowners brought about the deracination of small farmers, whose plots of land were occupied by slave-staffed agricultural estates, commonly known as latifundia (see Appian The Civil Wars 1.7–8 and Plutarch Tiberius Gracchus 8). Recent work on landownership patterns, migration, and demography, however, has largely dismantled this view, integrating it with novel findings. Public land and where to find it The first brick to pull from the wall is that of large swathes of public land available throughout Italy. The actual picture is always…

Many scrolls contain familiar Jewish religious literature (e.g. books from the Bible, prayers, calendars). A part, however, can be identified as sectarian, and this has attracted most attention. The texts are identified by the number of the Qumran cave in which they were found .g. 4Q) and a number or abbreviation of the title. The following texts:re of interest; The “TEMPLE SCROLL” (11QT) contains an overview of the ideal temple cult. The text dates back to the third century BC and documents tensions within Judaism at a surprisingly early stage. The “COMMUNITY RULE” (1QS) describes the initiation of members of the sect, a dualistic worldview, rules for sectarian life, a blueprint for a future community, and a hymn of thanksgiving. The “DAMASCUS DOCUMENT” (CD) offers an overview of the history…

Garlic was used to prevent birds from pecking freshly sown seeds from the fields. It was first boiled and then spread over the soil. Apparently birds like these cloves of garlic more than fresh seeds. According to Pliny, birds became stupefied as soon as they ate the cooked vegetable. So much so that they could be taken by hand. They even fell fast asleep. Now, I'm wondering: would these birds have a taste of garlic on them? That's one way to temper the pungent taste and smell of garlic!…

The Milindapanha (Questions of Menander) is a vestige of Greek Buddhism in South-Central Asia. The Buddhist text recounts the Socraticlike dialogue between the Greek king Milinda (Menander) and a local monk, Nāgasena, who may have been of Indo-Greek origin. According to the source, Milinda was educated in the nineteen arts and sciences. Along with being taught Indian philosophies, like “Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, and Vaisesika,” Milinda was a master in rhetoric (debating), a component of a Greek education. One afternoon, Milinda commanded his advisors to find him pandits (Indian sages) to answer his philosophical questions. Yet these sages were no match for Milinda's debating skill, as he petulantly clapped his hands after each opponent's defeat: “India is indeed an empty thing, as empty as chaff; there is no Sraman or Brahman…

ISBN: 978-0691230214 Princeton University Press (2019) – £30.00 press.princeton.edu Given the nature of the literary evidence that is available to us, it is all too easy to image the ancient GrecoRoman world as one of scholars, philosophers, and statesmen. Yet, beneath the literary mirage of scientific thinking and political theory, there is an entire world of the mysterious and the magical. It is this world that Edmonds has sought to reveal, “from the simple spells designed to meet the needs of the poor and desperate to the complex theurgies of the philosophers” (p. 2). Firstly, and quite rightly, Edmonds begins with a discussion of the definition of magic. Modern definitions of magic tend to place it somewhere between science and religion. However, for the ancient GrecoRoman world, where religion permeated…

A section of the ancient Aqua Augusta has been identified running under the modern city of Naples, Italy. It is one of ten branches of the extensive water distribution system that once supplied fresh water to cities in Campania. Residents have long known that there were Roman tunnels carrying water from its source at Serino, lying some 51 kilometres (32 miles) east of Naples. In the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, engineers were consulted to establish whether the eastern section of the Acquedotto romano del Serino could be brought back into use to supply fresh water to Naples. The western segment running beyond Naples, however, was barely known about. Leading the search has been Associazione “Cocceius”, an Italian not-for-profit group that undertakes speleo-archaeological work. Their explorations under the hill of Posillipo,…

SPECIAL TO PURIFY THE ARMY BY MEANS OF A DOG The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC left a freshly conquered empire denuded of the charismatic leader upon which it depended. The following day, some of Alexander's generals, bodyguards, and members of the elite administration of Alexander's court ventured proposals on what came next. However, no sooner had this select gathering formed than it was promptly gate-crashed by the troops at large, both Macedonian and non-Macedonian, being of the mind that they had a vested interest in showing their approval or disapproval of the proposals raised. The first to speak was Perdiccas, chiliarch and most influential of Alexander's generals, to whom Alexander himself had passed his signet ring as he was dying. Positioning the empty throne of Alexander before…

SPECIAL RELIGIOUS STATUS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE In AD 177, a group of Christians from the city of Lyons in southern Gaul was forced into the arena to die, facing wild animals and all sorts of other horrific tortures. The story of their final hours, as transmitted in the fifth book of the Ecclesiastical History by the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, contains an important number of elements that will be familiar to many: brave martyrs willing to die for their beliefs, a hostile Roman governor who was determined to make them suffer, and gruesome public executions that turned the victims into examples for all future Christians. Stories like this one joined the foundational narratives of the church, and also continue to shape our perception of Christianity's legal position within the…

Dating from the Ptolemaic period, possibly from the reign of Ptolemy V (ca. 205–180 BC), the Famine Stele tells of a prolonged period of drought and famine in the reign of Djoser, a pharaoh of the Third Dynasty. According to the inscription, Khnum, a god of the cataracts, was responsible for the end of the famine, and so, in gratitude, Djoser granted the temple of Khnum at Elephantine a share of the produce of that region, as well as a share of all the imports from the south. This inscription could record an actual event – a time of famine in Egypt. Yet, it could also conceivably be an attempt by the priests of Khnum to publicly announce their claim to an increased income. Either way, the text records how…

THEME: Food in crisis THEME SPARTA, SYSSITIA, AND CITIZENSHIP According to Herodotus, 8000 Spartans were involved in the Persian Wars (7.234), with 5000 marching out to the Battle of Plataea (9.10). However, at the Battle of Leuctra, 100 years after the Persian Wars, there were only 700 Spartans present (Xenophon, Hellenica 6.4.15), and less than 1000 Spartans in all (Aristotle, Politics 1270a31). This decline of Spartan citizen numbers is too drastic to simply be attributed to losses in war over the course of the fifth century. It must have been something endemic to the Spartan social system. Spartan citizenship To be a citizen of Sparta – a Spartiate – was to have a say in the governance of Lacedaemon, the large state that Sparta controlled, comprised of both Laconia and Messenia in…

Four bulbs of garlic? I dare you. Use as much garlic as you like, but please make it pungent. The trick is to use a lot of herbs as well. The moretum must be bright green. Together with the white wine vinegar it will give the dish freshness. And leave it for a day. It makes all the difference. Ingredients 200grams pecorino romano 6-8cloves of garlic bunchof fresh coriander 1sprig of rue bunchof parsley halfa bunch of fresh celery 2tsp white wine vinegar 2tsp olive oil Preparation Grate the cheese. Peel the cloves of garlic and cut them up. Chop the coriander, parsley, and celery leaves coarsely. Use only the leaves, not the stems. Put the cheese, garlic, and herbs in a mortar and grind until you have a paste.…

Evidence of a mixed workforce at a Roman tilery Finding tiles at Roman sites is commonplace. Many have writing on them or the imprints of soles of shoes of workers employed at the brick factories. A site in the UK suggests that the people working at these industrial facilities were more diverse than previously thought. Over two seasons, members of Oxford Archaeology (OA) working at Priors Hall Park, Corby, Northamptonshire uncovered the remains of a Roman brick factory. They discovered that a temple/mausoleum had been converted into an industrial facility making pottery, brick, and tile sometime in the later third to mid-fourth century AD. Its customers were the local Roman villa owners. Some six tonnes of discarded tiles deemed as unsuitable for sale have already been recovered, and these are…

A team of archaeologists has discovered a lost palace of the Sumerian kings of Girsu and a temple of the Sumerian god Ningirsu, at the site of Tablet Hill in modern Tello, southern Iraq. Dr Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum, says the discoveries “hold enormous potential for our understanding of this important civilisation. The site, which was initially rediscovered in the nineteenth century, has been left exposed with no conservation work being done since the end of the Second World War. The Girsu Project, led by the British Museum and funded by the J. Paul Getty Trust, set out to raise awareness of the site and to provide archaeological and conservational training to Iraqi heritage professionals and students. Dr Sebastien Rey, Director of the Girsu Project, said the…

The use of a dog to help heal illness, aches, and pains is attested throughout the Greco-Roman world. For example, inscriptions at the great shrine of Asclepius at Epidaurus record children being cured by the licking of a dog. Indeed, Asclepius is sometimes depicted with a dog alongside him. Even Pliny the Elder (30.14.43) wrote that relief from stomach-ache may be achieved by lying a Melitaean puppy across the abdomen so that the illness is transferred, often resulting in the puppy's subsequent death.…

THEME: Food in crisis THEME FEASTS, FAMINES, AND MEGADROUGHTS The thriving world of the Late Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean ended in collapse around 1200 BC. Cities burned, kingdoms and empires fell, people migrated, and traditions were lost. Since the 1960s, some have argued that climate change was responsible for the collapse, either in the form of increased climatic variability, drying, or a megadrought. Agriculture, the ultimate foundation of society, was hit, famine struck, and shockwaves rippled out outward through established states, shaking them apart in civil chaos, disorder, violence, and migration. At least, this is what some scholars have suggested. While this apocalyptic story is now taking centre stage, there are reasons to be cautious about accepting it as a historically accurate narrative of the years around 1200 BC. Disaster or diplomatic…

THEME: Food in crisis THEME FOOD CRISES IN THE ROMAN WORLD Food consumption in a complex society is the end result of the interaction of agricultural, logistical, economic, and political factors, all of which have the potential to disrupt the food supply. To begin with, crops are at the mercy of the weather, and this was certainly true in those parts of the Mediterranean his was certainly true in those parts of the Mediterranean where the average annual rainfall is barely sufficient for the cultivation of cereals, legumes, and vegetables. Too little rain, or too much, could cause yields to drop. Shortages may be unrelated to crop failures. Cities that depended on outside supply were vulnerable to transportation breakdown or the obstruction of supply channels, such as bad weather or the interruption…

UNROLLING HISTORY THE TEXTS FROM QUMRAN & THEIR SIGNIFICANCE Archaeologists have called the Dead Sea Scrolls the greatest discovery of the twentieth century. Of course, there are other claimants to this title, but the scrolls found near the Qumran ruin certainly are extremely important. We're talking about thousands of parchment scraps, belonging to some 950 scrolls. Tocompare: the text of Herodotus’ Histories can be written on nine scrolls. Publication of so much material took until 2009. One of the consequences of the delay was that all sorts of conspiracy theories started to circulate. There were Chinese living in Qumran! The Vatican, that obvious culprit in every conspiracy theory, was hiding evidence about the life of Jesus! Actually, there was nothing suspicious, just 950 mixed jigsaw puzzles with thousands of pieces. However,…

ANCIENT COOKING HOW TOUGH THE GUTS OF FARMING FOLK! Literary sources, texts on dietetics, books on agriculture, and the Apicius cookbook all talk about garlic. Most of the writers have a strong opinion about the pungent herb. Horatius (65–8 BC), who wrote a satirical poem about garlic, makes it clear that garlic is a food for peasants: It's the pungent odour that makes garlic a food for peasants and the lower classes. It was eaten a lot by soldiers, sailors, and field hands. In antiquity, garlic grew in the wild and was easy to obtain in large parts of the Roman Empire. It was also cultivated. Cato, Columella, and Palladius all wrote about growing garlic in their treatises on agriculture. Garlic as a remedy Pliny praises the good properties of garlic…

SPECIAL THE GRECO-BUDDHIST REGIONS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ASIA Imagine an alternate history where ancient Greeks practised Buddhism. They believed in reincarnation, dedicated offerings in Buddhist shrines (stūpas), and imitated the life of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). What if I told you that you don't need to imagine very hard – that Greeks practised Buddhism and even helped shape the Buddhist tradition we know today? In the lush, far-flung regions of South-Central Asia, Olympus met Nirvana. Alexander and the Hellenistic Age The story of Indo-Greek Buddhism begins with the man who brought Greek culture into direct contact with the cultures of ancient India: Alexander the Great. His attitudes and policies shaped the cultural exchange that would follow him in many ways. Alexander invaded the Persian Empire in the fourth century BC, reaching as…

BOOK REVIEWS ISBN: 978-0500297056 Thames & Hudson Ltd. (2023)-£12.99 www.thamesandhudson.com Reducing the history of any culture down to a number of representative lives is fraught with danger. Important aspects of the culture or its history can be overlooked (or indeed over-emphasized), over-simplified, or missed out entirely. Here, Matyszak and Berry give us almost as wide a range of lives as possible – from Faustulus (the shepherd who adopted Romulus and Remus) in the eighth century BC through to Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman emperor, in AD 476. That is some 1200 years in 100 short biographies. The authors are to be commended for what they accomplish with such a format, although I think their claim that they are creating “a chain across time and space which encompasses the entire story…

PUBLIC LAND IN THE ROMAN REPUBLIC: A SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF AGER PUBLICUS IN ITALY, 396-89 BC By Saskia Roselaar Oxford University Press, 2010 IBN: 978-0199577231 To anyone interested in ancient history, especially that of Rome, the monopolization of the ager publicus by the wealthy elite, the Graechi's attempts at reform, and the political violence that followed, is a well-known story. In this book, Roselaar studies the foundations of this narrative, the ager publicus, from the regal period to the late Republic. PROPERTY AND WEALTH IN CLASSICAL SPARTA By Stephen Hodkinson Duckworth, 2000 ISBN: 978-1905125302 It is a persistent and pervasive myth that Sparta was an egalitarian society and Spartans lived an austere lifestyle– In this authoritative work, Hodkinson dismantles this view, guiding the reader through the origins of the…