Twins in Myth

1976 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. De Rachewiltz ◽  
P. Parisi ◽  
V. Castellani
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
African Populations ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Ancient Civilizations ◽  
Negative Sense

Twins have an important place in mythology and a sacred character appears to be attached to them since the most ancient times. In ancient Egypt, the royal placenta was worshipped, being considered as the Pharao's twin (a conception that is still alive among certain African populations), and actually everyone was considered to possess a spiritual twin, the Ka or astral body, through whom it was supposed to be possible to operate with magic rituals and hit enemies. Twin gods were worshipped by Babylonians and Assyrians (who even introduced them among astronomic constellations), and may be also found in the Persian and Veda religions. In the classic, Greco-Roman world, the examples of twin gods and heroes are innumerable: from the twin sons of Zeus, the Dioscuri, to the opposite-sexed twin gods Apollo and Diana, to Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus, etc. Since the most ancient times, a magic conception is connected to the twins, either in a positive or a negative sense, but often with some kind of a “fatidic” aspect. Such a two-faced approach to the phenomenon of twinning, that variously characterizes neareast, protomediterranean, classic, and other ancient civilizations, may still be found in contemporary primitive societies.

The Illuminations of Theurgy: Philosophy and Magic

2019 ◽  
pp. 314-377
Author(s):  
Radcliffe G. Edmonds III
Keyword(s):  
Ritual Practice ◽  
Material World ◽  
Divine Power ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
Inanimate Matter ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Negative Sense

This chapter focuses on ancient ideas of theurgy. From the uses of the term in the ancient evidence, “theurgy” may be defined as the art or practice of ritually creating a connection between the mortal, material world that is before one's eyes and the unseen, immortal world of the gods. Such a practice may be a lifelong assimilation of the individual soul to the divine, or it may be a momentary activation of the connection with divine power to achieve some more immediate end on earth. Whereas normative religious action in the Greco-Roman world tends to involve just the human worshipper and the divine god in a sequence of reciprocal responses, theurgy, as it appears in the ancient evidence, attempts to bring the divine and mortal together, uniting the divine power with the human worshipper. This process of unification involves connecting elements of the cosmos at every level of being, from the lowest dregs of inanimate matter through the animal and human living creatures and up to the various kinds of divinities, including the very highest. Ultimately, theurgy appears as magic, labeled as an “extraordinary ritual practice,” whether in a positive or negative sense.

Antioch on the Orontes

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde E. Fant ◽  
Mitchell G. Reddish
Keyword(s):  
Biblical Studies ◽  
Julius Caesar ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
The Third ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
The World ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Roman Province ◽  
The City

At one time Antioch on the Orontes was one of the three largest and most important cities of the Greco-Roman world, along with Rome and Alexandria (Egypt). Although Antioch faded from prominence centuries ago, the present city, with its population of approximately 150,000, is still a rewarding place to visit. The museum of the city, the Hatay Archaeological Museum, contains one of the best collections of ancient mosaics of any museum in the world. In ancient times Antioch on the Orontes was a part of Syria and thus is sometimes referred to, especially in biblical studies, as Antioch of Syria. (Fifteen other cities in the ancient world were named Antioch as well.) Today the city, now known as Antakya, is just north of the Syrian border, in the Hatay province of southern Turkey. The Orontes River (today called the Asi) connected the city to the Mediterranean Sea. Seleucus I Nicator, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, founded the city. At first Antigonus, another general, controlled Syria, but he was defeated in 301 by Seleucus and other leaders. Seleucus then gained control of Syria and established his own cities, including Antioch and its port city of Seleucia Pieria. Seleucus named the city, which soon became the capital of the Seleucid kingdom, after his father, Antiochus. Subsequent Seleucid rulers, including Antiochus I Soter (r. 281–261 B.C.E.), Seleucus II Callinicus (r. 246–225 B.C.E.), and Antiochus IV Epiphanes (r. 175– 164 B.C.E.), enlarged and enhanced the city. Tigranes of Armenia captured the city in 83 B.C.E., but in 66 B.C.E. he was defeated by the Roman general Pompey, who made Antioch the capital of the Roman province of Syria. Both Julius Caesar and Augustus visited the city, and both erected various buildings there. (The wedding of Mark Antony to Cleopatra likely took place in Antioch. Ancient sources indicate it occurred in Syria but do not specify the city. As the capital, Antioch was the likely location.) During the Roman period, Antioch was a large, cosmopolitan city, the third largest city in the Roman world after Rome and Alexandria.

scholarly journals Egyptian and Greek Water Cultures and Hydro-Technologies in Ancient Times

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9760
Author(s):  
Abdelkader T. Ahmed ◽  
Fatma El Gohary ◽  
Vasileios A. Tzanakakis ◽  
Andreas N. Angelakis
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Nile River ◽  
Intense Rainfall ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
History Of ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Ancient Civilizations

Egyptian and Greek ancient civilizations prevailed in eastern Mediterranean since prehistoric times. The Egyptian civilization is thought to have been begun in about 3150 BC until 31 BC. For the ancient Greek civilization, it started in the period of Minoan (ca. 3200 BC) up to the ending of the Hellenistic era. There are various parallels and dissimilarities between both civilizations. They co-existed during a certain timeframe (from ca. 2000 to ca. 146 BC); however, they were in two different geographic areas. Both civilizations were massive traders, subsequently, they deeply influenced the regional civilizations which have developed in that region. Various scientific and technological principles were established by both civilizations through their long histories. Water management was one of these major technologies. Accordingly, they have significantly influenced the ancient world’s hydro-technologies. In this review, a comparison of water culture issues and hydro-structures was adopted through the extended history of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. The specific objectives of the work are to study the parallel historical cultures and hydro-technologies, assessing similarities and differences, and to analyze their progress since primitive times. The tools adopted for the research include visits to historical aeras and museums, comments, consultations, correlation and exhibitions available in the cyberspace. Review results herein showed that dams and canals were constructed in ancient Egypt to manage the flood of the Nile river and develop irrigation systems from ca. 6000 BC. In the second millennium BC, Minoans managed the flow of the streams via two dams, to protect arable land from destruction after intense rainfall and to irrigate their farms. Additional results showed that ancient Egyptians and Greeks invented many devices for lifting water for plant irrigation such as the shadouf, sakia and tympanum and pumps, of which some were already in use in Mesopotamia for irrigating small plots. The ancient Egyptians were the first who discovered the principle and the basis of coagulation (after ca. 1500 BC). They used the alum for accelerating the settlement of the particles. Additionally, the ancient Greeks developed several advanced water treatment technologies since the prehistoric times. To sum up, the study captured many similarities between two civilizations in water technologies. In addition, it confirmed the sustainability and durability of several of those hydro-technologies since they are still in use up to now in many places.

Water Engineering in the Ancient World

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles R. Ortloff
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
Supply And Distribution ◽  
Modern Computer ◽  
Agricultural Water Supply ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Ancient Civilizations ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Current Concerns

Charles Ortloff provides a new perspective on archaeological studies of the urban and agricultural water supply and distribution systems of the major ancient civilizations of South America, the Middle East, and South-East Asia, by using modern computer analysis methods to extract the true hydraulic/hydrological knowledge base available to these peoples. His many new revelations about the capabilities and innovations of ancient water engineers force us to re-evaluate what was known and practised in the hydraulic sciences in ancient times. Given our current concerns about global warming and its effect on economic stability, it is fascinating to observe how some ancient civilizations successfully coped with major climate change events by devising defensive agricultural survival strategies, while others, which did not innovate, failed to survive.

Paul’s Defense: Masculinity and Authority in 2 Corinthians 10–13

2021 ◽  
pp. 0142064X2110248
Author(s):  
Kyung Min Kim
Keyword(s):  
Hegemonic Masculinity ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Church Members ◽  
Cultural Assumptions ◽  
2 Corinthians ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Paternal Control ◽  
And Control

In 2 Cor. 10–13, Paul tries to prove his authority as a reliable leader by using two different masculinity standards. Paul manifests his power and control over the Corinthian church members by using an image of paterfamilias (11.2-3; 12.14). Paternal control of others was an essential element of hegemonic masculinity in the Greco-Roman world. Moreover, Paul proves his manliness by revealing his endurance and submission to divine authority (11.21b–12.10) according to the Hellenistic Jewish masculinity. I argue that Paul is embedded in these different cultural assumptions regarding masculinity and that he refers to these assumptions to persuade Gentile and Jewish groups in the Corinthian church.

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