POPULAR DIVINE IMAGERY IN HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN ALEXANDRIA. THE TERRACOTTA FIGURINES COLLECTION OF THE PATRIARCHAL SACRISTY IN ALEXANDRIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 114 ◽  
pp. 317-368
Author(s):  
Kyriakos Savvopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Religious Life ◽  
Greek Orthodox ◽  
Concise Overview ◽  
Roman Egypt ◽  
Terracotta Figurines ◽  
Material Evidence

Terracotta figurines represent one of the most fascinating categories of material evidence from Hellenistic (Ptolemaic) and Roman Egypt relating to the domestic aspects of religious life. They include deities, ordinary humans, animals and sacred symbols, represented in exhaustive variety, both in terms of content and form. The group of terracotta figurines presented in this paper are no exception. It is drawn from the collection of the Sacristy of the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, exhibited in a most impressive Roman cistern, which was discovered during the recent renovation of the Patriarchate premises. The catalogue will be accompanied by a concise overview of the nature and role of the main divine protagonists in comparison to other types of material evidence such as statuary, architecture, coinage and epigraphy, focusing on Alexandria, the capital of Egypt during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.

Religious Life in Ptolemaic Alexandria under the Royal Aegis

2020 ◽  
pp. 76-93
Author(s):  
Kyriakos Savvopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Religious Life ◽  
Cultural Environment ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Royal Patronage ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Epigraphic Evidence ◽  
Material Evidence ◽  
Religious Landscape

A large proportion of the inscriptional evidence from Alexandria illustrates the key role of religious institutions and activities, under direct or indirect royal patronage, in the formation of a diverse and flexible cultural environment affording multiple permutations. As part of this environment, religion became the vehicle for the promotion of an ideological programme, appropriate for communicating the dual (i.e. Macedonian and Egyptian) character of the Ptolemaic monarchy in which the individual rulers have both human and divine characteristics. This chapter provides an updated chronological overview of the relevant epigraphic evidence, focusing on the roles and relationships of the Ptolemies and their courtiers as well as of other prominent individuals involved in the Alexandrian cults and temples. The discussion takes into account other types of material evidence for comparison, where possible, in order to provide as ‘panoramic’ a view as possible of the religious landscape.

A glimpse from the ancient world: What a gold necklace from Tillya-tepe reveals about opium in Afghanistan

Afghanistan ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-173
Author(s):  
Sara Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Opium Poppy ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Cultural Importance ◽  
Large Seed ◽  
Potent Drug ◽  
Material Evidence ◽  
Societal Role

Among the six excavated burials at Tillya-tepe, in northern Afghanistan, was one occupied by an elite woman wearing a substantial necklace consisting of large gold beads shaped as seed-heads. The scale and fine workmanship of this necklace suggest that it was one of her most important possessions. It can be demonstrated that these large seed-heads are representations of poppy capsules, whose significance lies in the fact that they are the source of the potent drug opium. This necklace is the most outstanding object within a group of items decorated with poppy imagery, all of which were discovered in female burials. The opium poppy has long been a culturally important plant, and the implication of this identification is investigated in several contexts. Firstly, the proliferation of poppy imagery in the female burials at Tillya-tepe is examined, and then there is a discussion of material evidence for opium among relevant peoples along the Eurasian steppes. The particular cultural importance of opium is reviewed, leading finally to a proposal for the societal role of these women.

scholarly journals Hermēneis in the Documentary Record from Hellenistic and Roman Egypt: interpreters, translators and mediators in a bilingual society

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-102
Author(s):  
Rachel Mairs
Keyword(s):  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Legal Cases ◽  
Roman Egypt ◽  
Monastic Communities

AbstractEgypt of the Hellenistic and Roman periods remains the most thoroughly documented multilingual society in the ancient world, because of the wealth of texts preserved on papyrus in Egyptian, Greek, Latin and other languages. This makes the scarcity of interpreters in the papyrological record all the more curious. This study reviews all instances in the papyri of individuals referred to as hermēneus in Greek, or references to the process of translation/interpreting. It discusses the terminological ambiguity of hermēneus, which can also mean a commercial mediator; the position of language mediators in legal cases in Egyptian, Greek and Latin; the role of gender in language mediation; and concludes with a survey of interpreting in Egyptian monastic communities in Late Antiquity.

Papacy, Crusade, and Christian-Muslim Relations

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Muslim World ◽  
Peace Movements ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Way ◽  
At Home

This book examines the role of the papacy and the crusade in the religious life of the late twelfth through late thirteenth centuries and beyond. Throughout the book, the contributors ask several important questions. Was Innocent III more theologian than lawyer-pope and how did his personal experience of earlier crusade campaigns inform his own vigorous promotion of the crusades? How did the outlook and policy of Honorius III differ from that of Innocent III in crucial areas including the promotion of multiple crusades (including the Fifth Crusade and the crusade of William of Montferrat) and how were both pope’s mindsets manifested in writings associated with them? What kind of men did Honorius III and Innocent III select to promote their plans for reform and crusade? How did the laity make their own mark on the crusade through participation in the peace movements which were so crucial to the stability in Europe essential for enabling crusaders to fulfill their vows abroad and through joining in the liturgical processions and prayers deemed essential for divine favor at home and abroad? Further essays explore the commemoration of crusade campaigns through the deliberate construction of physical and literary paths of remembrance. Yet while the enemy was often constructed in a deliberately polarizing fashion, did confessional differences really determine the way in which Latin crusaders and their descendants interacted with the Muslim world or did a more pragmatic position of ‘rough tolerance’ shape mundane activities including trade agreements and treaties?

HARPOCRATES WITH ROYAL ATTRIBUTES AND HARPOCRATES-EROS: EGYPTIAN TERRACOTTA FIGURINES FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE PUSHKIN STATE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, MOSCOW

2020 ◽  
pp. 55-69
Author(s):  
Svetlana E. Malykh ◽  
◽  
Olga A. Vasilyeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fine Arts ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Royal Power ◽  
Bronze Sculpture ◽  
Double Crown ◽  
State Museum ◽  
Roman Egypt ◽  
Terracotta Figurines ◽  
Museum Of Fine Arts

This article introduces five terracotta figurines acquired in Egypt by Vladimir S. Golenishchev and N. G. Ter-Mikaelyan and currently preserved at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Three statuettes depict the child god Harpocrates with the attributes of royal power; two figurines demonstrate the identification of Harpocrates with the Greek god Eros. Most of the objects can be dated mainly to the Roman times, one is to be dated to the late Ptolemaic period. The places of finding or manufacturing of figurines are mostly unknown; however, according to a number of specific features, these could be towns of the Fayum Oasis, the Delta, and in one case — probably, Edfu. Terracotta figurines of Harpocrates with royal regalia are rare, especially in comparison with the wide-spread occurrence of terracottaе with Harpocrates holding a pot or cornucopia; all these data bring his functions as patron of fertility and defender of health to the fore. The presence of royal attributes seems to be a kind of secondary, partly decorative elements that only enhance the most popular aspects of terracotta images of Harpocrates. The type of figurines depicting Harpocrates sitting on a throne with the crown of the god Amun reproduces the iconography of small bronze sculpture. In other types of terracotta the royal attributes most frequently found are the double crown and — rarely — a nemes-headdress; the crown is usually surrounded by lotus buds, a favorite motive of Harpocrates’ iconography. The childish image of Harpocrates in the time of interaction between Eastern and Western cultures led to a natural synthesis of images of the child gods of Egyptian and Graeco-Roman worlds — Harpocrates and Eros. Apparently, such terracottaе, which had more Hellenistic than Egyptian features, were in demand by the population of different towns in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt.

A Military Colony and Its Religion

2019 ◽  
pp. 89-114
Author(s):  
Karel van der Toorn
Keyword(s):  
Religious Life ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Military ◽  
Temple Community

This chapter pays attention to the Egyptian experience of the Elephantine Jews. It maintains that there are two areas in Egyptian life that merit a renewed inquiry because they are central to the Elephantine experience. One is the role of Jews as soldiers in the service of the Persians; the other concerns their religion. On both scores, the Papyrus Amherst 63 has bearing—modest in one case, significant in the other. This chapter looks first at the military side of the colony, then discusses various aspects of the religious life of what was essentially a temple community, and finally seeks to present the profile of the various gods that the Jews venerated.

scholarly journals Peranan Tuan Guru Ormas Islam Nahdlatul Wathan di Lombok Wadah Ajaran Keagamaan dan Sosial (Islam)

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Jun Mawalidin
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Religious Expression ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Mass Organization ◽  
Very High ◽  
High Place

<p class="05Abstrak">Abstract</p><p class="06IsiAbstrak">The teachings of Islam for the Sasak people get a very high place in carrying out their daily religious life in accordance with the teachings of their religion. The purpose of this study is to analyze theoretical analysis on Islamic religious traditions that have existed in the Sasak community since the beginning of their entry, placing more emphasis on strengthening religious practices or rituals that at a glance place great importance on religious expression. This research method uses the library research method about the role of the Nahdlatul Wathan Islamic mass organization figure in Lombok. The results showed that Nahdlatul Wathan focused on three areas of development, namely education, social and da'wah. The presence of Tuan Guru on the island of a thousand mosques gives a different feel. Bahklan is a characteristic of society, its influence can be felt in various fields, not only in the field of education, in politics but also in the executive field. </p><p class="06IsiAbstrak"><strong>Keywords:</strong> Tuan Guru, Community, Lombok, Nahdlatul Wathan.</p><p class="061AbstrakIndonesia">Abstrak</p><p class="061IsiAbstrakIndoneia">Ajaran Islam bagi masyarakat sasak mendapatkan tempat yang sangat tinggi dalam menjalankan kehidupan keagamaannya sehari-hari sesuai dengan ajaran agama yang dianut. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah melakukan telaah teori analisis pada Tradisi keagamaan Islam yang terdapat di masyarakat Sasak sejak awal masuknya, lebih menekankan pada penguatan-penguatan amalan atau ritual keagamaan yang secara sepintas sangat mementingkan ekspresi keagamaan. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan metode <em>library research</em> tentang peranan tokoh ormas islam nahdlatul wathan yang ada di lombok. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Nahdlatul Wathan fokus pada tiga bidang pembangunan, yaitu pendidikan, sosial dan dakwah. Kehadiran Tuan Guru di pulau seribu masjid memberikan nuansa yang berbeda. Bahklan merupakan ciri khas masyarakat, pengaruhnya dapat dirasakan di berbagai bidang, tidak hanya di bidang pendidikan, di bidang politik tetapi juga di bidang eksekutif.  </p><p class="05Abstrak"><strong>Kata kunci:</strong> Tuan Guru,<em> </em>Masyarakat, Lombok, Nahdlatul Wathan.</p>

scholarly journals CONTEXTUALISING ISLAMIC LAWS

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-338
Author(s):  
Moh. Dahlan
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Approach ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Economic Reforms ◽  
Freedom Of Religion ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
New Criteria

This paper by using the ijtihad paradigm of maqâshid al-syarî’ah of Jasser Audah and the descriptive-analytical approach, would like to emphasize that the role of religion and economic welfare are two things that cannot be separated. Although in practice these two things often face obstacles, especially in the matter of diversity in religious life because of the superficial ijtihad paradigm of Islamic law. Based on the contemporary paradigm that seeks to provide new criteria in the conception of qath’i al-dlilalah and dlanni al-dlilalah, it can be stated that the contemporary Islamic law paradigm that needs to be built must be based on (a) the development of citizens’ welfare Muslims, but also must be the same as non-Muslims because of that we need to carry out financial and economic reforms (al-ishlâh al-mâlî wa al-iqtishâdî); (b) protection of freedom of thought (hurriyah al-tafkîr) and freedom of religion (hurriyah al-i’tiqâd) is an important aspect that must be maintained to guarantee the peace and harmony of the nation’s life in the territory of Indonesia. Therefore, the religious and economic aspects must be prioritized for their protection and safety.

scholarly journals DAKWAH INKLUSIF DALAM KERANGKA MAQĀṢID AL-SHARĪ’AH: STUDI KASUS POLA INTERAKSI LINTAS AGAMA PADA MASYARAKAT KALUKKU

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Muliadi Muliadi ◽  
A. Zamakhsyari Baharuddin
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Social Harmony ◽  
Inclusive Theology

This study aims to elaborate and analyze the harmonization model of religious life which is integrated into the patterns of religious social interaction in Kalukku and the role of religious leaders in knitting religious social harmony. The method applied is a qualitative method using inductive data analysis. The results of this study indicate that the pattern of religious interaction in Kalukku refers to the three patterns of Hossein Nasr interaction, namely: 1) concentric interaction patterns; 2) reciprocal interaction patterns; and 3) bound interaction patterns, which are carried out in an integrated manner have succeeded in creating a dynamic, harmonious and quality model of religious interaction. The motivation that underlies the realization of an energetic relationship refers to the concept of the four pillars of maqāṣid Ibn ‘Āshūr namely Fiṭrah, Samāḥa, al-Musāwāh, and Ḥurriyah. The paradigm of religious leaders towards the existence of cross-faith parties leads to a tolerant attitude based on the concept of Cak Nur's inclusive theology. The harmony and tolerant paradigm in Kalukku is built through formal and non-formal da'wah which is woven in efforts to acculturate religion and culture. 

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