scholarly journals Coinage of the Cilician Cities as a Mirror of Historical and Cultural Changes (V c. BCE – III c. CE)

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 113-135
Author(s):  
Edward Dąbrowa

In antiquity Cilicia was a small but important area. The geographical setting, between the Taurus Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea and Anatolia, and the fact that territory of Cilicia was crossed by several routes connecting Anatolia with the Mediterranean sea shore and Syria determined its strategic significance. The geography of the area held importance for its cultural development as well. The northern part of Cilicia, Cilicia Aspera, was mountainous, sparsely populated and poorly urbanized; cities were few and located mainly on the seashore. The southern part, Cilicia Pedias, was much more prosperous and intensively urbanized. Its location made it a bridge for various cultural and religious influences coming from neighboring countries, but also an object of their expansion. Both parts of Cilicia experienced governance of many powers: Achaemenid Persia, local rulers, Hellenistic kings, and the Romans. Each of them left own political and cultural imprint on the area. Effects of this cultural mixture are clearly visible in archaeological excavations and in many types of artefacts. Another type of evidence which reflects the complicated past of Cilicia is also available: numismatic evidence. There are a few Cilician cities in which coins were minted from the Achaemenid times to the Roman Empire. This paper attempts to look into the iconography of their coinage and analyze political and religious symbols and their subjects of depiction. The aim is to find out how specific powers ruling over cities influenced local traditions, what were the remnants of those, and how they eventually evolved over time.

2020 ◽  
pp. 137-162
Author(s):  
Peter Temin

This chapter uses new data to extend the argument that there was an integrated wheat market in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. I explore the meaning of randomness when data are scarce, and I investigate how we recreate the nature of ancient societies by asking new questions that stimulate the discovery of more information. The case for a prosperous Roman society extending the length of the Mediterranean Sea is strong. This chapter draws on and extends work reported in my book: The Roman Market Economy (2013).


2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1882) ◽  
pp. 20180961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana S. L. Rodrigues ◽  
Anne Charpentier ◽  
Darío Bernal-Casasola ◽  
Armelle Gardeisen ◽  
Carlos Nores ◽  
...  

Right whales ( Eubalaena glacialis ) were extirpated from the eastern North Atlantic by commercial whaling. Grey whales ( Eschrichtius robustus ) disappeared from the entire North Atlantic in still-mysterious circumstances. Here, we test the hypotheses that both species previously occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, an area not currently considered part of their historical range. We used ancient DNA barcoding and collagen fingerprinting methods to taxonomically identify a rare set of 10 presumed whale bones from Roman and pre-Roman archaeological sites in the Strait of Gibraltar region, plus an additional bone from the Asturian coast. We identified three right whales, and three grey whales, demonstrating that the ranges of both of these species historically encompassed the Gibraltar region, probably including the Mediterranean Sea as calving grounds. Our results significantly extend the known range of the Atlantic grey whale, and suggest that 2000 years ago, right and grey whales were common when compared with other whale species. The disappearance of right and grey whales from the Mediterranean region is likely to have been accompanied by broader ecosystem impacts, including the disappearance of their predators (killer whales) and a reduction in marine primary productivity. The evidence that these two coastal and highly accessible species were present along the shores of the Roman Empire raises the hypothesis that they may have formed the basis of a forgotten whaling industry.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 7229-7253
Author(s):  
C. Stumpp ◽  
A. Ekdal ◽  
I. E. Gönenc ◽  
P. Maloszewski

Abstract. Lagoons are important ecosystems occupying large coastal areas worldwide. Lagoons contain various mixtures of marine and freshwater sources which are highly dynamic in time. However, it often remains a challenge to identify and quantify dynamic changes of water sources, particularly in heterogeneous lagoon systems like the Köycegiz-Dalyan Lagoon (KDL), which is located at the southwest of Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea coast. The objective of this study was to quantify different contributions of potential water sources i.e. surface water, groundwater and seawater in the lagoon and how these water sources changed over time and space. In the wet and dry season stable isotopes of water, chloride concentration (Cl-) and salinity were measured in two depths in the lagoon and surrounding water bodies (sea, lake, groundwater). Different components of water sources were quantified with a three component endmember mixing analysis. Differences in Cl- and stable isotopes over time indicated the dynamic behaviour of the system. Generally, none of the groundwater samples was impacted by water of the Mediterranean Sea. During the wet season, most of the lagoon water (>95%) was influenced by freshwater and vertically well mixed. During the dry season, high Cl- in the deeper sampling locations indicated a high contribution of marine water throughout the entire lagoon system due to salt water intrusion. However, a distinct layering in the lagoon was obvious from low Cl- and depleted isotope contents close to the surface supporting freshwater inflow into the system even during the dry season. Besides temporal dynamics also spatial heterogeneities were identified. Changes in water sources were most evident in the main lagoon channel compared to more isolate lagoon lakes, which were influenced by marine water even in the wet season, and compared to side branches indicating slower turnover times. We found that environmental tracers helped to quantify contributions of different water sources in the Köycegiz-Dalyan Lagoon which is a highly dynamic and heterogeneous groundwater dependent ecosystem.


Author(s):  
T.P. Meer ◽  

Water was the main factor in choosing where to build settlements. Large civilizations - Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman, settled around the Mediterranean Sea and developed thanks to the waters of rivers and seas. The power of water was embodied by the Greeks in Gods and small deities, such as: Poseidon, Aphrodite, Naiades and others. The heyday of large ancient cities during the Roman period is associated with the construction of bridges and aqueducts. Water was assigned a significant role in the culture of local traditions. Residents of ancient cities have built many technical structures designed for water supply, irrigation of fields, sewerage and simply in honor of the worship of gods, patrons of water.


Lampas ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-136
Author(s):  
Rien Polak

Summary In the second century AD the Roman Empire reached its largest extent. By that time the military infrastructure at the periphery of the Empire stretched over thousands of kilometres, across the three continents surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Rome had to exert its power in very different climates and landscapes, and deal with external threats varying from the highly developed Parthian Empire to hardly organised nomadic groups. The military infrastructure at its boundaries was therefore quite diverse, but nevertheless the military installations show many similarities across the Empire, due to the frequent displacements of army units and their commanders. This paper provides a concise overview of the frontier sections on all three continents and a brief discussion of differences and similarities.


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 4825-4837 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Stumpp ◽  
A. Ekdal ◽  
I. E. Gönenc ◽  
P. Maloszewski

Abstract. Lagoons are important ecosystems occupying large coastal areas worldwide. Lagoons contain various mixtures of marine and freshwater sources which are highly dynamic in time. However, it often remains a challenge to identify and quantify dynamic changes of water sources, particularly in heterogeneous lagoon systems like the Köycegiz–Dalyan lagoon (KDL), which is located at the south-west of Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea coast. The objective of this study was to quantify different contributions of potential water sources i.e. surface water, groundwater and seawater in the lagoon and how these water sources changed over time and space. In the wet- and dry-season stable isotopes of water, chloride concentration (Cl-) and salinity were measured in two depths in the lagoon and surrounding water bodies (sea, lake, groundwater). Different components of water sources were quantified with a three component endmember mixing analysis. Differences in Cl- and stable isotopes over time indicated the dynamic behaviour of the system. Generally, none of the groundwater samples was impacted by water of the Mediterranean Sea. During the wet season, most of the lagoon water (> 95%) was influenced by freshwater and vertically well mixed. During the dry season, high Cl- in the deeper sampling locations indicated a high contribution of marine water throughout the entire lagoon system due to saltwater intrusion. However, a distinct layering in the lagoon was obvious from low Cl- and depleted isotope contents close to the surface supporting freshwater inflow into the system even during the dry season. Besides temporal dynamics also spatial heterogeneities were identified. Changes in water sources were most evident in the main lagoon channel compared to more isolate lagoon lakes, which were influenced by marine water even in the wet season, and compared to side branches indicating slower turnover times. We found that environmental tracers helped to quantify highly dynamic and heterogeneous contributions of different water sources in the Köycegiz–Dalyan lagoon.


1948 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. G. R. Taylor

The sailor will not be kept from the sea, even though empires fall and foreign invaders multiply. Yet we cannot expect to hear much of him in such troubled times. We know, however, that although European ships no longer sailed to India, yet, after the barbarian destruction of the Roman Empire, overseas trade did revive, and the foundations of such famous maritime states as Venice were laid. We know, too, that although the Arabs overran the whole length of the Mediterranean Sea, they were pushed back out of the islands by sea-borne expeditions from Italy and Catalan Spain, while when the Holy Places in Palestine were captured by the Turks (who were not ‘gentlemen’ like the Arabs), there were ships and sailors ready and able to carry crusading armies to the East, and to provision them while they were there.


2019 ◽  
pp. 177-188
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Szczygielski

The purpose of this article is to analyse Benito mussolini’s speech titled Roma antica sul mare given on 5 october 1926 in Perugia. The fascist leader referred on many occasions to issues associated with the sea. making Italy the main power on the mediterranean Sea was a very important element of the Italian leader’s policy. his recollection of glorious events from distant past was an excellent way to create a vision of the restoration of the roman empire.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
Norma Schmitz

Zu den tierischen Rohstoffen, die der Mensch vor Erfindung der synthetischen Fasern nutzte, gehört eine besonders feine und seltene Faser zur Herstellung von Kleidungsstücken, die Byssus- oder Muschelseide. Hierbei handelt es sich um die Haftfäden der Edlen Steckmuschel Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 aus dem Mittelmeer, die bei erwachsenen Exemplaren bis 20 cm lang werden können. Schon in der Antike wurden aus diesen Fasern kostbare goldglänzende Gewänder in feinster mühevoller Handarbeit gefertigt. Nach einer Blütezeit während des Römischen Reichs wurde sie in den folgenden Jahrhunderten bis in das 20. Jh. zu Kleingegenständen, wie Handschuhe, Strümpfe oder Stickereien, verarbeitet. Die Zentren der Muschelseidenverarbeitung lagen im Golf von Tarent und auf Sardinien. Aufgrund von Überfischung kamen die Bestände fast zum Erlöschen und 1992 wurde die Art unter Schutz gestellt. Heute wird die Verarbeitung der Muschelseide nur noch zur Bewahrung eines alten Kunsthandwerks betrieben. In der Zoologischen Sammlung Rostock werden zwei Paar Handschuhe aus Muschelseide aus der 2. Hälfte des 18. Jh. aufbewahrt. Shell silk – golden robes from the sea Abstract: A particularly fine and rare fiber belongs to the animal raw materials that man used to make clothes, before the invention of synthetic fibers. It is byssus- or shell silk. This is the adhesive threads of the noble pen shell Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 from the Mediterranean Sea, which can grow up to 20 cm long in adult specimens. Even in ancient times, these fibers were used to make precious shiny gold garments with the finest of painstaking craftsmanship. After a heyday during the Roman Empire, it was processed in the following centuries until the 20th century to small items such as gloves, stockings or embroidery. The centers of shell silk processing were in the Gulf of Taranto and in Sardinia. Due to overfishing, the stocks almost became extinct and were placed under protection in 1992. Today, the processing of mussel silk is only carried out to preserve an old craft. Two pairs of gloves made of mussel silk from the 2nd half of the 18th century are kept in the Rostock Zoological Collection.


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