Steps toward a Study of Symeon the Stylite the Younger and His Saint’s Cult*

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-407
Author(s):  
Dina Boero ◽  
Charles Kuper

A large dossier of primary sources survives for Symeon the Stylite the Younger from Late Antiquity. These sources include not only hagiographical evidence, but also archaeological remains from his cult site, homilies, and at least one letter. They offer insight into the varied voices which shaped Symeon’s identity, sanctity, and ministry in the sixth and early seventh centuries CE. The state of scholarship on these sources is uneven, however, with the result that scholars have primarily studied the saint and his cult through the lens of the hagiographic material, the Life of Symeon Stylites the Younger in particular. In order to lay the foundation for a full inquiry into the saint and his cult, this article disentangles the dossier of evidence on Symeon in Late Antiquity. It introduces each source in chronological order; provides an overview of authorship, date, and the state of scholarship for each source; and makes preliminary recommendations for paths forward. It is meant to be a guide for art historians and archaeologists unfamiliar with the sizeable literary corpus, textual scholars who do not often work with material sources, and, for both groups, an introduction to problems in the dossier. It encourages scholars to treat each source on its own terms and re-evaluate the rich interconnections between the textual and archaeological evidence.

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-327
Author(s):  
Susanne Bangert

Christian pilgrimage offers a unique insight into popular piety in Late Antiquity. However, our sources for pilgrimage, both literary and archaeological, vary widely in quality and volume, and modern scholarship has often depended heavily on the evidence from particular wellknown sites, most notably the sanctuary of St Menas at Abu Mina in Egypt. This site has revealed a remarkable density of archaeological remains, not only buildings but also the production and circulation of a wide variety of pilgrim souvenirs. Yet it is essential that we move beyond the sanctuary of St Menas and compare the evidence from Abu Mina with that from other major pilgrimage sites in the eastern Mediterranean. As we shall see in this paper, there is no simple pattern in organisation or souvenir production that can be identified in the archaeology of late antique pilgrimage.


1990 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 127-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. R. R. Smith

The rich finds of statues and inscriptions from Aphrodisias in Caria have done much in recent years to illuminate the world of the late Roman politician, the world of governors and local magnates. Aphrodisias has also recently provided important new evidence for the philosophical image of late antiquity. In 1981–2, the excavations under Professor K. T. Erim recovered a remarkable group of marble shield portraits and busts that represent both contemporary late antique philosophers and ‘classic’ figures of the hellenic past. These portraits add a new dimension to our knowledge of Aphrodisias as an intellectual centre and provide a vivid insight into the pagan culture and education of late antiquity. We are in the world of Eunapius’ Lives of the Sophists. We are probably in the context of a philosophical school, perhaps the philosophical school of late Roman Aphrodisias.


Author(s):  
Claudia Theune

This chapter examines the processes of transformation that took place in the Roman West between the third and fifth centuries AD, with particular reference to the case of the Alamanni. More precisely, it discusses the historic processes and corresponding archaeological remains in the region between the rivers Main and Rhine and the Danube valley in what is known today as southern Germany. Specific sites such as military facilities, urban and rural settlements, and hoards and cemeteries from late antiquity and the early migration period are explored. The chapter concludes by citing archaeological evidence showing the early Alamanni experiencing profound changes in infrastructure and local organization as well as its continued integration into the Roman Empire’s system of border defence.


2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Slavko Ciglenečki

The article discusses various examples of fortification in the area of the prefecture of Illyricum, extending from the Mediterranean Noricum and Dalmacia all the way to Epirus and Achaea, which are attributed to the Justinian period. For eastern Illyricum exist the extensive documents of Procopius, with partial descriptions of cities, settlements, and military fortifications, which require critical evaluation so establish an accurate insight into the extent of Justinian’s activities. Data of this type – with several small exceptions – do not exist for western Illyricum, but archaeological excavations and field surveys of the well-preserved architecture in the Mediterranean section have enabled dating of buildings and the renovation of numerous structures in the Justinian period. These significant changes in the settlement structure of late Antiquity can be characterized as the "kastronization" of settlements and territories and the "transition from polis to kastron". In the article the author attempts, in comparison with better known examples of fortification in eastern Illyricum cited in sources, to seek parallels in western Illyricum and to present the similarities and differences between them. The author will show the different categories of towns and their transformation, as well as the occasional defensive structures already dated in more detail to the Justinian period. For fortification in the area he will briefly delineate the state of research in the various regions of the prefecture of Illyricum, and for several better investigated examples display the fundamental characteristics of the construction of the military fortifications and settlements. In somewhat more detail will be presented the later defensive elements of fortifications in Dalmatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, and Austria. Several examples of lines of defensive barriers will also be noted.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-97
Author(s):  
Moh. Ah. Subhan ZA

The main problem of social life in the community is about how to make the allocation and distribution of income well. Inequality and poverty basically arise not because of the difference of anyone’s strength and weakness in getting livelihood, but because of inappropriate distribution mechanism. With the result that wealth treasure just turns on the rich wealthy, which is in turn, results in the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.Therefore, a discussion on distribution becomes main focus of theory of Islamic economics. Moreover, the discussion of the distribution is not only related to economic issues, but also social and political aspects. On the other side, the economic vision of Islam gives priority to the guarantee of the fulfillment of a better life. Islam emphasizes distributive justice and encloses, in its system, a program for the redistribution of wealth and prosperity, so that each individual is guaranteed with a respectable and friendly standard of living. Islam recognizes private property rights, but the private property rights must be properly distributed. The personal property is used for self and family livelihood, for investment of the working capital, so that it can provide job opportunities for others, for help of the others through zakat, infaq, and shodaqoh. In this way, the wealth not only rotates on the rich, bringing on gap in social life.The problem of wealth distribution is closely related to the welfare of society. Therefore, the state has a duty to regulate the distribution of income in order that the distribution can be fair and reaches appropriate target. The state could at least attempt it by optimizing the role of BAZ (Badan Amil Zakat) and LAZ (Lembaga Amil Zakat) which has all this time been slack. If BAZ and LAZ can be optimized, author believes that inequality and poverty over time will vanish. This is because the majority of Indonesia's population is Muslim.


Author(s):  
Anthony Kaldellis

This chapter describes how the timeline of Byzantine historical writing can be divided into three 140-year periods: first, from AD 500–640, the end of late antiquity, when historiography flourished in many genres; second, from 640–780, when Byzantium struggled to resist Arab conquest and few surviving texts were produced; and finally, from 780–920, an age of recovery for the state and literature, when older traditions were resynthesized and the foundations for new developments were laid. Primarily, the society of the Eastern Empire was mostly Greek speaking, Christian, and specifically Roman in its political or national consciousness. The ‘usable past’ available to historians was therefore complex, consisting of incommensurate components that defined different sites of the culture.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-200
Author(s):  
Hui Deng ◽  
Jun Li

AbstractIn recent years, with the participation of genetics and other disciplines, the controversy on the origins of the domestic chicken has returned. As the resource of primary data, archaeology plays an extremely important role in this dispute. Taking an archaeological standpoint, this paper aims to establish a set of bone morphological identification standards for domestic chicken bones unearthed at archaeological remains, beginning with the bone morphology as the most basic but also the least studied aspect. By this set of standards, we reanalyze available chicken bone materials and relevant pictorial and textual materials for domestic chicken candidate samples as mentioned by previous scholars. The results show that no confirmed domestic chicken bones have been found in China’s early to mid-Holocene remains to date; meanwhile, there is no substantial archaeological evidence to support China as the earliest place of origin of domestic chicken. Future work seeking to advance research on the origin of the domestic chicken should first pay proper attention to the archaeological background; only continuing scientific analyses and exploration on the origin of domestic chicken based on scientific morphological identification will prove the most convincing methodology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-39
Author(s):  
Ankur Lohachab ◽  
Saurabh Garg ◽  
Byeong Kang ◽  
Muhammad Bilal Amin ◽  
Junmin Lee ◽  
...  

Unprecedented attention towards blockchain technology is serving as a game-changer in fostering the development of blockchain-enabled distinctive frameworks. However, fragmentation unleashed by its underlying concepts hinders different stakeholders from effectively utilizing blockchain-supported services, resulting in the obstruction of its wide-scale adoption. To explore synergies among the isolated frameworks requires comprehensively studying inter-blockchain communication approaches. These approaches broadly come under the umbrella of Blockchain Interoperability (BI) notion, as it can facilitate a novel paradigm of an integrated blockchain ecosystem that connects state-of-the-art disparate blockchains. Currently, there is a lack of studies that comprehensively review BI, which works as a stumbling block in its development. Therefore, this article aims to articulate potential of BI by reviewing it from diverse perspectives. Beginning with a glance of blockchain architecture fundamentals, this article discusses its associated platforms, taxonomy, and consensus mechanisms. Subsequently, it argues about BI’s requirement by exemplifying its potential opportunities and application areas. Concerning BI, an architecture seems to be a missing link. Hence, this article introduces a layered architecture for the effective development of protocols and methods for interoperable blockchains. Furthermore, this article proposes an in-depth BI research taxonomy and provides an insight into the state-of-the-art projects. Finally, it determines possible open challenges and future research in the domain.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Sivunen ◽  
Elina Tapio

AbstractIn this paper we explore the use of multimodal and multilingual semiotic resources in interactions between two deaf signing participants, a researcher and an asylum seeker. The focus is on the use of gaze and environmentally coupled gestures. Drawing on multimodal analysis and linguistic ethnography, we demonstrate how gaze and environmentally coupled gestures are effective semiotic resources for reaching mutual understanding. The study provides insight into the challenges and opportunities (deaf) asylum seekers, researchers, and employees of reception centres or the state may encounter because of the asymmetrical language competencies. Our concern is that such asymmetrical situations may be created and maintained by ignoring visual and embodied resources in interaction and, in the case of deaf asylum seekers, by unrealistic expectations towards conventionalized forms of international sign.


2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 258-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Bowles

Clients undergo change as a function of engaging in a therapeutic experience. To date, little research into the residual effects of therapy have been completed using client-centred therapy. Some therapies provide didactic experiences to gain and practise skills and understandings so they can be recalled after the conclusion of therapy. Other therapies preclude such interventions and instead emphasise the insights of the client and the transformative therapeutic alliance to facilitate change. This research is an investigation of the possibility that client-centred therapy provides clients with experiences to allow insight into, and understanding of processes to optimally facilitate change through therapy. The aims of the research were to establish: whether factors known to enhance change in therapy increased for clients from the beginning to the end of therapy; whether the clinical group (n = 28; intervention) scores differed from a nonclinical group at both time points (n = 22; control); and establish whether gender differences were present. Analyses showed that nonclinical respondents’ scores at Times 1 and 2 were consistently higher on all factors compared with clinical respondents. The findings indicated that scores did not vary significantly between Time 1 and 2 for either the clinical or the nonclinical groups of respondents. The state/trait-like characteristics of the factors are discussed in reference to their application in therapeutic and applied settings.


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