A New Crassus as Roman Villain

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Conditioning Regimen ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Physical Conditioning ◽  
Ancient Source

This chapter examines the historical Crassus as reimagined in the STARZ Spartacus series by means of clever adaptations and modifications. It argues that Crassus undergoes a transformation, as he is sexualized by the addition of a tender romance with a slave woman, Kore—an affair turned bitter by the machinations of an invented son named Tiberius—and by his gladiator-style physical conditioning regimen. The result is a compelling characterization that is not a product of its literary and cinematic predecessors but is remarkably consistent with the ancient source material and respectful of at least some of the realities of period.

DOGS OF WAR, OR DOGS IN WAR? THE USE OF DOGS IN CLASSICAL GREEK WARFARE

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-246
Author(s):  
Owen Rees
Keyword(s):  
Second World War ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
World War ◽  
Short Article ◽  
Ancient Source ◽  
Second World

In 1941, E. S. Forster wrote a short article, published in this journal, which compiled all of the instances he could identify in the ancient source material that described dogs being used in a military capacity. G. B. A. Fletcher, who had identified a few obscure references that Forster had not cited, responded to Forster's paper later that same year. The purpose of both papers was simply the compiling of a list, a purpose that had been inspired by Forster's interest in the French army's recruitment of dogs on the outbreak of the Second World War. The result was a thorough catalogue of known examples, showing the ancient dog being used for a variety of purposes such as patrol work or observation duties, or being used as combatants or despatch couriers. The primary aim, according to Forster was to ‘make a comparison with modern practice’ – that is, the French practice he had read about; the only exception for which he could find no ancient evidence was what he called ‘Red Cross’ work.

Augustus and Lares Augusti

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet I. Flower
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Religious Reform ◽  
Ancient Source ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The City

This chapter explores the nature of Augustus' religious reform, its implementation by the princeps, and its impact in the city. It uses a combination of approaches to elucidate the variety of ancient source material and the intersections between the different pieces of surviving evidence. A consideration of Octavian/Augustus' role and image in the city before 8/7 BC serves to introduce a more detailed analysis of the moment of religious reform itself, as far as we can understand it from our slim evidence. The chapter also looks at lares augusti in their own right and in the context of their cult at the crossroads shrines, and argues that no cult of Augustus' genius was to be found at the crossroads in Rome or in the home during his lifetime.

Dante as a Florentine lyrical author

2021 ◽  
pp. 001458582110226
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Indizio
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Dante Alighieri ◽  
Lyric Poetry ◽  
Medieval Literature ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Competitive Environment ◽  
Upper Class ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Ancient Source ◽  
Scholarly Attention

As one of the outstanding authors of medieval literature, Dante Alighieri has enjoyed seven centuries of close scholarly attention. 1 The immense success of his  Comedy has prompted some modern Dante scholars to assume that such success came easily during his life, even though the  Comedy was fully issued only after the poet’s death. Similar claims for rapid success are also made for the  Vita nuova and some of Dante’s lyric poetry. However, although much ancient source material has been lost, the surviving evidence does not support the view that success came to Dante during his life. Close scrutiny of the manuscript sources suggests a quite different scenario: Dante as an author had to survive in a dynamic and ruthlessly competitive environment (which, by analogy with the theory of natural selection, may have helped to elicit his finest achievements). His goal was to persuade the highly educated and affluent Florentine upper class to abandon its attachment to the prevailing lyrical school, represented by the authoritative and apparently indomitable Guittone d’Arezzo and his followers. Only then would Dante and the new poets (the  Stilnovisti) stand a chance of seeing their work collected in the prestigious and expensive  canzonieri. Probably, on the evidence of the surviving collections and other manuscripts (Escorialense, Laur. Martelli 12, etc), Dante did not fully achieve his goal — a situation which changed, dramatically, only after the  Comedy was published.

scholarly journals Acondicionamiento físico de Shaolin. Lo viejo vuelve a estar de moda

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Julio Anta
Keyword(s):  
Conditioning Regimen ◽  
Physical Conditioning ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Functional Fitness ◽  
Art Practice ◽  
Fitness Level ◽  
Martial Art ◽  
Fitness Training

<p>In recent years, there has been a resurgence of functional fitness training that was practiced in the ancient Shaolin Temple as part of their regular physical conditioning regimen. This type of training—done with equipment (iron rings, bamboo, vases, etc.) or without equipment—can bring a combat-ready fitness level equal to the Shaolin monks. This article introduces iron ring and hard qigong exercises that are based on fundamental principles also found in modern training methods, such as weightlifting, and my own experience and studies in the Shaolin martial tradition. These exercises may be incorporated in any martial art practice and hopefully provide insights into the time-honored Shaolin tradition.</p>

A proposal for the irrigation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Iraq ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 35-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. W. Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Source Material ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Ancient Source

It was purely by chance, in 1989, that I saw in a newspaper an article announcing a competition sponsored by the Iraqi government to solve the riddle of how the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were irrigated. This proved to be the start of a project, which culminated in the submission of an entry for the competition in June 1990. As everyone is aware, the outbreak of hostilities in the Gulf followed soon after, ending any further communication on the matter.Since that time, a considerable amount of further information has come into my possession, which has enabled me to expand on the initial written thesis. In this respect, I am particularly indebted to Dr. Irving Finkel's article in The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (1988), which brought together all the ancient source material that is so difficult for an amateur like myself to obtain, and also to Joan Oates' Babylon (1979 and 1986) for much valuable background information.I trust that my theories may prove to be of interest and perhaps also stimulate further discussion not only on the Hanging Gardens themselves but also on the much neglected subject of water raising devices of antiquity.

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