Grammarians and Emperors

The Greek γραµµατικός combined several functions: as editor and expounder of texts, linguist, librarian, lecturer, courtier and sometimes as ambassador for his monarch or city. In due course Latin-speaking grammatici applied philological skills developed at Alexandria to their own literature, and served as librarians in the great libraries of the imperial period. The present paper studies some Greek γραµµατικοί active in Rome, particularly Alexander of Cotiaeon, appointed by Antoninus Pius as tutor to the princes Marcus and Lucius, and also the teacher of Aelius Aristides. As Aristides’ tribute to him shows, Alexander was not only a notable critic and influential teacher, but acted as a benefactor (εὐεργέτης) of his native city, in this respect comparable to the sophists who were his contemporaries.

The Corpus of Russian Translations of Social and Political Works of the Eighteenth Century

The project that has been carried out at the German Historical Institute in Moscow since 2016 continues the engagement of the Institute in the development of the history of concepts in Russia. The previous project, “The History of Concepts and Historical Semantics,” which was led by Ingrid Schierle and Denis Sdvizkov (both research fellows at the German Historical Institute in Moscow at the time), was undertaken between 2008-2014. It consisted of a series of conferences and resulted in several publications; namely, two volumes devoted to the history of key concepts in the Russian imperial period. However, the main focus of the current project is on translation as a laboratory of the Russian language of “civil sciences.” The project is being coordinated by Sergey Polskoy (Higher School of Economics, Moscow) and Vladislav Rjéoutski (German Historical Institute in Moscow). In addition, the editorial work on the database is being carried out by Evgenii Kushkov (Higher School of Economics, Moscow), with Vadim Popov (GHI Moscow) also being responsible for statistics and the visualization of the results of the project.

Dreams as Life and Life as Dreams in Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century xiaoshuo Narratives

In the depiction and analysis of various transtextual sources and rewritings, this article discusses narratives of Chinese late imperial xiaoshuo that dealt with dreams perceived as equally important if not more valuable than waking life itself. The discourse of these dream stories aimed at underlining the significance of the value granted to dreams, and consequently how this perspective on dreams could affect one’s stance towards life itself. With an emphasis on the eighteenth century, examples comprise narratives from lesser-known collections, such as Xieduo 諧鐸 by Shen Qifeng (1740?–?), but the author also highlights earlier texts—Daoist classics, chuanqi 傳奇 of the Tang, and chuanqi of the Ming—which served as sources for these late imperial tales. Although the theme of life-long dreams is found across the centuries and literary genres, this article points to its various treatments, that differed according to time periods and authors’ personal concerns. It highlights a shift in “life-long dream” stories of the late imperial period towards a concern for private matters, depicted in a detached and/or light-hearted tone.

Iconography and Style in Republican and Early Imperial Art (200 bce to 14 ce)

This chapter identifies pertinent trends in the scholarship of late republican and early imperial Roman art, from the early second century bce to the end of the Augustan period. By looking at specific themes and case studies, such as mythological terracottas, historical reliefs, decorative marble statues from elite villas, so-called neoattic art, and honorific as well as funerary portraits, the essentially eclectic nature of artistic themes and styles across a range of media and materials is illustrated. Moreover, based upon these case studies, the chapter explores the relations between stylistic choice and aspects like class, society, and politics. From this it becomes clear that the systematic use of archaizing, classicizing, and Hellenistic styles in the late republican and early imperial period was deeply rooted in a vibrant community of commissioners and artists who acted under the influence of profound sociopolitical transformations in Rome, central Italy, and the wider Mediterranean.

Pottery, Glass, and the Pictorial Habit between Late Republic and Early Empire

In the period of classical antiquity, art objects, especially objects of ceramic and glass, were not always used as image bearers to the same extent. Depending upon the prevalent pictorial habit, the phenomenon of images was by no means de rigueur, and imagery was used optionally depending upon the historical, political, and social situation. This chapter focuses on the late Roman Republic and the early imperial period. Like no other period of antiquity, the time span between the second century bce and the first century ce was a phase of accelerated change and upheaval but also one of consolidation. In this period, a pictorial habit developed that differed enormously from the artistic practice of the preceding period and that also continued into the imperial period. Furthermore, imagery was no longer limited to consumption by the elite class but was also available to the broader population. The development of ceramic and glass as visual media provides an excellent example of the profound changes in the culture of the image.

Coin Iconography and Social Practice in the Roman Empire

The aim of this chapter is not to give a comprehensive overview on the different images gracing Roman coins of the imperial period or to trace the developments therein. Rather, it focuses on how and if the users of coins interacted with the iconography presented on the coins. Therefore, this chapter primarily discusses the literary, archaeological, and numismatic evidence for the perception and appropriation of coin imagery. In this way, we might be able to bridge the gap between iconography commissioned by the Roman state and daily life in Rome’s enormous empire. Before addressing these topics, however, we will briefly explore some of the characteristics of the medium, sketch iconographic developments on a general level, and, importantly, analyze how much the Roman state designed and targeted coin iconography with certain audiences in mind.

Quintilian’s Concept and Classifications of Rhetoric

This chapter provides an overview of Quintilian’s views on the categories of rhetoric (in relation to existing positions) as outlined in the second part of Book 2 and in Book 3. Concepts discussed include the definition, function, and character of rhetoric, comments on the history of rhetoric and rhetorical theory, the parts of rhetoric, the theory of status, as well as the different types of speeches and their characteristics. It can be shown that this part of the Institutio oratoria is an important source and illustrates how an educated and well-read professional rhetorician in the early Imperial period reacts to views expressed by predecessors, especially since Quintilian, as a true researcher, aims to offer a panorama of views from which both he and his readers can choose.

Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic tesserae from the Roman domus of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy)

The archaeological excavations at Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) are bringing to light a vast Roman-Imperial residential quarter featuring luxurious dwellings decorated with wall paintings and mosaic floors, pointing it out as one of the most significant archaeological sites of the city. The polychrome and black and white mosaics recovered date back to the middle Imperial period, during the 2nd century AD. This work deals with the first archaeometric investigations of the materials employed for the tesserae production with the aim of elucidating the mineralogical composition and obtaining analytical evidence that can contribute to extracting information related to their production technology. For that purpose, a non-invasive methodology, based on micro energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (μ-EDXRF) spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy, was used to characterize a wide selection of stone, ceramic and glass tesserae. Chemometric tools were exploited to manage the large set of elemental data collected on black and white lithic samples, providing essential clues for the subsequent investigations. The results evidenced the employment of natural lithotypes (calcareous sedimentary, dolomitic and volcanic) local and imported, and also artificial materials, such as ceramic made firing magnesium-rich clays, soda-lime-silica glasses made with different opacifying and coloring agents (such as calcium antimoniate, cobalt and copper).

The formation of a system of Cossack and mountain forest services in the territory of modern Karachay-Cherkessia in the pre-revolutionary period

В статье освещается один из важных аспектов экономической истории, связанный с отраслью лесного хозяйства на территории современной Карачаево-Черкесской республики. Хищническая эксплуатация лесных богатств региона во второй половине XIX в. со стороны местного горского и казачьего населения детерминировала государственное и общественное вмешательство в данную сферу, главной целью которого было не только желание предотвратить экологическую катастрофу и упорядочить пользование лесами, но и учесть потребности населения, сохранить рентабельность лесного хозяйства. В центре внимания автора находятся аспекты, относящиеся к возникновению системы войсковых и общественных лесничеств в имперский период. Рассматриваются вопросы, связанные с финансовой деятельностью данных структур, отмечается динамика их расходов и доходов, указывается штатный состав лесничеств, акцентируется внимание на проблемах кадрового состава и существовании коррупционных схем. Данная работа впервые освещает возникновение в нагорной части Верхней Кубани природоохранных структур, их правовые виды, комплекс их функций (административных, защитных, надзорных, технических, хозяйственных и др.), нормативную основу, содержание и ареал их деятельности. Автор отмечает основные проблемы отрасли, характер и динамику освоения лесных ресурсов региона, эффективность деятельности службы охраны лесов. The article highlights one of the important aspects of economic history related to the forestry industry in the territory of the modern Karachay-Cherkess Republic. The predatory exploitation of the region's forest wealth in the second half of the 19th century on the part of the local mountain and Cossack population determined state and public intervention in this area. Its main goal was not only the desire to prevent an environmental disaster and streamline the use of forests, but also to take into account the needs of the population, to preserve the profitability of forestry. The author focuses on aspects related to the emergence of a system of military and public forest services during the imperial period. The paper deals with the issues related to the financial activities of these structures, the dynamics of their expenses and income, the staff of forest services, attention is focused on the problems of personnel composition and the existence of corruption schemes. This work for the first time highlights the emergence of environmental protection structures in the upland part of the Upper Kuban, their legal types, the complex of their functions (administrative, protective, supervisory, technical, economical etc.), the normative basis, content and range of their activities. The author notes the main problems of the industry, the nature and dynamics of the development of forest resources in the region, the effectiveness of the forest protection service.

The Groma and the Gladius: Roman Surveyors in the Later Republic

<p>Boundaries have been a concern for all settled peoples in all times and places. The Romans were no exception to this rule. Literary documents from the second century B.C. right through to the end of the Western Empire in the fifth century A.D. show a continuous preoccupation with the delineation of boundaries and the ownership or control of land. As part of this preoccupation, the Romans developed a complex legal framework for coping with property ownership. To accompany this legal framework, they developed a sophisticated system of boundary marking and land surveying known as centuriation. A great deal of scholarly attention has been expended on understanding both the system of centuriation and the legal framework governing Roman land use. Far less attention has been paid to the social development of the agrimensores or land surveyors who actually carried out the operation of centuriation and dealt with the problems of property disputes in the Imperial period. This thesis will focus on the social identity of the Roman land surveyors with a particular emphasis on understanding their origins in the surveying institutions of the later Republic. To accomplish this study, the thesis will be broken down into three broad chapters, each chapter containing two or three subsections. The first chapter will examine the social identity and evolution of the finitor, who has traditionally been considered the surveyor of the Roman Republic. The second chapter will examine the identity of the agrimensores or mensores in the particular context of the Roman army in an effort to distinguish them from the metatores, three names which have been considered to refer to the same or a similar occupation. The third chapter will examine the mensor in the context of the Roman Republic and trace the social forces that shaped their identity as specialists in land law and surveying.</p>