SYSTEMATIC POSITION AND VULNERABILITY OF SABANEJEWIA BALCANICA IN THE BALKAN AREA

UDK: 597.551.2(497) Sabanejewia balcanica is a fish species that belongs to Cobitidae family and it is the endemic of the Balkan Peninsula. It is present in the tributaries of the Danube and Aegean waters. Systematics of this species has experienced certain changes that are related to the systemic instability of the entire Cobitidae family, so there has been a change in the name of the genus of this species. The genus Sabanejewia was separated from the genus Cobitis in the last century, but this name was generally used much later. According to data of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, this species is still not endangered, but is assigned a status of least concern (LC). Sabanejewia balcanica is in the Annex II of the Habitats Directive and Annex III of the Bern Convention which basically require the protection of this species and its habitats. In the proposal to create a red list of fauna of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been concluded that there is not enough information on the population characteristics of this species. The aim of this article is to present data on exploration of Sabanejewia balcanica in the Balkan area as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby contributing to the determination of its status of vulnerability and protection of its natural habitats.

Helen’s twins in the Balkans: discovery of two new Paraptychoptera Tonnoir, 1919 species closely related to P. helena Peus, 1958, with systematic revision of the “lacustris” group (Diptera, Ptychopteridae)

Ptychoptera castor Keresztes & Klappert, sp. nov. and P. pollux Keresztes & Török, sp. nov. both belong to the subgenus Ptychoptera (Paraptychoptera)Tonnoir (1919) and are described from boggy headwaters in the south Balkan area. These new species are closely related to the range-restricted P. helena Peus, 1958, which is known only from Oiti village, Mount Oeta, Phthioitis region, Greece and, together with P. lacustris, forms a morphologically well-defined unit in the subgenus Paraptychoptera. Based on cladistic analyses of 53 different morphological characters using the male antenna, wing, and genital structures, a general revision of the “lacustris” group is proposed with a dichotomous key of Paraptychoptera species.

Serbian Royal Right to the Throne of Hungary at the Basis of the Formation of Medieval Romanian Orthodox States

This paper shows that the overall situation in the Pannonian-Balkan area led to the facts in the 14th-16th centuries on the background of which the Romanian medieval states were formed and consolidated. The origins of these facts derive from the interactions between the first Hungarian tribes who came to the Pannonian area and the situation that was encountered here, which can be staged as follows: the first stage is related to the arrival of the Hungarian tribes from the northern part of Europe and the conquest of the territory between the eastern Alps and the Dniester; the second stage is the period between the Christianization of the Hungarian King Stephen and the arrival of the Angevins. The second and the third period, post-Angevin, or rather Sigismundian-Lazarević, are epochs of colonization of different populations from the Germanic, North Pontic or Balkan space that are integrated into the noble structure of the Kingdom, consolidating its authority. The expansion of Serbian civilization came after the claim to the throne of Hungary of the Serbian King Stefan Dragutin when the Árpád dynasty came to end. Thus, the medieval Romanian Orthodox states, the Romanian Country-Wallachia and Moldavia are the rest of Andrew III’s, the last of Árpádian’s posterity of his Serbian posterity, and catholic Hungary, the rest of his Angevin Posterity.

Review of the ammonite genus Pseudokossmaticeras Spath, 1922 from the uppermost Campanian–lower Maastrichtian in Bulgaria

New data on the ammonite genus Pseudokossmaticeras Spath, 1922 have been obtained from several uppermost Campanian–lower Maastrichtian strata of the Fore-Balkan Mountains (Bulgaria). A review of the earlier Bulgarian records of the genus is also presented. The following species are here described and illustrated: Pseudokossmaticeras brandti (Redtenbacher, 1873), P. galicianum (Favre, 1869), P. muratovi Michailov, 1951 and P. tercense (Seunes, 1892). Our newly obtained ammonite records were constrained by the inoceramid zonation that has recently been proposed for successions of the Fore-Balkan area. Hence, the Bulgarian data are of importance for correlation with other occurrences of Pseudokossmaticeras across Europe.

Review of the ammonite genus Pseudokossmaticeras Spath, 1922 from the uppermost Campanian–lower Maastrichtian in Bulgaria

New data on the ammonite genus Pseudokossmaticeras Spath, 1922 have been obtained from several uppermost Campanian–lower Maastrichtian strata of the Fore-Balkan Mountains (Bulgaria). A review of the earlier Bulgarian records of the genus is also presented. The following species are here described and illustrated: Pseudokossmaticeras brandti (Redtenbacher, 1873), P. galicianum (Favre, 1869), P. muratovi Michailov, 1951 and P. tercense (Seunes, 1892). Our newly obtained ammonite records were constrained by the inoceramid zonation that has recently been proposed for successions of the Fore-Balkan area. Hence, the Bulgarian data are of importance for correlation with other occurrences of Pseudokossmaticeras across Europe.

Syntaxes and metro-rhythmic categories in Viorel Munteanu’s Concerto for flute and string orchestra

the piece by composer Viorel Munteanu reveals the symbiosis between past musical ages and modernity, between established compositional techniques (of the string orchestra) and contemporary sound emission processes (the solo flute). The syntaxes of past trends in music, polyphony and homophony, as well as modern treatments of rhythm, such as polyrhythm, coexist felicitously and result in a type of musical thought that, although anchored in the past, looks forward to the future. Rhythm can be considered from various metric perspectives, especially in the faster parts of the concerto. Rhythmic layers are present both vertically (polyrhythms) and horizontally (polyphons of rhythms); the cross of the two variants is of particular interest. The aksak rhythm, characteristic of the Balkan area, may come as a surprise as it briefly occurs in Part III; this unexpected element brings an inspired change of horizon, followed by a return to the previous giusto expression. The form of the last part, Rondo, can also be discussed from a modern perspective, rooted in the past; it could actually be placed within in the Rondo-Sonata pattern; however, its sound contour does not belong to the tonal sphere, but rather to a form of extended modalism. The soloist instrument merges with the string orchestra and emerges from it, in a discourse that clearly bears the mark of the composer’s creative personality. The most successful element of the work is its expressiveness, the way in which the compositional and technical means are subordinated to the aesthetic message that Viorel Munteanu intends to transmit to the public.

THE CANTACUZINO INSTITUTE AND HEALTH LAW

"Providential personalities are an essential, unifying, element across cultures, omnipresent in the world’s history. They are one of a kind, born every century or even more than a hundred years apart, and their emergence is conditioned by specific factors and even circumstances. Among Romania’s historical personalities, Professor Cantacuzino’s name and achievements could not be contained within the country’s borders. His genius has left its mark not only on the Romanian public health system, or even the nearby Balkan area, but has echoed way further than Europe at that time. The conscious effort he made to offer more than he had previously received stemmed from his exceptional personal development work. A multifaceted persona like few have been, he has managed to acquire great insights into many subjects and, more importantly, he had the character and strength to establish a Healthcare Legacy and an Institute that will soon celebrate 100 years of existence. The current generation and the ones to come should learn their history and praise the achievements of their ancestors, while also preserving and further cultivating them, for the good of Romanian citizens, Romania and the global health system."

Greece as a NATO Member in the Longue Durée

Greece entered NATO in order to guarantee its existence against the revisionism of the Balkan communist states during the Cold War. The rise of Greek-Turkish rivalry during the 1950s and 1960s and its climax, the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, caused Greece’s withdrawal from NATO structure from 1974 to 1980. After the end of the Cold War Greece attempted to form a multilateral approach in its foreign policy and secure its interests in both the Balkan area and the Eastern Mediterranean. The new unstable environment of the early 21st century and Greece’s economic crisis complicated Greece’s position in NATO. Still the macro-historic parameters of Greece’s identity as a sea power confirm its ties to the Atlantic world and predict a possible realignment of Greece in an increasingly unstable European framework that could well see the demise of the European Union.

Why Keep the Old Dead Around?

The aim of this article is to focus on the ways in which communities imagined their relationship with the dead throughout the Balkan area during the Neolithic and Eneolithic (6200–3800 cal BC). My claim is that we should go beyond seeing the human remains discovered in settlements as unusual/atypical/non-funerary discoveries. Instead, they can be read as traces of complex funerary practices, which contributed to the creation and manipulation of collective identities. The dead became part of a place-making strategy, they fixed time and become central to certain kinds of assemblages, which in turn were meant to create more powerful ancestors who could intervene in the present.