Virtual water trade in the Roman Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dermody, Brian; van Beek, Rens; Meeks, Elijah; Klein Goldewijk, Kees; Scheidel, Walter; van der Velde, Ype; Bierkens, Marc; Wassen, Martin; Dekker, Stefan

2015-04-01

The Romans were perhaps the most impressive exponents of water resource management in pre-industrial times with irrigation and virtual water trade facilitating unprecedented urbanisation and socio-economic stability for hundreds of years in a region of highly variable climate. To understand Roman water resource management in response to urbanisation and climate variability, a Virtual Water Network of the Roman World was developed. Using this network we found that irrigation and virtual water trade increased Roman resilience to inter-annual climate variability. However, urbanisation and population growth arising from virtual water trade likely pushed the Empire closer to the boundary of its water resources, led to an increase in import costs, and eroded its resilience to climate variability in the long term. Our newest findings also assess the impact that persistent climate change associated with Holocene climate anomalies had on Roman water resource management. Specifically we assess the impact of the change in climate from the Roman Warm Period to the Dark Ages Cold Period on the Roman food supply and whether it could have contributed to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Assessment of Local Biodiversity Loss in Uranium Mining-Tales And Its Projections On Global Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharshenova, D.; Zhamangulova, N.

2015-12-01

In Min-Kush, northern Kyrgyzstan there are 8 mining tales with an estimate of 1 961 000 tones of industrial Uranium. Local ecosystem services have declined rapidly. We analyzed a terrestrial assemblage database of Uranium mine-tale to quantify local biodiversity responses to land use and environmental changes. In the worst-affected habitats species richness reduced by 95.7%, total abundance by 60.9% and rarefaction-based richness by 72.5%. We estimate that, regional mountain ecosystem affected by this pressure reduced average within-sample richness (by 17.01%), total abundance (16.5%) and rarefaction-based richness (14.5%). Business-as-usual scenarios are the widely practiced in the region and moreover, due to economic constraints country can not afford any mitigation scenarios. We project that biodiversity loss and ecosystem service impairment will spread in the region through ground water, soil, plants, animals and microorganisms at the rate of 1km/year. Entire Tian-Shan mountain chain will be in danger within next 5-10 years. Our preliminary data shows that local people live in this area developed various forms of cancer, and the rate of premature death is as high as 40%. Strong international scientific and socio-economic partnership is needed to develop models and predictions.

Notes on the Emergence of Protestant Education in Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, David W.

2012-01-01

The movement of the Germanic peoples from the barbaric state that the Romans found them in during the days of Julius Caesar to the highly civilized and educated condition of today is a long and complex history. At the heart of that development over the centuries was first the shift to Roman culture; then the slow adoption of Roman Catholicism and…

A First Case of Human Trichuriasis from a Roman Lead Coffin in France.

PubMed

Dufour, Benjamin; Segard, Maxence; Le Bailly, Matthieu

2016-10-01

A paleoparasitological study was carried out on 2 lead coffins recovered from the Roman site of Jaunay-Clan (near Poitiers, France). For the first time, this particular type of burial gave positive parasitological results, and eggs of the whipworm Trichuris trichiura were identified in 1 individual. In the present case, thanatomorphose associated with funerary practices may explain the scarcity of the recovered eggs. However, human whipworm has now been observed in 9 individuals dated to the Roman period. The very high frequency of Trichuris sp. eggs in Roman archaeological sites (up to 80%) suggests that fecal peril, hygiene, and waste management were problematic during this period. Finally, due to the fact that very few analyses have been conducted on human bodies dated to the Roman period, more analyses must be performed in the future to provide further information about diseases in the Roman world.

A virtual water network of the Roman world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dermody, B. J.; van Beek, R. P. H.; Meeks, E.; Klein Goldewijk, K.; Scheidel, W.; van der Velde, Y.; Bierkens, M. F. P.; Wassen, M. J.; Dekker, S. C.

2014-12-01

The Romans were perhaps the most impressive exponents of water resource management in preindustrial times with irrigation and virtual water trade facilitating unprecedented urbanization and socioeconomic stability for hundreds of years in a region of highly variable climate. To understand Roman water resource management in response to urbanization and climate variability, a Virtual Water Network of the Roman World was developed. Using this network we find that irrigation and virtual water trade increased Roman resilience to interannual climate variability. However, urbanization arising from virtual water trade likely pushed the Empire closer to the boundary of its water resources, led to an increase in import costs, and eroded its resilience to climate variability in the long term. In addition to improving our understanding of Roman water resource management, our cost-distance-based analysis illuminates how increases in import costs arising from climatic and population pressures are likely to be distributed in the future global virtual water network.

A virtual water network of the Roman world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dermody, B. J.; van Beek, R. P. H.; Meeks, E.; Klein Goldewijk, K.; Scheidel, W.; van der Velde, Y.; Bierkens, M. F. P.; Wassen, M. J.; Dekker, S. C.

2014-06-01

The Romans were perhaps the most impressive exponents of water resource management in preindustrial times with irrigation and virtual water trade facilitating unprecedented urbanisation and socioeconomic stability for hundreds of years in a region of highly variable climate. To understand Roman water resource management in response to urbanisation and climate variability, a Virtual Water Network of the Roman World was developed. Using this network we find that irrigation and virtual water trade increased Roman resilience to climate variability in the short term. However, urbanisation arising from virtual water trade likely pushed the Empire closer to the boundary of its water resources, led to an increase in import costs, and reduced its resilience to climate variability in the long-term. In addition to improving our understanding of Roman water resource management, our cost-distance based analysis illuminates how increases in import costs arising from climatic and population pressures are likely to be distributed in the future global virtual water network.

A First Case of Human Trichuriasis from a Roman Lead Coffin in France

PubMed Central

Dufour, Benjamin; Segard, Maxence; Le Bailly, Matthieu

2016-01-01

A paleoparasitological study was carried out on 2 lead coffins recovered from the Roman site of Jaunay-Clan (near Poitiers, France). For the first time, this particular type of burial gave positive parasitological results, and eggs of the whipworm Trichuris trichiura were identified in 1 individual. In the present case, thanatomorphose associated with funerary practices may explain the scarcity of the recovered eggs. However, human whipworm has now been observed in 9 individuals dated to the Roman period. The very high frequency of Trichuris sp. eggs in Roman archaeological sites (up to 80%) suggests that fecal peril, hygiene, and waste management were problematic during this period. Finally, due to the fact that very few analyses have been conducted on human bodies dated to the Roman period, more analyses must be performed in the future to provide further information about diseases in the Roman world. PMID:27853119

Neonatal handling enduringly decreases anxiety and stress responses and reduces hippocampus and amygdala volume in a genetic model of differential anxiety: Behavioral-volumetric associations in the Roman rat strains.

PubMed

Río-Álamos, Cristóbal; Oliveras, Ignasi; Piludu, Maria Antonietta; Gerbolés, Cristina; Cañete, Toni; Blázquez, Gloria; Lope-Piedrafita, Silvia; Martínez-Membrives, Esther; Torrubia, Rafael; Tobeña, Adolf; Fernández-Teruel, Alberto

2017-02-01

The hippocampus and amygdala have been proposed as key neural structures related to anxiety. A more active hippocampus/amygdala system has been related to greater anxious responses in situations involving conflict/novelty. The Roman Low- (RLA) and High-avoidance (RHA) rat lines/strains constitute a genetic model of differential anxiety. Relative to RHA rats, RLA rats exhibit enhanced anxiety/fearfulness, augmented hippocampal/amygdala c-Fos expression following exposure to novelty/conflict, increased hippocampal neuronal density and higher endocrine responses to stress. Neonatal handling (NH) is an environmental treatment with long-lasting anxiety/stress-reducing effects in rodents. Since hippocampus and amygdala volume are supposed to be related to anxiety/fear, we hypothesized a greater volume of both areas in RLA than in RHA rats, as well as that NH treatment would reduce anxiety and the volume of both structures, in particular in the RLA strain. Adult untreated and NH-treated RHA and RLA rats were tested for anxiety, sensorimotor gating (PPI), stress-induced corticosterone and prolactin responses, two-way active avoidance acquisition and in vivo 7 T 1H-Magnetic resonance image. As expected, untreated RLA rats showed higher anxiety and post-stress hormone responses, as well as greater hippocampus and amygdala volumes than untreated RHA rats. NH decreased anxiety/stress responses, especially in RLA rats, and significantly reduced hippocampus and amygdala volumes in this strain. Dorsal striatum volume was not different between the strains nor it was affected by NH. Finally, there were positive associations (as shown by correlations, factor analysis and multiple regression) between anxiety and PPI and hippocampus/amygdala volumes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Composition and microstructure of Roman metallic artefacts of Southwestern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valério, P.; Voráčová, E.; Silva, R. J. C.; Araújo, M. F.; Soares, A. M. M.; Arruda, A. M.; Pereira, C.

2015-10-01

The Roman invasion introduces new alloys and metallurgical practices in Iberian Peninsula. The southwestern end of this region has many evidences of connections with the Roman World, but there are no studies about the manufacture and use of copper-based artefacts during this period. Therefore, a set of about 20 ornaments, tools and small attachments recovered at the Roman sites of Monte Molião and Cidade das Rosas was studied by an analytical approach combining micro-EDXRF, optical microscopy, SEM-EDS and Vickers microhardness testing. The artefact composition shows a good correlation with function, namely pure copper for nails and rivets, low-tin bronze (2-6 wt% Sn) for basic tools, high-tin bronze (14 wt% Sn) for fibulae and high-lead bronze (19 wt% Pb) for a decorated jug handle. The manufacture also depends on function because most artefacts were subjected to thermomechanical processing, except the ornaments that would not benefit from post-casting work. Brass and gunmetal were only present in the site with a later chronology. A metallurgy visibly ruled by economical, aesthetical and technological concerns reinforces the evidences about the total integration of Southwestern Iberian Peninsula in the Roman World, but further studies will be essential to determine the evolution of copper-based alloys in Lusitania under Roman influence.

Writing in the Eskimo Classroom. Cahiers linguistiques d'Ottawa (Ottawa Linguistics Papers), Vol. 7, No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofmann, T. R.

There are several practical reasons for preferring syllabic writing in teaching the Eskimo language to non-Eskimos: (1) the use of syllabic writing avoids the Roman letters t, l, n, s, g, and r, which stimulate the pronunciation habits of French or English; (2) syllabic writing is well-suited to Eskimo because of its small number of vowels; (3)…

77 FR 28281 - Withdrawal of Revocation of TSCA Section 4 Testing Requirements for One High Production Volume...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-14

... information contact: Catherine Roman, Chemical Control Division (7405M), Office of Pollution Prevention and... number: (202) 564-8157; email address: roman[email protected] . For general information contact: The...

Astronomy in towns? An archaeoastronomical approach to the Roman urbanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Antón, A.; Belmonte, J. A.; González-García, A. C.

2017-03-01

Although the final definition of Archaeoastronomy is still under debate, what is clear is that this discipline offers a different approach to the knowledge of ancient cultures than traditional archaeology has done so far. Archaeoastronomy considers the sky as an inseparabe part of the environment and thus an element of the transformed landscape with highly symbolic content. In the case of the Roman culture, the great colonizing activity involved continuous spatial transformations and the skyscape should be considered as a piece of the created urbanized spaces. For this reason, a number of fieldwork campaigns were conducted in several Roman cities across different regions of the ancient Roman Empire in order to study the configuration of those landscapes and the possible integration of the sky during the buiding processes. At the present, our group has the largest sample of orientations of Roman settlements so far, and here it is shown the preliminary results of an statistical analysis which may offer new answers to the various still open questions in Roman urbanism, often faced from conservative views.

Roman mystery iron blades from Serbia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balos, Sebastian; Benscoter, Arlan; Pense, Alan

A First to Forth Century Roman spear blade from Serbia was found to have an unusual microstructure inconsistent with typical Roman Period iron. An analysis of the blade undertaken at Lehigh University in the US and at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, Serbia established that it was metallic in appearance, magnetic and had an external layer of red rust. But as metallographically polished, it appeared to contain multiple internal phases and internal cracking. Even after aggressive etching, no typical low carbon microstructure was developed. Scanning electron microscopy, classical and energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicated that the specimenmore » was essentially iron, although its microhardness was too high for typical Roman iron. It was then dubbed 'Mystery Iron.' Analysis of all the data led to the proposal that it was essentially a Roman iron 'fossil' in which the iron had been converted to high temperature iron oxide while retaining the form of the blade, conversion probably occurring in a fire. Subsequent X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the blade consisted of FeO and Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} and the mystery of the iron fossil was at least partially solved. A hypothesis is proposed regarding a potential cause for the fire.« less

MIMAC-He3: MICRO-TPC MATRIX OF CHAMBERS OF 3He

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, D.; Guillaudin, O.; Lamy, Th.; Mayet, F.; Moulin, E.

2007-08-01

The project of a micro-TPC matrix of chambers of 3He for direct detection of non-baryonic dark matter is outlined. The privileged properties of 3He are highlighted. The double detection (ionization - projection of tracks) will assure the electron-recoil discrimination. The complementarity of MIMAC-He3 for supersymmetric dark matter search with respect to other experiments is illustrated. The modular character of the detector allows to have different gases to get A-dependence. The pressure degreee of freedom gives the possibility to work at high and low pressure. The low pressure regime gives the possibility to get the directionality of the tracks. The first measurements of ionization at very few keVs for 3He in 4He gas are described.

STUDY ON LITHIUM FAST ION CONDUCTORS OF Li2O SiO2 V2O5 SYSTEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Geng; Wang, Wenji

Fast ion conductors of Li2O SiO2 V2O5 system have been prepared by using Li2O, SiO2 and V2O5 as starting materials. The optimal ratio of starting materials was designed by Uniform Design. The conductivities of both electric and ionic were investigated. The highest ion conductivity is 1.5 × 10-4S/cm at ambient temperature for the above lithium fast ion conductor system, the electronic conductivity is 4 orders of magnitude lower than the ionic conductivity.

Making the Connection between Prayer, Faith, and Forgiveness in Roman Catholic Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batson, Mindi; Marks, Loren

2008-01-01

This study examines meanings and processes associated with religious practices of prayer, building faith, and forgiving through in-depth, qualitative interviews with six highly religious Roman Catholic families with children. Families were interviewed using a narrative approach that asked participants to share experiences and challenges related to…

Greek and Roman Myths.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carr, Fredella; Faggionato, Michael

Designed for use with the text "Greek and Roman Myths," this junior high school learning activity packet introduces students to mythology and examines the influence of myths on contemporary culture. Over 20 exercises, tagged to specific readings in the text, cover identification of the major gods, the Prometheus myth, the Atlas myth,…

DEVELOPMENT OF LiCo0.90Mg0.05Al0.05O2 THIN FILMS BY PULSED LASER DEPOSITION TECHNIQUE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasanthi, R.; Ruthmangani, I.; Manoravi, P.; Joseph, M.; Kesavamoorthy, R.; Sundar, C.; Selladurai, S.

LiCo0.90Mg0.05Al0.05O2 bulk powders are synthesized using combustion process and made into a thin film by depositing on silicon wafer using a pulsed laser ablation technique. A comparative study by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) XRD (X-ray diffraction), Infrared spectroscopy and Raman Spectroscopy is performed on both bulk and PLD thin films.

Geoarchaeological research for Roman waterworks in the Rhine-Meuse river delta, the Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verhagen, Jan; Kluiving, Sjoerd; van Leeuwen, Liz; Anker, Emiel

2015-04-01

It is known that Romans in the Low Countries at the northern margin of their empire were practicing diverse systems of water state management to maintain economic and above all strategic stability. In early Roman period Romans created a shipping route from the Rhine towards the north by digging canals and constructing dams. This was done in order to submit the northern part of Germania through the Waddenzee and the German rivers Eems, Weser and Elbe. During the middle Roman period the Romans had canceled their efforts to submit Germania. In that period we know the River Rhine as the limes, which not only was a borderline of the Roman empire, but can also be seen as a guarded transport route. The research area is situated in the eastern part of the Rhine-Meuse river valley/delta system. The area represents a highly dynamic geological history of erosion and deposition close to the river system's equilibrium point. In order to reconstruct the former landscape and investigate whether traces of Roman waterworks could be indicated or disproved geoarchaeological coring campaigns have been carried out with lithological, textural and palaeoecological analyses. The results of the research presented in this poster will be: 1) Assessment of the condition of the covered Pleistocene sediments in the area, 2) Identification of the buried gullies and levees in the vicinity of the remains of the Roman castellum 'Carvium ad molem', which should have been built at the bifurcation of the delta branches of Rhine and Waal, 3) Chronological control of gullies and levees, 4) Landscape reconstruction in different time periods. Finally based on the geoarchaeological results a comment will be made on the location of the Drusus dam in the study area, the landscape context of the castellum and its position on the apex of the Insula Batavorum.

INFRARED STUDY OF UV/EUV IRRADIATION OF NAPHTHALENE IN H2O+NH3 ICE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y.-J.; Nuevo, M.; Yeh, F.-C.; Yih, T.-S.; Sun, W.-H.; Ip, W.-H.; Fung, H.-S.; Lee, Y.-Y.; Wu, C.-Y. R.

We have carried out photon irradiation study of naphthalene (C10H8), the smallest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in water and ammonia ice mixtures. Photons provided by a synchrotron radiation light source in two broad-band energy ranges in the ultraviolet/near extreme ultraviolet (4-20 eV) and the extreme ultraviolet (13-45 eV) ranges were used for the irradiation of H2O+NH3+C10H8 = 1:1:1 ice mixtures at 15K. We could identify several photo-products, namely CH4, C2H6, C3H8, CO, CO2, HNCO, OCN-, and probably quinoline (C9H7N) and phenanthridine (C13H9N). We found that the light hydrocarbons are preferably produced for the ice mixture subjected to 4-20 eV photons. However, the production yields of CO, CO2, and OCN- species seem to be higher for the mixture subjected to EUV photons (13-45 eV). Therefore, naphthalene and its photo-products appear to be more efficiently destroyed when high energy photons (E > 20 eV) are used. This has important consequences on the photochemical evolution of PAHs in astrophysical environments.

Classical Influences in the Development of American Legal Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffman, Richard J.

The author examines the influences of classical Greek and Roman literature and law upon court decisions in the United States during the first decade following the adoption of the Constitution. References to Greek and Roman literature, history, and mythology by Virginia's High Court Chancellor George Wythe and by several Justices of the Supreme…

CHARGED PARTICLE MULTIPLICITIES IN ULTRA-RELATIVISTIC AU+AU AND CU+CU COLLISIONS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Back, B. B.; Alver, B.; Back, B. B.; Baker, M. D.; Ballintijn, M.; Barton, D. S.; Betts, R. R.; Bickley, A. A.; Bindel, R.; Busza, W.; Carroll, A.; Chai, Z.; Chetluru, V.; Decowski, M. P.; Garcia, E.; Gburek, T.; George, N.; Gulbrandsen, K.; Halliwell, C.; Hamblen, J.; Harnarine, I.; Hauer, M.; Henderson, C.; Hofman, D. J.; Hollis, R. S.; Holynski, R.; Holzman, B.; Iordanova, A.; Johnson, E.; Kane, J. L.; Khan, N.; Kulinich, P.; Kuo, C. M.; Li, W.; Lin, W. T.; Loizides, C.; Manly, S.; Mignerey, A. C.; Nouicer, R.; Olszewski, A.; Pak, R.; Reed, C.; Richardson, E.; Roland, C.; Roland, G.; Sagerer, J.; Seals, H.; Sedykh, I.; Smith, C. E.; Stankiewicz, M. A.; Steinberg, P.; Stephans, G. S. F.; Sukhanov, A.; Szostak, A.; Tonjes, M. B.; Trzupek, A.; Vale, C.; Vannieuwenhuizen, G. J.; Vaurynovich, S. S.; Verdier, R.; Veres, G. I.; Walters, P.; Wenger, E.; Willhelm, D.; Wolfs, F. L. H.; Wosiek, B.; Wozniak, K.; Wyngaardt, S.; Wyslouch, B.

The PHOBOS collaboration has carried out a systematic study of charged particle multiplicities in Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. A unique feature of the PHOBOS detector is its ability to measure charged particles over a very wide angular range from 0.5° to 179.5° corresponding to |η| <5.4. The general features of the charged particle multiplicity distributions as a function of pseudo-rapidity, collision energy and centrality, as well as system size, are discussed.

Putting Roman Dams in Context: a Virtual Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decker, M. J.; Du Vernay, J. P.; Mcleod, J. B.

2017-08-01

Water resources and management have become a critical global issue. During the half-millennium of its existence, the Roman Empire developed numerous strategies to cope with water management, from large-scale urban aqueduct systems, to industrial-scale water mills designed to cope with feeding growing city populations. Roman engineers encountered, adopted, and adapted indigenous hydraulic systems, and left lasting imprints on the landscape of the Mediterranean and temperate Western Europe by employing a range of water technologies. A recent academic study has enabled the identification of remains of and references to seventy-two dams from the Roman era, constructed in Spain between the 1st and 4th century AD. Such unique heritage, without comparisons in the Mediterranean makes Spain an emblematic case study for the analysis of Roman hydraulic engineering and water management policies. Fifty dams have been located and detailed. The twenty-two outstanding, although identified on the ground, have not been able to be acceptably characterized, due in some cases to their being ruins in a highly degraded state, others due to their being masked by repairs and reconstructions subsequent to the Roman era. A good example of such neglected dams is the buttress dam of Consuegra , in Toledo province (Castilla-La Mancha). Dating to the 3rd - 4th century AD, the Dam of Consuegra, on the basin of the Guadiana, with its over 600 metres length and 4,80 metres height, is a remarkable case of Roman engineering mastery. It had a retaining wall upstream, numerous buttresses and perhaps an embankment downstream, of which no remains are left. The application of 3D digital imaging technique to create a high quality virtual model of such monuments has proved to be successful especially for the study of the technological aspects related its construction. The case study of the Roman dam of Muel (Zaragoza) has shown, in fact, as best practices in digital archaeology can provide an original and innovative perspective on a long time studied monument. In this paper it will be explored how deploying recent computer technologies to the Roman dam at Consuegra can advance our understanding of the history of local and regional landscape change and the technology of water management. In summer 2016, the dam has been documented with terrestrial laser scanning with two FARO Focus 3D x330 and aerial photogrammetry image capturing with a DJI Phantom 4 drone. Data was processed in various 3D software applications to generate 3D representations of the dam including 3D point clouds, animations, and meshed models.

Lime-pozzolana mortars in Roman catacombs: composition, structures and restoration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanchez-Moral, Sergio; Luque, Luis; Canaveras, Juan-Carlos

Analyses of microsamples collected from Roman catacombs and samples of lime-pozzolana mortars hardened in the laboratory display higher contents in carbonated binder than other subaerial Roman monuments. The measured environmental data inside the Saint Callistus and Domitilla catacombs show a constant temperature of 15-17 deg C, a high CO{sub 2} content (1700 to 3500 ppm) and a relative humidity close to 100%. These conditions and particularly the high CO{sub 2} concentration speed-up the lime calcitization roughly by 500% and reduce the cationic diffusion to form hydrous calcium aluminosilicates. The structure of Roman catacomb mortars shows (i) coarser aggregates and thickermore » beds on the inside, (ii) thin, smoothed, light and fine-grained external surfaces with low content of aggregates and (iii) paintings and frescoes on the outside. The observed high porosity of the mortars can be attributed to cracking after drying linked with the high binder content. Hardened lime lumps inside the binder denote low water/mortar ratios for slaking. The aggregate tephra pyroclasts rich in aluminosilicate phases with accessorial amounts of Ba, Sr, Rb, Cu and Pb were analysed through X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and also by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) to identify the size and distribution of porosity. Results support procedures using local materials, special mortars and classic techniques for restoration purposes in hypogeal backgrounds.« less

Slaves, "Coloni," and Status Confusion in the Late Roman Empire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basta, Hannah

2017-01-01

From the dawn of the Roman Empire, slavery played a major and essential role in Roman society. While slavery never completely disappeared from ancient Roman society, its position in the Roman economy shifted at the beginning of the period called Late Antiquity (14 CE-500 CE). At this time, the slave system of the Roman world adjusted to a new…

Exploration of a novel object in late adolescence predicts novelty-seeking behavior in adulthood: Associations among behavioral responses in four novelty-seeking tests.

PubMed

Cuenya, Lucas; Sabariego, Marta; Donaire, Rocío; Callejas-Aguilera, José Enrique; Torres, Carmen; Fernández-Teruel, Alberto

2016-04-01

The sensation/novelty seeking behavioral trait refers to the exploration/preference for a novel environment. Novelty seeking increases during late adolescence and it has been associated with several neurobehavioral disorders. In this experiment, we asked whether inbred Roman high- and low-avoidance (RHA-I, RLA-I) rats (1) differ in novelty seeking in late adolescence and (2) whether late adolescent novelty seeking predicts this trait in adulthood. Thirty six male RHA-I and 36 RLA-I rats were exposed to a novel object exploration (NOE) test during late adolescence (pnd: 52-59; contact latency, contact time, contact frequency). Head-dipping (hole-board, HB), time and visits to a novel-arm (Y-maze), and latency-in and emergence latency (emergence test) were registered in adulthood (pnd: 83-105). The results showed strain differences in all these tests (RHA-I>RLA-I). Factor analysis (RHA-I+RLA-I) revealed two clusters. The first one grouped HB and emergence test measures. The second one grouped NOE and Y-maze variables. Time exploring a novel object (NOE) was a significant predictor of novel arm time (RHA-I+RLA, RHA-I); contact latency was a significant predictor of novel arm frequency (RLA-I). Present results show consistent behavioral associations across four novelty-seeking tests and suggest that late adolescent novelty seeking predicts this genetically-influenced temperamental trait in adult Roman rats. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

My Temple with a Frieze: Learning from the Greeks and Romans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fritsche, Susan

2011-01-01

Both Greeks and Romans placed the building of temples and sanctuaries high on their list of architectural priorities, as these structures were a source of public pride. The temples were built as shrines for the all-important gods and goddesses of the ancient world. The Parthenon is a great example of this. The frieze on the Parthenon shows scenes…

[Estimation of infant mortality and life expectancy in the time of the Roman Empire: a methodological examination].

PubMed

Langner, G

1998-01-01

"The first available written source in human history relating to the description of the life expectancy of a living population is a legal text which originates from the Roman jurist Ulpianus (murdered in AD 228). In contrast to the prevailing opinion in demography, I not only do consider the text to be of ¿historical interest'...but to be a document of inestimable worth for evaluating the population survival probability in the Roman empire. The criteria specified by Ulpianus are in line with the ¿pan-human' survival function as described by modern model life tables, when based on adulthood. Values calculated from tomb inscriptions follow the lowest level of the model life tables as well and support Ulpianus' statements. The specifications by Ulpianus for the population of the Roman world empire as a whole in the ¿best fit' with modern life tables lead to an average level of 20 years of life expectancy. As a consequence a high infant mortality rate of almost 400 [per thousand] can be concluded resulting in no more than three children at the age of five in an average family in spite of a high fertility rate." (EXCERPT)

The Gate of Heaven: Revisiting Roman Mithraic Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assasi, R.

2016-01-01

The definition and origins of Roman Mithraism remain highly problematic and controversial among modern scholars. The majority of research on Roman Mithraism focuses on interpreting the physical evidence because no considerable written narratives or theology from the religion survive. The most important Mithraic artifact is a repeated bull-slaying scene, which leaves no doubt that this figure conveys the core divine message of the cult. There is also another important Mithraic character that seems to be as important as the bull-slayer. This figure is a lion-headed man entwined by a snake. The author suggests that these figures represent the north ecliptic pole and argues for the importance of this astronomical reference in the Mithraic iconography and mythology. The author also demonstrates the possible relation of his proposed astrological model to the geocentric understanding of the axial precession around the ecliptic pole, where the Roman bull-slaying Mithras could be visualized in the form of a Mithraic constellation. This astrological model also is proposed to be the architectural design concept of Roman Mithraeum. The author also points to the core Christian symbols as possible contemporaneous parallels or derivatives of the Mithraic iconography and theology.

Page segmentation using script identification vectors: A first look

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hochberg, J.; Cannon, M.; Kelly, P.

1997-07-01

Document images in which different scripts, such as Chinese and Roman, appear on a single page pose a problem for optical character recognition (OCR) systems. This paper explores the use of script identification vectors in the analysis of multilingual document images. A script identification vector is calculated for each connected component in a document. The vector expresses the closest distance between the component and templates developed for each of thirteen scripts, including Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, and Roman. The authors calculate the first three principal components within the resulting thirteen-dimensional space for each image. By mapping these components to red, green,more » and blue, they can visualize the information contained in the script identification vectors. The visualization of several multilingual images suggests that the script identification vectors can be used to segment images into script-specific regions as large as several paragraphs or as small as a few characters. The visualized vectors also reveal distinctions within scripts, such as font in Roman documents, and kanji vs. kana in Japanese. Results are best for documents containing highly dissimilar scripts such as Roman and Japanese. Documents containing similar scripts, such as Roman and Cyrillic will require further investigation.« less

The Prodigies of The Albano Lake During Roman Age and Natural Hazard Assessment At Roma, Italy.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funiciello, R.; Giordano, G.; de Rita, D.

Roma is built just 20 km to the northwest of the Pleistocene Colli Albani volcano, but is believed not exposed to relevant natural hazards, except for the Tiber river flood- ings, and local amplification of seismic waves from distal earthquakes. This belief has generally induced modern historians and geologists to discard as SmythologicalT the & cedil;many references to natural prodigies that are reported by many Roman-age historians. Recent studies have demonstrated that the Albano maar, the youngest volcanic cen- tre of the Colli Albani volcano and presently filled by a 175 m deep lake, protracted its activity to the Holocene triggering several catastrophic lahar events, likely related to lake withdrawal, the deposits of which are exposed to the southwest of Roma and reach its periphery. This finding youngs the history of the volcano and makes it rele- vant to pre-historic settlements, which ScarefullyT avoided the Albano maar slopes up & cedil;to the Bronze age. What is still unknown, though, is whether the lake experienced such fluctuations and overspills during historic times. Several Roman authors such as Ti- tus Livius, Dionigi d'Alicarnasso, Plutarco, Germanico, and many others wrote about the then well known 398 BC prodigious event, when, during the war between Roma and the Etruscan city of Veio, the gods anger caused the sudden rise and overspill of the Albano lake, reported as unrelated to climatic events, and the destructive flooding of the countryside. After that event Romans actually built a tunnel-drain which still operates regulating the lake level at 293 m a.s.l., 70 m below the maar rim elevation. Should those chronicles be truthful, we can join the geologic observation of Holocene lahar deposits from lake withdrawal with historical lake withdrawals, reassessing the natural hazard for the city of Roma under a point of view never explored before. This paper carefully explores the historical credibility of the 398 BC lake overspill event and its possible endogenous causes. Based on the interpretation of several historical data from major and minor Roman age authors, we believe that the 398 BC event should be considered real, and therefore that the dynamic of the Albano lake, which presently lies in a region of strong CO2 anomalies and above an overpressured hy- drothermal aquifer, must be considered the main hazard factor for the city of Roma.

TOPOTACTIC LITHIUM INSERTION/EXTRACTION PROPERTIES OF A NEW POLYANION MATERIAL LiXCo2(MoO4)3 [0 ≤ X < 3] FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM BATTERIES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begam, K. M.; Michael, M. S.; Prabaharan, S. R. S.

An open framework type new material LixCo2(MoO4)3 [0 ≤ x < 3] possessing NASICON structure was identified as positive electrode material for use in 3V class lithium batteries. The new material was synthesized in its non-lithiated phase employing a metal/organic precursor method using a soft-combustion approach. We report here on the structural and electrochemical Li+ insertion/extraction properties of the resultant product. XRD revealed a single phase Co2(MoO4)3 powders and the annealed powders were found to contain ultrafine spherical grains. The redox behavior of the new material was demonstrated in lithium containing cells using the conventional wet cell configuration under Li+ aprotic organic electrolyte environment. The material offered a discharge capacity of 110 mAh/g between 3.5V and 1.5V during the first cycle and 50% of the initial capacity was retained at the end of 20th cycle.

An extensive colour palette in Roman villas in Burgos, Northern Spain: a Raman spectroscopic analysis.

PubMed

Villar, S E J; Edwards, H G M

2005-05-01

Seventy-five specimens from thirty fragments of Roman villa wall-paintings from sites in Burgos Castilla y Leon, Spain, have been analysed by Raman spectroscopy. This is the first time that a Raman spectrocopic study of Roman wall-paintings from Spain has been reported. The extensive range of tonalities and colour compositions contrasts with the results found in other provinces of the Roman Empire, for example Romano-British villas. Calcite, aragonite, haematite, caput mortuum, cinnabar, limonite, goethite, cuprorivaite, lazurite, green earth, carbon and verdigris have been found as pigments. Some mineral mixtures with different tonalities have been made using different strategies to those more usually found. Of particular interest is the assignation of the Tarna mine for the origin of the cinnabar used for obtaining the red colour in some specimens analysed here. The wide range of colours, tonalities and minerals found in some of the sites studied in this work is suggestive of a high social status for the community.

SYNTHESIS AND Zn2+ ION CONDUCTION OF A PEROVSKITE (La, Zn)TiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashiko, W.; Katsumata, T.; Inaguma, Y.

(La,Zn)TiO3 was synthesized by an ion exchange method using ZnCl2 molten salt. By a powder X-ray diffraction, it was confirmed that perovskite structure was retained after ion exchange. The composition of ion exchanged sample was determined to be La0.55(6)Li0.064(4)Zn0.13(1)Ti1.0(1)O2.97 by ICP analysis, and the homogeneous distribution of Zn in this sample was confirmed by the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The bulk and total conductivity of the sample at the room temperature was measured to be 6.9 × 10-7 S·cm-1, 1.7 × 10-7 S·cm-1, respectively. The mobile species was confirmed to be Zn2+ by the electrolysis at 500°C.

[Healing and the Roman imperial culture].

PubMed

Ziethen, G

1994-01-01

From the time of Augustus till Late Antiquity one of the important elements of Roman Imperial policy was the celebration of rituals honouring the Roman Emperor. Elements of Hellenistic ruler cult and traditions of the Roman Republican Age were connected with Roman administration, the economic life and military organisation. Thereby the Roman Emperor generally was considered not only as a powerful and legitimate political leader but also as a well-educated and informed princeps with some kind of ritual sphere. Continuing the traditions of kingship risen in the Oriental monarchies and traduced to the Hellenistic rulers, the Roman Emperor seemed--pictured as Asclepius or Sarapis--to be able to heal not only incurable persons by magic therapy, but also to give a cure to mishandled affairs of state. The hope of the people in the panacea founded on the Emperor's knowledge was explained differently on two intellectual levels: the belief in magical-medical practices against threatening demons and the sophisticated comparisons of the eras of the Roman Empire expressed as the progress of human life from the cradle of iuventus to the old age of senectus. With the image of the Roman State as a human being a tradition began which had been prepared by the parable of the body and the limbs since early Roman historiography. From paganism to the Christianisation of the Roman Empire the vocabulary of healing and therapy was used in papyrological, literary, juridical and theological texts expressing the expectation in impersonation and ceremony of the Roman and Byzantine Emperors till the godblessed monarchs in Christian Europe.

"Cost in Transliteration": The Neurocognitive Processing of Romanized Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Chaitra; Mathur, Avantika; Singh, Nandini C.

2013-01-01

Romanized transliteration is widely used in internet communication and global commerce, yet we know little about its behavioural and neural processing. Here, we show that Romanized text imposes a significant neurocognitive load. Readers faced greater difficulty in identifying concrete words written in Romanized transliteration (Romanagari)…

The Roman state and genetic pacification.

PubMed

Frost, Peter

2010-07-23

Over the last 10,000 years, the human genome has changed at an accelerating rate. The change seems to reflect adaptations to new social environments, including the rise of the State and its monopoly on violence. State societies punish young men who act violently on their own initiative. In contrast, non-State societies usually reward such behavior with success, including reproductive success. Thus, given the moderate to high heritability of male aggressiveness, the State tends to remove violent predispositions from the gene pool while favoring tendencies toward peacefulness and submission. This perspective is applied here to the Roman state, specifically its long-term effort to pacify the general population. By imperial times, this effort had succeeded so well that the Romans saw themselves as being inherently less violent than the "barbarians" beyond their borders. By creating a pacified and submissive population, the empire also became conducive to the spread of Christianity--a religion of peace and submission. In sum, the Roman state imposed a behavioral change that would over time alter the mix of genotypes, thus facilitating a subsequent ideological change.

Arthritis in Roman Britain.

PubMed

Thould, A K; Thould, B T

The pattern of arthritis in Roman Britain was investigated by examining the skeletons of 416 adults from the Roman cemetery at Poundbury Camp near Dorchester, Dorset. The mean height of the people was not much less than that of the current British population, and the prevalence of right handedness was similar to our own. There was a high prevalence of osteoarthritis for such a relatively young community, with particularly severe changes in the vertebral column. The pattern of joints affected by osteoarthritis was different from that seen now, but the prevalence of vertebral ankylosing hyperostosis was much the same. Rheumatoid arthritis was seen as often as the expected rat would indicate, given that the population died young, but it was rare. Other forms of arthritis, including gout and ankylosing spondylitis, were not seen.

Spectroscopic analysis of roman wall paintings from Casa del Mitreo in Emerita Augusta, Mérida, Spain.

PubMed

Edreira, M C; Feliu, M J; Fernández-Lorenzo, C; Martín, J

2003-05-01

The use of visible spectroscopy, applied to chromatic characterization of Roman wall paintings, allows an easy and trustworthy grouping of the samples studied. The use of other spectroscopic techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in conjunction with X-ray diffraction (XRD) allows a good identification of the substances present in the pictorial layers that define and differentiate each chromatic group. In this paper, a study of 40 Roman wall painting samples, from Pinturas Báquicas of Casa del Mitreo in Emerita Augusta (Mérida, Spain), is described. In these samples, some pigments of high quality and cost, as well as some unusual mixtures, not described in the bibliography, have been found.

Cognitive mediational deficits and the role of coping styles in pedophile and ephebophile Roman Catholic clergy.

PubMed

Ryan, Gregory P; Baerwald, Jeffrey P; McGlone, Gerard

2008-01-01

This study was designed to examine hypothesized differences between sex offending and nonoffending Roman Catholic clergy on cognitive mediation abilities as measured by the Rorschach Inkblot Test (H. Rorschach, 1921/1942). This study compared 78 priest pedophiles and 77 priest ephebophiles with 80 nonoffending priest controls on the Inkblot test using J. E. Exner's (2003) Comprehensive System. The three groups were compared on seven variables that constitute Exner's Cognitive Mediation cluster. Additionally, the groups' coping styles were compared to examine the interaction of coping style and cognitive mediational abilities. We found interactions between coping style and offending status across most of the cognitive variables indicating impairment in the mild to pathological ranges. Moreover, significantly higher unusual thinking styles (Xu%) and significantly lower conventional thinking styles (X+%) in offenders compared to nonoffenders. Those with an Extratensive style (n=31) showed significantly higher distorted thinking when compared to the Introversive (n=81), Ambitent (n=73), and Avoidant (n=50) coping styles. This study suggests that offenders display significantly higher distorted thinking styles than do nonoffenders. Possible reasons for these discrepancies and the role of coping styles in abusive behaviors were discussed. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

City of Paris, France

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

This highly detailed view of the City of Paris 49.0N, 0.0E) shows a varied land use pattern in great detail. Several airports are clearly seen such as the two major international airports of Orly and Le Bourget. Paris was founded in pre-Roman times on an island in the Seine River and continued as a Roman outpost. The easily defensible location was one of the keys to growth. Other factors include easy access by river and the productive hinterland.

Physical Profiles of Turkish Young Greco-Roman Wrestlers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslanoglu, Erkal

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate some physical properties of Turkish National Greco-Roman wrestlers and reveal the profile of Turkish Young National Greco-Roman athlete. A total of 48 male athletes who were from Turkish Young National Greco-Roman Wrestling Team participated in this study. This study was carried out at Wrestling Federation…

Chinese-English 2,000 Selected Chinese Common Sayings (Yale Romanization).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, C.K.; Wu, K.S.

Compiled here for the first time in Yale romanization are 2,000 common Chinese sayings, idioms, proverbs, and other figures of speech. The entries are arranged in two series: once in alphabetic order according to the Yale romanization and then again by the stroke-count of the Chinese characters. The romanized entries are accompanied by several…

B(M1) values in the band-crossing of shears bands in 197Pb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krücken, R.; Cooper, J. R.; Beausang, C. W.; Novak, J. R.; Dewald, A.; Klug, T.; Kemper, G.; von Brentano, P.; Carpenter, M.; Wiedenhöver, I.

We present details of the band crossing mechanism of shears bands using the example of 197Pb. Absolute reduced matrix elements B(M1) were determined by means of a RDM lifetime measurement in one of the shears bands in 197Pb. The experiment was performed using the New Yale Plunger Device (NYPD) in conjunction with the Gammasphere array. Band mixing calculations on the basis of the semi-classical model of the shears mechanism are used to describe the transition matrix elements B(M1) and energies throughout the band-crossing regions. Good agreement with the data was obtained and the detailed composition of the states in the shears band are discussed.

Change in silica sources in Roman and post-Roman glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aerts, A.; Velde, B.; Janssens, K.; Dijkman, W.

2003-04-01

Although Roman and post-Empire glasses found in Europe are reputed to have a very constant composition and hence source of components, it appears that some 4-5th century and later specimens show evidence of a different source of silica (sand) component. Zirconium and titanium are the discriminating elements. Data presented here for 278 specimens from 1st to 4th century German and Belgian samples indicate a strongly homogeneous Zr and Ti content; N: number of analyzed samples while 62 samples from Maastricht show low Zr-Ti contents from 1st to 3rd century samples while 4-5th century samples show a strong trend of concomitant Ti and Zr increase. If the high values of Zr-Ti represent a new source of silica (sand) the trend from low to high content suggests that a significant amount of low Zr-Ti glass was recycled to form these glass objects. Similar high Ti content can be seen in analysis results reported for other but not all 4-5th century samples found in northern Europe while earlier productions show typical low Ti contents. Although the fusing agent for these glasses seems to have always been natron (a mineral deposit in the Nile delta) from Hellenistic times to the 9th century, a change in the silica source, indicated by variation of the Ti and Zr content, could very well reflect the results of political instability of the 4-5th century exemplified by the fragmentation of the Roman Empire into two parts.

Greek and Roman patients under Galen's gaze: a doctor at the crossroads of two cultures.

PubMed

Boudon-Millot, Véronique

2014-01-01

Born in Pergamum in 129 A.D., Galen received his first medical training in his native city and then continued his studies in Smyrna, Corinth, and Alexandria. He began his medical career in Asia Minor, treating peasants and performing surgery on the gladiatorial troupe that worked as slaves under the high priest upon his return to Pergamum in 157. Subsequently, he settled in Rome, where he lived most of his life and treated many prominent patients. The aim of this paper is to explore how Galen viewed his Asian and Roman patients and how he adapted his practice and medical procedures based not only on each patient's social and economic status, but on his or her intellectual acumen and customs as well, through proposing an intelligent and original synthesis of Asian and Roman lifestyles.

Greenland Ice Evidence of Hemispheric Lead Pollution Two Millennia Ago by Greek and Roman Civilizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Sungmin; Candelone, Jean-Pierre; Patterson, Clair C.; Boutron, Claude F.

1994-09-01

Analysis of the Greenland ice core covering the period from 3000 to 500 years ago-the Greek, Roman, Medieval and Renaissance times-shows that lead is present at concentrations four times as great as natural values from about 2500 to 1700 years ago (500 B.C. to 300 A.D.). These results show that Greek and Roman lead and silver mining and smelting activities polluted the middle troposphere of the Northern Hemisphere on a hemispheric scale two millennia ago, long before the Industrial Revolution. Cumulative lead fallout to the Greenland Ice Sheet during these eight centuries was as high as 15 percent of that caused by the massive use of lead alkyl additives in gasoline since the 1930s. Pronounced lead pollution is also observed during Medieval and Renaissance times.

Greenland ice evidence of hemispheric lead pollution two millennia ago by Greek and Roman civilizations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hong, S.; Candelone, J.P.; Boutron, C.F.

1994-09-23

Analysis of the Greenland ice core covering the period from 3000 to 5000 years ago - the Greek, Roman, Medieval and Renaissance times - shows that lead is present at concentrations four times as great as natural values from about 2500 to 1700 years ago (500 B.C. to 300 A.D.). These results show that Greek and Roman lead and silver mining and smelting activities polluted the middle troposphere of the Northern Hemisphere on a hemispheric scale two millennia ago, long before the Industrial Revolution. Cumulative lead fallout to the Greenland Ice Sheet during these eight centuries was as high asmore » 15 percent of that caused by the massive use of lead alkyl additives in gasoline since the 1930s. Pronounced lead pollution is also observed during Medieval and Renaissance times.« less

Gynecological surgery from the Hippocratics to the fall of the Roman Empire.

PubMed

Bliquez, Lawrence J

2010-01-01

The article aims to explore advances in the Greco-Roman gynecological surgery with particular emphasis on the Roman Empire. The development and improvement of the Roman surgical instrumentarium occurred in tandem with surgical advances, gynecological as well as general. It might therefore be said that the approach taken in this paper is one based on material culture.

Residual strain mapping of Roman styli from Iulia Concordia, Italy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salvemini, Filomena, E-mail: floriana.salvemini@fi.isc.cnr.it; Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra; Grazzi, Francesco

Iulia Concordia is an important Roman settlement known for the production of iron objects and weapons during the Roman Empire. A huge number of well-preserved styli were found in the past century in the bed of an old channel. In order to shed light about the production processes used by Roman for stylus manufacturing, a neutron diffraction residual strain analysis was performed on the POLDI materials science diffractometer at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland. Here, we present results from our investigation conducted on 11 samples, allowing to define, in a non-invasive way, the residual strain map related to themore » ancient Roman working techniques. - Highlights: • We examined 11 Roman styli from the settlement of Iulia Concordia, Italy. • We performed a neutron diffraction residual strain analysis on POLDI at PSI (CH). • We identified the production processes used by Roman for stylus manufacturing. • We clarified the way and direction of working applied for different classes of styli.« less

The ancient city of Rome, its empire, and the spread of tuberculosis in Europe.

PubMed

Eddy, Jared J

2015-06-01

The formation of the Roman Empire constituted an unprecedented joining of Mediterranean and European lands and peoples, centering on the capital of Rome. During the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire (ca. 200B.C.-ca. 200 A.D.) urbanization and population growth led to conditions favorable to the spread of tuberculosis throughout Italy and especially within Rome itself. Trade and military expansion would have acted as vehicles for the further extension of tuberculosis to the provinces via direct transmission from Italian-born Romans to the native populations. However, an alternative explanation may better explain the increase in the number of archeological cases of tuberculosis with the start of the Roman era. A literature review of Roman-era cases and their locations suggests that the development of an urban, Roman way of life resulted in significant increases in prevalence in regions where tuberculosis had previously been endemic only at a low level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Sudden death in Versailles: A review of a cardiovascular treatrise by Dionis (1710)].

PubMed

Charlier, P

2018-02-01

In 1710, the surgeon Pierre Dionis publishes a Dissertation on sudden death. Echoing and expanding the work of his Roman colleague Jean Marie Lancisi, he describes and analyzes dozens of cases of sudden death observed by him. A large number of cases was followed by autopsies allowing clinicopathological confrontation. Are proposed causes of death (pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, hemorrhagic stroke, arterial rupture, etc.), pathophysiological mechanisms based on the ancient theory of humors, and preventive actions to avoid these unexpected deaths. In this article, we oppose these old data to those of current literature. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The Romans and ritual murder.

PubMed

Schultz, Celia E

2010-01-01

The Roman abhorrence of human sacrifice presented by ancient literary sources stands in contrast to the frequency of rites requiring the death of a human being performed by the Romans during the Republic (509-44 BCE). After examining the ways our sources talk about ritual murder, especially as it was practiced by foreign peoples and subversive or tyrannical elements within Roman society, this discussion turns to the issue of the forms of ritual murder performed by the Romans. Of these various rites, the only one clearly identified by them as human sacrifice, that is, as an offering to the gods of a human life, is the live interment of Gauls and Greeks. Other forms of ritual murder-the burial of unchaste Vestal Virgins and the drowning of hermaphroditic children-were not, in Roman opinion, sacrifice. This distinction made the disposal of Vestal Virgins and hermaphrodites acceptable.

Characterization of central and peripheral components of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in the inbred Roman rat strains.

PubMed

Carrasco, Javier; Márquez, Cristina; Nadal, Roser; Tobeña, Adolfo; Fernández-Teruel, Albert; Armario, Antonio

2008-05-01

Several studies performed in outbred Roman high- and low-avoidance lines (RHA and RLA, respectively) have demonstrated that the more anxious line (RLA) is characterized by a higher hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response to certain stressors than the less anxious one (RHA). However, inconsistent results have also been reported. Taking advantage of the generation of an inbred colony of RLA and RHA rats (RHA-I and RLA-I, respectively), we have characterized in the two strains not only resting and stress levels of peripheral HPA hormones but also central components of the HPA axis, including CRF gene expression in extra-hypothalamic areas. Whereas resting levels of ACTH and corticosterone did not differ between the strains, a greater response to a novel environment was found in RLA-I as compared to RHA-I rats. RLA-I rats showed enhanced CRF gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, with normal arginin-vasopressin gene expression in both parvocellular and magnocellular regions of the PVN. This enhanced CRF gene expression is not apparently related to altered negative corticosteroid feedback as similar levels of expression of brain glucorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors were found in the two rat strains. CRF gene expression tended to be higher in the central amygdala and it was significantly higher in the dorsal region of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) of RLA-I rats, while no differences appeared in the ventral region of BNST. Considering the involvement of CRF and the BNST in anxiety and stress-related behavioral alterations, the present data suggest that the CRF system may be a critical neurobiological substrate underlying differences between the two rat strains.

Morphological reconstruction of Roman arrowheads from Iulia Concordia: Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvemini, Filomena; Grazzi, Francesco; Angelini, Ivana; Vontobel, Peter; Vigoni, Alberto; Artioli, Gilberto; Zoppi, Marco

2014-06-01

Iulia Concordia is an important Roman settlement especially known for the production of weapons during the Roman Empire. Excavations of the area revealed the evidence of metal-working activities and a huge number of well preserved arrowheads (sagittae) were found. In order to investigate the conservation state of the finds and to shed light about the production processes used by Roman for the manufacturing of sagittae, a neutron tomography analysis was performed on NEUTRA beam line at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland. Here, we present results from our investigation conducted on 18 samples, disclosing, in a non-invasive way, the morphological characteristic related to the ancient Roman working techniques.

Properties of Roman bricks and mortars used in Serapis temple in the city of Pergamon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ozkaya, Ozlem Aslan; Boeke, Hasan, E-mail: hasanboke@iyte.edu.tr

Serapis temple, which was constructed in the Roman period in the city of Pergamon (Bergama/Turkey), is one of the most important monuments of the world heritage. In this study, the characteristics of bricks and mortars used in the temple have been determined in order to define the necessary characteristics of the intervention materials, which will be used in the conservation works of the temple. Several analyses were carried out to determine their basic physical properties, raw material compositions, mineralogical and microstructural properties using X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscope and a Thermo Gravimetric Analyzer. Analysis results indicated that the mortars aremore » stiff, compact and hydraulic due to the use of natural pozzolanic aggregates. The Roman bricks are of low density, high porosity and were produced from raw materials containing calcium poor clays fired at low temperatures.« less

Near East mtDNA haplotype variants in Roman cattle from Augusta Raurica, Switzerland, and in the Swiss Evolène breed.

PubMed

Schlumbaum, A; Turgay, M; Schibler, J

2006-08-01

Typical Near East mitochondrial haplotypes of the T2 lineage were found in one cattle metacarpus sample from the Roman period and in two present-day Evolène cattle in Switzerland. Sequences from eight additional Evolène and four Raetian Grey aligned to the European haplotype T3. Analysis of nucleotide diversity within the mitochondrial D-loop of both studied Swiss cattle breeds revealed high haplotype diversity and similar diversity to a European cattle reference group. Mitochondrial T3 haplotypes radiated star-like from two similarly frequent haplotypes, possibly indicating two different expansion routes. The breed structure of Evolène cattle can be explained either by an introduction of diverse female lineages from the domestication centre or by later admixture. The introduction of the Near East lineage to Switzerland must have happened during the Roman time or earlier.

Geoarchaeological evidence for dredging in Tyre's ancient harbour, Levant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marriner, Nick; Morhange, Christophe

2006-01-01

Chrono-stratigraphic data from Tyre's ancient northern harbour delineate extensive dredging practices during the Greco-Roman and Byzantine periods. Radiocarbon dates from four cores consistently cluster between ca. 500 B.C. and 1000 A.D. and indicate rapid rates of sedimentation in the basin, namely ∼10 mm/yr during the Greco-Roman and Byzantine periods, compared to 0.5-1 mm/yr for the period 6000-4000 B.C. Absence of strata between 4000 B.C. and 500 B.C. is not consistent with a natural base-level sediment sink and cannot be interpreted as a depositional hiatus in the high-stand systems tract. Ancient dredging is further corroborated by persistent age-depth inversions within the fine-grained harbour facies. These data support removal of Middle Bronze Age to Persian period sediment strata, with deliberate overdeepening of the harbour bottom by Greco-Roman and Byzantine societies.

Greco-Roman Stone Disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moran, Michael E.; Ruzhansky, Katherine

2008-09-01

Greek and Roman thought had a profound influence upon Western medical practice. From the fall of the Greek civilization to the fall of the Roman, remarkable progress of our understanding of human anatomy and physiology occurred. Here we review the attempts of Greek and Roman thinkers to develop the first understanding of the pathophysiology of urolithiasis, its epidemiology, differential diagnosis of renal versus bladder stones, medications for both colic and prevention, the role of familial syndromes, and dietary management.

Intelligence as the plasticity of instinct: George J. Romanes and Darwin's earthworms.

PubMed

Morganti, Federico

2011-01-01

In the following article I provide a brief analysis of George J. Romanes' conception of intelligence and its relationship with instincts. Through a careful reading of some key-passages from Mental Evolution in Animals (1883)--Romanes' chief work on the subject--I endeavour to show how the very notion of intelligence was related, in Romanes' thought, to individual adaptation to the environmental novelty. Also, I attempt to clarify in what sense, according to Romanes, this capacity was to be included among the factors of organic evolution. Lastly, I compare Romanes' view with that expressed in Darwin's last book, i.e. The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms (1881). I contend that the two scientists basically shared the same conception of the relationship between instincts and intelligence, which accounted not only for the need of phylogenetic continuity, but also for that of discontinuity due to adaptive divergence.

The identity, legal status and origin of the Roman army's medical staff in the imperial age.

PubMed

Bader, Pascal

2014-01-01

More than a hundred epigraphic documents on different writing materials refer to medical staff in the Roman army. This paper focuses on the identity, legal status and origin of the Roman army medical staff--a topic which until now has hardly been studied. Various titles were conferred to a large number of medical staff in every unit of the Roman army; the doctors (medici) were the most numerous and had different ranks and status. The onomastic study of the inscriptions reveals a large proportion of Roman citizens in the military medical service. Most of them are ingenui with a Latin name, but freedmen with a Greek origin are frequently attested, though less so than among civilian doctors. These results dispel some misconceptions such as the Greek origin of most military doctors, which can be explained by the legal requirements of the recruitment into the Roman army.

Back to the Future with the Uniform Code of Military Justice: The Need to Recalibrate the Relationship Between the Military Justice System, Due Process, and Good Order and Discipline

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

successes against the Roman army, Plutarch focused on Sertorius’ ability to bring good order and discipline to the seemingly barbaric tribes of the...Roman frontier.161 Plutarch noted that after the campaigns against Rome, Sertorius was “highly honored for his introducing discipline and good order...Sertorius’ ability to achieve good order and discipline within his troops, Plutarch did not mention discipline or fear; instead, he noted that Sertorius

Archeological glass from the Ciutadella de Roses site (Empordà, Girona, NE Spain): chemical characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Valles, M.; Puig, A. M.; Gimeno, D.; Aulinas, M.

2012-04-01

The town of Roses is placed in the homonymous bay some 15 km north of the greek-roman city of Emporium, in the Empordà Country (Catalonia, NE Spain). The north sector of the Empordà constitutes a fertile river plain located within the Pyrenees Range and the Montgrí calcareous block that has been extensively occupied at least since Neolitic times. The Roses fortress is a space of more than 130.000 m2 of renaissance style built in 1543 that constitutes one of the rare fort places preserved in Catalonia after the Succession War (1701-1714). The archaeological excavations conducted in the area of the Ciutadella have shown the rests of the Greek city of Rhode, founded at 776 B.C. by Rhodian people; the Hellenistic quartier (especially important at IV-III centuries B.C.; a roman villa (occupied between centuries II B.C. and VI D.C.); a romain-lombard monastery (Santa Maria, century XI), and a series of rests till century XIX. The excavations conducted in the period 1993-1996 provided glass remnants of several ages in a number of strata at several places within the Ciutadella walls. A number of 25 samples were chosen and cleaned in order to characterize its main chemistry by EMPA. Samples were mounted on a epoxy resin, cut and polished, and external sectors with surface alteration were avoided during analysis. The major constituents Si, Al, Na, K, Fe, Mn, Ca, Mg, Ti and P were analysed, as well as a number of trace elements (metals) that give indication on the colour of glass: Co, Cu, Cr, Sb and Pb. The archaeological data allow dating the concerned strata in several periods: end of VI century-beginning of VII (3 samples) and from middle XVI century to XVIII century. The scope of this work is to provide a first characterization of the glass chemical composition variation along time since late roman times in a near to permanent occupied site. All the studied glass fragments show a sodic-lime composition, being the ones corresponding to VI-VII of low magnesia and potassium content (and therefore of roman tradition and produced with natron). The composition of these early medieval glass is very close to other reported in other roman archaeological sites of Catalonia (Barcelona downtown city -Barcino-, Tortosa, and so on), and therefore near in composition (but not exactly identical) to the "Levantine I" group of roman glass (i.e. when plotted in a CaO vs Al2O3 diagram). In any case there is not a great number of samples studied (not at Ciutadella de Roses, not in Catalonia) and in absence of a more consistent statistic database is too risky infer more consequences from these results. On other hand, the rest of the glass can be interpreted as the product of fusion of silica sands with a flux of vegetal origin (ash of halophytic plants, widespread in the marsh sector of Roses bay (today preserved as a Natural Park) except one sample that corresponds again to roman-like glass probably arrived accidentally to the strata of sampling, a fact normal in a space that has been submitted repeatedly to excavation during the time of occupation (i.e., sanitary conducts and pits). The roman glass is not very interesting in terms of colour; while in the rest of glass a number of colour characters can be noted. Two glass fragments of blue and greenish-blue colour take this pigmentation due to the presence of little amounts of cobalt. Another greenish-blue colour glass fragment is due to the coexistence of high contents of iron and copper (a well-known colour recipe since -at least- XIII century). Finally, a greenish-blue sample of glass does not provide any evidence of the origin of colour, taking into account the analysed elements. A yellowish colored fragment can be interpreted as the result of the presence of iron and copper, probably fused in a kiln under reductive atmosphere. The rest of samples are uncolored and therefore are coherent with the absence of metals in the reported analysis of glass. This study has been developed in the framework of Research Consolidated Groups 2009SGR-0044 and 2009SGR-0972 AGAUR/DURSI, Generalitat de Catalunya. We express our acknowledgement to the technical support of the Scientific-Technical Service Unit of the University of Barcelona, and to the Municipality of Roses by kind access to the samples.

Sulfur isotope analysis of cinnabar from Roman wall paintings by elemental analysis/isotope ratio mass spectrometry--tracking the origin of archaeological red pigments and their authenticity.

PubMed

Spangenberg, Jorge E; Lavric, Jost V; Meisser, Nicolas; Serneels, Vincent

2010-10-15

The most valuable pigment of the Roman wall paintings was the red color obtained from powdered cinnabar (Minium Cinnabaris pigment), the red mercury sulfide (HgS), which was brought from mercury (Hg) deposits in the Roman Empire. To address the question of whether sulfur isotope signatures can serve as a rapid method to establish the provenance of the red pigment in Roman frescoes, we have measured the sulfur isotope composition (δ(34)S value in ‰ VCDT) in samples of wall painting from the Roman city Aventicum (Avenches, Vaud, Switzerland) and compared them with values from cinnabar from European mercury deposits (Almadén in Spain, Idria in Slovenia, Monte Amiata in Italy, Moschellandsberg in Germany, and Genepy in France). Our study shows that the δ(34)S values of cinnabar from the studied Roman wall paintings fall within or near to the composition of Almadén cinnabar; thus, the provenance of the raw material may be deduced. This approach may provide information on provenance and authenticity in archaeological, restoration and forensic studies of Roman and Greek frescoes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Radiological and multi-element analysis of sediments from the Proserpina reservoir (Spain) dating from Roman times.

PubMed

Baeza, A; Guillén, J; Ontalba Salamanca, M A; Rodríguez, A; Ager, F J

2009-10-01

The Proserpina dam was built in Roman times to provide drinking water to Emerita Augusta (today's Mérida in SW Spain). During maintenance work, a sediment core was extracted, offering an excellent opportunity to analyze the historical environmental impacts of the dam and its reservoir over the 2000 years since Roman times. In order to establish an accurate chronology, (14)C ages were determined by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Core samples were assayed for their content in uranium and thorium series isotopes, (40)K, and the anthropogenic radionuclides (137)Cs, (90)Sr, and (239+240)Pu. Potassium-40 presented the highest activity level and was not constant with depth. The uranium and thorium series were generally in equilibrium, suggesting there had been no additional input of natural radionuclides. The presence of (137)Cs was only found in relation with the global fallout in the early 1960s. Multi-element assays were performed using the PIXE and PIGE techniques. Some variations in the multi-element concentrations were observed with depth, but the sediment core could be considered as clean, and no presumptive anthropogenic pollutants were found. Nevertheless, an unusually high Zn content was detected at depths corresponding to pre-Roman times, due to geological anomalies in the area.

Validation of the determination of the B isotopic composition in Roman glasses with laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devulder, Veerle; Gerdes, Axel; Vanhaecke, Frank; Degryse, Patrick

2015-03-01

The applicability of laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) for the determination of the B isotopic composition in Roman glasses was investigated. The δ11B values thus obtained provide information on the natron flux used during the glass-making process. The glass samples used for this purpose were previously characterized using pneumatic nebulization (PN) MC-ICP-MS. Unfortunately, this method is time-consuming and labor-intensive and consumes some 100 mg of sample, which is a rather high amount for ancient materials. Therefore, the use of the less invasive and faster LA-MC-ICP-MS approach was explored. In this work, the results for 29 Roman glasses and 4 home-made glasses obtained using both techniques were compared to assess the suitability of LA-MC-ICP-MS in this context. The results are in excellent agreement within experimental uncertainty. No difference in overall mass discrimination was observed between the Roman glasses, NIST SRM 610 reference glass and B6 obsidian. The expanded uncertainty of the LA-MC-ICP-MS approach was estimated to be < 2‰, which is similar to that obtained upon sample digestion and PN-MC-ICP-MS measurement.

Roman iron axes manufacturing technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrena, M. I.; Gómez de Salazar, J. M.; Soria, A.

2008-03-01

The results of metallographic, chemical and mechanical analysis of two Roman axes are presented. Insights into the technologies used by the Romans are considered. These axes were buried in a Roman village in La Olmeda, Palencia, Spain, which was built around the first century BC and it was later abandoned and destroyed in the fifth century AD. It has been observed that some artefacts, specifically axes show that the technology existed to increase hardness by solid-state welding of sheet steel of different carbon contents.

Secrets of Lost Empires: Family Activity Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitman, John D.; Gaffney, Dennis

This family activity book features information on the background and filming of five stories. "Pharaoh's Obelisk" questions how ancient Egyptians transported and raised stone obelisks. "Roman Bath" studies how Romans built bathhouses and attempts to build a working Roman bath. "China Bridge" investigates the structure…

Romans vs. Barbarians: A Simulation Approach to Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balaban, Richard

1982-01-01

Sixth-grade students relive the history of the fall of Rome in a simulation game. An example of student comparisons of Roman and Barbarian strategic advantages indicates how the game increased their understanding of the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire. (AM)

Doctors in ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical education.

PubMed

Gibson, Craig A

2013-10-01

This article collects and examines all references to doctors in rhetorical exercises used in ancient Greek and Roman schools in the Roman Empire. While doctors are sometimes portrayed positively as philanthropic, expert practitioners of their divinely sanctioned art, they are more often depicted as facing charges for poisoning their patients.

77 FR 65245 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Late Roman and Early...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-25

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8069] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Late Roman and Early Byzantine Treasures From The British Museum'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby... objects to be included in the exhibition ``Late Roman and Early Byzantine Treasures From The British...

38 CFR 4.86 - Exceptional patterns of hearing impairment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the Roman numeral designation for hearing impairment from either Table VI or Table VIa, whichever... determine the Roman numeral designation for hearing impairment from either Table VI or Table VIa, whichever results in the higher numeral. That numeral will then be elevated to the next higher Roman numeral. Each...

Paetus, it does not hurt: altruistic suicide in the Greco-Roman world.

PubMed

van Hooff, Anton

2004-01-01

Emile Durkheim, a student of classical education, studied altruistic suicide through an exploration of ancient culture. He associated the concept to civilizations in which people have not reached a sufficient degree of individuation and held that the Greek and Roman civilizations had already developed and were not strongly integrated, a precondition for frequent altruistic suicide. Yet, studies of Greeks and Romans show ample examples. Loyalty and devotion appear to be especially powerful motives. It is concluded that altruistic suicide had its place inside the Greco-Roman world.

Representations and realities: cemeteries as evidence for women in Roman Britain.

PubMed

Pearce, John

2011-01-01

The article considers how burial evidence might contribute to the undestarnding of gender, i.e. the socio-cultural construction of sexual difference, as a dynamic aspect of identity in a Roman province, with a particular focus on women. This subject has hitherto received limited attention and its potential is too great to explore fduly in a short paper. Given this costraint, the article indicates possibilities and problems rather than to offer definitive conclusions. Its emphasis lies on Roman Britain, but similar questions could be applied to other parts of the Roman world.

[The physician in the Roman Army in the early period and at the height of the empire].

PubMed

Wilmanns, J C

1995-01-01

This article deals with the organization of health care in the Roman army, especially in the garrisons stationed in the more remote provinces of the Roman empire. A system of military healthcare was first created during the reign of Augustus. It consisted of various ranks of military physicians (milites medici) and assistants (capsarii and marsi) as well as military hospitals (valetudinaria). These played a major part in the spread of rational medicine over the less civilized parts of the Roman empire.

Collyria seals in the Roman Empire.

PubMed

Perez-Cambrodi, Rafael J; Pinero, David P; Mavrou, Ariadni; Cervino, Alejandro; Brautaset, Rune; Murube del Castillo, Juan

2013-01-01

Roman seals associated with collyria (Latin expression for eye drops/washes and lotions for eye maintenance) provide valuable information about eye care in the antiquity. These small, usually stone-made pieces bore engravings with the names of eye doctors and also the collyria used to treat an eye disease. The collyria seals have been found all over the Roman empire and Celtic territories in particular and were usually associated with military camps. In Hispania (Iberian Peninsula), only three collyria seals have been found. These findings speak about eye care in this ancient Roman province as well as about of the life of the time. This article takes a look at the utility and social significance of the collyria seals and seeks to give an insight in the ophthalmological practice of in the Roman Empire.

History of ancient copper smelting pollution during Roman and Medieval times recorded in Greenland ice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hong, Sungmin; Candelone, J.P.; Patterson, C.C.

1996-04-12

Determination of copper concentrations in Greenland ice dated from seven millennia ago to the present showed values exceeding natural levels, beginning about 2500 years ago. This early large-scale pollution of the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere is attributed to emissions from the crude, highly polluting smelting technologies used for copper production during Roman and medieval times, especially in Europe and China. This study opens the way to a quantitative assessment of the history of early metal production, which was instrumental in the development of human cultures during ancient eras. 27 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.

Traditional and New Enhancing Human Cybernetic and Nanotechnological Body Modification Technologies: A Comparative Study of Roman Catholic and Transhumanist Ethical Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caligiuri, Michael J.

Advances in cybernetic and nanotechnological body modifications currently allow for enhancements to human physical and mental function which exceed human species-based norms. This thesis examines body modification and human enhancement from two perspectives---Roman Catholicism and Transhumanism--- in order to contribute to bioethical deliberations regarding enhancement technologies. Roman Catholicism has a longstanding tradition of bioethical discourse, informing the healthcare directives of Roman Catholic institutions. Transhumanism is more recent movement that endorses body modifications and human enhancements as a means of individual betterment and social evolution. The thesis first considers definitions of human enhancement and levels of normalcy in connection to cybernetic and nanotechnological bionic implants, and outlines a series of criteria to assess a technology's potential bioethical acceptability: implantability, permanency, power, and public interaction. The thesis then describes Roman Catholicism's response to non-enhancing decorative body modifications (cosmetic surgeries, common decorative modifications such as tattoos and piercings, and uncommon modifications such as scarifications and brandings) in order to establish a basis for possible Roman Catholic responses to enhancing cybernetic and nanotechnological modifications. This is followed by an analysis from a Roman Catholic perspective of the major social issues brought forward by enhancement technologies: commodification, eugenics, vulnerability, and distributive justice. Turning to Transhumanism, the thesis describes the origins and philosophy of the movement, and then discusses the bioethical principles it advances with regard to human enhancement. The thesis concludes by locating points of convergence between Transhumanism and Roman Catholicism that could be the basis of more widely accepted ethical guidelines regarding modification technologies.

The ROM Kit: A Fresh Look at Teaching Roman History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shore, Paul J.

1982-01-01

Describes materials in a kit assembled by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) that can be used to revitalize the teaching of Roman history and as a model for teaching about ancient history in general. The author also suggests a new approach, concepts, and topics that should be used in teaching Roman history. (AM)

Stellar Symbols on Ancient Coins of the Roman Empire Part III: 193-235 AD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rovithis-Livaniou, Eleni; Rovithis, Flora

2017-10-01

We continue to present and describe some ancient Roman coins with astronomical symbols like the Moon, the Zodiac signs, the stars, etc. The coins presented in this Paper correspond to the Roman Empire covering the interval (193 - 235) AD, which corresponds mainly to the Severan dynasty

Lullingstone Roman Villa. A Teacher's Handbook. [Revised].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Iain

Lullingstone, in Kent, England, is a Roman villa which was in use for almost the whole period of the Roman occupation of Britain during the fourth century A.D. Throughout this teacher's handbook, emphasis is placed on the archaeological evidence for conclusions about the use of the site, and there are suggested activities to help students…

Psychological Type Preferences of Roman Catholic Priests in the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Charlotte L.; Duncan, Bruce; Francis, Leslie J.

2006-01-01

This study explores the psychological type profile of Roman Catholic priests. A sample of 79 priests completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Form G). The study shows that Roman Catholic priests tend to prefer introversion over extraversion, feeling over thinking and judging over perceiving. Near equal preferences are shown for sensing and…

Orientation to the Humanities, Part I. Off to Rome, Latin: 7500.01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

This course concentrates on the geographic location of the Roman Empire, the Roman personality, the family organization, foods, and eating customs. The cultural background is presented in English and dialogues; mottoes and songs in Latin are included. Much emphasis is placed on English derivatives and on the comparison between Roman and…

75 FR 1680 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Roman Art”

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-12

... Determinations: ``Roman Art'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the... FR 19875], I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Roman Art... that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY...

Road Sign Romanization in Oman: The Linguistic Landscape Close-Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamoussi, Rafik; Roche, Thomas

2017-01-01

Throughout the Arab Gulf States, bilingual road signs are the norm, employing both Arabic and a romanized counterpart for the large expatriate population. The existing romanization is inconsistent, with potentially misleading variant spellings of place names signposting the region. This study provides a linguistic analysis of signs on the arterial…

75 FR 53730 - Culturally Significant Object Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “The Roman Mosaic from Lod...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-01

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7145] Culturally Significant Object Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``The Roman Mosaic from Lod, Israel'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following... object to be included in the exhibition ``The Roman Mosaic from Lod, Israel,'' imported from abroad for...

Medicine in Balkans during the Roman Period.

PubMed

Baykan, Daniş

2017-08-04

The aim of this study is to investigate the archaeological finds to enlighten the medical methods of treatments and operations applied in Balkans during Roman Period. Some independent local and regional find groups, taken from existing publications will be grouped together and a holistic point-of-view will be taken against medicine in Balkan Geography during Roman Period. Due to basic differences it contained, the data before Roman Period are excluded. Most of Greece and Aegean Islands are also excluded since the topic selected is "Medicine of Roman Period." Greece and Aegean Islands should be evaluated in another study in connection with West Anatolia which is closer than the Balkan Geography in terms of social relations. The spread of medical tools in Balkans during Roman Period is concentrated around military garrisons, and in settlements built around military pathways, and in settlements containing an amphitheater associated with gladiators. This spread is verified by the studies on Bulgaria in general. The data is also compatible with the assertion suggesting that the amount of application of pharmaceutical treatment increases when one moves away from the military centres.

Medicine in Balkans during the Roman Period

PubMed Central

Baykan, Daniş

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the archaeological finds to enlighten the medical methods of treatments and operations applied in Balkans during Roman Period. Some independent local and regional find groups, taken from existing publications will be grouped together and a holistic point-of-view will be taken against medicine in Balkan Geography during Roman Period. Due to basic differences it contained, the data before Roman Period are excluded. Most of Greece and Aegean Islands are also excluded since the topic selected is “Medicine of Roman Period.” Greece and Aegean Islands should be evaluated in another study in connection with West Anatolia which is closer than the Balkan Geography in terms of social relations. The spread of medical tools in Balkans during Roman Period is concentrated around military garrisons, and in settlements built around military pathways, and in settlements containing an amphitheater associated with gladiators. This spread is verified by the studies on Bulgaria in general. The data is also compatible with the assertion suggesting that the amount of application of pharmaceutical treatment increases when one moves away from the military centres. PMID:28552838

SVS (Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis)

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-21

ISS020-E-032798 (21 Aug. 2009) --- Cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with video equipment and a Russian payload TkhN-7 Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

The future of Catholic health care: observations from an Orthodox Christian perspective.

PubMed

Cozby, Dimitri

1999-04-01

The author reflects on the future of Catholic health care by looking at the essays in this volume by Dennis Brodeur, Clarke E. Cochran, and Christopher J. Kauffman. The author argues that (1) Roman Catholic teaching on the Trinity is defective, yielding an inadequate model of society, (2) Roman Catholic teaching on the Incarnation is defective, yielding an impoverished understanding of the "sacramental," and (3) the institutional orientation of Roman Catholicism combined with the lack of true sacramental vision makes it nearly impossible for Roman Catholic theory to criticize the current structure of health care financing.

Composition, Preservation and Production Technology of Augusta Emerita Roman Glasses from the First to the Sixth Century a.d.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palomar, Teresa; Garcia-Heras, Manuel; Sabio, Rafael; Rincon, Jesus-Maria; Villegas, Maria-Angeles

This paper presents the results derived from an archaeometric study undertaken on glass samples from the Roman town of Augusta Emerita (Mérida, Spain). The main goal of the research was to provide for the first time some compositional and technological insights into the glass finds unearthed in this town. Glass samples from different sites and chronology, either from inside or from outside the perimeter of the ancient town and from the first to the sixth century AD, were analyzed and characterized through optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry and VIS spectrophotometry. Resulting data indicated that all the samples studied were natron-based soda lime silicate glasses, even though two chronological and compositionally distinct groups were distinguished. One composed of Early Empire glasses and a second one composed of glasses from the fourth century AD onward, which was characterized by the presence of the so-called HIMT (high iron, manganese, and titanium) glasses. Comparison with coeval glasses suggested that Augusta Emerita shared the same trade glass circles than other contemporary Roman towns, within the frame of a secondary production scale. Finally, some outstanding differences connected to composition and chronology were found, since Late Roman glasses presented a higher and distinct degree of alteration than Early Empire ones.

Estimation of Seismic Attenuation beneath Tateyama Volcano, Central Japan by Using Peak Delay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwata, K.; Kawakata, H.; Hirano, S.; Doi, I.

2015-12-01

The Hida Mountain Range located in central Japan has a lot of active volcanoes. Katsumata et al. (1995, GJI) suggested the presence of regions with low-velocity and low-density as well as low Qanomaly at 5-15 km deep beneath the range. Tateyama volcano is located in the northern part of the range. Iwata et al. (2014, AGU Fall Meeting) quantitatively estimated strength of S-wave attenuation beneath Tateyama volcano using twofold spectral ratios and suggested that regions with high seismic attenuation exist in the south or the southeast of Tateyama volcano. However, it is difficult to estimate the contribution of scattering loss and intrinsic absorption to total attenuation on the basis of this method. In the present study, we focused on the peak delay (Takahashi et al., 2007, GJI) in seismic envelopes. We used seismograms observed at five NIED Hi-net stations near Tateyama volcano for 31 local earthquakes (MJMA2.5-4.0). We found seismograms recorded after passing below the southern part of the Hida Mountain Range show longer peak delay than those recorded before passing below the region, while there are no clear difference in peak delay for pairs of seismograms before and after passing below Tateyama volcano. It suggests that causes of the attenuation beneath Tateyama volcano and the southern part of the Hida Mountain Range are different. We used the peak delay values to evaluate the strength of intrinsic absorption. We assumed that the difference of whole peak delay between two seismograms for the same earthquake was caused by intrinsic absorption beneath the region between the two seismic stations. Wecalculated the change in amplitude and peak delay on the basis of a theory suggested by Azimi et al. (1966, Izvestia, Earth Physics). In case of the two envelopes are quite similar to each other, we conclude that intrinsic absorption is a major cause of total attenuation. If not so, we need to take into account the contribution of scattering attenuation and some others.

Using Roman Sites: A Teacher's Guide. Education on Site.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Iain

This book is about finding the evidence to help pupils discover the Romans, especially in Britain. The Romans changed the culture and landscape of Britain and left a wide range of evidence to be investigated today. Pupils need to be presented this range of evidence and the interpretations put on them. The evidence presented is both archaeological…

Gymnastics of the Mind: Greek Education in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cribiore, Raffaella

2005-01-01

This book is at once a thorough study of the educational system for the Greeks of Hellenistic and Roman Egypt, and a window to the vast panorama of educational practices in the Greco-Roman world. It describes how people learned, taught, and practiced literate skills, how schools functioned, and what the curriculum comprised. Raffaella Cribiore…

Octulosonic acid derivatives from roman chamomile (Chamaemelum Nobile) with activities against inflammation and metabolic disorder

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chamaemelum nobile (L.) Allioni, with the common name Roman chamomile, is widely cultivated in all parts of Europe, northern Africa, North American and southwest Asia. Roman chamomile is listed by the Council of Europe as a natural source of food flavoring. The flowering tops of the plant are used t...

Fringes of the empire: Diet and cultural change at the Roman to post-Roman transition in NW Iberia.

PubMed

López-Costas, Olalla; Müldner, Gundula

2016-09-01

A growing number of paleodiet investigations over recent years have begun to reveal the stark dietary differences that existed between regions of the Roman Empire, as well as significant changes in subsistence strategies after its fall. The present study explores the dietary changes at the Roman to post-Roman (Germanic) transition in the Northwest Iberian Peninsula, in order to improve our understanding of the changes that occurred at end of the Roman Empire in different regions across Europe and to also consider the influence of climate had on them. The carbon and nitrogen stable isotope investigation in bone collagen from A Lanzada, NW Spain (100-700 AD), which was an important commercial, coastal settlement has been presented. A human sample of 59 individuals, 6 of them subadults, is compared with 31 faunal specimens, which include a number of marine fish. Isotope data for the terrestrial fauna reveal the influence of the sea on the local isotope baseline. Analysis of the human samples indicates a mixed marine-terrestrial diet. A shift in mean human δ(13) C values from -16.7‰ to -14.3‰ provides clear evidence for a significant change in diet in the post-Roman period, probably through the intensification of both marine resources exploitation and C4 -plant consumption (presumably millet). A deterioration of paleoenvironmental conditions, together with a poor socioeconomic situation and the arrival of new people, the Sueves, who brought a new political and socioeconomic system have been discussed as the main causes for the dietary modification in post-Roman times. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Wisdom of Youth: How Modern Ontario Roman Catholic Students Challenge and Resist the Persistent Colonial Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brennan, Terri-Lynn Kay

2012-01-01

Youth today in Roman Catholic schools are not experiencing the complete freedom of an identity that is unique and valued. They describe the Ontario Roman Catholic school system as if it is still an agent of colonial forces, maintaining imperial power through denominational religious elitism. Using a critical ethnographic methodology within a…

Piecing Together the Roman Empire: A Story of Discovery and Triumph.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richmond, Julie A.; And Others

This story, written by middle school students and their teacher at Kingsbury School in Michigan, concerns the Ancient Roman Empire and is designed to be used to teach other middle school students. The story depicts a quest to reconstruct the Roman Empire from its beginnings as Ancient Italy, as a republic in the sixth century B.C., to the height…

Roman and early-medieval routes in north-western Europe: modelling national and international frequent-travel zones in the Netherlands using a multi-proxy approach.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Lanen, Rowin J.; Jansma, Esther

2016-04-01

The end of the Roman period in many parts of north-western Europe coincided with severe population decline and collapsing trade routes. To what extent the long-distance transport routes changed from Roman to early-medieval periods and what their exact nature was, is generally unknown. Only few historical sources are available for this period, and archaeological records complex. Traditionally, research on the long-distance exchange of goods therefore generally has focussed on the spatial analyses of archaeologically recognizable goods (e.g. jewellery, religious artefacts). Although these endeavours greatly increase our understanding of long-distance trade networks, they probably in itself do not represent the full spectrum of common exchange networks and transport routes. By using a dendroarchaeological approach we were able to analyse long-distance transport routes of imported timber in the Roman and early-medieval Netherlands. By combining the provenance of exogenous timbers with data on modelled Roman and early-medieval route networks, we were able to reconstruct: (a) Roman and early-medieval trade networks in structural timbers, (b) changing transport routes in structural timbers and (c) model spatially shifting frequent-travel zones in the research area.

Human parasites in the Roman World: health consequences of conquering an empire.

PubMed

Mitchell, Piers D

2017-01-01

The archaeological evidence for parasites in the Roman era is presented in order to demonstrate the species present at that time, and highlight the health consequences for people living under Roman rule. Despite their large multi-seat public latrines with washing facilities, sewer systems, sanitation legislation, fountains and piped drinking water from aqueducts, we see the widespread presence of whipworm (Trichuris trichiura), roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) and Entamoeba histolytica that causes dysentery. This would suggest that the public sanitation measures were insufficient to protect the population from parasites spread by fecal contamination. Ectoparasites such as fleas, head lice, body lice, pubic lice and bed bugs were also present, and delousing combs have been found. The evidence fails to demonstrate that the Roman culture of regular bathing in the public baths reduced the prevalence of these parasites. Fish tapeworm was noted to be widely present, and was more common than in Bronze and Iron Age Europe. It is possible that the Roman enthusiasm for fermented, uncooked fish sauce (garum) may have facilitated the spread of this helminth. Roman medical practitioners such as Galen were aware of intestinal worms, explaining their existence and planning treatment using the humoural theory of the period.

Magnetic and electromagnetic prospections at the Roman city of Hadrianopolis, southern Albania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schettino, Antonio; Perna, Roberto; Pierantoni, Pietro Paolo; Ghezzi, Annalisa; Tassi, Luca; Sforzini, David

2017-04-01

We report on a combined magnetic-GPR survey performed in 2015-2017 at the ancient Roman city of Hadrianopolis, located in southern Albania, in the context of the project Teatri Antichi Riuniti (TAU). The collected data supplemented previous archaeological surveys performed by the University of Macerata with the aim of promoting the valley and starting the realization of an archaeological park. Hadrianopolis was founded through a reorganization of a previous Hellenistic settlement. Starting from 2015, magnetic and GPR surveys were carried out in Hadrianopolis in order to determine the urban framework. The collected data revealed the existence of structures organized along two main different patterns, which have been interpreted as due to the superposition of Roman buildings and Late Antiquity structures. In fact, the arrangement of structures in the studied area shows a regular urban organization of Roman type separated by a less regular disposition of the buildings that can be attributed to the Byzantine age. The latter arrangement is superimposed on the previous Roman structures. A stone wall, clearly identified by the combination of magnetic anomalies and GPR images, separates the Byzantine seattlement from the genuine Roman sector.

Automatic scheduling of outages of nuclear power plants with time windows. Final report, January-December 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gomes, C.

This report describes a successful project for transference of advanced AI technology into the domain of planning of outages of nuclear power plants as part of DOD`s dual-use program. ROMAN (Rome Lab Outage Manager) is the prototype system that was developed as a result of this project. ROMAN`s main innovation compared to the current state-of-the-art of outage management tools is its capability to automatically enforce safety constraints during the planning and scheduling phase. Another innovative aspect of ROMAN is the generation of more robust schedules that are feasible over time windows. In other words, ROMAN generates a family of schedulesmore » by assigning time intervals as start times to activities rather than single start times, without affecting the overall duration of the project. ROMAN uses a constraint satisfaction paradigm combining a global search tactic with constraint propagation. The derivation of very specialized representations for the constraints to perform efficient propagation is a key aspect for the generation of very fast schedules - constraints are compiled into the code, which is a novel aspect of our work using an automatic programming system, KIDS.« less

Discovery of ancient Roman "highway" reveals geomorphic changes in karst environments during historic times.

PubMed

Bernardini, Federico; Vinci, Giacomo; Forte, Emanuele; Furlani, Stefano; Pipan, Michele; Biolchi, Sara; De Min, Angelo; Fragiacomo, Andrea; Micheli, Roberto; Ventura, Paola; Tuniz, Claudio

2018-01-01

Sinkholes are a well-known geologic hazard but their past occurrence, useful for subsidence risk prediction, is difficult to define, especially for ancient historic times. Consequently, our knowledge about Holocene carbonate landscapes is often limited. A multidisciplinary study of Trieste Karst (Italy), close to early Roman military fortifications, led to the identification of possible ancient road tracks, cut by at least one sinkhole. Electrical Resistivity Tomography through the sinkhole has suggested the presence of a cave below its bottom, possibly responsible of the sinkhole formation, while Ground Penetrating Radar has detected no tectonic disturbances underneath the tracks. Additionally, archaeological surveys led to the discovery of over 200 Roman shoe hobnails within or close to the investigated route. According to these data, the tracks are interpreted as the remains of a main Roman road, whose itinerary has been reconstructed for more than 4 km together with other elements of ancient landscape. Our results provide the first known evidence of a Roman main road swallowed by sinkholes and suggest that Holocene karst landscapes could be much different from what previously believed. In fact, sinkholes visible nowadays in the investigated region could have been flat areas filled by sediments up to the Roman time.

Landscape and vegetation change on the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman Epoch - A reconstruction based on Geo-Bioarchives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Heike

2010-05-01

Archaeological investigations expect that first strong landscape changes on the Iberian Peninsula based on Roman Occupation (Schattner 1998, Teichner 2007). Actual sedimentological investigations in flood plains, lagoons and estuaries do not reflect this development. They often show a decrease in sedimentation during this period (Thorndycraft & Benito 2006 a/b). In contrast analyses on sediments from roman dams (Hinderer et al. 2004, Solanas 2005) document massive erosion processes. The aim of this presented project is to reconstruct the effects of the roman land use system on vegetation and landscape development. Therefore different Geo-Bioarchives on several sites of Portugal and Spain - estuaries, palaeoriver channels and roman dams - are actually investigated with a high temporal resolution using palynological and sedimentological methods. First results show, that the anthropogenic impact starts clearly before roman time with an peak in human activity during Iron Age (Schneider et al. 2008). During the roman occupation phase different effects are visible. The inland areas document a massive increase in vegetation change, while the coastal areas were stronger developed before and show only slightly and very local changes in land use and vegetation. References Hinderer, M., Silva C. & J. Ries (2004). Erosion in zentralen Ebrobecken und Sedimentakkumulation in Talsperren. GeoLeipzig 2004, Geowissenschaften sichern Zukunft. - Schriftenreihe der Dt. Geol. Gesell. 34. Schattner, T.G. (1998): Archäologischer Wegweiser durch Portugal.- Kulturgeschichte der antiken Welt 74. Mainz. Schneider, H., Höfer, D., Trog, C., Daut, G., Hilbich C. & R. Mäusbacher (2008): Geoarcheological reconstruction of lagoon development in the Algarve Region (South Portugal). Terra Nostra 2008/2, Abstract Volume 12th IPC: 248. Solanas, O.L.-P. (2005): El Aterramiento del embalse romano de Muel: Implicaciones para la evolución de la erosióy el uso de los recursos hidricos en el valle del Huerva. Postgrado en Ingeneria de los Recursos Hidricos, Zaragoza. Teichner, F. (2007): Zwischen Land und Meer - Entre tierra y mar. Studien zur Architektur und Wirtschaftsweise ländlicher Siedlungen im Süden der römischen Provinz Lusitanien. - Stvdia Lvsitana 3 (MNAR) / Madrider Beitr. (DAI). Thorndycraft, V.R. & G. Benito (2006a): Late Holocene fluvial chronology of Spain: The role of climatic variability and human impact. - Catena 66 (1-2): 34-41. Thorndycraft, V.R. & G. Benito (2006b): The Holocene fluvial chronology of Spain: evidence from a newly compiled radiocarbon database. - Quaternary Science Reviews 25 (3-4): 223-234.

On the reading of the structural behavior of old masonry: The issue of the seismic assessment of archeological ruins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fonti, Roberta

2016-12-01

This paper addresses the problem of assessing the resistance of ancient Roman structures to normal lateral forces. This subject was examined by applying theoretical models, especially for historical masonry. Procedure Guidelines for the Assessment and Reduction of Seismic Risk of Cultural Heritage [1] were followed here. A lack of information exists within the models for seismic safety assessment. They are restricted to four main categories, which do not mention structures that lack integrity (FIGURE 1, a). Archeological findings, such as masonry elements, often lack integrity and suffer from instability of isolated parties under seismic actions. Nevertheless, a realistic assessment of their safety level is crucial for their survival, especially in regions prone to earthquakes. The attainment of the necessary safety targets is difficult to achieve without reinforcement. The practice of strengthening archeological assets avoids possible collapses. Contrarily, it is responsible for irreversible changes to their historical features regardless of their historical value. However, selecting an appropriate level of building knowledge and design life can avoid the usage of extensive strengthening techniques. An illustrative example is reported in this paper.

Measuring the Contribution of Roman Catholic Secondary Schools to Students' Religious, Personal and Social Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Village, Andrew; Francis, Leslie J.

2016-01-01

Roman Catholic schools have been part of the state-funded system of education in England and Wales since the 1850s. Currently, Roman Catholic schools provide places for around 10% of students attending state-maintained primary and secondary schools. The present study employed data collected during the 1990s to compare a range of religious, social,…

The Roman Empire legacy of Galen (129-200 AD).

PubMed

Shoja, Mohammadali M; Tubbs, R Shane; Ghabili, Kamyar; Griessenauer, Christoph J; Balch, Margaret Wood; Cuceu, Mariana

2015-01-01

Galen of Pergamum was the physician of Roman Emperors and contributed to our early understanding of medicine and anatomy. Herein, we present a short biography of Galen and review his multiple contributions to medicine and anatomy. Although it has been almost 2,000 years since Galen walked the streets of the Roman Empire, his legacy continues via multiple eponyms that bare his name.

An unwritten anatomy lesson: The influence of Roman clothing on neuroanatomical terminology: In memoriam Albert L. Rhoton, Jr. (1932-2016).

PubMed

Turliuc, Dana Mihaela; Turliuc, Serban; Cucu, Andrei Ionut; Sava, Anca; Dumitrescu, Gabriela Florenta; Cărăuleanu, Alexandru; Buzdugă, Cătălin; Trandafir, Daniela; Costea, Claudia Florida

2016-09-01

Throughout the centuries, anatomists attempting to denominate the new structures they discovered have found inspiration in the civilization of ancient Rome and the clothing worn by its citizens. This aricle presents the origins of seven neuroanatomical terms, fimbria, velum, funiculus, lemniscus, corona, splenium, and cingulum, inspired by the clothing and jewellery of Roman women and the military attire of Roman soldiers. Thus, through their apparel, the Romans influenced the Terminologia Anatomica and "clothed" the structures of the brain and spinal cord, making them immortal. Clin. Anat. 29:685-690, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Weather extremes and the Romans - A marine palynological perspective on Italian temperature and precipitation between 200 BC and 500 AD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zonneveld, Karin; Clotten, Caroline; Chen, Liang

2015-04-01

Sediments of a tephra-dated marine sediment core located at the distal part of the Po-river discharge plume (southern Italy) have been studied with a three annual resolution. Based on the variability in the dinoflagellate cyst content detailed reconstructions have been established of variability in precipitation related river discharge rates and local air temperature. Furthermore about the variability in distort water quality has been reconstructed. We show that both precipitation and temperature signals vary in tune with cyclic changes in solar insolation. On top of these cyclic changes, short term extremes in temperature and precipitation can be observed that can be interpreted to reflect periods of local weather extremes. Comparison of our reconstructions with historical information suggest that times of high temperatures and maximal precipitation corresponds to the period of maximal expansion of the Roman Empire. We have strong indications that at this time discharge waters might have contained higher nutrient concentrations compared to previous and later time intervals suggesting anthropogenic influence of the water quality. First pilot-results suggest that the decrease in temperature reconstructed just after the "Roman Optimum" corresponds to an increase in numbers of armored conflicts between the Roman and German cultures. Furthermore we observe a resemblance in timing of short-term intervals with cold weather spells during the early so called "Dark-Age-Period" to correspond to epidemic/pandemic events in Europe.

Active Faulting, Earthquakes and Geomorphological Changes from Archaeoseismic Data and High-Resolution Topography: Effects on the Urban Evolution of the Roman Town of Sybaris, Ionian Sea (Southern Italy).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfonsi, L.; Brunori, C. A.; Cinti, F. R.

2014-12-01

The Sybaris town was founded by the Greeks in 720 B.C and its life went on up to the late Roman time (VI-VII century A.D.). The town was located within the Sibari Plain near the Crati River mouth (Ionian northern Calabria, southern Italy). Sybaris occurs in area repeatedly affected by natural damaging phenomena, as frequent flooding, high local subsidence, marine storms, and earthquakes. The 2700 year long record of history of Sybaris stores the traces of these natural events and their influence on the human ancient environment through time. Among the natural disasters, we recognize two Roman age earthquakes striking the town. We isolate the damaging of these seismic events, set their time of occurrence, and map a shear zone crossing the site. These results were obtained through i) survey of coseismic features on the ruins, ii) geoarchaeological stratigraphy analysis, and TL and C14 dating, iii) analysis of high-resolution topographic data (1m pixel LiDAR DEM). The Sybaris town showed a persistent resilience to the earthquakes, and following their occurrences the site was not abandoned but underwent remodeling of the urban topography. The interaction of the different approaches reveals the presence of a previously unknown fault crossing the archeological site, the Sybaris fault. The high-resolution topography allows the characterization of subtle geomorphological features and hydrological anomalies, tracing the fault extension, whose Holocene activity is controlling the local morphology and the present Crati river course.

Mapping Findspots of Roman Military Brickstamps in Mogontiacum (Mainz) and Archaeometrical Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolata, Jens; Mucha, Hans-Joachim; Bartel, Hans-Georg

Mainz was a Roman settlement that was established as an important military outpost in 13 BC. Almost 100 years later Mainz, the ancient Mogontiacum, became the seat of the administrative centre of the Roman Province of Germania Superior. About 3,500 brickstamps concerning to the period until the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century AD have been found in archaeological excavations. These documents have to be investigated based on several methods for a better understanding the history. Here the focus is on an application of spatial statistical analysis in archaeology. Concretely, about 250 sites have to be investigated. So, we compare maps of different periods graphically by nonparametric density estimation. Here different weights of the sites according to the radius of the finding area are taken into account. Moreover we can test whether archaeological segmentation is statistically significant or not. In combination of smooth mapping, testing and looking for dated brickstamps there is a good chance to achieve new sources for the Roman history of Mainz.

'Cost in transliteration': the neurocognitive processing of Romanized writing.

PubMed

Rao, Chaitra; Mathur, Avantika; Singh, Nandini C

2013-03-01

Romanized transliteration is widely used in internet communication and global commerce, yet we know little about its behavioural and neural processing. Here, we show that Romanized text imposes a significant neurocognitive load. Readers faced greater difficulty in identifying concrete words written in Romanized transliteration (Romanagari) compared to L1 and L2. Functional neuroimaging revealed that the neural cost of processing transliterations arose from significantly greater recruitment of language (left precentral gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule) and attention networks (left mid-cingulum). Additionally, transliterated text uniquely activated attention and control areas compared to both L1 (cerebellar vermis) and L2 (pre-supplementary motor area/pre-SMA). We attribute the neural effort of reading Romanized transliteration to (i) effortful phonological retrieval from unfamiliar orthographic forms and (ii) conflicting attentional demands imposed by mapping orthographic forms of one language to phonological-semantic representations in another. Finally, significant brain-behaviour correlation suggests that the left mid-cingulum modulates cognitive-linguistic conflict. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Asymmetric bias in perception of facial affect among Roman and Arabic script readers.

PubMed

Heath, Robin L; Rouhana, Aida; Ghanem, Dana Abi

2005-01-01

The asymmetric chimeric faces test is used frequently as an indicator of right hemisphere involvement in the perception of facial affect, as the test is considered free of linguistic elements. Much of the original research with the asymmetric chimeric faces test was conducted with subjects reading left-to-right Roman script, i.e., English. As readers of right-to-left scripts, such as Arabic, demonstrated a mixed or weak rightward bias in judgements of facial affect, the influence of habitual scanning direction was thought to intersect with laterality. We administered the asymmetric chimeric faces test to 1239 adults who represented a range of script experience, i.e., Roman script readers (English and French), Arabic readers, bidirectional readers of Roman and Arabic scripts, and illiterates. Our findings supported the hypothesis that the bias in facial affect judgement is rooted in laterality, but can be influenced by script direction. Specifically, right-handed readers of Roman script demonstrated the greatest mean leftward score, and mixed-handed Arabic script readers demonstrated the greatest mean rightward score. Biliterates showed a gradual shift in asymmetric perception, as their scores fell between those of Roman and Arabic script readers, basically distributed in the order expected by their handedness and most often used script. Illiterates, whose only directional influence was laterality, showed a slight leftward bias.

Discovery of ancient Roman "highway" reveals geomorphic changes in karst environments during historic times

PubMed Central

Vinci, Giacomo; Forte, Emanuele; Furlani, Stefano; Pipan, Michele; Biolchi, Sara; De Min, Angelo; Fragiacomo, Andrea; Micheli, Roberto; Ventura, Paola; Tuniz, Claudio

2018-01-01

Sinkholes are a well-known geologic hazard but their past occurrence, useful for subsidence risk prediction, is difficult to define, especially for ancient historic times. Consequently, our knowledge about Holocene carbonate landscapes is often limited. A multidisciplinary study of Trieste Karst (Italy), close to early Roman military fortifications, led to the identification of possible ancient road tracks, cut by at least one sinkhole. Electrical Resistivity Tomography through the sinkhole has suggested the presence of a cave below its bottom, possibly responsible of the sinkhole formation, while Ground Penetrating Radar has detected no tectonic disturbances underneath the tracks. Additionally, archaeological surveys led to the discovery of over 200 Roman shoe hobnails within or close to the investigated route. According to these data, the tracks are interpreted as the remains of a main Roman road, whose itinerary has been reconstructed for more than 4 km together with other elements of ancient landscape. Our results provide the first known evidence of a Roman main road swallowed by sinkholes and suggest that Holocene karst landscapes could be much different from what previously believed. In fact, sinkholes visible nowadays in the investigated region could have been flat areas filled by sediments up to the Roman time. PMID:29570732

"These boots were made for walking": the isotopic analysis of a C(4) Roman inhumation from Gravesend, Kent, UK.

PubMed

Pollard, A M; Ditchfield, P; McCullagh, J S O; Allen, T G; Gibson, M; Boston, C; Clough, S; Marquez-Grant, N; Nicholson, R A

2011-11-01

As part of the road widening scheme between London and Dover, Oxford Archaeology South uncovered a large boundary ditch of Iron Age origin that contained Iron Age and Roman inhumations, adjacent to which was a small mid-late Roman cemetery, interpreted as a rural cemetery for Romano-British farmers. Grave goods in the cemetery were restricted to a few individuals with hobnailed boots. Bulk bone collagen isotopic analysis of 11 skeletons of Iron Age and Roman date gave a typical C(3) terrestrial signal (average δ(13) C = -19.8‰, δ(15) N = 9.3‰), but also revealed one (SK12671) with a diet which included a substantial C(4) component (δ(13) C = -15.2‰, δ(15) N = 11.2‰). This is only the second such diet reported in Roman Britain. Subsequent δ(18) O(c) and (87) Sr/(86) Sr measurements on the dental enamel in this individual were, however, consistent with a "local" origin, indicating that either C(4) protein was consumed in Late Roman Britain, or that he came from somewhere else, but where conditions gave rise to similar isotopic values. If we accept the latter, then it indicates that using oxygen and strontium isotopes alone to identify "incomers" may be problematic. The provision of hobnailed boots for the dead appears to have had a strong symbolic element in Late Roman Britain. We suggest that in this case the boots may be significant, in that he was being equipped for the long march home. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PREFACE: INERA Conference 2015: Light in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (LNN 2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nesheva, D.; Chamati, H.; Genova, J.; Gesheva, K.; Ivanova, T.; Szekeres, A.

2016-02-01

We are pleased to introduce the Proceedings of the Conference ''Light in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 2015'' (LNN 2015) organized by the Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the frames of the INERA Project ''Research and Innovation Capacity Strengthening of ISSP-BAS in Multifunctional Nanostructures'' REGPOT-2012-2013-1 NMP. The LNN 2015 Conference was dedicated to the ''International year of light - 2015''. The Conference took place from 20th to 22nd of October in the beautiful spa resort Hissar, situated 140 km away from Sofia, close to the famous Valley of Roses, amidst a real abundance of curative mineral waters. The resort has an old history - even the ancient Romans knew well the curative properties of the water. Today the town has more than 4 km of Roman as well as architectural remains. During the age of the Roman Empire, the town, called Augusta, was a wealthy healing center with Emperors' palaces, wide stone streets, marble baths, statues of Roman Gods and exuberant vegetation. Participants from 13 different countries delivered 22 invited lectures, 17 oral and 46 poster presentations, contributing in 8 different topics. Papers submitted to the Proceedings were refereed according to the standards of the Journal of Physics: Conference Series and the accepted ones illustrate the diversity and the high level of the contributions. The Conference gave a good opportunity for interesting discussions and exchange of ideas between the participants. Not least, a significant factor for the success of the LNN 2015 was the social program, the relaxing spa facilities and the guided tour through the Roman remains of the town. The proceedings of conferences and workshops organized in the frames of INERA Project are regularly published by the Journal of Physics: Conference Series. We are grateful to the Journal's staff for providing us this opportunity.

Imperial Policy and the Integration of Gaul into the Roman Empire

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-12

ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF EMPIRE From as early as the second century BC Gaul had a taste for the material outputs of the Roman economy. Wine in particular...Rome tolerated the establishment of local Gallic production. This meant the growth in Gaul’s wine consumption benefited Gallic producers and not...exporter of sought after wines . Wine production was not the only industry that benefited from the Roman conquest. Complementing Gallic viticulture

From Citizen Militia to Professional Military: Transformation of the Roman Army

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-15

Numidia. Plutarch reports about Sulla’s apprehension of Joghurta: Here, in general, he gained approbation; and more especially, by closing in...to light. In his work Plutarch gives us probably the best description of what Roman army has turned in to: Other things were sent away without...to Alexander the Great. Plutarch in his works writes about Pompeius: For on the one hand, never did the Romans give such demonstrations of a

In between mental evolution and unconscious memory: Lamarckism, Darwinism, and professionalism in late Victorian Britain.

PubMed

Turbil, Cristiano

2017-09-01

In 1884 Samuel Butler published a collection of essays entitled Remarks on George Romanes' Mental Evolution, where he attempted to show how Romanes' idea of mental evolution presented similarities with his theory of unconscious memory. By looking at Romanes' work through Butler's writing, this article will reevaluate some aspects of their works regarding the complex debate about memory, heredity, and instinct. This paper will explore the main differences and similarities between Romanes' science and Butler's writing on science both in terms of their ideas and contents. It will then look into their different professional relationships with Darwin and how this determined the professional and public reception of their theories. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The plague under Marcus Aurelius and the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.

PubMed

Fears, J Rufus

2004-03-01

The Roman Empire of the second century was a superpower that, in relative terms, dominated its world as much as the United States does today. In 166 AD, a plague broke out od pandemic proportions. The pandemic ravaged the entire extent of the Roman Empire, from its eastern frontiers in Iraq to its western frontiers on the Rhine River and Gaul, modern France, and western Germany. The disease is identified most often as smallpox, but it may have been anthrax. The study of bacterial DNA may enable identification of this plague that ravaged the Roman Empire at recurrent intervals for more than 100 years and that had a significant role in the decline and fall of this great superpower.

Quantitative determination of seven chemical constituents and chemo-type differentiation of chamomiles using high-performance thin-layer chromatography

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Matricaria recutita L. (German Chamomile), Anthemis nobilis L. (Roman Chamomile) and Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat are commonly used chamomiles. High performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed for estimation of six flavonoids (rutin, luteolin-7-O-ß-glucoside, chamaemeloside...

Archaeology: formulation of a Roman cosmetic.

PubMed

Evershed, R P; Berstan, R; Grew, F; Copley, M S; Charmant, A J H; Barham, E; Mottram, H R; Brown, G

2004-11-04

The discovery of a small tin canister in London during archaeological excavations of a Roman temple precinct, dated to the middle of the second century AD, is a landmark in the study of this class of artefact. Such discoveries from the Roman world are rare and this is the only one to be found so far with its lid and contents--a whitish medicinal or cosmetic cream--providing a unique opportunity for us to study the ancient formulation.

[Assumption of medical risks and the problem of medical liability in ancient Roman law].

PubMed

Váradi, Agnes

2008-11-02

The claim of an individual to assure his health and life, to assume and compensate the damage from diseases and accidents, had already appeared in the system of the ancient Roman law in the form of many singular legal institutions. In lack of a unified archetype of regulation, we have to analyse the damages caused in the health or corporal integrity of different personal groups: we have to mention the legal interpretation of the diseases or injuries suffered by serves, people under manus or patria potestas and free Roman citizens. The fragments from the Digest od Justinian do not only demonstrate concrete legal problems, but they can serve as a starting point for further theoretical analyses. For example: if death is the consequence of a medical failure, does the doctor have any kind of liability? Was after-care part of the healing process according to the Roman law? Examining these questions, we should not forget to talk about the complex liability system of the Roman law, the compensation of the damages caused in a contractual or delictual context and about the lex Aquilia. Although these conclusions have no direct relation with the present legal regulation of risk assumption, we have to see that analysing the examples of the Roman law can be useful for developing our view of a certain theoretical problem, like that of the modern liability concept in medicine as well.

Land use history, floodplain development, and soil erosion in the vicinity of a millstone production center since the Iron Age in the Segbachtal near Mayen (eastern Eifel, Germany)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dotterweich, Markus; Wenzel, Stefan; Schreg, Rainer; Fülling, Alexander; Engel, Max

2015-04-01

In Roman times, the stone and pottery production near Mayen in western Germany reached a very high intensity which would have satisfied the needs of a much wider area. The rate and volume of production was unprecedented and never reached the same level thereafter. The Segbach valley study site with an area of only a few square kilometres offers a very special geoarchaeological archive. The Roman land use structures were completely preserved under a 2 meter thick layer of sediment and are now partially exposed in a gully due to erosion. Pedological, sedimentological and geophysical studies at the colluvium and floodplain sediments as well as relict field structures showed that in the last 2500 years there has been a considerable human impact on both water and sediment budgets. This also had various implications on the further development of water courses, soils and relief. Evidence for the development of flood plain sediments can be traced as far back as the late La Tène period, the Roman Iron Age, and since the Middle Ages. On one particular south-facing slope we found evidence of recultivation measures on a former quarry tailing heap dating from the Middle Ages. This and other human construction activities and land uses lead to a significant change in erosion and sedimentation patterns. It is surprising that sedimentation in flood plains was largely absent during the Roman Iron Age despite intensive land use. Evidence shows that flash flood events with intensive accumulation of soil matter in flood plains only occurred during the High Middle Ages. Sediments from the late Middle ages and the Modern Times are largely missing. The research undertaken in Segbach valley not only offers new insights into specific local historical land uses and land use changes but also fundamental knowledge about the principles and impacts of long-term human-environment interactions.

Psychotherapy and Moralising Rhetoric in Galen’s Newly Discovered Avoiding Distress (Peri Alypias)

PubMed Central

Xenophontos, Sophia

2014-01-01

In this article, I examine Galen’s credentials as an ethical philosopher on the basis of his recently discovered essay Avoiding Distress (Peri alypias). As compensation for the scholarly neglect from which Galen’s ethics suffers, I argue that his moral agenda is an essential part of his philosophical discourse, one that situates him firmly within the tradition of practical ethics of the Roman period. Galen’s engagement with Stoic psychotherapy and the Platonic-Aristotelian educational model affirms his ethical authority; on the other hand, his distinctive moralising features such as the autobiographical perspective of his narrative and the intimacy between author and addressee render his Avoiding Distress exceptional among other essays, Greek or Latin, treating anxiety. Additionally, I show that Galen’s self-projection as a therapist of the emotions corresponds to his role as a practising physician, especially as regards the construction of authority, the efficacy of his therapy and the importance of personal experience as attested in his medical accounts. Finally, the diligence with which Galen retextures his moral advice in his On the Affections and Errors of the Soul – a work of different nature and intent in relation to Avoiding Distress – is a testimony to the dynamics of his ethics and more widely to his philosophical medicine. The philosopher’s lecture room is a ‘hospital’: you ought not to walk out of it in a state of pleasure, but in pain; for you are not in good condition when you arrive. Epictetus, Discourses 3.23.30 PMID:25284896

9. Photocopy of old photo shows a general view of ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

9. Photocopy of old photo shows a general view of the church, date unknown, Original photograph at Idaho Historical Society, Boise, Idaho - St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, High & Wallula Streets, Idaho City, Boise County, ID

The benefit of using chemical analysis in understanding archaeological glass. Case-study: Roman black glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cosyns, P.; Cagno, S.; Janssens, K.; Nys, K.

LA-ICP-MS is a well acquainted technique for the quantification of a wide range of minor and trace elements present in the glass matrix. The benefit to understand the changes in technological processes or the added value in assessing the provenance and chronology of the raw glass material is however rarely discussed. By selecting a set of 197 Roman black glass artifacts dating between the 1st and 5th century AD we aimed to contribute to this issue. The obtained data on the production of glass artifacts helps better understand the constantly evolving patterns in glass consumption throughout the Roman imperial period. The key trace elements linked with the sand generally show the use of Levantine and Egyptian raw glass to produce black glass artifacts and result in well defined clusters. These indications are evidence for the use of different raw glasses in the Roman Empire and therefore featuring the work of diverse workshops over time. Specific trace elements such as copper, cobalt and lead reflect the application of recycling glass in Roman times.

A high-resolution palaeoenvironmental record from carbonate deposits in the Roman aqueduct of Patara, SW Turkey, from the time of Nero

PubMed Central

Passchier, Cornelis; Sürmelihindi, Gül; Spötl, Christoph

2016-01-01

An inscription on the supporting wall of the inverted siphon of the aqueduct of the ancient Roman city of Patara, SW Turkey, explains how the wall collapsed during an earthquake and was subsequently restored. Carbonate deposits formed inside the aqueduct channel show cyclic stable isotope changes representing 17 years of deposition. This sequence, together with the text of the inscription, allows dating the earthquake to 68 AD and the original inauguration of the aqueduct to the winter of 51/52 AD. Thus, the carbonate deposits represent a high-resolution record of palaeotemperature and precipitation for SW Turkey covering the complete reign of the Emperor Nero. The period shows a cooling and drying trend after an initial warm and more humid period, interrupted by a few anomalous years. These 2 cm of calcite highlight the significance of carbonate deposits in ancient water supply systems as a high-resolution archive for palaeoclimate, palaeoseismology and archaeology. PMID:27357129

A high-resolution palaeoenvironmental record from carbonate deposits in the Roman aqueduct of Patara, SW Turkey, from the time of Nero

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passchier, Cornelis; Sürmelihindi, Gül; Spötl, Christoph

2016-06-01

An inscription on the supporting wall of the inverted siphon of the aqueduct of the ancient Roman city of Patara, SW Turkey, explains how the wall collapsed during an earthquake and was subsequently restored. Carbonate deposits formed inside the aqueduct channel show cyclic stable isotope changes representing 17 years of deposition. This sequence, together with the text of the inscription, allows dating the earthquake to 68 AD and the original inauguration of the aqueduct to the winter of 51/52 AD. Thus, the carbonate deposits represent a high-resolution record of palaeotemperature and precipitation for SW Turkey covering the complete reign of the Emperor Nero. The period shows a cooling and drying trend after an initial warm and more humid period, interrupted by a few anomalous years. These 2 cm of calcite highlight the significance of carbonate deposits in ancient water supply systems as a high-resolution archive for palaeoclimate, palaeoseismology and archaeology.

Ancient Topometry, the Tracing of Towns in the Roman Epoch: Ulpia Traiana Dacica Sarmizegetusa - Romania. Second Part

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanescu, Florin

2015-05-01

While following the rituals and the ancient topometrical methods used by the Romans in tracing cities according to the Etruscan tradition, this paper presents the historical, anthropological and archaeological aspects, analyzing techniques being used and aims at determining the day when there was inaugurated after the 2nd Dacian-Roman war, 105-106 AD, the new capital, Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa, of the new province of Roman Empire, "Dacia Felix". The aspects of the problem which require a special archaeoastronomical and archaeometrical analysis are the physical horizon and the sun's movement. The provisional results obtained so far lead to the conclusion that the capital might have been traced in the 15-18 september period, that coincided with Emperor Trajan's birthday.

TEM characterization of the fine scale microstructure of a Roman ferrous nail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douin, J.; Henry, O.; Dabosi, F.; Sciau, P.

2010-07-01

This paper describes the microstructure of a Roman ferrous nail through its observation by transmission electron microscopy. The morphologies of pearlitic colonies and ferritic grains are detailed and the relationship between pearlitic colonies and ferrite in Roman nails is explicitly demonstrated for the first time. Observations also confirm the presence of dislocations in ferritic grains and attest to the existence of very small carbide precipitates that have not been pointed out previously in standard archaeometric studies.

Status and health in Roman Dorset: the effect of status on risk of mortality in post-conquest populations.

PubMed

Redfern, Rebecca C; Dewitte, Sharon N

2011-10-01

The Roman conquest of Britain was previously shown to have negatively impacted health, particularly for children, older adults, and men. We build upon this previous research by investigating the effect that status had on risks of mortality within the Roman Britain populations of Dorset. This study incorporates a sample of 291 individuals excavated from several cemeteries in the county of Dorset dating between the first to early fifth centuries AD. To assess the effect of status on risks of mortality, burial type was used as a proxy for status and modeled as a covariate affecting the Siler and Gompertz-Makeham models of mortality. The results of these analyses indicate that high-status individuals, particularly children, had a lower mortality risk compared to lower-status groups; and for those buried in urban cemeteries, higher-status individuals of all age-groups had a lower mortality risk. As with our previous study (Redfern and DeWitte: Am J Phys Anthropol 144 (2011) 269-285), we found that male mortality risk was higher than females, which we consider to reflect underlying sex-differences in immunity and disease response. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Computed tomography of a medium size Roman bronze statue of Cupid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bettuzzi, M.; Casali, F.; Morigi, M. P.; Brancaccio, R.; Carson, D.; Chiari, G.; Maish, J.

2015-03-01

Diagnostics based on X-ray computed tomography (CT) are becoming increasingly important, not only in the medical field but in industry and cultural heritage. CT devices typical for medical applications, however, can seldom be used on art objects because both they are not easily transportable and they often present high X-ray absorption. It is therefore necessary to make use of portable instrumentation and/or to develop tomographic systems optimized to the characteristics of the objects under examination. This work describes the computed tomography of a first century A.D. Roman bronze statue of Cupid (96.AB.53) in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, within the collaborative framework between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Department of Physics and Astronomy (DIFA) of the University of Bologna (Italy). The tomography performed at the Getty facilities employed a 450 kV X-ray tube and a detection system developed at DIFA. The study highlighted the casting and construction techniques used by Roman foundry workers and provided information on the status of conservation of the statue. A 3D virtual reconstruction allowed the user to define different cross-sections enabling the study of the internal features.

Roman coloured and opaque glass: a chemical and spectroscopic study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arletti, R.; Dalconi, M. C.; Quartieri, S.; Triscari, M.; Vezzalini, G.

2006-05-01

This work reports the results of an archaeometrical investigation of opaque Roman glass and is mainly focussed on the role of configuration and oxidation state of copper on the colour and opacity of red and green opaque finds (mosaic tesserae, game counters, and glass artefacts) from Sicily and Pompeii excavations. The glass fragments were characterised by EMPA, SEM-EDS, TEM, and XRPD analyses and the copper local environment was investigated using X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The analyses of high-resolution Cu-K edge XANES and EXAFS spectra suggest that, in red samples, copper is present as monovalent cations coordinated to the oxygen atoms of the glass framework, accompanied by metallic clusters. In green samples all the copper cations are incorporated in the glass matrix.

Phylogeography: English elm is a 2,000-year-old Roman clone.

PubMed

Gil, Luis; Fuentes-Utrilla, Pablo; Soto, Alvaro; Cervera, M Teresa; Collada, Carmen

2004-10-28

The outbreak of Dutch elm disease in the 1970s ravaged European elm populations, killing more than 25 million trees in Britain alone; the greatest impact was on Ulmus procera, otherwise known as the English elm. Here we use molecular and historical information to show that this elm derives from a single clone that the Romans transported from Italy to the Iberian peninsula, and from there to Britain, for the purpose of supporting and training vines. Its highly efficient vegetative reproduction and its inability to set seeds have preserved this clone unaltered for 2,000 years as the core of the English elm population--and the preponderance of this susceptible variety may have favoured a rapid spread of the disease.

10. Photocopy of old photo shows another general view of ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

10. Photocopy of old photo shows another general view of the church, taken June 1961. Original photograph at Idaho Historical Society, Boise, Idaho - St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, High & Wallula Streets, Idaho City, Boise County, ID

Archaeology in Italy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacKendrick, Paul

1979-01-01

Describes several archaeological sites and Roman art works in which to study ancient Roman history, including Lavinium, Paestum, Cosa, Praeneste, the Augustine temples, Sperlonga, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the cemetery under St. Peter's. (CK)

Environmental Press and Value Climates of Coeducational and Single-Sex High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Frank W.; Coutts, Larry M.

To determine if there are critical differences between the social and psychological environments of coeducational and single-sex schools, researchers investigated five coeducational, four all-female, and four all-male high schools in Ontario (Canada). All of the schools are "Separate" schools; that is, they are Roman Catholic and,…

Sex education is key to combatting AIDS in Brazil.

PubMed

Csillag, C

1999-06-26

About 60,000 children in Brazil were born from an AIDS-affected mother, and 16,000 were orphaned by AIDS. These stark figures were released by the Global Orphan Project and the Instituto Promundo at the EducAids conference. About 90% of childhood AIDS cases were a result of perinatal exposure, and the other 10% from unknown exposure. In response to these prevalences, the EducAids initiative, which aims to promote AIDS education in schools, was considering sex education for preschool children. The coordinator of the government's AIDS prevention program, Pedro Chequer, believes sex education for children as young as 4 years old would reduce AIDS among teenagers and help avoid unwanted pregnancies. The Minister of Health supported this concept. Jose Serra, the Minister of Health declared that it was not the aim of the ministry to avoid teenage pregnancy but to prevent early sexual intercourse. In 1997 the number of deliveries by girls aged 15-19 years had risen to 25.27%, from 21.41% in 1993. However, the number of deliveries for women over age 20 are falling. Pedro Chequer, EducAids coordinator, stated that despite these facts, campaigns for sex education would be opposed by the Roman Catholic Church.

Composition, Production and Procurement of Glass at San Vincenzo al Volturno: An Early Medieval Monastic Complex in Southern Italy

PubMed Central

Schibille, Nadine; Freestone, Ian C.

2013-01-01

136 glasses from the ninth-century monastery of San Vincenzo and its workshops have been analysed by electron microprobe in order to situate the assemblage within the first millennium CE glass making tradition. The majority of the glass compositions can be paralleled by Roman glass from the first to third centuries, with very few samples consistent with later compositional groups. Colours for trailed decoration on vessels, for vessel bodies and for sheet glass for windows were largely produced by melting the glass tesserae from old Roman mosaics. Some weakly-coloured transparent glass was obtained by re-melting Roman window glass, while some was produced by melting and mixing of tesserae, excluding the strongly coloured cobalt blues. Our data suggest that to feed the needs of the glass workshop, the bulk of the glass was removed as tesserae and windows from a large Roman building. This is consistent with a historical account according to which the granite columns of the monastic church were spolia from a Roman temple in the region. The purported shortage of natron from Egypt does not appear to explain the dependency of San Vincenzo on old Roman glass. Rather, the absence of contemporary primary glass may reflect the downturn in long-distance trade in the later first millennium C.E., and the role of patronage in the “ritual economy” founded upon donations and gift-giving of the time. PMID:24146876

Composition, production and procurement of glass at San Vincenzo Al Volturno: an early Medieval monastic complex in Southern Italy.

PubMed

Schibille, Nadine; Freestone, Ian C

2013-01-01

136 glasses from the ninth-century monastery of San Vincenzo and its workshops have been analysed by electron microprobe in order to situate the assemblage within the first millennium CE glass making tradition. The majority of the glass compositions can be paralleled by Roman glass from the first to third centuries, with very few samples consistent with later compositional groups. Colours for trailed decoration on vessels, for vessel bodies and for sheet glass for windows were largely produced by melting the glass tesserae from old Roman mosaics. Some weakly-coloured transparent glass was obtained by re-melting Roman window glass, while some was produced by melting and mixing of tesserae, excluding the strongly coloured cobalt blues. Our data suggest that to feed the needs of the glass workshop, the bulk of the glass was removed as tesserae and windows from a large Roman building. This is consistent with a historical account according to which the granite columns of the monastic church were spolia from a Roman temple in the region. The purported shortage of natron from Egypt does not appear to explain the dependency of San Vincenzo on old Roman glass. Rather, the absence of contemporary primary glass may reflect the downturn in long-distance trade in the later first millennium C.E., and the role of patronage in the "ritual economy" founded upon donations and gift-giving of the time.

Identification of green pigments from fragments of Roman mural paintings of three Roman sites from north of Germania Superior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debastiani, Rafaela; Simon, Rolf; Goettlicher, Joerg; Heissler, Stefan; Steininger, Ralph; Batchelor, David; Fiederle, Michael; Baumbach, Tilo

2016-10-01

Roman mural green pigment painting fragments from three Roman sites in the north of the Roman province Germania Superior: Koblenz Stadtwald Remstecken (KOSR), Weißenthurm " Am guten Mann" (WEIS) and Mendig Lungenkärchen (MELU), dating from second and third centuries AD were analyzed. The experiments were performed nondestructively using synchrotron-based scanning macro-X-ray fluorescence (SR-MA-XRF), synchrotron-based scanning micro-X-ray fluorescence (SR-μ-XRF), synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Correlation between SR-MA-XRF, SR-μ-XRF elemental map distributions and optical images of scanned areas was mainly found for the elements Ca, Fe and K. With XRF, Fe and K were identified correlated with green pigment, but in samples from two sites, Mendig Lungenkärchen and Weißenthurm " Am guten Mann", also Cu was detected in minor concentration. The results of SR-XRD and Raman spectroscopy were limited to one sample from Weißenthurm " Am guten Mann". In this sample, green earth and calcium carbonate were identified by SR-XRD and, additionally, malachite by Raman spectroscopy.

On the acoustics of ancient Greek and Roman theaters.

PubMed

Farnetani, Andrea; Prodi, Nicola; Pompoli, Roberto

2008-09-01

The interplay of architecture and acoustics is remarkable in ancient Greek and Roman theaters. Frequently they are nowadays lively performance spaces and the knowledge of the sound field inside them is still an issue of relevant importance. Even if the transition from Greek to Roman theaters can be described with a great architectural detail, a comprehensive and objective approach to the two types of spaces from the acoustical point of view is available at present only as a computer model study [P. Chourmouziadou and J. Kang, "Acoustic evolution of ancient Greek and Roman theaters," Appl. Acoust. 69, re (2007)]. This work addresses the same topic from the experimental point of view, and its aim is to provide a basis to the acoustical evolution from Greek to Roman theater design. First, by means of in situ and scale model measurements, the most important features of the sound field in ancient theaters are clarified and discussed. Then it has been possible to match quantitatively the role of some remarkable architectural design variables with acoustics, and it is seen how this criterion can be used effectively to define different groups of ancient theaters. Finally some more specific wave phenomena are addressed and discussed.

Seismically induced liquefaction structures in La Magdalena archaeological site, the 4th century AD Roman Complutum (Madrid, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Pascua, M. A.; Silva, P. G.; Perucha, M. A.; Giner-Robles, J. L.; Heras, C.; Bastida, A. B.; Carrasco, P.; Roquero, E.; Lario, J.; Bardaji, T.; Pérez-López, R.; Elez, J.

2016-10-01

The ancient Roman city of Complutum (Alcalá de Henares, Madrid), founded in the 1st century AD, was one of the most important cities of Hispania. The old Roman city was destroyed, abruptly abandoned, relocated close by and rebuilt during the late 4th century AD. Destruction of the city and its relocation has not yet been explained by archaeologists. In this paper, with our multidisciplinary approach, we identify and characterize earthquake archaeological effects (EAEs) affecting the archaeological site, the La Magdalena, an agricultural holding 4 km from the core of Complutum. The most important EAEs in the site are liquefactions (sand dikes and explosive sand-gravel craters) affecting Roman structures, such as water tanks (cisterns), houses and graves. Ground liquefaction generated significant ground cracks, explosive craters and folds in foundations of buildings. Several other Roman sites throughout the valley were also abandoned abruptly during the 4th century AD, in some cases with EAEs of similar origin. This suggests the occurrence of a 5.0-6.6 Mw seismic event in the zone, in accordance with the minimum empirical limit of seismically-induced liquefaction and the maximum surface rupture length of the Henares fault.

Recent Work in Roman Satire (1962-68)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, William S.

1970-01-01

Initial phase of a literary review of books and articles on satire in Roman literature (the 51st in the "Classical World surveys). The review continues in "Classical World, March 1970, pages 217-222. (DS)

Sources and Resources for Teaching about Ancient Italy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dutra, John A.

1979-01-01

Annotates sources and resources to use in teaching secondary students about ancient Roman history, including pedagogical guides, books on various aspects of Roman civilization, reference works, journals, audiovisual and related resources, and organizations. (Author/CK)

Analytical and multivariate study of roman age architectural terracotta from northeast of Spain.

PubMed

Giménez, Rosario García; Villa, Raquel Vigil de la; Rosa, Paloma Recio de la; Domínguez, María Dolores Petit; Rucandio, María Isabel

2005-02-28

Roman culture employed architectural terracotta made from baked clay as original material to manufacture ceramic pieces. It was often used as a basis for construction of functional and/or decorative elements in roofs, such as plane and curve tiles as well as antefixes with their corresponding "imbrexes". Some of them are conserved nowadays. They were collected in Roman quarries discovered in old cities and villages sited in the Hispania Citerior (northeast of Spain in Roman age). A study of the origin and manufacturing process (moulding, baking, touching up and painting) of these terracotta pieces has been made on the basis of the data obtained from a physicochemical characterization of samples. The used techniques were mainly flame absorption and emission spectrometry for the elemental analysis (major and minor elements), dilatometry for the study of thermal behaviour, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for observation of thin layers and X-ray diffraction spectrometry (XRD) for mineralogical composition. In addition, a supervised pattern recognition programme was applied to the results for a selected group of 85 samples and five variables (chromium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc contents). Dilatometry and SEM results showed baking temperatures of these materials below 900 degrees C and the existence of zones with very different porosity in the same ceramic piece. Results obtained from multielemental analysis and multivariate statistical study by linear discriminant analysis lead us to the following conclusions: (i) the high content of lead found in a large number of antefixes demonstrates the use of lead oxide as an additive in the lime grout treatment, (ii) different contents of Cu, Zn, Cr, and Ni were indicative of the use of varied clay types in the manufacture process (even in the same production centre) as well as of the existence of a pigmentation process, although this last affirmation is not corroborated by the presence of remains of evident painting in the ceramic pieces, (iii) samples can be classified according to the places where these pieces came from and (iv) more variety in their composition was found in Roman age terracotta production centres.

The didactic letters prefacing Marcellus' on drugs as evidence for the expertise and reputation of doctors in the late Roman empire.

PubMed

Cilliers, Louise

2010-01-01

The didactic letters prefacing Marcellus's On Drugs are examined. It appears that one reason for writing such didactic letters was to equip the addressee with sufficient knowledge to enable him to avoid consulting a doctor, since there was great dissatisfaction with the quality of service rendered and the fees charged by doctors. The letters in the collection will be shown to represent various levels of healers, from the professional city doctor, to the army doctor, to the educated layman. They will also be scrutinized for evidence of the level of expertise of doctors in the late fourth and fifth centuries. Finally, the evidence will be compared with the criteria set some two centuries earlier by Galen in his blueprint for the examination of physicians.

Recent Work in Roman Satire (1962-1968)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, William S.

1970-01-01

Continuation of a literary review of books and articles on satire in Roman literature (the 51st in the "Classical World surveys). The initial phase of the review appeared in "Classical World, February 1970, pages 181-199. (DS)

Greco-Roman Astrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, Roger

Astrology was entrenched in the culture of the Roman Empire. The system and its influence is described as well as its relationship to mathematical astronomy at the time. The material remains are of two sorts: papyrus horoscopes and coins with astrological motifs.

[The most popular poisons from Graeco-Roman world].

PubMed

Siek, Bartlomiej; Rys, Anna; Sein Anand, Jacek

2013-01-01

Article presents the most popular antique poisons. Information from encyclopaedic literature and literary texts of the Roman Empire period has been compared with the etymology of the names of some poisons of plant and animal origin.

The Exchange of Bibliographic Data in Non-Roman Scripts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wellisch, Hans H.

1980-01-01

Advocates the use of machine readable codes to accomplish romanization and promote the exchange of bibliographic data. Proposals are presented for transliteration standards, design of machine readable conversion codes, and the establishment of databases. (RAA)

Material Culture of Greek and Roman Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, James

In the Greek and Roman worlds, astronomy had a rich material culture. Many objects had practical applications to timekeeping or liberal education or astrological prediction, but many others were meant to express philosophical, religious, or political values.

Roman Military Medicine and Croatian Archaeological Perspectives.

PubMed

Cesarik, Marijan; Cesarik, Nikola; Duplančić, Darko; Štrmelj, David

2016-09-01

This article offers a general examination of the sources responsible for understanding Roman military medicine, starting with literal and epigraphical sources all the way to archaeological remains consisting of hospitals, the infrastructure of military garrisons and small medical tools. Given that not one of the literary sources does not directly mention the medical personnel within the various military units, epigraphical discoveries widely represent the main source of our knowledge on the subject. On the other hand, the archaeological exploration of military garrisons offers proof of the medical care of Roman soldiers. If at first it appears that Roman military medicine is perfectly obvious and clear, actually this is not the case as many questions remain to be answered and debated. In all this, Croatia has its own archaeological perspective, where notably, one site stands out, which could hold a key role according to the layout of buildings within the garrison including its hospital.

Poundbury Camp in Context-a new Perspective on the Lives of Children from urban and rural Roman England.

PubMed

Rohnbogner, Anna; Lewis, Mary Elizabeth

2017-02-01

The current understanding of child morbidity in Roman England is dominated by studies of single sites/regions. Much of the data are derived from third to fifth century AD Poundbury Camp, Dorchester, Dorset, considered an unusual site due to high levels of non-adult morbidity. There is little understanding of children in rural areas, and whether Poundbury Camp was representative of Romano-British childhood. The study provides the first large scale analysis of child health in urban and rural Roman England, adding to the previously published intra-site analysis of non-adult paleopathology at Poundbury Camp. Age-at-death and pathology prevalence rates were reassessed for 953 non-adults (0-17 years) from five major urban, six minor urban, and four rural sites (first to fifth century AD). The data were compared to the results from 364 non-adults from Poundbury Camp. Rural sites demonstrated higher levels of infant burials, and greater prevalence of cribra orbitalia in the 1.1-2.5 year (TPR 64.3%), and 6.6-10.5 year cohorts (TPR 66.7%). Endocranial lesions were more frequent in the minor urban sample (TPR 15.9%). Three new cases of tuberculosis were identified in urban contexts. Vitamin D deficiency was most prevalent at Poundbury Camp (CPR 18.8%), vitamin C deficiency was identified more frequently in rural settlements (CPR 5.9%). The Poundbury Camp data on morbidity and mortality are not representative of patterns in Roman England and other major urban sites. Rural children suffered from a distinct set of pathologies described as diseases of deprivation, prompting reconsideration of how Romano-British land management affected those at the bottom of the social hierarchy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Comparison of antioxidant activity between two species of chamomiles produced in Xinjiang by TLC-bioautography].

PubMed

Han, Song-Lin; Li, Xin-Xia; Mian, Qiang-Hui; Lan, Wei; Liu, Yan

2013-01-01

To compare the antioxidant active components from two species of chamomile-matricaria and Roman chamomile produced in Xinjiang. The TLC-bioautography was used, with 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical as the experimental model. The peak areas of various antioxidant components were obtained by TLC-scanning for analyzing antioxidant active components contained in volatile oil extracts and flavone extracts from the two species of chamomiles. The total peak area was taken as the indicator for comparing the antioxidant capacities of the two types of extracts, and comparing them with the total antioxidant activity of flavone extracts of the two species of chamomiles. According to the result of TLC-bioautography in volatile oil extracts from the two species of chamomiles, volatile oil extracts from chamomile showed four white antioxidant spots, including en-yne-dicycloether, and volatile oil extracts from Roman chamomile showed only one white antioxidant spot. The TLC-scanning result showed that the peak area of antioxidant spots of volatile oil extracts from chamomile was significantly larger than that of volatile oil extracts from Roman chamomile. According to the test on the antioxidant activity of the two species of chamomiles with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, the concentration of chamomile after scavenging 50% of DPPH radicals was 0.66 g x L(-1), whereas the figure for Roman chamomile was 0.33 g x L(-1). According to the result of TLC-bioautography in flavone extracts from the two species of chamomiles, flavone extracts from chamomile showed seven yellowish antioxidant spots, including apigenin and apigenin-7-glucoside, and flavone extracts of Roman chamomile showed eight yellowish antioxidant spots, including apigenin and apigenin-7-glucoside. The TLC-scanning results showed that the peak area of antioxidant spots of flavone extracts from Roman chamomile was significantly larger than that of flavone extracts from chamomile. Volatile oil extracts from the two species of chamomiles have significant difference in the antioxidant activity in TLC-bioautography. Specifically, the antioxidant activity of volatile oil extracts from chamomile is stronger than volatile oil extracts from Roman chamomile; the known antioxidant active components in volatile oil extracts from chamomile is en-yne-dicycloether, while all of the other three antioxidant active components as well as antioxidant active components in volatile oil extracts from Roman chamomile are unknown components and remain to be further determined. Considering the significant difference in the number of antioxidant active spots in volatile oil extracts from the two species of chamomiles, the result can be applied to distinguish the two species of chamomiles. The antioxidant activity determination result for flavone extracts from two species of chamomiles was consistent with the result of TLC-bioautography, showing that flavone extracts from chamomile and Roman chamomile are more antioxidant active, while that of Roman chamomile is stronger than chamomile. Flavone extracts from both of the two species of chamomiles contain apigenin and pigenin-7-glucoside, which are known, while all of the other five antioxidant active components contained in flavone extracts from chamomile and the other six antioxidant active components contained in flavone extracts from Roman chamomile are unknown and remain to be further identified. The method lays a foundation for further identification of antioxidant active components contained in chamomile.

"Greco-Roman Knowledge Only" in Arizona Schools: Indigenous Wisdom Outlawed Once Again

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Roberto Cintli

2010-01-01

Students at Tucson High School in Arizona, part of Tucson Unified School District's highly successful Mexican American Studies (MAS) K-12 program, the largest in the nation, are taught Indigenous concepts, including Panche Be (seek the root of the truth), and the Aztec and Maya calendars. The author speaks to the students about the relationship…

A new approach to the study of Romanization in Britain: a regional perspective of cultural change in late Iron Age and Roman Dorset using the Siler and Gompertz-Makeham models of mortality

PubMed Central

Redfern, Rebecca C.; DeWitte, Sharon N.

2011-01-01

This is the first study of Romanization to use the Siler and Gompertz-Makeham models of mortality in order to investigate the health consequences of the 43 AD conquest of Britain. The study examined late Iron Age and Romano-British populations (N=518) from Dorset, England, which is the only region of Britain to display continuity in inhumation burial practice and cemetery use throughout the two periods. Skeletal evidence for frailty was assessed using cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, periosteal lesions, enamel hypoplasia, dental caries, tuberculosis, and rickets. These health variables were chosen for analysis because they are reliable indicators of general health for diachronic comparison (Steckel and Rose 2002) and are associated with the introduction of urbanism in Britain during the Roman period (Redfern 2007; Redfern 2008b; Roberts and Cox 2003). The results show that levels of frailty and mortality were lower in the late Iron Age period, and no sex differences in mortality were present. However, post-conquest, mortality risk increased for children and the elderly, and particularly for males. The latter finding challenges received wisdom concerning the benefits of Romanization and the higher status of the male body in the Roman world. Therefore, we conclude that the consequences of urbanism, changes in diet and increased population heterogeneity negatively impacted health, to the extent that the enhanced cultural buffering of males did not out-weigh underlying sex differences in biology that advantage females. PMID:20925081

Virtual water management in the Roman world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dermody, B.; Van Beek, L. P.; Meeks, E.; Klein Goldewijk, K.; Bierkens, M. F.; Scheidel, W.; Wassen, M. J.; Van der Velde, Y.; Dekker, S. C.

2013-12-01

Climate change can have extreme societal impacts particularly in regions that are water-limited for agriculture. A society's ability to manage its water resources in such environments is critical to its long-term viability. Water management can involve improving agricultural yields through in-situ irrigation or the redistribution of virtual water resources through trade in food. Here, we explore how such water management strategies improve societal resilience by examining virtual water management during the Roman Empire in the water-limited region of the Mediterranean. Climate was prescribed based on previously published reconstructions which show that during the Roman Empire when the Central Mediterranean was wetter, the West and Southeastern Mediterranean became drier and vice-versa. Evidence indicates that these shifts in the climatic seesaw may have occurred relatively rapidly. Using the Global hydrological model PCR GLOBWB and estimates of landcover based on the HYDE dataset we generate potential agricultural yield maps under two extremes of this climatic seesaw. HYDE estimates of population in conjunction with potential yield estimates are used to identify regions of Mediterranean with a yield surplus or deficit. The surplus and deficit regions form nodes on a virtual water redistribution network with transport costs taken from the Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World (ORBIS). Our demand-driven, virtual water redistribution network allows us to quantitatively explore the importance of water management strategies such as irrigation and food trade for the Romans. By examining virtual water transport cost anomalies between climate scenarios our analysis highlights regions of the Mediterranean that were most vulnerable to climate change during the Roman Period.

2500 Years of European Climate Variability and Human Susceptibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Büntgen, Ulf; Tegel, Willy; Nicolussi, Kurt; McCormick, Michael; Frank, David; Trouet, Valerie; Kaplan, Jed O.; Herzig, Franz; Heussner, Karl-Uwe; Wanner, Heinz; Luterbacher, Jürg; Esper, Jan

2011-02-01

Climate variations influenced the agricultural productivity, health risk, and conflict level of preindustrial societies. Discrimination between environmental and anthropogenic impacts on past civilizations, however, remains difficult because of the paucity of high-resolution paleoclimatic evidence. We present tree ring-based reconstructions of central European summer precipitation and temperature variability over the past 2500 years. Recent warming is unprecedented, but modern hydroclimatic variations may have at times been exceeded in magnitude and duration. Wet and warm summers occurred during periods of Roman and medieval prosperity. Increased climate variability from ~250 to 600 C.E. coincided with the demise of the western Roman Empire and the turmoil of the Migration Period. Such historical data may provide a basis for counteracting the recent political and fiscal reluctance to mitigate projected climate change.

Hungarian travertine: a historic and current stone resource of Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Török, Ákos

2013-04-01

Travertine is a widespread dimension stone that was used worldwide in monuments. The best known examples are known from the Roman Empire from Italy, where this porous stone belonged to one of the favourite stone types. Ancient quarries of Tivoli provided material to major construction works to Rome. Other occurrences belonging to the Roman Empire outside of Rome were also used by the Romans. Some of the most important European deposits are known from Hungary. Exploitable travertine layers are found at many places in Hungary but at least two major areas were actively quarried by the Romans. One major deposit was not far away from the provincial capital of Roman Pannonia - called Aquincum, which currently forms a part of Budapest, while the other even larger occurrence is at Süttő, at the riverside of Danube some 50 km NE from the past capital. River Danube provided an excellent pathway of transport ting stone to the capital. Evidences indicate that quarrying activity in Süttő area has already begun during the 1st century BC and the travertine has been exploited with some interruptions since then. The present day quarries form the parts of the largest active dimension quarry system of Hungary. The exposed very thick banks (3 to 4m) of travertine were deposited from lukewarm springs during the Pleistocene period. Various types of travertine were used for constructing Roman aqueducts, fortresses, amphitheatre until the 4th century AD and were also transported to other parts of that Roman Province which extended to the present territory of Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. Although the use of travertine has significantly decreased after the fall of Roman Empire in Central Europe and in Hungary, the presence of this stone was also documented from numerous Gothic and Baroque buildings from the area. The use of this stone became more popular again in the Carpathian Basin, when major constructions of larger cities such as Bratislava, Vienna or Budapest accelerated in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy at the second part of the 19th century. The paper also provides information on various lithotypes of travertine and it also presents data on the physical properties and examples of its use in the monuments located in the cities of Central Europe.

37 CFR 1.58 - Chemical and mathematical formulae and tables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) type font or lettering style having capital letters which should be at least 0.422 cm. (0.166 inch) high (e.g., preferably Arial, Times Roman, or Courier with a font size of 12), but may be no smaller than 0.21 cm. (0.08 inch) high (e.g., a font size of 6). A space at least 0.64 cm. (1/4 inch) high...

Diet at the Roman Village of Virovitica Kiskorija South, Croatia.

PubMed

Sostarić, Renata; Radović, Sinisa; Vucković, Kristina Jelincić; Roguljić, Ivana Ozanić

2015-12-01

The Virovitica Kiskorija South site was a Roman village. In this paper archaeological, archaeobotanical, and archaeo-zoological finds are presented and interpreted, then compared with similar sites and information available from ancient sources. The site was divided into complexes that made a whole. The finds within each complex are presented and compared to similar archaeological sites, as well as data from ancient written sources. The goal of the paper is to determine which kind of diet was present at this Roman village in Pannonia, and to analyze the differences and similarities between this village and analogous sites.

Uniform diet in a diverse society. Revealing new dietary evidence of the Danish Roman Iron Age based on stable isotope analysis.

PubMed

Jørkov, Marie Louise S; Jørgensen, Lars; Lynnerup, Niels

2010-12-01

A systematic dietary investigation during Danish Roman Iron Age (1-375AD) is conducted by analyzing stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ(13) C) and nitrogen (δ(15) N) in the collagen of human and animal bone. The human sample comprises 77 individuals from 10 burial sites. In addition 31 samples of mammals and fish were analyzed from same geographical area. The investigation characterizes the human diet among different social groupings and analyses dietary differences present between sex, age, and site phase groups. Diachronically, the study investigates the Roman influences that had an effect on social structure and subsistence economy in both the Early and Late Period. Geographically the locations are both inland and coastal. The isotopic data indicate extremely uniform diet both between and within population groups from Early and Late Roman periods and the data are consistent throughout the Roman Iron Age. Protein consumption was dominated by terrestrial animals with no differences among social status, age, sex, or time period, while terrestrial plant protein only seems to have contributed little in the diet. Furthermore, the consumption of marine or aquatic resources does not seem to have been important, even among the individuals living next to the coast. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Lead pollution recorded in Greenland ice indicates European emissions tracked plagues, wars, and imperial expansion during antiquity.

PubMed

McConnell, Joseph R; Wilson, Andrew I; Stohl, Andreas; Arienzo, Monica M; Chellman, Nathan J; Eckhardt, Sabine; Thompson, Elisabeth M; Pollard, A Mark; Steffensen, Jørgen Peder

2018-05-29

Lead pollution in Arctic ice reflects midlatitude emissions from ancient lead-silver mining and smelting. The few reported measurements have been extrapolated to infer the performance of ancient economies, including comparisons of economic productivity and growth during the Roman Republican and Imperial periods. These studies were based on sparse sampling and inaccurate dating, limiting understanding of trends and specific linkages. Here we show, using a precisely dated record of estimated lead emissions between 1100 BCE and 800 CE derived from subannually resolved measurements in Greenland ice and detailed atmospheric transport modeling, that annual European lead emissions closely varied with historical events, including imperial expansion, wars, and major plagues. Emissions rose coeval with Phoenician expansion, accelerated during expanded Carthaginian and Roman mining primarily in the Iberian Peninsula, and reached a maximum under the Roman Empire. Emissions fluctuated synchronously with wars and political instability particularly during the Roman Republic, and plunged coincident with two major plagues in the second and third centuries, remaining low for >500 years. Bullion in silver coinage declined in parallel, reflecting the importance of lead-silver mining in ancient economies. Our results indicate sustained economic growth during the first two centuries of the Roman Empire, terminated by the second-century Antonine plague.

Roman Travertine: proposed as a candidate for "Global Heritage Stone Resource" designation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Primavori, Piero

2017-04-01

Roman Travertine is one of the most long-standing and famous stones, used since the times of the Roman Empire. Together with Carrara and Botticino marbles, it is probably the most worldwide well-known and diffused Italian dimension stone. Travertine derives its name from the former town, known as Tibur in ancient Roman times; the ancient name for the stone was Lapis Tiburtinus, meaning Tibur Stone, which was gradually corrupted to Travertino (travertine). The Roman Travertine is geographically located circa 25 km to the east of Rome, Central Italy, in the hilly area of Guidonia-Montecelio and Tivoli. Its deposit, formed during late Pleistocene time over an active strike-slip fault nearby the Colli Albani quiescent volcano, is about 20 km2 wide and 60 m thick on average; the thickness is over 85 m toward its western N-S-elongated side, where thermal springs and large sinkholes occur in an aligned pattern. The first quarries date back to pre-Roman times; nowadays three main productive sub-zones can be recognized within the extractive basin: "Valle Pilella", "Barco" and "Le Fosse", where more than fifty quarries are in operation, together with a relevant number of processing plants and artisanal laboratories. Lithological and stratigraphical features allow the distinction of an extensive number of commercial varieties, being the most renowned the Classic, the Bianco, the Noce, the Paglierino, the Navona. Used since more than 2.500 years, the Roman Travertine has deeply characterized the architecture of Rome and its history, with the realization of villas, palaces, artistic and monumental buildings, and masterpieces with unmistakable features, such as the Anfiteatro Flavio (the Colosseum), the Theatre of Marcellus, the St. Peter's Basilica and Colonnade, the Tritone Fountain, the Adriana Villa, the Trevi Fountain, and many others. From Renaissance times on, the travertine has been extensively used to build an innumerable amount of churches, common buildings and houses, and artistic buildings, making Rome the "city of travertine". After its diffusion in Italy, the Roman Travertine has known an uninterrupted expansion abroad, becoming a sort of reference in the commercial worldwide category of the travertines; and this is probably why it has been sold and applied almost everywhere, irrespective of the geography, of the cultural landmarks, of the local culture and architectural styles. Nowadays, it is comparable to an icon of the Made in Italy, evoking what is still appointed the "eternal city" (Rome) and the remarkable heritage this city has accumulated. For the role this stone has played in the national context, for its history, the worldwide diffusion, the great importance in the social and cultural aspects, the Roman Travertine is here proposed as a candidate for the designation as "Global Heritage Stone Resource".

Organizational Culture in a Mexican School: Lessons for Reform.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davila, Anabella; Willower, donald J.

1996-01-01

Discusses a study of a Mexican Roman Catholic high school's organizational culture, highlighting findings concerning school reform and improvement processes. The school stressed community and featured activities and values promoting student commitment to learning. Religion reinforced the school's "hidden curriculum" of good conduct and…

Coin hoards speak of population declines in Ancient Rome

PubMed Central

Turchin, Peter; Scheidel, Walter

2009-01-01

In times of violence, people tend to hide their valuables, which are later recovered unless the owners had been killed or driven away. Thus, the temporal distribution of unrecovered coin hoards is an excellent proxy for the intensity of internal warfare. We use this relationship to resolve a long-standing controversy in Roman history. Depending on who was counted in the early Imperial censuses (adult males or the entire citizenry including women and minors), the Roman citizen population of Italy either declined, or more than doubled, during the first century BCE. This period was characterized by a series of civil wars, and historical evidence indicates that high levels of sociopolitical instability are associated with demographic contractions. We fitted a simple model quantifying the effect of instability (proxied by hoard frequency) on population dynamics to the data before 100 BCE. The model predicts declining population after 100 BCE. This suggests that the vigorous growth scenario is highly implausible. PMID:19805043

Monastic incorporation of classical botanic medicines into the Renaissance pharmacopeia.

PubMed

Petrucelli, R J

1994-01-01

Ancient Greek physicians believed that health resulted from a balance of natural forces. Many, including Dioscorides, made compilations of plants and medicines derived from them, giving prominence to diuretics, cathartics and emetics. During the Roman Empire, although Greek physicians were highly valued, the Roman matron performed many medical functions and magic and astrology were increasingly used. In Judaic and later Christian societies disease was equated with divine disfavor. After the fall of Rome, the classical Greek medical texts were mainly preserved in Latin translation by the Benedictine monasteries, which were based around a patient infirmary, a herb garden and a library. Local plants were often substituted for the classical ones, however, and the compilations became confused and inaccurate. Greek medicine survived better in the remains of the Eastern Roman Empire, and benefitted from the influence of Arab medicine. Intellectual revival, when it came to Europe, did so on the fringes of the Moslem world, and Montpellier and Salerno were among the first of the new medical centers. Rather than relying on ancient experts, the new experimental method reported the tested effects of substances from identified plants. This advance was fostered by the foundation of universities and greatly aided by the later invention of the printing press, which also allowed wider dissemination of the classical texts.

Flank eruptions of Mt Etna during the Greek-Roman and Early Medieval periods: New data from 226Ra-230Th dating and archaeomagnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Branca, Stefano; Condomines, Michel; Tanguy, Jean-Claude

2015-10-01

In this paper, we present new data from 226Ra-230Th dating and archaeomagnetism with the aim of improving the knowledge of the flank eruptions that occurred at Mt Etna during the Greek-Roman and Early Medieval periods, as defined in the new geological map of the volcano. The combination of the two dating techniques demonstrates that three major flank eruptions occurred on the lower north and west flanks during Greek-Roman epochs, producing large scoria cones and extensive lava flows. In particular, the Mt Ruvolo and Mt Minardo events highly impacted the territory of the west flank, notably by damming the Simeto River. The new data of the Millicucco and Due Monti lava flows, on the lower north-east flank, indicate a younger age than their stratigraphic ages quoted in the 2011 geological map, since they occurred around 700 and 500 AD, respectively. None of the large flank eruptions occurring on the lower slopes of Etna during the Early Medieval age are reported in the historical sources. Overall, our paper shows that a comprehensive assessment of eruptions at Mount Etna in the last three millennia can only be achieved through a multidisciplinary approach.

Histopathology and stress biomarkers in the clam Venerupis philippinarum from the Venice Lagoon (Italy).

PubMed

Boscolo Papo, Michele; Bertotto, Daniela; Quaglio, Francesco; Vascellari, Marta; Pascoli, Francesco; Negrato, Elena; Binato, Giovanni; Radaelli, Giuseppe

2014-07-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the histomorphology and the stress response in the bivalve Venerupis philippinarum sampled in four differently polluted sites of the Venice Lagoon (Palude del Monte, Marghera, Ca' Roman and Val di Brenta). This species is often used as bioindicator of environmental pollution since it can bioaccumulate a large variety of pollutants because of its filter feeding. Chemical analyses for heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were performed on whole soft tissues of V. philippinarum. The histological evaluation of clams revealed the presence of Perkinsus sp. infection in animals from all sites, although a very high prevalence of parasites was evidenced in clams from Ca' Roman. Perkinsus sp. were systemically distributed in the mantle, in the intestine and digestive gland, in gonads and gills. The trophozoites of Perkinsus sp. were found isolated or in cluster surrounded by a heavy hemocitical response. Haemocytes always exhibited an immunopositivity to cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) and nitrotyrosine (NT) antibodies. The digestive gland of animals from Palude del Monte showed the highest malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, whereas clams from Ca' Roman exhibited the highest quantity of metallothioneins. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transparent 3D Visualization of Archaeological Remains in Roman Site in Ankara-Turkey with Ground Penetrating Radar Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadioglu, S.

2009-04-01

Transparent 3D Visualization of Archaeological Remains in Roman Site in Ankara-Turkey with Ground Penetrating Radar Method Selma KADIOGLU Ankara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Geophysical Engineering, 06100 Tandogan/ANKARA-TURKEY kadioglu@eng.ankara.edu.tr Anatolia has always been more the point of transit, a bridge between West and East. Anatolia has been a home for ideas moving from all directions. So it is that in the Roman and post-Roman periods the role of Anatolia in general and of Ancyra (the Roman name of Ankara) in particular was of the greatest importance. Now, the visible archaeological remains of Roman period in Ankara are Roman Bath, Gymnasium, the Temple of Augustus of Rome, Street, Theatre, City Defence-Wall. The Caesar Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, conquered Asia Minor in 25 BC. Then a marble temple was built in Ancyra, the administrative capital of province, today the capital of Turkish Republic, Ankara. This monument was consecrated to the Empreror and to the Goddess Rome. This temple is supposed to have built over an earlier temple dedicated to Kybele and Men between 25 -20 BC. After the death of the Augustus in 14AD, a copy of the text of "Res Gestae Divi Augusti" was inscribed on the interior of the pronaos in Latin, whereas a Greek translation is also present on an exterior wall of the cella. In the 5th century, it was converted in to a church by the Byzantines. The aim of this study is to determine old buried archaeological remains in the Augustus temple, Roman Bath and in the governorship agora in Ulus district. These remains were imaged with transparent three dimensional (3D) visualization of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) data. Parallel two dimensional (2D) GPR profile data were acquired in the study areas, and then a 3D data volume were built using parallel 2D GPR data. A simplified amplitude-colour range and appropriate opacity function were constructed and transparent 3D image were obtained to activate buried remains. Interactive interpretation was done by using sub-blocks of the transparent 3D volume. The opacity function coefficients were increased while deep sub-blocks were visualized. Therefore amplitudes of electromagnetic wave field were controlled by changing opacity coefficients with depth. The transparent 3D visualization provided to identify the archaeological remains on native locations with depth in a 3D volume. According to the visualization results, in the governorship agora, the broken Roman Street was identified under the remnants of Ottoman, Seljuk's and Byzantine periods respectively at 4m depths and a colonnaded portico was determined in the governorship garden. Diggings encouraged the 3D image results. In the Augustus temple, very complex remnant structures including cubbies were determined in front of the east wall of the temple. The remnant walls very near to the surface were continued so deep in the 3D image. The transparent 3D visualization results overlapped with the digging results of the Augustus temple.

Homer: The Blind Bard

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doorley, Rachelle; King, Judith

2005-01-01

This article describes notable cultural, historical, and artistic elements emanating from sculptures originating in ancient Greece. The "blind bard" and its connection to the legendary Greek poet, Homer; Homer's impact on literary history; trends among Roman sculptures; and Roman replication of Greek art are described. Questions to…

Cyrillic Transliteration and Its Users.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aissing, Alena L.

1995-01-01

Explores problems of three groups of Russian-language students using romanized Cyrillic bibliographic records. Investigates students' ability to keyword search using Russian records romanized according to Library of Congress transliteration tables. Results show that transliteration is one of the factors limiting access by Russian-language students…

17 CFR 230.605 - Filing and use of the offering circular.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... similar process which will result in clearly legible copies. If printed, it shall be set in roman type at... tabular matter may be set in roman type at least as large as eight-point modern type. All type shall be...

On the origin of Ammon's horn.

PubMed

Iniesta, I

2014-10-01

Greek and Roman worship of their gods and myths go back to Ancient Egyptian times. Images engraved in Greco-Roman coinage range from references to the assassination of Caesar and legendary stories like the arrival of a snake shaped demi-god Aesculapius to save the Romans from the plague, to invocations of major deities including Apollo the physician or Ammon the protector. Depicted with the horns of a ram, Ammon was adopted by the Greeks as an epithet of Zeus and later incorporated by the Romans as Jupiter. References to the cult of Ammon appear on tetradrachms minted for Alexander The Great and on provincial Roman coins struck under Claudius. It is thrilling to hold a coin depicting Marcus Aurelius with Salus on the reverse and think that it could have been handed to Galen in payment for his services. However, it is rare to find figures other than rulers on coins and the physician of Pergamum is no exception. Inspired by the Renaissance school of Padua, French anatomists in the Enlightenment (Garengeot in 1742 and Flurant in 1752) continued reviving ancient myths and named the curve-shaped-inner portion of the temporal lobe Ammon's horn. Outstanding scholars who studied this primitive structure of the brain included Lorente de Nó and his mentor Cajal, whose portrait appeared on fifty-pesetas notes issued in 1935. As primary sources of great archaeological and artistic value, Greco-Roman coins provide information about the origins of the myths and gods of classical antiquity and continue to inspire the arts and sciences to this day. Copyright © 2011 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The single-leg Roman chair hold is more effective than the Nordic hamstring curl in improving hamstring strength-endurance in Gaelic footballers with previous hamstring injury.

PubMed

Macdonald, Ben; O'Neill, John; Pollock, Noel; Van Hooren, Bas

2018-03-06

Poor hamstring strength-endurance is a risk factor for hamstring injuries. This study investigated the effectiveness of the single-leg Roman hold and Nordic hamstring curl in improving hamstring strength-endurance. Twelve Gaelic footballers (mean ± standard deviation age, height and mass were 25.17 ± 3.46 years, 179.25 ± 5.88 cm, 85.75 ± 4.75 kilo) with a history of hamstring injury were randomized into 2 groups that performed 6 weeks of either Nordic hamstring curl, or single-leg Roman chair hold training. The single-leg hamstring bridge (SLHB) was measured pre- and post- intervention. The Roman chair group showed a very likely moderate magnitude improvement on SLHB performance for both legs (23.7% for the previously injured leg [90% confidence interval 9.6% to 39.6%] and 16.9% for the non-injured leg [6.2% to 28.8%]). The Nordic curl group showed a likely trivial change in SLHB performance for the non-injured leg (-2.1% [-6.7% to 2.6%]) and an unclear, but possibly trivial change for the previously injured leg (0.3% [-5.6% to 6.6%]). The Roman chair group improved very likely more with a moderate magnitude in both the non-injured (19.5% [8.0% to 32.2%]) and the previously injured leg (23.3% [8.5% to 40.0%]) compared to the Nordic curl group. This study demonstrated that 6-weeks single-leg Roman chair training substantially improved SLHB performance, suggesting that it may be an efficacious strategy to mitigate hamstring (re-) injury risk. Conversely, 6-weeks Nordic curl training did not substantially improve SLHB performance, suggesting this may not be the intervention of choice for modifying this risk factor.

Greek and Roman Mythology: English, Mythology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hargraves, Richard; Kenzel, Elaine

The aim of the Quinmester course "Greek and Roman Mythology" is to help students understand mythological references in literature, art, music, science and technology. The subject matter includes: creation myths; myths of gods and heroes; mythological allusions in astrology, astronomy, literature, science, business, puzzles, and everyday…

17 CFR 240.14c-4 - Presentation of information in information statement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... printed information statements shall be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 10-point modern... tabular data, but not the notes thereto, may be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 8-point...

The Roman Catholic Church, the Holocaust, and the demonization of the Jews

PubMed Central

Kertzer, David I.

2015-01-01

Following eleven years’ work, in 1998 a high-level Vatican commission instituted by Pope John Paul II offered what has become the official position of the Roman Catholic Church denying any responsibility for fomenting the kind of demonization of the Jews that made the Holocaust possible. In a 2001 book, The popes against the Jews, I demonstrated that in fact the church played a major role in leading Catholics throughout Europe to view Jews as an existential threat. Yet defenders of the church position continue to deny the historical evidence and to launch ferocious ad hominem attacks against scholars who have researched the subject. The anti-Semitism promulgated by the church can be seen as part of the long battle it waged against modernity, with which the Jews were identified. PMID:27011787

An entire universe of the Roman world's architecture found in the human skull.

PubMed

Turliuc, Dana; Turliuc, Șerban; Cucu, Andrei; Dumitrescu, Gabriela; Costea, Claudia

2017-01-01

Today's neuroanatomical terminology has its origins in the Romans' way of life, in their civil and military house architecture, as well as in the fields of engineering and technology. Despite the fact that they did not know how the nervous system worked and what the role of each neuroanatomic structure was, over time, especially in Renaissance and early modern times, the anatomists sought descriptive names for the nervous structures they have identified by way of similarity with some ancient items. This study aims to briefly review the influence of Roman architecture, engineering, and technology on neuroanatomic nomenclature, the precursor of modern neuroanatomical terminology.

Leadership Development Experiences of Exemplary Roman Catholic Parish Priests: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ong, Rosemarie A.

2013-01-01

This qualitative, phenomenological study addressed the research question: How do exemplary Roman Catholic parish priests perceive and describe their leadership development experience? The study explored experiences considered important in developing leadership, including how they occurred, the meaning provided, the definition of exemplary…

Catholics in the REA, 1903-1953

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elias, John L.

2004-01-01

This article describes the involvement of Roman Catholics in the Religious Education Association during the first 50 years of its existence. It examines attitudes of Protestants toward Catholics expressed in journal articles, convention speeches, and archival material. It presents the contributions of Roman Catholics at conventions and in journal…

Roman Holiday: Bridging Disciplinary Divides through Special Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chansky, Dorothy

2001-01-01

Describes a week-long multidisciplinary program (in association with a theatre history survey course) called "Roman Holiday: Classical Comedy/Contemporary Commentary" which featured guest lectures; a student-directed production; a video screening; and the presentation of Hollywood films. Notes that the program addresses the disparity between the…

Greek & Roman Mythology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigelow, Alma

Activities and background information on Greek and Roman mythology are presented. The unit is designed for eighth graders, but many of the activities can be modified for other grade levels. The unit includes: (1) a content outline; (2) a list of instructional materials including suggested textbooks, teacher-prepared materials, and resource…

17 CFR 240.14a-5 - Presentation of information in proxy statement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... roman type at least as large and as legible as 10-point modern type, except that to the extent necessary..., may be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 8-point modern type. All such type shall be...

Aging in Pliny's Letters: A View from the Second Century A.D.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kebric, Robert B.

1983-01-01

Reviews the writings of a Roman aristocrat named Pliny the Younger to look at aging and the aged during the Roman Empire. Attitudes about the aged, the aging process, multigenerational upbringing, and retirement, among other topics, are discussed and illustrated. (Author/JAC)

[Traffic accidents during the Roman empire: to go to the doctor o to the god?].

PubMed

Gourevitch, Danielle

2012-01-01

A few pages by Galen and an inscription from Roman Egypt testify to two psychological attitudes towards diseases and accidents: either you feel responsible and go to the doctor, or you think you are in the hands of some god.

The Founding Fathers: Choosing to Be the Romans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venables, Robert W.

1989-01-01

Reviews Iroquois influences on historical processes leading to the U.S. Constitution and on its philosophical intent and content. Argues that the Founding Fathers drew parallels between native confederacies and ancestral European tribes, and eventually rejected confederated government because the more unified Romans conquered the tribes. Contains…

Characterization of the Roman curse tablet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wen; Zhang, Boyang; Fu, Lin

2017-08-01

The Roman curse tablet, produced in ancient Rome period, is a metal plate that inscribed with curses. In this research, several techniques were used to find out the physical structure and chemical composition of the Roman curse tablet, and testified the hypothesis that whether the tablet is made of pure lead or lead alloy. A sample of Roman Curse Tablet from the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum was analyzed using several different characterization techniques to determine the physical structure and chemical composition. The characterization techniques used were including optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Because of the small sample size, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) cannot test the sample. Results from optical microscopy and SEM, enlarged images of the sample surface were studied. The result revealed that the sample surface has a rough, non-uniform, and grainy surface. AFM provides three-dimensional topography of the sample surface, studying the sample surface in atomic level. DSC studies the thermal property, which is most likely a lead-alloy, not a pure lead. However, none of these tests indicated anything about the chemical composition. Future work will be required due to the lack of measures finding out its chemical composition. Therefore, from these characterization techniques above, the Roman curse tablet sample is consisted of lead alloy, not pure lead.

The Roman-Irish Bath: Medical/health history as therapeutic assemblage.

PubMed

Foley, Ronan

2014-04-01

The invention of a new form of hot-air bath in Blarney, Ireland in 1856, variously known in its lifetime as the Roman-Irish or Turkish Bath, acted as the starting point for a the production of a globalised therapeutic landscape. Tracking the diffusion of the Roman-Irish bath template from its local invention in Ireland to a global reach across the Victorian world and recognizing its place within a wider hydrotherapeutic history, this paper frames that diffusion as a valuable empirical addition to assemblage theory. The specific empirical history of the spread of the Roman-Irish/Turkish bath idea is drawn from primary archival and secondary historical sources. It is then discussed and, drawing from work on assemblage theory, analyzed against three broad themes: mobile networks, socio-material practices and contested emergence. The emergent relational geographies of the Roman-Irish Bath identify important roles for the diffusion and transformation of specific medical settings, identities and functions. These were linked in turn to competing social-healing pathways wherein bodies were technologically and morally managed, to produce a more inhabited form of therapeutic assemblage. In all cases the differential diffusion of the bath idea, it's shifting and fractured material forms and multiple inhabitations and discourses were contested and mobile and spoke to an assemblage approach which has ripe potential for exploration across a range of medical/health geography settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A health assessment for imperial Roman burials recovered from the necropolis of San Donato and Bivio CH, Urbino, Italy.

PubMed

Paine, Robert R; Vargiu, Rita; Signoretti, Carla; Coppa, Alfredo

2009-01-01

Imperial Roman burials recovered from the sites of San Donato and Bivio CH, located in the city of Urbino, Italy were examined for skeletal lesions. Observed pathologies include arthritis, trauma, periostitis, cranial pitting and enamel hypoplasia. All of the adults exhibited at least one enamel hypoplasia. In general, the adult males exhibit greater rates of skeletal pathologies than the females. Clearly, chronic health problems appear to be common among all adults; nearly 89% of them exhibit at least one form of skeletal lesion. This is in stark contrast to what is seen for the sub-adults. Only one sub-adult showed skeletal lesions. Acute health problems may have been the primary contributing factors for the death of the children recovered from the site. Despite previous research and attention to malaria as a critical health problem of Roman sub-adults, it does not seem to be an issue for this burial sample. We compare the frequency of cranial pitting and periostitis for the Urbino burials to several other Imperial Roman skeletal samples as a means to assess the potential for malaria and other casual factors for the observed lesions. In conclusion, we see the extreme rate of skeletal lesions for this community as indication of an extremely poor quality of life for these Romans.

a 3d Based Approach to the Architectural Study of the Roman Bath at the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates (kourion, Cyprus).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faka, M.; Christodoulou, S.; Abate, D.; Ioannou, C.; Hermon, S.

2017-08-01

Roman baths represented a popular social practice of everyday life, cited in numerous literary sources and testified by ample archaeological remains all over the Roman Empire. Although regional studies have contributed extensively to our knowledge about how baths functioned and what was their social role in various regions of the Mediterranean, their study in Cyprus is yet to be developed. Moreover, despite the increasing availability of devices and techniques for 3D documentation, various characteristics, especially in relation to the heating and water supply system of the baths, were omitted and were not properly and accurately documented. The pilot case study outlined in this paper presents the 3D documentation of the Roman bath, excavated in the 1950s, within the area of the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates at Kourion (Limassol district). The creation of an accurate 3D model of the documented area through image and range based techniques combined with topographic data, allows the detailed analysis of architectural elements and their decorative features. At the same time, it enables accurate measurements of the site, which are used as input for the archaeological interpretation and virtual reconstruction of the original shape of the bath. In addition, this project aims to answer a number of archaeological research questions related to Roman baths such as their architectural features, function mode, and technological elements related to heating techniques.

Medical practice in Graeco-roman antiquity.

PubMed

Cilliers, L; Retief, F P

2006-05-01

The roots of modern medicine can be traced back to the 5th century BC when Hippocratic rational medicine originated on the Greek islands of Cos and Cnidos. In this study we examine the way in which practitioners conducted their profession in Graeco-Roman times, as well as their training. Medical training was by way of apprenticeship with recognized doctors, but no qualifying examinations existed and the standard of practice thus varied enormously. Even in the Roman era the vast majority of medical doctors were Greek and in private practice as itinerant physicians. Civic doctors in the paid service of local communities appeared in Greek society from the 5th century BC onwards, but much later in Rome - probably as late as the 4th century AD. Rome's unique contributions to medicine lay in public health measures (e.g. their aqueducts, public baths and sewages systems) and an excellent medical service for their armies and navy. Hospitals (valetudinaria) were established for military purposes and for slaves on large Roman estates from the 1st century BC, but civic hospitals for the general public originated as late as the 4th century AD. The Greek medical schools of Cos and Cnidos were eventually superseded by the school of Alexandria in Egypt and towards the end of the Roman Empire by that of Carthage in northern Africa. Its gradual demise in the Christian era lowered the curtain on original medical endeavours during antiquity.

Roman sophisticated surface modification methods to manufacture silver counterfeited coins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingo, G. M.; Riccucci, C.; Faraldi, F.; Pascucci, M.; Messina, E.; Fierro, G.; Di Carlo, G.

2017-11-01

By means of the combined use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) the surface and subsurface chemical and metallurgical features of silver counterfeited Roman Republican coins are investigated to decipher some aspects of the manufacturing methods and to evaluate the technological ability of the Roman metallurgists to produce thin silver coatings. The results demonstrate that over 2000 ago important advances in the technology of thin layer deposition on metal substrates were attained by Romans. The ancient metallurgists produced counterfeited coins by combining sophisticated micro-plating methods and tailored surface chemical modification based on the mercury-silvering process. The results reveal that Romans were able systematically to chemically and metallurgically manipulate alloys at a micro scale to produce adherent precious metal layers with a uniform thickness up to few micrometers. The results converge to reveal that the production of forgeries was aimed firstly to save expensive metals as much as possible allowing profitable large-scale production at a lower cost. The driving forces could have been a lack of precious metals, an unexpected need to circulate coins for trade and/or a combinations of social, political and economic factors that requested a change in money supply. Finally, some information on corrosion products have been achieved useful to select materials and methods for the conservation of these important witnesses of technology and economy.

Script Reforms--Are They Necessary?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Gregory

Script reform, the modification of an existing writing system, is often confused with script replacement of one writing system with another. Turkish underwent the replacement of Arabic script by an adaptation of Roman script under Kamel Ataturk, but a similar replacement in Persian was rejected because of the high rate of existing literacy in…

Combined Geophysical Prospecting in Andalusia (Spain): Geomagnetics, GPR and IP Geoelectrics in Munigua, Montes de San Benito and Alcorrín.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, C.; Ullrich, B.

2007-05-01

According to the special tasks of archaeologists of the German Archaeological Institute (Madrid department) geophysical investigation campaigns were realized at several sites in Andalusia during the last five years. In Munigua (Province of Seville) - a Roman municipium and centre of metal production - building structures like the city wall and production sites extra muro were investigated by means of GPR measurements. A new method permitting virtual or physical reconstructions of archaeological features in the ground is presented using the original geophysical data and avoiding the speculative aspect of previous reconstruction techniques. In addition the Roman archaeo-metallurgical remains were surveyed in order to investigate the economic base of the Roman town and its environs. Geoelectrical measurements were realized recording the complex resistivity. The extension and depth of slag heaps are estimated using 2D and 3D images of resistivity ρ and phase angle φ. The slag heaps are well-defined by IP effects from the bedrock. The results allow estimating the amount of processed metal in Munigua for the first time. The main focus of the survey in Montes de San Benito (Province of Huelva) was the investigation of the structure of a Celtiberic settlement closely connected to iron production as well. Geomagnetic mapping and GPR measurements were applied in order to detect the buried building structures and the street system. Several single buildings, the main axes and remains of furnaces were localized. A similar procedure was chosen prospecting the fortified hill of Alcorrìn (Province of Malaga), a Phoenician settlement nearby the Mediterranean coast. The both spectacular and rarely researched site is surrounded by an up to 5 m thick wall. Main goal of the two survey campaigns was the internal structure of the hill fort. Using geomagnetic mapping and GPR a second fortification system could be identified. Inside the second ring wall building structures made of mud-brick and lime stone were investigated and proved by excavations. The three examples convincingly demonstrate the close cooperation between archaeologists and geophysicist in order to find effective ways to solve archaeological questions by means of geophysical prospecting methods even under challenging conditions. Matter of particular interest has been the search for visualization techniques meeting both scientific standards and ensuring best possible clearness.

Building Relationships Means Better IT Contracts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kossuth, Joanne; Ballman, Donald

2004-01-01

The ancient Romans had it right. The underlying relationships between contracting parties were considered so important among Roman citizens that breaking a contract was considered a serious offense: The breaching party forfeited social position and property, and, if necessary, his family was expected to make good on his contractual promises. In…

Io Saturnalia! (Hurrah Saturnalia!).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strasheim, Lorraine A.

This mini-text is a set of classroom ready Latin readings, a selection of Martial's epigrams complete with Latin-English vocabularies and reading notes. The readings concern the Roman holiday Saturnalia, at which time the Romans exchanged gifts and favors. The first epigram, Xenia (gifts), gives the reason for the following epigrams, which are…

Guiding the United States Government Response to an Overseas Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear Disaster

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-02-01

NUCLEAR DISASTER by Roman N. Hrycaj, Colonel, USAF A Research Report Submitted to the Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the Graduation Requirements... Nuclear Disaster Contract Number Grant Number Program Element Number Author(s) Hrycaj, Roman N. Project Number Task Number Work Unit Number

Some Influences of Greek and Roman Rhetoric on Early Letter Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hildebrandt, Herbert W.

1988-01-01

Describes how letter writing, especially business letters, was influenced by Greek and Roman oral rhetoricians. Discusses three precepts of oral rhetoric--inventio, dispositio, and style--and notes that the classical theories' reflection in written communication can be seen in selected Italian, German, and English epistolographic works. (MM)

Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever": A Rune of History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, Dale M.

1988-01-01

Asserts that "Roman Fever" responds to a reactionary political climate, demonstrating an anti-reactionary thrust to Edith Wharton's fiction. Argues that Wharton deserves credit for articulating the destructive character of a cultural misogyny that led quickly to what she saw in 1933 as "a world whizzing ... crazily to the…

Language Choice, Expectation, and the Roman Notion of Style.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Craig R.; Prince, Paul

1990-01-01

Describe the Roman concepts of "decorum" and "ornatus." Analyzes a speech from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," showing how these concepts advance plot, deepen character, and create expectations. Demonstrates how these concepts are useful in the criticism of American public address by applying them to Ronald Reagan's…

77 FR 43644 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Byzantine Art in the Mary...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-25

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7963] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Byzantine Art in the Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman and Byzantine Art... Galleries of Greek, Roman and Byzantine Art'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the...

Founders of "Liberal Education": The Case for Roman Orators against Socratic Philosophers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimball, Bruce A.

1983-01-01

The author argues that the graduate of the "artes liberales" (liberal arts) is the Roman orator, trained to defend persuasively the right and just, and not the person devoted to the Socratically-based introspective search for truth, as many contemporary academicians would maintain. (JMK)

Are biomechanical changes necessary for tumor progression?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kas, Josef A.

2014-03-01

Already the Roman Celsus recognized rigid tissue as characteristic for solid tumors. Conversely, changes towards a weaker cytoskeleton have been described as a feature of cancer cells since the early days of tumor biology. It remains unclear if a carcinoma's rigid signature stems from more inflexible cells or is caused by the stroma. Despite that the importance of cell biomechanics for tumor progression becomes more and more evident the chicken-and-egg problem to what extent cancer cells already change their mechanical properties within the solid tumor in order to transgress its boundary or mechanical changes are induced by the microenvironment when the cell has left the tumor has been discussed highly controversial. Comprehensive clinical biomechanical measurements only exist from tumor tissue without the possibility to identify individual cells or from individual cancer cells from pleural effusions. Since the biomechanical properties of cells in carcinomas remain unknown measurements on individual cells that directly stem out of primary tumor samples are required, which we have conducted. We found in cervix and mammary carcinomas a distinctive increase of softer cells as well as contractile cells. A soft and contractile cell is like a strong elastic rope. The cell can generate a strong tensile tension to pull its self along and is soft against compression to avoid jamming.

[A space for women in the Etruscan and Roman houses (VI-I cent. B.C.)?].

PubMed

Jolivet, Vincent

2011-01-01

The article analyzes the scientific discussion about the existence of a domestic space reserved to women in Etruscan and Roman houses. The hypotesis regarding the existence of a 'gynaeceum' has been recently proposed for the Etruscan houses built on Palatino in Rome (VI cent. B.C.) and for the ancient phase of the Centaurus Protodomus in Pompei. Considering the specific role of Roman matronae as laniferae, and also a substantial equality of social role between Etruscan men and women, it is possible to advance the hypotesis of the existence of a room originally reserved to women (oecus) on one side of the tablinum, the symmetrical room being reserved to men (triclinium).

Lead and the Romans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddy, Aravind; Braun, Charles L.

2010-01-01

Lead poisoning has been a problem since early history and continues into modern times. An appealing characteristic of lead is that many lead salts are sweet. In the absence of cane and beet sugars, early Romans used "sugar of lead" (lead acetate) to sweeten desserts, fruits, and sour wine. People most at risk would have been those who…

How Do You Say "MOO" in Latin? Assessing Student Learning and Motivation in Beginning Latin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gruber-Miller, John; Benton, Cindy

2001-01-01

Assesses the value of VRoma for Latin language learning. In particular, discusses three exercises that were developed that combine Latin language and Roman culture in order to help students reinforce their Latin skills and gain a more in-depth understanding of ancient Roman society. (Author/VWL)

Roman Catholic Schooling in Ontario: Past Struggles, Present Challenges, Future Direction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brennan, Terri-Lynn Kay

2011-01-01

Ontario Roman Catholic communities have established and maintained their own schools for over 200 years. Yet, their struggle for survival has not come without many challenges, setbacks, and criticisms. With the achievement of open-access at the secondary level and equal funding across the system, many question the legitimacy and worthiness of…

77 FR 17039 - Application for New Awards; Training for Realtime Writers Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-23

... of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. The page limit does not... grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other...

76 FR 18198 - European Union-United States Atlantis Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-01

... fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. The 6000-word limit does not apply to the cover... applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial...

Artists Paint ... Fantasy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herberholz, Barbara

2012-01-01

When he painted a portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II (1552-1612), Giuseppe Arcimboldo used his imagination, and portrayed him as "Vertumnus," the Roman god of vegetation and the seasons. It's fun to find the different fruits, vegetables and flowers he used: pea-pod eyelids, a gourd for the forehead. Court painters of the time usually…

The Scanning Electron Microscope and the Archaeologist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ponting, Matthew

2004-01-01

Images from scanning electron microscopy are now quite common and they can be of great value in archaeology. Techniques such as secondary electron imaging, backscattered electron imaging and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis can reveal information such as the presence of weevils in grain in Roman Britain, the composition of Roman coins and the…

Romans: A Simulation of the History and Culture of Ancient Rome.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staneart, Chuck; Baral, Wanda

This simulation allows students to learn about and participate in many of the aspects of ancient Roman life that have influenced present institutions and way of life. The phases of the unit include: (1) "Daily Life"; (2) "Forum of Roma"; (3) "Temple of Apollo"; (4) "Pax Romana"; (5) "History/Mystery:…

[The smallest toy dog from the Roman empire].

PubMed

Boessneck, J

1989-01-01

This study deals with osseous remains of the smallest breed of dogs found in deposits related to the Roman Imperial period. The bone material has been collected at the Colonia Ulpia Traiana near Xanten on the Rhine. It has been observed that the bones match in size with the smallest breeds of dogs known today.

78 FR 49290 - Oshkosh Defense, a Division of Oshkosh Corporation, Including On-Site Leased Workers From...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-13

..., Retzlaff Parts and Repair, Roman Engineering, Straight Shot Express, Inc., Teksystems, and Labor Ready..., Retzlaff Parts and Repair, Roman Engineering, Straight Shot Express, Inc., Teksystems, and Labor Ready. The... petitioner alleged that the Department has issued a determination for a worker group other than the one...

Impact of explosive volcanic eruptions around Vesuvius: a story of resilience in Roman time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scarpati, Claudio; Perrotta, Annamaria; De Simone, Girolamo Ferdinando

2016-03-01

Large explosive eruptions have reshaped the landscape around Vesuvius many times in prehistoric and historical times. Previous stratigraphic surveys suggested that people living in this area have probably abandoned their settlements (in the Bronze Age) or towns and villas (in the Roman period) for centuries after each major plinian eruption. New archaeological excavations on the northern slope of Vesuvius suggest a much more intriguing scenario. At Pollena Trocchia, an ongoing excavation has shown the superimposition of three different Roman structures, sandwiched between the deposits of the AD 79, AD 472, and AD 512 Vesuvius eruptions. Each of these eruptions more or less completely destroyed and buried the buildings under meters of volcanic products. Surprisingly, after a few years or decades, a new settlement was established exactly on the top of the buried one, indicating the immediate recovery of part of the devastated area. Our research documents the destruction of Roman buildings by volcanic eruptions over a period of five centuries (first to sixth century AD) and provides new insight into human behavior after major explosive eruptions.

Water management in the Roman world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dermody, Brian J.; van Beek, Rens L. P. H.; Meeks, Elijah; Klein Goldewijk, Kees; Bierkens, Marc F. P.; Scheidel, Walter; Wassen, Martin J.; van der Velde, Ype; Dekker, Stefan C.

2014-05-01

Climate variability can have extreme impacts on societies in regions that are water-limited for agriculture. A society's ability to manage its water resources in such environments is critical to its long-term viability. Water management can involve improving agricultural yields through in-situ irrigation or redistributing water resources through trade in food. Here, we explore how such water management strategies affected the resilience of the Roman Empire to climate variability in the water-limited region of the Mediterranean. Using the large-scale hydrological model PCR-GLOBWB and estimates of landcover based on the Historical Database of the Global Environment (HYDE) we generate potential agricultural yield maps under variable climate. HYDE maps of population density in conjunction with potential yield estimates are used to develop maps of agricultural surplus and deficit. The surplus and deficit regions are abstracted to nodes on a water redistribution network based on the Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World (ORBIS). This demand-driven, water redistribution network allows us to quantitatively explore how water management strategies such as irrigation and food trade improved the resilience of the Roman Empire to climate variability.

Eternal Rome: Guardian of the Heavenly Gates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latura, G.

2016-01-01

The power of the Roman Empire did not come solely by way of brutal force. A spiritual vision inherited from the Greeks inspired the Romans—an ascent through the classical Planets to the intersections with the Milky Way, where stood the gates of heaven. This vision stretches back, through Macrobius and Cicero, to Plato's Republic and Timaeus. The Eternal City, capital of the Empire for four centuries, claimed control over the celestial portals, a tradition that is traced on Roman coins and medals over thousands of years. Julius Caesar borrowed enormous sums to campaign for the office of Pontifex Maximus—high priest of Rome—spending a fortune on “bread and circuses” to secure the support of the masses. Consolidating power at every turn, Caesar as dictator-for-life became absolute master of Rome, the city that, according to its coins, ruled the cosmos. Though his mortal frame fell to the knives of the senators, Caesar's soul was seen ascending to heaven as a comet. Thus was born the myth of Divvs Ivlivs—the divine avatar of the Roman Empire, whose name would become synonymous with the title of emperor over millennia (German Kaiser, Hungarian Csaszar, Russian Tsar, to name a few). Caesar's heir, Octavian, piously waited for Lepidus to die of old age before grabbing the office of Pontifex Maximus for himself, a title that would define the celestial authority of the ruler of Rome until Gratian renounced it four centuries later. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, convinced Gratian that such a pagan title was not fit for a Christian. Once the Roman emperor discarded the title Pontifex Maximus, the bishop of Rome picked it up and placed it above his own head, as can be seen on coins and medals of the Vatican to this day. In Jubilee years, the Pope knocks down the brick wall that has kept closed the Holy Door for a generation, a ceremony that reaffirms Rome's control of the celestial gates.

The Roman Catholic Church, the Holocaust, and the demonization of the Jews: Response to "Benjamin and us: Christanity, its Jews, and history" by Jeanne Favret-Saada.

PubMed

Kertzer, David I

2014-01-01

Following eleven years' work, in 1998 a high-level Vatican commission instituted by Pope John Paul II offered what has become the official position of the Roman Catholic Church denying any responsibility for fomenting the kind of demonization of the Jews that made the Holocaust possible. In a 2001 book, The popes against the Jews , I demonstrated that in fact the church played a major role in leading Catholics throughout Europe to view Jews as an existential threat. Yet defenders of the church position continue to deny the historical evidence and to launch ferocious ad hominem attacks against scholars who have researched the subject. The anti-Semitism promulgated by the church can be seen as part of the long battle it waged against modernity, with which the Jews were identified.

Phenotypic features of the domestic pigs bred in the Roman settlements of Pompeii and Caralis.

PubMed

Manca, Paolo; Farina, Vittorio; Gadau, Sergio; Lepore, Gianluca; Genovese, Angelo; Zedda, Marco

2004-01-01

A reconstruction of the morphological features of domestic pigs from two Roman settlements is here suggested by means of the study of skeletal and dental remains, with the aim at evaluating their degree of selection in comparison with wild boars. Material was formed by 111 bone and tooth fragments and was uncovered during the excavations of Polybius' House in Pompeii and of Roman buildings in the neighbourhood of Caralis harbour (Sardinia). The remains underwent morphological examination. The eruption of permanent teeth and ossification of epiphyseal cartilages let us establish that most animals were over 18-20 months. When possible, the determination of sex was made by detecting tusk features. The presence of anthropic signs on the bone surface provides some information about slaughtering and cooking procedure in the Roman period and supports the hypothesis that the animal remnants were food remains. Osteometric analysis was carried out on long and short bones and teeth through suitable multiplicative parameters, leading to the assessment of the withers height and other main phenotypic features. Logarithmic deviation pointed out the significant osteometric differences between the domestic pigs from the two Roman settlements. These data were also compared with those from wild boars and modern crossbred wild boars X non-selected pigs. In conclusion, our data show that pigs from Caralis bear much resemblance to wild boars, whereas those from Pompeii appear to be improved, so sharing some phenotypic features of modem improved breeds.

Mendelian diseases among Roman Jews: implications for the origins of disease alleles.

PubMed

Oddoux, C; Guillen-Navarro, E; Ditivoli, C; Dicave, E; Cilio, M R; Clayton, C M; Nelson, H; Sarafoglou, K; McCain, N; Peretz, H; Seligsohn, U; Luzzatto, L; Nafa, K; Nardi, M; Karpatkin, M; Aksentijevich, I; Kastner, D; Axelrod, F; Ostrer, H

1999-12-01

The Roman Jewish community has been historically continuous in Rome since pre-Christian times and may have been progenitor to the Ashkenazi Jewish community. Despite a history of endogamy over the past 2000 yr, the historical record suggests that there was admixture with Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews during the Middle Ages. To determine whether Roman and Ashkenazi Jews shared common signature mutations, we tested a group of 107 Roman Jews, representing 176 haploid sets of chromosomes. No mutations were found for Bloom syndrome, BRCA1, BRCA2, Canavan disease, Fanconi anemia complementation group C, or Tay-Sachs disease. Two unrelated individuals were positive for the 3849 + 10C->T cystic fibrosis mutation; one carried the N370S Gaucher disease mutation, and one carried the connexin 26 167delT mutation. Each of these was shown to be associated with the same haplotype of tightly linked microsatellite markers as that found among Ashkenazi Jews. In addition, 14 individuals had mutations in the familial Mediterranean fever gene and three unrelated individuals carried the factor XI type III mutation previously observed exclusively among Ashkenazi Jews. These findings suggest that the Gaucher, connexin 26, and familial Mediterranean fever mutations are over 2000 yr old, that the cystic fibrosis 3849 + 10kb C->T and factor XI type III mutations had a common origin in Ashkenazi and Roman Jews, and that other mutations prevalent among Ashkenazi Jews are of more recent origin.

Exploring Classical Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burchenal, Margaret; Foote, Allison

This resource packet is designed to help teachers incorporate the study of ancient Greek and Roman art into junior and senior high school classrooms. The packet consists of four curriculum units based upon aspects of classical life or culture. These units are: "Daily Life; Mythology"; "Images of Power"; and "Echoes of…

Religion and Primary School Choice in Ireland: School Institutional Identities and Student Profile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darmody, Merike; Smyth, Emer

2018-01-01

Ireland's demographic profile has changed significantly in the past 20 years, being now characterised by increasing cultural, ethnic and religious diversity. However, primary schooling in Ireland has remained highly denominational, mostly Roman Catholic, in nature, with a small number of minority faith schools and multi-denominational schools.…

Teaching Values in Everything We Do: The Nativity Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daly, Jennifer Grumhaus

1996-01-01

Nativity Prep, a small, inner-city Roman Catholic middle school seeks to provide an environment that helps students excel in their studies and their personal development. The school has few discipline problems due to its small size; its strict, highly structured academic climate; its underpaid and devoted faculty; and its practice of praying…

Investigating the Mercalli Intensity Scale through "Lived Experience"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Richard

2012-01-01

The modified Mercalli (MM) intensity scale is composed of 12 increasing levels of intensity that range from imperceptible shaking to catastrophic destruction and is designated by Roman numerals I through XII. Although qualitative in nature, it can provide a more concrete model for middle and high school students striving to understand the dynamics…

VAiRoma: A Visual Analytics System for Making Sense of Places, Times, and Events in Roman History.

PubMed

Cho, Isaac; Dou, Wewnen; Wang, Derek Xiaoyu; Sauda, Eric; Ribarsky, William

2016-01-01

Learning and gaining knowledge of Roman history is an area of interest for students and citizens at large. This is an example of a subject with great sweep (with many interrelated sub-topics over, in this case, a 3,000 year history) that is hard to grasp by any individual and, in its full detail, is not available as a coherent story. In this paper, we propose a visual analytics approach to construct a data driven view of Roman history based on a large collection of Wikipedia articles. Extracting and enabling the discovery of useful knowledge on events, places, times, and their connections from large amounts of textual data has always been a challenging task. To this aim, we introduce VAiRoma, a visual analytics system that couples state-of-the-art text analysis methods with an intuitive visual interface to help users make sense of events, places, times, and more importantly, the relationships between them. VAiRoma goes beyond textual content exploration, as it permits users to compare, make connections, and externalize the findings all within the visual interface. As a result, VAiRoma allows users to learn and create new knowledge regarding Roman history in an informed way. We evaluated VAiRoma with 16 participants through a user study, with the task being to learn about roman piazzas through finding relevant articles and new relationships. Our study results showed that the VAiRoma system enables the participants to find more relevant articles and connections compared to Web searches and literature search conducted in a roman library. Subjective feedback on VAiRoma was also very positive. In addition, we ran two case studies that demonstrate how VAiRoma can be used for deeper analysis, permitting the rapid discovery and analysis of a small number of key documents even when the original collection contains hundreds of thousands of documents.

Geomorphological record of extreme wave events during Roman times in the Guadalquivir estuary (Gulf of Cadiz, SW Spain): An archaeological and paleogeographical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Ramírez, Antonio; Villarías-Robles, Juan J. R.; Pérez-Asensio, José N.; Santos, Ana; Morales, Juan Antonio; Celestino-Pérez, Sebastián; León, Ángel; Santos-Arévalo, Francisco Javier

2016-05-01

Analysis of the geological record has made it possible to delimit for the Guadalquivir estuary the traces of extreme wave events (EWEs) during the Roman period in the Iberian Peninsula (218 BCE to 476 CE). The largest event occurred in the 2nd-3rd century CE. It generated clearly visible erosive effects in the coastal barriers, including washover fans and erosional scarps. In the inner estuary, however, the effects were minor: crevasse splays that broke levees and cheniers, as well as a residual sedimentary lag. The significant development of the spits protected the inner estuary from the marine incursion, which only caused a water level rise with low-regime waves. Correlation of the geomorphological and sedimentary marks left by this event with the archaeological and geological evidence of other events recognized elsewhere in the Gulf of Cadiz effectively argues for a tsunami as to the nature of the 2nd-3rd century CE event. Yet this and the other identified EWEs in the Guadalquivir estuary during the pre-Roman and the Roman period all fit a model of paleogeographic evolution dominated by processes of coastal progradation and estuarine infilling. Radiocarbon dating, geomorphological analysis, and historical references fail to warrant the so-called '218-209 BCE' Atlantic tsunami, as hypothesized in the received scientific literature. In pre-Roman and Roman times, human occupation at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River was strongly influenced by various geodynamic processes, the location of the settlements being contingent upon dependable, fast communication with the sea and, above all, upon adequate protection from EWEs, on the leeward side of spits. Progressive progradation of these coastal barriers combined with the gradual infilling of the estuary to make navigation to open sea increasingly difficult and, eventually, to result in the abandonment of settlements.

Geophysical Investigations Over the Archaeological site of Rirha (Morocco)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senechal, G.; Rousset, D.; Callegarin, L.; Kbiri Alaoui, M.

2007-05-01

The roman site of Rirha has been evidenced in the 1920's and loosely studied until nowadays. Archeaological evidences show a pre-roman to medieval occupation of the site. Excavations have revealed thermae and other buildings while their context, rural villa or urban domus was still unknown. A new survey began in 2004, focusing on the pre-roman occupation of the site, as well as the characterization of the roman occupation. The zone of interest, a hill in a river loop, is about 11hectares. A comprehensive geophysical survey was out of reach, so geophysical tests have been carried on with two goals. The first one was to identify the suitable methods adapted to this, the second one was to use these preliminary results to distinguish between rural or urban settings for the roman site. The first survey has been conducted in April 2005, using conductivitymeter (Geonics EM38) in order to get informations about the spatial organization of the site. The selected zone was located in an unsurveyed part of the site. Resistivity maps show orthogonal structures, far from the known roman remains. This result supports the hypothesis of the site being a roman town and not a large farm or a villa. The second survey has been carried on in February 2006 and involved GPR and DC tomography, in very wet conditions. DC survey aimed at constraining the geological context of the site and at finding the remains of a large wall described by early authors. GPR experiment was primarily a test of the tool there and has been conducted on the previously studied area to get some depth information. The geological context has been studied by carrying on a 2D vertical section, 330 m long and 25 meters deep. showing a substratum of river deposit (sand, gravel, pebbles with possible clay layers) located at 8 to 10 m deep. Above this formation, we observe a very conductive layer interpreted as a clay formation (3 to 6 m thick) and finally, just below the surface, a laterally heterogeneous formation with rocks and adobe masonry. 2D DC sections succesfully located the remains of the surrounding wall of the site supporting even more the town hypothesis. GPR 3D results (250 MHz) are in agreement with conductivity maps but are of poor quality due to the very low resistivity of the soil.

Late Holocene lowland fluvial archives and geoarchaeology: Utrecht's case study of Rhine river abandonment under Roman and Medieval settlement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Dinter, Marieke; Cohen, Kim M.; Hoek, Wim Z.; Stouthamer, Esther; Jansma, Esther; Middelkoop, Hans

2017-06-01

Fluvial lowlands have become attractive human settling areas all around the world over the last few millennia. Because rivers kept changing their course and networks due to avulsion, the sedimentary sequences in these areas are archives of both fluvial geomorphological and archaeological development. We integrated geological and archaeological datasets to demonstrate the concurrence of the gradual abandonment of a major Rhine channel (Utrecht, The Netherlands), the development of human habitation in the area, and the interactions between them. The Utrecht case study highlights the stage-wise abandonment of a natural river channel, due to avulsion, coincident with intensifying human occupation in Roman and Early Medieval times (1st millennium AD). The analyses make maximum use of very rich data sets available for the study area and the tight age control that the geo-archaeological dataset facilitates, offering extra means of time-control to document the pacing of the abandonment process. This allows us to quantify change in river dimensions and meander style and to provide discharge estimates for successive stages of the abandonment phase over a 1000-year period of abandonment succession, from mature river to eventual Late Medieval overbuilt canal when the Rhine branch had lost even more discharge. Continued geomorphic development during this period - which includes the 'Dark Ages' (450-1000 AD) - appears to have been crucial in the development of Utrecht from Roman army fortress to Medieval ecclesial centre. The settlement dynamics in and around the city of Utrecht changed during the various phases of abandonment. In the bifurcating network of river branches forming the Rhine-Meuse delta, the main Rhine branch hosted the Roman limes military border and transport route. The Rhine- Vecht bifurcation at Utrecht provided an excellent location to raise a Roman fort. Continued geomorphic activity during abandonment in Early Medieval times was characterised by enhanced overbank sedimentation and shifts in the position of bifurcations. River flooding became more incidental in this stage, and alluvial-ridge occupancy became sensitive to flooding events for several centuries. We conclude by demonstrating that similar human-river interactions during Roman times occurred in several other deltas within the former Roman empire, with differences depending on the position of a settlement within the delta, the overall hydrological situation, and the ability of societies to control the changing environment.

Land use changes and its climatic implications in Northern Italy during the Dark Ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oeggl, Klaus; Oeggl-Wahlmüller, Notburga; Festi, Daniela; Zagermann, Marcus

2016-04-01

Here we present an interdisciplinary study on land use changes in Northern Italy at the transition from the Roman Empire to the Early Middle Ages. The combination of archaeological data and high-resolution pollen analyses carried out in the Fiavè basin (Trentino) provide a detailed insight in socio-economic changes and its implications with climate in the Dark Ages. The vegetation in this area is dominated up to 1000 m by submediterranian trees like Fraxinus ornus and Ostrya carpinifolia, superseded by a mixed Fagus and Abies forest with variable amounts of Picea abies. Since 2008 archaeological surveys in the Fiavè basin as well as excavations conducted on a fortified hill-top settlement (castrum) in 985m register the settlement development of this settlement cluster and reveal an almost continuous occupation from Roman to Early Medieval Times. In addition a high-resolution pollen record from a 1.30 m thick peat sequence of the bog "Palude di Fiave" discloses four main phases: (1) in the Late Iron Age high amounts of arboreal pollen and the spread of Abies demonstrate a decrease in settlement activity suggested by wetter climate conditions. (2) During the Roman Empire a phase with arable farming in the basin starts. Olea, Juglans and Castanea sativa are introduced and document the onset of horticulture in this region. (3) After 300 AD - during the Migration Period - the wet and cool conditions have had poor impact on settlement activity. Agricultural (Cerealia) and nitrophilous indicators (Plantago, Chenopodiaceae, Urticaceae) are continuously proved. However a change within the cultivated crops in relation to the climate conditions is observed. Subsequently a progressive recovery of Pinus followed by Abies and Fagus marks the climatic improvement at the beginning of the Early Medieval Times. (4) The time from 600 to 800 AD is characterized by increasing frequency and diversity of anthropogenic-related indicators. The implications of these land use changes with climate conditions are discussed.

17 CFR 230.420 - Legibility of prospectus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... data included therein shall be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 10-point modern type... data, including tabular data in notes, and (b) prospectuses deemed to be omitting prospectuses under rule 482 (17 CFR 230.482) may be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 8-point modern type...

17 CFR 230.420 - Legibility of prospectus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... data included therein shall be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 10-point modern type... data, including tabular data in notes, and (b) prospectuses deemed to be omitting prospectuses under rule 482 (17 CFR 230.482) may be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 8-point modern type...

17 CFR 230.420 - Legibility of prospectus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... data included therein shall be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 10-point modern type... data, including tabular data in notes, and (b) prospectuses deemed to be omitting prospectuses under rule 482 (17 CFR 230.482) may be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 8-point modern type...

17 CFR 230.420 - Legibility of prospectus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... data included therein shall be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 10-point modern type... data, including tabular data in notes, and (b) prospectuses deemed to be omitting prospectuses under rule 482 (17 CFR 230.482) may be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 8-point modern type...

Upward Wealth Mobility: Exploring the Roman Catholic Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keister, Lisa A.

2007-01-01

Wealth inequality is among the most extreme forms of stratification in the United States, and upward wealth mobility is not common. Yet mobility is possible, and this paper takes advantage of trends among a unique group to explore the processes that generate mobility. I show that non-Hispanic whites raised in Roman Catholic families have been…

Mineral resource of the month: mercury

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2012-01-01

The article offers information on mercury, a mineral commodity used in industrial and small-scale gold mining applications. Mercury has been reported to be used for amalgamation with gold since the Roman times. Mercury from cinnabar from Almadén, Spain has been used by Romans and has been continued to be used through the Middle Ages and the Colonial era.

[Surgical Roman instruments in the Museum of History of Medicine of the University of Rome "La Sapienza"].

PubMed

Gazzaniga, V; Serarcangeli, C

1999-01-01

The Museum of History of Medicine at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" keeps numerous roman surgical instruments, dating from the 1st century A.D. This article offers a short review of the critical literature existing on the topic, together with a temporary catalogue of the instruments.

76 FR 15956 - Applications for New Awards; Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education-Comprehensive...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-22

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78 FR 35890 - Applications for New Awards; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research...

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2013-06-14

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76 FR 6769 - Office of Postsecondary Education, Overview Information, Undergraduate International Studies and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-08

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Philosophy and Education in Stoicism of the Roman Imperial Era

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reydams-Schils, G.

2010-01-01

The Stoics of the Roman Imperial period share the imperative that education should not focus on erudition for its own sake, but contribute to the pursuit of the good life as they define it in philosophical terms. Hence these later Stoics express similar concerns about the technical and theoretical aspects of philosophy as they do about…

The Economics of Government and the Fall of Rome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrarini, Tawni Hunt

2013-01-01

Most world history books feature the successes of the Roman Empire during the first and second centuries. During the third and fourth centuries, they turn to the events leading up to the empire's collapse. Explanations of the Roman Empire's decline and fall often cite external military threats, governmental failure and instability,…

Levels of Meaning: The "Ara Pacis Augustae" and the Teaching of Roman History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huntsman, Eric D.

1998-01-01

Describes the "Ara Pacis Augustae" that is a monumental altar commemorating the emperor Augustus' safe return in 13 B.C. from his provincial tour of Spain and Gaul. Explains how students in a Roman history class can learn about the culture during the age of emperor Augustus by studying the altar. (CMK)

76 FR 2353 - Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; International Research and Studies (IRS...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-13

..., and graphs. Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. The... applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial...

Maximinus Daia, a Roman emperor who may have had Graves' disease and died of a thyrotoxic crisis.

PubMed

Papapetrou, Peter D

2013-01-01

Evidence is presented that the Roman emperor Maximinus Daia had Graves' disease and died of severe thyrotoxicosis. The information about this emperor's terminal illness is drawn from the writings of the 4th century writers Eusebius and Lactantius. An existing statue indicates that the emperor had bilateral Graves' ophthalmopathy.

"A City of Brick": Visual Rhetoric in the Roman Principate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamp, Kathleen S.

2009-01-01

This study explores the impact of non-traditional rhetorical media such as art, architecture, coins, and city planning in order to examine how these media promoted dynastic rule and influenced practices of citizenship during Augustus' reign, the period between the Roman Republic and Empire (31 BCE-14CE). My findings challenge the long-standing…

77 FR 12041 - Applications for New Awards; Migrant Education Program (MEP) Consortium Incentive Grants Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-28

... smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch). Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow... applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial...

Item Structural Properties as Predictors of Item Difficulty and Item Association.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solano-Flores, Guillermo

1993-01-01

Studied the ability of logical test design (LTD) to predict student performance in reading Roman numerals for 211 sixth graders in Mexico City tested on Roman numeral items varying on LTD-related and non-LTD-related variables. The LTD-related variable item iterativity was found to be the best predictor of item difficulty. (SLD)

Legitimation Crisis, Transformative Teaching-Learning and Regrounding of Authority in the Roman Catholic Church

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anweting, Livinus

2017-01-01

This study explores how religious education, and in particular transformative teaching and learning can provide an opportunity to re-ground authority in the Roman Catholic Church. The research presents an educational response to the legitimation crisis. It seeks to resolve the organization problem as typified in the pyramidic-hierarchical pattern…

17 CFR 230.420 - Legibility of prospectus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... size, type size and font, bold-face type, italics and red ink, by presenting all required information... data included therein shall be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 10-point modern type... rule 482 (17 CFR 230.482) may be in roman type at least as large and as legible as 8-point modern type...

Trash + Creativity = Problem Solved: Award Winners Give Plastic Bottles Second Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tech Directions, 2007

2007-01-01

Judge Harry T. Roman, an electrical engineer and inventor, has selected the best of the crop in the 2006/2007 Tech Directions Inventors Award Competition. The challenge this year called on students to slow the filling of landfills by devising uses for discarded plastic water, juice, soda, and sports-drink bottles. Judge Roman noted "many common…

"Flee from the Worship of Idols": Becoming Christian in Roman Corinth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byler, Dorvan

2016-01-01

The religious contexts in which early Christian communities grew were important factors in the first-century development of Christianity, affecting what it meant to become a Christian--either as a convert from a background in Judaism or as a convert from a background in Greek, Roman, or Egyptian cults. Surrounding religions and cultural norms…

An ancient Roman bowl embedded in a soil sample: surface shaded three dimensional display using data from a multi-detector CT.

PubMed

De Maeseneer, M; Buls, N; Cleeren, N; Lenchik, L; De Mey, J

2006-01-01

We present an unusual application of multidetector CT and shaded surface rendering in the investigation of a soil sample, containing an ancient Roman bronze bowl. The CT findings were of fundamental importance in helping the archaeologists study the bronze bowl from the soil sample.

The Use of Interactive Whiteboards in Teaching Non-Roman Scripts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tozcu, Anjel

2008-01-01

This study explores the use of the interactive whiteboards in teaching the non-Latin based orthographies of Hindi, Pashto, Dari, Persian (Farsi), and Hebrew. All these languages use non-roman scripts, and except for Hindi, they are cursive. Thus, letters within words are connected and for beginners the script may look quite complicated,…

Higher Education's Influence on the Confessional Practices of Roman Catholic Laity in the Greater Miami Area

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrari, Joseph L.

2013-01-01

This qualitative phenomenological study of 20 Roman Catholic laypersons in the Greater Miami area investigated the phenomenon of transformation of confessional practice as a result of the undergraduate educational experience. By searching for meaning in each individual's story, two themes or factors and six sub themes emerged. The themes were…

Do as the Romans: Construct an Aqueduct! Grades 6-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rushton, Erik; Ryan, Emily; Swift, Charles

In this activity, students work with specified materials to create aqueduct components to transport two liters of water across a short distance in the classroom. The goal is to build an aqueduct that will supply Aqueductis, a Roman city, with clean water for private homes, public baths, and glorious fountains. By introducing various ideas and…

Building a Dignified Identity: An Ethnographic Case Study of LGBT Catholics.

PubMed

Radojcic, Natasha

2016-10-01

This ethnographic case study offers insight into religiously devout sexual minorities and the reasons behind their continued participation in an anti-gay religious institution, the Roman Catholic Church. I demonstrate how members of Dignity, an organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Catholics, strategically use their identity as gay Catholics to initiate action, to build community, and to destigmatize other religious sexual minorities. Members leverage this unique identity to push for change and equality within the Church. At the same time, this identity also allows members to see their continued participation in the anti-gay Roman Catholic Church as activism, a positive and affirming identity, thereby alleviating potential conflict and contradiction between their sexuality and their spirituality as Roman Catholics.

Early Roman military fortifications and the origin of Trieste, Italy.

PubMed

Bernardini, Federico; Vinci, Giacomo; Horvat, Jana; De Min, Angelo; Forte, Emanuele; Furlani, Stefano; Lenaz, Davide; Pipan, Michele; Zhao, Wenke; Sgambati, Alessandro; Potleca, Michele; Micheli, Roberto; Fragiacomo, Andrea; Tuniz, Claudio

2015-03-31

An interdisciplinary study of the archaeological landscape of the Trieste area (northeastern Italy), mainly based on airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), ground penetrating radar (GPR), and archaeological surveys, has led to the discovery of an early Roman fortification system, composed of a big central camp (San Rocco) flanked by two minor forts. The most ancient archaeological findings, including a Greco-Italic amphora rim produced in Latium or Campania, provide a relative chronology for the first installation of the structures between the end of the third century B.C. and the first decades of the second century B.C. whereas other materials, such as Lamboglia 2 amphorae and a military footwear hobnail (type D of Alesia), indicate that they maintained a strategic role at least up to the mid first century B.C. According to archaeological data and literary sources, the sites were probably established in connection with the Roman conquest of the Istria peninsula in 178-177 B.C. They were in use, perhaps not continuously, at least until the foundation of Tergeste, the ancestor of Trieste, in the mid first century B.C. The San Rocco site, with its exceptional size and imposing fortifications, is the main known Roman evidence of the Trieste area during this phase and could correspond to the location of the first settlement of Tergeste preceding the colony foundation. This hypothesis would also be supported by literary sources that describe it as a phrourion (Strabo, V, 1, 9, C 215), a term used by ancient writers to designate the fortifications of the Roman army.

Analytical Plan for Roman Glasses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strachan, Denis M.; Buck, Edgar C.; Mueller, Karl T.

Roman glasses that have been in the sea or underground for about 1800 years can serve as the independent “experiment” that is needed for validation of codes and models that are used in performance assessment. Two sets of Roman-era glasses have been obtained for this purpose. One set comes from the sunken vessel the Iulia Felix; the second from recently excavated glasses from a Roman villa in Aquileia, Italy. The specimens contain glass artifacts and attached sediment or soil. In the case of the Iulia Felix glasses quite a lot of analytical work has been completed at the University ofmore » Padova, but from an archaeological perspective. The glasses from Aquileia have not been so carefully analyzed, but they are similar to other Roman glasses. Both glass and sediment or soil need to be analyzed and are the subject of this analytical plan. The glasses need to be analyzed with the goal of validating the model used to describe glass dissolution. The sediment and soil need to be analyzed to determine the profile of elements released from the glass. This latter need represents a significant analytical challenge because of the trace quantities that need to be analyzed. Both pieces of information will yield important information useful in the validation of the glass dissolution model and the chemical transport code(s) used to determine the migration of elements once released from the glass. In this plan, we outline the analytical techniques that should be useful in obtaining the needed information and suggest a useful starting point for this analytical effort.« less

Early Roman military fortifications and the origin of Trieste, Italy

PubMed Central

Bernardini, Federico; Vinci, Giacomo; Horvat, Jana; De Min, Angelo; Forte, Emanuele; Furlani, Stefano; Lenaz, Davide; Pipan, Michele; Zhao, Wenke; Sgambati, Alessandro; Potleca, Michele; Micheli, Roberto; Fragiacomo, Andrea; Tuniz, Claudio

2015-01-01

An interdisciplinary study of the archaeological landscape of the Trieste area (northeastern Italy), mainly based on airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), ground penetrating radar (GPR), and archaeological surveys, has led to the discovery of an early Roman fortification system, composed of a big central camp (San Rocco) flanked by two minor forts. The most ancient archaeological findings, including a Greco–Italic amphora rim produced in Latium or Campania, provide a relative chronology for the first installation of the structures between the end of the third century B.C. and the first decades of the second century B.C. whereas other materials, such as Lamboglia 2 amphorae and a military footwear hobnail (type D of Alesia), indicate that they maintained a strategic role at least up to the mid first century B.C. According to archaeological data and literary sources, the sites were probably established in connection with the Roman conquest of the Istria peninsula in 178–177 B.C. They were in use, perhaps not continuously, at least until the foundation of Tergeste, the ancestor of Trieste, in the mid first century B.C. The San Rocco site, with its exceptional size and imposing fortifications, is the main known Roman evidence of the Trieste area during this phase and could correspond to the location of the first settlement of Tergeste preceding the colony foundation. This hypothesis would also be supported by literary sources that describe it as a phrourion (Strabo, V, 1, 9, C 215), a term used by ancient writers to designate the fortifications of the Roman army. PMID:25775558

These Kids Are Really on the Ball! Invention Competition Winners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tech Directions, 2008

2008-01-01

Judge Harry T. Roman, an electrical engineer and inventor himself, has selected the best entries in the 2007-2008 "Tech Directions" Inventors Award Competition. This year's challenge called for students to devise new uses for the common Ping-Pong ball. Of the results, the judge notes "The ideas submitted were most interesting, with a high number…

Another Free-Speech Court Case off T-Shirts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Kelley R.

2006-01-01

In this article, the author discusses the quandary encountered by school officials at Poway High School in California in April 2004 when a student wore a T-shirt that reads, "Be ashamed, our school embraced what God has condemned" on the front and "Homosexuality is shameful--Romans 1:27" on the back. The student wore that…

"Anniversary Reaction": Important Events and Timing of Death in a Group of Roman Catholic Priests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Lee; Walker, Lawrence D.

1990-01-01

Compared death dates of 1,038 Roman Catholic priests with dates of Christmas, Easter, birthday, and day of ordination. Found no meaningful patterns of death around any anniversary, suggesting either no association between time of death and important anniversaries or that important event may be so extraordinary to each individuals that it is not…

Romans 12 Motivational Gifts and College Professors: Implications for Job Satisfaction and Person-Job Fit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomlinson, Jon C.; Winston, Bruce E.

2011-01-01

This study builds on earlier work by DellaVecchio and Winston (2004) and McPherson (2008). They addressed the seven motivational gifts Paul wrote about in Romans 12:3-8 as a means for addressing job satisfaction and person-job fit among college professors. Using a snowball sampling method, 89 college professors completed the online survey…

76 FR 16743 - Applications for New Awards; Program for North American Mobility in Higher Education

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-25

... inch). Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. The 5000-word... special conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of...

The Response of the Roman Catholic Church to the Introduction of Vocational Education in Ireland 1930-1942

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Marie

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the manner in which the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland attempted to impose denominational control on the system of vocational education introduced by the state in 1930. Considerable research on education has been conducted within the period in question; however, the area addressed in this paper has been largely neglected by…

77 FR 12819 - Upward Bound Program; Reopening the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Competition for Certain Applicants To...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-02

... all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs. Use a font that is either 12 point or larger. Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An amended application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. The page limits...

Archaeobotanical reconstructions of vegetation and report of mummified apple seeds found in the cellar of a first-century Roman villa on Elba Island.

PubMed

Milanesi, Claudio; Scali, Monica; Vignani, Rita; Cambi, Franco; Dugerdil, Lucas; Faleri, Claudia; Cresti, Mauro

In the late Roman Republic period (2nd-1st century BC), in the area of San Giovanni on Elba Island, previously subject to intense extraction of iron ore, a rustic villa was established by Marco Valerio Messalla, a supreme Roman magistrate. The foundations of the walls were discovered and excavated by an archaeological mission. Palaeobotanical analysis of a set of stratigraphic layers was performed. Palynological slides showed remains of palynomorphic and non-pollen objects, while data combined with anthracological investigations confirmed the hypothesis that in the 1st century AD the villa was destroyed by a fire that created a compact crust under which were discovered four broken Roman amphorae containing about five hundred apple seeds. Comparisons of archaeological and fresh seeds from reference collections showed discontinuous morphology except for one group of archaeological samples. DNA was isolated from seeds that had well-preserved embryos in all groups. DNA extracts from archaeological, wild and modern domestic seeds (controls) were amplified by PCR and tested with SSR molecular markers, followed by genome analysis. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Archaeoseismology in Algeria: observed damages related to probable past earthquakes on archaeological remains on Roman sites (Tel Atlas of Algeria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roumane, Kahina; Ayadi, Abdelhakim

2017-04-01

The seismological catalogue for Algeria exhibits significant lack for the period before 1365. Some attempts led to retrieve ancient earthquakes evidenced by historical documents and achieves. Archaeoseismology allows a study of earthquakes that have affected archaeological sites, based on the analysis of damage observed on remains. We have focused on the Antiquity period that include Roman, Vandal and Byzantine period from B.C 146 to A.D. 533. This will contribute significantly to the understanding of seismic hazard of the Tell Atlas region known as an earthquake prone area. The Tell Atlas (Algeria) experienced during its history many disastrous earthquakes their impacts are graved on landscape and archaeological monuments. On Roman sites such, Lambaesis (Lambèse), Thamugadi (Timgad) Thibilis (Salaoua Announa) or Thevest (Tebessa), damage were observed on monuments and remains related to seismic events following strong shacking or other ground deformation (subsidence, landslide). Examples of observed damage and disorders on several Roman sites are presented as a contribution to Archaeoseismology in Algeria based on effects of earthquakes on ancient structures and monuments. Keywords : Archaeoseismology. Lambaesis. Drop columns. Aspecelium. Ancient earthquakes

Cultural Heritage Through Time: a Case Study at Hadrian's Wall, United Kingdom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fieber, K. D.; Mills, J. P.; Peppa, M. V.; Haynes, I.; Turner, S.; Turner, A.; Douglas, M.; Bryan, P. G.

2017-02-01

Diachronic studies are central to cultural heritage research for the investigation of change, from landscape to architectural scales. Temporal analyses and multi-temporal 3D reconstruction are fundamental for maintaining and safeguarding all forms of cultural heritage. Such studies form the basis for any kind of decision regarding intervention on cultural heritage, helping assess the risks and issues involved. This article introduces a European-wide project, entitled "Cultural Heritage Through Time", and the case study research carried out as a component of the project in the UK. The paper outlines the initial stages of the case study of landscape change at three locations on Hadrian's Wall, namely Beckfoot Roman Fort, Birdoswald Roman Fort and Corbridge Roman Station, all once part of the Roman Empire's north-west frontier. The main aim of the case study is to integrate heterogeneous information derived from a range of sources to help inform understanding of temporal aspects of landscape change. In particular, the study sites are at risk from natural hazards, notably erosion and flooding. The paper focuses on data collection and collation aspects, including an extensive archive search and field survey, as well as the methodology and preliminary data processing.

[Gynecology and obstetrics in Ancient Rome].

PubMed

Dumont, M

1992-10-01

Gods and Goddesses were invoked by the Romans for the termination of a good delivery. Diana, Juno, Lucina and Cybele were the preferred ones. Sterility was sometimes treated by the whip of the Lupercali of ministers of Pan. The first doctors in Rome were coming from Greece. Celsus, Pliny the Elder were encyclopedists, Rufus an anatomist, Dioscorides a pharmacologist. Archigenes, Aretaeus and Antyllus surgeons. Soranus from Ephesus, was the first to recommend podalic version. His works was a long time buried in a profound oblivion and discovered by scholars during the nineteenth century. Galen was looked as the most famous medical man after Hippocrates. During the Roman Empire of Occident (Byzantine Empire), Oribasius, Aurelianus Caelius, Moschion and above all Aetius and Paul of Aegina wrote many works which were many times plagiarized. Roman laws concerning public health were severe. Midwives took an important action in the care of pregnant women. Roman poets as Plautus, Terence, Lucilius, Catullus, Virgil, Tibullus, Ovid and Martial were many times concerned in their writings with gynecologic or obstetric subjects. Children were easily forsaken. Three Emperors, Trajan, Marcus-Aurelius and Alexander Severius, a writer, Aulu-Gelles, and a rhetor, Quintilian, took protection of them.

Conjoined twins and Catholic moral analysis: extraordinary means and casuistical consistency.

PubMed

Kaveny, M Cathleen

2002-06-01

eThis article draws upon the Roman Catholic distinction between "ordinary" and "extraordinary" means of medical treatment to analyze the case of "Jodie" and "Mary," the Maltese conjoined twins whose surgical separation was ordered by the English courts over the objection of their Roman Catholic parents and Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminister. It attempts to shed light on the use of that distinction by surrogate decision makers with respect to incompetent patients. In addition, it critically analyzes various components of the distinction by comparing the reasoning used by Catholic moralists in this case with the reasoning used in other cases that raise similar issues, including women facing crisis pregnancies who prefer abortion to adoption and the Indiana "Baby Doe" case.

Vindicianus' Gynaecia and theories on generation and embryology from the Babylonians up to Graeco-Roman times.

PubMed

Cilliers, L

2004-01-01

Theories on conception, the production of seed, the determination of the sex of the foetus, foetal development and parturition as expressed in the Gynaecia, a work of the fourth century AD Roman medical writer, Vindicianus, and the theories of Graeco-Roman predecessors ranging from the fifth century BC to the second century AD in which the Gynaecia is embedded, are compared with views occurring in Babylonian, Jewish and Biblical scriptures. The resemblances that have been found, are probably based on general observations found in any society rather than on direct influence by oral or literary tradition. It appears that the theories are determined by the cultural background of the various societies, and are a reflection of the focus of the group or individual(s).

Archaeometrical analyses demonstrates that humans excavated clay from mardels on the Luxembourger Gutland plateau to produce ceramics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanmourik, Jan; Braekmans, Dennis

2017-04-01

Mardels, small closed depressions, are distinctive landforms on the Luxembourger Gutland plateau. In the present landscape most mardels are shallow fens, filled with colluvial sediments. Slotboom (1963) investigated 108 mardels in the Luxembourger Gutland and ascribed the mardels in the Luxembourger Keuper marl formations to subsurface solution of gypsum inclusions, followed by collapse and subsidence of the overlying beds. The colluvial deposits in the mardels were palynologically dated as Post Roman. Schmalen (2001) published an actualized inventory of mardels in the Gutland. This inventory includes also mardels on the Lias marls, a formation without gypsum inclusions. Etienne et al. (2011) considered beside natural processes also anthropogenic factors as explanation for CD's in the Lorraine landscape. The sediments in the majority of the CD's were palynologically dated as Post Roman. Combined with the open character of the local vegetation this suggest that the majority of the mardels are probably abandoned Roman quarries. Slotboom and van Mourik (2015) showed that the fillings of the mardels on the Lias marls are Post-Roman, just as on the Keuper marls. To answer the question "are mardels natural subsidence basins or abandoned quarries" we need additional information from the soil archives. Firstly we must identify the process, responsible for the deposition of clay in the mardels. The majority of the mardels in the Gutland occur in clusters in deciduous forests. Earthworm activity in the forest soils promote lateral clay leaching and soil erosion and mardels function as sediment traps. Due to this process clay with the best properties for the production of ceramics occurred in mardels. This process was active during the whole Holocene. It is striking that we did not find Pre-Roman but only Post-Roman mardel fillings. Secondly we need information about the practice of clay, excavated from mardels. If mardels are really abandoned quarries, the excavated sediments must have been used, most probably for the production of ceramics. If we can find relicts of ceramics in the vicinity of mardels we can compare the composition of these ceramics with mardel clay. We could collect finds of Roman tile-works on the Lias marls (Kalefeld) and of Roman pottery on the Keuper marls (Biischtert) in the vicinity of mardels. Provenance analysis (XRF) demonstrated the similarity of chemical composition of mardel clay and ceramics. This indicates that the mardels on the Gutland plateau developed initially as natural depressions (sediment traps), on Strassen marls related to soil subsidence, caused by joints in the underlying Luxembourger sandstone, on Keuper marls to subsidence after soil subsurface dissolving of gypsum veins. The colluvial clay was used by the Romans for the production of ceramics. Due to the excavation reached the actual seizes. Colluvial clay accumulation restarted in the abandoned quarries. • Slotboom, R.T. (1963) Comparative geomorphological and palynological investigation of the pingos (Viviers) in the Haute Fagnes (Belgium) and the Mardellen in the Gutland (Luxembourg). Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie 7: 193-231. • Schmalen, C. (2002) Einige Mardellen Luxemburgs auf den Keuper-und Liasschichten des Forstamtbezirks Zentrum. Diplomarbeit in Studiengang Umweltplannung an der Fachhochschule Trier, Standort Birkenfeld, 2002. • Etienne, D., Ruffaldi, P., Goepp, S., Ritz, F., Georges-Leroy, M., Pollier, B., Dambrine, E. (2011) The origin of closed depressions in Northeastern France: A new assessment. Geomorphology 126: 121-131. • Slotboom, R.T., van Mourik, J.M. (2015) Pollen records of mardel deposits; the effects of climatic oscillations and land management on soil erosion in Gutland, Luxembourg. Catena 132 (2015) 72-88.

A case of eye disease (Lippitudo) on the Roman frontier in Britain.

PubMed

Birley, A R

1992-01-01

A newly excavated Roman report, written in ink on wood, on the strength of the First Cohort of Tungrians at Vindolanda in northern Britain, registers 31 men unfit, 15 as sick, 6 as wounded, the remainder, 10, with eye-disease, 'lippientes'. The paper also comments on the prevalence of eye-disease in antiquity and some of the suggested causes thereof.

Secchi, Angelo (1818-78)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Born in Reggio Emilia, became a Jesuit and was exiled with the rest of the order by Mazzini's Roman Republic. After a period at Georgetown Observatory, he returned to Italy in 1849 as director of the Roman College Observatory, constructing a new observatory dome on top of the main pillars of the incomplete church of Saint Ignazio. Secchi used its telescopes for solar and stellar research, one of ...

[A Roman soap opera: Justus' wife and love sickness].

PubMed

Gourevitch, Danielle

2012-01-01

This paper presents a fiction rather than a story. Galen is called to visit Justus' wife, ill with a mysterious disease. The narrative of love sickness that afflicts her allows the author to draw an interesting picture of the social status of Roman women, the issues of reproduction and maritalbe trayal, and to shed light on magic practices for obtaining or preventing love affairs.

The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church: Arguments for Teachers and Students in Catholic Schools to Consider--Part 2 the Case For

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourgeois, Roy

2015-01-01

Vatican authority is being challenged as Roman Catholic women act upon their vocations to the priesthood, receive ordination, and openly serve their faith communities. Since 2002--when seven women were ordained by male Roman Catholic bishops--190 women have been ordained to the priesthood, including a dozen women bishops. Vatican officials dismiss…

[Contribution to the history of pharmacology (the early Roman empire)].

PubMed

Tesařová, Drahomíra

2014-01-01

This article is a contribution to the history of pharmacology in the early Roman empire. It contains texts mainly written in Latin: the works of Aulus Cornelius Celsus, Scribonius Largus and Plinius Maior (Pliny the Elder). It describes their structure and contributions to the history of medicine and gives examples of some prescriptions and drugs in the original language and in Czech.

East Meets West: Rome. Grade 6 Model Lesson for Unit V. California History-Social Science Course Models.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zachlod, Michelle, Ed.

This unit for sixth-grade students provides a fuller understanding of Julius Caesar's significance. Before students delve into the sample topic, they need an understanding of Roman values, lore, republican ideals, and structure of early Roman history. The first few activities in this lesson are to be taught prior to beginning the actual study of…

Muses of the Greco-Roman Cultures. A Curriculum Resource on Music in Classical Antiquity. Tentative Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masciantonio, Rudolph

This publication is designed to help teachers introduce pupils to the role of music, dance, and poetry in the civilization and culture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. It may be used as an interdisciplinary course for secondary school pupils or to expand curricular offerings in Latin and Greek. Focusing on the pervasive influence of music within…

Five Decades of Adult Education at U.C.C., 1948-1998: From Roman Catholic Social Reconstructionism to Community Partnerships and Empowerment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O Fathaigh, Mairtin; O'Sullivan, Denis

Looking back over the past 5 decades of adult education at University College, Cork, one is struck by the realities of continuity and change as the guiding rationale moved from Roman Catholic reconstructionism to community partnership and empowerment. Structures put in place under President O'Rahilly's sponsorship persisted so robustly they…

Analysis of copper and brass coins of the early roman empire.

PubMed

Carter, G F

1966-01-14

X-ray fluorescence analysis of 14 copper and brass coins of the early Roman Empire shows differences in composition between coins minted in Rome and in France. Concentrations of tin, lead, and antimony are nearly always less than in coins minted before 29 B.C. or after 54 A.D. Older coins were not melted to make copper coins of the early empire.

17 CFR 230.610a - Schedule A: Contents of offering circular for small business investment companies; Schedule B...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... boldface roman type at least as large as ten-point modern type and at least two points leaded: “THESE... discussing the material risks involved in purchasing the securities, printed in bold-face roman type at least... the city and state for address of portfolio companies. 2. State the value as of date of balance sheet...

17 CFR 230.610a - Schedule A: Contents of offering circular for small business investment companies; Schedule B...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... boldface roman type at least as large as ten-point modern type and at least two points leaded: “THESE... discussing the material risks involved in purchasing the securities, printed in bold-face roman type at least... the city and state for address of portfolio companies. 2. State the value as of date of balance sheet...

On the Roman god Verminus.

PubMed

Cordero-del-Campillo, M

1999-01-01

An inscription from the II century BC, dedicated to the Roman god Verminus and considered to be due to the rising threat of human worm infections, is studied from linguistic and historical points of view. Having analyzed the historical sources we have reached the conclusion that the erection of the shrine was not related to the human helminthosis but to the epidemic infectuous disease which affected both animal and humans.

17 CFR 230.610a - Schedule A: Contents of offering circular for small business investment companies; Schedule B...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... boldface roman type at least as large as ten-point modern type and at least two points leaded: “THESE... discussing the material risks involved in purchasing the securities, printed in bold-face roman type at least... the city and state for address of portfolio companies. 2. State the value as of date of balance sheet...

17 CFR 230.610a - Schedule A: Contents of offering circular for small business investment companies; Schedule B...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... boldface roman type at least as large as ten-point modern type and at least two points leaded: “THESE... discussing the material risks involved in purchasing the securities, printed in bold-face roman type at least... the city and state for address of portfolio companies. 2. State the value as of date of balance sheet...

European Science Notes Information Bulletin Reports on Current European/Middle Eastern Science,

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-01

Nanotechnology Products ........................... Paul Roman 37 Superior Integrated Photon Counter Marketed in England ................ Paul Roman 37 UK...marketing. In the ap- plication of this technique, a product is offered for a Regulation of Individual Cognitive Construc- ridiculously low price...made, and that a considerably higher price must concerned with the refinement of a method that they be paid to obtain the product . Surprisingly, those

A new approach to the study of Romanization in Britain: a regional perspective of cultural change in late iron age and roman dorset using the siler and gompertz-makeham models of mortality.

PubMed

Redfern, Rebecca C; Dewitte, Sharon N

2011-02-01

This is the first study of health in the Roman Empire to use the Siler and Gompertz-Makeham models of mortality to investigate the health consequences of the 43 AD conquest of Britain. The study examined late Iron Age and Romano-British populations (N = 518) from Dorset, England, which is the only region of Britain to display continuity in inhumation burial practice and cemetery use throughout the two periods. Skeletal evidence for frailty was assessed using cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, periosteal lesions, enamel hypoplasia, dental caries, tuberculosis, and rickets. These health variables were chosen for analysis because they are reliable indicators of general health for diachronic comparison (Steckel and Rose: The backbone of history: health and nutrition in the western hemisphere (2002)) and are associated with the introduction of urbanism in Britain during the Roman period (Redfern: J Rom Archaeol Supp Series 64 (2007) 171-194; Redfern: Britannia 39 (2008a) 161-191; Roberts and Cox: Health and disease in Britain: from prehistory to the present day (2003)). The results show that levels of frailty and mortality were lower in the late Iron Age period, and no sex differences in mortality was present. However, post-conquest, mortality risk increased for children and the elderly, and particularly for men. The latter finding challenges received wisdom concerning the benefits of incorporation into the Empire and the higher status of the male body in the Roman world. Therefore, we conclude that the consequences of urbanism, changes in diet, and increased population heterogeneity negatively impacted health, to the extent that the enhanced cultural buffering of men did not outweigh underlying sex differences in biology that advantage women. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Bishop plays down report on condoms / AIDS in France.

PubMed

1996-02-26

Individual bishops in France and other European countries have argued that condom use can save lives by preventing the spread of HIV. The French Bishops' Conference social commission published a 200-page report which in which agreement was expressed with widespread medical opinion that condom use is the sole and necessary barrier against the sexual spread of HIV. Extensive media coverage ensued and led to Bishop Albert Rouet, the bishop of Poitiers and chairman of the French Bishops' Conference, being interviewed by the Holy See's official radio. In the interview, Bishop Rouet distanced the Roman Catholic Church in France from the report, claiming that the media had exaggerated the issue and that his commission was not bound by the reference. The Vatican remains staunchly opposed to condom use against HIV infection and preaches abstinence outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage as the only true ways to avoid HIV infection. In 1995, the Vatican fired Jacques Gaillot, the former bishop of Evreux in Normandy, for his outspoken endorsement of condom use against HIV.

Safety Assessment of Anthemis nobilis-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.

PubMed

Johnson, Wilbur; Heldreth, Bart; Bergfeld, Wilma F; Belsito, Donald V; Hill, Ronald A; Klaassen, Curtis D; Liebler, Daniel C; Marks, James G; Shank, Ronald C; Slaga, Thomas J; Snyder, Paul W; Andersen, F Alan

Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile) flower extract, anthemis nobilis flower oil, anthemis nobilis flower powder, and anthemis nobilis flower water are ingredients that function as fragrance ingredients and skin-conditioning agents in cosmetic products. These ingredients are being used at concentrations up to 10% (anthemis nobilis flower water) in cosmetic products. The available data indicate that these 4 ingredients are not irritating or sensitizing. Chemical composition data and the low use concentrations suggest that systemic toxicity would not be likely if percutaneous absorption of constituents were to occur. Formulations may contain more than 1 botanical ingredient; each may contribute to the final concentration of a single component. Manufacturers were cautioned to avoid reaching levels of plant constituents that may cause sensitization or other adverse effects. Industry should continue to use good manufacturing practices to limit impurities in the ingredient before blending into cosmetic formulations. The Expert Panel concluded that these ingredients are safe in the present practices of use and concentration in cosmetics, when formulated to be nonsensitizing.

The dependence of crowding on flanker complexity and target-flanker similarity

PubMed Central

Bernard, Jean-Baptiste; Chung, Susana T.L.

2013-01-01

We examined the effects of the spatial complexity of flankers and target-flanker similarity on the performance of identifying crowded letters. On each trial, observers identified the middle character of random strings of three characters (“trigrams”) briefly presented at 10° below fixation. We tested the 26 lowercase letters of the Times-Roman and Courier fonts, a set of 79 characters (letters and non-letters) of the Times-Roman font, and the uppercase letters of two highly complex ornamental fonts, Edwardian and Aristocrat. Spatial complexity of characters was quantified by the length of the morphological skeleton of each character, and target-flanker similarity was defined based on a psychometric similarity matrix. Our results showed that (1) letter identification error rate increases with flanker complexity up to a certain value, beyond which error rate becomes independent of flanker complexity; (2) the increase of error rate is slower for high-complexity target letters; (3) error rate increases with target-flanker similarity; and (4) mislocation error rate increases with target-flanker similarity. These findings, combined with the current understanding of the faulty feature integration account of crowding, provide some constraints of how the feature integration process could cause perceptual errors. PMID:21730225

[Food consumption and energy and nutrient intakes in a group of Roman adolescents].

PubMed

Martone, D; D'Addesa, D; Scanu, A; Censi, L; Bevilacqua, N; D'Addezio, L; Menghetti, E

2010-04-01

The aim of the study was to assess food consumption in a group of Roman adolescents in order to compare the energy and nutrient intakes with requirements. The authors have carried out a food survey on the whole scholastic population of two schools of Rome from 2003 to 2005. Nutritional status of students was assessed by measuring height, weight according to international indications. Food consumption was assessed by food records. Seventy hundred and seventy three subjects (773) 52% males, with an average age of 12.3 + or - 0.9 years were surveyed. The average daily intakes of fruit (128 g), vegetables (161 g), and legumes (12 g) were lower than recommended. The percentage of energy intake from fat (39%) and that from saturated fats (12%) were high. On the other hand, the percentage of energy intake from carbohydrates was low (46%) even if that from saturated fats (12%) was rather high. The students' diet was characterized by low intakes of fibre (16 g), calcium (815 mg) and iron (12 mg) in both males and females. Results indicate that the diet of these students is unbalanced in terms of macronutrients and deficient for some micro-nutrients, suggesting the need for nutrition education policy.

Ordinary and extraordinary means.

PubMed

Gillon, R

1986-01-25

The Roman Catholic doctrine of ordinary and extraordinary means in patient care decisions is the subject of this essay in Gillon's series on medical ethics. He briefly traces the Church history of this doctrine, which holds that saving life is not obligatory if doing so would be excessively burdensome or disproportionate in relation to the expected benefits. The burdens and benefits are to be weighed in the context of "circumstances of persons, places, times, and cultures," and factors such as the costs and risks of undergoing a proposed treatment may be considered. Gillon also notes the disagreement among Roman Catholic commentators over whether it is ever permissible to discontinue feeding as a burdensome, extraordinary treatment. He concludes that, despite different weightings of harms and benefits, Roman Catholic and non-Catholic thinkers are in accord over the appropriate moral approach to deciding when treatment is not obligatory.

The Role of Fresh Water in Fish Processing in Antiquity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez López, Elena H.

2018-04-01

Water has been traditionally highlighted (together with fish and salt) as one of the essential elements in fish processing. Indeed, the need for large quantities of fresh water for the production of salted fish and fish sauces in Roman times is commonly asserted. This paper analyses water-related structures within Roman halieutic installations, arguing that their common presence in the best known fish processing installations in the Western Roman world should be taken as evidence of the use of fresh water during the production processes, even if its role in the activities carried out in those installations is not clear. In addition, the text proposes some first estimates on the amount of water that could be needed by those fish processing complexes for their functioning, concluding that water needs to be taken into account when reconstructing fish-salting recipes.

Roman onyx glass: A study of production recipes and colorants, using PIXE spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, S. J.; Swann, C. P.

1994-03-01

The most attractive Roman glass produced during the latter half of the 1st century B.C. was mosaic ware — vessels and dishes molded from arrays of composite, multi-colored canes which create abstract floral and geometric designs. We have studied a range of such vessels, all of them colored amber and white in a way which was intended to imitate elite vessels that were carved from onyx stone. We have differentiated three ways in which onyx patterns were achieved in this glass. Taking advantage of the spatial resolution and detection sensitivity of PIXE spectrometry, we have studied the "recipes" for colorants used in these onyx patterns, thus raising the notion that each one may have been fashionable in just certain regions of the Roman World, and/or in vogue only during a certain time period.

Vivisecting Major: a Victorian gentleman scientist defends animal experimentation, 1876-1885.

PubMed

Boddice, Rob

2011-06-01

Through an investigation of the public, professional, and private life of the Darwinian disciple George John Romanes, this essay seeks a better understanding of the scientific motivations for defending the practice of vivisection at the height of the controversy in late Victorian Britain. Setting aside a historiography that has tended to focus on the arguments of antivivisectionists, it reconstructs the viewpoint of the scientific community through an examination of Romanes's work to help orchestrate the defense of animal experimentation. By embedding his life in three complicatedly overlapping networks-the world of print, interpersonal communications among an increasingly professionalized body of scientific men, and the intimacies of private life-the essay uses Romanes as a lens with which to focus the physiological apprehension of the antivivisection movement. It is a story of reputation, self-interest, and affection.

Nature and origin of the violet stains on the walls of a Roman tomb.

PubMed

Dominguez-Moñino, Irene; Diaz-Herraiz, Marta; Jurado, Valme; Laiz, Leonila; Miller, Ana Z; Santos, Juan Luis; Alonso, Esteban; Saiz-Jimenez, Cesareo

2017-11-15

The Circular Mausoleum tomb (Roman Necropolis of Carmona, Spain) dates back from the first century AD and is characterized by a dense microbial (phototrophic) colonization on the walls and ceiling. However, some walls exhibited an important number of violet stains of unknown origin. The microbial communities of these violet stains are mainly composed of cyanobacteria, streptomycetes and fungi. A strain of Streptomyces parvus, isolated from the walls, produces a violet pigment in culture media. High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of the culture extracts obtained from this Streptomyces revealed the presence of a few granaticins, pigments with a benzoisochromanequinone structure. When metabolically active in the tomb, S. parvus synthesizes the pigments that diffuse into the mortar. During rain and/or wetting periods, the pigments are solubilized by alkaline waters and elute from the starting position to the surrounding mortar, enlarging the pigmented area and thus contributing to this exceptional biodeterioration phenomenon. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geomagnetic and Geoelectric Prospection on a Roman Iron Production Facility in Hüttenberg, Austria (Ferrum Noricum)

PubMed Central

Walach, Georg; Scholger, Robert; Cech, Brigitte

2011-01-01

Geophysical prospection has been applied in the Hüttenberg area (Carinthia, Austria), where important parts of the Roman iron production in the province of Noricum between the first century bc and the fourth century ad are located. A combination of geomagnetic, geoelectric and electromagnetic measurements at different scales yielded information about the extent of the industrial complex and the location of yet undiscovered subsurface monuments in the surrounding area of the Semlach-Eisner archaeological site. The vertical and lateral extension of a slag deposit from the smelting activities could be determined by means of geomagnetic mapping and multi-electrode geoelectric profiles. For the prediction of the continuation of walls in the subsurface outside the excavated area, the total horizontal derivative of the magnetic anomaly as well as geoelectric measurements were most suitable, whereas electromagnetic measurements were not successful owing to the high conductivity of widely spread pieces of slag. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:24436629

The Conception, Construction, and Maintenance of the Identity of Roman Catholic Female Religious Teachers: A Historical Case Study from Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Donoghue, Tom; Harford, Judith

2014-01-01

Over the last three decades, there has been a burgeoning of research on teacher identity. While the various bodies of work produced are very valuable, further lines of enquiry need to be pursued in order to take account of the complexities involved. This paper on the conception, construction, and maintenance of the identity of Roman Catholic…

Incorporation of Operating Precepts of Roman Rhetoric in Medieval and Renaissance Handbooks on Letter Writing. Working Paper No. 217.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hildebrandt, Herbert W.

The ancient world, as exemplified in the theoretical writings of the Greek and Roman rhetoricians, directly influenced the teaching and practice of dictamen as taught for business, for the church, and for law in the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. Prescriptions on how to communicate in the ancient world formed the core of preparation for the…

A Guide to Post-Classical Works of Art, Literature, and Music Based on Myths of the Greeks and Romans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Ron

The approximately 650 works listed in this guide have as their focus the myths of the Greeks and Romans. Titles were chosen as being (1) interesting treatments of the subject matter, (2) representative of a variety of types, styles, and time periods, and (3) available in some way. Entries are listed in one of four categories--art, literature,…

Dating the beginning of the Roman viticultural model in the Western Mediterranean: The case study of Chianti (Central Italy).

PubMed

Aversano, Riccardo; Basile, Boris; Buonincontri, Mauro Paolo; Carucci, Francesca; Carputo, Domenico; Frusciante, Luigi; Di Pasquale, Gaetano

2017-01-01

Although domestication of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) has been extensively documented, the history of genotype selection and evolution of vineyard management remain relatively neglected fields of study. The find of 454 waterlogged grapevine pips from a well-dated Etrusco-Roman site in the Chianti district (Tuscany, Central Italy) is an extraordinary chance to gain insights into the progress of viticulture occurring in a key historical period in one of the world's most famous wine regions. The molecular and geometrical analyses of grape seeds showed (a) the presence in the site of different grapevine individuals and (b) a sudden increase in pip size, occurring at around 200 BC, whic explainable by the selection and introduction of new varieties. In this period, the Etruscans settlers in Chianti were stimulated by northward-expanding Roman culture to use novel vineyard management practices. We hypothesize that one of the most important innovations may have been the introduction of pruning, inducing vine physiological conditions more favorable to pip growth. Such changes were the consequence of specific entrepreneurial choices made by the Romans in a period of economic investment in grape cultivation and wine making to satisfy the increased trade demand after the conquest of the Central-Western Mediterranean basin.

PIXE and XRF Analysis of Roman Denarii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fasano, Cecilia; Raddell, Mark; Manukyan, Khachatur; Stech, Edward; Wiescher, Michael

2017-09-01

A set of Roman Denarii from the republican to the imperial period (140BC-240AD) has been studied using X-ray fluorescent (XRF) scanning and proton induced x-ray emission (PIXE) techniques. XRF and PIXE are commonly used in the study of cultural heritage objects because they are nondestructive. The combination of these two methods is also unique because of the ability to penetrate the sample with a broader spectrum of depths and energies than either could achieve on its own. The coins are from a large span of Roman history and their analysis serves to follow the economic and political change of the era using the relative silver and copper contents in each sample. In addition to analyzing the samples, the study sought to compare these two common analysis techniques and to explore the use of a standard to examine any shortcomings in either of the methods. Data sets were compared and then adjusted to a calibration curve which was created from the analysis of a number of standard solutions. The concentrations of the standard solutions were confirmed using inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. Through this we were able to assemble results which will progress the basis of understanding of PIXE and XRF techniques as well as increase the wealth of knowledge of Ancient Roman currency.

Observations on a set of Greco-Roman eye, ear, nose, and throat surgical instruments.

PubMed

Dedo, Herbert H

2017-02-01

The tools described in this article are verified to be Greco-Roman medical and surgical instruments for the eye, ear, nose, and throat. They include three myrtle leaf-shaped scalpels, three ear spoons, a "Q-tip," a forceps, a needle, and two arrow-pointed scalpels. One of the arrow-pointed scalpels is nearly identical to a Juerger keratome, suggesting that in Roman times, cataracts were extracted, not just "couched" into the posterior chamber. The description presented here goes beyond traditional archeological claims, because as a head and neck surgeon, I evaluated these instruments from a surgeon's point of view. For example, nonsurgeon medical historians have claimed the myrtle leaf-shaped items were used as handles or for blunt dissection, which I feel is mistaken. Review of the literature reveals the Greco-Roman surgeons were doing tonsillectomies, tracheotomies, and cataract extractions, and recognized that swimming in dirty water could cause ear infection. However, it is clear that with poor or no anesthesia, the pain from blunt dissection would have been intolerable, and unnecessary tissue planes would have been opened increasing wound infection risks. Therefore, there would have been no need for the myrtle leaf-shaped blade if it were just a handle. Laryngoscope, 2016 127:354-358, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Lead sheathing of ship hulls in the Roman period: Archaeometallurgical characterisation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kahanov, Yaacov, E-mail: yak@research.haifa.ac.il; Ashkenazi, Dana

An archaeometallurgical analysis of samples of lead sheathing from five ships of the Roman period was carried out in order to determine their composition and microstructure, and to obtain a better understanding of their manufacturing processes. The examinations included optical microscopy of metallographic cross-sections, microhardness tests, scanning electron microscopy, including energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that the samples were all composed of lead covered with an oxide layer. The sheet thicknesses, microhardness values and microhardness distribution, as well as the grain size distribution, led to the conclusion that all of the sheets were produced bymore » the same technology, using hammering, and were probably used for the same purpose. The presence of antimony was observed in the sample from the Roman ship from Caesarea, which may hint at an Italian (Sardinian) origin of the material, and perhaps of the ship. - Research Highlights: {yields} During the Roman period ship hulls were sheathed with lead. {yields} Five samples have been analysed for their characteristics and manufacturing process. {yields} The process was cold-working (strain-hardening) using hammering. {yields} The lead was open-casted on a flat stone, and later hammered at room temperature. {yields} Antimony in the Caesarea shipwreck may indicate an Italian origin of construction.« less

Analysis of pottery from the Palatine Hills of Rome

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Landsberger, S.; Wisseman, S.; Desena, E.

1994-12-31

During the past several summers the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma and the American Academy in Rome have carried out collaborative excavations on the late Roman complex located on the northeastern slope of the Palatine Hill. The late Roman complex is situated on the lower slopes of the area commonly known as Vigna Barberini, after its 17th century owners. Because this area, as well as most of the east slope of the Palatine, has never been systematically explored, it remains from an archaeological point of view essentially unknown. The overall aim of the excavations is to investigate layout, function, and occupationalmore » history of a mid-to-late imperial building complex located just southwest of the Arch of Constatine. Part of this international project is the chemical characterization of Roman fineware pottery from archaeological excavations on the site of the imperial palaces. Excavation has yielded more than 8 t of Late Roman and Early Medieval pottery (circa 3rd to 10th centuries A.D.). Many classes of pottery have already been classified by their provenance based on distribution patterns, but others require chemical characterization to separate similar clays. To that end routine neutron activation analysis (NAA) methods have been used to analyze {approximately}200 pieces of pottery.« less

Dating the beginning of the Roman viticultural model in the Western Mediterranean: The case study of Chianti (Central Italy)

PubMed Central

Carucci, Francesca; Carputo, Domenico; Frusciante, Luigi; Di Pasquale, Gaetano

2017-01-01

Although domestication of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) has been extensively documented, the history of genotype selection and evolution of vineyard management remain relatively neglected fields of study. The find of 454 waterlogged grapevine pips from a well-dated Etrusco-Roman site in the Chianti district (Tuscany, Central Italy) is an extraordinary chance to gain insights into the progress of viticulture occurring in a key historical period in one of the world's most famous wine regions. The molecular and geometrical analyses of grape seeds showed (a) the presence in the site of different grapevine individuals and (b) a sudden increase in pip size, occurring at around 200 BC, whic explainable by the selection and introduction of new varieties. In this period, the Etruscans settlers in Chianti were stimulated by northward-expanding Roman culture to use novel vineyard management practices. We hypothesize that one of the most important innovations may have been the introduction of pruning, inducing vine physiological conditions more favorable to pip growth. Such changes were the consequence of specific entrepreneurial choices made by the Romans in a period of economic investment in grape cultivation and wine making to satisfy the increased trade demand after the conquest of the Central-Western Mediterranean basin. PMID:29140987

Application of sulphur isotope ratios to examine weaning patterns and freshwater fish consumption in Roman Oxfordshire, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nehlich, Olaf; Fuller, Benjamin T.; Jay, Mandy; Mora, Alice; Nicholson, Rebecca A.; Smith, Colin I.; Richards, Michael P.

2011-09-01

This study investigates the application of sulphur isotope ratios (δ 34S) in combination with carbon (δ 13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N) ratios to understand the influence of environmental sulphur on the isotopic composition of archaeological human and faunal remains from Roman era sites in Oxfordshire, UK. Humans ( n = 83), terrestrial animals ( n = 11), and freshwater fish ( n = 5) were analysed for their isotope values from four locations in the Thames River Valley, and a broad range of δ 34S values were found. The δ 34S values from the terrestrial animals were highly variable (-13.6‰ to +0.5‰), but the δ 34S values of the fish were clustered and 34S-depleted (-20.9‰ to -17.3‰). The results of the faunal remains suggest that riverine sulphur influenced the terrestrial sulphur isotopic signatures. Terrestrial animals were possibly raised on the floodplains of the River Thames, where highly 34S-depleted sulphur influenced the soil. The humans show the largest range of δ 34S values (-18.8‰ to +9.6‰) from any archaeological context to date. No differences in δ 34S values were found between the males (-7.8 ± 6.0‰) and females (-5.3 ± 6.8‰), but the females had a linear correlation ( R2 = 0.71; p < 0.0001) between their δ 15N and δ 34S compositions. These δ 34S results suggest a greater dietary variability for the inhabitants of Roman Oxfordshire than previously thought, with some individuals eating solely terrestrial protein resources and others showing a diet almost exclusively based on freshwater protein such as fish. Such large dietary variability was not visible by analysing only the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios, and this research represents the largest and most detailed application of δ 34S analysis to examine dietary practices (including breastfeeding and weaning patterns) during the Romano-British Period.

2700 years of Mediterranean environmental change in central Italy: a synthesis of sedimentary and cultural records to interpret past impacts of climate on society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mensing, Scott A.; Tunno, Irene; Sagnotti, Leonardo; Florindo, Fabio; Noble, Paula; Archer, Claire; Zimmerman, Susan; Pavón-Carrasco, Francisco Javier; Cifani, Gabriele; Passigli, Susanna; Piovesan, Gianluca

2015-05-01

Abrupt climate change in the past is thought to have disrupted societies by accelerating environmental degradation, potentially leading to cultural collapse. Linking climate change directly to societal disruption is challenging because socioeconomic factors also play a large role, with climate being secondary or sometimes inconsequential. Combining paleolimnologic, historical, and archaeological methods provides for a more secure basis for interpreting the past impacts of climate on society. We present pollen, non-pollen palynomorph, geochemical, paleomagnetic and sedimentary data from a high-resolution 2700 yr lake sediment core from central Italy and compare these data with local historical documents and archeological surveys to reconstruct a record of environmental change in relation to socioeconomic history and climatic fluctuations. Here we document cases in which environmental change is strongly linked to changes in local land management practices in the absence of clear climatic change, as well as examples when climate change appears to have been a strong catalyst that resulted in significant environmental change that impacted local communities. During the Imperial Roman period, despite a long period of stable, mild climate, and a large urban population in nearby Rome, our site shows only limited evidence for environmental degradation. Warm and mild climate during the Medieval Warm period, on the other hand, led to widespread deforestation and erosion. The ability of the Romans to utilize imported resources through an extensive trade network may have allowed for preservation of the environment near the Roman capital, whereas during medieval time, the need to rely on local resources led to environmental degradation. Cool wet climate during the Little Ice Age led to a breakdown in local land use practices, widespread land abandonment and rapid reforestation. Our results present a high-resolution regional case study that explores the effect of climate change on society for an under-documented region of Europe.

Is the European spatial distribution of the HIV-1-resistant CCR5-Delta32 allele formed by a breakdown of the pathocenosis due to the historical Roman expansion?

PubMed

Faure, Eric; Royer-Carenzi, Manuela

2008-12-01

We studied the possible effects of the expansion of ancient Mediterranean civilizations during the five centuries before and after Christ on the European distribution of the mutant allele for the chemokine receptor gene CCR5 which has a 32-bp deletion (CCR5-Delta32). There is a strong evidence for the unitary origin of the CCR5-Delta32 mutation, this it is found principally in Europe and Western Asia, with generally a north-south downhill cline frequency. Homozygous carriers of this mutation show a resistance to HIV-1 infection and a slower progression towards AIDS. However, HIV has clearly emerged too recently to have been the selective force on CCR5. Our analyses showed strong negative correlations in Europe between the allele frequency and two historical parameters, i.e. the first colonization dates by the great ancient Mediterranean civilizations, and the distances from the Northern frontiers of the Roman Empire in its greatest expansion. Moreover, other studies have shown that the deletion frequencies in both German Bronze Age and Swedish Neolithic populations were similar to those found in the corresponding modern populations, and this deletion has been found in ancient DNA of around 7000 years ago, suggesting that in the past, the deletion frequency could have been relatively high in European populations. In addition, in West Nile virus pathogenesis, CCR5 plays an antimicrobial role showing that host genetic factors are highly pathogen-specific. Our results added to all these previous data suggest that the actual European allele frequency distribution might not be due to genes spreading, but to a negative selection resulting in the spread of pathogens principally during Roman expansion. Indeed, as gene flows from colonizers to European native populations were extremely low, the mutational changes might be associated with vulnerability to imported infections. To date, the nature of the parasites remains unknown; however, zoonoses could be incriminated.

Stoicism and Civic Duty. Grade 7 Model Lesson for Standard 7.1. World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times. California History-Social Science Course Models.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zachlod, Michelle, Ed.

California State Standard 7.1 is delineated in the following manner: "Students analyze the causes and effects of the vast expansion and ultimate disintegration of the Roman Empire." One important legacy of ancient Rome is the foundation it set for the development of modern democracies. The Roman Stoics built upon the Greek Stoic model by…

The Effect of Arabism of Romanic Alphabets on the Development of 9th Grade English as a Foreign Language Students' Writing Skills at Secondary School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuhair, Ahmad

2015-01-01

This paper aims at investigating the effect of Arabization of Romanic Alphabets on the development of 9th Grade English as a Foreign Language students' composition writing skills at secondary school level. This experimental study includes 25 secondary school students in their 9th Grade in which English is taught as a foreign language at…

Marius and Trajan: Two Great Roman Strategists

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01

soon respected as a good commander upon whom a soldier could count. His fairness of command is best demonstrated in an incident related by Plutarch ...to their discomfort and problems. (10:343) Plutarch also gave credit to Marius for altering the construction of the javelin. Marius replaced one of...Putnam’s Sons, 1927. 10. Plutarch (Translated by John Dryden, Revised by Arthur Hugh Clough). The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans. Chicago

Maniple to Cohort: An Examination of Military Innovation and Reform in the Roman Republic

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

consisted of Plutarch , Pliny the 16 Elder, and Sallust; each source provided insight on Gauis Marius’s climb to power and his implementation of changes...village near Arpinum (modern day Arpino) on the central Italian Peninsula. According to Plutarch , “he was born of parents altogether obscure and...Empire based on Adrian Goldsworthy, Roman Warfare (London: Cassell, 2000), 88-89. Plutarch identified this incident as the inspiration for

Testimony of Quinton Roman Nose, Treasurer National Indian Education Association before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing on Does Indian School Safety Get a Passing Grade?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roman Nose, Quinton

2010-01-01

In this testimony, Quinton Roman Nose talks on behalf of the National Indian Education Association about the shocking disparity in the safety of Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools. NIEA advocates for the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Native students, working to ensure that the federal government upholds its…

The Foundation of Western Ideas: The Ancient Hebrews and Greeks. Grade 6 Model Lesson for Unit III. California History-Social Science Course Models.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zachlod, Michelle, Ed.

Important ideas from the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman traditions are formally introduced to students in the sixth-grade course. Units three and five focus on people and ideas that form the roots of western civilization. The goal is to help students perceive how the viewpoints of Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman are congruent and divergent. Unit…

Deciphering natural to anthropogenic control on sedimentation: the Late Holocene Magdala (Kinneret Lake, Israel) harbour hystory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarti, G.; Rossi, V.; Amorosi, A.; Bertoni, D.; Ribolini, A.; Sammartino, I.; Zanchetta, G.

2012-04-01

Using a multidisciplinary approach involving geologists, geomorphologists and archeologists, the late Holocene sedimentary succession buried beneath the ancient Magdala harbour area (Kinneret Lake, Israel) was studied, in order to highlight the strict relationships among harbour evolutive phases (e.g. foundation, siltation, abandonment), natural events (e.g. sea-level variations, climatic changes and earthquakes among the most important) and, obviously, archaeological history. Recent excavations performed within the "Magdala Project" have discovered a harbour structure with late Hellenistic-Roman mooring stones at altitudes of 208.100 m and 208.320 m bsl respectively, suggestive of a higher lake-level (about 212 m bsl) than previously hypothesized. Along the most representative sections of trenches, integrated sedimentological, micropalaeontological (benthic meiofauna and pollen) and geochemical analyses were carried out on sedimentary deposits underlying and overlying the harbour structures, to define the main depositional facies and evolution phases that took place during the last millennia. Spatial variability of coeval palaeoenvironments across the archaeological site allowed to reconstruct a comprehensive picture of the harbour complex, evidencing the occurrence of three main evolution phases, similar to those reported from several Mediterranean Sea harbour systems: 1) a pre-harbor foundation phase; 2) a sin-harbor activity phase and 3) an harbor-abandonment phase. The first phase corresponds to the development of a natural lacustrine sandy beach barren in archaeological remains and containing an ostracod fauna very similar to the one observed within the present-day lake basin at ca. 5 m water depth. The second phase was characterized by the formation of an early Hellenistic sheltered lacustrine basin, recording the first anthropogenic control exerted on coastal sedimentation by the construction of harbour structures ("anthropogenically forced sheltered basin"). Dark, fine-grained deposits formed during the sin-harbour activity phase are rich in osteological remains (sheep, cattles) and archaeological artifacts (coins, pottery etc.). Moreover, the very high proportion of noded forms of Cyprideis torosa with respect to the smooth ones reflects stressed conditions, possibly connected to high pollution levels induced by harbor activities or, more generally, to a dense human frequentation. According to this interpretation, a sharp increase in concentration of trace metals Zn, Pb and Cu, along with P2O5, is recorded at the very base of the sin-harbour sequence on which Late Hellenistic and early Roman harbour structures rest on. The third phase, dated to the middle Roman period onwards, marks the siltation of the harbour basin and the end of Magdala harbour activities. The harbour-abandonment sequence is constituted by shoreface sands sharply overlain by foreshore-backshore well-sorted pebble conglomerates bearing middle Roman age remains. Another very similar conglomerate layer crops out in the sequence and covers Byzantine anthropogenic structures. From a sedimentological point of view the abrupt transition from sands to conglomerates indicates that major changes in sediment supply occurred after the late Roman age. We tentatively correlate this lithofacies change to climatic fluctuations (from a rainy to an arid phase) or to tectonic events, such as the destructive earthquakes occurred in the 349 AD and in 749 AD.

Improved analytical approximation to arbitrary l-state solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hyperbolical potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez López, Elena H.

2018-04-01

Water has been traditionally highlighted (together with fish and salt) as one of the essential elements in fish processing. Indeed, the need for large quantities of fresh water for the production of salted fish and fish sauces in Roman times is commonly asserted. This paper analyses water-related structures within Roman halieutic installations, arguing that their common presence in the best known fish processing installations in the Western Roman world should be taken as evidence of the use of fresh water during the production processes, even if its role in the activities carried out in those installations is not clear. In addition, the text proposes some first estimates on the amount of water that could be needed by those fish processing complexes for their functioning, concluding that water needs to be taken into account when reconstructing fish-salting recipes.

Greco-Roman ethics and the naturalistic fantasy.

PubMed

Holmes, Brooke

2014-09-01

To modern scholars, the naturalistic fallacy looks out of place in Greco-Roman antiquity owing to the robust associations between nature, especially human nature, and moral norms. Yet nature was understood by ancient authors not only as a norm but also as a form of necessity. The Greco-Roman philosophical schools grappled with how to reconcile the idea that human nature is given with the idea that it is a goal to be reached. This essay looks at the Stoic concept of oikeiōsis as one strategy for effecting such a reconciliation. Drawing on natural history, these Stoic sources used examples of animal behavior to illustrate a process whereby nature "entrusts" all animals, including humans, with the care of their own survival. Nature is thus both what is given to the animal and what the animal achieves in a powerful but also problematic synthesis here called the "naturalistic fantasy".

Genomic signals of migration and continuity in Britain before the Anglo-Saxons.

PubMed

Martiniano, Rui; Caffell, Anwen; Holst, Malin; Hunter-Mann, Kurt; Montgomery, Janet; Müldner, Gundula; McLaughlin, Russell L; Teasdale, Matthew D; van Rheenen, Wouter; Veldink, Jan H; van den Berg, Leonard H; Hardiman, Orla; Carroll, Maureen; Roskams, Steve; Oxley, John; Morgan, Colleen; Thomas, Mark G; Barnes, Ian; McDonnell, Christine; Collins, Matthew J; Bradley, Daniel G

2016-01-19

The purported migrations that have formed the peoples of Britain have been the focus of generations of scholarly controversy. However, this has not benefited from direct analyses of ancient genomes. Here we report nine ancient genomes (∼ 1 ×) of individuals from northern Britain: seven from a Roman era York cemetery, bookended by earlier Iron-Age and later Anglo-Saxon burials. Six of the Roman genomes show affinity with modern British Celtic populations, particularly Welsh, but significantly diverge from populations from Yorkshire and other eastern English samples. They also show similarity with the earlier Iron-Age genome, suggesting population continuity, but differ from the later Anglo-Saxon genome. This pattern concords with profound impact of migrations in the Anglo-Saxon period. Strikingly, one Roman skeleton shows a clear signal of exogenous origin, with affinities pointing towards the Middle East, confirming the cosmopolitan character of the Empire, even at its northernmost fringes.

Genomic signals of migration and continuity in Britain before the Anglo-Saxons

PubMed Central

Martiniano, Rui; Caffell, Anwen; Holst, Malin; Hunter-Mann, Kurt; Montgomery, Janet; Müldner, Gundula; McLaughlin, Russell L.; Teasdale, Matthew D.; van Rheenen, Wouter; Veldink, Jan H.; van den Berg, Leonard H.; Hardiman, Orla; Carroll, Maureen; Roskams, Steve; Oxley, John; Morgan, Colleen; Thomas, Mark G.; Barnes, Ian; McDonnell, Christine; Collins, Matthew J.; Bradley, Daniel G.

2016-01-01

The purported migrations that have formed the peoples of Britain have been the focus of generations of scholarly controversy. However, this has not benefited from direct analyses of ancient genomes. Here we report nine ancient genomes (∼1 ×) of individuals from northern Britain: seven from a Roman era York cemetery, bookended by earlier Iron-Age and later Anglo-Saxon burials. Six of the Roman genomes show affinity with modern British Celtic populations, particularly Welsh, but significantly diverge from populations from Yorkshire and other eastern English samples. They also show similarity with the earlier Iron-Age genome, suggesting population continuity, but differ from the later Anglo-Saxon genome. This pattern concords with profound impact of migrations in the Anglo-Saxon period. Strikingly, one Roman skeleton shows a clear signal of exogenous origin, with affinities pointing towards the Middle East, confirming the cosmopolitan character of the Empire, even at its northernmost fringes. PMID:26783717

Analytical Investigation Of Pigments, Ground Layer And Media Of Cartonnage Fragments From Greek Roman Period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afifi, Hala. A. M.

Some cartonnage fragments from Hawara, Fayoum Excavation were examined to identify pigments, media and grounds. It belonged to the Greek-Roman period. They were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive X ray analysis (EDS) equipped with Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These techniques were used to identify the composition and morphology of grounds, nature of pigments and media used in cartonnage fragments. The coarse ground layer was composed of calcite and traces of quartz. The fine ground layer used under the pigments directly was composed of calcite only. Carbon black was used as black pigment while lead oxide as red pigment, showing the influence of Roman and Greek pigments on Egyptian art in these later periods. Blue colorant was identified as cuprorivaite and yellow pigment was goethite. Animal glue was used in the four pigments as medium colored.

Micromorphology of past urban soils: method and results (France, Iron Age - Middle Age)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cammas, Cécilia

2014-05-01

Urban soils in French protohistoric and Roman towns and present-day towns of roman origin are several meters thick accumulations, with great spatial and vertical variability due to long duration of occupation. In order to improve our knowledge of both sedimentary and pedological characteristics as well as formation processes of urban soils, micromorphological analysis was carried out on buried towns. The studied sites include Iron Age towns (floodplain sites: Lattes or Lattara, Le Cailar; oppidum: Pech-Maho in the south of France), a roman buried town (Famars or Fanum Martis, North of France), and various towns occupied from the Roman period until now (urban and periurban sites in Paris, Strasbourg, Mâcon… North and East of France). Original method and sampling strategy were elaborated in order to try to encompass both spatial and vertical variability as well as the "mitage" of the present-day cities. In Lattes, representative elementary urban areas such as streets, courtyard, and houses were sampled for micromorphology during extensive excavation. These analyses revealed specific microscopic features related to complex anthropogenic processes (craft and domestic activities discarding, trampling, backfill, building), moisture and heat, and biological activity, which defined each kind of area. Comparison between well preserved buried town and current cities of roman origin, where the sequence of past urban soils is preserved in few place ("mitage") help to identify past activities, building rhythms as well as specific building materials. For example, in Paris, compacted sandy backfills alternate with watertight hardfloors during the Roman period (soils similar to Technosols). At the opposite, various kinds of loose bioturbated laminated dark earth resulting from activities such as craft refuses, backfills, compost or trampled layers were discriminated for Early Medieval Period (soils similar to Cumulic Anthroposol). Moreover, biological activity is usually considered destructive and an evidence of abandonment of the towns during Early Medieval Period by the archaeologists. These results show that in the studied sites the nature, location and intensity of biological activity (Lumbricidae, Enchytraeidae) is dependent on human activities (moisture, organic input) and is an evidence of human presence in town. Thus, the methodology allows identifying past activities and their location in the town, as well as their evolution with time. It highlights cultural and micro-local conditions specificities of each period, and it helps to elucidate urban site formation processes. It shows that soils and sub-soils of present-day cities are composed of a succession of different kinds of urban soils, and that micromorphology is a powerful tool to identify their characteristics such as their physical and biological properties and their discontinuities as well as their functioning. Key words: site formation processes, Iron Age towns, Roman towns, dark earth, biological activity, Enchytraeidae, Lumbricidae, Technosols, cumulic soils.

Catholic Schools Reopening after Katrina: Officials Are Pleased by Turnout in Archdiocese of New Orleans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zehr, Mary Ann

2005-01-01

Last week, in the Archdiocese of New Orleans students returned to class in 37 Roman Catholic schools that opened for the first time since Hurricane Katrina blasted the region six weeks ago. School officials were surprised to see families returning much sooner and in greater numbers than expected. With the reopening of six high schools and 30…

Faith, Education, and Choice: A Study of the Educational Choices of Catholic Parents in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, N.Y

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bott, Christopher Bruce

2017-01-01

School choice is a research topic that is often associated with public funds supporting educational alternatives. While much of the school choice research literature focuses on this category, additional types of school choice merit examination. This study examines how Catholic parents chose high schools for their children within the geographic…

Multiscale Geoarchaeological Approaches from the Laurentine Shore, Castelporziano, Lazio, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bicket, A. R.; Rendell, H. M.; Claridge, A.; Rose, P.; Brown, F. S. J.

2009-04-01

The relationship between the meso-scale record of human activity during the Roman period and the larger-scale coastal development of the Tiber Delta (ca. 20 ka) is investigated using the archaeological and sedimentary record from a large aquaculture pond and its wider meso- to macro-scale geomorphological setting. The position of the pond is adjacent to the Roman period shoreline, known as the Laurentine Shore on the southern, distal flank of the Tiber delta, Lazio Italy, within what is now the Castelporziano Estate. The pond is thought to have been constructed in the wet dune slack behind the active coastal foredune. Magnetometer survey and excavation of the archaeological structures around this pond have shown them to be substantial features ca. 80m in length with high-status Imperial Roman architecture and with evidence for water management. Sedimentological analysis of sediment cores from within the ponds are supplemented with diatom analysis to assess the period of pre-construction, use and abandonment of this aquaculture pond. Diatom analysis suggests a relatively short period of use and it is argued that abandonment of the aquaculture structures may be linked to both alkali groundwater conditions and the dynamism of the coastal zone preventing effective management. Optical luminescence dating of the archaeological sediments and the post-abandonment dunes that bury part of the site suggest that the aquaculture pond was abandoned ca. 100 years prior to final abandonment of the Roman settlement. This case-study also highlights the implications for meso-scale investigations of human/environment relationships utilising relatively low-sensitivity sedimentary records without high-resolution proxy records. D-GPS survey in conjunction with a high-quality DEM has permitted important archaeological remains to be understood relative to sea level; a key variable for examining the formation and development of the dune ridge record. These surveys have also permitted the effective mapping of dune ridges, from aerial photography, under the extremely dense vegetation that hinders easy access across much of the site. The D-GPS georeferenced DEM has been linked to the diatom analysis of a cored salt marsh to peat sediment transition providing valuable biostratigraphic information for deriving an accurate measurement of the Roman period sea level (Lambeck et al., 2004a). This measurement is in line with published literature from nearby coastal sites, ca. - 1.3m RSL (Lambeck et al., 2004b). Understanding the sites geomorphological development in the context of eustatic sea level is a key consideration for issues of sand supply driving dune formation, linked ultimately to the development of the Tiber Delta since the Last Glacial Maximum and throughout the Holocene. On this larger spatial scale, the archaeological sites described within the Laurentine Shore, built upon the Roman period coastline, are now preserved several hundred metres inland of the contemporary shoreline. The development of the shoreline can now be investigated within the macro-scale progradation of the Tiber delta relative to eustatic sea level rise. Archaeological excavations since the 1980's have provided a rich record of high status villas, and also the supporting infrastructure of a village settlement (vicus), roads, aqueduct and the large aquaculture ponds. The dominant geomorphological features on the site are preserved coastal dune ridges. Sampling was undertaken along an alongshore transect and three inland transects. This sampling regime focuses upon the contemporary deposition of sands on the beach and the phases of dune formation, preservation and alteration recorded by the relict dune crests in relation to the archaeological record. A campaign of optical dating of the relict dune crests has provided a Late Pleistocene and Holocene record of sandsheet and dune formation linked to delta progradation that permits the larger spatial- and temporal-scale context of the archaeological record to be discussed. Sedimentary petrology techniques allow the provenance and transportation dynamics of both the sand-sized and dust-sized sediments to be assessed. Furthermore this approach also enables an investigation of carbonate and iron oxide diagenetic cements, which are an important product of the long-term in situ weathering of the dune ridges' mineralogical assemblages, but is also a feature of short-term weathering of archaeological contexts. This work has implications for locations of interest to geoarchaeological surveys. There are also important implications for the mineralogy, provenance and preservation of luminescent minerals; and some form mineralogical/provenance analysis is recommended for all optical dating studies as a result. In summary, the geoarchaeological approach undertaken at Castelporziano allows the meso-scale human/environment interactions to be considered within the broader temporal scales of the late Quaternary. It also permits consideration within the macro-spatial scales of the Tiber Delta's development during the last 15-20ka within the context of eustatic sea level rise. REFERENCES LAMBECK, K., ANTONIOLI, F., PURCELL, A. & SILENZI, S. (2004a) Sea-level change along the Italian coast for the past 10,000 yr. Quaternary Science Reviews, 23, 1567-1598. LAMBECK, K., ANZIDEI, M., ANTONIOLI, F., BENINI, A. & ESPOSITO, A. (2004b) Sea level in Roman time in the Central Mediterranean and implications for recent change. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 224, 563-575.

Proconsuls and CINCs from the Roman Republic to the Republic of the United States of America: Lessons for the Pax Americana

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-01

find the best that foreign lands had to offer in constitutional theory. They found separation of powers within a mixed constitution. 60 The Greek...many of the Founding Fathers indeed knew Polybius, especially his passages on the Roman Constitution, and the separation of powers .”61 The separation ...lead 60 Marshall D. Lloyd, "Polybius and the Founding Fathers: the separation of powers ." Database on

Political Change in Morocco: Its Effect on the Traditional Monarchy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

been subjected to eight principal foriegn influences: the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals , Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, and French have all...percent are Jew. After the Romans, a quick succession of would-be conquerors and rulers entered the confines of Morocco’s borders. The Baltic Vandals , who...palace at Akhirat, fif- teen miles southwest of Rabat, to celebrate Hassan’s birthday. 117 At about 2:00 P.M. the garden party came under attack by troops

Use of different spectroscopic techniques in the analysis of Roman age wall paintings.

PubMed

Agnoli, Francesca; Calliari, Irene; Mazzocchin, Gian-Antonio

2007-01-01

In this paper the analysis of samples of Roman age wall paintings coming from: Pordenone, Vicenza and Verona is carried out by using three different techniques: energy dispersive x-rays spectroscopy (EDS), x-rays fluorescence (XRF) and proton induced x-rays emission (PIXE). The features of the three spectroscopic techniques in the analysis of samples of archaeological interest are discussed. The studied pigments were: cinnabar, yellow ochre, green earth, Egyptian blue and carbon black.

[The research on medicine in Greco-Roman Egypt in the Centre de Documentation de Papyrologie Littéraire (CEDOPAL) of the University of Liège].

PubMed

Marganne, Marie-Hélène

2015-01-01

The paper presents the research on medicine in Greco-Roman Egypt conducted in the last forty years at the Centre de Documentation de Papyrologie Littéraire (CEDOPAL) at the University of Liège. It describes the main results obtained by deciphering, editing, translating and commenting Greek and Latin medical papyri, be they literary, documentary or magical.

[Contribution of military doctor Roman S. Chetyrkin in the formation and development of medicine in Russia].

PubMed

Adamenko, A M; Koshelev, V P

2014-01-01

The article deals with an extensive and diverse activities of prominent military doctor Roman Sergeyevich Chetyrkin, who contributed greatly to the development of hygiene and epidemiology in Russia. He had a lot of merit as a talented organizer of military and civilian health care. Special attention is paid to the Chetyrkin's contribution to the development of military medical expertise because of his works in this direction are fundamental for this science.

Sirius in Ancient Greek and Roman Literature: From the Orphic Argonautics to the Astronomical Tables of Georgios Chrysococca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theodossiou, Efstratios; Manimanis, Vassilios N.; Dimitrijevi, Milan S.; Mantarakis, Peter Z.

2011-11-01

The brightest star of the night sky, is Sirius, Alpha Canis Majoris (α CMa). Due to its intense brightness, Sirius had one of the dominant positions in ancient mythology, legends and traditions. In this paper the references of the many ancient classical Greek and Roman authors and poets who wrote about Sirius are examined, and the problem of its 'red' color reported in some of these references is discussed.

[Use of Ancient texts in modern therapeutic research].

PubMed

Fabre, André

2003-01-01

Two main purposes were assigned to this study of medicinal prescription of spices at the time of the Roman Empire: analyze Roman pharmacopoeia of spices in reference to modern criteria and assess a new discipline, close to "ethno-botany" and "ethno-pharmacology", aiming to a new approach of drug research: "archeopharmacology". A brief overview is given of the Roman world of spices : all aromatic substances from Orient, India and Far-East held a major place which can only be compared to the role of petroleum in our modern times. The study is conducted on a thesaurus of 2600 quotations from twelve authors: Apicius, Caelius Aurelianus, Cassius Felix, Celsus, Dioscorides, Galen, Marcellus,(Anonymous) Mulonmedicina, Pelagorius, Pliny the Elder, Serenus Sammonicus and Scribonius Largus and a set of 33 medicinal spices among which: cyperus, ferulas (Asa foetida), frankincense, pepper, myrrh and saffron. Medicinal use of spices (mainly for pneumology, dermatology and gastroenterology) do not differ notably from the rest of Roman pharmacopoeia: the main criteria for prescription of spices is not their place of origin but a "therapeutic profile" which is clearly assigned to each substance by tradition. During the last decades, new methods of therapeutic research: ethno-botany and ethno-pharmacology have been used extensively to explore traditional medicines. A new discipline is ready to emerge: "archeo-pharmacology", aiming towards a drug research based on Ancient texts.

Migration and diversity in Roman Britain: a multidisciplinary approach to the identification of immigrants in Roman York, England.

PubMed

Leach, Stephany; Lewis, Mary; Chenery, Carolyn; Müldner, Gundula; Eckardt, Hella

2009-11-01

Previous anthropological investigations at Trentholme Drive, in Roman York identified an unusual amount of cranial variation amongst the inhabitants, with some individuals suggested as having originated from the Middle East or North Africa. The current study investigates the validity of this assessment using modern anthropological methods to assess cranial variation in two groups: The Railway and Trentholme Drive. Strontium and oxygen isotope evidence derived from the dentition of 43 of these individuals was combined with the craniometric data to provide information on possible levels of migration and the range of homelands that may be represented. The results of the craniometric analysis indicated that the majority of the York population had European origins, but that 11% of the Trentholme Drive and 12% of The Railway study samples were likely of African decent. Oxygen analysis identified four incomers, three from areas warmer than the UK and one from a cooler or more continental climate. Although based on a relatively small sample of the overall population at York, this multidisciplinary approach made it possible to identify incomers, both men and women, from across the Empire. Evidence for possible second generation migrants was also suggested. The results confirm the presence of a heterogeneous population resident in York and highlight the diversity, rather than the uniformity, of the population in Roman Britain.

Stable Isotope and Trace Element Studies on Gladiators and Contemporary Romans from Ephesus (Turkey, 2nd and 3rd Ct. AD) - Implications for Differences in Diet

PubMed Central

Lösch, Sandra; Moghaddam, Negahnaz; Grossschmidt, Karl; Risser, Daniele U.; Kanz, Fabian

2014-01-01

The gladiator cemetery discovered in Ephesus (Turkey) in 1993 dates to the 2nd and 3rd century AD. The aim of this study is to reconstruct diverse diet, social stratification, and migration of the inhabitants of Roman Ephesus and the distinct group of gladiators. Stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope analysis were applied, and inorganic bone elements (strontium, calcium) were determined. In total, 53 individuals, including 22 gladiators, were analysed. All individuals consumed C3 plants like wheat and barley as staple food. A few individuals show indication of consumption of C4 plants. The δ13C values of one female from the gladiator cemetery and one gladiator differ from all other individuals. Their δ34S values indicate that they probably migrated from another geographical region or consumed different foods. The δ15N values are relatively low in comparison to other sites from Roman times. A probable cause for the depletion of 15N in Ephesus could be the frequent consumption of legumes. The Sr/Ca-ratios of the gladiators were significantly higher than the values of the contemporary Roman inhabitants. Since the Sr/Ca-ratio reflects the main Ca-supplier in the diet, the elevated values of the gladiators might suggest a frequent use of a plant ash beverage, as mentioned in ancient texts. PMID:25333366

Evidence for cross-script abstract identities in learners of Japanese kana.

PubMed

Schubert, Teresa; Gawthrop, Roderick; Kinoshita, Sachiko

2018-05-07

The presence of abstract letter identity representations in the Roman alphabet has been well documented. These representations are invariant to letter case (upper vs. lower) and visual appearance. For example, "a" and "A" are represented by the same abstract identity. Recent research has begun to consider whether the processing of non-Roman orthographies also involves abstract orthographic representations. In the present study, we sought evidence for abstract identities in Japanese kana, which consist of two scripts, hiragana and katakana. Abstract identities would be invariant to the script used as well as to the degree of visual similarity. We adapted the cross-case masked-priming letter match task used in previous research on Roman letters, by presenting cross-script kana pairs and testing adult beginning -to- intermediate Japanese second-language (L2) learners (first-language English readers). We found robust cross-script priming effects, which were equal in magnitude for visually similar (e.g., り/リ) and dissimilar (e.g., あ/ア) kana pairs. This pattern was found despite participants' imperfect explicit knowledge of the kana names, particularly for katakana. We also replicated prior findings from Roman abstract letter identities in the same participants. Ours is the first study reporting abstract kana identity priming (in adult L2 learners). Furthermore, these representations were acquired relatively early in our adult L2 learners.

Dielectric Studies on Thermally Evaporated CEF3 Thin Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvasekarapandian, S.; Gowtham, M.; Bhuvaneswari, M. S.

In recent years rare earth compounds especially their fluorides have drawn particular attention as electrochemical gas sensors. Lanthanum and cerium fluoride based sensors have been investigated for sensing the fluorine, oxygen, and carbon monoxide because of their high chemical stability and high ionic conductivity. The fast response and good sensitivity of these sensors rely on the ion conduction properties of these thin films. In the present work Cerium Fluoride thin film has been prepared by vacuum thermal evaporation method. The electrical characterization is carried out using the Impedance spectroscopy method in the frequency range of 50 Hz to 5 MHz. The temperature dependence of ionic conductivity obeys the Arrhenius behavior and the activation energy Ea is found to be 0.3eV. The modulus and the dielectric spectra analysis reveal the non - Debye nature and the distribution of relaxation time due to the presence of grain and grain boundaries in the film. The relaxation energy Ed has been calculated from the dielectric spectra. The similar value of activation and relaxation energies suggests that the charge carriers that are responsible for bulk conductivity and relaxation process are the same. The optical measurement done in the wavelength range of 400-2500 nm confirms that the CeF3 thin film is highly transparent and the band gap energy is found to be 3.5 eV.

Preparing Scientific Papers, Posters, and Slides.

PubMed

Lefor, Alan Kawarai; Maeno, Misato

2016-01-01

Publications and presentations are important in academic medicine. The ability to present information in a standard fashion is critically important. Papers, posters, and slides must be prepared appropriately to maximize their chance of being accepted. The first step is to use word processing software correctly. English language usage must conform to standard scientific English usage. Abbreviations should be avoided as much as possible. Numerical data must be presented with the appropriate number of significant figures. The first step in preparing a paper is to decide the target journal. Papers should always be written in 12 point Times New Roman font, while slides and posters should be in Arial or Helvetica. The Results section must contain actual data with appropriate statistical analysis. Take great care to prepare figures and tables according to the journal's instructions. Posters must be prepared to allow easy reading at a distance of 2m. Use a white background and dark letters. The majority of the area of your poster should be Results, and there is no need to include the abstract or references on a poster. Slide presentations should be limited to about one slide for each minute of the talk. Avoid the use of animations and excessive use of color. Do not use abbreviations on slides. Following these simple guidelines will meet the requirements of most journals and allow your audience to appreciate the data on your posters and slides. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Oxygen and Carbon Isotopic Signatures in Order to Infer Climatic and Dietary Information in Roman Edessa, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michael, Dimitra-Ermioni; Dotsika, Elissavet

2017-12-01

Even though many isotopic studies have been conducted on ancient populations from Greece for the purpose of dietary reconstruction; mostly through carbon and nitrogen isotopic signals of bone collagen, less attention has been given to the utility of apatite signatures (oxygen and carbon) as dietary and palaeoenvironmental tools. Moreover, until recently the isotopic signal of tooth enamel for both the purposes of environmental and dietary reconstructions has been rarely assessed in ancient Greek societies. Therefore, the present study aims to provide with novel isotopic information regarding Edessa; a town in Northern Greece, during the Roman period. The current study primarily aims to explore the possible differentiation between the present climatic conditions in Edessa in relation to those occurring at the Roman period. Secondly, this study aims to reveal the significant utility of enamel isotopic signatures (carbon and oxygen) in palaeoenvironmental and palaeodietary studies regarding ancient human remains. The isotopic analyses have been conducted at the Stable Isotope and Radiocarbon Unit of INN, NCSR “Demokritos”. The population of Roman Edessa (2nd-4th c. AD) consists of 22 individuals, providing with 19 bone samples and 16 enamel ones. The mean enamel oxygen value is at -7.7 ±1.1 %0, the bone apatite mean oxygen value at -9.2 ±1.9 %0, and finally the mean carbon enamel value is at -11.7 ±1.2 %0. Oxygen values probably indicate that Edessa had a cooler climate during the Roman times in relation to present conditions, even though more research should be carried out in order to be more certain. In addition, the possible existence of non-local individuals has been revealed through the oxygen teeth enamel-bone apatite spacing. Finally, the carbon enamel signature has pointed out possible differentiations between the adult and the juvenile diet. Based on Edessa’s findings, the stated study strongly encourages the enamel oxygen and carbon isotopic signals as palaeoclimatological and palaeodietary tools respectively.

Diet reconstruction in the Roman era.

PubMed

Smrcka, V; Jambor, J; Gladykowska-Rzeczycka, J; Marczik, A

2000-01-01

The samples from the proximal femora were taken from 12 cementeries from the Roman period. The skeletons date from the 1st-4th centuries A.D. Trace element analysis was used in order to reconstruct the basic diet. The sites that best corresponded to the model of Old Germanic diet described by ancient authors "meat, milk and cheese" were found in the Pruszcz Gdanski East Pomerania region close to the Baltic sea as well as in region Halle (Niemberg) and not far from Donau (Sládkovicovo). This diet is characterized by a large amount of protein and consequently of zinc. In the original Old Germanic region in a time period of more than 1000 years (from 400 B.C. to 700 A.D.) there is the same type of trace elements sources for bones and also the same type of the diet. This possibly distinguishes Germanic soldiers (aboriginal) from others groups in Roman legionary camps. It seems that the Donau River is very important for predicting the type of diet in the Roman period. North of the river animal component prevails south of the river vegetal component prevails. The rich agricultural land along the Donau River and in the Pannonian plains affects social arrangement as well as the structure of bones in Germans and Sarmats in the 2nd-4th centuries. Lead became a civilization element. It appeared in the diet of the Greek and Romans. Contamination varied with different social classes. We have found higher lead concentration in the femurs of the Germans than in those of the Sarmatians. The highest concentration we found was in Pannonian towns (Gorsium, Sopianae) and legionary camps (Straubing, Gerulata). In reference to age, the maxima of the highest lead concentrations in Gerulata II are between 11 and 13 years of age and between 40 and 50 years.

Dental caries and chemical analyses in reconstruction of diet, health and hygienic behaviour in the Middle Euphrates valley (Syria).

PubMed

Tomczyk, Jacek; Szostek, Krzysztof; Komarnitki, Iulian; Mańkowska-Pliszka, Hanna; Zalewska, Marta

2013-06-01

The aim of this study was to use two methods, biological and chemical, to examine changes in diet and health in individuals from the Middle Euphrates valley (Syria). We determined the frequency distribution of dental caries. Chemical analyses were concerned with the presence of elements such as strontium, barium, calcium and stable carbon isotopes ((13)C/(14)C). We chose three consecutive periods: Late Roman (2nd-4th century AD), Islamic (600-1200 AD) and Modern Islamic (1850-1950 AD). We analysed the dental remains of 145 individuals, with a total of 2530 teeth. We used visual research (magnifying glass/sharp dental probe) and radiography. The frequencies of caries were calculated on the basis of the proportional correction factor of Erdal and Duyar. We chose 39 permanent second molars for chemical analyses. The frequency of carious lesions was similar in all three periods (6-8%). In the Modern Islamic and Islamic periods, occlusal surfaces were infected with caries most often, while the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) and approximal surfaces were affected to a lesser degree. However, in the Late Roman period, the CEJ and approximal surfaces showed caries most frequently, in contrast to occlusal surfaces, which seldom showed signs of caries. Chemical analyses showed lower Sr/Ca ratios and Observed Ratio index values for the Modern Islamic and higher values for the Islamic and Late Roman periods. Mean stable isotope (δ(13)C) analyses demonstrated that the Modern Islamic period was strongly divergent from the other periods. These data suggest a similar socio-economic status during the Late Roman and Islamic periods. The diet of the population living in the Late Roman and Islamic periods contained a larger number of products containing strontium than calcium. In the modern population these proportions have been reversed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Look for the Latin Word: A Gamebook on English Derivatives and Cognates to Accompany "How the Romans Lived and Spoke (Romani Viventes et Dicentes): A Humanistic Approach to Latin for Children in the Fifth Grade".

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masciantonio, Rudolph; And Others

This gamebook is intended to assist the elementary school Latin teacher in introducing the reading and writing of English derivatives and cognates after these have been mastered audiolingually in the Latin course "How the Romans Lived and Spoke (Romani Viventes et Dicentes): A Humanistic Approach to Latin for Children in the Fifth Grade." (For the…

[Metamorphosis of the uterus from Hippocrates to Ambroise Pare].

PubMed

Dasen, Véronique

2002-01-01

The treatise Des monstres et prodiges (1579, 1585) by Ambroise Paré includes a vignette depicting a monstrous embryo in the form of a human head surrounded by snakes. This picture belongs to the iconographic tradition relating to the Graeco-Roman mythology of sexuality and procreation. It derives from the belief in the womb's animal nature, illustrated on magic Graeco-Roman and Byzantine gemstones, where the uterus is shown in turn as a cupping vessel, a scarab-beetle, an octopus or the head of Gorgo.

Combined PIXE and XPS analysis on republican and imperial Roman coins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daccà, A.; Prati, P.; Zucchiatti, A.; Lucarelli, F.; Mandò, P. A.; Gemme, G.; Parodi, R.; Pera, R.

2000-03-01

A combined PIXE and XPS analysis has been performed on a few Roman coins of the republican and imperial age. The purpose was to investigate via XPS the nature and extent of patina in order to be capable of extracting PIXE data relative to the coins bulk. The inclusion of elements from the surface layer, altered by oxidation and inclusion, is a known source of uncertainty in PIXE analyses of coins, performed to assess the composition and the provenance.

Effects of short light regimes and lower dietary protein content on the reproductive performance of White Roman geese in an environment-controlled house.

PubMed

Chang, Shen-Chang; Chiang, Hsin-I; Lin, Min-Jung; Jea, Yu-Shine; Chen, Lih-Ren; Fan, Yang-Kwang; Lee, Tzu-Tai

2016-07-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of short light regimes and lower dietary protein content on the reproductive performance of White Roman geese in an environment- controlled house. Thirty-two ganders and 80 geese during the third laying period were allotted into 16 pens, randomly assigned into a split-plot design with two different lighting regimes: (1) short light regimes (SL) with 6.5h of light and 17.5h of dark (6.5L:17.5D), and (2) long light regimes (LL) with 19L:5D during the 6-wk prelaying period, followed by two different levels of protein diets (Low CP: 15% vs. High CP: 18%) for the laying period. The results showed that birds treated with the SL light regime had a heavier body weight compared to those treated with LL at the arrival of the peak period of egg production (6.19 vs. 5.87kg, P<0.05). Geese under LL had a longer laying period than those under SL treatment (277 vs. 175day, P<0.05), while the geese under SL treatment had a higher laying intensity (15.4% vs. 12.6%, P<0.05), fertility and hatchability than those under LL treatment. Our results suggest that the White Roman geese treated with 6-wk short light regime during the prelaying period and on the low CP diet during the laying period found conditions sufficient to sustain their regular reproduction performance, which would benefit geese farmers in the perspectives of energy saving and prolonged laying period. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Hydration status of Greco-Roman wrestlers in an authentic precompetition situation.

PubMed

Ööpik, Vahur; Timpmann, Saima; Burk, Andres; Hannus, Innar

2013-06-01

We assessed the urinary indexes of hydration status of Greco-Roman wrestlers in an authentic precompetition situation at the time of official weigh-in (OWI). A total of 51 of 89 wrestlers competing in the Estonian Championship in 2009 donated a urine sample. Questionnaire responses revealed that 27 wrestlers (body mass losers (BMLs)) reduced body mass before the competition, whereas 24 wrestlers (those who do not lose body mass (n-BMLs)) did not. In 42 wrestlers, values of urine specific gravity ≥1.020 and urine osmolality ≥700 mOsmol·kg(-1) revealed a hypohydrated status. The prevalence of hypohydration in the BMLs (96%) was higher than in the n-BMLs (67%) (χ(2) = 7.68; p < 0.05). The prevalence of serious hypohydration (urine specific gravity >1.030) was 5.3 times greater (χ(2) = 8.32; p < 0.05) in the BMLs than in the n-BMLs. In the BMLs, the extent of body mass gain during the 16-h recovery (2.5 ± 1.2 kg) was associated (r = 0.764; p < 0.05) with self-reported precompetition body mass loss (4.3 ± 2.0 kg) and exceeded the body mass gain observed in the n-BMLs (0.7 ± 1.2 kg; p < 0.05). We conclude that hypohydration is prevalent among Greco-Roman wrestlers at the time of OWI. The prevalence of hypohydration and serious hypohydration is especially high among wrestlers who are accustomed to reducing body mass before competition. These results suggest that an effective rehydration strategy is needed for Olympic-style wrestlers, and that changes in wrestling rules should be considered to reduce the prevalence of harmful body mass management behaviours.

Bioprospecting the thermal waters of the Roman baths: isolation of oleaginous species and analysis of the FAME profile for biodiesel production

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The extensive diversity of microalgae provides an opportunity to undertake bioprospecting for species possessing features suited to commercial scale cultivation. The outdoor cultivation of microalgae is subject to extreme temperature fluctuations; temperature tolerant microalgae would help mitigate this problem. The waters of the Roman Baths, which have a temperature range between 39°C and 46°C, were sampled for microalgae. A total of 3 green algae, 1 diatom and 4 cyanobacterial species were successfully isolated into ‘unialgal’ culture. Four isolates were filamentous, which could prove advantageous for low energy dewatering of cultures using filtration. Lipid content, profiles and growth rates of the isolates were examined at temperatures of 20, 30, 40°C, with and without nitrogen starvation and compared against the oil producing green algal species, Chlorella emersonii. Some isolates synthesized high levels of lipids, however, all were most productive at temperatures lower than those of the Roman Baths. The eukaryotic algae accumulated a range of saturated and polyunsaturated FAMEs and all isolates generally showed higher lipid accumulation under nitrogen deficient conditions (Klebsormidium sp. increasing from 1.9% to 16.0% and Hantzschia sp. from 31.9 to 40.5%). The cyanobacteria typically accumulated a narrower range of FAMEs that were mostly saturated, but were capable of accumulating a larger quantity of lipid as a proportion of dry weight (M. laminosus, 37.8% fully saturated FAMEs). The maximum productivity of all the isolates was not determined in the current work and will require further effort to optimise key variables such as light intensity and media composition. PMID:23369619

Life and death in a civitas capital: metabolic disease and trauma in the children from late Roman Dorchester, Dorset.

PubMed

Lewis, Mary E

2010-07-01

The impact that "Romanization" and the development of urban centers had on the health of the Romano-British population is little understood. A re-examination of the skeletal remains of 364 nonadults from the civitas capital at Roman Dorchester (Durnovaria) in Dorset was carried out to measure the health of the children living in this small urban area. The cemetery population was divided into two groups; the first buried their dead organized within an east-west alignment with possible Christian-style graves, and the second with more varied "pagan" graves, aligned north-south. A higher prevalence of malnutrition and trauma was evident in the children from Dorchester than in any other published Romano-British group, with levels similar to those seen in postmedieval industrial communities. Cribra orbitalia was present in 38.5% of the children, with rickets and/or scurvy at 11.2%. Twelve children displayed fractures of the ribs, with 50% of cases associated with rickets and/or scurvy, suggesting that rib fractures should be considered during the diagnosis of these conditions. The high prevalence of anemia, rickets, and scurvy in the Poundbury children, and especially the infants, indicates that this community may have adopted child-rearing practices that involved fasting the newborn, a poor quality weaning diet, and swaddling, leading to general malnutrition and inadequate exposure to sunlight. The Pagan group showed no evidence of scurvy or rib fractures, indicating difference in religious and child-rearing practices but that both burial groups were equally susceptible to rickets and anemia suggests a shared poor standard of living in this urban environment. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Romans to Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bents, D. J.

1990-01-01

The key role played by technology advancement with respect to the anticipated era of discovery and exploration (in space) is illustrated: how bold new initiatives may or may not be enabled. A truly enabling technology not only renders the proposed missions technically feasible, but also makes them viable economically; that is, low enough in cost (relative to the economy supporting them) that urgent national need is not required for justification, low enough in cost that high risk can be programmatically tolerated. A fictional parallel is drawn to the Roman Empire of the second century A.D., shown to have possessed by that time the necessary knowledge, motivation, means, and technical capability of mounting, through the use of innovative mission planning, an initiative similar to Columbus' voyage. They failed to do so because they lacked the advanced technology necessary to make it an acceptable proposition economically. Speculation, based on the historical perspective, is made on the outcome of contemporary plans for future exploration showing how they will be subjected to the same historical forces, within limits imposed by the state of technology development, that shaped the timing of that previous era of discovery and exploration.

Reconstructing the archaeological landscape of Southern Dobrogea: integrating imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oltean, I. A.; Hanson, W. S.

2007-10-01

The recent integrated aerial photographic assessment of Southern Dobrogea, Romania) is part of the first author's British Academy funded research programme 'Contextualizing change on the Lower Danube: Roman impact on Daco-Getic landscapes'. This seeks to study the effect of the Roman conquest and occupation on the native Daco-Getic settlement pattern on the Lower Danube. The methodology involves integrating a range of remotely sensed imagery including: low altitude oblique aerial photographs, obtained through traditional aerial reconnaissance; medium altitude vertical photographs produced by German, British and American military reconnaissance during the Second World War, selected from The Aerial Reconnaissance Achive at Keele University; and high altitude de-classified military satellite imagery (Corona) from the 1960s, acquired from the USGS. The value of this approach lies not just in that it enables extensive detailed mapping of large archaeological landscapes in Romania for the first time, but also that it allows the recording of archaeological features permanently destroyed by more recent development across wide areas. This paper presents some results and addresses some of the problems raised by each method of data acquisition.

Tests of a Roman Pot prototype for the TOTEM experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deile, M.; Alagoz, E.; Anelli, G.; Antchev, G.; Ayache, M.; Caspers, F.; Dimovasili, E.; Dinapoli, R.; Drouhin, F.; Eggert, K.; Escourrou, J.L; Fochler, O.; Gill, K.; Grabit, R.; Haung, F.; Jarron, P.; Kaplon, J.; Kroyer, T.; Luntama, T.; Macina, D.; Mattelon, E.; Niewiadomski, H.; Mirabito, L.; Noschis, E.P.; Oriunno, M.; Park, a.; Perrot, A.-L.; Pirotte, O.; Quetsch, J.M.; Regnier, F.; Ruggiero, G.; Saramad, S.; Siegrist, P.; Snoeys, W.; sSouissi, T.; Szczygiel, R.; Troska, J.; Vasey, F.; Verdier, A.; Da Vià, C.; Hasi, J.; Kok, A.; Watts, S.; Kašpar, J.; Kundrát, V.; Lokajíček, M.V.; Smotlacha, J.; Avati, V.; Järvinen, M.; Kalliokoski, M.; Kalliopuska, J.; Kurvinen, K.; Lauhakangas, R.; Oljemark, F.; Orava, R.; Österberg, K.; Palmieri, V.; Saarikko, H.; Soininen, A.; Boccone, V.; Bozzo, M.; Buzzo, A.; Cuneo, S.; Ferro, F.; Macrí, M.; Minutoli, S.; Morelli, A.; Musico, P.; Negri, M.; Santroni, A.; Sette, G.; Sobol, A.; sBerardi, V.; Catanesi, M.G.; Radicioni, E.

The TOTEM collaboration has developed and tested the first prototype of its Roman Pots to be operated in the LHC. TOTEM Roman Pots contain stacks of 10 silicon detectors with strips oriented in two orthogonal directions. To measure proton scattering angles of a few microradians, the detectors will approach the beam centre to a distance of 10 sigma + 0.5 mm (= 1.3 mm). Dead space near the detector edge is minimised by using two novel "edgeless" detector technologies. The silicon detectors are used both for precise track reconstruction and for triggering. The first full-sized prototypes of both detector technologies as well as their read-out electronics have been developed, built and operated. The tests took place first in a fixed-target muon beam at CERN's SPS, and then in the proton beam-line of the SPS accelerator ring. We present the test beam results demonstrating the successful functionality of the system despite slight technical shortcomings to be improved in the near future.

Roman vs. Arabic Computistics in Twelfth-Century England: A Newly Discovered Source (Collatio Compoti Romani et Arabici).

PubMed

Nothaft, C Philipp E

2015-01-01

A frequently overlooked aspect of the knowledge transfer from Arabic into Latin in the twelfth century is the introduction of the Islamo-Arabic calendar, which confronted Western computists with a radically different scheme of lunar reckoning that was in some ways superior to the 19-year lunar cycle of the Roman Church. One of the earliest sources to properly discuss this new system and compare it to the old one is the anonymous Collatio Compoti Romani et Arabici, found in a manuscript from Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire. This article contains the first edition and translation of this previously unknown text, preceded by an analysis of its content and sources. As will be argued, the text was written in the second quarter of the twelfth century as a reaction to the astronomical tables of al-Khwāizmī, recently translated by Adelard of Bath, as well as to eclipse observations that had exposed the flaws of the 'Roman' computation.

Literary and Documentary Evidence for Lay Medical Practice in the Roman Republic and Empire.

PubMed

Draycott, Jane

2016-01-01

The majority of surviving ancient medical literature was written by medical practitioners and produced for the purpose of ensuring the effective diagnosis and treatment of their patients, suggesting an audience of medical professionals ranging from instructors to students. This has led historians to concentrate on the professional medical practitioner and their theories, methods and practices, rather than on lay medical practitioners, or even patients themselves. This chapter seeks to redress this imbalance, and examine the ancient literary and documentary evidence for lay medical theories, methods and practices in the Roman Republic and Empire in an attempt to reconstruct the experiences of lay medical practitioners and their patients. The Roman agricultural treatises of Cato, Varro and Columella, papyri and ostraca from Egypt, and tablets from Britain are investigated, and it is established that the individual's personal acquisition of knowledge and expertise, not only from medical professionals and works of medical literature, but also from family members and friends, and through trial and error, was considered fundamental to domestic medical practice.

Dental health in antique population of Vinkovci - Cibalae in Croatia (3rd-5th century).

PubMed

Peko, Dunja; Vodanović, Marin

2016-08-01

Roman city Cibalae (Vinkovci) - the birthplace of Roman emperors Valentinian I and Valens was a very well developed urban ares in the late antique what was evidenced by numerous archaeological findings. The aim of this paper is to get insight in dental health of antique population of Cibalae. One hundred individuals with 2041 teeth dated to 3rd - 5th century AD have been analyzed for caries, antemortem tooth loss, periapical diseases and tooth wear. Prevalence of antemortem tooth loss was 4.3% in males, 5.2% in females. Prevalence of caries per tooth was 8.4% in males, 7.0% in females. Compared to other Croatian antique sites, ancient inhabitants of Roman Cibalae had rather good dental health with low caries prevalence and no gender differences. Statistically significant difference was found between males in females in the prevalence of periapical lesions and degree of tooth wear. Periapical lesions were found only in males.

Age-associated bone loss and intraskeletal variability in the Imperial Romans.

PubMed

Cho, Helen; Stout, Sam Darrel

2011-01-01

An Imperial Roman sample from the Isola Sacra necropolis (100-300 A.D.) offered an opportunity to histologically examine bone loss and intraskeletal variability in an urban archaeological population. Rib and femur samples were analyzed for static indices of bone remodeling and measures of bone mass. The Imperial Romans experienced normal age-associated bone loss via increased intracortical porosity and endosteal expansion, with females exhibiting greater bone loss and bone turnover rates than in males. Life events such as menopause and lactation coupled with cultural attitudes and practices regarding gender and food may have led to increased bone loss in females. Remodeling dynamics differ between the rib and femur and the higher remodeling rates in the rib may be attributed to different effective age of the adult compacta or loading environment. This study demonstrates that combining multiple methodologies to examine bone loss is necessary to shed light on the biocultural factors that influence bone mass and bone loss.

Morphological and biomechanical analysis of a skeleton from Roman imperial necropolis of Casalecchio di Reno (Bologna, Italy, II-III c. A. D.). A possible case of crutch use.

PubMed

Belcastro, M G; Mariotti, V

2000-12-01

A Roman skeleton (T.130) from the roman necropolis of Casalecchio di Reno has been studied in order to understand if the hypothesis of crutch use, suggested by the severe articular degeneration at the hip joint that caused evident reduction of his locomotory possibilities, could be supported by the morphological alterations of other bones and joints. The pathological changes and muscular development of the upper limbs and shoulder girdle bones suggest that these parts were submitted to a great mechanical stress. The observations are consistent with the hypothesis of crutch use that would have involved a new weight-bearing function of the upper limbs in order to help locomotion, even though it is difficult to assess the number and type of the crutches. The comparison with other possible cases of crutch use reported in literature gives an additional support to the interpretation of the findings.

The deterioration of Circular Mausoleum, Roman Necropolis of Carmona, Spain.

PubMed

Cañaveras, Juan C; Fernandez-Cortes, Angel; Elez, Javier; Cuezva, Soledad; Jurado, Valme; Miller, Ana Zelia; Rogerio-Candelera, Miguel A; Benavente, David; Hernandez-Marine, Mariona; Saiz-Jimenez, Cesareo; Sanchez-Moral, Sergio

2015-06-15

The Circular Mausoleum tomb in the Roman Necropolis of Carmona was carved on a calcarenite sequence in an ancient quarry located in the town of Carmona, Southern Spain. This rock-cut tomb, representative of Roman burial practices, currently suffers from serious deterioration. A detailed survey over several years permitted the identification of the main tomb's pathologies and damaging processes, which include loss of material (scaling, flaking, granular disintegration), surface modifications (efflorescences, crusts and deposits) and extensive biological colonization. The results obtained in this study indicated that anthropogenic changes were largely responsible and enhanced the main alteration mechanisms observed in the Circular Mausoleum. Based on the deterioration diagnosis, effective corrective actions were proposed. This study shows that any conservative intervention in the interior of the tomb should be preceded by accurate in situ measurements and laboratory analyses to ascribe the source of the deterioration damages and thus designing effective treatments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inflation in the Early Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmeli, Moshe

In this talk it will be assumed that gravitation is negligible. Under this assumption, the receding velocities of galaxies and the distances between them in the Hubble expansion are united into a four-dimensional pseudo-Euclidean manifold, similarly to space and time in ordinary special relativity. The Hubble law is assumed and is written in an invariant way that enables one to derive a four-dimensional transformation which is similar to the Lorentz transformation. The parameter in the new transformation is the ratio between the cosmic time to the Hubble time (in which the cosmic time is measured backward with respect to the present time). Accordingly, the new transformation relates physical quantities at different cosmic times in the limit of weak or negligible gravitation. The transformation is then applied to the problem of the expansion of the Universe at the very early stage when gravity was negligible and thus the transformation is applicable. We calculate the ratio of the volumes of the Universe at two different times T1 and T2 after the Big Bang. Under the assumptions that T2 - T1 ≈ 10-32 sec and T2 ≪ 1 sec, we find that V_{2}/V_{1} = 10^{-16}/√{T_{1}}. For T1 ≈ 10-132 sec we obtain V2/V1 ≈ 1050. This result conforms with the standard inflationary universe theory, but now it is obtained without assuming that the Universe is propelled by antigravity.

A comparison of female and male oral health in skeletal populations from late Roman Britain: implications for diet.

PubMed

Bonsall, L

2014-12-01

Textual sources from the Roman period point to the existence of dietary differences between the sexes. The aim of this study was to assess the palaeopathological evidence for such gender differences in dietary habits in Roman Britain by comparing the oral health of sexed individuals from two late Romano-British sites (Ancaster, Lincolnshire, and Winchester, Hampshire, England). Eighty-seven females (1243 teeth and 1950 sockets) and 112 males (1984 teeth and 2903 sockets) were examined for the presence of five dento-alveolar conditions, namely caries, calculus, periapical lesions, periodontal disease, and antemortem tooth loss. The frequency of each condition was calculated at the per individual and per tooth/socket level, and the results were compared between the sexes using Fisher's exact tests. Caries and antemortem tooth loss were slightly more common among women, but differences between the sexes were generally not significant. Males experienced higher rates of calculus and periodontal disease. There were no sex differences in the frequency of periapical lesions. Comparable rates of caries, periapical lesions and antemortem tooth loss in females and males indicate broad similarity in the diets of men and women. The greater levels of calculus and periodontal disease in males might point to some dietary differences, but could also be explained by non-dietary factors. Overall, the findings suggest that significant gender differences in diet, described in some contemporaneous textual sources, were not widely observed in Roman Britain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioarchaeological Insights into the Process of Domestication of Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) during Roman Times in Southern France

PubMed Central

Bouby, Laurent; Figueiral, Isabel; Bouchette, Anne; Rovira, Nuria; Ivorra, Sarah; Lacombe, Thierry; Pastor, Thierry; Picq, Sandrine; Marinval, Philippe; Terral, Jean-Frédéric

2013-01-01

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera), one of the most important fruit species in the Classical Mediterranean world, is thought to have been domesticated first in South-Western Asia, during the Neolithic. However, the domestication process remains largely unknown. Crucial unanswered questions concern the duration of the process (rapid or slow?) and the related geographical area (single or multiple-origins?). Seeds from domesticated grapevine and from its wild ancestor are reported to differ according to shape. Our work aims, first, to confirm this difference and secondly to identify the extent of domestication in the grapes cultivated by Romans in Southern France during the period 50 BCE–500 CE. We had the opportunity to analyze uncharred waterlogged grape pips from 17 archaeological sites. Based on an extended reference sample of modern wild grapevines and cultivars our work shows that both subspecies can be discriminated using simple measurements. The elongation gradient of the pip’s body and stalk may be regarded as an indicator of the strength of the selection pressures undergone by domesticated grapes. Grapevines cultivated during the Roman period included a mix of morphotypes comprising wild, intermediate and moderately selected domesticated forms. Our data point to a relative shift towards more selected types during the Roman period. Domestication of the grapevine appears to have been a slow process. This could result from the recurrent incorporation into cultivation of plants originating from sexual reproduction, when grape cultivation essentially relies on vegetative propagation. PMID:23690998

Bioarchaeological insights into the process of domestication of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) during Roman times in Southern France.

PubMed

Bouby, Laurent; Figueiral, Isabel; Bouchette, Anne; Rovira, Nuria; Ivorra, Sarah; Lacombe, Thierry; Pastor, Thierry; Picq, Sandrine; Marinval, Philippe; Terral, Jean-Frédéric

2013-01-01

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera), one of the most important fruit species in the Classical Mediterranean world, is thought to have been domesticated first in South-Western Asia, during the Neolithic. However, the domestication process remains largely unknown. Crucial unanswered questions concern the duration of the process (rapid or slow?) and the related geographical area (single or multiple-origins?). Seeds from domesticated grapevine and from its wild ancestor are reported to differ according to shape. Our work aims, first, to confirm this difference and secondly to identify the extent of domestication in the grapes cultivated by Romans in Southern France during the period 50 BCE-500 CE. We had the opportunity to analyze uncharred waterlogged grape pips from 17 archaeological sites. Based on an extended reference sample of modern wild grapevines and cultivars our work shows that both subspecies can be discriminated using simple measurements. The elongation gradient of the pip's body and stalk may be regarded as an indicator of the strength of the selection pressures undergone by domesticated grapes. Grapevines cultivated during the Roman period included a mix of morphotypes comprising wild, intermediate and moderately selected domesticated forms. Our data point to a relative shift towards more selected types during the Roman period. Domestication of the grapevine appears to have been a slow process. This could result from the recurrent incorporation into cultivation of plants originating from sexual reproduction, when grape cultivation essentially relies on vegetative propagation.

[Living in abundance in the ancient and modern worlds from a medical and cultural-historical point of view].

PubMed

Mertz, D P

2014-06-01

Comparative investigations centre on attitudes of demand and consumption in ethnic groups living in affluence, beginning with the first pre-Christian century in the Roman Empire on the one hand and in Western countries in the post-industrial age of hight-tech in times of far advanced globalization on the other. In this context medical, psycho-social and socio-economical aspects will be treated considering ideal and cultural breaks. Renowned Roman and Greek historians, physicians and philosophers are vouching as witnesses of the times for developments in the antique world with their literary works, in excerpts and verbatim. Obviously general moral decay is a side effect of any affluence. Even in the antiquitiy the "ideology of renewal" proclaimed by the Emperor Augustus died away mostly in emptiness just as do the appeals for improving one's state of health for surviving directed to all citizens in our time. With the rise of Rome as a world power general relative affluence was widespread to such an extent that diseases caused by affluence have occured as mass phenomena. The old Roman virtues of temperance and frugality turned into greed and addiction to pleasure. In this way the Roman people under the banner of affluence degenerated into a society of leisure time, consumption, fun and throwaway mentality. The decline of the Empire was predetermined. The promise of affluence which modern Europe is addicted to is demanding its price following the principle of causality. "How the pictures resemble each other!"

[The Justinian plague (part one)].

PubMed

Sabbatani, Sergio; Manfredi, Roberto; Fiorino, Sirio

2012-06-01

In their medical-historical review, the authors assess the evolution of bubonic plague epidemics: after breaking out in the Egyptian port of Pelusium in October 541 AD, the epidemics hit several regions in the Mediterranean basin in a succession of waves. The so-called Justinian plague took its name from the Byzantine emperor of the period, and seriously conditioned the expansionary aims of the Eastern Roman empire towards Italy (which was occupied by Goths), and Northern Africa (where the Vandals had settled), during the first decades of its spread. In the Eastern Empire the plague played a considerable role in reducing the tensions between Persians and Byzantines, especially on the Syrian and Anatolian fronts. It had a major demographic impact, reducing the possibility of recruitment to the Roman legions and leading to a significant drop in tax revenues, which were essential to sustain the state and its military machine. Finally, the plague also took its toll on economic resources (especially agriculture), indirectly leading to a vicious inflationary circle. In the space of over two centuries, plague epidemics paralyzed most trade and commercial exchanges. Furthermore, the Justinian plague, halting the consolidation of the influence of the Eastern Roman empire over some Western regions (including Italy and Northern Africa, which were ruled by Barbarians), supported the development and rise of a number of Roman-Barbarian kingdoms. It may therefore be suggested that the Justinian plague occurred at a very critical historical moment, which represents the real watershed between the Ancient World and the upcoming Middle Ages.

Ancient DNA Reveals Matrilineal Continuity in Present-Day Poland over the Last Two Millennia

PubMed Central

Juras, Anna; Dabert, Miroslawa; Kushniarevich, Alena; Malmström, Helena; Raghavan, Maanasa; Kosicki, Jakub Z.; Metspalu, Ene; Willerslev, Eske; Piontek, Janusz

2014-01-01

While numerous ancient human DNA datasets from across Europe have been published till date, modern-day Poland in particular, remains uninvestigated. Besides application in the reconstruction of continent-wide human history, data from this region would also contribute towards our understanding of the history of the Slavs, whose origin is hypothesized to be in East or Central Europe. Here, we present the first population-scale ancient human DNA study from the region of modern-day Poland by establishing mitochondrial DNA profiles for 23 samples dated to 200 BC – 500 AD (Roman Iron Age) and for 20 samples dated to 1000–1400 AD (Medieval Age). Our results show that mitochondrial DNA sequences from both periods belong to haplogroups that are characteristic of contemporary West Eurasia. Haplotype sharing analysis indicates that majority of the ancient haplotypes are widespread in some modern Europeans, including Poles. Notably, the Roman Iron Age samples share more rare haplotypes with Central and Northeast Europeans, whereas the Medieval Age samples share more rare haplotypes with East-Central and South-East Europeans, primarily Slavic populations. Our data demonstrates genetic continuity of certain matrilineages (H5a1 and N1a1a2) in the area of present-day Poland from at least the Roman Iron Age until present. As such, the maternal gene pool of present-day Poles, Czechs and Slovaks, categorized as Western Slavs, is likely to have descended from inhabitants of East-Central Europe during the Roman Iron Age. PMID:25337992

[The Origin of Scientific Notions in the Circle of the Roman Accademiadella Virt¾ around 1550].

PubMed

Kulawik, Bernd

2015-06-01

The Origin of Scientific Notions in the Circle of the Roman Accademia della Virtù around 1550. Between c. 1537 and 1555 a group of humanists, clerics, architects and philologists known as the so-called Accademia della Virtù got together in Rome to work on a program which was formulated in a letter by the Sienese humanist Claudio Tolomei in 1542 and published in 1547. Starting out with the intention to understand the only surviving antique book on architecture and architectural theory - Vitruvius' De architectura libri decem - the program describes a series of 24 books, eleven containing the classical text and its translation with commentaries, 13 books systematically illustrating and documenting all known and available material remains from Roman antiquity. This program for a scientific classical archaeology in a modern sense was not only intended to serve the intellectual curiosity of some humanist antiquarians but to help architects and their patrons to develop a new architecture of the same high quality as the idealized Roman examples. To achieve this practical as well as theoretical goal it was obviously necessary to re-create the antique vocabulary of architecture and its rules as well as to unify the contemporary usage of notions and norms in a canon. The first results of this project seem to be the In decem Libros M. Vitruvii Pollionis de Architectura Annotationes by Guillaume Philandrier (Rome, 1544) - up to this day a very valuable explanation of ambiguous parts in the Vitruvian text. Until the 1980s, it was believed that this book was the only outcome of the ambitious project; but then two codices of drawings after antique reliefs were identified as preparations for one of the other 23 volumes - and, because of their systematic approach, regarded as the 'first systematic archaeological book'. Now it seems that there are some other corpora of manuscripts and drawings documenting antique artifacts that should be regarded as results of the Accademia's work, too, showing antique buildings, inscriptions and coins. Other results of the unfinished project may be the theoretical and practical works of the two most influencial architects of the sixteenth century: Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola and Andrea Palladio. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Epithelial proliferation in small ducts of salivary cystadenoma resembling atypical ductal hyperplasia of breast.

PubMed

Fahim, Lisa; Weinreb, Ilan; Alexander, Cherupushpam; Perez Ordoñez, Bayardo

2008-09-01

Salivary gland cystadenomas are cystic neoplasms with diverse architecture and cytology. Cystadenomas may have a considerable intracystic epithelial component, but an epithelial proliferation in small ducts and cysts resembling atypical ductal hyperplasia of breast has not been documented. The patient was a 68-year-old man with a slow growing right submandibular mass. He has no recurrence 13 months after resection. The tumor was polycystic and measured 3.0 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm. The epithelium of the larger cysts was composed of flat, cuboidal, columnar, and apocrine-like cells. Many of the larger cysts showed "Roman bridges", epithelial tufting, and papillae. The smaller cysts and ducts had apocrine-like cells forming secondary glandular lumens. The ductal cells were surrounded by clear myoepithelial cells. Nuclear pleomorphism and hyperchromasia was seen in the apocrine-like cells. Adjacent to the larger cysts, there was an adenomatoid proliferation of small ducts surrounded by myoepithelial cells. No mitotic activity, necrosis, or stromal invasion was identified. The ductal cells were diffusely positive for keratin 7 and androgen receptors with focal expression of keratin 19 and high-molecular weight keratin. S-100, estrogen and progesterone receptors, and BRST-2 were negative in the ductal cells. Recognition of a prominent intraductal epithelial component in cystadenomas is important to avoid a misdiagnosis of cystadenocarcinoma or low-grade salivary duct carcinoma. Cystadenomas join the list of salivary gland lesions with microscopic similarities to primary lesions of the breast.

Importance of birthcoat for lamb survival and growth in the Romane sheep breed extensively managed on rangelands.

PubMed

Allain, D; Foulquié, D; Autran, P; Francois, D; Bouix, J

2014-01-01

The Romane sheep breed proved to be adapted to harsh conditions with high prolificacy and lamb survival in outdoor farming, even under bad climate conditions. This breed shows large variability in its fleece type at birth and it has been suggested that lamb survival could be related to birthcoat type. The aim of the present study was to: i) characterize the coat of the lamb at birth and quantify lamb survival in relation to the birthcoat type and its protective properties concerning heat loss in the Romane breed raised under permanent exposure outdoors from birth, and ii) estimate genetic parameters of birthcoat type in relation to lamb survival and live body weight. A total of 7,880 lambs from 104 sires and 1,664 dams were used in a 14-yr experiment. The pedigree file included 9,625 individuals over 15 generations. Birthcoat type, coat surface temperature, coat depth, lamb survival, and growth were measured from birth to weaning. Weather data (temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and precipitation) were recorded daily during lambing time. Two types of coats were observed at birth: hairy coat (62.9% of lambs) with a long coat depth (average 23.3 mm) or woolly 1 (37.1% of lambs) with a short coat depth (average 8.3 mm). Birthcoat type was an important factor affecting lamb survival and growth from birth in the Romane breed. Total mortality rate was significantly less in hairy-bearing coat lambs than in short-woolly coat ones: 7.0% vs. 9.6%, 11.6 % vs. 14.8%, and 15.7 % vs. 20.1 % at 2, 10, and 50 d, respectively, and the relative risks of death increased by 37%, 67%, and 46 % at 2, 10, and 50 d of age, respectively, in short-woolly lambs. At birth, a significant lower coat surface temperature, indicating less heat loss, was observed in long-hairy coat lambs compared with others (21.1°C vs. 26.1°C). Heavier body weights and better growth performances up to the age of 50 d were observed in long-hairy-bearing coat lambs. Lamb survival was positively correlated to weather conditions at lambing time in short-woolly lambs, whereas no relation was observed in hairy-coat lambs. Heritability estimate of birthcoat type (hairy or woolly) is high (0.88). Genetic correlations between birthcoat type, lamb survival, and live body weight at birth were positive and moderate, suggesting that it would be beneficial to take birthcoat into account as an adaptive trait in any genetic strategies for sheep production in harsh conditions on rangelands.

Effect of Simulated Weathering and Aging of TNT in Amended Sandy Loam Soil on Toxicity to the Enchytraeid Worm, Enchytreaeus Crypticus

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-01

high bioavailability of organic compounds. However, amended SSL soil was analyzed for presence of metabolic transformation products from nitroaromatic...Phillips, C.; Checkai, R. 1999. Comparison of malathion toxicity using enchytraeid reproduction test and earthworm toxicity test in different soil ...OF TNT IN AMENDED SANDY LOAM SOIL ON TOXICITY TO THE ENCHYTRAEID WORM, ENCHYTRAEUS CRYPTICUS Roman G. Kuperman Ronald T. Checkai Michael Simini

Stars, Manuscripts, and Astrolabes-The Stellar Constellations in a Group of Medieval Manuscripts between Latin Literature and a New Science of the Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, W.

2011-06-01

The European Middle Ages inherited star names and constellations from Roman antiquity, mostly via Latin literary texts. When, from the 11th century onwards, Arabic texts and instruments became available, figures and vocabulary at first where not compatible with this tradition. The example of an excerpt from Pseudo-Hyginus De Astronomia shows, how a Roman text on the constellations was revised and supplemented with the names of the astrolabe-stars to combine the two different traditions.

Childhood bone tuberculosis from Roman Pécs, Hungary.

PubMed

Hlavenková, L; Teasdale, M D; Gábor, O; Nagy, G; Beňuš, R; Marcsik, A; Pinhasi, R; Hajdu, T

2015-02-01

A child from a Roman necropolis in Pécs, Hungary (4th century CE) was initially diagnosed with severe spinal osteomyelitis. The post-cranial skeleton displayed bone alterations in the lower thoracic and upper lumbar segments, including vertebral body destruction, collapse and sharp kyphosis, and additional multiple rib lesions, suggesting a most likely diagnosis of pulmonary and spinal tuberculosis. This study discusses a number of selected diagnoses in the context of our pathological findings, complementing the macroscopic examination with radiological and biomolecular analyses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Stars and Stones on Emperor Elagabalus' Coins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comeron, F.

Several series of coins and medals issued under the reign of Roman Emperor Elagabalus (AD 218-222) refer to the ceremony of his entry in Rome, in which the baetyl of Emesa played a central role. This baetyl, a cone-shaped black stone of likely meteoritic origin, represents the solar divinity Baal, whose cult was introduced in Rome by Elagabalus. Worship of baetyls is common in ancient near-Eastern cultures, in which meteorites are believed to have a celestial origin, as opposed to the Aristotelian theory prevalent in the Roman culture at the epoch.

Moon eclipse from 21 december 2010 in Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaina, Alex; Haus, Marian; Conovici, Matei; Vasiliu, Dan

2010-12-01

The authors discuss the Total Moon's eclipse from 21 december 2010, their circumstances for Romania and Central Europe. One notes that the informations from the NASA eclipses website do not inform correctly about the observability of the initial penumbral phase (P1-U1) of the eclipse. The same reffer to the Anuarul Astronomic Roman, published by the Institutul Astronomic Roman for 2010. By contrary the web site by Fred Espenac informed correctly the astronomical community. The Moon setted before the begining of the penumbral phase of the eclipse.

The H1 forward proton spectrometer at HERA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Esch, P.; Kapichine, M.; Morozov, A.; Spaskov, V.; Bartel, W.; List, B.; Mahlke-Krüger, H.; Schröder, V.; Wilksen, T.; Büsser, F. W.; Geske, K.; Karschnik, O.; Niebergall, F.; Riege, H.; Schütt, J.; van Staa, R.; Wittek, C.; Dau, D.; Newton, D.; Kotelnikov, S. K.; Lebedev, A.; Rusakov, S.; Astvatsatourov, A.; Bähr, J.; Harder, U.; Hiller, K.; Hoffmann, B.; Lüdecke, H.; Nahnhauer, R.

2000-05-01

The forward proton spectrometer is part of the H1 detector at the HERA collider. Protons with energies above 500 GeV and polar angles below 1 mrad can be detected by this spectrometer. The main detector components are scintillating fiber detectors read out by position-sensitive photo-multipliers. These detectors are housed in the so-called Roman Pots which allow them to be moved close to the circulating proton beam. Four Roman Pot stations are located at distances between 60 and 90 m from the interaction point.

[A Roman orbital implant?].

PubMed

Rohrbach, J M; Harbeck, M; Holzhauser, P; Tekeva-Rohrbach, C I; Mach, M; Codreanu-Windauer, S

2012-11-01

During an excavation in Regensburg/Germany the skeleton of an approximately 20-year-old Roman man was found who was buried in the 3rd/4th century after Christ. A "stone" was found which fitted into the left orbit precisely. After a thorough investigation of the "stone" and with the ophthalmohistorical literature in mind an orbital "implant" as well as a petrified medical paste ("Kollyrium") could be ruled out almost with certainty. Possibly the "stone" served another medical purpose or was used for protection of the eye. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

A health assessment of high status Christian burials recovered from the Roman-Byzantine archeological site of Elaiussa Sebaste, Turkey.

PubMed

Paine, R R; Vargiu, R; Coppa, A; Morselli, C; Schneider, E E

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study is to assess the state of health of 116 individuals whose remains were excavated from Byzantine period burials underneath the floor of an important Christian basilica from the site of Elaiussa Sebaste, Turkey. Elaiussa Sebaste was a Mediterranean coastal community, which began as a Roman town and continued as an early Christian Byzantine community until the end of the 7th century AD. The burials date from the middle of the 6th through the middle of the 7th centuries AD. We attempt to determine how high social status has influenced the type and frequency of skeletal lesions exhibited in this sample. All strata of this population show a number of chronic and acute health problems as indicated by skeletal lesions. Yet, only the frequency of degenerative joint disease (DJD) differs by sex, with males exhibiting a higher rate of DJD than females, p=0.09. There is no difference in the frequency of trauma among adult males and females. Non-specific skeletal lesions (cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, and periostitis) often associated with dietary and general stressors, but also with specific systemic diseases, are common in both sexes. The sub-adults primarily exhibit periostitis of the long bones and do not show skeletal lesions specific to malaria. It seems that high social ranking did not prevent serious ailments from affecting the health of individuals living in the Elaiussa Sebaste community.

Binder characterisation of mortars used at different ages in the San Lorenzo church in Milan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bertolini, Luca, E-mail: luca.bertolini@polimi.it; Carsana, Maddalena, E-mail: maddalena.carsana@polimi.it; Gastaldi, Matteo, E-mail: matteo.gastaldi@polimi.it

The paper describes a study on the mortars of the basilica of San Lorenzo in Milan, which was carried out to support an archaeological study aimed at dating and documenting the construction techniques used throughout the centuries. The church, which was founded between the 4th and 5th century, at the end of the period when Milan was the capital of the Roman Empire, was subjected in time to extensions, collapses and reconstructions that lasted until the Renaissance period and even later on. Thanks to the good state of conservation, San Lorenzo church is a collection of materials and construction techniquesmore » throughout a period of more than a millennium. Mortars were investigated in order to compare the binders used for structural elements built in different historical ages. From an archaeological study, samples of mortars attributed to the late Roman period, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were available. The binder of each sample was separated by the aggregates and it was characterised on the basis of X-ray diffraction analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Constituents of the binder were identified and their origin is discussed in order to investigate if they could be attributed to the original composition of the binder or to possible alteration in time due to atmospheric pollution. Results show that, even though the binder is mainly based on magnesian lime, there are significant differences in the microstructure of the binding matrix used in mortars ascribed to the different historical periods. In the Roman period, in correspondence of the structural elements that required higher strength, also hydraulic cocciopesto mortars were detected. Gypsum was found in most samples, which was maybe added intentionally. - Highlights: • Binders of mortars of San Lorenzo church in Milan were investigated. • Roman, Middle Ages and Renaissance samples were studied by XRD, TG and SEM. • Magnesian-lime binders containing silico-aluminates were used in all periods. • Cocciopesto hydraulic mortars were used only in the Roman period. • Gypsum was found in most samples, which was maybe added intentionally.« less

Electromyographic activity of the trunk extensor muscles: effect of varying hip position and lumbar posture during Roman chair exercise.

PubMed

Mayer, John M; Verna, Joe L; Manini, Todd M; Mooney, Vert; Graves, James E

2002-11-01

To evaluate the effect of hip position and lumbar posture on the surface electromyographic activity of the trunk extensors during Roman chair exercise. Descriptive, repeated measures. University-based musculoskeletal research laboratory. Twelve healthy volunteers (7 men, 5 women; age range, 18-35y) without a history of low back pain were recruited from a university setting. Not applicable. Surface electromyographic activity was recorded from the lumbar extensor, gluteal, and hamstring musculature during dynamic Roman chair exercise. For each muscle group, electromyographic activity (mV/rep) was compared among exercises with internal hip rotation and external hip rotation and among exercises by using a typical lumbar posture (nonbiphasic) and a posture that accentuated lumbar lordosis (biphasic). For the lumbar extensors, electromyographic activity during exercise was 18% greater with internal hip rotation than external hip rotation (P< or =.05) and was 25% greater with a biphasic posture than with a nonbiphasic posture (P< or =.05). For the gluteals and hamstrings, there was no difference in electromyographic activity between internal and external hip rotation or between biphasic and nonbiphasic postures (P >.05). The level of recruitment of the lumbar extensors can be modified during Roman chair exercise by altering hip position and lumbar posture. Clinicians can use these data to develop progressive exercise protocols for the lumbar extensors with a variety of resistance levels without the need for complex equipment. Copyright 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Urban-rural differences in Roman Dorset, England: A bioarchaeological perspective on Roman settlements.

PubMed

Redfern, Rebecca C; DeWitte, Sharon N; Pearce, John; Hamlin, Christine; Dinwiddy, Kirsten Egging

2015-05-01

In the Roman period, urban and rural ways of living were differentiated philosophically and legally, and this is the first regional study of these contrasting life-ways. Focusing on frailty and mortality risk, we investigated how these differed by age, sex, and status, using coffin type as a proxy for social status. We employed skeletal data from 344 individuals: 150 rural and 194 urban (1st-5th centuries A.D.) from Dorset, England. Frailty and mortality risk were examined using indicators of stress (cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, nonspecific periostitis, and enamel hypoplastic defects), specific metabolic and infectious diseases (rickets, scurvy, and tuberculosis), and dental health (carious lesions and calculus). These variables were studied using Chi-square, Siler model of mortality, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and the Gompertz model of adult mortality. Our study found that overall, mortality risk and survivorship did not differ between cemetery types but when the data were examined by age, mortality risk was only significantly higher for urban subadults. Demographic differences were found, with urban cemeteries having more 0-10 and >35 year olds, and for health, urban cemeteries had significantly higher frequencies of enamel hypoplastic defects, carious lesions, and rickets. Interestingly, no significant difference in status was observed between rural and urban cemeteries. The most significant finding was the influence of the skeletal and funerary data from the Poundbury sites, which had different demographic profiles, significantly higher frequencies of the indicators of stress and dental health variables. In conclusion, there are significant health, demographic, and mortality differences between rural and urban populations in Roman Britain. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The genetics of the pre-Roman Iberian Peninsula: a mtDNA study of ancient Iberians.

PubMed

Sampietro, M L; Caramelli, D; Lao, O; Calafell, F; Comas, D; Lari, M; Agustí, B; Bertranpetit, J; Lalueza-Fox, C

2005-09-01

The Iberians developed a surprisingly sophisticated culture in the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula from the 6th century BC until their conquest by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. They spoke and wrote a non-Indo-European language that still cannot be understood; their origins and relationships with other non-Indo-European peoples, like the Etruscans, are unclear, since their funerary practices were based on the cremation of bodies, and therefore anthropology has been unable to approach the study of this people. We have retrieved mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from a few of the scarce skeletal remains that have been preserved, some of them belonging to ritualistically executed individuals. The most stringent authentication criteria proposed for ancient DNA, such as independent replication, amino-acid analysis, quantitation of template molecules, multiple extractions and cloning of PCR products, have been followed to obtain reliable sequences from the mtDNA hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), as well as some haplogroup diagnostic SNPs. Phylogeographic analyses show that the haplogroup composition of the ancient Iberians was very similar to that found in modern Iberian Peninsula populations, suggesting a long-term genetic continuity since pre-Roman times. Nonetheless, there is less genetic diversity in the ancient Iberians than is found among modern populations, a fact that could reflect the small population size at the origin of the population sampled, and the heterogenic tribal structure of the Iberian society. Moreover, the Iberians were not especially closely related to the Etruscans, which points to considerable genetic heterogeneity in Pre-Roman Western Europe.

Natural versus anthropogenic genesis of mardels (closed depressions) on the Gutland plateau (Luxembourg); archaeometrical and palynological evidence of Roman clay excavation from mardels.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Mourik, Jan; Braekmans, Dennis; Doorenbosch, Marieke; Kuijper, Wim; van der Plicht, Hans

2016-04-01

Mardels, small closed depressions, are distinctive landforms on the Luxembourger Gutland plateau. In the present landscape most mardels are shallow fens, filled with colluvial sediments. The genesis of mardels has been studied intensively, inside and outside Luxembourg. Some researchers suggested a natural development and consider mardels as subsidence basins due to subsurface solution of gypsum veins, other researchers suggested cultural causes and consider mardels as prehistorical quarries. In the Gutland, mardels occur on various substrates. Mardels on the Strassen marls (li3) are abandoned quarries, related to clay excavation in Roman Time. Mardels on the Luxembourger sandstone (li2) are sinkholes, related to joint patterns in the sandstone formation. Mardels on the Keuper marls (km1,3) are originally subsidence basins, related to subsurface dissolutions of gypsum lenses and veins, filled with colluvial clay. The results of pollen analysis and archaeometrical tests demonstrate Roman extraction of clay for the production of ancient ceramics. So, the natural depressions have been enlarged to the present mardels. After excavation, the sedimentation of colluvium restarted in the abandoned quarries.

[Roman medical instruments from Lower Moesia].

PubMed

Aparaschivei, D; Matei, I

2010-01-01

To elucidate the evolution of society over time, ancient medicine is a very interesting and important researching field. Archaeological discoveries, such as the objects described by this article, but other ancient sources, also, are able to provide a complex framework of medical practice in Roman times. The geographic area that we have like target in this material is the province of Lower Moesia, which includes the territory between Danube and Black Sea (Romanian Dobrodja) and northern Bulgaria. In the present study we present nine ancient medical instruments, from a private collection: two tweezers, two ear probes, a probe-spatula, a probe-spoon, a spoon for pharmacy and two fragments of some kind of hooks used in surgical operations. Most likely, we have a mixed medical kit with tools used in general medicine, surgery, in preparation of the pharmaceutical treatments, but very possible, also, in cosmetic practices. Publication of these archaeological materials is, in addition to an extra page in the history of ancient medicine, a pretext for stepping up in a research field that, in other regions of the former Roman Empire, it is a great interest for researchers.

3D visualization of sheath folds in Ancient Roman marble wall coverings from Ephesos, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wex, Sebastian; Passchier, Cees W.; de Kemp, Eric A.; İlhan, Sinan

2014-10-01

Archaeological excavations and restoration of a palatial Roman housing complex in Ephesos, Turkey yielded 40 wall-decorating plates of folded mylonitic marble (Cipollino verde), derived from the internal Hellenides near Karystos, Greece. Cipollino verde was commonly used for decoration purposes in Roman buildings. The plates were serial-sectioned from a single quarried block of 1,25 m3 and provided a research opportunity for detailed reconstruction of the 3D geometry of meterscale folds in mylonitized marble. A GOCAD model is used to visualize the internal fold structures of the marble, comprising curtain folds and multilayered sheath folds. The sheath folds are unusual in that they have their intermediate axis normal to the parent layering. This agrees with regional tectonic studies, which suggest that Cipollino verde structures formed by local constrictional non-coaxial flow. Sheath fold cross-section geometry, exposed on the surface of a plate or outcrop, is found to be independent of the intersection angle of the fold structure with the studied plane. Consequently, a single surface cannot be used as an indicator of the three-dimensional geometry of transected sheath folds.

Learning historical heritage with a serious game: a user study of Heerlen Roman bathhouse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Wen

2015-03-01

The advances of computer games have shown their potentials for developing edutainment content and services. Current cultural heritages often make use of games in order to complement existing presentations, to create a memorable exhibition. It offers opportunities to reorganize and conceptualize historical, cultural and technological information or knowledge about the exhibits. To demonstrate the benefits of serious games in terms of facilitating the learning activities, we designed a video game about the Heerlen Roman bathhouse heritage. This paper explains the design considerations of this Roman bathhouse game, with a particular focus on the link between game play and learning. In addition, we have carried out a user study to observe and measure the learning effects of this game. Both quantitative and qualitative data are collected to analyze the performance of the learners. The results have shown that this game indeed can help learners understand the important historical facts and the related knowledge of the heritage being studied. Further directions include converting the first-person game into a third-person or multiple players' game.

Archaeometric analysis of Roman bronze coins from the Magna Mater temple using solid-state voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

PubMed

Di Turo, Francesca; Montoya, Noemí; Piquero-Cilla, Joan; De Vito, Caterina; Coletti, Fulvio; Favero, Gabriele; Doménech-Carbó, Antonio

2017-02-22

Voltammetry of microparticles (VMP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques, complemented by SEM-EDX and Raman spectroscopy, were applied to a set of 15 Roman bronze coins and one Tessera from the temple of Magna Mater (Rome, Italy). The archaeological site, dated back between the second half and the end of the 4th century A.D., presented a complicated stratigraphic context. Characteristic voltammetric patterns for cuprite and tenorite for sub-microsamples of the corrosion layers of the coins deposited onto graphite electrodes in contact with 0.10 M HClO 4 aqueous solution yielded a grouping of the coins into three main groups. This grouping was confirmed and refined using EIS experiments of the coins immersed in air-saturated mineral water using the reduction of dissolved oxygen as a redox probe. The electrochemical grouping of coins corroborated the complex stratigraphy of the archaeological site and, above all, the reuse of the coins during the later periods due to the economic issues related to the fall of the Roman Empire. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Health and disease in a Roman walled city: an example of Colonia Iulia Iader.

PubMed

Novak, Mario; Slaus, Mario

2010-01-01

The paper presents the results of the bioarchaeological study of a Roman period (3rd-5th century) skeletal sample from Zadar, Croatia with the focus on subadult stress indicators (cribra orbitalia and dental enamel hypoplasia) and indicators of non-specific infectious diseases (periostitis). The total frequency of cribra orbitalia, an indicator of iron deficiency anaemia, in Zadar is 20.1%. Half of the subadult skeletons from Zadar exhibit signs of cribra orbitalia, of which two are in active form. Adults not affected by cribra orbitalia lived on average 4.5 years longer than individuals affected by this pathological change. Total frequency of dental enamel hypoplasia in adults is 61.1% with somewhat higher frequency in females. The frequency of periostitis in subadults (66.7%) is significantly higher than in adults (30.4%). A positive correlation was established between cribra orbitalia and periostitis in males. The presented data suggest relatively low quality of life in Roman Zadar, most probably due to the overcrowding inside the walled city which led to deterioration of sanitary conditions and the occurrence of infectious diseases.

Testing the hypothesis of an ancient Roman soldier origin of the Liqian people in northwest China: a Y-chromosome perspective.

PubMed

Zhou, Ruixia; An, Lizhe; Wang, Xunling; Shao, Wei; Lin, Gonghua; Yu, Weiping; Yi, Lin; Xu, Shijian; Xu, Jiujin; Xie, Xiaodong

2007-01-01

The Liqian people in north China are well known because of the controversial hypothesis of an ancient Roman mercenary origin. To test this hypothesis, 227 male individuals representing four Chinese populations were analyzed at 12 short tandem repeat (STR) loci and 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). At the haplogroup levels, 77% Liqian Y chromosomes were restricted to East Asia. Principal component (PC) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis suggests that the Liqians are closely related to Chinese populations, especially Han Chinese populations, whereas they greatly deviate from Central Asian and Western Eurasian populations. Further phylogenetic and admixture analysis confirmed that the Han Chinese contributed greatly to the Liqian gene pool. The Liqian and the Yugur people, regarded as kindred populations with common origins, present an underlying genetic difference in a median-joining network. Overall, a Roman mercenary origin could not be accepted as true according to paternal genetic variation, and the current Liqian population is more likely to be a subgroup of the Chinese majority Han.

Diet and mobility in Early Medieval Bavaria: a study of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes.

PubMed

Hakenbeck, Susanne; McManus, Ellen; Geisler, Hans; Grupe, Gisela; O'Connell, Tamsin

2010-10-01

This study investigates patterns of mobility in Early Medieval Bavaria through a combined study of diet and associated burial practice. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were analyzed in human bone samples from the Late Roman cemetery of Klettham and from the Early Medieval cemeteries of Altenerding and Straubing-Bajuwarenstrasse. For dietary comparison, samples of faunal bone from one Late Roman and three Early Medieval settlement sites were also analyzed. The results indicate that the average diet was in keeping with a landlocked environment and fairly limited availability of freshwater or marine resources. The diet appears not to have changed significantly from the Late Roman to the Early Medieval period. However, in the population of Altenerding, there were significant differences in the diet of men and women, supporting a hypothesis of greater mobility among women. Furthermore, the isotopic evidence from dietary outliers is supported by "foreign" grave goods and practices, such as artificial skull modification. These results reveal the potential of carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis for questions regarding migration and mobility. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Combined elemental and microstructural analysis of genuine and fake copper-alloy coins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bartoli, L; Agresti, J; Mascalchi, M

2011-07-31

Innovative noninvasive material analysis techniques are applied to determine archaeometallurgical characteristics of copper-alloy coins from Florence's National Museum of Archaeology. Three supposedly authentic Roman coins and three hypothetically fraudolent imitations are thoroughly investigated using laser-induced plasma spectroscopy and time of flight neutron diffraction along with 3D videomicroscopy and electron microscopy. Material analyses are aimed at collecting data allowing for objective discrimination between genuine Roman productions and late fakes. The results show the mentioned techniques provide quantitative compositional and textural data, which are strictly related to the manufacturing processes and aging of copper alloys. (laser applications)

Hairstyles in the arts of Greek and Roman antiquity.

PubMed

Haas, Norbert; Toppe, Francoise; Henz, Beate M

2005-12-01

Styling one's hair seems to be an innate desire of humans to emphasize their beauty and power. As reviewed here, hairstyles were influenced by preceding cultures, by religion, by those depicted for gods and emperors on sculptures and coins. In addition, they were determined by aspects of lifestyle such as sports, wealth, and the desire to display inner feelings. The historical changes in fashions can be exemplarily followed by a visitor to an art collection of Graeco-Roman antiquity. The study of hairstyles permits an insight into very basic aspects of the self-conception of individuals and of the respective societies.

[Diseases in the metaphor of Persius].

PubMed

Gazzaniga, V

1990-01-01

Medical metaphora is quite widespread in ancient literature; the description of a sick body is often used by Greek and Roman philosophers and writers to define a critical condition of the State, in which just one corrupt part can ruin the entire system. Especially Persius, in his Satire, uses this way of expression to flog Roman people's corrupt habits. Reading Persius' poems and studying his satiric metaphora, in comparing it to Ippocrates' description of a considerabe number of diseases, we can reconstruct the degree of diffusion of the Greek ancient medicine in Rome in the I century A.D., before Galen's arrival.

Measurement of insecticides for house spraying

PubMed Central

Alvarez, Humberto Romero; Franco, Rafael Miranda

1959-01-01

In view of the economic and operational importance in malaria eradication campaigns of correctly measuring the insecticides used, tests have been made in Mexico to compare the accuracy of two manual procedures, one volumetric and the other gravimetric. For volumetric measurement a calibrated, metal measuring-can of sheet metal is used, and for gravimetric measurement a specially designed Roman balance. Altogether 1022 volumetric and 1411 gravimetric tests were made. The results, given in this paper, show that the volumetric measurement entails too great a margin of error to be acceptable, but that the Roman balance is both sufficiently accurate and practical and economical. PMID:14438618

The semantics of pain in Greco-Roman antiquity.

PubMed

Wilson, Nicole

2013-01-01

The semantics of pain are an important and interesting aspect of any language. Ancient Greek and Latin had multiple words for pain, which makes scrutinizing different meanings problematic. The ancient physician Galen approached this issue through the use of adjectives to describe the qualities for pain, instead of the words for pain themselves. The medical texts of Celsus and Caelius Aurelianus reveal that Latin also vested particular significance in qualifiers to distinguish between different types of pain. This article looks at the qualifying terms used for pain in the ancient Greek and Latin languages to reveal a sophisticated Greco-Roman vocabulary for pain.

The plague under Commodus as an unintended consequence of Roman grain market regulation.

PubMed

Silver, Morris

2012-01-01

This paper begins with a review of Roman grain market policies. It is argued that policies such as forced sales and maximum prices made urban consumers hesitant to rely on the market for secure access to grain. Consequently, consumers hoarded grain in their homes. The hoarded grain formed a volatile fuel ready to be ignited by the arrival of the bubonic plague bacillus. This scenario fits events in the city of Rome under Commodus. Attested grain market interventions were followed by a severe epidemic, arguably bubonic plague, which decimated the city's population.

Sponsor gnomonici di 2000 anni fa nelle Dolomiti e a Pompei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del Favero, Enrico

2003-01-01

The author describes two memorial tablets of the Roman age, probably dating back to the first Century AD, which were discovered in Belluno province, in the towns of Valle di Cadore and Castellavazzo. They are concerned with sundials donated to the local communities by coeval sponsors. After brief recalling how people measured the time during the Roman age, the meaning of a similar tablet found in Pompeii is examined. This last tablet is included - inter alia - in the Michael T. Bragg's website on Pompeii, which has been found thanks to the so-called Roth's sundials list.

Hippocrates in the pseudo-Galenic Introduction: or how was medicine taught in Roman times?

PubMed

Petit, Caroline

2010-01-01

The Pseudo-Galenic Introduction (Introductio Sive medicus, 14.674-797 K.), a medical handbook of the Roman period, witnesses the importance of Hippocrates in medical teaching at the time. Numerous quotations, allusions and reminiscences from the Hippocratic Corpus illustrate Hippocrates' authority for Pseudo-Galen. In the light of the first critical edition of the text (C. Petit, Les Belles Lettres, Paris, 2009), this article discusses the function of Hippocrates, and the various reminiscences of the Hippocratic Corpus, in order to assess Pseudo-Galen's quotation technique and, ultimately, his reliability as a source for the history of medicine.

[Contribution to the history of pharmacology (the late antique period)].

PubMed

Tesařová, Drahomíra

2015-01-01

Pharmacological literature in the Late Antique period followed the Roman tradition and widely used Scribonius Largus and excerpts from the writings of Pliny the Elder. Literature was created both in the western part of the Roman Empire and in North Africa in Carthage. Manuals have been written about medicinal plants (Herbarius of Pseudo-Apuleius, De herba vettonica of Pseudo-Musa), for drugs obtained from the animal kingdom (Liber medicinae of Sextus Placitus) or documents containing both (De medicina of Cassius Felix, De medicamentis of Marcellus Empiricus). The contribution of this literature is the mediation of ancient knowledge into the Middle Ages.

[The Antonine plague: A global pestilence in the II century d.C].

PubMed

Sáez, Andrés

2016-04-01

The Antonine plague was the first plague affecting globally the Western world. It affected all aspects of life of mankind in the Roman Empire: economics, politics, religion and the culture. The especialists set the mortality rate in the 10% of the population. On the other hand the existence of unified Roman Empire from culturally and territorially helped to spreading the plague as it could similarly occur in our society in a similar pandemic. In conclusion, it is argued that the epidemic was global in a sense of the geographical extension and the effects this had on the population.

Diagenesis, not biogenesis: Two late Roman skeletal examples.

PubMed

Zapata, J; Pérez-Sirvent, C; Martínez-Sánchez, M J; Tovar, P

2006-10-01

Bone element analysis of two Late Roman populations from coastal south-eastern Spain suggests significant diagenesis. Trace element levels, in particular elevated Sr, Pb, Al, Mn, and the Ca/P ratio indicate post-mortem changes in the composition of the bones, preventing use of the data for dietary reconstructions, as well as for the investigation of the different individuals' health conditions, or of links between diet, health and skeletal indicators of growth stress. Such diagenetic biases are more widespread than usually recognized; paleodietary and paleoenvironmental inferences derived from the chemistry of archaeological bones need to be critically assessed.

Analysis of metals with luster: Roman brass and silver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fajfar, H.; Rupnik, Z.; Šmit, Ž.

2015-11-01

Non-destructive PIXE analysis using in-air proton beam was used for the studies of earliest brass coins issued during the 1st century BC by Greek cities in Asia Minor, Romans and Celts, and for the studies of plated low grade silver coins of the 3rd century AD. The analysis determined the levels of zinc and important trace elements, notably selenium, which confirms spread of selenium-marked copper from the east. For plating, combined tinning and silvering was identified by the mapping technique for the mid 3rd century AD, which evolved into mere plating by 270 AD.

Suffodit inguina.

PubMed

Betzig, Laura

2014-01-01

When Julius Caesar was stabbed, 23 times, on the Ides of March, at least one of the daggers is supposed to have gone into his groin. He wasn't the last Roman to have his privates attacked. And he wasn't the last primate. In competition for sexual access, gonads are occasionally targeted: canine incisions in monkey and ape scrota are not uncommon; and rumors had a number of Roman emperors--from Caligula and Nero, to Galba, Vitellius, Domitian, Commodus, Caracalla, Elagabalus, to Balbinus, Pupienus and Valerian over the course of the third century crisis--done in with their genitals at risk, or with their genitals cut off.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of Roman coins from photometric image sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacDonald, Lindsay; Moitinho de Almeida, Vera; Hess, Mona

2017-01-01

A method is presented for increasing the spatial resolution of the three-dimensional (3-D) digital representation of coins by combining fine photometric detail derived from a set of photographic images with accurate geometric data from a 3-D laser scanner. 3-D reconstructions were made of the obverse and reverse sides of two ancient Roman denarii by processing sets of images captured under directional lighting in an illumination dome. Surface normal vectors were calculated by a "bounded regression" technique, excluding both shadow and specular components of reflection from the metallic surface. Because of the known difficulty in achieving geometric accuracy when integrating photometric normals to produce a digital elevation model, the low spatial frequencies were replaced by those derived from the point cloud produced by a 3-D laser scanner. The two datasets were scaled and registered by matching the outlines and correlating the surface gradients. The final result was a realistic rendering of the coins at a spatial resolution of 75 pixels/mm (13-μm spacing), in which the fine detail modulated the underlying geometric form of the surface relief. The method opens the way to obtain high quality 3-D representations of coins in collections to enable interactive online viewing.

Geoarchaeological results from geophysical prospections at the Roman city of Urbs Salvia, central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schettino, Antonio; Perna, Roberto; Pierantoni, Pietro Paolo; Ghezzi, Annalisa; Tassi, Luca; Cingolani, Sofia

2017-04-01

We report on a combined magnetic-GPR survey performed in 2015 and 2016 at the ancient Roman city of Urbs Salvia, located in central Italy. The main objective of this survey was to reconstruct the urban organization of the city forum and determine possible sites of future excavations. We found a complex pattern of buried structures, possibly resulting from the coexistence of republican and imperial artifacts and burned structures. A test excavation at the location where we detected a long linear structure characterized by strong magnetic signal revealed the presence of thermal baths. GPR data were acquired in areas characterized by high magnetic noise induced by metallic infrastructures (e.g., fences), which prevented a correct acquisition of archaeological anomalies. These data not only allowed to overcome the magnetic noise, but provided interesting 3D reconstructions of the buried structures. A detailed GPR survey in the theatre area was also performed, with the aim to investigate the plan of the porticus post scaenam. This survey allowed to identify some interesting structures related to different chronological phases and confirms the epigraphic data related to the development of the monument.

Role of the employee assistance program in helping the troubled worker.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, S T; Hammond, S C; Harder, K A

1989-01-01

The worksite has been identified as the most logical setting for providing primary preventive health care efforts that will reduce health care costs. Hazeldon Research Services in their review entitled, "The Cost-Impact of Employee Assistance and Chemical Dependency Treatment Programs," concluded that a significant savings for organizations has been demonstrated by EAP treatment programs. This group also concluded that work remains for service providers, the community, industry, and government to identify the balance between reasonable costs and quality of care. Roman has found that EAPs are becoming more acceptable to management as a means of addressing a broad range of employee problems. In addition, Roman has found that there is recognition by management that many employees have problems that affect job performance. Such problems may include substance abuse, relationship difficulties, absenteeism, and burnout. EAP services have evolved from occupational alcoholism programs to include a broad array of services, and they can be scaled to fit the size and needs of a particular company. Even if only limited services are offered, the EAP must adhere to high standards. Competent employee evaluation and appropriate referrals are necessary in EAPs with even the smallest of scopes.

Childbirth in ancient Rome: from traditional folklore to obstetrics.

PubMed

Todman, Donald

2007-04-01

In ancient Rome, childbirth was a hazardous event for both mother and child with high rates of infant and maternal mortality. Traditional Roman medicine centred on folklore and religious practices, but with the development of Hippocratic medicine came significant advances in the care of women during pregnancy and confinement. Midwives or obstetrices played an important role and applied rational scientific practices to improve outcomes. This evolution from folklore to obstetrics was a pivotal point in the history of childbirth.

Inside and around the roman town of Grumentum: the contribution of LiDAR and historical air photography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cianciarulo, Dario; Guariglia, Annibale; Lasaponara, Rosa; Masini, Nicola

2013-04-01

The papers deals with the integration of aerial laser scanning, multitemporal satellite and aerial dataset to provide information on the 'forma urbis' of the Grumentum roman town, to detect new archaeological features in its close surrounding and to analyze changes of the landscape over the time. Grumentum is an ancient town, 50 km south of Potenza (Southern Italy), located near the 'Via Herculea' connecting Venusia, in the north est of Basilicata, with Heraclea in the Ionian coast. The first settlement date back to the 6th century BC. Then, it was resettled by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. The town, which evidences a long history from the Republican age to late Antiquity (III BC-V AD), is characterized by the typical urban pattern of 'cardi' and 'decumani'. Its excavated ruins include a large amphitheatre, a theatre, the thermae, the Forum and some temples. LiDAR data, adequately filtered, classified and post processed by using geostatistics methods(Lasaponara et al. 2012), enabled to detect features linked to tombs under a dense vegetation located close to the urban perimeter. The analysis of historical air photos, draped over the ground surface obtained from the LiDAR survey, put in evidence some unknown crop-marks linked to roman urban fabric. Finally, the same photos along with the satellite multitemporal dataset allowed us to reconstruct the recent history of the landscape from the Agrarian Reform, in the 50s, up today. Reference Lasaponara R., Masini N., Holmgren R., Backe Forsberg Y., Integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing for archaeological investigations: a case study of the Etruscan site San Giovenale, Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, vol. 9, S26-S39, doi:10.1088/1742-2132/9/4/S26

2,000 Year old β-thalassemia case in Sardinia suggests malaria was endemic by the Roman period.

PubMed

Viganó, Claudia; Haas, Cordula; Rühli, Frank J; Bouwman, Abigail

2017-10-01

The island of Sardinia has one of the highest incidence rates of β-thalassemia in Europe due to its long history of endemic malaria, which, according to historical records, was introduced around 2,600 years ago by the Punics and only became endemic around the Middle Ages. In particular, the cod39 mutation is responsible for more than 95% of all β-thalassemia cases observed on the island. Debates surround the origin of the mutation. Some argue that its presence in the Western Mediterranean reflects the migration of people away from Sardinia, others that it reflects the colonization of the island by the Punics who might have carried the disease allele. The aim of this study was to investigate β-globin mutations, including cod39, using ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, to better understand the history and origin of β-thalassemia and malaria in Sardinia. PCR analysis followed by sequencing were used to investigate the presence of β-thalassemia mutations in 19 individuals from three different Roman and Punic necropolises in Sardinia. The cod39 mutation was identified in one male individual buried in a necropolis from the Punic/Roman period. Further analyses have shown that his mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome haplogroups were U5a and I2a1a1, respectively, indicating the individual was probably of Sardinian origin. This is the earliest documented case of β-thalassemia in Sardinia to date. The presence of such a pathogenic mutation and its persistence until present day indicates that malaria was likely endemic on the island by the Roman period, earlier than the historical sources suggest. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identification and impacts of earthquakes on the Roman Town of Patras- Archaeological evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamati, Alexandra-Venetia; Stiros, Stathis

2015-04-01

In this paper we examine the interactions between earthquakes and inhabitation history of the town of Patras (NW Peloponnese, Greece), flourishing during the Roman period. Instrumental seismicity data and the seismic history of the last two centuries indicate that the wider area is among the most seismically active parts of Europe. But surprisingly, for older periods no historical evidence of ancient earthquakes exists. If this absence of evidence of ancient earthquakes is indicative of a real absence of earthquakes, this may be important for different disciplines. For Seismology, it may perhaps indicate clusters of seismicity separated by intervals of quiescence, each at least several thousand years long. It may also indicate that the inhabitation history of Patras town was not interrupted by major natural catastrophic events, and some destruction observed in ancient remains can be assigned to anthropogenic effects. In order to contribute in the solution of this problem, we made a systematic Archaeoseismological investigation of Patras and examined for the first time several hundreds of reports of archaeological excavations that have been made during period of reconstruction of the city (1972-2004). Among these, about 100 reports provide evidence of destruction layers, some of which satisfy the criteria for identification of earthquakes from archaeological data. A further correlation of this evidence in space and time was made, and permitted to identify with certainty a few major seismic events which marked the history of Roman Patras (1st-6th century AD). In spite of their catastrophic effects, these earthquakes have not led to the abandonment of the ancient town (inhabitation hiatus), but have certainly left their marks in the urban and perhaps social and economic history of this Roman town. Some certain uniformity in the frequency of earthquakes in Patras was also inferred.

Neanderthal hunting strategies inferred from mortality profiles within the Abric Romaní sequence

PubMed Central

Carbonell, Eudald

2017-01-01

Ungulate mortality profiles are commonly used to study Neanderthal subsistence strategies. To assess the hunting strategies used by Neanderthals, we studied the ages at death of the cervids and equids found in levels E, H, I, Ja, Jb, K, L and M of the Abric Romaní sequence. These levels date between 43.2 ± 1.1 ka BP (14C AMS) and 54.5 ± 1.7 ka BP (U-series). The degree of eruption and development of the teeth and their wear stages were used to determine the ages of these animals at death, and mortality profiles were constructed using these data. The equids display prime dominated profiles in all of the analyzed levels, whereas the cervids display variable profiles. These results suggest that the Neanderthals of Abric Romaní employed both selective and non-selective hunting strategies. The selective strategy focused on the hunting of prime adults and generated prime dominated profiles. On the other hand, non-selective strategies, involved the consumption of animals of variable ages, resulting in catastrophic profiles. It is likely that in the selective hunting events were conducted using selective ambushes in which it was possible to select specific prey animals. On the other hand, encounter hunting or non-selective ambush hunting may have also been used at times, based on the abundances of prey animals and encounter rates. Specific hunting strategies would have been developed accordance with the taxa and the age of the individual to be hunted. The hunting groups most likely employed cooperative hunting techniques, especially in the capture of large animals. Thus, it is not possible to uniquely associate a single mortality profile with the predation tactics of Neanderthals at Abric Romaní. PMID:29166384

Neanderthal hunting strategies inferred from mortality profiles within the Abric Romaní sequence.

PubMed

Marín, Juan; Saladié, Palmira; Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Antonio; Carbonell, Eudald

2017-01-01

Ungulate mortality profiles are commonly used to study Neanderthal subsistence strategies. To assess the hunting strategies used by Neanderthals, we studied the ages at death of the cervids and equids found in levels E, H, I, Ja, Jb, K, L and M of the Abric Romaní sequence. These levels date between 43.2 ± 1.1 ka BP (14C AMS) and 54.5 ± 1.7 ka BP (U-series). The degree of eruption and development of the teeth and their wear stages were used to determine the ages of these animals at death, and mortality profiles were constructed using these data. The equids display prime dominated profiles in all of the analyzed levels, whereas the cervids display variable profiles. These results suggest that the Neanderthals of Abric Romaní employed both selective and non-selective hunting strategies. The selective strategy focused on the hunting of prime adults and generated prime dominated profiles. On the other hand, non-selective strategies, involved the consumption of animals of variable ages, resulting in catastrophic profiles. It is likely that in the selective hunting events were conducted using selective ambushes in which it was possible to select specific prey animals. On the other hand, encounter hunting or non-selective ambush hunting may have also been used at times, based on the abundances of prey animals and encounter rates. Specific hunting strategies would have been developed accordance with the taxa and the age of the individual to be hunted. The hunting groups most likely employed cooperative hunting techniques, especially in the capture of large animals. Thus, it is not possible to uniquely associate a single mortality profile with the predation tactics of Neanderthals at Abric Romaní.

Practising pastoralism in an agricultural environment: An isotopic analysis of the impact of the Hunnic incursions on Pannonian populations

PubMed Central

Evans, Jane; Chapman, Hazel; Fóthi, Erzsébet

2017-01-01

We conducted a multi-isotope study of five fifth-century AD cemeteries in modern-day Hungary to determine relationships between nomadic-pastoralist incomers—the historically documented Huns and other nomadic groups—and the sedentary agricultural population of the late Roman province of Pannonia. Contemporary historical sources describe this relationship as adversarial and destructive for the late Roman population, but archaeological evidence indicates high levels of hybridity between different groups. We undertook carbon, nitrogen, strontium and oxygen isotope analyses of bone collagen, dentine and tooth enamel at Keszthely-Fenékpuszta, Hács-Béndekpuszta, Győr-Széchenyi Square, Mözs and Szolnok-Szanda to examine these relationships through past subsistence practices. The patterns at all sites indicate medium to high animal protein consumption with little evidence for a significant contribution of aquatic resources. All populations relied to a great extent on C4 plants, most likely millet. Within each population, diet was heterogeneous, with significant variations in terms of animal protein and C3 and C4 plant consumption. High levels of intra-population and individual variability suggest that populations made use of a range of subsistence strategies, with many individuals exhibiting significant changes over their lifetimes. Rather than being characterised only by violence, the historically-documented influx of nomadic populations appears to have led to widespread changes in subsistence strategies of populations in the Carpathian basin. Nomadic-pastoralist groups may have switched to smaller herds and more farming, and, conversely, local populations may have integrated with a new economic system based on animal herding. PMID:28328951

Development of a timing detector for the TOTEM experiment at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minafra, Nicola

2017-09-01

The upgrade program of the TOTEM experiment will include the installation of timing detectors inside vertical Roman Pots to allow the reconstruction of the longitudinal vertex position in the presence of event pile-up in high- β^{\\ast} dedicated runs. The small available space inside the Roman Pot, optimized for high-intensity LHC runs, and the required time precision led to the study of a solution using single crystal CVD diamonds. The sensors are read out using fast low-noise front-end electronics developed by the TOTEM Collaboration, achieving a signal-to-noise ratio larger than 20 for MIPs. A prototype was designed, manufactured and tested during a test beam campaign, proving a time precision below 100ps and an efficiency above 99%. The geometry of the detector has been designed to guarantee uniform occupancy in the expected running conditions keeping, at the same time, the number of channels below 12. The read-out electronics was developed during an extensive campaign of beam tests dedicated first to the characterization of existing solution and then to the optimization of the electronics designed within the Collaboration. The detectors were designed to be read out using the SAMPIC chip, a fast sampler designed specifically for picosecond timing measurements with high-rate capabilities; later, a modified version was realized using the HPTDC to achieve the higher trigger rates required for the CT-PPS experiment. The first set of prototypes was successfully installed and tested in the LHC in November 2015; moreover the detectors modified for CT-PPS are successfully part of the global CMS data taking since October 2016.

Extremely high resolution 3D electrical resistivity tomography to depict archaeological subsurface structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Saadi, Osamah; Schmidt, Volkmar; Becken, Michael; Fritsch, Thomas

2017-04-01

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methods have been increasingly used in various shallow depth archaeological prospections in the last few decades. These non-invasive techniques are very useful in saving time, costs, and efforts. Both 2D and 3D ERT techniques are used to obtain detailed images of subsurface anomalies. In two surveyed areas near Nonnweiler (Germany), we present the results of the full 3D setup with a roll-along technique and of the quasi-3D setup (parallel and orthogonal profiles in dipole-dipole configuration). In area A, a dipole-dipole array with 96 electrodes in a uniform rectangular survey grid has been used in full 3D to investigate a presumed Roman building. A roll-along technique has been utilized to cover a large part of the archaeological site with an electrode spacing of 1 meter and with 0.5 meter for a more detailed image. Additional dense parallel 2D profiles have been carried out in dipole-dipole array with 0.25 meter electrode spacing and 0.25 meter between adjacent profiles in both direction for higher- resolution subsurface images. We have designed a new field procedure, which used an electrode array fixed in a frame. This facilitates efficient field operation, which comprised 2376 electrode positions. With the quasi 3D imaging, we confirmed the full 3D inversion model but at a much better resolution. In area B, dense parallel 2D profiles were directly used to survey the second target with also 0.25 meter electrode spacing and profiles separation respectively. The same field measurement design has been utilized and comprised 9648 electrode positions in total. The quasi-3D inversion results clearly revealed the main structures of the Roman construction. These ERT inversion results coincided well with the archaeological excavation, which has been done in some parts of this area. The ERT result successfully images parts from the walls and also smaller internal structures of the Roman building.

Status of fertility control in Egypt.

PubMed

Hefnawi, F I

1982-01-01

The concern for fertility control is not alien to the cultural and religious heritage of Egypt. Historically, Egyptian interest in fertility dates to the Pharoahs. Contraceptive recipes written at least 15-18 centuries B.C. have been found. Romans may have borrowed some of the more effective methods from Egypt when it became part of the Roman Empire as evidenced by the decline in size of aristocratic Roman families at the beginning of the Christian era. Muslim conquerors of Egypt encouraged fertility control. In the 9th century differences of opinion about the legality of contraception appeared among the interpreters of Islamic law. Some methods found in the writings of Muslim doctors as al-Razi and Avicenna still survive in the folk medicine of Egypt. In modern times use of barrier methods of contraception were encouraged by family planning organizations in Egypt. The medical profession was not deeply involved since these methods did not require much medical assistance. In 1936 a religiouss verdict declared contraception to be a lawful act of Islam. National programs in family planning in the 1960's encouraged the use of the Lippes Loop IUD. The medical problem of blood loss associated with the IUD caused anxiety because of the high incidence of anemia in the female Egyptian population. There was also a cultural limitation on the wide use of the IUD. "Spotting" due to the IUD resulted in females being ritually unclean and therefore unfit to pray or observe the Islamic fast. The Pill, initially favored caused complications due to its effect on breast milk which is the universal source of nutrition for infants in Egypt. Replacement of the Pill by depo-provera injections during the post partum period of lactation is a practical solution. Permanent sterilization is limited to females and only performed when medically indicated. Abortion is illegal and permitted only as a therapeutic measure.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 10 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-04-02

ISS010-E-22495 (2 April 2005) --- Numerous recognizable features appear in this detailed view of London, United Kingdom, photographed by an Expedition 10 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). The photographer had to look back along track for the shot, from a position over northern Germany. The most striking visual features are green open spaces such as Regent’s Park, Hyde Park and St. James’s Park east of Buckingham Palace. Many smaller parks indicate why Londoners are proud of being able to walk miles through the city mainly on grass. The River Thames—with its bridges and barges (some of the more than 14,000 craft registered to sail the Thames)—is the axis upon which the city was founded in Roman times. The relatively small area known as the City of London coincides with the ancient walled Roman city of Londinium on the north bank of the river (the line of the wall is marked closely for almost its entire length by modern streets), and includes St. Paul’s Cathedral near where the Roman temple stood. For scale, the river is 265 meters wide near St. Paul’s. The City is the financial center while Westminster is the center of government, including the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister lives. Several large structures visible in this image are railroad stations; three serving areas north of London (Euston, St. Pancras and King’s Cross), and Waterloo Station serving southern Britain. The London Eye, a famous Ferris wheel 140 meters high, is situated on an oval island in the River Thames, visible just west of Waterloo Station. Many larger buildings can also be identified, partly because they cast shadows—Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tate Modern art museum (a converted power station, the 99-meter chimney was designed to fall just short of the crest of St Paul’s dome).

From Olympia to Atlanta: a cultural-historical perspective on diet and athletic training.

PubMed

Grivetti, L E; Applegate, E A

1997-05-01

Greek and Roman writers described diet and training of Olympic athletes. Lucian (A.D. 120-ca. 180) described distance and speed work in runners; Galen (A.D. 131-201) recommended ball-related exercises to train vision and the body; Philostratos (A.D. 170-249) suggested cross training by endurance running, weight training, and wrestling with animals. The ancient Greek training system, the tetrad (eta tau epsilon tau rho alpha sigma), was a four-day cycle with each day devoted to a different activity. Diogenes Laertius (died A.D. 222) wrote that Greek athletes trained on dried figs, moist cheese and wheat; then the pattern changed and focused on meat. Epictetus (2nd century A.D.) wrote that Olympic victors avoided desserts and cold water and took wine sparingly. Philostratos deprecated athletic diet in his era, a pattern based on white bread sprinkled with poppy seeds, fish and pork. Americans at the XIth Olympiad in Berlin (1936) consumed beefsteak with average daily intake of 125 grams of butter or cotton oil, three eggs, custard for dessert and 1.5 L of milk. The American pattern at Berlin was characterized by ad libitum intake of white bread, dinner rolls, fresh vegetables and salads. At Atlanta, more than 5 million meals will be served during the Olympic festival. The highly varied menu will include fresh vegetables and dips; fruits, cheeses and breads; salads; pasta, rice and fruit salads; soups; meat and seafood entrees; hot vegetables; desserts; and beverages. American Southern specialties will be served.

Romans supergravity from five-dimensional holograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chi-Ming; Fluder, Martin; Lin, Ying-Hsuan; Wang, Yifan

2018-05-01

We study five-dimensional superconformal field theories and their holographic dual, matter-coupled Romans supergravity. On the one hand, some recently derived formulae allow us to extract the central charges from deformations of the supersymmetric five-sphere partition function, whose large N expansion can be computed using matrix model techniques. On the other hand, the conformal and flavor central charges can be extracted from the six-dimensional supergravity action, by carefully analyzing its embedding into type I' string theory. The results match on the two sides of the holographic duality. Our results also provide analytic evidence for the symmetry enhancement in five-dimensional superconformal field theories.

A directed network of Greek and Roman mythology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Yeon-Mu; Kim, Hyun-Joo

2007-08-01

We construct a directed network using a dictionary of Greek and Roman mythology in which the nodes represent the entries listed in the dictionary and we make directional links from an entry to other entries that appear in its explanatory part. We find that this network is clearly not a random network but a directed scale-free network in which the distributions of out-degree and in-degree follow a power-law with exponents γout≈3.0 and γin≈2.5, respectively. Also we measure several quantities which describe the topological properties of the network and compare it to that of other real networks.

Asclepius, Caduceus, and Simurgh as medical symbols, part I.

PubMed

Nayernouri, Touraj

2010-01-01

This is the first of two articles reviewing the history of medical symbols. In this first article I have briefly reviewed the evolution of the Greek god, Asclepius, (and his Roman counterpart Aesculapius) with the single serpent entwined around a wooden rod as a symbol of western medicine and have alluded to the misplaced adoption of the Caduceus of the Greek god Hermes (and his Roman counterpart Mercury) with its double entwined serpents as an alternative symbol. In the second part of this article (to be published later), I have made a tentative suggestion of why the Simorgh might be adopted as an Eastern or an Asian symbol for medicine.

Characterisation of corrosion layers formed under burial environment of copper-based Greek and Roman coins from Pompeii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pronti, Lucilla; Felici, Anna Candida; Alesiani, Marcella; Tarquini, Ombretta; Bracciale, Maria Paola; Santarelli, Maria Laura; Pardini, Giacomo; Piacentini, Mario

2015-10-01

This paper reports on a study carried out on patinas covering copper-based Greek and Roman coins found in the archaeological excavation of Regio VIII.7.1-15 in Pompeii (Italy). Since in cultural heritage ancient artefacts should not be damaged, non-destructive and micro-destructive techniques have been used to identify typical and uncommon compounds and to characterize the surface morphology. The chlorine content of light green patinas and the presence of typical minerals allowed us to identify the bronze disease. Coins from the same stratigraphic unit have shown different morphologies of corrosion, probably due to different micro-environmental conditions.

Designing a serious game for historical heritage: a case study of Heerlen Roman bathhouse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Wen

2014-01-01

The advances of computer games have shown their potentials for developing edutainment content and services. Current cultural heritages often make use of games in order to complement existing presentations and to create a memorable exhibition. It offers opportunities to reorganize and conceptualize historical, cultural and technological information about the exhibits. To demonstrate the benefits of serious games in terms of facilitating the learning activities in a constructive and meaningful way, we designed a video game about the Heerlen bathhouse heritage. This paper explains the design considerations of this Roman bathhouse game, with a particular focus on the link between game play and learning.

Trepanation and Roman medicine: a comparison of osteoarchaeological remains, material culture and written texts.

PubMed

Tullo, E

2010-06-01

Evidence for prehistoric trepanation is limited to preserved osteoarchaeological material, namely human skulls, and the occasional discovery of surgical instruments. However, the Roman empire gave rise to an abundant and diverse range of source types, including skeletal remains, material culture and detailed medical texts, each of which harbours the potential to contribute to our understanding of trepanation during this historical period. This paper highlights the advantages and inherent biases of each of these source types, and proposes that the simultaneous analysis and integration of different types of historical evidence is essential for the study of trepanation as a surgical procedure.

The curriculum of studies in the Roman empire and the cultural role of physicians'.

PubMed

Marasco, Gabriele

2010-01-01

Several testimonies from both pagan and Christian sources, though generally neglected, allow us to reconstruct the medical curriculum in the Greek part of the Roman Empire, in particular Alexandria. This curriculum turns out to be remarkably comprehensive, as can be explained by the particular roles of physicians in classical society. In this paper we will clarify the part played by several physicians in the cultural context of their time, even outside their professional domain, as well as the relations between the sciences and the humanities, which were entirely complementary in those days, even from a practical point of view.

City of Paris, France

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-09-20

STS047-94-010 (12 - 20 Sept 1992) --- This 250mm Hasselblad color photo of Paris, France recorded during this mission, shows urban land uses in great detail. Several airports are clear, including the two major international airports of Orly and Le Bourget. Paris was founded in pre-Roman times on an island in the Seine River and continued as a Roman outpost. The easily defensible location was one of the keys to the growth of this island city. The city expanded from its island state to become a major urban center in Europe because of its location, its easy access by river traffic, and its productive hinterland.

Male and Female Ministers: Comparing Roman Catholic and Methodist Deacons on Personality Structure, Religious Beliefs, and Leadership Styles.

PubMed

Ferrari, Joseph R

2017-03-01

Christian deacons (50 Roman Catholic; 50 Methodist) self-reported their personality, religiosity, and leadership attributes, plus social desirability tendencies. There were no significant correlates between social desirability and any of these self-reported variables. Results also found no significant differences across Christian denominations on personality dimensions, religious and spirituality beliefs, or leadership styles. Also, there were no significant differences in self-reported personality, religiosity, or leadership among Catholic male deacons with Methodist female deacons only ( n = 43). Taken together, in the present exploratory study across denomination and gender, Christian deacons view themselves similarly in personality, religiosity, and overall leadership characteristics.

Analysis of Students’ Incorrect Answers on the Topic of Roman Numerals in The Fourth-Grade of Primary School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvianiresa, D.; Jupri, Al

2017-02-01

Mathematics has an important role in solving problems related to mathematical symbols. Mathematics topics are related to the daily life of students, as well as mathematics in the primary school level. In this paper, we report the results of research that aims to understand the difficulties of primary school students towards mathematics, especially on the topic of Roman numerals. The subject of this research included 38 students of fourth grade students from a primary school in the city of Bandung. The results showed that the teacher is more likely do the learning to deliver topic directly to students, rather than having to relatethe learning with a real context. In addition, after the teacher gave some exercises to students, we observed that there are some students’ answers that are unpredictable and made errors. Unexpected answers are caused by student’s unconscientious, misunderstanding, or inability to memorize in seven Roman numeral in general. The results of this analysis can be used to develop teacher competence in the teaching and learning process in the future. In this way, we expect the teacher can prepare various student responses to the given problems in the learning process.

Analysis of Roman age wall paintings found in Pordenone, Trieste and Montegrotto.

PubMed

Mazzocchin, G A; Agnoli, F; Salvadori, M

2004-10-20

The aim of the present work is the study of many fragments of wall painting from archaeological excavations in three different Roman age sites dating back to the I Century before Common Era: Pordenone (località Torre); Trieste (Crosada) and Padova (Montegrotto). The techniques used were optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), equipped with a EDS microanalysis detector, X-rays powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy (FT-Raman) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The identified pigments were: cinnabar, hematite, celadonite, glauconite, cuprorivaite (Egyptian blue), yellow and red ochre, calcite, limonite, coal black. In general, the mortar preparation did not correspond to the complex procedure suggested by Vitruvius (De Architectura), but generally showed a porous layer, with crushed grains under the pigment layer. In some cases, two superimposed pigment layers were found: yellow superimposed on both red and pink, black on pink, green on black. The slight differences we found in the use of the pigments in the three studied sites might show that the same technology, culture and taste spread all over the Roman Empire in North Eastern Italy (X(a) Regio Venetia et Histria).

Identification of oil residues in Roman amphorae (Monte Testaccio, Rome): a comparative FTIR spectroscopic study of archeological and artificially aged samples.

PubMed

Tarquini, Gabriele; Nunziante Cesaro, Stella; Campanella, Luigi

2014-01-01

The application of Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy to the analysis of oil residues in fragments of archeological amphorae (3rd century A.D.) from Monte Testaccio (Rome, Italy) is reported. In order to check the possibility to reveal the presence of oil residues in archeological pottery using microinvasive and\\or not invasive techniques, different approaches have been followed: firstly, FTIR spectroscopy was used to study oil residues extracted from roman amphorae. Secondly, the presence of oil residues was ascertained analyzing microamounts of archeological fragments with the Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy (DRIFT). Finally, the external reflection analysis of the ancient shards was performed without preliminary treatments evidencing the possibility to detect oil traces through the observation of the most intense features of its spectrum. Incidentally, the existence of carboxylate salts of fatty acids was also observed in DRIFT and Reflectance spectra of archeological samples supporting the roman habit of spreading lime over the spoil heaps. The data collected in all steps were always compared with results obtained on purposely made replicas. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Volcano-tectonic structures, gravity and helium in geothermal areas of Tuscany and Latium (Vulsini volcanic district), Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Di, Filippo M.; Lombardi, S.; Nappi, G.; Reimer, G.M.; Renzulli, A.; Toro, B.

1999-01-01

Since the early 1980s, geological and structural mapping, gravity, and helium soil-gas studies have been performed in the eastern sector of the Vulsini Volcanic District (Roman Magmatic Province) in an attempt to locate potential geothermal reservoirs. This area is characterised by an anomalous geothermal gradient of > 100??C/km, and by widespread hydrothermal mineralization, thermal springs, high gas fluxes, and fossil and current travertine deposits. The results of these surveys indicate the existence of a number of fault systems, with N-S and E-W structures that appear to be superimposed on older NW-SE and NE-SW features. Comparison of the results of the various studies also reveals differences in permeability and potential reservoir structures at depth.Since the early 1980s, geological and structural mapping, gravity, and helium soil-gas studies have been performed in the eastern sector of the Vulsini Volcanic District (Roman Magmatic Province) in an attempt to locate potential geothermal reservoirs. This area is characterised by an anomalous geothermal gradient of > 100??C/km, and by widespread hydrothermal mineralization, thermal springs, high gas fluxes, and fossil and current travertine deposits. The results of these surveys indicate the existence of a number of fault systems, with N-S and E-W structures that appear to be superimposed on older NW-SE and NE-SW features. Comparison of the results of the various studies also reveals differences in permeability and potential reservoir structures at depth.

Galileo's Courage to Create New Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Paul H.

2009-10-01

The trial of Galileo was a confrontation between the creativity of new science and the traditions of ``the religious establishment.''Galileo challenged ancient cosmology, where heavenly bodies were thoughtto be perfect spheres made of ``ether.'' His trail might have been avoided if Galileo had been more diplomatic. Paradoxically, the Roman Catholic Church was scientifically correct: Galileo had no proof the earth rotated about its axis as it orbited around the sun. His assertion that the tides arise from the earth's rotation later turned out to be correct, but at that time no one knew enough about gravitational and centrifugal forces. Galileo courageously argued, ``The Bible tells us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go [1].'' He was nevertheless convicted at age 69, Galileo, although deeply hurt, did not withdraw from the Church. He believed himself to be a good Catholic who had sought to keep his church, for its own good, from making a mistake. In 1992, Pope John Paul said the Church had erred in condemning Galileo. [4pt] [1] Carr, P. H. (2006). ``The Courage to Create Beauty,'' Chap 10 of ``Beauty in Science & Spirit,'' Beech River Books, Center Ossipee, NH.

The CMS-TOTEM Precision Proton Spectrometer: CT-PPS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albrow, Michael G.

The CMS-TOTEM Precison Proton Spectrometer, CT-PPS, is an approved project to add 3D silicon tracking and quartz Cherenkov timing detectors in Roman pots at z = ±204-215 m from the CMS collision point to study final states p+X + p. The central state X can be aW-pair from a photon-photon interaction, high ET jets from gluon collisions, etc., with M(X) obtained directly as well as from the two outgoing protons. The project is designed to operate at high luminosity, with up to about 50 interactions per 25 ns bunch crossing, and to be fully operational for physics in 2016.

Paleoclimate of the Neoglacial and Roman Warm Period Reconstructed from Oxygen Isotope Ratios of Limpet Shells (Patella vulgata), Northwest Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, T.; Surge, D. M.; Mithen, S.

2010-12-01

Paleoclimate reconstructions from different regions have reported abrupt climate change around 2800-2700 cal yr B.P. The timing of this abrupt climate change is close to the boundary between the Neoglacial (3300-2500 cal yr B.P.) and Roman Warm Period (2500-1600 cal yr B.P.). However, temporal and spatial variability observed in this climate change event raises controversies about the forcing factors driving it and why it has regional variability. Scotland lies in the North Atlantic Ocean, which responds sensitively to climate change. Therefore, even in the case of subtle climate change, the climate variability of Scotland should be able to capture such change. In this study, we expect that paleoclimate reconstructions of the Neoglacial and Roman Warm Period in Scotland will help improve our knowledge of abrupt climate change at 2800-2700 cal yr B.P. Archaeological shell deposits provide a rich source of climate proxy data preserved as oxygen isotope ratios in shell carbonate. Croig Cave on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, contains a nearly continuous accumulation of shells ranging from 800 BC-500 AD and possibly older. This range represents a broad chronology of human use from the late Bronze to Iron Ages and spans the Neoglacial through Roman Warm Period climate episodes. Here, we present seasonal temperature variability of the two climate episodes based on oxygen isotope ratios of ten limpet shells (Patella vulgata) from Croig Cave. Based on AMS dating (2 sigma calibration), the oldest shell was from 3480-3330 cal yr B.P. and the youngest shell was from 2060-1870 cal yr B.P. Our results indicated that estimated temperatures from the Neoglacial limpets average 6.44±0.56°C for coldest winters and 15.06±0.67°C for warmest summers. For the Roman Warm Period limpets, the average is 5.68±0.36°C for coldest winters and 14.14±0.81°C for warmest summers. We compared our estimated temperatures to the present sea surface temperature (SST) from 1961 to 1990 near our study area, which averages 7.40±0.35°C for coldest month and 14.12±0.54°C for warmest month. Our reconstructed temperatures from the Neoglacial limpets showed slightly (0-1°C) colder winters, similar or warmer (1-1.8°C) summers compared to present SST record. One shell captured a year without a summer likely resulting from an eruption of the Katla volcanic system in Iceland. The reconstructed temperatures from the Roman Warm Period limpets showed colder winters (up to 2°C) and similar summers compared with present SST record. Our findings represent the first insights of SST variability at seasonal time scales for these two climate episodes in northwest Scotland.

Reading carbonate deposits from ancient water installations: why are they useful for geoarchaeology?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sürmelihindi, Gül; Passchier, Cees

2016-04-01

Water has always been a basic need of life, to remain alive and clean, and to irrigate fertile land, which provides food to people. While looking for a source of water suitable for their requirements, ancient civilizations considered three important factors: to have a reliable supply of water; in sufficient amount and quality; and at affordable costs to transport it to where it was needed. Water lifting and distribution devices were therefore selected and improved with these essential factors in mind. Our understanding of the development of water technology in ancient cultures is mainly based on archaeology and textural sources, focusing on details of the construction of water works and water machines, and on their location in individual settlements. However, the geographic distribution of water technology in Mediterranean and Middle East is poorly understood: both the local economical basis and palaeo-environmental conditions may have played a role in the choice of certain water technologies. As a consequence, some water-lifting devices, e.g. the bucket-chain and Archimedean screw, were only used where favorable conditions prevailed. The use of ancient water installations, however, cannot easily be studied from architectural remains alone: carbonate deposits in and around such installations can provide information, not only on their use but also on palaeo-environmental conditions during their functioning and on local economical conditions. This applies mostly to water installations of Roman or Medieval age. Since the Romans maintained their water technologies routinely, any thick carbonate deposit may give information on periods of economical hardship, too. Carbonate deposits (calcareous sinter) are presently mainly used to study palaeo-environmental changes from Roman aqueducts, but water lifting machines and water mills, which are commonly build of wood, can also be studied in this way. The Romans were the first to apply waterpower to several industrial applications, but little is known about their use. For example, did Roman water-powered flour mills operate continuously, or was their use interrupted because of water scarcity or decline in the Roman economy? Carbonate was deposited in the water channels that fed and drained these machines, and on the wood of the machines themselves. Theoretically, it should therefore be possible to see the frequency of use of the machines from the stable isotope cyclicity and other data stored in carbonate deposits. We are presently applying this technique to incrustations from the Barbegal watermill complex near Arles, France. Carbonate deposits can therefore act as archives that provide us an understanding of palaeo-environmental and economic changes over the last two thousand years and provide information on the use, distribution and age of water structures by means of annual lamina counting. With this great potential, we aim to generate new tools and techniques to study the history of science in the framework of geo-archaeology.

An ancient underground water tunnel as a proxy for environmental change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabri, Raghid; Merkel, Broder

2014-05-01

Carbonate samples taken from a Roman water tunnel in Nablus, Palestine, were investigated with respect to geochemistry and mineralogy. This tunnel runs under the Roman Cardo of Neapolis and dates back to the 2nd century. Carbonate deposits samples were taken from the sidewall of the tunnel. Thin sections of the deposits were made along the growth axis and were analyzed using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and showed alternated lamination with dark and light zones. The microstructures of the deposits show a range of change of crystal formation change. It is also obvious that at one layer the crystals are pure with columnar fabric while the next layer has many impurities with mosaic fabric. This means, that the columnar layer had a sufficient time to grow, where the mosaic layer had only limited time. On the other hand, thirty seven points in the carbonate deposits around 40mm along the growth axis were measured using SEM. The measurement showed that C, Ca and O value fluctuates between each two measurement points. Si, Cl and Mg values also fluctuate but with reduced intensity and unpredicted pattern. The high fluctuation can be referred to seasonal change of the water quantity and quality. On the other hand, the low fluctuation values are referred to extreme events.

Corrosion phenomena in electron, proton and synchrotron X-ray microprobe analysis of Roman glass from Qumran, Jordan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janssens, K.; Aerts, A.; Vincze, L.; Adams, F.; Yang, C.; Utui, R.; Malmqvist, K.; Jones, K. W.; Radtke, M.; Garbe, S.; Lechtenberg, F.; Knöchel, A.; Wouters, H.

1996-04-01

A series of 89 glass fragments of Roman glass are studied using electron, proton and synchrotron radiation induced X-ray emission from microscopic areas on the sample surface. The glass originates from Qumran, Jordan and was buried for 1900 years. The weathering layers that result from the extended contact with ground water have been studied, next to the trace composition of the original glass of these pieces. The latter information indicates that at Qumran, large quantities of glass objects were being used in Ancient times. Cross-sectional profiles of the glass show a complex migration behaviour of various groups of major and trace elements.

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis from Roman Hungary.

PubMed

Hlavenková, Lucia; Gábor, Olivér; Benus, Radoslav; Smrcka, Václav; Jambor, Jaroslav; Hajdu, Tamás

2013-01-01

This paper deals with cases of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) found at the Late Roman Age necropolis in Pécs, Hungary (4th century AD). The skeletal remains of two male individuals, aged between 60-70 years and 45-55 years, displayed right-sided ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament with extra-spinal manifestations typical in DISH cases. It is presumed that both male individuals were middle-class citizens. Their social status was supplemented with trace element analysis in order to reconstruct the dietary habits of the urban population. Concentrations of Sr and Zn indicated a predominantly vegetal diet. Potential DISH risk factors and associations were subsequently discussed and compared with our findings.

How Jonsen really views casuistry: a note on the abuse of Father Wildes.

PubMed

Tallmon, J M

1994-02-01

Kevin Wildes has recently argued in the Journal that Albert Jonsen's model of casuistry is ill-suited to a secular world context, because this model is rooted in a particular history and because of the moral pluralism of contemporary society in which a content-specific method of moral reasoning cannot readily be deployed. Contra Wildes, two arguments are offered. First, casuistry is not tied exclusively to Roman Catholic theology; casuistry also has deep roots in Classical thought, roots that Jonsen and Toulmin underscore. Second, the context of Roman Catholic theology can be distinguished from the method of casuistry, permitting that method to be deployed successfully in morally pluralistic contexts.

[An archaelogical contribution to hygienical principles in the Roman town-planning].

PubMed

Quilici Gigli, S

1995-01-01

Greek and Roman ancient medical writers suggest hygienical rules which are strictly dependent on the orientation of towns, the direction of winds and the quality of waters. According to Vitruvius, architects and builders should have some medical knowledge, together with a strong new interest towards the improvement of enviromental conditions. Norba, a little city never built up again after the Sillan distruction in 81 B.C., and Civitas Artena, quitted in the first century B.C., have been studied as significant exemples of this architectural behaviour. The construction of Villae - big country houses nearby the city - was conditioned by economics, easily available water, sunshine light and proximity to fruitful soils.

Mössbauer studies of Haltern 70 amphorae from Castro do Vieito, North of Portugal, and of amphora sherds from kilns in the Roman provinces Hispania Baetica and Lusitania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, B. F. O.; Silva, A. J. M.; Wagner, F. E.; Wagner, U.

2011-11-01

Haltern 70 amphora sherds from Castro do Vieito and from kilns in the Roman provinces Baetica and Lusitania were studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy, EDX and XRD. An amphora whose handle was carefully studied must have been fired reducingly at a temperature of or above about 900°C and cooled in oxidizing conditions in the end. Oxidation and hematite formation went hand in hand, and the amount of hematite formed depended sensitively of the speed of penetration of the oxygen and the cooling rate in the interior of the ceramic body.

Comprehending and Rehabilitating Roman Catholic Clergy Offenders of Child Sexual Abuse.

PubMed

Anderson, Jane

2015-01-01

Many have studied Roman Catholic clergy who have sexually abused children, but the range of investigations remains disconnected. This article brings together various disciplinary perspectives to form a comprehensive view. A review of the literature is first undertaken to comprehend how clergy offenders have been conceptualized in psychosocial, sociocultural, and moral-religious studies. These perspectives are then used as a foundation for examining how these clergy can be rehabilitated. Three rehabilitative modalities--psychological treatment, rehabilitation through restorative justice, and ritual healing--are explored. The article concludes with a discussion of the insights gained from the literature review and how the modalities can be advanced in an interdependent and considered approach.

Quantitative assessment of Pb sources in isotopic mixtures using a Bayesian mixing model.

PubMed

Longman, Jack; Veres, Daniel; Ersek, Vasile; Phillips, Donald L; Chauvel, Catherine; Tamas, Calin G

2018-04-18

Lead (Pb) isotopes provide valuable insights into the origin of Pb within a sample, typically allowing for reliable fingerprinting of their source. This is useful for a variety of applications, from tracing sources of pollution-related Pb, to the origins of Pb in archaeological artefacts. However, current approaches investigate source proportions via graphical means, or simple mixing models. As such, an approach, which quantitatively assesses source proportions and fingerprints the signature of analysed Pb, especially for larger numbers of sources, would be valuable. Here we use an advanced Bayesian isotope mixing model for three such applications: tracing dust sources in pre-anthropogenic environmental samples, tracking changing ore exploitation during the Roman period, and identifying the source of Pb in a Roman-age mining artefact. These examples indicate this approach can understand changing Pb sources deposited during both pre-anthropogenic times, when natural cycling of Pb dominated, and the Roman period, one marked by significant anthropogenic pollution. Our archaeometric investigation indicates clear input of Pb from Romanian ores previously speculated, but not proven, to have been the Pb source. Our approach can be applied to a range of disciplines, providing a new method for robustly tracing sources of Pb observed within a variety of environments.

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BIOETHICAL ISSUES FROM VIEW POINTS OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION IN TURKEY, ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND ORTHODOX JUDAISM.

PubMed

Güvercin, Cemal Huseyin; Munir, Kerim M

2017-07-01

The arguments set forth by religious authority are important since they play a crucial role in shaping the social values of the public and influence the decision of individuals in practice pertaining to bioethical issues. The Religious Affairs Administration (RAA) was established at the inception of the Republic of Turkey in 1924 to guide religious considerations moving out of the Ottoman caliphate to a secular bioethical framework. In this article, the bioethical views of the RAA under Islamic tradition is examined and contrasted with those influenced by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Judaic traditions. On bioethical deliberations related to the beginning and end-of-life, all three religious traditions justify sacredness of life and that of God's will in its preservation it. Assisted reproduction techniques between spouses is considered to be appropriate, although third party involvement is explicitly forbidden. Organ transplantation is approved by all three religious traditions, except uterine transplantation. Contraceptive practices are approved under certain conditions - views differ most on approaches to contraception and the appropriateness of methods. The RAA judgement on cloning is to prohibit it, like Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Judaism. In other topics, cosmetic surgery and gender determination are approved only for treatment.

Mineralogical and microstructural studies of mortars from the bath complex of the Roman villa rustica near Mosnje (Slovenia)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kramar, Sabina, E-mail: sabina.kramar@rescen.si; Zalar, Vesna; Urosevic, Maja

This study deals with the characterization of mortars collected from bath complex of the Roman villa rustica from an archeological site near Mosnje (Slovenia). The mortar layers of the mosaics, wall paintings and mortar floors were investigated. A special aggregate consisting of brick fragments was present in the mortars studied. The mineralogical and petrographic compositions of the mortars were determined by means of optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy. Analysis of aggregate-binder interfaces using SEM-EDS revealed various types of reactivity rims. In order to assess the hydraulic characteristics of the mortars, the acid-soluble fractions were determined by ICP-OES.more » Furthermore, the results of Hg-porosimetry and gas sorption isotherms showed that mortars with a higher content of brick fragments particles exhibited a higher porosity and a greater BET surface area but a lower average pore diameter compared to mortars lacking this special aggregate. - Highlights: {yields} Mineral and microstructural characterizations of brick-lime mortars. {yields} Hydraulic character of mortars in Roman baths complex. {yields} Reaction rims were observed around brick fragments and dolomitic grains. {yields} Higher content of brick particles yielded a higher BET surface area. {yields} Addition of brick particles increased porosity and diminished pore size diameter.« less

Inhalation of Roman chamomile essential oil attenuates depressive-like behaviors in Wistar Kyoto rats.

PubMed

Kong, Yingying; Wang, Ting; Wang, Rong; Ma, Yichuan; Song, Shanshan; Liu, Juan; Hu, Weiwei; Li, Shengtian

2017-06-01

The idea of aromatherapy, using essential oils, has been considered as an alternative antidepressant treatment. In the present study, we investigated the effect of Roman chamomile essential oil inhalation for two weeks on depressive-like behaviors in Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. We found that inhalation of either Roman chamomile or one of its main components α-pinene, attenuated depressive-like behavior in WKY rats in the forced swim test. Using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation analysis (iTRAQ), we found that inhalation of α-pinene increased expression of proteins that are involved in oxidative phosphorylation, such as cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6C-2, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 7A2, ATPase inhibitor in the hippocampus, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6C-2, ATP synthase subunit e, Acyl carrier protein, and Cytochrome b-c1 complex subunit 6 in the PFC (prefrontal cortex). In addition, using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction technique, we confirmed an increase of parvalbumin mRNA expression in the hippocampus, which was shown to be upregulated by 2.8-fold in iTRAQ analysis, in α-pinene treated WKY rats. These findings collectively suggest the involvement of mitochondrial functions and parvalbumin-related signaling in the antidepressant effect of α-pinene inhalation.

Gendered Differences in Accidental Trauma to Upper and Lower Limb Bones at Aquincum, Roman Hungary.

PubMed

Gilmour, Rebecca J; Gowland, Rebecca; Roberts, Charlotte; Bernert, Zsolt; Kiss, Katalin Klára; Lassányi, Gabor

2015-12-01

It was hypothesized that men and women living in the border provinces of the Roman Empire may have encountered different risks associated with their different occupations and activities. Limb bone trauma data were used to assess sex-based differences in physical hazards and evidence for fracture healing and treatment. Two hundred and ten skeletons were examined from a late 1st to early 4th century AD cemetery at Aquincum (Budapest, Hungary). Upper and lower limb bone fracture types, frequencies, distributions, and associated complications were recorded, and gendered patterns in injury risks were explored. Of the 23 fractures identified, both sexes had injuries indicative of falls; males exhibited the only injuries suggestive of higher-energy and more direct forces. Most fractures were well-healed with few complications. The extremity trauma at Aquincum suggests that people buried here experienced less hazardous physical activities than at other Roman provincial sites. The patterns of trauma indicate the occurrence of "traditional" gender roles, whereby male civilians participated in more physically dangerous activities than females. Additionally, treatment may have been equally accessible to men and women, but certain fracture types proved more challenging to reduce using the techniques available. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geoarchaeology and aggradation around Kinet Höyük, an archaeological mound in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beach, Timothy P.; Luzzadder-Beach, Sheryl

2008-10-01

We examined the alluvial history of the plain near Kinet Höyük, an archaeological mound (or Tell) with a sequence of six millennia of occupation on the southeast Mediterranean coast of Turkey, through 17 excavations over a 1000 m transect near the Mound. Excavations ranged from 2 to 6 m deep and up to 20 m across. This low gradient, alluvial plain shows significantly different rates and processes of near-Mound sedimentation, with one unit having nearly 4 m of Late Bronze Age habitation and flood deposits and another having 4 m of Hellenistic channel and floodplain deposition. This flat, alluvial surface turns out to be a rich geoarchaeological landscape that shrouds Early and Late Bronze Age settlements, Hellenistic walls, and two epochs of Roman Roads. One widespread phenomenon was a Hellenistic or earlier paleosol and occupation level covered by channel gravels and overbank deposits mostly from the Hellenistic to the Late Roman period. These channel and floodplain deposits filled in and flattened out the off-Mound settlements, blanketing the Pre-Hellenistic topography and silting in a long active port. This glut of alluvium correlates in time with drier conditions and the most intensive land uses in the watershed, where Roman and Hellenistic sites today are severely eroded.

Subfossil markers of climate change during the Roman Warm Period of the late Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jach, Renata; Knutelski, Stanisław; Uchman, Alfred; Hercman, Helena; Dohnalik, Marek

2018-02-01

Abundant bog oak trunks occur in alluvial deposits of the Raba River in the village of Targowisko (southern Poland). Several of them contain galleries of the great capricorn beetle ( Cerambyx cerdo L.). A well-preserved subfossil larva and pupa, as well as adults of this species, are concealed in some of the galleries. These galleries co-occur with boring galleries of other insects such as ship-timber beetles (Lymexylidae) and metallic wood borers (Buprestidae). A dry larva of a stag beetle (Lucanidae) and a mite (Acari) have been found in the C. cerdo galleries. Selected samples of the trunks and a sample of the C. cerdo larva were dated, using radiocarbon and dendrochronological methods, to the period from 45 bc to ad 554; one sample was dated to the period from 799 to 700 bc. Accumulation of the channel alluvia containing the bog oak trunks is synchronous with the Roman Warm Period (late antiquity/Early Mediaeval times). The most recent part of this period correlates with massive accumulations of fallen oak trunks noted from various river valleys in the Carpathian region and dated to ad 450-570. The results indicate that C. cerdo was more abundant within the study area during the Roman Warm Period than it is today.

Evolution in the conceptualization of dementia and Alzheimer's disease: Greco-Roman period to the 1960s.

PubMed

Berchtold, N C; Cotman, C W

1998-01-01

Most histories of senile dementia commence with Alois Alzheimer's description in 1906 of the first case of Alzheimer's disease, yet the history of senile dementia before 1906 is quite rich, dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and physicians. Over the 2500 years since ancient times, the concept of senile dementia has evolved from a rather vague notion that mental decline occurred inevitably in old age, to become defined today by a distinct set of clinical and pathological features with the potential for treatment and prevention within grasp. Throughout history, many elderly individuals with unpredictable behavior were sequestered in institutions, and the line between mental disorders and senile dementia was hazy at best. The identification of Alzheimer's disease at the onset of the 20th century was a turning point for the understanding of senile dementia, and the concepts and histological findings presented by the early researchers of Alzheimer's disease remain relevant still today. Indeed, these early findings are proving to be a continuing source of insight, as many of the issues debated at the turn of the century remain unresolved still today. This paper thus traces the history of the evolution of our current conceptualization of Alzheimer's disease from the amorphous Greco-Roman concept of age-associated dementia.

Dental size and shape in the Roman imperial age: two examples from the area of Rome.

PubMed

Manzi, G; Santandrea, E; Passarello, P

1997-04-01

Different socioeconomic strata of Roman imperial age are represented by two large dental samples recovered from archaeological excavations near Rome, Italy. Teeth are investigated for crown dimensions and morphological variants. One sample, comprising 1,465 permanent teeth, represents the rural town of Lucus Feroniae (LFR) and is mainly composed of slaves and war veterans. The other, comprising 734 teeth from the Isola Sacra necropolis at Portus Romae (NIS), represents the "middle class" segment of an urban population. Both series show small dental dimensions and fit at the lower end of the trend toward dental reduction in Europe from the Upper Paleolithic to the historical times. The urban sample is less variable metrically and less sexually dimorphic than the rural one. The analysis of discrete crown traits shows absence of rare phenotypic variants in both series. The urban sample is also less variable in this last respect, suggesting that the gene pool of this particular "stratum" of the NIS population was more homogeneous than that of LFR. The occurrence of enamel hypoplasia indicates that metabolic stress during growth and development was similar in LFR and NIS. The overall set of available data is evaluated in the light of the history of the two Roman sites and the composition of each population.

Subfossil markers of climate change during the Roman Warm Period of the late Holocene.

PubMed

Jach, Renata; Knutelski, Stanisław; Uchman, Alfred; Hercman, Helena; Dohnalik, Marek

2017-12-27

Abundant bog oak trunks occur in alluvial deposits of the Raba River in the village of Targowisko (southern Poland). Several of them contain galleries of the great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo L.). A well-preserved subfossil larva and pupa, as well as adults of this species, are concealed in some of the galleries. These galleries co-occur with boring galleries of other insects such as ship-timber beetles (Lymexylidae) and metallic wood borers (Buprestidae). A dry larva of a stag beetle (Lucanidae) and a mite (Acari) have been found in the C. cerdo galleries. Selected samples of the trunks and a sample of the C. cerdo larva were dated, using radiocarbon and dendrochronological methods, to the period from 45 BC to AD 554; one sample was dated to the period from 799 to 700 BC. Accumulation of the channel alluvia containing the bog oak trunks is synchronous with the Roman Warm Period (late antiquity/Early Mediaeval times). The most recent part of this period correlates with massive accumulations of fallen oak trunks noted from various river valleys in the Carpathian region and dated to AD 450-570. The results indicate that C. cerdo was more abundant within the study area during the Roman Warm Period than it is today.

Rediscovering ancient glass technologies through the examination of opacifier crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahlil, S.; Biron, I.; Galoisy, L.; Morin, G.

2008-07-01

The aim of the study is to understand how antimonate opacifying crystals were obtained throughout history. Two archaeological glass productions opacified with calcium and lead antimonates are studied in this paper, in order to rediscover ancient opaque glass technologies: Roman mosaic tesserae (1st cent. B.C. 4th cent. A.D.) and Nevers lampworking glass (18th cent. A.D.). The fine examination of crystalline phases and of the vitreous matrix is undertaken using various and complementary techniques. Results are compared with a modern reference production, for which the technological process is well known. We demonstrate that Ca-antimonate opacifiers in Roman mosaic tesserae, as well as in Nevers lampworking glass, were obtained by in situ crystallization. Nevertheless, Roman and Nevers glass would have undergone different firing processes. We propose that the addition of previously synthesized crystals or the use of “anime” could be the process used to obtain Pb-antimonate opacified glass, for both productions studied. We demonstrate that CaO, PbO and Sb2O3 concentrations in the bulk compositions and in the matrices, and their evolution with the crystallinity ratio, offer robust criteria for the distinction of the opacification process used. Also, the different crystalline structures help to provide information on the experimental conditions.

[Medicine as ars in the Roman world. Its advance from sacral to secular approach, its trading and public diffusion: socio-political considerations and their legal consequences].

PubMed

Coppola, G

1995-01-01

The close linkage between empiric knowledge and its magic religious background in the archaic period appears clearly as a main feature characterizing the medical ars at its beginning, at least till it advances to a full secular approach during the fifth and fourth century B.C. The medical knowledge, which had been a privileged inheritance of the ruling class underwent a rapid transformation with the rise of the Roman Empire and its hegemonic politics that reached its climax during the Punic wars. As it was spread to all social classes it achieved an ever increasing importance leading to its specialisation and trading. This socio-political change had repercussions on the legal field: indeed conventiones concerning medical service came into effect. As far as action was concerned, doctors were permitted to avail themselves of the cognitio extra ordinem in order to get the rewards they were entitled to. The application of the legal tool cognition was however a device embedded in a set of other remedies aiming at granting rewards and incentives i.e. privilegia and salarium. Their development over the period of the Roman Empire was linked with a growing monopoly run by the supreme authority.

Characterization of concrete from Roman theatre and amphitheater in Emerita Augusta (Mérida, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mota-Lopez, Maria Isabel; Fort, Rafael; Alvarez de Buergo, Monica; Pizzo, Antonio; Maderuelo-Sanz, Ruben; Meneses-Rodríguez, Juan Miguel

2016-04-01

The restoration of historical buildings is very important for the history and culture of the cities and their population. It requires an advanced knowledge of the building materials used for the construction of these structures. Previously to any intervention in historical buildings, it is necessary a historic-scientific study of the original material. Historic mortars or concretes can reveal us different composition and the dependence on the geographical location and the time period of its construction. Historical concretes are complex systems that contain aerial or hydraulic binders or a blend of them, with aggregates, not always crystalline, and others elements that interact with the binder. The use of different techniques for microstructural characterization of materials, like optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometry or petrophysical analysis, allows the determination of the composition and some properties of these concretes. However, each technique has its own limits and, in many cases, several characterization techniques must be used to obtain coherent and reliable results. The present study focuses on the compositional characterization of Roman concrete from Roman buildings for public spectacles of Emerita Augusta, Mérida, Spain. An advanced knowledge of the Roman concrete composition is required to get a reliable restoration and preservation of these ancient monuments. Various samples of concrete were extracted from different zones from this archaeological site. The concrete was studied through mineralogical analysis (petrographic microscope and XRD) and petrophysical properties determination (bulk and real density, open porosity, mercury porosimetry intrusion, compressive strength and Ultrasound propagation velocity). The results obtained allow us to know the original composition of the concrete and the provenance of the aggregates used in it. Acknowledgements: Community of Madrid for financing Geomateriales2 program (P2013/MIT2914), to the funding provided by BIA 2014-53911-R project and to the Consortium for the Monumental City of Merida for the permission granted to collect concrete samples.

A non-invasive spectroscopic study to evaluate both technological features and conservation state of two types of ancient Roman coloured bricks.

PubMed

Scatigno, C; Prieto-Taboada, N; Preite Martinez, M; Conte, A M; Madariaga, J M

2018-06-07

The study of both original and decaying compounds is relevant in understanding the chemistry behind the deterioration processes, above all in open museum contexts where environmental stressors affect the artefacts. In this sense, a combination of non-invasive spectroscopy techniques (Raman spectroscopy, μ-X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction) was applied on an ancient Roman building (130 CE), the "Casa di Diana" Mithraeum at Ostia Antica archaeological site. The aim is to study the raw materials, manufacturing and decaying products of the two observed types of Roman fired bricks (red and yellow) that compose the building. The present study estimates an illite raw material of carbonate-bearing marine clay likely referring to the common deposits of central/southern Italy, which contain calcite as accessory phase and a-plastic fraction constituted by quartz, feldspar and opaques. This clay material was added with volcanic temper characterised by abundant clinopyroxene and analcime (from analcimization of leucite) that are typical of the Roman Province volcanism. The firing would be probably the result of oxidizing conditions, as proved by the hematite presence. Thanks to the existence of specific neoformed mineral phases during firing it was possible to assess different temperatures ranges. In detail, the red/orange bricks, for the existence of gehlenite (formed from calcite and its reaction with silicates), were fired at 800-900 °C range; whereas, the yellow ones are characterised by the lack of gehlenite and the disappearance of illite/muscovite, which indicates firing temperature at over 900 °C. Regarding the decaying products, the gypsum covers most of the surface of most bricks, both red and the yellow ones, but these latter are more susceptible to environmental stressors (sulphates and carbonates). Therefore, this work points out how by integrated non-invasive approaches it is possible trace back to original firing temperature, technology of manufacture, interpreting ceramic data. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Water-related occupations and diet in two Roman coastal communities (Italy, first to third century AD): correlation between stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values and auricular exostosis prevalence.

PubMed

Crowe, Fiona; Sperduti, Alessandra; O'Connell, Tamsin C; Craig, Oliver E; Kirsanow, Karola; Germoni, Paola; Macchiarelli, Roberto; Garnsey, Peter; Bondioli, Luca

2010-07-01

The reconstruction of dietary patterns in the two Roman imperial age coastal communities of Portus and Velia (I-III AD) by means of stable isotope analysis of bone remains has exposed a certain degree of heterogeneity between and within the two samples. Results do not correlate with any discernible mortuary practices at either site, which might have pointed to differential social status. The present study tests the hypothesis of a possible connection between dietary habits and occupational activities in the two communities. Among skeletal markers of occupation, external auricular exostosis (EAE) has proved to be very informative. Clinical and retrospective epidemiological surveys have revealed a strong positive correlation between EAE development and habitual exposure to cold water. In this study, we show that there is a high rate of occurrence of EAE among adult males in both skeletal samples (21.1% in Portus and 35.3% in Velia). Further, there is a statistically significant higher prevalence of EAE among those individuals at Velia with very high nitrogen isotopic values. This points to fishing (coastal, low-water fishing) as the sea-related occupation most responsible for the onset of the ear pathology. For Portus, where the consumption of foods from sea and river seems to be more widespread through the population, and where the scenario of seaport and fluvial activities was much more complex than in Velia, a close correlation between EAE and fish consumption by fishermen is less easy to establish. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

(Pre-) historic changes in natural and anthropogenic heavy metals deposition inferred from two contrasting Swiss Alpine lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thevenon, Florian; Guédron, Stéphane; Chiaradia, Massimo; Loizeau, Jean-Luc; Poté, John

2011-01-01

Continuous high-resolution sedimentary record of heavy metals (chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and mercury (Hg)), from lakes Lucerne and Meidsee (Switzerland), provides pollutant deposition history from two contrasting Alpine environments over the last millennia. The distribution of conservative elements (thorium (Th), scandium (Sc) and titanium (Ti)) shows that in absence of human disturbances, the trace element input is primarily controlled by weathering processes (i.e., runoff and erosion). Nonetheless, the enrichment factor (EF) of Pb and Hg (that are measured by independent methods), and the Pb isotopic composition of sediments from the remote lake Meidsee (which are proportionally more enriched in anthropogenic heavy metals), likely detect early mining activities during the Bronze Age. Meanwhile, the deposition of trace elements remains close to the range of natural variations until the strong impact of Roman activities on atmospheric metal emissions. Both sites display simultaneous increases in anthropogenic trace metal deposition during the Greek and Roman Empires (ca 300 BC to AD 400), the Late Middle Ages (ca AD 1400), and the Early Modern Europe (after ca AD 1600). However, the greatest increases in anthropogenic metal pollution are evidenced after the industrial revolution of ca AD 1850, at low and high altitudes. During the twentieth century, industrial releases multiplied by ca 10 times heavy metal fluxes to hydrological systems located on both sides of the Alps. During the last decades, the recent growing contribution of low radiogenic Pb further highlights the contribution of industrial sources with respect to wood and coal burning emissions.

Enamel paint techniques in archaeology and their identification using XRF and micro-XRF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hložek, M.; Trojek, T.; Komoróczy, B.; Prokeš, R.

2017-08-01

This investigation focuses in detail on the analysis of discoveries in South Moravia - important sites from the Roman period in Pasohlávky and Mušov. Using X-ray fluorescence analysis and micro-analysis we help identify the techniques of enamel paint and give a thorough chemical analysis in details which would not be possible to determine by means of macroscopic examination. We thus address the influence of elemental composition on the final colour of the enamel paint and describe the less known technique of combining enamel with millefiori. The material analyses of the metal artefacts decorated with enamel paint significantly contribute to our knowledge of the technology being used during the Roman period.

MEASUREMENT OF sin 2φ1 IN b → c And b → s DECAYS AT Belle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hastings, Nicholas C.

Measurements of time-dependent CP asymmetries in B0 → J/ψK0, φK0, K+K- KS, η' KS, f0 (980) KS and ωKS decays based on 386 × 106 Bbar{B} pairs collected by the Belle detector are presented. With this data sample, the J/ψK0 mode provides a precision measurement of sin2 φ1. The other modes, which proceed via b → s penguin (loop) diagrams are sensitive to new physics phases which may appear within the loop. Differing sin2 φ1 measurements between J/ψK0 and the b → s penguin modes could be a signature of such phases.

'Him bid sona sel': psychiatry in the Anglo-Saxon Leechbooks.

PubMed

Pell, Christopher

2011-12-01

Classical Greek and Roman writers documented the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illness in ancient times. Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire however, we find little writing on the topic in early Medieval Europe. Yet in Britain, medical texts survived and were complemented by local traditions and treatments. This article explores the best-known Anglo-Saxon medical texts, the Leechbooks and Lacnunga, for evidence of psychiatric illness and the treatments employed by physicians in the tenth century. The difficulties encountered when working with sources translated from Old English and speculations about the supernatural aetiology ascribed to these illnesses are detailed. The efficacy of the leechdoms (treatments) described are also investigated for both their placebo and potential pharmacological effects.

Microwave tomography enhanced GPR surveys in Centaur’s Domus, Regio VI of Pompeii, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catapano, I.; Crocco, L.; Di Napoli, R.; Soldovieri, F.; Brancaccio, A.; Pesando, F.; Aiello, A.

2012-08-01

The archaeological area of Pompeii (Naples, Italy) is known worldwide as one of the most remarkable examples of a Roman Empire town, but its origins are prior to the Roman age and there is a huge archeological interest in discovering the history of the forma urbis. With respect to this framework, the paper presents results from microwave tomography enhanced ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys carried out in the Centaur’s Domus, Regio VI, one of the most ancient housing areas of Pompeii. The GPR prospections aimed at addressing and driving the archeological excavation campaign performed in this area in October 2010. The results of stratigraphic assays are used to assess the reliability of the tomographic images obtained.

Roman mosaic glass: a study of production processes, using PIXE spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, S. J.; Swann, C. P.

1999-04-01

The most attractive Roman glass produced during the early part of the 1st century A.D. was mosaic ware - bowls and dishes molded from arrays of multi-colored canes that created abstract floral and geometric designs. Yet ancient literature tells us little about the organization of the glassworking industry in which such wares were produced. We have focused upon two kinds of mosaic decoration that include a component of white glass in their cane construction and have purple glass as their matrix. A consistent pattern in the minor levels of lead in each kind of glass suggests that they were the products of two separate workshops, each with separate sources of supply for their glass stock.

Julius Caesar's Epilepsy: Was It Caused by A Brain Arteriovenous Malformation?

PubMed

Montemurro, Nicola; Benet, Arnau; Lawton, Michael T

2015-12-01

Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most charismatic political figures in history. Best remembered for his military achievements, he was also a writer, historian, and statesman. Through his constitutional reforms, he played an important role in the events that led to the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire. Historical sources reveal that Julius Caesar suffered from headaches, seizures, and personality changes. In this essay, we highlight the life of Julius Caesar, with emphasis on the potential origin of his sickness. Although a definitive diagnosis obviously cannot be made, as new published studies showed a possible cerebrovascular etiology, a new hypothetical diagnosis is presented. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deterioration of building materials in Roman catacombs: the influence of visitors.

PubMed

Sanchez-Moral, S; Luque, L; Cuezva, S; Soler, V; Benavente, D; Laiz, L; Gonzalez, J M; Saiz-Jimenez, C

2005-10-15

In the last decades, damages on building materials and mural paintings were observed in Roman catacombs. The damages were due to extensive formation of biofilms induced by artificial illumination and humidity. Microenvironmental data (temperature, CO(2) concentration, humidity, and atmospheric pressure) clearly showed the negative influence of visitors. Increasing heat, light and water vapour condensation into corridors and cubicles favoured biofilm development. The composition of biofilms was different and depended mainly on distance to illumination sources and humidity, thus denoting the influence of light on the growth of phototrophic microorganisms in the catacombs. In addition, biofilm distribution was governed by the type of material to be colonised. This study shows that countermeasures are needed to prevent deterioration of hypogean environments.

Hermaphroditus in Greco-Roman myth: lessons and hypotheses for intersex today.

PubMed

Jospe, Nicholas; Florence, Monica

2004-11-01

This discussion reviews the Greco-Roman mythic origins of the eponymic Hermaphroditus. It reviews the two major tales, one Greek, the other from Ovid, regarding the origins of the sexual and gender predicament of Hermaphroditus. It explains the genealogy of Hermaphroditus in Greek mythology, and includes a discussion of Ovid's text on Hermaphroditus. A comparison of the two renditions offers the opportunity to reflect on who Hermaphroditus may have been, and to reflect on the implications of his nature. The discussion also attends to some of the ethical and emotional conflicts for the intersexed today. Finally, the discussion explores whether lessons from, and hypotheses regarding a mythic figure, such as Hermaphroditus, may provide guidance for intersexed individuals and their parents.

Sexual and intimacy health of Roman Catholic priests.

PubMed

McDevitt, Patrick J

2012-01-01

This study explores the sexual experiences and sexual health of Roman Catholic priests. The qualitative research design looked at priests' responses to the question, "Please share one or more sexual experiences in your lifetime." The qualitative responses were analyzed and categorized into seven groupings: (a) Childhood and adolescent homosexual experiences; (b) Childhood and adolescent heterosexual experiences; (c) Both homosexual and heterosexual childhood and adolescent experiences; (d) Adult sexual experiences before ordination to the priesthood; (e) Adult sexual experiences since ordination to the priesthood; (f) Masturbation; and (g) Other sexual experiences. The data were analyzed by frequency of responses and percentages within each of the seven categories. The results indicate the need for early intervention and education during seminary, ongoing education after ordination, and psychotherapy support for priests.

Living with earthquakes - development and usage of earthquake-resistant construction methods in European and Asian Antiquity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kázmér, Miklós; Major, Balázs; Hariyadi, Agus; Pramumijoyo, Subagyo; Ditto Haryana, Yohanes

2010-05-01

Earthquakes are among the most horrible events of nature due to unexpected occurrence, for which no spiritual means are available for protection. The only way of preserving life and property is applying earthquake-resistant construction methods. Ancient Greek architects of public buildings applied steel clamps embedded in lead casing to hold together columns and masonry walls during frequent earthquakes in the Aegean region. Elastic steel provided strength, while plastic lead casing absorbed minor shifts of blocks without fracturing rigid stone. Romans invented concrete and built all sizes of buildings as a single, unflexible unit. Masonry surrounding and decorating concrete core of the wall did not bear load. Concrete resisted minor shaking, yielding only to forces higher than fracture limits. Roman building traditions survived the Dark Ages and 12th century Crusader castles erected in earthquake-prone Syria survive until today in reasonably good condition. Concrete and steel clamping persisted side-by-side in the Roman Empire. Concrete was used for cheap construction as compared to building of masonry. Applying lead-encased steel increased costs, and was avoided whenever possible. Columns of the various forums in Italian Pompeii mostly lack steel fittings despite situated in well-known earthquake-prone area. Whether frequent recurrence of earthquakes in the Naples region was known to inhabitants of Pompeii might be a matter of debate. Seemingly the shock of the AD 62 earthquake was not enough to apply well-known protective engineering methods throughout the reconstruction of the city before the AD 79 volcanic catastrophe. An independent engineering tradition developed on the island of Java (Indonesia). The mortar-less construction technique of 8-9th century Hindu masonry shrines around Yogyakarta would allow scattering of blocks during earthquakes. To prevent dilapidation an intricate mortise-and-tenon system was carved into adjacent faces of blocks. Only the outermost layer was treated this way, the core of the shrines was made of simple rectangular blocks. The system resisted both in-plane and out-of-plane shaking quite well, as proven by survival of many shrines for more than a millennium, and by fracturing of blocks instead of displacement during the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake. Systematic use or disuse of known earthquake-resistant techniques in any one society depends on the perception of earthquake risk and on available financial resources. Earthquake-resistant construction practice is significantly more expensive than regular construction. Perception is influenced mostly by short individual and longer social memory. If earthquake recurrence time is longer than the preservation of social memory, if damaging quakes fade into the past, societies commit the same construction mistakes again and again. Length of the memory is possibly about a generation's lifetime. Events occurring less frequently than 25-30 years can be readily forgotten, and the risk of recurrence considered as negligible, not worth the costs of safe construction practices. (Example of recurring flash floods in Hungary.) Frequent earthquakes maintain safe construction practices, like the Java masonry technique throughout at least two centuries, and like the Fachwerk tradition on Modern Aegean Samos throughout 500 years of political and technological development. (OTKA K67583)

A Historical View of Motion Sickness-A Plague at Sea and on Land, Also with Military Impact.

PubMed

Huppert, Doreen; Benson, Judy; Brandt, Thomas

2017-01-01

Seasickness and its triggers, symptoms, and preventive measures were well known in antiquity. This chapter is based on an analysis of descriptions of motion sickness, in particular seasickness, in ancient Greek, Roman, and Chinese literature. A systematic search was made from the Greek period beginning with Homer in 800 BC to the late Roman period and ending with Aetios Amidenos in 600 AD, as well as in the Chinese medical classics dating from around 300 AD. Major aspects are the following: body movements caused by waves were identified in all cultures as the critical stimuli. The ancient Greeks and Romans knew that other illnesses and the mental state could precipitate seasickness and that experienced sailors were highly resistant to it (habituation). The Chinese observed that children were particularly susceptible to motion sickness; they first described the type of motion sickness induced by traveling in carts (cart-sickness) or being transported on a litter or in a sedan chair (litter-sickness). The western classics recommended therapeutic measures like fasting or specific diets, pleasant fragrancies, medicinal plants like white hellebore (containing various alkaloids), or a mixture of wine and wormwood. The East knew more unusual measures, such as drinking the urine of young boys, swallowing white sand-syrup, collecting water drops from a bamboo stick, or hiding earth from the kitchen hearth under the hair. The Greek view of the pathophysiology of seasickness was based on the humoral theory of Empedokles and Aristoteles and differed from the Chinese medicine of correspondences, which attributed malfunctions to certain body substances and the life force Qi. Many sources emphasized the impact of seasickness on military actions and famous naval battles such as the Battle of the Red Cliff, which marked the end of the Han dynasty in China, or the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English in 1588. A peculiar form of motion sickness is associated with Napoleon's camel corps during the Egyptian campaign of 1798/1799, a sickness induced by riding on a camel. Thus, motion sickness in antiquity was known as a physiological response to unadapted body motions during passive transportation as well as a plague at sea.

[Marcus Aurelius Antonius (121-180AD), philosopher and Roman emperor, and Galen's plague].

PubMed

Muñoz-Sanz, Agustín

2012-11-01

The study of the aetiologies of diseases in Ancient Times is usually a speculative intellectual exercise. When some authors attribute a specific aetiology to an old disease, there is a great risk of committing a methodological error, known as presentism by the modern historiography. The authority of the investigator, more than the weight of the scientific truth, is usually the reason why the diagnosis has remained over the years. The great epidemic of the years 164-165AD and afterwards, could have been smallpox (haemorrhagic form). Claude Galen, the famous doctor, described the symptoms in several books of his great Opera Omnia. For this reason, it is currently known among the scholars as Galen's plague. The epidemic was described for the first time in Seleucia (Mesopotamia). Until now, the actual geographic origin is unknown. We propose here that the beginning might be the kingdom of the old Han dynasty (now the Chinese Popular Republic). The epidemic swept the Roman Empire, from the east to the west, and from the southern to the northern borders. An immediate consequence of the infection was a high morbidity and mortality. In this sense, Galen's epidemic was one of the many factors that caused the fall and destruction of the Roman Empire. On the other hand, there is a general agreement among historians, biographers and researchers that the philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180AD was affected by the infection in the epidemic wave of 164-165AD. The death of Marcus Aurelius occurred on March 17 in the year 180AD, in Vindobonne, or perhaps Sirminium (near to Vienna). Many authors propose that the cause of the emperor's death was the same epidemic. We consider that it is not possible to demonstrate any of those speculative diagnoses. Finally, the epidemic of 189-190AD, that we have named of Commodus, was probably a different disease to the Galen's plague. There were several kinds of animals affected (anthropozoonoses). In this sense, this infection resembles more the previous Athens plague (430BC) or the epidemic of Justinian (552AD) than that of Galen's. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Human-Environment Interactions during the Last 8000 Years in the Environs of the Ancient City of Ephesus, Western Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stock, F.; Knipping, M.; Pint, A.; Brückner, H.

2014-12-01

About 6 millennia ago the maximum Holocene transgression reached c. 20 km inland. Thereafter, the coastline has continuously shifted westwards due to the progradation of the Küçük Menderes delta and its tributaries. Consequently, settlement and harbour sites were established following the retreating coastline. Our interdisciplinary geoarchaeological research focuses on (i) the detection of spatial and temporal shifts in the coastline during the past millennia and the human response to these changes; (ii) the human impact on the landscape, especially in the environs of the Roman Harbour and the harbour canal; (iii) the reconstruction of the vegetation history of the Ephesia. More than 200 drill cores were retrieved from geo-bioarchives. For a better understanding of the depositional environments, we carried out geochemical, sedimentological, microfaunal, palynological and parasitological analyses in Ephesus' harbours and in the environs of two Neolithic settlement sites. Diagnostic ceramic finds, AMS-14C age estimates and a tephra layer were used for the chronological framework.The results reveal human impact in sediments: early agricultural use in the Neolithic period; several meters of sediment with a high concentration of fig and grape seeds in the Koressos harbour during the 6th-3rd centuries BC; an accelerated sedimentation rate up to the factor of ten in Hellenistic and Roman times. Heavy metal pollution, sugar melon and fruit tree pollen, as well as eggs of intestinal parasites occur in the Roman harbour and its canal during the prosperity period of the city. Pollen analysis revealed the dominance of deciduous oak, in a landscape with human impact, already since the 6th millennium BC. From Hellenistic times onwards, fruit trees appear next to crop and pasture farming. After the decline of the city in the 7th century AD, pine trees became dominant, presumably on abandoned land. In the Belevi swamp to the northeast of Ephesus, the ash from the Minoan eruption of the Thera volcano (Santorini) in 1630 BC is archived.

Analysis of pigments from Roman wall paintings found in the "agro centuriato" of Julia Concordia (Italy).

PubMed

Mazzocchin, Gian-Antonio; Del Favero, Michela; Tasca, Giovanni

2007-09-01

The analysis of wall painting fragments recovered in the "agro centuriato" of Julia Concordia has been carried out by using Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with an EDS microanalysis detector (SEM-EDS), Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray powder Diffraction (XRD). The pigments used have been identified and the data obtained suggest the presence of three rustic villas richly decorated also with Egyptian blue. The presence of white of aragonite suggest that these villas were decorated during the Imperial Age, in agreement with the recovery of high quality materials and a bronze statue.

Surgery in Spain.

PubMed

Trias, M; Targarona, E M; Moral, A; Pera, C

1998-02-01

The Iberian Peninsula-the southwestern point of Europe, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean-was visited and settled in ancient times by a variety of peoples. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Celts, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and Arabs all left their mark on the peninsula, and their cultures blended together to found, among other things, a rich tradition in medicine and surgery. During the Renaissance, the fluid exchange of technical skills and knowledge with the rest of Europe and the emergence of universities ensured the development of a high level of medical expertise. Today, surgery in Spain is at the forefront of innovations in the field.

A seesaw in Mediterranean precipitation during the Roman Period linked to millennial-scale changes in the North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dermody, B. J.; de Boer, H. J.; Bierkens, M. F. P.; Weber, S. L.; Wassen, M. J.; Dekker, S. C.

2012-03-01

We present a reconstruction of the change in climatic humidity around the Mediterranean between 3000-1000 yr BP. Using a range of proxy archives and model simulations we demonstrate that climate during this period was typified by a millennial-scale seesaw in climatic humidity between Spain and Israel on one side and the Central Mediterranean and Turkey on the other, similar to precipitation anomalies associated with the East Atlantic/West Russia pattern in current climate. We find that changes in the position and intensity of the jet stream indicated by our analysis correlate with millennial changes in North Atlantic sea surface temperature. A model simulation indicates the proxies of climatic humidity used in our analysis were unlikely to be influenced by climatic aridification caused by deforestation during the Roman Period. That finding is supported by an analysis of the distribution of archaeological sites in the Eastern Mediterranean which exhibits no evidence that human habitation distribution changed since ancient times as a result of climatic aridification. Therefore we conclude that changes in climatic humidity over the Mediterranean during the Roman Period were primarily caused by a modification of the jet stream linked to sea surface temperature change in the North Atlantic. Based on our findings, we propose that ocean-atmosphere coupling may have contributed to regulating Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation intensity during the period of analysis.

Towards the onset of fruit tree growing north of the Alps: ancient DNA from waterlogged apple (Malus sp.) seed fragments.

PubMed

Schlumbaum, Angela; van Glabeke, Sabine; Roldan-Ruiz, Isabel

2012-01-20

Wild apples (Malus sp.) have been a major food source in the northern Alpine region since prehistory and their use is well understood. The onset of deliberate fruit tree growing in the area is, however, less clear. It is generally assumed that horticulture was practised in Roman times, but it might be even earlier. In the archaeological record seed testa and pericarp remains are particularly frequent at sites with waterlogged preservation such as lakeshore settlements or wells, pits and ditches, but the distinction between wild and domestic plants is not morphologically possible. With waterlogged remains being one main source of information about past fruit cultivation, we have tested the feasibility of analysing ancient DNA from waterlogged preserved bulk samples of testa fragments. We studied apple seeds from three Neolithic and three Roman sites with waterlogged preservation in the Alpine foreland. Chloroplast markers failed in all samples, but nuclear ITS1 (internal transcribed spacer region 1) of the ribosomal DNA was successfully typed in two Roman samples from the site Oedenburg/Biesheim-Kunheim (Haut-Rhin, F). The retrieved ITS1 sequences are identical to each other and are shared with wild Malus sylvestris and Malus sieversii, and with domestic apple cultivars, supporting the potential of using waterlogged remains for identifying the genetic status of apple diachronically. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Romano-British wall paintings: Raman spectroscopic analysis of fragments from two urban sites of early military colonisation.

PubMed

Edwards, H G M; Middleton, P S; Hargreaves, M D

2009-08-01

Raman spectroscopic analyses of 1st century AD Romano-British villa wall-painting fragments from two important military and early urban centres at Colchester and Lincoln have demonstrated some interesting contrasts in technique and palette usage. Colchester, the earliest fortified settlement, developed a sophisticated painting and craft industry compared with Lincoln in the assimilation of novel substrate preparation ideas and pigment adoption. The earliest use of the rather rare purple mineral pigment, caput mortuum, hitherto reported in only a few Roman villas elsewhere in mainland Europe, is in evidence in this early phase settlement and the use of gypsum as a special ground preparation agent as an additive to the more common limewash putty to enhance the effect of the use of lazurite as a pigment is worthy of note in this context. Otherwise, the pigments are seen to be those that are quite normally encountered in Roman villas, namely, haematite, goethite, terre verte, and carbon. The results of this study indicate that at Colchester there was a continued development in technique into the colonial phase compared with a stagnation in Lincoln; these scientific results have created a stimulus for further historical research into pigment and techniques development for wall paintings at the fringe of the Roman Empire in the 1st-3rd Centuries AD.

The effect of font size and type on reading performance with Arabic words in normally sighted and simulated cataract subjects.

PubMed

Alotaibi, Abdullah Z

2007-05-01

Previous investigations have shown that reading is the most common functional problem reported by patients at a low vision practice. While there have been studies investigating effect of fonts in normal and low vision patients in English, no study has been carried out in Arabic. Additionally, there has been no investigation into the use of optimum print sizes or fonts that should be used in Arabic books and leaflets for low vision patients. Arabic sentences were read by 100 normally sighted volunteers with and without simulated cataract. Subjects read two font types (Times New Roman and Courier) in three different sizes (N8, N10 and N12). The subjects were asked to read the sentences aloud. The reading speed was calculated as number of words read divided by the time taken, while reading rate was calculated as the number of words read correctly divided by the time taken. There was an improvement in reading performance of normally sighted and simulated visually impaired subjects when the print size increased. There was no significant difference in reading performance between the two types of font used at small print size, however the reading rate improved as print size increased with Times New Roman. The results suggest that the use of N12 print in Times New Roman enhanced reading performance in normally sighted and simulated cataract subjects.

Wavelet modeling and prediction of the stability of states: the Roman Empire and the European Union

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaroshenko, Tatyana Y.; Krysko, Dmitri V.; Dobriyan, Vitalii; Zhigalov, Maksim V.; Vos, Hendrik; Vandenabeele, Peter; Krysko, Vadim A.

2015-09-01

How can the stability of a state be quantitatively determined and its future stability predicted? The rise and collapse of empires and states is very complex, and it is exceedingly difficult to understand and predict it. Existing theories are usually formulated as verbal models and, consequently, do not yield sharply defined, quantitative prediction that can be unambiguously validated with data. Here we describe a model that determines whether the state is in a stable or chaotic condition and predicts its future condition. The central model, which we test, is that growth and collapse of states is reflected by the changes of their territories, populations and budgets. The model was simulated within the historical societies of the Roman Empire (400 BC to 400 AD) and the European Union (1957-2007) by using wavelets and analysis of the sign change of the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents. The model matches well with the historical events. During wars and crises, the state becomes unstable; this is reflected in the wavelet analysis by a significant increase in the frequency ω (t) and wavelet coefficients W (ω, t) and the sign of the largest Lyapunov exponent becomes positive, indicating chaos. We successfully reconstructed and forecasted time series in the Roman Empire and the European Union by applying artificial neural network. The proposed model helps to quantitatively determine and forecast the stability of a state.

Antiquity versus modern times in hydraulics - a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroia, L.; Georgescu, S. C.; Georgescu, A. M.

2010-08-01

Water supply and water management in Antiquity represent more than Modern World can imagine about how people in that period used to think about, and exploit the resources they had, aiming at developing and improving their society and own lives. This paper points out examples of how they handled different situations, and how they managed to cope with the growing number of population in the urban areas, by adapting or by improving their water supply systems. The paper tries to emphasize the engineering contribution of Rome and the Roman Empire, mainly in the capital but also in the provinces, as for instance the today territory of France, by analysing some aqueducts from the point of view of modern Hydraulic Engineering. A third order polynomial regression is proposed to compute the water flow rate, based on the flow cross-sectional area measured in quinaria. This paper also emphasizes on contradictory things between what we thought we knew about Ancient Roman civilization, and what could really be proven, either by a modern engineering approach, a documentary approach, or by commonsense, where none of the above could be used. It is certain that the world we live in is the heritage of the Greco-Roman culture and therefore, we are due to acknowledge their contribution, especially taking into account the lack of knowledge of that time, and the poor resources they had.