Search results for "ancient"

The battle of Konotop as recorded in Cossack chronicles

2016

The battle of Konotop on June 28, 1659 has gained particular resonance as a historical event in the independent Ukraine since the historical narrative has begun to be re-examined and ‘reconstructed’ in a new political climate. This has been possible since the theme of historical confrontation between Ukraine and Russia became free for discussion after many centuries of ta- boo. Interest in the subject has grown and progress in historiography may be acknowledged thanks to several new works published in recent years: these have provided a well-grounded picture of the event, while also raising a number of questions that still need to be investigated for a correct inter- pretation1. The chronic…

On the real identity of the Strelitzia cultivated in Sicily’s historic gardens

2016

The authors, on the basis of field observations and literature search, conclude that all tree-like plants of Strelitzia grown in Sicily belong to Strelitzia nicolaii. Therefore Strelitzia alba (= Strelitzia augusta), which was generally considered to be commonly cultivated in Sicily since the nineteenth century, if it ever was cultivated on the island, is not currently found there. The Lectotypes of the names S. nicolaii and S. alba are here designated.

Константин Великий и св. Елена на фресках Яна Кубена в Воздвиженском костеле в Бжеге

2020

The paper introduces the splendid representations of Emperor Constantine the Great and Saint Helena in Jan Kuben’s frescos in the church under invocation of the Triumph of the Cross in Brzeg. They testify strongly of the incessant presence of the creative reflection over the Christian ancient times in the area of Opole Silesia in the period of the Catholic reform in the 18th century. Kuben’s trompe-l’oeil constitutes a wonderful combination of deeply experienced Catholic spirituality with the genius of the artist – a visionary.

The history of human-induced soil erosion: Geomorphic legacies, early descriptions and research, and the development of soil conservation—A global sy…

2013

Abstract This paper presents a global synopsis about the geomorphic evidence of soil erosion in humid and semihumid areas since the beginning of agriculture. Historical documents, starting from ancient records to data from the mid-twentieth century and numerous literature reviews form an extensive assortment of examples that show how soil erosion has been perceived previously by scholars, land surveyors, farmers, land owners, researchers, and policy makers. Examples have been selected from ancient Greek and Roman Times and from central Europe, southern Africa, North America, the Chinese Loess Plateau, Australia, New Zealand, and Easter Island. Furthermore, a comprehensive collection on the …

Twins among history, mith and arts

2013

The Stochastic Intelligence. A Technical Model from Ancient Greece to Robotics

2019

What do we mean when we talk about the “intelligence” of robots? In what sense does a robot “reason” and “take decisions”? Answering these questions can give food for thought towards understanding whether there is either something so specific in human beings that cannot be reproduced in robots, or—as an alternative—the way to improve robots in emulating human behavior. In the following pages I will try to give my contribution by shedding light on some characteristics concerning human reasoning and rationality, mainly referring to the ancient Greek philosophical tradition.

Ancient greek philosophy and the islamic tradition: the origins of social life, diversity, and political authority

2020

The interplay between a naturalistic understanding of social origins and the vision of the ruler as God’s representative on earth is a major aspect of medieval and early modern Islamic political discourse. The ancient Greek tradition had a formative influence on Islamic meditation regarding the origins of human society, the role of government, justice, and the qualities of the good ruler. The aim of this article is to revisit the impact of the Greek legacy on various theories about the emergence of human society and political authority that were propounded medieval Islamic authors. In the first section of this article, I review the reception of ancient Greek sources in the Islamic world and…

The Use of DNA Analysis in the Archaeology of Death and Burial

2013

LES ÉQUIVOQUES DU « CONSTITUTIONNALISME OCTROYÉ » : UN DÉBAT TRANSATLANTIQUE (I)

2015

In Portugal and in its former colonies, the expression "constitucionalismo outorgado » is part of the constitutional vocabulary since the granting of the Charter of 1826. The French inspiration is obvious ; however, no equivalent expression exists in France. This curiosity leads to measure all the ambiguity of the concept of "granted constitutionalism", an improbable oxymoron according to the president of the Portuguese Republic, Teófilo Braga. Is it about a simple political and linguistic claim, a temporary compromise at the end of a frustrated Revolution? Or does it translate a deeper program, to reconcile both sides of the constitutionalism, ancient and modern ?

THE AMBIGUITIES OF « GRANTED CONSTITUTIONALISM » : A TRANSATLANTIC DEBATE (II)

2017

After France, and before Brazil, the second article concerns Portugal. The portuguese legal framework was appropriate to stem the birth of the constituent power. Reconstructed on the basis of an apocryphal transcription of its founding pact, the Cortes of Lamego of 1143, the portuguese public law benefited on top of a written document born in the XVth century, the Ordenações. This double peculiarity, making "iberian liberties" a model of the ancient constitutionalism, explains the reverential respect for these medieval borders and the hatred following Dom Pedro's granting in 1826. In these conditions, and in spite of the program followed by a "granting power" which refuses to define itself …