The explanation of the Pontic policy of Mithridates II as offered in our scanty sources is hardly... more The explanation of the Pontic policy of Mithridates II as offered in our scanty sources is hardly satisfactory. After the battle of Ankyra (240–239 BC), Mithridates’ position appeared ambiguous to modern and ancient authors alike (Section I–II). A revision of all the evidence would be welcome. If the chronology proposed here is correct (notably, it puts the date of the Pontic attack on Sinope at c. 228 BC instead of the widely accepted 220 BC), the aggressive policy of Mithridates in Asia Minor can be revised. The siege of Sinope should not be understood as an isolated episode in the endless Anatolian warfare; it was part of a premeditated policy which well accorded with the ambitious schemes of Antiochos Hierax (Section III). However, after Hierax’ defeat, Mithridates reverted to a policy of good relations with the main branch of the Syrian dynasty (Section IV).
Launching an offensive against Sinope and, shortly after, entering the war against Eumenes II, th... more Launching an offensive against Sinope and, shortly after, entering the war against Eumenes II, the Pontic king Pharnakes and his Gallatian allies challenged the newly established order in Asia Minor. The post Apamean territorial gains of Eumenes II were at stake, as in the previous war, in which Pharnakes had fought on the side of Prusias I. In the second campaign, Pharnakes besieged Tieion, the πολίχνιον under Eumenes’ control. It was the perfect opportunity for the Pergamene king to exercise his diplomatic abilities. At that moment, as can be deduced from scattered information, Eumenes transferred the possession of Tieion to his former enemy, Prusias II, who was eager, like Bithynian kings before him, to gain control over ports on the Black Sea shore. This maneuver brought the Bithynian king into the anti-pontic coalition.
Aevum-rassegna Di Scienze Storiche Linguistiche E Filologiche, 2008
Although we are ill informed about the political and military plans of the populares during Sulla... more Although we are ill informed about the political and military plans of the populares during Sulla's Eastern campaign, there are reasons to believe that Cinna's Libumian operation in 84 was a defensive action against a planned offensive by Sulla. Eutropius' statement that Sulla subdued the Delmatae, as well as other nuances in the sources, lead to the conclusion that Sulla was trying to find a land route to Italy, or, at least, to threaten Gallia Cisalpina with the help of the Delmatae, his new allies.
Aevum-rassegna Di Scienze Storiche Linguistiche E Filologiche, 2002
The flamen Quirinalis' activities in the service of Consus, Robigus and Acca Larentia make it... more The flamen Quirinalis' activities in the service of Consus, Robigus and Acca Larentia make it possible to reconstruct roughly the wide scope of Quirinus' original functions. Quirinus' main competence was war; also, but less important, fertility (~ Consus / Neptune ~ the rape of the Sabine women) and funerary rites. On the material level, he was closely connected with water; in the sphere of theriomorphic notions, he was identified with the horse. It is tempting to interpret the legendary Mettius Curtius as a historicizing derivative of Quirinus. In the Sabine context, the god's traits of (still hypothetical) 'universality' may have resulted from his being the heroized ancestor of his people and the divinite poliade of Cures.
During the archaeological excavations in Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia) in 1970, at the site of Roman... more During the archaeological excavations in Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia) in 1970, at the site of Roman Sirmium, a fragmentary marble tombstone was excavated at the Christian cemetery of Sirmian martyr St. Sуneros/Serenus. The tombstone bears an inscription which reveals that Marturius held a position of a cupbearer of Emperor Constans I (337-350). The name of the emperor is based on the reading Constanti | inperatori (lines 3-4; adnominal dative). The inscription is significant because it is one of the few epigraphic confirmations of the title pincerna, the position well-established in the late Roman and medieval imperial courts.
The article deals with the phrase symmachia kai philia, as used by John Cantacuzenos (Hist. I 8; ... more The article deals with the phrase symmachia kai philia, as used by John Cantacuzenos (Hist. I 8; II 5; II 25). John Cantacuzenos was familiar with the phrase (denoting forms of treaty or alliance between the states) through classical authors (Polybius, ?specially), but it seems that symmachia kai philia (in that specific word order) was borrowed from the First Book of Maccabbes.
A Contribution to the Study of Mining in the Late Antiquity:
A follis of Diocletian, mi... more A Contribution to the Study of Mining in the Late Antiquity:
A follis of Diocletian, minted in Carthage “around 298” was found at Belo brdo, on south-eastern slopes of Kopaonik. It was minted during the African campaign of Maximian against Quinquegenitani, a campaign which seems to have been crucial for the grain supply of Rome. The distant finding site of the follis, the fact that the area (not far from the Sočanica mining district) was rich in iron and silver and Diocleetian’s personal attention to metalla, especially in the Danubian provinces – corroborate the assumption that the mine at Belo Brdo was active during the Tetrarchy.
The explanation of the Pontic policy of Mithridates II as offered in our scanty sources is hardly... more The explanation of the Pontic policy of Mithridates II as offered in our scanty sources is hardly satisfactory. After the battle of Ankyra (240–239 BC), Mithridates’ position appeared ambiguous to modern and ancient authors alike (Section I–II). A revision of all the evidence would be welcome. If the chronology proposed here is correct (notably, it puts the date of the Pontic attack on Sinope at c. 228 BC instead of the widely accepted 220 BC), the aggressive policy of Mithridates in Asia Minor can be revised. The siege of Sinope should not be understood as an isolated episode in the endless Anatolian warfare; it was part of a premeditated policy which well accorded with the ambitious schemes of Antiochos Hierax (Section III). However, after Hierax’ defeat, Mithridates reverted to a policy of good relations with the main branch of the Syrian dynasty (Section IV).
Launching an offensive against Sinope and, shortly after, entering the war against Eumenes II, th... more Launching an offensive against Sinope and, shortly after, entering the war against Eumenes II, the Pontic king Pharnakes and his Gallatian allies challenged the newly established order in Asia Minor. The post Apamean territorial gains of Eumenes II were at stake, as in the previous war, in which Pharnakes had fought on the side of Prusias I. In the second campaign, Pharnakes besieged Tieion, the πολίχνιον under Eumenes’ control. It was the perfect opportunity for the Pergamene king to exercise his diplomatic abilities. At that moment, as can be deduced from scattered information, Eumenes transferred the possession of Tieion to his former enemy, Prusias II, who was eager, like Bithynian kings before him, to gain control over ports on the Black Sea shore. This maneuver brought the Bithynian king into the anti-pontic coalition.
Aevum-rassegna Di Scienze Storiche Linguistiche E Filologiche, 2008
Although we are ill informed about the political and military plans of the populares during Sulla... more Although we are ill informed about the political and military plans of the populares during Sulla's Eastern campaign, there are reasons to believe that Cinna's Libumian operation in 84 was a defensive action against a planned offensive by Sulla. Eutropius' statement that Sulla subdued the Delmatae, as well as other nuances in the sources, lead to the conclusion that Sulla was trying to find a land route to Italy, or, at least, to threaten Gallia Cisalpina with the help of the Delmatae, his new allies.
Aevum-rassegna Di Scienze Storiche Linguistiche E Filologiche, 2002
The flamen Quirinalis' activities in the service of Consus, Robigus and Acca Larentia make it... more The flamen Quirinalis' activities in the service of Consus, Robigus and Acca Larentia make it possible to reconstruct roughly the wide scope of Quirinus' original functions. Quirinus' main competence was war; also, but less important, fertility (~ Consus / Neptune ~ the rape of the Sabine women) and funerary rites. On the material level, he was closely connected with water; in the sphere of theriomorphic notions, he was identified with the horse. It is tempting to interpret the legendary Mettius Curtius as a historicizing derivative of Quirinus. In the Sabine context, the god's traits of (still hypothetical) 'universality' may have resulted from his being the heroized ancestor of his people and the divinite poliade of Cures.
During the archaeological excavations in Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia) in 1970, at the site of Roman... more During the archaeological excavations in Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia) in 1970, at the site of Roman Sirmium, a fragmentary marble tombstone was excavated at the Christian cemetery of Sirmian martyr St. Sуneros/Serenus. The tombstone bears an inscription which reveals that Marturius held a position of a cupbearer of Emperor Constans I (337-350). The name of the emperor is based on the reading Constanti | inperatori (lines 3-4; adnominal dative). The inscription is significant because it is one of the few epigraphic confirmations of the title pincerna, the position well-established in the late Roman and medieval imperial courts.
The article deals with the phrase symmachia kai philia, as used by John Cantacuzenos (Hist. I 8; ... more The article deals with the phrase symmachia kai philia, as used by John Cantacuzenos (Hist. I 8; II 5; II 25). John Cantacuzenos was familiar with the phrase (denoting forms of treaty or alliance between the states) through classical authors (Polybius, ?specially), but it seems that symmachia kai philia (in that specific word order) was borrowed from the First Book of Maccabbes.
A Contribution to the Study of Mining in the Late Antiquity:
A follis of Diocletian, mi... more A Contribution to the Study of Mining in the Late Antiquity:
A follis of Diocletian, minted in Carthage “around 298” was found at Belo brdo, on south-eastern slopes of Kopaonik. It was minted during the African campaign of Maximian against Quinquegenitani, a campaign which seems to have been crucial for the grain supply of Rome. The distant finding site of the follis, the fact that the area (not far from the Sočanica mining district) was rich in iron and silver and Diocleetian’s personal attention to metalla, especially in the Danubian provinces – corroborate the assumption that the mine at Belo Brdo was active during the Tetrarchy.
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A follis of Diocletian, minted in Carthage “around 298” was found at Belo brdo, on south-eastern slopes of Kopaonik. It was minted during the African campaign of Maximian against Quinquegenitani, a campaign which seems to have been crucial for the grain supply of Rome. The distant finding site of the follis, the fact that the area (not far from the Sočanica mining district) was rich in iron and silver and Diocleetian’s personal attention to metalla, especially in the Danubian provinces – corroborate the assumption that the mine at Belo Brdo was active during the Tetrarchy.
A follis of Diocletian, minted in Carthage “around 298” was found at Belo brdo, on south-eastern slopes of Kopaonik. It was minted during the African campaign of Maximian against Quinquegenitani, a campaign which seems to have been crucial for the grain supply of Rome. The distant finding site of the follis, the fact that the area (not far from the Sočanica mining district) was rich in iron and silver and Diocleetian’s personal attention to metalla, especially in the Danubian provinces – corroborate the assumption that the mine at Belo Brdo was active during the Tetrarchy.