1,720,983 research outputs found
Mario Liverani, Paradiso e dintorni. Il paesaggio rurale dell’antico Oriente
No full textThe book under review consists of a broad-brush historical overview of the evolution of the agrarian landscape in the Ancient Near East (hereafter ANE), based on the analysis of textual materials and on data from archaeological surveys
Combining social sciences, geoscience and archaeology to understand societal collapse
Full text linkDespite its apparently obvious conclusion that adverse environmental conditions must produce economic and institutional crises, the "collapse archaeology" literature has been criticized for its lack of a formal theory, a credible measurement strategy and a proper understanding of the roles of environmental shocks. To tackle this issue, we propose to combine a time inconsistency theory of state formation and evolutiondi.e., state-building, institutional proxies based on this model and highly granular simulated climate data. To clarify our proposal, we apply it to the study of state-building in Bronze Age Mesopotamia, and we show that moderate droughts shaped these economies directly via deteriorated production conditions as well as indirectly via institutional resilience.& COPY; 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Stemmi della Fabbrica
No full textSchede relative al catalogo delle opere del Museo del Duomo di Milan
Shaping Social Dynamics in Early 3rd Millennium BC Mesopotamia: Solid-Footed Goblets and the Politics of Drinking
No full textIt has long been recognized that access to food and beverages has strong political
as well as cultural implications in past and modern societies. Commensal events
are a “powerful form of ritual activity” that can be detected in the archaeological
record in part by studying the containers used for feasting. Feasting is also an
ideal setting for investigating social change through time.
This paper attempts to scrutinize the “proxemics” of drinking at the onset of
the 3rd millennium BC in Mesopotamia via examining a particular type of drinking
vessel, the so-called solid-footed goblet. The first part of the paper deals with
chrono-stratigraphic and contextual distribution of drinking vessels, while the
second part links material culture and feasting behaviors in early 3rd millennium
BC Mesopotamia by using comparative and ethnoarchaeological analyses.
Frances Pinnock’s research focused on the visual and material culture of Syria
and Mesopotamia. Given her interest for the phenomenon of “banqueting” in
early Mesopotamian and Syrian imagery, it seems appropriate to dedicate this
essay to her
The economic and institutional determinants of trade expansion in Bronze Age Greater Mesopotamia
Full text linkThe focus of archaeologists on reconstructing exchange and communication networks in the past resulted in the enormous improvement of methods for analyzing material flows and detecting trade routes. However, our understanding of the determinants of trade patterns over time and space is still limited. To help tackle this issue, we study through regression analysis the rich economic and institutional experience of Bronze Age Greater Mesopotamia. Our testable predictions originate from three main economic theories of trade expansion. First, because of trade costs, mutually beneficial exchanges are discouraged by distance and encouraged by the relative size of markets. Second, trade expands when more suitable farming conditions in neighboring polities allow consumption risk-sharing. Finally, trade develops when interlocking exchange circuits ease the canalization of goods from the outside by providing secure routes, a more certain resolution of legal disputes and credit provision. Ordinary Least Squares—OLS—estimates based on data on 44 major Mesopotamian polities observed for each half-century between 3050 and 1750 BCE are consistent with these predictions. Our approach provides a robust theory-based empirical strategy for integrating archaeological, environmental, and historical data and calls for a tighter interdisciplinary cooperation
The origins of political institutions and property rights
Full text linkWe study the possible cooperation between nonelites exerting an unobservable effort and elites unable to commit to direct transfers and, thus, always assure the nonelites’ participation. The elites can, however, incentivize investment by granting to the nonelites strong property rights to the input and a more inclusive political process, which entrusts them with control over fiscal policies. Adverse production conditions force the elites to enact strong nonelites’ political and property rights to convince them that a sufficient part of the returns on joint investments will be shared via public good provision. These reforms assure cooperation. When, instead, the expected investment return is large, the elites keep control over fiscal policies but refrain from weakening the nonelites’ property rights, while strengthening their own, if the production conditions are sufficiently opaque. Then, the expected cost of providing the extra public good guaranteeing the nonelites’ participation is too large. These predictions are consistent with novel data on 44 major Mesopotamian polities observed for each half-century from 3050 to 1750 BCE. While a lower growing season temperature favored a larger division of the decision-making power and stronger farmers’ use rights to land, only the latter are related to the diffusion of the very opaque viticulture. In addition, only the inclusiveness of the political process fostered the provision of public and ritual buildings as well as conscripted armies. Crucially, our results are robust to considering the trade potential, the severity of conflicts, and the degree of urbanization
Documenti per Girolamo da Treviso a Bologna (con una nuova data per Sabba da Castiglione)
No full textUnpublished documents provide new and valuable information on the career of the painter Girolamo da Treviso (d. ca. 1544). Notably, the overlooked date of a drawing in the Uffizi is a relevant new piece of information related to Girolamo's fresco in the church of the Commenda in Faenza. The celebrated man of letters Sabba da Castiglione commissioned this fresco from Girolamo in 1529, but the painter completed it only four years later. Two unpublished documents related to Girolamo's collaboration with stonecutters in 1531 and 1533 shed light on the architectural taste of Bolognese patrons around 1530
Fonti bolognesi degli “Adagia” di Erasmo. Per una prima ricognizione
No full textL'articolo mira a delucidare i debiti non dichiarati che l'Erasmo da Rotterdam degli "Adagia" contrae con l'Umanesimo bolognese, e segnatamente con le annotazioni filologiche di Filippo Beroaldo il Vecchio: le "Annotationes centum" uscite nel 1488, l'Appendix annotamentorum in calce al commento svetoniano del 1493 e l'Oratio proverbiorum del 1499
Unequal access to cultural ecosystem services of green spaces within the city of Rome – A spatial social media-based analysis
Full text linkThis groundbreaking study sheds new light on the unequal distribution of cultural ecosystem services (CES) within Rome's urban green spaces (UGS). Employing a novel methodology, we assess UGS quality through georeferenced social media data from Twitter, evaluate the green cover of UGS, and assess accessibility to these spaces using network analysis in a GIS environment. This unique methodology allows us to unveil marked disparities in both UGS accessibility and the provision of CES. Unlike traditional approaches, our analysis provides a more nuanced understanding of UGS quality and accessibility. Our findings reveal areas with high UGS accessibility, yet limited CES provision. These insights are crucial for targeted urban planning interventions, advocating for a more equitable distribution of UGS benefits. This research challenges traditional green space planning with a focus on green space availability. Importantly, our study goes further by identifying specific disadvantaged areas, offering valuable insights for promoting equity in urban areas, emphasizing the importance of UGS quality and accessibility. Thereby, this research provides a foundation for a more nuanced, equal, and quality-driven approach to UGS planning
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