Pliniusz Starszy o zasobach naturalnych Hiszpanii i ich wykorzystaniu

Many references to Spain found in Naturalis Historia written by Pliny the Elder prove his profound knowledge of the land and culture of Spain, as well as his particular recognition of the wealth and high economic level of this country. Pliny the Elder gives important information about the agricultural resources of Spain and the basic crops of this land, which include mainly corn, vine and spartum, or Lygeum spartum, which is a valuable textile material, but he mainly focuses on the unusual wealth of minerals that were obtained from local excavations. Among them were materials useful for the production of medicines, dyes or ceramics, but also materials necessary for the production and preservation of food (enough to mention salt, extracted in Spain on a large scale), but mainly he describes precious metals, i.e., silver and gold, which made the Iberian Peninsula famous at that time. The manner in which Pliny depicts the mining techniques used at that time indicates his astonishing knowledge of the described realities, and the remarks which he provides about the destructive methods of obtaining Spanish gold testify to his ecological commitment to the integrity and undisturbed prosperity of the country with which he was connected in 73 AD by the prosecutor’s office

Rational Behaviour of Animals as According to Marcus Tullius Cicero

Having analysed Cicero’s opinions about wild animals demonstrated in some of his works (De finibus bonorum et malorum; De natura deorum; Tusculanae disputationes), we may conclude that on the one hand a human as a rational being is definitely opposed to other living creatures that just follow their carnal instincts, on the other hand even among representatives of various species of animals one can observe behaviour to some extent rational, or even “ethical”, that make them similar to human beings. We may explain this phenomenon with the concept based on the Stoic doctrine of rational or even somehow divine character of nature that contains in itself elements of gradation, and allows the presence of divine ratio in particular beings to differ in intensity, what locates animals in the hierarchy of beings slightly lower than the humans

Platońska eudajmonia. Autor Politei o życiu szczęśliwym

The article deals with several issues related to the concept of happiness that emerge from Plato’s triptych: the Gorgias, the Republic and the Laws. The focus is on (1) the question of the alleged overcoming of the eudaimonistic imperative, i.e., natural human pursuit of happiness, in the didactic message of the Republic; (2) the question of to what extent the path of cognition ending in the contemplation of the perfect being is at the same time a strive for the supreme happiness; (3) the dilemma of choosing between a reductive and a cumulative model of complete satisfaction in human life; and finally (4) the problem of affiliative condi­tions of full life satisfaction

Witolda Stefańskiego interpretacja Platońskiego dialogu Kratylos (Plato's Cratylus Interpreted by Witold Stefański)

The purpose of this paper is to present and evaluate the studies in Plato’s Cratylus performed by Witold Stefański, which resulted in several articles concerning this dialogue and its translation into Polish. While the interpretation of this dialogue offered by the author may be called into question, the dialogue’s translation remains undoubtedly an excellent piece of work

ISOCRATES ON WELL CULTIVATED MIND

In his Panathenaic speech, Isocrates contrasts his own teaching program with traditional models of Greek education, both the earlier one and the more scientific one that is favoured in his times: his aim is to form the minds of students in such a manner that they can seize any opportunity that comes along, that in the social intercourse they always remain indulgent and patient, and – what seems the most important here – that they become able to endure both luck and misfortune with courage and appreciate not the things obtained merely by chance, but the ones gained by their toil and effort (Panath. 30–32). And Isocrates’ respect to steadily working mind becomes even greater with time: the result of such a labour must be some prudence (“phronesis”) – the aim of every justly conceived education. Isocrates’ “phronesis” is not Platonic excellence of mind, permanent and always the same, it is the skill and talent of discovering how to adjust to changing public affairs, but at the same time it shall remain constant and unchangeable in its imperative good – the benefit of Athens and its citizens

Lucius Annaeus Seneca – Ungrateful Son of the Spanish Land

The author of this article discusses the question to what extent Lucius Annaeus Seneca – born in Hispania, and today exceptionally venerated in this country as a precursor of the “Spanish” mentality – felt he belonged to this land, and to what extent his feelings towards it were expressed in his writings. An analysis of his creative output leads to the conclusion that he felt little affection for the land of Hispania, since in his writings there are almost no references to it, and perhaps the only trace of his connection with his native country is his youthful epigram Ad Cordubam, in which, however, he shows more warmth towards himself than towards the city. The perceived lack of any more significant declarations of “Spanish” nationality, however, does not so much testify to his pettiness as to his stoic distance from the ethnic and political barriers that divide the community of mankind that constitutes a whole for him

Na krawędzi między dwiema swoimi ojczyznami… Hiszpańskie rozrachunki poety Marcjalisa

This chapter deals with the issue of the motivations that made Martialis, a Spanish native of Bilbilis, decide to leave the capital of the Empire after many years of fruitful residence in Rome and return to his native land. Analysing the references to the Spanish land that can be found in the epigrams of Martialis, it can be assumed that the strongest motivation for this was his memory of his home town, that is of Bilbilis, which certainly dominates over the sentiment to the Spanish land as an ethnic and geographical whole. It should be emphasized, however, that Martialis, who treated both Rome and his home town with a sufficient degree of criticism, in returning to his homeland, was guided not so much by sentiment and emotion, as by the need for inner peace, so desirable for a man who is closing his life balance

Is Isocrates Rightly Regarded Sometimes as a Sophist?

The article addresses the question whether it is a proper opinion to consider Isocrates a sophist as many commentators claim. In his analysis the author refers to the passages in which the rhetor expresses his negative judgments about the opinions and actions performed by the sophists. The author examines also the circumstances in which Isocrates defends the members of this movement, as he finds it a beneficial way to protect also himself from many false and malicious statements. In conclusion, Isocrates is considered to have a unique status as a sophist and to be a philosopher who aspires to the role of the spiritual leader of the Greeks of that time.The article addresses the question whether it is a proper opinion to consider Isocrates a sophist as many commentators claim. In his analysis the author refers to the passages in which the rhetor expresses his negative judgments about the opinions and actions performed by the sophists. The author examines also the circumstances in which Isocrates defends the members of this movement, as he finds it a beneficial way to protect also himself from many false and malicious statements. In conclusion, Isocrates is considered to have a unique status as a sophist and to be a philosopher who aspires to the role of the spiritual leader of the Greeks of that time

Filologia klasyczna Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego - wielcy badacze, niezapomniane osobowości

Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 zostało dofinansowane ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej nauk

Il Rosso Visto Attraverso Gli Occhi Degli Antichi Romani

The article is an attempt to revise the long-established belief in the alabaster-white exterior shape of Roman antiquity, which in fact turns out to be full of colours that bring life to its image. The authors implement this intention by indicating how intensely the colour red was present in the reality described by classical Latin authors – contrary to the accusation that one of the participants of the discussion on this subject in Aulus Gellius’ Attic Nights (Gell. Noc. Att. 2.26) makes of the alleged poverty regarding various shades of red in Latin terminology. The material presented contradicts the opinion expressed in Gellius’ text, and at the same time makes us realise how colourful and lively the world that emerges from the literary works of the classical Roman period was. In comparison with it, the reality witnessed by the literature of the Christian era – this parallel is what the authors of the article focus on, concluding their deliberations – in which red becomes almost exclusively a sign of shame, turns out to be ascetically sterile and depressingly colourless.L’articolo è un tentativo di rivedere l’antica credenza della realtà romana nella sua visione esterna bianca alabastro. Rievocando la discussione di cui Aulo Gellio narra nel suo scritto “Le notti attiche” (Noctes Atticae 2.26), gli autori ricordano che la lingua letteraria latina rappresenta con sfumature e gradazioni del colore rosso diverse evidenze di un’unica umanità e di una stessa natura di piante, uomini e animali contraddistinti da uno stesso colore cangiante nel tempo e a seconda delle stagioni. Il materiale richiamato giova quindi a smentire l’opinione ventilata da Gellio e allo stesso tempo, proprio attraverso i richiami letterari, fa capire quanto fosse colorato e vivace il mondo che possiamo conoscere grazie alla tradizione letteraria di quell’epoca classica latina. In relazione ad essa sta oggi la visione e la testimonianza che ne dà la letteratura cristiana. Concentrando la loro ricerca su questo parallelo, gli autori osservano che nella letteratura cristiana il colore rosso è diventato per lo più, se non proprio esclusivamente, un segno di vergogna o di ribellione rivelandosi, al fine, come segno di vergogna e di rivolta o opposizione asceticamente sterile e deprimentemente incolore