Gli Ateniesi in Tracia. Le ossa di Reso e la nascita di Anfipoli

The main source of information on the cult of the Thracian hero Rhesus at Amphipolis is a detailed narrative in Polyaenus’ Stratagemata. According to this, the cult was introduced by the Athenian colonists who founded the city in 437 BC. In that occasion, a sanctuary (heroon) was built in the place where the supposed relics of Rhesus were buried. The paper studies the possible origins of Polyaenus’ account in some lost work of local historiography; it also discusses the remaining sources of information on the cult and the sanctuary (literary, epigraphic, archaeological, numismatic). On this basis, some general remarks on the ‘sacred topography’ of Amphipolis in the fifth century BC and a new interpretation of the historical context of the foundation of the colony are also suggested. The introduction of a supposedly ‘indigenous’ cult was meant not only to legitimate the Athenian claims on a much disputed territory and to make the city’s foundation possible, but also to involve the Thracian tribes of the area in the foundation itself and to include them in the city’s population. Other elements can confirm such an interpretation of the mixed nature of the city and of some peculiarities of its pantheon

Seismic imaging: a practical approach

In the geophysics of oil exploration and reservoir studies, the surface seismic method is the most commonly used method to obtain a subsurface model in 2 or 3 dimensions. This method plays an increasingly important role in soil investigations for geotechnical, hydrogeological and site characterization studies regarding seismic hazard issues. The goal of this book is to provide a practical guide, using examples from the field, to the application of seismic methods to surface imaging. After reviewing the current state of knowledge in seismic wave propagation, refraction and reflection seismic methods, the book aims to describe how seismic tomography and fullwave form inversion methods can be used to obtain seismic images of the subsurface. Through various synthetic and field examples, the book highlights the benefit of combining different sets of data: refracted waves with reflected waves, and body waves with surface waves. With field data targeting shallow structures, it shows how more accurate geophysical models can be obtained by using the proposed hybrid methods. Finally, it shows how the integration of seismic data (3D survey and VSP), logging data (acoustic logging) and core measurements, combined with a succession of specific and advanced processing techniques, enables the development of a 3D high resolution geological model in depth. In addition to these examples, the authors provide readers with guidelines to carry out these operations, in terms of acquisition, as well as processing and interpretation. In each chapter, the reader will find theoretical concepts, practical rules and, above all, actual application examples. For this reason, the book can be used as a text to accompany course lectures or continuing education seminars. This book aims to promote the exchange of information among geologists, geophysicists, and engineers in geotechnical fields

L’attività della cancelleria antigonide negli anni delle guerre romano-macedoniche

Lo studio prende in esame, alla luce soprattutto di una ricca documentazione epigrafica, l'attività della cancelleria reale in Macedonia sotto i due ultimi re Antigonidi, Filippo V e Perseo (221-168). L'arco di tempo coincide con quello del primo programma storiografico di Polibio e con la conquista romana dell'Oriente mediterraneo, fino appunto alla sconfitta macedone a Pidna. Più in particolare sono esaminate le lettere e i diagrammata riferibili con certezza o probabilità al periodo delle tre guerre romano-macedoniche e sono discussi gli ambiti (legislativo, politico, religioso, amministrativo) in cui maggiormente si coglie l'intervento dei re in comunicazioni scritte rivolte alle diverse comunità locali. Attraverso la valorizzazione di documenti epigrafici divenuti noti solo negli ultimi anni e il confronto con testi già noti, infine, si propone di riferire al regno di Perseo sia l'introduzione nelle città macedoni dei politarchi, sia parte della legislazione su esercito e attività dei ginnasi, che in passato si è riferita per lo più all'opera di Filippo.The paper deals with the activity of Macedonian royal chancery under the last two Antigonid kings, Philip V and Perseus (221-168), mainly on the basis of a rich epigraphic record. The period taken into consideration coincides with the one which Polybius dealt with according to the original plan of the Histories (the conclusion being the Macedonian defeat at Pydna). A particular attention is devoted to the letters and diagrammata which were certainly (or probably) issued during the period of the three wars against Rome. The topics (legislative, political, religious, administrative) mainly involved in these texts and the related communication between central power and local communities are here stressed. The analysis of some inscriptions which became fully known only recently and the revaluation of already known texts, moreover, allow us to date during the reign of Perseus both the introduction of the politarchs in the Macedonian cities and at least a part of the legislative texts on the army and on the activities of the gymnasia, which were usually attributed to Philip V in the past

«Un luogo calcato da molti piedi»: la valle dello Strimone prima di Anfipoli

L’articolo ha per tema la storia della bassa valle dello Strimone prima della fondazione, nel 437 a.C., della colonia ateniese di Anfipoli. L’interpretazione di alcuni eventi noti dalla tradizione letteraria (attività di Pisistrato in Tracia, tentativi milesii di colonizzare Mircino, altre attività di coloni greci nell’area, occupazione ateniese di Eion e primo fallito tentativo di colonizzare Ennea Hodoi) o da testimonianze epigrafiche (la presenza paria a Eion, la fondazione di una colonia ateniese a Brea) si giova anche del confronto con le testimonianze archeologiche e numismatiche sull’interazione tra Greci e popolazioni indigene in quest’area cruciale. Gli indizi archeologici sono inoltre esaminati per chiarire l’esatta natura di Ennea Hodoi prima che vi sorgesse Anfipoli (l’identità tra i due siti è espressamente affermata dalle fonti letterarie). Gli esperimenti coloniali vincenti nella zona sono quelli caratterizzati da ibridazione etnica e da forte cooperazione nello sfruttamento delle risorse economiche dell’area; i tentativi greci di occupazione diretta di territori per via militare provocano viceversa a più riprese la violenta reazione delle popolazioni locali. Questi elementi consentono di ridiscutere nel suo insieme l’evoluzione degli interessi ateniesi nella valle dello Strimone e nell’area del Pangeo tra l’età di Pisistrato e la fondazione di Anfipoli e di interpretare su nuove basi le circostanze che portarono a quest’ultimo evento e le caratteristiche (etniche, culturali ed economiche) della colonia di Agnone. The paper is focused on the history of the low Strymon valley prior to the foundation of the Athenian colony of Amphipolis in 437 BC. The interpretation of a few events known thanks to the literary sources (Pisistratus’ stay in Thrace, Milesian attempts at colonizing Myrcinus, other activities of Greek colonies in the area, Athenian capture of Eion and first attempt at occupying Ennea Hodoi) or to the epigraphic material (Parian presence at Eion, Athenian colony of Brea) is improved thanks to the parallel analysis of the archaeological and numismatic evidence now available, more particularly as far as the interaction of Greeks and indigenous populations in this crucial area is concerned. The archaeological data are also discussed in order to clarify the exact nature of Ennea Hodoi before the foundation of Amphipolis (the identity of the two sites being explicitly testified by the literary sources). The winning pattern of ‘colonization’ in the area seems characterized by ethnic ‘hybridization’ and economic cooperation; on the other hand, the Greek attempts at occupying territories through military attacks usually provoked violent and hostile reactions by the native populations. All these elements are the basis of a new general discussion of the evolution of the Athenian interests in the area of the Strymon and of the mount Pangaeum between the age of Pisistratus and the foundation of Amphipolis; of the circumstances leading to the latter event; of the main features (ethnic, economic, and cultural) of the colony led by Hagnon

Istituzioni cittadine della Macedonia preromana. Alcune novità epigrafiche

L’articolo passa in rassegna alcuni recenti sviluppi nello studio delle magistra-ture cittadine nella Macedonia pre-romana, suggeriti da documenti epigrafici già noti o pubblicati di recente. Vengono affrontati in particolare i problemi se-guenti: il ruolo degli epistatai nell’ultimo periodo antigonide; l’epoca di introduzione e le funzioni dei politarchi; i casi di alcune magistrature minori; il rapporto tra documenti della cancelleria reale e legislazione locale. In appendice si fornisce la traduzione italiana della legge efebarchica di Anfipoli, recentemente pubblicata da K. Lazaridi e già oggetto di una ricca bibliografia.This paper offers an overview of some recent developments in the study of local magistrates in pre-Roman Macedonia, made possible by already known or recently published inscriptions. The article focuses, more particularly, on the following topics: the role of the epistatai in the last part of the Antigonid age; the first introduction and functions of the politarchs; some minor magistracies; the relationship between the documents issued by the royal chancery and local legislation. An Italian translation of the ephebarchical law of Amphipolis, recently published by K. Lazaridi and at the center of a lively critical debate, is given in the final appendix

Istituzioni cittadine della Macedonia preromana. Alcune novità epigrafiche

L’articolo passa in rassegna alcuni recenti sviluppi nello studio delle magistrature cittadine nella Macedonia pre-romana, suggeriti da documenti epigrafici già noti o pubblicati di recente. Vengono affrontati in particolare i problemi seguenti: il ruolo degli epistatai nell’ultimo periodo antigonide; l’epoca di introduzione e le funzioni dei politarchi; i casi di alcune magistrature minori; il rapporto tra documenti della cancelleria reale e legislazione locale. In appendice si fornisce la traduzione italiana della legge efebarchica di Anfipoli, recentemente pubblicata da K. Lazaridi e già oggetto di una ricca bibliografia.This paper offers an overview of some recent developments in the study of local magistrates in pre-Roman Macedonia, made possible by already known or recently published inscriptions. The article focuses, more particularly, on the following topics: the role of the epistatai in the last part of the Antigonid age; the first introduction and functions of the politarchs; some minor magistracies; the relationship between the documents issued by the royal chancery and local legislation. An Italian translation of the ephebarchical law of Amphipolis, recently published by K. Lazaridi and at the center of a lively critical debate, is given in the final appendix

The temporal patterns of disease severity and prevalence in schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is one of the most widespread public health problems in the world. In this work, we introduce an eco-epidemiological model for its transmission and dynamics with the purpose of explaining both intra-and inter-annual fluctuations of disease severity and prevalence. The model takes the form of a system of nonlinear differential equations that incorporate biological complexity associated with schistosome's life cycle, including a prepatent period in snails (i.e., the time between initial infection and onset of infectiousness). Nonlinear analysis is used to explore the parametric conditions that produce different temporal patterns (stationary, endemic, periodic, and chaotic). For the time-invariant model, we identify a transcritical and a Hopf bifurcation in the space of the human and snail infection parameters. The first corresponds to the occurrence of an endemic equilibrium, while the latter marks the transition to interannual periodic oscillations. We then investigate a more realistic time-varying model in which fertility of the intermediate host population is assumed to seasonally vary. We show that seasonality can give rise to a cascade of period-doubling bifurcations leading to chaos for larger, though realistic, values of the amplitude of the seasonal variation of fertility. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC

Big-data-driven modeling unveils country-wide drivers of endemic schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection that is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, where it represents a major health problem. We study the drivers of its geographical distribution in Senegal via a spatially explicit network model accounting for epidemiological dynamics driven by local socioeconomic and environmental conditions, and human mobility. The model is parameterized by tapping several available geodatabases and a large dataset of mobile phone traces. It reliably reproduces the observed spatial patterns of regional schistosomiasis prevalence throughout the country, provided that spatial heterogeneity and human mobility are suitably accounted for. Specifically, a fine-grained description of the socioeconomic and environmental heterogeneities involved in local disease transmission is crucial to capturing the spatial variability of disease prevalence, while the inclusion of human mobility significantly improves the explanatory power of the model. Concerning human movement, we find that moderate mobility may reduce disease prevalence, whereas either high or low mobility may result in increased prevalence of infection. The effects of control strategies based on exposure and contamination reduction via improved access to safe water or educational campaigns are also analyzed. To our knowledge, this represents the first application of an integrative schistosomiasis transmission model at a whole-country scale