A Few Observations on the Distinctive Features of the Greek Culture

A Few Observations on the Distinctive Features of the Greek CultureThe article is devoted to one of the most interesting features of the Greek culture in antiquity, namely for an almost total insensitivity of the Hellenes to sounds and colours of any other language. It is no coincidence that the once-non-pejorative word βάρβαρος over time acquired its current meaning of ‘barbaric/barbarian’, shared by probably all modern languages which take inspiration from classical antiquity. The Greeks, however, were not racist in the contemporary meaning of the word: regardless of origin, (s)he who takes the Hellenic culture, and above all language, for his/her own, becomes Greek. We may find an excellent illustration of this in the life and fortunes of Lucian of Samosata. The spreading of Greek culture to the entire Mediterranean and further east – as a consequence of the conquests of Alexander the Great – brought with it the appearance of a new type of books written in Greek and for Greeks. These works presented the rich, and often ancient, heritage of the cultures and peoples subjugated by Hellenic expansion. And although their authors were ‘barbarians’, it was essential that the books themselves be written in Greek. This was so not only because the Hellenes would not understand them otherwise, but probably also due to the fact that it was only the Hellenes who could be considered bearers of the ideal, of kalòs kẚgathós, the notion – fundamental to Greek competitive culture – combining moral goodness, righteousness of the spirit and beauty and vigour of the body (often backed by material wealth). However, despite its exclusivity, Greek culture was capable of both attracting others and adapting to them: as is best proven by the history of European culture.Kilka luźnych uwag co do specyfiki greckiej kulturyArtykuł jest poświęcony jednej z najbardziej charakterystycznych cech starożytnej kultury greckiej – brakowi umiejętności Hellenów do zauważenia piękna i kolorytu języków innych niż grecki. Nie jest przypadkiem, że βάρβαρος 'barbarzyńca/barbarzyński' – słowo pierwotnie pozbawione negatywnych konotacji – z biegiem czasu nabrało takiego znaczenia, które jest obecne zapewne we wszystkich nowożytnych językach, czerpiących z antyku klasycznego. Nie wynika to jednak z rasizmu – Grecy akceptują i uznają za swoich innych, o ile przejmą oni grecką kulturę i oczywiście język; klasycznym przykładem jest Lukian z Samosat. Rozszerzenie się kultury greckiej na cały obszar basenu Morza Śródziemnego i dalej na wschód – konsekwencja podbojów Aleksandra Wielkiego – przynosi pojawienie się książek pisanych po grecku i przeznaczonych dla Greków. Pokazują one dorobek kultur i ludów podporządkowanych przez Greków. Choć pisane przez 'barbarzyńców' książki te muszą być po grecku – Helleni nie zrozumieją inaczej. Zapewne wynika to z faktu, że tylko Helleni mogą być uznani za nośnik ideału – pojęcia kalokagathii, fundamentalnego dla greckiej kultury współzawodnictwa, połączenia moralnego dobra, szlachetności ducha, cielesnego piękna i tężyzny (nierzadko wspartego majątkiem). Kultura grecka – mimo swej ekskluzywności – potrafiła jednak przyciągać innych i do innych się przystosowywać: dzieje kultury europejskiej są tego najlepszym dowodem

Venus mapping

Semicontrolled image mosaics of Venus, based on Magellan data, are being compiled at 1:50,000,000, 1:10,000,000, 1:5,000,000, and 1:1,000,000 scales to support the Magellan Radar Investigator (RADIG) team. The mosaics are semicontrolled in the sense that data gaps were not filled and significant cosmetic inconsistencies exist. Contours are based on preliminary radar altimetry data that is subjected to revision and improvement. Final maps to support geologic mapping and other scientific investigations, to be compiled as the dataset becomes complete, will be sponsored by the Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program and/or the Venus Data Analysis Program. All maps, both semicontrolled and final, will be published as I-maps by the United States Geological Survey. All of the mapping is based on existing knowledge of the spacecraft orbit; photogrammetric triangulation, a traditional basis for geodetic control on planets where framing cameras were used, is not feasible with the radar images of Venus, although an eventual shift of coordinate system to a revised spin-axis location is anticipated. This is expected to be small enough that it will affect only large-scale maps

Surface processes recorded by rocks and soils on Meridiani Planum, Mars: Microscopic Imager observations during Opportunity's first three extended missions

The Microscopic Imager (MI) on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has returned images of Mars with higher resolution than any previous camera system, allowing detailed petrographic and sedimentological studies of the rocks and soils at the Meridiani Planum landing site. Designed to simulate a geologist's hand lens, the MI is mounted on Opportunity's instrument arm and can resolve objects 0.1 mm across or larger. This paper provides an overview of MI operations, data calibration, and analysis of MI data returned during the first 900 sols (Mars days) of the Opportunity landed mission. Analyses of Opportunity MI data have helped to resolve major questions about the origin of observed textures and features. These studies support eolian sediment transport, rather than impact surge processes, as the dominant depositional mechanism for Burns formation strata. MI stereo observations of a rock outcrop near the rim of Erebus Crater support the previous interpretation of similar sedimentary structures in Eagle Crater as being formed by surficial flow of liquid water. Well-sorted spherules dominate ripple surfaces on the Meridiani plains, and the size of spherules between ripples decreases by about 1 mm from north to south along Opportunity's traverse between Endurance and Erebus craters

X-ray Diffraction Results from Mars Science Laboratory: Mineralogy of Rocknest at Gale Crater

The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity scooped samples of soil from the Rocknest aeolian bedform in Gale crater. Analysis of the soil with the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) x-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument revealed plagioclase (~An57), forsteritic olivine (~Fo62), augite, and pigeonite, with minor K-feldspar, magnetite, quartz, anhydrite, hematite, and ilmenite. The minor phases are present at, or near, detection limits. The soil also contains 27 ± 14 weight percent x-ray amorphous material, likely containing multiple Fe^(3+)- and volatile-bearing phases, including possibly a substance resembling hisingerite. The crystalline component is similar to the normative mineralogy of certain basaltic rocks from Gusev crater on Mars and of martian basaltic meteorites. The amorphous component is similar to that found on Earth in places such as soils on the Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii

Mineralogy of a Mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars

Sedimentary rocks at Yellowknife Bay (Gale Crater) on Mars include mudstone sampled by the Curiosity rover. The samples, John Klein and Cumberland, contain detrital basaltic minerals, Ca-sulfates, Fe oxide/hydroxides, Fe-sulfides, amorphous material, and trioctahedral smectites. The John Klein smectite has basal spacing of ~10 Å indicating little interlayer hydration. The Cumberland smectite has basal spacing at ~13.2 Å as well as ~10 Å. The ~13.2 Å spacing suggests a partially chloritized interlayer or interlayer Mg or Ca facilitating H_2O retention. Basaltic minerals in the mudstone are similar to those in nearby eolian deposits. However, the mudstone has far less Fe-forsterite, possibly lost with formation of smectite plus magnetite. Late Noachian/Early Hesperian or younger age indicates that clay mineral formation on Mars extended beyond Noachian time

Volatile and Organic Compositions of Sedimentary Rocks in Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars

H₂O, CO₂, SO₂, O₂, H₂, H₂S, HCl, chlorinated hydrocarbons, NO and other trace gases were evolved during pyrolysis of two mudstone samples acquired by the Curiosity rover at Yellowknife Bay within Gale crater, Mars. H₂O/OH-bearing phases included 2:1 phyllosilicate(s), bassanite, akaganeite, and amorphous materials. Thermal decomposition of carbonates and combustion of organic materials are candidate sources for the CO₂. Concurrent evolution of O₂ and chlorinated hydrocarbons suggest the presence of oxychlorine phase(s). Sulfides are likely sources for S-bearing species. Higher abundances of chlorinated hydrocarbons in the mudstone compared with Rocknest windblown materials previously analyzed by Curiosity suggest that indigenous martian or meteoritic organic C sources may be preserved in the mudstone; however, the C source for the chlorinated hydrocarbons is not definitively of martian origin

The Petrochemistry of Jake_M: A Martian Mugearite

“Jake_M,” the first rock analyzed by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer instrument on the Curiosity rover, differs substantially in chemical composition from other known martian igneous rocks: It is alkaline (>15% normative nepheline) and relatively fractionated. Jake_M is compositionally similar to terrestrial mugearites, a rock type typically found at ocean islands and continental rifts. By analogy with these comparable terrestrial rocks, Jake_M could have been produced by extensive fractional crystallization of a primary alkaline or transitional magma at elevated pressure, with or without elevated water contents. The discovery of Jake_M suggests that alkaline magmas may be more abundant on Mars than on Earth and that Curiosity could encounter even more fractionated alkaline rocks (for example, phonolites and trachytes)

A Habitable Fluvio-Lacustrine Environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars

The Curiosity rover discovered fine-grained sedimentary rocks, inferred to represent an ancient lake, preserve evidence of an environment that would have been suited to support a Martian biosphere founded on chemolithoautotrophy. This aqueous environment was characterized by neutral pH, low salinity, and variable redox states of both iron and sulfur species. C, H, O, S, N, and P were measured directly as key biogenic elements, and by inference N and P are assumed to have been available. The environment likely had a minimum duration of hundreds to tens of thousands of years. These results highlight the biological viability of fluvial-lacustrine environments in the post-Noachian history of Mars

Elemental Geochemistry of Sedimentary Rocks at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars

Sedimentary rocks examined by the Curiosity rover at Yellowknife Bay, Mars, were derived from sources that evolved from approximately average Martian crustal composition to one influenced by alkaline basalts. No evidence of chemical weathering is preserved indicating arid, possibly cold, paleoclimates and rapid erosion/deposition. Absence of predicted geochemical variations indicates that magnetite and phyllosilicates formed by diagenesis under low temperature, circum-neutral pH, rock-dominated aqueous conditions. High spatial resolution analyses of diagenetic features, including concretions, raised ridges and fractures, indicate they are composed of iron- and halogen-rich components, magnesium-iron-chlorine-rich components and hydrated calcium-sulfates, respectively. Composition of a cross-cutting dike-like feature is consistent with sedimentary intrusion. Geochemistry of these sedimentary rocks provides further evidence for diverse depositional and diagenetic sedimentary environments during the early history of Mars

A Few Observations on the Distinctive Features of the Greek Culture

A Few Observations on the Distinctive Features of the Greek CultureThe article is devoted to one of the most interesting features of the Greek culture in antiquity, namely for an almost total insensitivity of the Hellenes to sounds and colours of any other language. It is no coincidence that the once-non-pejorative word βάρβαρος over time acquired its current meaning of ‘barbaric/barbarian’, shared by probably all modern languages which take inspiration from classical antiquity. The Greeks, however, were not racist in the contemporary meaning of the word: regardless of origin, (s)he who takes the Hellenic culture, and above all language, for his/her own, becomes Greek. We may find an excellent illustration of this in the life and fortunes of Lucian of Samosata. The spreading of Greek culture to the entire Mediterranean and further east – as a consequence of the conquests of Alexander the Great – brought with it the appearance of a new type of books written in Greek and for Greeks. These works presented the rich, and often ancient, heritage of the cultures and peoples subjugated by Hellenic expansion. And although their authors were ‘barbarians’, it was essential that the books themselves be written in Greek. This was so not only because the Hellenes would not understand them otherwise, but probably also due to the fact that it was only the Hellenes who could be considered bearers of the ideal, of kalòs kẚgathós, the notion – fundamental to Greek competitive culture – combining moral goodness, righteousness of the spirit and beauty and vigour of the body (often backed by material wealth). However, despite its exclusivity, Greek culture was capable of both attracting others and adapting to them: as is best proven by the history of European culture.Kilka luźnych uwag co do specyfiki greckiej kulturyArtykuł jest poświęcony jednej z najbardziej charakterystycznych cech starożytnej kultury greckiej – brakowi umiejętności Hellenów do zauważenia piękna i kolorytu języków innych niż grecki. Nie jest przypadkiem, że βάρβαρος 'barbarzyńca/barbarzyński' – słowo pierwotnie pozbawione negatywnych konotacji – z biegiem czasu nabrało takiego znaczenia, które jest obecne zapewne we wszystkich nowożytnych językach, czerpiących z antyku klasycznego. Nie wynika to jednak z rasizmu – Grecy akceptują i uznają za swoich innych, o ile przejmą oni grecką kulturę i oczywiście język; klasycznym przykładem jest Lukian z Samosat. Rozszerzenie się kultury greckiej na cały obszar basenu Morza Śródziemnego i dalej na wschód – konsekwencja podbojów Aleksandra Wielkiego – przynosi pojawienie się książek pisanych po grecku i przeznaczonych dla Greków. Pokazują one dorobek kultur i ludów podporządkowanych przez Greków. Choć pisane przez 'barbarzyńców' książki te muszą być po grecku – Helleni nie zrozumieją inaczej. Zapewne wynika to z faktu, że tylko Helleni mogą być uznani za nośnik ideału – pojęcia kalokagathii, fundamentalnego dla greckiej kultury współzawodnictwa, połączenia moralnego dobra, szlachetności ducha, cielesnego piękna i tężyzny (nierzadko wspartego majątkiem). Kultura grecka – mimo swej ekskluzywności – potrafiła jednak przyciągać innych i do innych się przystosowywać: dzieje kultury europejskiej są tego najlepszym dowodem