«All Aram» and «Upper and Lower Aram»: what the Sefire Inscription suggests us about the Aramaean ethnicity

The Aramaeans are always presented as an “undifferentiated group present from the Lower Khabur to the Mount Lebanon” (Sader 1992), without any ethnic affiliation. The construction of their identity may be given by two opposite viewpoints: their own perspective (internal view) and that perceived by other populations (external view). We will show this through the notion of “all Aram” in the Sefire inscription, and by looking at some passages from Assyrian records and the Bible. The first document is the longest Aramaic inscription (about 200 lines) found 25 km from Aleppo in 1930 and dated to the 8th century. It is a treaty stipulated between the unknown king of KTK, Bargaʼ yah and the king of Arpad Matiʻel. The other inscriptions concern, in particular, the records of Shalmaneser III and Tiglath-pileser III who occupied the Aramaean territories in the 9th-8th centuries, and some letters from Nippur

Frederick Mario Fales & Giulia Francesca Grassi, L’aramaico antico. Storia, grammatica, testi commentati

Comme le titre et le sous-titre l’indiquent, l’ouvrage se focalise sur la présentation de la langue araméenne du point de vue grammatical et historique, en prenant en considération les inscriptions les plus importantes, analysées dans leurs moindres détails. Plusieurs dissertations et ouvrages sur la population araméenne et la diffusion de la langue sont parus ces dernières années ; citons The Aramaeans in Ancient Syria, édité par E. Niehr en 2016, qui offre un chapitre dédiée à l’écriture et..

Dissecting the intracellular signalling and fate of a DNA nanosensor by super-resolution and quantitative microscopy

DNA nanodevices have been developed as platforms for the manipulation of gene expression, delivery of molecular payloads, and detection of various molecular targets within cells and in other complex biological settings. Despite efforts to translate DNA nanodevices from the test tube (in vitro) to living cells, their intracellular trafficking and functionality remain poorly understood. Herein, quantitative and super-resolution microscopy approaches were employed to track and visualise, with nanometric resolution, the molecular interactions between a synthetic DNA nanosensor and transcription factors in intracellular compartments. Specifically, fluorescence resonance energy transfer microscopy, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and multicolour single-molecule localisation microscopy were employed to probe the specific binding of the DNA nanosensor to the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappa B). We monitored the mobility, subcellular localisation and degradation of the DNA nanosensor inside living prostate cancer PC3 cells. Super-resolution imaging enabled the direct visualisation of the molecular interactions between the synthetic DNA nanosensors and the NF-kappa B molecules in cells. This study represents a significant advance in the effective detection as well as understanding of the intracellular dynamics of DNA nanosensors in a complex biological milieu

Gli Aramei in Siria del Sud nei secoli IX-VIII a.C.

The Aramaeans in Southern Syria in the 9th-8th centuries B.C. Summary The Arameans are a population settled in the territory of modern Syria and Mesopotamia in the first millennium BC. Starting from the tenth century, they gradually leave their nomadic lifestyle to turn into a sedentary population by creating territorial states under the name of “Byt”, after the name of the founder of each local dynasty. In this work, starting from the controversial question about ethnics, we seek to determine the representative characteristics of Aramaeans, especially for those settled in southern Syria in the ninth-eighth centuries, during the rise of the Damascus kingdom. We investigate this latter relationships with neighboring populations, especially the Israelites who were confronted with them several times during alternate periods of war and peace. This is a detailed study of the southern part of Syria based on the analysis of epigraphic sources (Aramaic inscriptions, Assyrian annals and Bible) and archaeological data coming from some sites (south of Damascus, Palestine and North Jordan ) known to be occupated by Arameans. Through the comparison of these data, we try to provide a plausible reconstruction of the historical context of the kingdom of Damascus in the ninth-eighth centuries BC., the figure of the king Ḥazael, its political expansion till its falling due to the Assyrians domination.Les Araméens en Syrie du Sud aux IXe-VIIIe siècles avant J.-C. Résumé Les Araméens sont une population qui apparait dans le territoire de la Syrie et de la Mésopotamie actuelle au début du premier millénaire avant J.-C. A partir du Xe siècle, ils se transforment de population nomade à population sédentaire, en créant des États territoriaux qui prennent le nom de byt, suivi par le nom du fondateur de chaque dynastie locale. Le présent travail, en partant de l’épineuse question ethnique, cherche à déterminer les caractéristiques des Araméens en particulier en Syrie du Sud aux IXe-VIIIe siècles, pendant la montée du royaume de Damas, et ses relations avec les populations voisines, parmi lesquelles les Israélites qui se sont confrontés avec eux plusieurs fois pendant des périodes alternées de guerres et de paix. Il s’agit d’une étude détaillée de la région méridionale de la Syrie qui s’appuie sur l’analyse des sources épigraphiques (inscriptions araméennes, annales assyriennes et passages bibliques) et sur les données archéologiques des sites de “possible” occupation araméenne au Sud de Damas, en Palestine et en Jordanie du Nord. A travers la comparaison des ces données, j’ai cherché à fournir une reconstruction vraisemblable du contexte historique du royaume de Damas aux IXe-VIIIe siècles av. J.-C., de la figure du souverain Ḥazael et de l’ expansion politique de son royaume jusqu’à la soumission par les Assyriens

The Aramaeans in Southern Syria in the 9th-8th centuries B.C.

Les Araméens sont une population qui apparait dans le territoire de la Syrie et de la Mésopotamie actuelle au début du premier millénaire avant J.-C. A partir du Xe siècle, ils se transforment de population nomade à population sédentaire, en créant des États territoriaux qui prennent le nom de byt, suivi par le nom du fondateur de chaque dynastie locale. Le présent travail, en partant de l’épineuse question ethnique, cherche à déterminer les caractéristiques des Araméens en particulier en Syrie du Sud aux IXe-VIIIe siècles, pendant la montée du royaume de Damas, et ses relations avec les populations voisines, parmi lesquelles les Israëlites qui se sont confrontés avec eux plusieurs fois pendant des périodes alternées de guerres et de paix. Il s’agit d’une étude détaillée de la région méridionale de la Syrie qui s’appuie sur l’analyse des sources épigraphiques (inscriptions araméennes, annales assyriennes et passages bibliques) et sur les données archéologiques des sites de “possible” occupation araméenne au Sud de Damas, en Palestine et en Jordanie du Nord. A travers la comparaison des ces données, j’ai cherché à fournir une reconstruction vraisemblable du contexte historique du royaume de Damas aux IXe-VIIIe siècles av. J.-C., de la figure du souverain Hazael et de l’ expansion politique de son royaume jusqu’à la soumission par les Assyriens.The Arameans are a population settled in the territory of modern Syria and Mesopotamia in the first millennium BC. Starting from the tenth century, they gradually leave their nomadic lifestyle to turn into a sedentary population by creating territorial states under the name of “Byt”, after the name of the founder of each local dynasty. In this work, starting from the controversial question about ethnics, we seek to determine the representative characteristics of Aramaeans, especially for those settled in southern Syria in the ninth-eighth centuries, during the rise of the Damascus kingdom. We investigate this latter relationships with neighboring populations, especially the Israelites who were confronted with them several times during alternate periods of war and peace. This is a detailed study of the southern part of Syria based on the analysis of epigraphic sources (Aramaic inscriptions, Assyrian annals and Bible) and archaeological data coming from some sites (south of Damascus, Palestine and North Jordan ) known to be occupated by Arameans. Through the comparison of these data, we try to provide a plausible reconstruction of the historical context of the kingdom of Damascus in the ninth-eighth centuries BC., the figure of the king Hazael, its political expansion till its falling due to the Assyrians domination

The capital structure choice of European firms: the role of financial system and institutional setting

Recent international financial research finds that a firm’s capital structure is not only influenced by firm- and industry-specific determinants, but also by country-specific factors. Starting from the last decade’s studies on the country effect and addressing some areas of potential development in empirical testing, we test, on a sample of seven apparently similar European countries and more than 800,000 variously sized firms (from the BACH-ESD database) over a ten year period (2000-2009), the direct effects of country characteristics on leverage, as well as their mediating role on the effects of firm- and industry-specific determinants, by using a simultaneous equation model (SEM) never used before by any scholar in this field. The emerging empirical evidence: i) highlights the relevance of many institutional, financial, and macroeconomic country characteristics; ii) confirms the better ability of banks in selecting, monitoring, and financing small and risky firms; iii) shows that the demand-side perspective can better explain some counter-intuitive effects of some determinants on leverage

Does the Country Effect Matter in the Capital Structure Decisions of European Firms?

Recent international financial research finds that a firm’s capital structure is not only influenced by firm- and industry-specific determinants, but also by country-specific factors. A brief review of the last decade’s studies on the country effect identifies some areas of potential development in empirical testing. We address these areas with regard to the following aspects: test design, statistical methodology, and set of determinants. Based on a sample of seven apparently similar European countries and more than 800,000 variously sized firms (from the BACH-ESD database) over a ten year period (2000-2009), by using a simultaneous equations model (SEM) never used before by any scholar in this field, we test the direct effects of country characteristics on leverage, as well as their mediating role on the effects of firm- and industry-specific determinants. The emerging empirical evidence highlights the relevance of many institutional and financial country characteristics, confirms the better ability of banks in selecting, monitoring and financing small and risky firms, and shows that the demand-side perspective can better explain some counter-intuitive effects of some determinants on leverage

Circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in Italy, October 2020-March 2021

A growing number of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants is being identified worldwide, potentially impacting the effectiveness of current vaccines. We report the data obtained in several Italian regions involved in the SARS-CoV-2 variant monitoring from the beginning of the epidemic and spanning the period from October 2020 to March 2021