The second fascicle of JAC 39 presents two articles that bring hitherto un-published materials to light, namely, Ur III tablets housed in the National Museums Scotland (Xueting Chao & Xiaobo Dong) and a glass phalera from Ankara (Ergün Laflɩ, Maurizio Buora & Martin Henig). Two further papers analyze, on the one hand, the presentation of War and Peace as executed by the Roman emperor Augustus and the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huangdi in a comparative manner (Dan Zhao) and, on the other hand, the crucial question: at which point of time the luxury good Chinese silk reached Rome (Zhaoyu Wang)? Finally, the review of a book about the German ancient historian Helmut Berve by Uwe Walter shows how the field of classical studies has been shaped by scholars, their ideologies, and networks. Overall, the volume throws light on how diversified research on ancient civilizations is at the present moment: a good sign for the aim of JAC, that is, to promote global ancient studies.
ARTICLES
CHAO, XUETING / DONG, XIAOBO: 13 Ur III Cuneiform Texts in National Museums Scotland (127-153)
ZHAO, DAN: Emperors of Peace and War: A Comparative Analysis of the Res Gestae of Augustus and the Stelae Inscriptions of Qin Shi Huangdi (155-189)
LAFLI, ERGÜN / BUORA, MAURIZIO / HENIG, MARTIN: A Glass Phalera from Ankara (191-204)
WANG, ZHAOYU: When Did Chinese Silk Reach Rome? (205-247)
FORUM: HOW CLASSICS WAS AND IS SHAPED BY SCHOLARS WALTER, UWE: Review of Welte, J. 2023. Helmut Berve und die Alte Geschichte. Eine deutsche Biographie. Basel: Schwabe-Verlag (249-256)
Abstracts (257-259)
ABSTRACTS
Xueting CHAO / Xiaobo DONG (IHAC, NENU, Changchun) 13 UR III CUNEIFORM TEXTS IN NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND (pp. 127–153) doi: 10.16758/j.cnki.1004-9371.2024.04.015
The thirteen cuneiform texts presented in this study are currently housed in the collection of National Museums Scotland. This article provides an edition of thirteen Neo-Sumerian administrative tablets from Puzriš-Dagān (modern Drehem), which was one of the most important royal tribute centers then and primarily concerned with the administrative and economic affairs of the central authority. Keywords: cuneiform – Ur III period – Puzriš-Dagān – National Museums Scotland
Dan ZHAO (University of Cambridge) EMPERORS OF PEACE AND WAR: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE RES GESTAE OF AUGUSTUS AND THE STELAE INSCRIPTIONS OF QIN SHI HUANGDI (pp. 155–189) doi: 10.16758/j.cnki.1004-9371.2024.04.016
This paper comparatively examines the Res Gestae of Augustus (r. 27 BC – AD 14) and the stelae inscriptions of Qin Shi Huangdi (r. 221–210 BC), the first emperors of Rome and China respectively. It shows how the two emperors justified and consolidated their regimes by unifying the two antithetical themes of war and peace in their propagandistic self-portrayals. It argues that both emperors, due to the socio-political pressure of their milieus, depicted themselves predominantly as guardians of a peace that was constantly under threat by impious and immoral outside forces, against which only the emperors themselves could be victorious and sustain this new peace. Keywords: Augustus – Qin Shi Huangdi – Res Gestae – propaganda – war – peace
Ergün LAFLI / Maurizio BUORA / Martin HENIG (Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Izmir / Società Friulana di Archeologia, Udine / University of Oxford) A GLASS PHALERA FROM ANKARA (pp. 191–204) doi: 10.16758/j.cnki.1004-9371.2024.04.017
The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara in Turkey exhibits a glass paste phalera, which seems so far to have largely escaped scholarly attention, being illustrated only in 1990 and given a brief mention in 2017. It is circular with smooth edges which depicts a bust probably of Emperor Claudius with his three children. This glass phalera stands out among the numerous militaria in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, which so far has not found adequate treatment. Typologically, it fits without difficulty into a series produced in the year AD 43 or shortly after that date. Keywords: phalera – glass – Claudius – first century AD – Ankara, Turkey – Roman glyptics – Roman archaeology
Zhaoyu WANG (School of History and Culture, South China Normal University) WHEN DID CHINESE SILK REACH ROME? (pp. 205–247) doi: 10.16758/j.cnki.1004-9371.2024.04.018
The silk commerce comprises a significant section of the classical economy, yet its initial nature and process along the various trade routes remain largely unexplored. Therefore, this paper endeavors to delineate the primary stage of long-distance silk trade, with the objective of revealing a vital interconnection between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasties at opposite ends of the known world from a mercantile perspective. Starting from the discussion of the relation between the ethnic designation Seres and its alternative meaning of silk, this paper identifies the earliest references to silk in Greco-Roman literature. Subsequently, it demonstrates the evolution and dynamic transformations from the primary northern steppe silk routes to a southern maritime horizon. In addition to the fundamental Greek and Latin sources that offer insight into the condition of the silk trade in its western terminus, records in the Hanshu and the Houhanshu describe the eastern leg. Keywords: Seres – silk trade – Roman Empire – Han Dynasties – Hanshu – Juyan bamboo slips
FORUM: HOW CLASSICS WAS AND IS SHAPED BY SCHOLARS The review of a recently published study on the controversial ancient historian Helmut Berve by Uwe Walter sheds light on what shaped, and also directed, the development of Classics in the 20th century and, arguably, beyond. Uwe Walter: Review of Welte, J. 2023. Helmut Berve und die Alte Geschichte. Eine deutsche Biographie. Antike nach der Antike 3. Basel: Schwabe-Verlag; 393 pages; ISBN: 978-3-7965-4850-5; € 70.00. (pp. 249–256) doi: 10.16758/j.cnki.1004-9371.2024.04.019