Homeric Resonances

Abstract

This “Homeric” appreciation of Catherine Zuckert's Plato's Philosophers focuses on the significance of the revised chronology for reading the Platonic dialogues and how this changes the conventional understanding of the relation between Plato and Socrates: Plato become Socrates' biographer, not his replacement.     

Seafaring as social action

This paper builds upon traditional investigations of maritime activities, particularly seafaring itself, to study the social relationships between people and the sea as well as the technology, necessary knowledge and skills that are implicated. The research is based upon evidence of seafaring drawn from the circulation of obsidian from the island of Lipari around the central Mediterranean throughout the Neolithic c.6500–3500 BC. It focuses upon journeys across the Adriatic, identifying the importance of travel in the creation of social alliance and identity, shedding light upon relationships and practices that are generally invisible without proper consideration of maritime activity. The implications of ongoing maritime activity in the region reflect upon Neolithic activities and temporalities which are outside the sphere of settlement specific landscapes, hitherto the sole focus of the majority of Italian Neolithic research.     

Seafaring Capabilities in the Pre-Columbian Caribbean

At historic contact Europeans remarked on the skill and proficiency of native Caribbean Amerindians to build and travel in dugout canoes. While archaeological examples of these have been recorded throughout the circum-Caribbean, very few exist in the Antillean chain of islands. Despite this deficiency, indirect evidence of seafaring along with archaeological data has suggested to many that the sea was an artery that linked prehistoric communities together between islands and continents through exchange networks and settlement ‘lifelines’. It is clear that frequent interaction was taking place prehistorically in the region, but examination of seafaring capabilities and the general lack of hard archaeological evidence for contacts in many places suggest this was largely restricted to interaction between the islands and with South America. The fact remains that seafaring in the Caribbean, as one of the smaller aquatic realms inhabited by humans in the past, was highly influenced and largely structured by oceanographic and anemological effects that limited the development of various watercraft designs and navigational techniques which are seen in many of the other world’s seas and oceans. In this paper I: (1) synthesize what is currently known about the antiquity and development of early seafaring in the Caribbean; (2) highlight debates about the level of technologies found in the region; (3) discuss how environmental conditions likely influenced seafaring capabilities and settlement patterns; (4) outline the possible evidence for connections between the different surrounding mainland areas; and (5) provide a comparison with seafaring technologies found in the Pacific to help contextualize the Caribbean into the broader context of global seafaring.     

Some Notes on Homeric Folk-Lore

SHAMANISM IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA. By WILLARD Z. PARK. Northwestern University Studies in the Social Sciences, No. 2. Evanston and Chicago. 1938. 166 pages. Reviewed by John Layard.

SOME FORMER CAMBRIDGESHIRE AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER IMPLEMENTS. By R. C. LAMBETH. Published by the Cambridge and County Folk Museum. 1s. Reviewed by L. F. Newman.

HOLY WELLS IN DERBYSHIRE. Reviewed by P. B. G. Binnall.     

Westminster in 1712: A Description by Samuel Molyneux

Between 21 June and 3 July 1712 the Spectator published 11 thematically-linked essays entitled ‘the Pleasures of the Imagination’. ¹ For the middle classes such irresistible prose reinforced the case for a moral, philosophical and ideological approach towards art, architecture, history, literature and nature – attitudes that we today would regard as enlightened. However, amongst the well-educated elite such thoughts had long existed. Bonding high-art with power, wealthy connoisseurs forged an obsessive passion for collecting artworks and antiquities and, as a consequence, became duty bound to display their collections to interested third parties. One such connoisseur was Charles Montagu (1661–1715), later earl of Halifax, ² whose celebrated collection was kept in his grace-and-favour apartments in the Palace of Westminster. Of those who saw his collection only one published account was thought to have survived, that of William Nicolson, bishop of Carlisle. ³ Yet, the recent discovery of a copybook of letters originally written by the 23-year-old antiquarian, Samuel Molyneux, later secretary to the prince of Wales, describes not only a rare and privileged visit to Lord Halifax's apartments but also a first-hand account of his tour around the Palace of Westminster in December 1712.     

荷马时代巴赛列斯的权力基础

荷马时代巴赛列斯政治权力的基础,因为缺少强大的官僚体系,也没有氏族血缘关系作为依靠,所以首要的在于亲属势力的强弱,朋友和随从数量的多寡,但个人能力,主要是在战场上作为军事统帅、人民大会上作为发言人、聚集追随、聚敛财富的能力更为重要,制度化安捧的因素相对次要。它们表明,荷马时代巴赛列斯的权力还处在早期王权阶段。