This paper surveys the different ways in which ‘misinformation’ was utilised in usurpations in the Roman empire from 68/9 until the fourth century CE. The paper begins by outlining the geographical and technological context for the dissemination of (mis)information and argues that the slowness with which information was communicated created ’space’ for misinformation to have the desired effects. It then examines different ways in which misinformation was used - such as to incite rebellion; as an ex post facto justification for rebellion or as means by which those who had picked the wrong side in a civil conflict may try to justify their
actions.


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2010 is a 1600 anniversary of the romans departure from Britain. This paper examines the situation in Britain before it. After numerous usurpations city dwellers of the Britain had to resolve their problems themselves. That was the end of the Roman power in Britain.


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In this paper author tries to expose some types of social problems and special ways of solving different conflicts in special non-Athenian environment according to greek curse tablets. Frequent mentions of target’s profession in curse tablets, suggest an idea about possibility of existence a spectrum of occupations, which in opinion of antique people, could be related with risks and threats to well-being and business. The most frequently mentioned profession in the curse tablets connected with urban trade and prostitution. The term «kapelos» and its female equivalent «kapelis» seems to indicate someone involved in retail at a low level, like a local shopkeeper or a tavern-keeper. The author has developed a number of direct and indirect criteria for identification metics, slaves and freedmen among citizens according to curse tablets: direct inscription of the status of a victim, presence of the ethnics, professional name forms, techniticon, terms ho metoikos and oikon en and special context. Curse tablets as a source of economic and social life of the Hellenistic Athens point out the absence of stability and deep public contradictions. There was absolutely concrete category of the trades, which representatives dominated in curses, testifies to a serious crisis in the society. The low status and business activity of tradesmen, handicraftsmen and prostitutes created special conditions for conflicts, so the desire to destroy the competitor is stronger than democratic principles of the polis. Crisis of the polis system transformed the civil society: old traditional bonds and moral values were leveled. The economic prosperity of the majority of non-citizens could not guarantee them any social stability. Mistrust in justice of institutes of the polis used to create various professional and private heterogeneous groups for solving problems and protecting business interests, using non-traditional way of magic and curses.


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Im Rahmen dieser Internetkonferenz ist mir ist mir die Epoche des Hellenismus zugefallen – ein dankbares Thema, wie es scheint: ist doch diese Epoche der „entfesselten Gewalten”, in der ganze Reiche mit dem gewaltsamen Tod des Herrschers verschwanden und neue aus dem Nichts entstanden, geradezu prädestiniert dazu. Die große Menge an antiken Aussagen und die differenzierten modernen Analysen, lassen die Aufgabe jedoch zu einer nicht geringen Herausforderung werden, zumal es in dieser Erörterung gar nicht nur um die angesprochenen „entfesselten Gewalten”, sondern auch um kaum oder nie systematisch erfasste Ansätze zu ihrer Zähmung gehen soll – ähnlich wie bei der Forschung zur Rolle des „allgemeinen Landfriedens” (Koine Eirene) im 4. Jahrhundert v.Chr.


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The study examines a number of examples of political use of justice in the history of Athenian democracy. Besides public indictment in procedures such as eisangelia and dokimasia, which were often political in nature, different cases of political trials are discussed, from those promoted by the democrats against Cimon and the Areopagus, to those against the entourage of Pericles, against the Arginousai strategoi, and against the democrats in 404 (Cleophon, Strombichides, Dionysidorus). Investigation shows that the political use of justice has to be considered an anomaly in political opposition to which people turn when confrontation under the normal constitutional ways is believed to be no longer possible, and when persuasion and search for consensus are replaced by the delegitimization of opponents and their elimination from the political agon through demagogic forms of justicialism.


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Last years of the fifth century B.C. were in Athens an extremely difficult and unstable time, indeed an epoch of crises, conflicts and disturbances. It will be enough to remind that during eight years (411–403 B.C.) there were six (!) coups d’état in Athens. For comparison, in 507–411 and 403–322 B.C. there were no such coups at all in Athens. The article deals with several episodes connected with the 404 B.C. coup and the regime of the Thirty, which came to power as a result of that coup. Particularly stressed is the Laconophile, manifestly pro-Spartan character of these Athenian oligarchs, especially of those of them who belonged to the extremist wing led by Critias. The author offers a hypothesis that Critias and his supporters tried to copy Sparta as full as possible. There were thirty members in the ruling board, like in Spartan gerousia, and – what is particularly striking – the new rulers wished to create a kind of helotage in Attica, with disfranchised poor citizens as helots.


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This paper asks how much justification there is for Athens’ reputation as a city in which political disagreements were pursued by political means rather than by civil disturbance. In fact Athens had its share of civil disturbances except in two periods, c. 455–415 and 401–322. The second is easily explained: after the traumatic events of 411–410 and 404–403 the Athenians did not want further disturbances of that kind, and instead of a polarisation between oligarchs and democrats there developed a realisation that one could remain loyal to the democracy while seeking to improve it in various ways. The stability of c. 455–415 is harder to explain, since we know of various crises and disagreements during that period, but the success of the democracy and of the Athenian empire during that period is probably part of the explanation.


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This paper сontains some comments to the problem under vivid discussion of H. Tumans and I. Surikov. It examines the reasons and features of Solon’s census reform. The latter was closely connected with the social and economic crisis in Attica provoked by the aristocrtats who were converted (as D.W.Tandy wrote) from warriors into traders. Thus, Solon’s census reform did not aim at deprivation of citizenship those who were not peasants. But it provide a stimulus to ‘reconversions’ of the aristocracy into land owners and warriors.


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La Crète est une île située au cœur du bassin égéen. Tout comme l’ensemble du monde grec, elle sera touchée par une période de troubles et d’instabilités, plus connue sous le terme de « Siècles Obscurs ». Cette période prend place entre deux grandes phases de développement culturel, économique et politique : le système palatial crétois et l’avènement de la cité. Cet épisode couvre ainsi près de quatre siècles (de - 1180 à - 750 avant Jésus-Christ). Considérée comme une période de désordre social, de crise économique et politique, cet article tente d’appréhender cet épisode historique en abordant le domaine des morts. En effet, celui-ci se veut une porte ouverte sur le monde des vivants. Ainsi, il sera bon de s’interroger à savoir si les pratiques funéraires sont touchées par cette crise, ce désordre, et comprendre si l’appellation de « Siècles obscurs » est justifiée.


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En effet, la civilisation mycénienne est l’une des plus importantes de l’Âge du Bronze dans le Monde Egéen. Atteignant son apogée aux alentours de 1400 av. J.-C., elle va ensuite lentement se désagréger et disparaître dans des conditions encore mal définies : invasion dorienne, conflit interne, révolution populaire, attaque des peuples de la mer auxquelles certains ajoutent aussi des éléments climatiques (violents tremblements de terre). Quoiqu’il en soit cette civilisation qui était brillante disparaît assez brutalement et la Grèce plonge alors dans la plus grande période de troubles, de crise et de désordre de toute son histoire : « Les Siècles Obscurs ». Je me propose donc, au travers cet article, d’explorer les différentes hypothèses évoquées pour la fin de la période Mycénienne et voir comment les découvertes archéologiques permettent de trancher en faveur de l’une ou l’autre. S’agit-il vraiment d’un conflit ? Et dans ce cas un conflit interne ? Des attaques d’envahisseurs venus de la mer ? Ou bien la disparition des mycéniens et de leur système politique et économique n’est-il que la conséquence d’une crise se déroulant à la fin de l’Âge du Bronze ?


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