Herodotos' has been regarded by some as the source of Western Orientalism, a set of views which regards the "Oriental", and in particular the Persian, as inferior. This article wishes to set the record straight and find out Herodotos' actual views about the Persians
In this article, Professor Idriz introduces us to the intriguing history and functioning of the hammām in Muslim society, whose use dates all the way back to Umayyad times.
One of the most vital and treacherous segments of the Silk Road extended from the western rim of the Taklamakan Desert to the eastern capital of Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an). Crossing harsh deserts, fertile oases, and military outposts, this route encapsulated the complexity and endurance of Silk Road exchanges. The movement of goods such as silk, wool, indigo, paper, and porcelain between empires was accompanied by the transmission of religious philosophies, artistic motifs, and technical know-how—much of which survives today in the archaeological record.
The complexity of the scribal art in Ancient Mesopotamia necessitated the emergence of specialised institutions devoted entirely to the teaching of cuneiform to the next generation. This article aims to shed light on these schools, focusing on the Old Babylonian period (2000–1600 BCE), which is best represented in our archaeological and written source material. How did they function? What were they like?
In this essay, Prof. Dr. Mesut Idriz outlines the necessity of, and practical steps toward, establishing a Global Silk Road University and a Global Silk Road Library.
In this piece, our linguistic specialist Rik Verachtert takes a look at the Greek term for barbarian, what it actually means, and whether it carried any negative connotations.
This article aims to highlight one factor that played a crucial role in the extraordinary expansion of the Assyrian Empire: its army. For roughly three centuries, the Assyrian monarchs commanded a military force that had no equal. Praised for its effectiveness and lamented for its cruelty, this formidable army left a lasting mark on military history unlike any other from the ancient Near East.
This paper seeks to illuminate the prevailing conditions in fourteenth-century Macedonia through a focused case study. While Veria is not an isolated example, it offers a particularly illustrative case, given that local historiography frequently debates the date of its conquest by the Ottomans, often without adequate consideration of the broader historical context.
In north-eastern Turkey, in the coastal region known to the Greeks as Pontos (literally ‘sea’, cf. the adjacent Black Sea), the inhabitants of several villages, of mainly Turkish and Muslim identity, communicate by means of a Greek ‘dialect’: Romeyka (or Romayka). This article explores the sociolinguistic history of this Greek 'dialect' and how it differs from the rest of the Greek language.
After the Galatians settled in Asia Minor, Northern Phrygia became a popular recruitment area for various competing Hellenistic monarchs. These Celts were known and respected for their military prowess. At the same time, the various kings of the ancient world occasionally waged war against them. These victories were then used in the royal propaganda to portray the monarch as a defender of civilization and liberty against these "barbarians." This perceived liberating role was often celebrated with the title "Soter" ("Savior"). The ambiguous love-hate relationship with the Galatians is clearly demonstrated in Ptolemaic Egypt, particularly during the reign of Ptolemy II.
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