Hasil untuk "Ancient history"

H. Innis

Roland Stucki, S. Homer

B. Nongbri

For much of the past two centuries, religion has been understood as a universal phenomenon, a part of the "natural" human experience that is essentially the same across cultures and throughout history. Individual religions may vary through time and geographically, but there is an element, religion, that is to be found in all cultures during all time periods. Taking apart this assumption, Brent Nongbri shows that the idea of religion as a sphere of life distinct from politics, economics, or science is a recent development in European history-a development that has been projected outward in space and backward in time with the result that religion now appears to be a natural and necessary part of our world. Examining a wide array of ancient writings, Nongbri demonstrates that in antiquity, there was no conceptual arena that could be designated as "religious" as opposed to "secular." Surveying representative episodes from a two-thousand-year period, while constantly attending to the concrete social, political, and colonial contexts that shaped relevant works of philosophers, legal theorists, missionaries, and others, Nongbri offers a concise and readable account of the emergence of the concept of religion.

N. Yan

E. Karlsson, D. Kwiatkowski, Pardis C Sabeti

The ancient biological 'arms race' between microbial pathogens and humans has shaped genetic variation in modern populations, and this has important implications for the growing field of medical genomics. As humans migrated throughout the world, populations encountered distinct pathogens, and natural selection increased the prevalence of alleles that are advantageous in the new ecosystems in both host and pathogens. This ancient history now influences human infectious disease susceptibility and microbiome homeostasis, and contributes to common diseases that show geographical disparities, such as autoimmune and metabolic disorders. Using new high-throughput technologies, analytical methods and expanding public data resources, the investigation of natural selection is leading to new insights into the function and dysfunction of human biology.

Juan Álvarez García

Kyeongsu Choi, Robert Haslhofer

In this paper, we classify all noncollapsed singularities of the mean curvature flow in $\mathbb{R}^4$. Specifically, we prove that any ancient noncollapsed solution either is one of the classical historical examples (namely $\mathbb{R}^j\times S^{3-j}$, $\mathbb{R}\times $2d-bowl, $\mathbb{R}\times $2d-oval, the rotationally symmetric 3d-bowl, or a cohomogeneity-one 3d-oval), or belongs to the 1-parameter family of $\mathbb{Z}_2\times \mathrm{O}_2$-symmetric 3d-translators constructed by Hoffman-Ilmanen-Martin-White, or belongs to the 1-parameter family of $\mathbb{Z}_2^2\times \mathrm{O}_2$-symmetric ancient 3d-ovals constructed by Du-Haslhofer. In light of the five prior papers on the classification program in $\mathbb{R}^4$ from our collaborations with Du, Hershkovits, and Choi-Daskalopoulos-Sesum, the major remaining challenge is the case of mixed behaviour, where the convergence to the round bubble-sheet is fast in $x_1$-direction, but logarithmically slow in $x_2$-direction. To address this, we prove a differential neck theorem, which allows us to capture the (dauntingly small) slope in $x_1$-direction. To establish the differential neck theorem, we introduce a slew of new ideas of independent interest, including switch and differential Merle-Zaag dynamics, anisotropic barriers, and propagation of smallness estimates. Applying our differential neck theorem, we show that every noncompact strictly convex solution is selfsimilarly translating, and also rule out exotic ovals.

Eric Cullhed

This article presents an experiment in fine-tuning a pretrained causal language model (Meta's Llama 3.1 8B Instruct) to assist with restoring missing or illegible characters in ancient Greek inscriptions and documentary papyri. Utilizing a straightforward instruction-based approach and a 95%/5% train/test split, the papyrus restoration model achieved a character error rate (CER) of 14.9%, a top-1 accuracy of 73.5%, and a top-20 accuracy of 86.0% for sequences up to 10 characters. A model was also fine-tuned for geographic attribution, reaching a top-1 accuracy of 66.4% and a top-3 accuracy of 79.9%. In chronological attribution, it demonstrated an average deviation of 21.7 years from the actual terminus post/ante quem, with a median deviation of 0 years. For inscriptions, the restoration model achieved a CER of 20.5%, a top-1 accuracy of 63.7%, and a top-20 accuracy of 83.0% for sequences up to 10 characters. In geographic attribution, it attained a top-1 accuracy of 75.0% and a top-3 accuracy of 83.7%, while in dating, it had an average deviation of 37.1 years and a median deviation of 3 years from the actual date range. Benchmarked against the state-of-the-art model (Ithaca) on a shared test set and on recently edited inscriptions, the instruction-tuned models excelled in text restoration, while also offering the practical advantage of ignoring spaces during reconstruction, which aligns with the scriptio continua of ancient textual artifacts. However, their performance in geographic and chronological attribution was lower than Ithaca's. To evaluate the approach in a more even setup, the instruction model was retrained with an 80%/10%/10% train-validation-test split, and still outperformed Ithaca in text restoration. The results suggest that fine-tuning larger pretrained causal language models using instruction templates for emendations and conjectures to ancient texts holds promise.

Kostas Karpouzis

This paper explores the ethical implications of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in educational settings, from primary schools to universities, while drawing insights from ancient Greek philosophy to address emerging concerns. As AI technologies increasingly influence learning environments, they offer novel opportunities for personalized learning, efficient assessment, and data-driven decision-making. However, these advancements also raise critical ethical questions regarding data privacy, algorithmic bias, student autonomy, and the changing roles of educators. This research examines specific use cases of AI in education, analyzing both their potential benefits and drawbacks. By revisiting the philosophical principles of ancient Greek thinkers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, we discuss how their writings can guide the ethical implementation of AI in modern education. The paper argues that while AI presents significant challenges, a balanced approach informed by classical philosophical thought can lead to an ethically sound transformation of education. It emphasizes the evolving role of teachers as facilitators and the importance of fostering student initiative in AI-rich environments.

Rishabh Gaur

Introduction: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), one of the main modern alternative therapies, is still widely used in Chinese communities and is starting to get scholarly recognition in the field of western medicine. Examining Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), the core area of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), from both a scientific and narrative standpoint is the goal of this research. CHM is a traditional Chinese medicine practice that has its roots in Chinese philosophy and religion. It is based on the ideas of balance and holism in the body. It is a knowledge system that the Chinese people have condensed and summarized throughout thousands of years of use in healthcare. TCM still has a place in the medical system. This study provided an overview of TCM's development to date, as well as its history, health concept, primary treatment techniques, and future prospects. Methodology: Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science were used to search the literature from the year 2000 to 2022 covering the knowledge regarding TCM. Keywords used and included in the search were TCM, Artemisia annua, Five elements TCM, CHM, Therapies. A total of 100 articles was retrieved out of which a total of 60 articles was considered. In this review, we will discuss about the traditional chinease medicinal system and discussed about the difference between TCM and modern medicine. Results: The majority of recent studies on Chinese herbal medicine use scientific methods to assess the safety and effectiveness of the herbs. This review paper discuss about the history of chinease medicinal system and how people used to treat people in ancient times. Discussion: The treatments of CHM are mostly linked to the traditional tales because of how important its cultural and religious core. This review will inspire other scientists to conduct more research and comprehensive ideas of CHM also spark a lot of discussion.

Somayeh Karimi, Jafar Shanazari

Accurate knowledge and correct analysis of the thoughts and opinions of Islamic sages are dependent on identifying the contexts and factors of the emergence of thoughts and their effectiveness from the wisdom of their predecessors. Anthropology is one of the wisdom heritages of ancient Iran, whose essence can be seen in the opinions of Muslim sages and their philosophy (Masha philosophy, Ishraq philosophy, and philosophy of Sadra). Therefore, the philosophical analysis of good and evil in the field of anthropology is based on the meaning of good and evil in the wisdom of ancient Iran, which was very important in order to confirm the truth of this statement. In the present study, the authors analyze and apply the philosophical foundations derived from good. There is evil in Iranian wisdom with Islamic wisdom. The result is proof of the existence of common philosophical points in the historical application of Iranian, Ishraqi, and Sadrai ruling bases. Commonalities include the commonality of the concept of good and evil (light and darkness), the existence of human agency and his free will in finding good and evil, and the fact that angels are examples of good and demons are examples of evil. This is complete proof of the historical course of the thought of good and evil in terms of ontology and epistemology from Iranian wisdom to Sadra. Keywords: Good, Evil, Iranian Wisdom, Ishraqi Wisdom, Sadrai Wisdom (Philosophy of Sadra). IntroductionKnowing and studying the historical development of the periods of philosophy in the world will clarify the origin of thought in the history of Iranian wisdom among philosophers. What can be obtained from old works and contemporary Western researchers is that, before there was a philosophy in Greece, there existed a philosophy in the east of Iran, Babylon, Egypt, Lebanon, and the islands of Sicily, as Mulla Sadra wrote in Risalah al-Haduth. He considers the origin of philosophy and wisdom from Adam and his children Seth, Hermes, Idris, and Noah and introduces Hermes as the father of the wise. Some scholars consider philosophy to be a historical miracle born in Greece, while Mulla Sadra believes that wisdom had no history in ancient Rome and Greece, and Prophet Ibrahim (Peace Be Upon Him), taught them the science of monotheism, and the sages of ancient Greece acquired philosophy from divine prophets. In the introduction of Hikmat al-Ishraq, it is stated that you should not think that there is no wisdom because wisdom was before the predecessors and the world has never been free of wisdom and of people who have mastered wisdom. In addition, in the book The Path of Wisdom in Iran and the World (Khamenei, 2010), Advanced Greek Philosophy and Ancient Iran (Nikolaynalov, 2014), and Iranian Wisdom and Transcendental Wisdom (Khamenei, 2018), there is documentation that Islamic wisdom is derived from the wisdom of ancient Iran, not Greece. Materials and MethodsThe comparative analytical method has a special place for analyzing theoretical problems, diagnosing, and solving scientific problems in the eyes of researchers. This method has two important pillars that should be considered throughout the comparative study: 1) Knowing the phenomenon or the point of view that is the goal of the comparative study; 2) Understanding and explaining the positions of disagreement and agreement between the matters to be compared and compared. In fact, this approach is a process that starts from the definition of the problem and has four stages of limiting the scope of adaptation, obtaining the maximum aspects of similarity and distinction, passing from apparent similarities and differences to real ones, and explaining them. Research FindingsIt seems that the importance and influence of Iranian wisdom on the two wisdoms of Sadra and Ishragi cannot be ignored because according to some philosophical researchers, the lines of ancient Greek wisdom such as the wisdom of Plato, Plotinus, and Pythagoras can be seen, which has many similarities with the teachings and foundations of Zoroastrian philosophy in ancient Iran and the wisdom of Khosravani. In addition, the available reports prove that ancient Greek philosophers and Alexandrian scientists had communication and scientific interactions with the philosophers of Iran and India. This claim is stated in the introduction to the translation of Mullah Sadra's book Mufatih al-Ghaib. In addition, in the book Hekmat al-Ishraq, Sheikh Eshraq points out the secrets of Iranian wisdom that is the reason for the establishment of the rule of Eshraq based on light and darkness, and he considers it the method of Persian sages such as Jamasb and predecessors such as Kiyomarth, Tahmurth, Keikhosrow, and Zoroaster. Discussion of Results and ConclusionsIn the description of good and evil in Iranian wisdom (Ishraqi and Sadrai), it can be said that the philosophy of creation is the same in Iranian and Islamic wisdom. In the Quran, God is a light that is eternal, and Satan and evil are from darkness. This period is expressed in the same way in both Iranian wisdom and Islamic philosophy with a different language. In Islamic wisdom, God is the Almighty, and in Iranian wisdom, Ahura Mazda is the only creator. This creator has not created anything but goodness and beauty.The concept of good and evil in Iranian wisdom is interpreted as light and darkness. As Suhravardi considers light and darkness to be the basis of his philosophy. Sadr al-Mutalahin also recognizes the truth of human existence as light, which has levels of doubt, strength, weakness, perfection, and imperfection. Man's discretion in the existence and emergence of good and evil in the wisdom of Iranians is such that a wise man chooses good or bad by his own free will. Shaykh Ishraq has put forward human discretion through practical reason and control over human powers, and Mulla Sadra considers the need for balance and human development to be a good property in human existence, which provides the basis for human growth and development. It is achieved through theoretical and practical reasons. In Iranian wisdom, angels are immortal good spirits who oppose the demons. Sheikh Eshraq has also referred to the rule of Ashraf and the Lord of Kindness and has referred to the category of angels, their help and assistance. In Sadra's wisdom, the presence of angels and Satan play an important role in human happiness and error.

A. Johnston

Sebastian Fajardo, Paul R. B. Kozowyk, Geeske H. J. Langejans

We implement a method from computer sciences to address a challenge in Paleolithic archaeology: how to infer cognition differences from material culture. Archaeological material culture is linked to cognition: more complex ancient technologies are assumed to have required complex cognition. We present an application of Petri net analysis to compare Neanderthal tar production technologies and tie the results to cognitive requirements. We applied three complexity metrics, each relying on their own unique definitions of complexity, to the modelled production sequences. Based on the results, we suggest that Neanderthal working memory requirements may have been similar to human preferences regarding working memory use today. This method also enables us to distinguish the high-order cognitive functions combining traits like planning, inhibitory control, and learnings that were likely required by different ancient technological processes. The Petri net approach can contribute to our understanding of technology and cognitive evolution as it can be used on different materials and technologies, across time and species.

Olival Freire Junior

Alain Aspect's three experiments on Bell's theorem, published in the early 1980s, were a turning point in the history of the research on the foundations of quantum mechanics not only because they corroborated entanglement as the distinctive quantum signature but also because these experiments brought wider recognition to this field of research and Aspect himself. These experiments may be considered the most direct precursors of the research on quantum information, which would blossom a decade later.

முனைவர் ஞா. அந்தோணி சுரேஷ் / Dr. G. Antony Suresh

The ancient Tamil people used to practice nature-based industry. The Tamils took up the occupation which was connected with their life. It can be known that the Tamils were technical minded in all fields such as business methods, soil related studies, engineering, metrology and physics. The Tamils lived by dividing the land into five parts. They lived and worked according to the land they lived in. When we look back at the pages of history of two thousand and five hundred years of Tamil, we can see that Tamils have advanced knowledge. Ancient Tamil literature eloquently exemplifies that the ancient Tamil was the one who realized himself and measured his ideals. Even in the era of no education, poets have gone beyond the sky to sing and record about cosmic mediums. The business method and quantitative thinking of Tamils are being investigated through the evidences found in “Purananooru”.

A. J. Kaufman, Andrew H. Knoll, G. Narbonne

Detailed correlations of ancient glacial deposits, based on temporal records of carbon and strontium isotopes in seawater, indicate four (and perhaps five) discrete ice ages in the terminal Proterozoic Eon. The close and repeated stratigraphic relationship between C-isotopic excursions and glaciogenic rocks suggests that unusually high rates of organic carbon burial facilitated glaciation by reducing atmospheric greenhouse capacity. The emerging framework of time and environmental change contributes to the improved resolution of stratigraphic and evolutionary pattern in the early fossil record of animals.

Massimiliano Benes

We will discuss about a possible method of using the cubit rod by the architects and the surveyors of Ancient Egypt to measure and draw lengths, comparing it with the other interpretations present in Literature. Instead of the modern decimal notation, which sees the use of comma to represent a number or a measure, at that time there was a wide use of fractions in calculations. The current work proposes that, through the cubit rod and its partitions of the finger into fractions, it could be possible to obtain very accurate measurements.

Ernie Chang, Yow-Ting Shiue, Hui-Syuan Yeh et al.

In this paper, we aim to address the challenges surrounding the translation of ancient Chinese text: (1) The linguistic gap due to the difference in eras results in translations that are poor in quality, and (2) most translations are missing the contextual information that is often very crucial to understanding the text. To this end, we improve upon past translation techniques by proposing the following: We reframe the task as a multi-label prediction task where the model predicts both the translation and its particular era. We observe that this helps to bridge the linguistic gap as chronological context is also used as auxiliary information. % As a natural step of generalization, we pivot on the modern Chinese translations to generate multilingual outputs. %We show experimentally the efficacy of our framework in producing quality translation outputs and also validate our framework on a collected task-specific parallel corpus. We validate our framework on a parallel corpus annotated with chronology information and show experimentally its efficacy in producing quality translation outputs. We release both the code and the data https://github.com/orina1123/time-aware-ancient-text-translation for future research.

Kouichi Hayashi

I Simboli sono elemento importante delle controversie sulla dottrina nella Chiesa antica. Questo articolo tratta dell’usa e del testo di un Simbolo che Priscilliano testimoniò, quello che fu condannato e giustiziato come mago ed eretico, come Mani, alla fine del IV secolo. Il suo Simbolo non era un’invenzione e la sua interpretazione della parola symbolum non era strana, ma era un testimone della situazione in cui i Simboli erano usati nell'antica Chiesa iberica.

P. Walker