Abstract The paper discusses the role of the phantasia motiva in Albert the Great and of the vis cogitativa sive ratio particularis in Thomas Aquinas. It argues that by introducing these capabilities, Albert and Thomas propose important clarifications of Aristotle's theory of practical reason (phronesis), relying on Avicenna's account of the inner senses. The respective theories of both authors are cornerstones for their ethical theories which give much weight to account for to particular factors of any singular action.

Abstract The Greeks are not a central theme in Saba Malaspina’s Latin chronicle, covering the reigns of Manfred and Charles I of Anjou. A detailed analysis of the context in which the Greeks and Greece are mentioned in this chronicle, with its extremely meticulous rhetorical construction, nevertheless reveals the extent to which Saba Malaspina’s discourse contains both a series of clichés and a more refined perception of the relationship between the Greeks and the Kingdom of Sicily, as regards both the Greek populations of the Mezzogiorno and the clashes between the Byzantine emperor and the Angevin king. Saba Malaspina’s position as a bishop with close ties to both Rome and Calabria may have helped him to develop a more refined image of the Greek than that of a number of Latin writers of his time.

Abstract The medieval romance Guillaume de Dole mentions a mysterious queen of Puglia as well as a fairy who are both remarkable embroiderers. Examining the geopolitical situation of Apulia in the 12th and 13th c., the article argues that this surprising promotion of Apulia and its supposed fairies and queens in literature is due to a genuine interest in a region hotly coveted by princes, kings and emperors, but also to the desire to move away from Arthurian romance and explore new imaginary territories.

Abstract Since many details in the relations between Byzantium and Hungary have already been covered in research, this article attempts to point out the transnational connections between the two states. Hungary had been a constant factor of Byzantine policy in the Balkans since it had become a stately consolidated Christian kingdom around 1000. This was of particular importance after the victory over Bulgaria in 1018 made the Byzantine Empire a territorial neighbour for almost 200 years. During this period, not only important marriage ties between the ruling houses fall, but also the establishment of members of the Arpadian house in Constantinople. In the 13th century, for Byzantium, the connection with the Hungarian royal house was a protection against Charles of Anjou in lower Italy and his plans for the conquest of the Eastern Roman Empire. In the second half of the 14th century and in the 15th century Hungary became the main ally of the Emperor of Constantinople against the Ottomans. However, the profound social and ecclesiastical differences between the Eastern Roman Empire and Hungary made it impossible for Hungary to be included in the cultural community of the Byzantine Commonwealth.

Abstract The main scope of the present study is the semantic and syntactic analysis of the use of the Latin demonstratives based on quantitative and qualitative data from the volumes I, II, CXVIII of the Chartae Latinae Antiquiores (ChLA). These volumes contain original parchment charters between the 7th century and 801, written in St. Gall or in its vicinity. For the current analysis, 133 private legal documents were selected. The underlying principle of the examination is concerned with the ‘genre’ of the legal documents, namely the formulas, i.e. the strict set of words embedded in the tradition of charter composition that can only be changed when difficulties in understanding emerge and prevail. Therefore, anomalies presented 3–4 times in the corpus are evaluated, if they differ in the identity of the scribe, in the place and time of the composition, although, statistically, they could be excluded from the examination as outliers. Thus, the analysis focuses on the following anomalies: determiner multiplication, substitution, additional metalinguistic participles and articuloїde cases.

Abstract The present paper deals with a marginal divergent spelling consisting in the geminatio of a consonant littera in pre- or post-consonantal position. The phenomenon is found in both Latin and Greek non-literary texts. The analysis is conducted on two levels, one grapho-phonological and one historical. In fact, the phenomenon results to be particularly relevant as for the relation between spelling and syllabic representation of heterosyllabic clusters and as for the dimension of contact between Latin and Greek scripts. First, a synchronic cut of Latin non-literary texts is examined to evaluate the occurrence of this geminatio and its ratio of distribution along the different types of clusters. It can be stated that the geminatio at hand represents a metagraphic signal of syllab(ific)ation indeterminacy, as is further corroborated by the examination of metalinguistic sources. Secondly, the historical perspective is then addressed. This spelling can be interpreted as a feature, albeit marginal and stemming from ephemeral slips, of writing koine, as is further evidenced by the examination of two sample clusters of texts.

Abstract This intervention focuses on the close relationship that links Mithras to Hercules, witnessed by the presence of the image of Hercules in some mithraic caves, on ritual vessels and in other contexts related to Zoroastrian Mithraism, such as the funerary monument of Antiochus I of Commagene at Nemrut Dağı.Likewise, even the veneration of the goddess Caelestis by some followers of Mithras is testified by the representation of the symbol pro itu et reditu in contexts referable to the cult of Mithras.

Abstract By presenting Penelope's experiences and traits as parallel to those of Odysseus, the text of the Odyssey depicts her as heroic in her own right. This detailed analysis of Penelope's life in the palace on Ithaca – depicted as an Underworld-like realm of suspension – shows how similar her experiences, traits, actions and reactions are to her husband's; the text furnishes multiple similes and epithets that demonstrate these parallels. The suspension of progress on Ithaca during the suitors' presence, in addition to Penelope's and others' declarations that Odysseus is dead, instills the palace with an atmosphere of death; in effect, this represents Penelope's katabasis. When she converses with her “dead” husband, she learns in this nekyia – as Odysseus learns during his – what she needs to know to move forward. This article offers an in-depth look at the language, similes, and epithets that portray Penelope's life and experiences in the palace as well as her crucial encounter with Odysseus in book 19, where the suspension and liminality reach their peak.

Abstract This paper analyses and interprets three passages in Hyperides' speech against Demosthenes and suggests a textual correction. The statements in columns XXIX–XXX become more comprehensible based on the relevant passages in the speech against Diondas. In line 21 of columna XXVIII, αὐτῷ (pronomen personale – Jensen and all the editors) should be replaced by αὑτῷ (pronomen reflexivum), which reconstructs the proper meaning of the text. After Chaeronea it was not the people who were grateful to Demosthenes, but quite the opposite: the people expected that Demosthenes and his companions would be grateful to them. Thus, the name lost in the lacuna is not Lycurgus, but Demosthenes.