Venetian Chronicles

This paper discusses the role of the Roman amphitheatre in Salona
during the rise of Christianity and subsequent prohibition of gladiator
games. Following the rich history from the times of Roman rule in antiquity, a degradation of once the most glorious edifices of the Roman Empire became prominent. With the rise of Christianity, sanctuaries of the goddess Nemesis were adapted into Christian memorial chapels to honor the martyr’s death of a priest Asterius and of four praetorians, that is, the soldiers of Diocletian’s body guard (Antiochianus, Gaianus, Paulinianus i Telius).
In the beginning of the 5th century, interacting gladiator fights in the amphitheatre were banned by Honorius’ imperial order from the year 404., but gladiator and beast fights continued, because the amphitheatre was in function until the 6th century, after which it was systematically used as a free stone quarry. It is also important to mention the unscrupulous conversion and adaptation of the edifice of Salonitan amphitheatre with the purpose of using it as a defensive fortress during the well-known Gothic-Byzantium wars.

Il Centro di Studi Medievali e Rinascimentali "Emmanuele Antonio Cicogna"-Venezia propone la sua ultima pubblicazione: Paolino da Venezia, Tractatus de ludo scachorum traduzione ed edizione critica a cura di Roberto Pesce Centro di Studi Medievali e Rinascimentali "E. A. Cicogna", Venezia ISBN 9788896543122, euro 20 (per ordini info@centrocicogna.it) https://www.centrocicogna.it/testi/ Il gioco degli scacchi ha avuto ampia fortuna nel Medioevo, dove entra a far parte della vita quotidiana della società cortese e urbana e trova spazio nella letteratura mediolatina e romanza, diventando una parte importante dell'educazione cavalleresca come momento di svago e riflessione all'interno della corte. Composto nella prima metà del XIV secolo, il Tractatus de ludo scachorum di Paolino da Venezia descrive in otto capitoli l'origine, le diverse fasi e il significato simbolico degli scacchi, offrendo al lettore consigli politici e militari ricavati dalle strategie del gioco. L'opera, scritta per formare e ammaestrare principi e governanti, narra la storia di un sovrano che, attraverso la conoscenza degli scacchi, smette di essere un tiranno e diventa un monarca benevolo e amato dal popolo. I pezzi giungono a rappresentare diverse classi sociali, con propri vizi e virtù, e i loro movimenti sulla scacchiera evidenziano sia le qualità morali delle singole figure, sia la loro funzione all'interno della società.
The game of chess was quite widespread in the Middle Ages. It was part of the daily life of courtly and urban society and it is written about in medieval literature, both in Latin and vernaculars. Chess became an important part of chivalric education, utilized as a moment of leisure and learning in the court. Written in the first half of the 14th century, Paulinus of Venice's Tractatus de ludo scachorum describes in eight chapters the origins, the different stages and the symbolic meaning of chess. The text further offers the reader political and military advice gleaned from the strategy of the game. The treatise, composed to guide and teach princes and rulers, narrates the story of a tyrant who becomes a wise and beloved king after having learned how to play the game. Each chess piece represents a different social class, with their own vices and virtues, and their movements on the chessboard portray the moral qualities of the single figures and their roles within society.

Статья посвящена сравнительно-историческому анализу преданий о предыстории Новгородской и Венецианской республик.
Задачей автора является анализ представлений о легендарных «отцах-основателях» республик: Гостомысле, согласно
легенде, первом новгородском посаднике, и Паолуччо Анафесто, согласно преданию, первом венецианском доже. В отличие
от Венеции, в Новгороде миф о первом выборном правителе не получил развития, а представления о вольностях, которые
были дарованы Новгороду русскими князьями-Рюриковичами, стали более популярными. Это обстоятельство, по-видимому,
оказало влияние на эволюцию политической системы Новгородской республики и в итоге усилило в идеологическом отношении промосковскую партию.
The article is devoted to the comparative analysis of the legends on the origins of Novgorod and Venetian republics. The author focuses on
the images of the legendary ‘founding fathers’: Gostomysl, the first posadnik (burgomaster) of Novgorod, and Paolo Lucio Anafesto, the
first Doge of Venice. Unlike in Venice, in Novgorod a myth on the first elected ruler did not develop, while ideas of the liberties granted
by the princes-Rurikids became much more popular. It may have influenced political evolution of Novgorod and eventually strengthened
ideologically the pro-Moscow party.