Papers by Louise Cilliers
Loodvergiftiging in antieke Rome
Vindicianus
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, Jun 25, 2020
The Medicis and Borgias were probably the most eminent families of the Italian Renaissance-known ... more The Medicis and Borgias were probably the most eminent families of the Italian Renaissance-known for their enthusiastic support of emerging arts and science. In popular history they have also gone down as ruthless rulers and infamous poisoners. Our assessment of the extent and nature of their poisoning showed that they were indeed products of an era characterized by intrigue, violence and assassination-but that their roles as poisoners have probably been exaggerated. Knowledge of poisons had improved little since Roman times and there was still a close association between witchcraft, sorcery and poisoning-but arsenic had become the most popular poison. An absolute inability to detect human poisoning chemically before the eighteenth century added to uncertainty, suspicion and common accusations of suspected poisoning, which could subsequently not be proved or disproved in the majority of cases. There is limited evidence of Medici involvement in poisoning, with the possible exception of Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, who collected poisons, frequented astrologers, wizards, and known poisoners, and could well have poisoned a limited number of her enemies. One prominent Medici, Ipolito, died of poisoning. The Borgias were involved more directly, although even here their legendary prowess with 'cantarell' powders (probably arsenical compounds) is probably much overstated. Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) had a reputation of inter alia poisoning five of his cardinals for their wealth; there may be truth in some of these allegations. His illegitimate son, Cesare Borgia, was ruthlessly ambitious, but his many victims died of strangling and stabbing rather than poisoning. The 'infamous' Lucrezia Borgia (sister of Cesare) was a pawn in the power of her father and brother, and not a significant poisoner.
Die 'absurde' professie van Apollo in Euripides se Orestes
Acta Classica : Proceedings of the Classical Association of South Africa, 1985
Hippocrates : facts and fiction : the Greek world
Acta Theologica, 2005
Online Journal Abstract Information - Sabinet Online.
Diseases and causes of death among the Popes : the Biblical world
Acta Theologica, 2005
Online Journal Abstract Information - Sabinet Online.
The death of Alexander the Great : the Greek world
Acta Theologica, 2005
Online Journal Abstract Information - Sabinet Online.
Tuberkulose in die antieke tyd : navorsings- en oorsigartikel
Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie, Dec 1, 2008
Tuberculosis in ancient times In spite of an array of effective antibiotics, tuberculosis is stil... more Tuberculosis in ancient times In spite of an array of effective antibiotics, tuberculosis is still very common in developing countries where overcrowding, malnutrition and poor hygienic conditions prevail. Over the past 30 years associated HIV infection has worsened the situation by increasing the infection rate and mortality of tuberculosis. Of those diseases caused by a single organism only HIV causes more deaths internationally than tuberculosis. The tubercle bacillus probably first infected man in Neolithic times, and then via infected cattle, but the causative Mycobacteriacea have been in existence for 300 million years. Droplet infection is the most common way of acquiring tuberculosis, although ingestion (e.g. of infected cows' milk) may occur. Tuberculosis probably originated in Africa. The earliest pathognomonic evidence of human tuberculosis in man was found in osteoarchaeological findings of bone tuberculosis (Pott's disease of the spine) in the skeleton of an Egyptian priest from the 21st Dynasty (approximately 1 000 BC). Suggestive but not conclusive evidence of tuberculotic lesions had been found in even earlier skeletons from Egypt and Europe. Medical hieroglyphics from ancient Egypt are silent on the disease, which could be tuberculosis, as do early Indian and Chinese writings. The Old Testament refers to the disease schachapeth, translated as phthisis in the Greek Septuagint. Menslike tuberkulose dateer waarskynlik terug na die Neolitiese Tydperk toe die mens deur besmette makgemaakte beeste aangesteek is. Dit blyk uit mediese geskrifte van oud-China, Indie en Mesopotamie dat 'n soortgelyke siekte reeds teen 3 000 v.C. herken is, maar die eerste onomwonde argeologiese bewys van tuberkulose (werwelkolom-aantasting) dateer uit Egipte van ongeveer 1 000 v.C. Alhoewel die woord "tering" in die Ou Testament voorkom, is dit onseker presies wat die siekte was wat toe shachapheth genoem, en later as "tering" vertaal is. Die woord ftise (phthisis), aanduidend van tuberkulose in antieke tye, het aanvanklik gedui op enige toestand wat erge uittering veroorsaak het. Vanaf die 5de eeu v.C. is dit gekoppel aan 'n spesifieke siekte, tuberkulose. In hierdie studie word Klassieke beskrywings van ftise in die antieke tyd vanaf Hippokrates (5de eeu v.C.) tot Caelius Aurelianus (5de eeu n.C.) vergelyk. Die siektebeeld, gebaseer op longklagtes en uittering, het besonder konstant gebly, alhoewel behandeling met tyd progressief meer aktief en kompleks geraak het. Die antieke beskrywings kan inpas by chroniese long-tuberkulose, maar sluit waarskynlik ook 'n reeks ander veretterende longsiektes in. In die Hippokratiese Korpus is daar suggestiewe bewys dat ekstra-pulmonale tuberkulose-aantastings soos Pott se siekte en skrofula ook erken is, maar nie aan ftise toegeskryf is nie.
Akroterion, Mar 30, 2012
Willem Johannes Richards is op 21 Mei 1922 in Middelburg, Transvaal, gebore as die oudste van neg... more Willem Johannes Richards is op 21 Mei 1922 in Middelburg, Transvaal, gebore as die oudste van nege kinders. Nadat hy hier gematrikuleer het, gaan hy na die Potchefstroomse Universiteit vir Christelike Hoër Onderwys waar hy in 1942 die BComm-graad behaal. Hierna verander hy van studierigting, en na die neem van aanvullende vakke by die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika verkry hy in 1947 BA-status (Klassieke Tale) aan die Universiteit van Pretoria. In 1952 wend hy hom tot die Teologie en slaag dan ook in daardie jaar sy eerste jaar BD. Sy belangstelling in die Klassieke is egter sterker en hy sit sy studies in hierdie rigting voort; in 1956 behaal hy die MA-graad in Latyn onder prof. H L Gonin as studieleier. Na verkryging van die doktoraal in Klassieke Tale (met lof) aan die Universiteit van Pretoria in 1959 sit hy sy studies voort in Utrecht, Nederland, waar hy van 1962 tot 1964 studeer en sy D Litt. behaal met 'n proefskrif getiteld Gebed by Seneca, die Stoïsyn, onder leiding van prof. H L W Nelson. Na sy terugkeer na Suid-Afrika studeer hy verder in Wysbegeerte, waarin hy in 1968 die BA Hons.-graad met lof verwerf. In 1972 doen hy weer 'n jaar lank navorsing in Europa en spandeer sy tyd veral in Duitsland, Nederland, Switserland en Engeland. Willem Richards het sy loopbaan in 1943 begin as lektor in handelsvakke aan die Pretoriase Tegniese Kollege. Vanaf 1952 was hy deeltydse lektor en vanaf 1955 lektor in Klassieke Tale aan die Universiteit van Pretoria; in 1960 word hy bevorder tot senior lektor. In 1966 word hy professor en hoof van die Departement Latyn aan die Universiteit van die Oranje-Vrystaat. In 1977 word hy verkies tot Dekaan van die Fakulteit Lettere en Wysbegeerte, en in 1978 tot Vise-Rektor, 'n amp wat hy tot sy aftrede aan die einde van 1987 beklee. Etlike publikasies het uit die pen van prof. Richards verskyn, en hy was die studieleier van vyf studente wat 'n MA-graad en drie wat 'n doktorsgraad voltooi het. Hy was ook lid van talle akademiese en kultuurliggame. Willem Richards was 'n inspirerende leermeester, en het as kultuurmens op 'n baie wye terrein 'n bydrae gelewer. Sy lewensfilosofie van 'Uit God, deur God en tot God alle dinge' het in alle fasette van sy lewe vergestalting gevind. Ons, sy oud-kollegas en vriende, eer met waardering sy nagedagtenis.
South African Journal of Science and Technology, Sep 21, 2007
PubMed, Dec 1, 2003
In antiquity crucifixion was considered one of the most brutal and shameful modes of death. Proba... more In antiquity crucifixion was considered one of the most brutal and shameful modes of death. Probably originating with the Assyrians and Babylonians, it was used systematically by the Persians in the 6th century BC. Alexander the Great brought it from there to the eastern Mediterranean countries in the 4th century BC, and the Phoenicians introduced it to Rome in the 3rd century BC. It was virtually never used in pre-Hellenic Greece. The Romans perfected crucifion for 500 years until it was abolished by Constantine I in the 4th century AD. Crucifixion in Roman times was applied mostly to slaves, disgraced soldiers, Christians and foreigners--only very rarely to Roman citizens. Death, usually after 6 hours--4 days, was due to multifactorial pathology: after-effects of compulsory scourging and maiming, haemorrhage and dehydration causing hypovolaemic shock and pain, but the most important factor was progressive asphyxia caused by impairment of respiratory movement. Resultant anoxaemia exaggerated hypovolaemic shock. Death was probably commonly precipitated by cardiac arrest, caused by vasovagal reflexes, initiated inter alia by severe anoxaemia, severe pain, body blows and breaking of the large bones. The attending Roman guards could only leave the site after the victim had died, and were known to precipitate death by means of deliberate fracturing of the tibia and/or fibula, spear stab wounds into the heart, sharp blows to the front of the chest, or a smoking fire built at the foot of the cross to asphyxiate the victim.
Vindicianus: Physician, Proconsul, Mentor
Health and healing, disease and death in the Graeco-Roman world
Public health in Roman legislation : chairperson's address
Acta Classica : Proceedings of the Classical Association of South Africa, 1993
In an appeal for better health services in South Africa made some two to three years ago by an ov... more In an appeal for better health services in South Africa made some two to three years ago by an overseas visitor, the warning note was sounded , that if our country did not do much more in the field of public health, it was sure to suffer the same fate as the Roman Empire which, he said, had come to a fall because of inadequate health services.
The Contribution of the 4th Century North African Physician, Helvius Vindicianus
Cherchez la Femme
Abstract The reign of the Julio-Claudian emperors in the first century CE was characterized by in... more Abstract The reign of the Julio-Claudian emperors in the first century CE was characterized by instability, tension, and intrigues. Cases of murder and poisoning were rife among all classes of society, especially in the imperial court. Three women in particular gained notoriety for their expertise in poisoning: Locusta, Martina, and Canidia. Locusta, the most infamous, provided the poison which killed, among others, the emperor Claudius (with his wife Agrippina as prime instigator) as well as his son Britannicus, while Martina was involved in the murder of Germanicus, but was murdered herself on her way to Rome to testify. Canidia was not connected with any specific poisoning but is depicted by the poet Horace as being an evil woman and a witch. Various kinds of poisons were used, depending on the required effect (a slow and lingering or a rapid death): a slow poison that is applied over time or a rapid poison that leads to immediate death; aconite was most probably the poison used to kill Britannicus. The number of victims who were poisoned, diminished greatly during the reign of emperors in the second century when there was stability and peace in the Empire.
Eunuchs in the Bible : the biblical world
Acta Theologica, 2005
Online Journal Abstract Information - Sabinet Online.
Konsepte van oorerwing in Grieks-Romeinse tye : research and review article
Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie, Sep 1, 2001
Concepts of inheritance in Graeco-Roman times The earliest genetic concepts arose from the mists ... more Concepts of inheritance in Graeco-Roman times The earliest genetic concepts arose from the mists of antiquity. In the 6lsupgthl/supg century BC the so-called Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers started to postulate concepts based on the assumption that hereditary factors from mother and father were transferred to the child via the male and female semen (or semen equivalent).The Hippocratic doctors (5lsupgthl/supg and 4lsupgthl/supg centuries BC) consolidated existing wisdom by way of a complex theory which stated that hereditary factors (sex and general characteristics) transferred via male and female semen, determined the appearance of the child, but only after modifying factors such as volume, consistency and origin of semen, the elements heat, cold, moistness and dryness, and the position of foetus in the uterus, had played a role. Aristotle (4lsupgthl/supg century BC) postulated a very different theory, based on the assumption that the male was superior to the female, and that his strong semen would determine the hereditary process. Ideally this would lead to the birth of a male child, resembling his father. It was, however, possible that due to factors such as a strongly 'concocted ' (enriched) female generative substance (menstrual blood, as she had no semen), specific weather conditions, the age of and interaction between parents, as well as the type of water drunk, the male dominance could be qualified, resulting in a sub-ideal child - e.g. a male child with the mother's characteristics, or even a female child. Subsequent philosophers and physicians including Galen (2lsupgndl/supg century AD), added little new to these two main doctrines, and Roman writers in particular tended to introduce elements of mysticism and superstition. Die vroegste konsepte van oorerwing kom uit die newels van die oudheid. Reeds teen die 6de eeu v.C. het die sogenaamde pre-Sokratiese Griekse filosowe die basis begin le van 'n teorie wat gepostuleer het dat oorerwing op samesmelting van manlike semen / saad en vroulike "semen" (of semen-ekwivalent) as draers van erflikheidsfaktore berus. Die Hippokratiese geneeshere (5de en 4de eeue v.C.) het bestaande sienings gekonsolideer in 'n komplekse dogma met die uitgangspunt dat geslags- en ander liggaamskenmerke vanaf ouers via die semen na die embrio oorgedra word. Hierdie oordrag is telkens gekwalifiseer is deur veranderlikes soos die volume, samestelling en oorsprong van semen. Die elemente hitte, koue, natheid en droogheid by die ouers en of bevrugting in die regter- of linkeruterusholte plaasgevind het, het ook 'n rol gespeel. Aristoteles (4de eeu v.C.) se siening het berus op die aanname dat die vrou minderwaardig tot die man is en dat manlike semen oorheersend die erflikheidsproses bepaal. As ideaal sal 'n vrou dus manlike kinders met eienskappe van die vader voortbring. Soms, weens faktore soos buitengewone 'konkoksie' (veredeling) van die vroulike generatiewe element (die menstruele bloed), weersomstandighede, die ouderdom van en die verhouding tussen die ouers, en die tipe water wat gedrink is, word 'n minder ideale wese, en selfs 'n vrou gebore. Latere filosowe en geneeshere, selfs Galenus (2de eeu n.C.), het min nuuts tot hierdie twee teoriee bygevoeg en veral Romeinse skrywers was geneig om met minder wetenskaplike mistiese teoriee en bygeloof na vore te kom.
Komedie : kykers en karakters : voorsittersrede
Acta Classica : Proceedings of the Classical Association of South Africa, 1995
A fundamental requirement for the successful performance of a Greek or Roman drama is that the au... more A fundamental requirement for the successful performance of a Greek or Roman drama is that the audience should be gripped by the events on stage. Dramatists have through the ages used various techniques to get the spectators involved, not the least effective being the bringing about of identification of the spectators with the characters. Perspectives of modern psychology are also considered in investigating this phenomenon. Identification has to be effected through clever manipulation of the text by the dramatist. The portrayal of the hero in the fabula palliata is then discussed; owing to the formulaic character of this genre the spectators would have had a very clear horizon of the expectations which the dramatist ignored at his peril. The two Roman dramatists had different approaches. Plautus stuck to basic patterns in his plots which gave the spectators a feeling of security; even though his works were to a considerable extent parodies of Greek New Comedy, his character portrayal evoked empathy. Terence wrote for more sophisticated audiences, but over-estimated them. Even though his character portrayal was much more realistic, it was ironic, and this intellectual approach hampered identification. It thus appears that sympathetic character portrayal was much more effective in bringing about identification of the spectator with the character than a realistic rendering.
Uploads
Papers by Louise Cilliers