Michael Sommer – författare

Palmyra: A History examines Palmyra, the city in the Syrian oasis of Tadmur, from its beginnings in the Bronze Age, through the classical period and its discovery and excavation, to the present day. It aims at reconstructing Palmyra’s past from literary accounts – classical and post-classical – as well as material evidence of all kinds: inscriptions, coins, art and of course the remains of Palmyra’s monumental architecture.After exploring the earliest inhabitation of Tadmur, the volume moves through the Persian and Hellenistic periods, to the city’s zenith. Under the Romans, Palmyra was unique among the cities of the empire because it became a political factor in its own right in the third century AD, when the Roman military was overpowered by Sassanian invaders and Palmyrene troops stepped in. Sommer’s assessment of Palmyra under Rome therefore considers how Palmyra achieved such an exceptional role in the Roman Near East, before its demise under the Umayyad Empire. The volume also examines the century-long history of archaeological and historical research at Palmyra, from its beginnings under Ottoman rule and the French mandate in the 1920s to the recent satellite based prospection carried out by German archaeologists. A closing chapter examines the occupation of the site by ISIS during the Syrian conflict, and the implications of the destruction there on the ruins, the archaeological finds and future investigations, and heritage in Syria more broadly.Palmyra offers academics, students and the interested reader alike the first full treatment in English of this fascinating site, providing a comprehensive account of the city’s origins, rise and fall.

Palmyra: A History examines Palmyra, the city in the Syrian oasis of Tadmur, from its beginnings in the Bronze Age, through the classical period and its discovery and excavation, to the present day. It aims at reconstructing Palmyra’s past from literary accounts – classical and post-classical – as well as material evidence of all kinds: inscriptions, coins, art and of course the remains of Palmyra’s monumental architecture.After exploring the earliest inhabitation of Tadmur, the volume moves through the Persian and Hellenistic periods, to the city’s zenith. Under the Romans, Palmyra was unique among the cities of the empire because it became a political factor in its own right in the third century AD, when the Roman military was overpowered by Sassanian invaders and Palmyrene troops stepped in. Sommer’s assessment of Palmyra under Rome therefore considers how Palmyra achieved such an exceptional role in the Roman Near East, before its demise under the Umayyad Empire. The volume also examines the century-long history of archaeological and historical research at Palmyra, from its beginnings under Ottoman rule and the French mandate in the 1920s to the recent satellite based prospection carried out by German archaeologists. A closing chapter examines the occupation of the site by ISIS during the Syrian conflict, and the implications of the destruction there on the ruins, the archaeological finds and future investigations, and heritage in Syria more broadly.Palmyra offers academics, students and the interested reader alike the first full treatment in English of this fascinating site, providing a comprehensive account of the city’s origins, rise and fall.

Explore the latest groundbreaking e-government insider information! The World of E-Government investigates how electronic communication is helping to revolutionize democracies across the globe. Using case studies, cutting-edge research, and commentary from some of the field’s foremost researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders, this first-of-its-kind volume explores the enormous future potential of e-government as it links all world citizens locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. This pioneering text offers the experiences of many leading countries using electronic government, showing you what mistakes they made, the benefits they’ve reaped, and the impact of e-government to democracy, traditional government, and international commerce. Contributors to this timely book include some of the world’s leading practitioners in e-governmentpeople who were actually involved in establishing and shaping the experiences of countries now ranked as leaders in e-government projects. These authorities reveal how their countries successfully implemented e-strategies to directly benefit their citizens. The World of E-Government details how electronic government is being used to govern and change the lives of citizens online in such areas of the world as:the United States Singapore Canada the European Union Australia New Zealand GermanyThis book will give you a better understanding of:how to best plan for citizen use of e-government how countries have avoided waste and unnecessary spending how e-government can move forward by using optimal planning and previous experiences what citizens expect of e-government in countries around the globe the realities, the latest initiatives, and the future of e-government in America, Europe, and elsewhere The World of E-Government is an essential book for all elected officials and their staffs, e-government practitioners, researchers, and information specialists to use in order to stay up-to-date with the growing needs of the general public. The advice offered in this text can help you improve service delivery, provide vital information to the public, and enhance public participation online. This volume contains useful bibliographies, additional readings, tables, and figures to further your career or research studies in public administration, government, political science, law, education, or information technology.

Explore the latest groundbreaking e-government insider information! The World of E-Government investigates how electronic communication is helping to revolutionize democracies across the globe. Using case studies, cutting-edge research, and commentary from some of the field’s foremost researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders, this first-of-its-kind volume explores the enormous future potential of e-government as it links all world citizens locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. This pioneering text offers the experiences of many leading countries using electronic government, showing you what mistakes they made, the benefits they’ve reaped, and the impact of e-government to democracy, traditional government, and international commerce. Contributors to this timely book include some of the world’s leading practitioners in e-governmentpeople who were actually involved in establishing and shaping the experiences of countries now ranked as leaders in e-government projects. These authorities reveal how their countries successfully implemented e-strategies to directly benefit their citizens. The World of E-Government details how electronic government is being used to govern and change the lives of citizens online in such areas of the world as:the United States Singapore Canada the European Union Australia New Zealand GermanyThis book will give you a better understanding of:how to best plan for citizen use of e-government how countries have avoided waste and unnecessary spending how e-government can move forward by using optimal planning and previous experiences what citizens expect of e-government in countries around the globe the realities, the latest initiatives, and the future of e-government in America, Europe, and elsewhere The World of E-Government is an essential book for all elected officials and their staffs, e-government practitioners, researchers, and information specialists to use in order to stay up-to-date with the growing needs of the general public. The advice offered in this text can help you improve service delivery, provide vital information to the public, and enhance public participation online. This volume contains useful bibliographies, additional readings, tables, and figures to further your career or research studies in public administration, government, political science, law, education, or information technology.

Die Apokalypse ist ein ganz besonderer Text und ihre spezielle Bedeutung im frühen Christentum wird durch ihre handschriftliche Bezeugung, Überlieferung und literarische Bezüge einerseits und Diskussionen unter den frühen christlichen Schriftstellern andererseits belegt. Genau diese spezielle Bedeutung bildet den Kern dieser Aufsatzsammlung und wird aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven beleuchtet. Natürlich ist aus moderner Sicht die Apokalypse zu einer Art Fundgrube für Künstler, Komponisten, Dichter und Autoren geworden, denn sie bietet Motive, die heute berühmt und vertraut sind. Gleichzeitig erscheint es wie ein bon mot, dass ihre handschriftliche Überlieferung recht spärlich und eigenartig ist.Durch die Orientierung an Einzelphänomenen, welche die besondere Bezeugung und Überlieferung der Apokalypse betreffen, erhellen die Autoren die Besonderheit der Apokalypse, die bereits in den ersten Jahrhunderten des Christentums wahrgenommen wurde. Ihre handschriftliche Bezeugung und die lebhafte Kontroverse über ihren Wert und ihre Orthodoxie führten dazu, dass die Apokalypse speziell rezipiert wurde.

Die Johannesoffenbarung ist ein Text, in dem sehr viele Erzählfäden der Schriften Israels zusammenlaufen. Johannes formte aus Anspielungen auf Israels Traditionen einen Text sui generis. Der Text, den er auf diese Weise geschaffen hat, ist darüber hinaus nichts Geringeres als ein literaturarchitektonisches Meisterwerk, das auf einem regelrechten Arsenal aus Stichwort- und Motivverknüpfungen aufbaut. Michael Sommer entschlüsselt in der vorliegenden Untersuchung eine größere Linie dieses komplexen Textes. Er möchte zeigen, dass Offb 6,12-16,21 innerhalb der apokalyptischen Visionszyklen als eine Art kohärente Subeinheit begriffen werden kann, in der Johannes der Tradition des großen Gottestages Ausdruck verleihen wollte. Hierbei ließ er zwei Traditionen miteinander verschmelzen, die des großen Gottestages selbst und die der ägyptischen Plagen.

Mose - Offenbarungsmittler, Prophet, Anführer. Als Sprachrohr des Volkes und Mittlerfigur kommt ihm eine entscheidende Rolle innerhalb der Tora zu. Doch auch in der Literatur des Frühjudentums und des frühen Christentums ist er eine mehr als prominente Figur und wird selbst von paganen Autoren erwähnt. In der Tat hat die Figur des Mose eine breite Wirkungs- und Rezeptionsgeschichte erfahren, in der sie mit den unterschiedlichsten Vorstellungen verknüpft wurde und verschiedenste Funktionen innehatte. Die schillernden, teils sogar kontroversen Mosebilder, die sich im Laufe der Geschichte formten, sind dementsprechend auch ein implizites Abbild diverser frühjüdischer und frühchristlicher Ideen und das Produkt der komplexen Entstehungsgeschichte des Frühjudentums und frühen Christentums. Der Facettenreichtum dieser Mosebilder steht im Zentrum des vorliegenden Sammelbandes und soll nicht zuletzt anhand wenig beachteter Texte illustriert werden.

Das letzte Buch der Bibel bleibt auch im 21. Jahrhundert eine Herausforderung. Nur wenn historische, theologische und rezeptionsgeschichtliche Blickwinkel berücksichtigt werden, kann es gelingen, den besonderen Stellenwert der Johannesoffenbarung innerhalb der Theologie, aber auch innerhalb der abendländischen Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte zu erschließen. So werden im ersten Teil dieses Bandes soziale, ökonomische und politische Entstehungshintergründe der Johannesapokalypse beleuchtet. Der zweite Teil wirft aus religions- und realgeschichtlicher Perspektive Licht auf das Gottesbild, die Heilsvorstellung und das Gemeindemodell der Apokalypse. Der dritte Teil konturiert ausgewählte Beispiele der Nachwirkung der Johannesoffenbarung, wie sie in den frühesten Handschriften, in der christlichen Dichtung der lateinischen Spätantike, in mittelalterlicher Buchmalerei, in bildlichen Darstellungen von der Renaissance bis zur Moderne und in der Musikgeschichte des frühen 20. Jahrhunderts greifbar werden.