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S10-02613_Newsletter.qxp 12/6/10 4:46 PM Page 14 Fall 2010 in 1957, Meritt found a set of inscriptions on the left side of the base Hesperia The Institute Letter It is due to Meritt’s efforts that the Institute now houses one of the world’s largest collections of Thompson’s team discovered the statue base in a wall dating from the first century B.C. made of as well when he reconstructedthousand it squeezes from fragments. from The the statue Athenian inscription Agora is in one the of Institute’s more collection. than seven The study of Greek and Romanfor inscriptions Advanced has Study been a since primarySchool the focus of of appointment Humanistic historians of at Studies,who the Benjamin Institute served a D. on precursor the Meritt Institute’s to asber Faculty the the of from current 1935–89, prominent first School becoming scholars Professor EmeritusHabicht, of of in in Historical who epigraphy 1969, the was brought Studies. to a appointed the Meritt, Chaniotis, num- Institute, to who a the joined tradition School’s the carried Faculty Faculty forward in as by of 1973 Christian July (seesqueezes—impressions (see article, of article, page inscriptions page 6) that 1). and allowpage 6). scholars Angelos The to above more imageof easily shows a study a statue them portion by (see of the Athenian ato articles, sculptor squeeze the Praxiteles made process in from about of lettering 375Athenian making inscribed B.C. Agora on the (The by the text squeeze.) a base appears team The inthe led statue reverse Agora by due base excavation Homer project A. was and Thompson. originallystitute, was Meritt where discovered later had Thompson instrumental recommended in served in Thompson 1936 from bringing for in 1947 him until to the his the death Faculty in ofreused 2000. the blocks In- of marblebase and seemed other to bear building text, materials. aleft-hand Only dedication side to the may Demeter have intact and been Kore right-handin left (Persephone). portion results blank They published of surmised due in that to the the a family quarrel among the statue’s dedicators. But IAS Have you moved? Non-Profit Org. Please notify us of your change of address. U.S. Postage PAID Send changes to: Permit #49 Public Affairs, Institute for Advanced Study Princeton, NJ The Institute Letter Fall 2010 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 IAS or email [email protected] Peter Goddard, Director Giles Constable Nancy B. Peretsman Pierre Deligne Martin Rees Faculty Freeman J. Dyson David M. Rubenstein Danielle S. Allen Peter Goldreich James J. Schiro Nima Arkani-Hamed Oleg Grabar Eric E. Schmidt Yve-Alain Bois Phillip A. Griffiths William H. Sewell, Jr. Enrico Bombieri Christian Habicht Harold T. Shapiro Jean Bourgain Albert O. Hirschman James H. Simons Caroline Walker Bynum Robert P. Langlands Peter Svennilson Angelos Chaniotis Irving Lavin Shelby White Patricia Crone Peter Paret Marina v.N. Whitman Nicola Di Cosmo Heinrich von Staden Andrew J. Wiles Didier Fassin Michael Walzer Brian F. Wruble Helmut Hofer Morton White Piet Hut Trustees Emeriti Jonathan Israel Board of Trustees Richard B. Black Stanislas Leibler Charles Simonyi Martin A. Chooljian Arnold J. Levine Chairman Sidney D. Drell Robert MacPherson Jeffrey P. Bezos Ralph E. Hansmann Juan Maldacena Victoria B. Bjorklund Helene L. Kaplan Avishai Margalit Curtis Callan Immanuel Kohn Eric S. Maskin Mario Draghi David K.P. Li Peter Sarnak Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. Hamish Maxwell Joan Wallach Scott E. Robert Fernholz Ronaldo H. Schmitz Nathan Seiberg Peter Goddard Martin E. Segal Thomas Spencer Vartan Gregorian Michel L. Vaillaud Scott Tremaine John S. Hendricks Ladislaus von Hoffmann Vladimir Voevodsky David A. Hollinger James D. Wolfensohn Avi Wigderson Peter R. Kann Chairman Emeritus Edward Witten Bruce Kovner Matias Zaldarriaga Florian Langenscheidt Institute for Spiro J. Latsis Advanced Study Faculty Emeriti Martin L. Leibowitz Einstein Drive Stephen L. Adler Nancy S. MacMillan Princeton, New Jersey 08540 Glen W. Bowersock David F. Marquardt www.ias.edu S10-02613_Newsletter.qxp 12/2/10 10:11 AM Page 1 The Institute Letter InstituteIAS for Advanced Study Fall 2010 In Search of an Identity: European Discourses and Ancient Paradigms We can define “identity” in an elementary manner as the BY ANGELOS CHANIOTIS answer to the questions “who and what are you?” Depending on the context in which the question is asked and who wants to “ ho are you?” A simple question sometimes requires a know, the answer may vary and change over time. Wcomplex answer. When a Homeric hero is asked who he It is hard to imagine contexts in which a modern-day citizen is (e.g. Iliad 7.123 ff.), his answer consists of more than just his of a European country when confronted with these questions name; he provides a list of his ancestors. The history of his family would give the answer: “I am a European.” And yet discussions is an essential constituent of his identity. When the city of about European identity abound, usually tacitly taking the exis- Aphrodisias (in Asia Minor) decided to honor a prominent citi- tence of European identity, cultural rather than political, for zen with a public funeral (ca. 50 B.C.E.), the decree in his honor granted. Studies of how identity was defined in other cultures identified him in the following manner: invites us to critically reflect on modern discourses of Euro- pean identity. Hermogenes, son of Hephaistion, the so-called Theodotos, one of Ancient Greek paradigms reveal two important aspects: the the first and most illustrious citizens, a man who has as his ances- parallel existence and overlapping of identities and their con- tors men among the greatest and among those who built together the tinual evolution. Let us take the case of Classical and Hellenis- community and have lived in virtue, love of glory, many promises tic Crete. The elementary identity of a member of a Cretan of benefactions, and the most beautiful deeds for the fatherland; a community was his civic identity––for instance as a citizen of man who has been himself good and virtuous, a lover of the father- Knossos. This identity was shaped from the earliest childhood land, a constructor, a benefactor of the polis, and a savior... APHRODISIAS EXCAVATIONS, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Figure1.Aeneas, the son of Aphrodite and the founder on. Listening to narratives of the deeds of the forefathers, a The components of Hermogenes’ identity include his name of Rome, escapes from Troy in this relief panel in the child was introduced to the values, and social and gender roles and nickname (Theodotos = “the gift of the gods”), his social Sebasteion (a building dedicated to imperial cult) at accepted by his community. Local songs taught him heroic class, the history of his family, and his personal achievements. Aphrodisias (mid-first century C.E.). (Continued on page 11) Identifying Novel Genes Associated Matter for Debate: A Workshop on Relics With Autism and Related Devotional Objects BY CHANG S. CHAN, BY CAROLINE WALKER BYNUM SUZANNE CHRISTEN, AND ASAD NAQVI aterial objects play a role in all Mreligions. Jewish women light utism is a common candles for the Sabbath; Christians Achildhood neurodevel- sprinkle or douse bodies with water to opmental disorder affecting baptize; Hindus offer coconuts and one in 180 children. It is clarified butter to images of the gods characterized by impaired and goddesses; the ancient Incas pre- social interaction and com- served mummies of their ancestors in munication, and by restricted caves, and Quechua-speaking peoples interests and repetitive be- in the Andes still feel uneasy about CHANG S. CHAN havior. Autism is a complex these remains. Such objects—coconuts This plot of genetic data from an individual with autism shows a disease exhibiting strong and images, candles and mummies— deletion in the gene NCAM2, one of four genes that researchers genetic liability with a carry with them a community’s past, in the Simons Center for Systems Biology found to be associated RHEINISCHES BILDARCHIV twenty-five-fold increased making it present and at the same with autism. Medieval reliquaries such as this one from a church in risk for individuals having time underlining its location in the Cologne were among the devotional objects examined affected first-degree relatives. Moreover, the concordance for developing autism is over past. They convey holiness from place in the conference “Matter for Debate.” The confer- 90 percent in identical twins, but only 5–10 percent for fraternal twins. Recent advances to place, focus prayer and meditation, ence was made possible with support from the Fritz in genetics show that autism is associated with many diverse genes, with each gene enforce or undermine hierarchy. But Thyssen Stiftung. accounting only for a few percent of cases, as well as complicated multigenic effects. religions do not all venerate or fear Researchers at the Simons Center for Systems Biology have been studying autism for the same objects or use them in the same ways. Over the past hundred years, historians of the past two years. We have identified novel genes associated with autism. Our approach religion have been particularly interested in a subset of devotional objects that have been is to use single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping chips that measure differ- designated by worshippers with a word that can be translated as “relics” or “remains”: holy ences between individuals and can uncover candidate genes or regulatory elements bodies or parts of bodies, or physical objects that have been in contact with them or their (Continued on page 5) (Continued on page 4) Einstein Drive, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 www.ias.edu S10-02613_Newsletter.qxp 12/2/10 10:11 AM Page 2 News of the Institute Community IDIER FASSIN, James D.