The Leamington Scow: the excavation of historic structures and canal vessel at Leamington Wharf,Union Canal,Edinburgh

Abstract

Archaeological investigations were carried out at Leamington Wharf on the Union Canal in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh. The remains of a stone quay, wooden platforms and staging, a rope walk and a canal vessel were investigated prior to redevelopment of the site for housing. The combination of archaeological excavation and historical research has illuminated the development of this former canal basin at the terminus of the Union Canal, and provided a rare opportunity to study the remains of a canal vessel likely to date from the early to mid 19th century. A scaled model of the vessel was commissioned as part of the project and will be submitted to the local museum service as a record.     

Zedekiah,Josephus and the Dating of the Books of Chronicles*

ABSTRACT

The Bagoses story from Josephus, Antiq. XI 297-301 turns out to be helpful for two riddles. Rainer Albertz has argued that the events narrated in that story fit very well the developments in Jerusalem in the final decade of the fifth century BCE. I will argue, that the report on the conquest of Jerusalem in 2 Chronicles 36,11-21 can be seen as a key that matches the historical lock that is evoked by Josephus. As a result, I would argue that this report was composed in that very period as a mirror for the infidelity of some priests. In generalizing the proposal: if the entire Books of Chronicles were composed at that time, a good argument for the silencing of Samaria is found.     

‘None but Abigails appeared in white aprons’: The Apron as an Elite Garment in Eighteenth-Century England

In the early eighteenth century, the Duchess of Queensberry arrived at the Bath Assembly wearing a white apron, only to have it torn from her person by a Master of Ceremonies who declared that only a lady’s maid would appear dressed so. This article looks at the apron as a garment worn by elite women in eighteenth-century England in order to consider some of the questions raised by this encounter. Aprons were closely linked with the labouring classes in contemporary representation, and elite women wearing them were therefore accused of imitating the dress and behaviours of their inferiors. While emulation from below has received due attention from scholars, this apparent imitation from above remains underexplored. Elite women certainly did masquerade as country girls at times; however, the apron as an item of elite dress was not as transformative as contemporaries feared. Instead, it became subject to expectations and conventions governed by the rhythms of elite everyday life. Though the Duchess of Queensberry became infamous, elite women wearing aprons were most likely to provoke censure when they defied these conventions.     

Editorial

Abstract

This paper reviews, for the first time, the archaeology of the entire length of the Bridgewater Canal, one of the iconic monuments of the British Industrial Revolution. It seeks to review two decades of piecemeal fieldwork along the length of the canal, from Runcorn to Worsley, before looking at the evidence for the construction of the canal, including the aqueducts, embankments, and warehouses. The study then goes on to look at the technological impact of the canal. It concludes by assessing the Bridgewater in its international context and setting out a research agenda for its future study as a linear transport monument of the Industrial Age.     

ERIC NORDEVALL II — A RECONSTRUCTION OF A PADDLE STEAMER,AN INTENSIVE HISTORICAL PROJECT

Abstract

This article presents the reconstruction of the paddle steamer Eric Nordevall that took place between 1995 and 2012 in Forsvik, Sweden. The original steamer was built in 1836 and was specifically designed for traffic the Göta Canal, the mid-Swedish waterway inaugurated in 1832 between Lake Vänern and the east coast. The reconstruction project aimed to produce a design as close as possible to the original, thus representing a historical-intensive research project including the revival of craft skills, such as model carpentry and riveting of pressure chambers. The project has also been important for empowering a local — former industrial — community situated in region with depopulation and loss of employment opportunities. In addition, this article describes the original vessel and her context, which provides an example of the British influence in the early 19th-century industrialisation in Sweden.     

The Wilsons — A Line of Engineers

Abstract

In addition to his enduring engineering works, Thomas Telford was the inspiration of several lines of engineers whose progenitors worked for the great man. This paper describes such a line, continuing for five generations of engineers. Its founder was one of the two John Wilsons who worked as managing overseers for Telford. The John Wilson here considered, worked on the Caledonian Canal, the Göta Canal and the Glencorse dam. Two of his sons became civil engineers, one establishing his own business in London and the other travelling the world. They in turn were succeeded by two nephews, one of whom carried on the London consultancy whilst the other became Chief Engineer to the Great Eastern Railway. They in turn had sons who continued as civil engineers, and grandsons who have diversified into newer branches of engineering.     

Individual vs. collective responsibilty: From the ancient near east and the bible to the Greco‐Roman World

Abstract

The question of individual and collective responsibility and punishment in the Hebrew Bible has been discussed since the 19th century as an important indicator of the changing standards of justice present at different historical periods in ancient Israel. The question, of course, of changing standards of justice based on changing social, religious or political circumstances is itself of interest here. If one has a standard of justice mentioned in one section of the Bible and in another section of the Bible this standard is negated, one is confronting the issue of the mechanism for change of Biblical Law itself. I will for the sake of clarity during this paper be using the standard of “Poqed Avon Avot” as a short marker for individual responsibility. I realize, of course, that it is usually taken as simply intergenerational punishment, but as I will delineate, it was seen from the biblical period through the early medieval period as much more.     

The expansion of water communication and transportation between north and south China during the Six dynasties

Although a split and turbulent age, the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern dynasties, known as the Six dynasties, witnessed a continuous expansion of waterway communication and transportation between north and south China. A significant waterway from Hangzhou to Tianjin held the greatest potential for development during this period, eventually leading to the construction of the Grand Canal in the Sui dynasty. __________ Translated from: Wuhan Daxue Xuebao 武汉大学学报: 人文科学版 (Wuhan University Journal, Humanity Sciences), Vol. 2, 2004     

Politicians versus Historians: Lord Avon's 'Appeasement Battle' against 'Lamentably, Appeasement-Minded' Historians

In retirement, Sir Anthony Eden, seeking to safeguard the anti-appeaserimage cultivated following his resignation as Neville Chamberlain'sForeign Secretary in 1938, proved extremely sensitive to theway in which his political career was presented in memoirs,biographies, and histories. Eden, who accepted the earldom ofAvon in 1961, saw himself as refighting old politcal battles,except that by the 1960s his attack was directed increasinglyagainst what he described as ‘lament-ably, appeasement-minded’history professors rather than former politicians. During 1966–7objections to Frederick Northedge's The Troubled Giant evenled him at one stage to consider legal action for defamationof character. The ensuing dispute, highlighting Lord Avon'spreoccupation with the verdict of history, illuminated alsothe varying, often conflicting, perspectives adopted towardsthe past by historians and politicians. ^*Earlier versions of this paper were presented to the BISA BritishInternational History Group Conference at the University ofExeter, September 1996, and the Millennium after 25 Years Conferenceat the LSE, October 1996. I am grateful to the Countess of Avon,the Marquess of Salisbury, the Borthwick Institute of HistoricalResearch at the University of York, the Master and Fellows ofChurchill College at Cambridge, and the Archivist of CarmarthenshireRecords Service at Carmarthen, for permission to quote fromthe papers of the first Earl of Avon, The Marquess of Salisbury,the Earls of Halifax, Lord Strang, and Viscount Cilcennin respectively.I am particularly indebted to Muriel Grieve, Professor Northedge'swidow, for assistance in my research and permission to quotefrom her husband's correspondence and publications, as wellas to Sir Bryan Cartledge, who helped Lord Avon with his memoirs.     

The Suez Canal Revisited Ferdinand de Lesseps: The Genesis and Nurturing of Macroengineering Projects for the Next Century

Abstract

In commemoration of the centenary of Ferdinand de Lesseps' death on 7 December 1894, an expanded version of the 1993 MIT BruneI Lecture delivered by Jean-Paul Calon is here reproduced. The benefits that humanity has derived from innovative large scale projects such as the Suez Canal – the product of Lesseps' imagination and perseverance – are affirmed and the technological progress born out of this massive constructional effort is reviewed. Finally, a plea is made for a more visionary and enlightened outlook among contemporary engineers in the light of several macroengineering projects that are ripe for development and exploitation.     

The scope and aims of human geography

Egypt and the Egyptians. By the Rev. J. O. Bevan, M.A., F S.A. London : George Allen and Sons, 1909. Price 5s. net.

With Mulai Hafid at Fez: Behind the Scenes in Morocco. By Lawrence Harris, F.R.G.S. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1909. Price 7s. 6d. net.

The Panama Canal and its Makers. By Vaughan Cornish, D.Sc., F.R.G.S. London : T. Fisher Unwin, 1909. Price 5s. net.

Labrador. By Wilfred T. Grenfell, C.M.G., M.D., and others. New York : The Macmillan Company, 1909. Price 10s. net.

Across Papua. By Colonel Kenneth Mackay. London : Witherby and Co., 1909. Price 7s. 6d. net.

Life and Labour in Australia. By E. Waltham. London : H. J. Drane, Limited, 1909. Price 3s. 6d.     

Establishment of conservation,design and construction criteria for protective shelters at Fort Selden State Monument,New Mexico

Abstract

Foit Selden State Monument, located in southern New Mexico, consists of the exposed adobe ruins of a military post that was occupied from 1865 to 1981. A management plan for the site is currently being developed in which an option being considered for preservation is the construction of a protective shelter.

The process of establishing conservation, design and construction criteria for a potential shelter at Fort Selden involves the assessment of technical issues and the evaluation of public support for the criteria and purpose of the monument. The conservation concerns are based upon accepted standards for conservation and construction criteria while the design and construction standards involve a higher degree of Public concern, particularly the public expectations exerted on a historic site in the United States.

The criteria for Fort Selden are currently being codified. This paper outlines the preliminary criteria as well as the process by which these criteria will be established and meshed with the public expectations of the site. The planning process is presented and the underlying philosophies of deciding to shelter, designing the shelter and constructing the shelter. Future evaluations of the shelter's success can be gauged against these original criteria and mindset.     

Variety and Adventure in the Life of Carl Linden

Abstract

In his long life Carl Linden lived variously and wonderfully. For more than half a century he was a teacher and promoter of Great Books in the classroom and in the neighborhood. Great Books in his hands and mind transformed him into a kind of latter-day Socrates, always questioning, always smiling, sometimes teasingly. As a naturalist he was a hiker/biker on the C&O Canal towpath and promoter of it, as well. His scholarly pursuits took him to Eastern Europe, especially to Russia and Ukraine, about which he wrote and taught for four decades. Finally, he was a bon vivant whose Socratic ways won him laurels in the classroom and friends in the places where good fellows meet.     

DETERMINING THE SEASON OF MISSISSIPPIAN HOUSE CONSTRUCTION FROM PLANT IMPRESSIONS IN DAUB

Abstract

It has been suggested that Mississippian farmsteads in some parts of the Southeast were abandoned in the late fall/early winter, with concomitant population concentration in large, palisaded villages. This assertion is contradicted by published data on plant impressions in daub which indicate farmstead house construction during the fall. Missing from this debate has been information on the season of house construction at mound centers. Plant impressions in daub from a structure at the Lyon’s Bluff site (22OK520) in Mississippi indicate that house construction took place during early to midspring. When coupled with other data, year-round construction at this mound and village complex is suggested. Although these results do not solve the question of the season of house construction at farmsteads, they do suggest that house construction at mound sites was not confined to any particular season of the year, as might be expected with seasonal influxes of farmstead inhabitants.     

Exploring the season of mound building through oxygen isotope geochemistry at the Garden Patch site,Gulf Coast Florida,USA

ABSTRACT

The American Southeast saw the development of large ceremonial village centers, the coalescence of households, and monumental architecture integrated into village layout during the Middle Woodland period (ca. AD 1–600). These shifts toward more sedentary lifeways occurred independently of, and prior to, the domestication of plants across the Southeast. This paper examines the seasonality of monumental construction at the Garden Patch site located on the central Gulf Coast of Florida. This site contains evidence for rapid mound construction that followed a predetermined site plan. Here, we present oxygen isotope analyses of archaeological mollusk shells (Crassostrea virginica) to evaluate the seasonality and periodicity of monument construction. We conclude that mound construction occurred during the cooler months of the year. Ultimately, this contributes to an anthropological understanding of the development of these early ceremonial centers in the Southeast.     

Long-term performance evaluation of an earthen grouting mortar: the Nuraghic complex of Genna Maria,Sardinia

Abstract

This paper presents a critical assessment of the long-term performance of an earth-based material employed nine years ago in conservation work on a building of massive, Cyclopean-style construction at the Genna Maria Nuraghic complex in central-southern Sardinia (Italy). The material was used for filling the large gaps between stones in the masonry walls to create a barrier to ingress of water into the masonry walls. In situ observations and laboratory analyses were conducted on samples of the grouting material to assess its condition after nine years.     

Performing gender in lay saints' Lives

Abstract

Taking as its point of departure Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity, this article shows how femininity and masculinity are performed in three lay saints' Lives from the middle Byzantine period: the Life of Philaretos the Merciful (820), the Life of Thomaïs of Lesbos (mid-tenth century) and the Life of Mary the Younger (eleventh century). The approach of these texts through gender performativity shows in the most graphic way the difference between male and female constructions of sanctity on the one hand, and the important role that gender plays in the construction of lay sanctity, on the other.     

Imagining Britain: reconstructing history and writing national identity in Englands Heroicall Epistles

ABSTRACT

The idea that in the Tudor era the English people became proudly conscious of their national language and history, has been challenged by critical interventions that suggest how England as a nation had to be “written”: the act of writing can construct imagined boundaries, both to appropriate and exclude. In Englands Heroicall Epistles, Drayton replaces Ovid’s mythological figures in the Heroides with specific well-known English historical personas who provide, through their letters, different perspectives on English history. I will contend that Drayton’s assertion of national identity and patriotism is done verbally and semantically, while his allegiance to oppositionist politics is rendered generically and subversively by a remarkable manipulation of the genre of historical poetry in the Heroicall Epistles: this in turn reflects his deep engagement with ideas of history and the construction of national consciousness in early modern England.     

Space Invaders in Barcelona: Political Society and Institutional Invention Beyond Representation

In the contemporary neoliberal urban dynamics, those agencies that are on the margin of society constantly disrupt the boundaries of civil representation and forge new institutional relations within the dynamics of urban governance. I explore how this process was enacted at the turn of the century in Barcelona, looking at two coeval social mobilisations: the lock‐in of undocumented migrants in the Iglesia del Pi (2001), and the project of las agencias at the Museum of Contemporary Arts (1999–2003), both of which unfolded in the central neighbourhood of Raval. The invasion of the boundaries of civil society emerges here as a double phenomenon—one that develops both within society and in relation to institutions, instituting new modes of urban politics.