The importance of Old French chronicles as historical sources of the Fourth Crusade and the early Latin Empire of Constantinople

Michael Angold has shown that the collapse of Greek resistance to the crusading army has not yet been fully explained by historians (Journal of Medieval History, 25, 3 (1999) 257–78). The chronicles of Villehardouin and Clari are an additional, important source, written by eyewitnesses. They provide first-hand evidence of the morale of the army, its sense of mission and the problems which it faced. Henri de Valenciennes provides a similar, first-hand account of the start of the reign of Henry of Hainaut as Latin Emperor. Close study of these texts helps to explain the victory of the westerners. They are even more important as historical sources than as examples of early French prose.     

明末的"辽人"与"辽军"

“辽人”是明代东北地区的汉族区域群体,因长期的边塞生活而具有边疆特点的社会性格。后金进入辽东后,“辽人”有抗、殉、降、逃等不同的表现,反映出他们的复杂心态。清太祖晚年民族矛盾激化,“辽人”奋起抵抗,组成“岛兵”与“关宁辽军”两大军事集团,“辽军”遂成为抗金(清)主力。清太宗即位后,明、清双方展开了对“辽人”与“辽军”的争夺。清太宗调整民族政策,改善汉族待遇,并以军事胜利为后盾,重用、“思养”汉宫为政治号召,积极争取“辽军”,效果显,终于化顽敌为羽翼,大批“辽人”加入清军,为清朝开国做出了重要贡献。     

一幅不可多得的衰世群丑图——《粤氛纪事》有关太平天国时期清方将帅的记载

夏燮以当事人身份所著《粤氛纪事》具有极高的可信度,却一直未受到重视.该书以记载太平天国与清朝统治阶级之间的军事斗争为主要内容,比较全面地分析了封建统治阶级的腐败无能,生动具体地再现了清军将帅贪生怕死的丑态,实事求是地指出了清军在战略上的失误,毫不留情地揭露了清军将帅之间的矛盾,而这些都是在官方档案中很难见到的.因而该书的史料价值在许多方面远远超出了清方档案之上.     

The Politics of Knowledge: Julian Steward,Leslie White,Melville Herskovits,and L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza

Biographies of four important figures in the history of anthropology—Julian Steward, Leslie White, Melville Herskovits, and L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza—illustrate that current “public anthropology” has deep historic roots and that anthropology, even subfields that involve the basic sciences, like genetics, are shaped by personal and political experience as much as by intellect. All the biographical subjects discussed here had first-hand experience with racism, fascism, and bigotry, whether in their home or public lives, and resisted those forms of hegemony by fashioning anthropological theories to explain and appreciate human diversity.     

Breaking the covenant: governance of the British army in the twenty-first century

This article argues that the military covenant between senior army commanders and soldiers is breaking down for two reasons: first, British forces are being engaged in new and controversial wars of choice, putting new and distinct pressures on the covenant; and second because senior military commanders have not fully appreciated the changes to their authority and power in governing the British army. It further suggests that military commanders, central staff and ministers need to acknowledge the scale of the internal challenges to the military covenant and develop appropriate responses. Drawing on examples from gender equality and sexual orientation, allegations of war crimes in Iraq, the military's duty of care and the proposed launch of a British Armed Forces Federation, this article argues that these challenges show that the military leadership has no choice but to rethink its outdated approach to governance of the British army, if it is to remain fi t for purpose. Without appropriate adaptation, army chiefs will have themselves contributed to the breaking of the military covenant, between the army and the individual soldier.     

The Military of Qajar Iran: The Features of an Irregular Army from the Eighteenth to the Early Twentieth Century

The article examines the parameters of the irregular army in Qajar Iran, including its assembly, numbers, and provisions, as well as the army's organizational structure: its administration and the divisions of the ad hoc forces (provincial militia and tribal cavalry) and of the standing forces (the shah's bodyguard and artillery corps). Until the creation of the so-called regular army units in Iran at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the irregular army was regarded as the only military force in the service of the Qajar dynasty. Despite the existence of a “regular army,” irregular forces, particularly tribal cavalry, continued to play a significant role in Iran's military system throughout the nineteenth century. By understanding the features of the irregular army—its role in Qajar society, its organizational and social structures, its ethnic composition, and other characteristics—we can better understand the character of the state itself.     

论鄂豫皖根据地对抗日战争胜利的历史贡献

鄂豫皖根据地创立于土地革命战争时期,为全国第二大革命根据地。由该根据地诞生的红军部队,历经浴火斗争,在抗日战争爆发后分别改编为八路军和新四军主力部队,成为中共领导的重要抗日武装力量。根据地重视干部培养和人才集聚,为抗日斗争和日后中共建政,培养了大批干部人才。鄂豫皖根据地虽然长期孤悬敌后,但是在中共组织的坚强领导下,抗日武装队伍不断壮大,游击战争始终得以坚持,有力打击和牵制了敌伪顽力量,根据地成为中共抗日武装东进南下的桥头堡,为抗日战争的最终胜利以及中共"绾毂中原"在全国取得胜利,发挥了重要的战略作用。     

论曹爽之败

公元249年发生在魏国的高平陵政变,反映的是代表世家大族利益的曹爽集团和司马懿集团争权夺利的矛盾。曹爽集团之惨败,原因在于其所重用之人多为品格卑劣、少不更事的浮华交会之徒。他们既无经国治军的才能,又日益专擅、贪贿、颟顸和腐化。隐藏于背后的必然性则是中国专制的皇室下龙种而生跳蚤的铁则。     

'It's a Man's Life!': Soldiers,masculinity and the countryside

This article explores the relationships between soldiers, masculinity and the countryside. It draws on a variety of published materials ranging from army recruitment literature to military autobiography. It is located primarily in conceptual frameworks suggested by feminist and rural studies literatures. Following a brief discussion of the historical contribution of the military to ideas of rurality, the relationships between soldiers, masculinity and the countryside are explored. First, the ways in which the army constructs a particular view of the countryside are discussed. This view accords the army rights of control over space, dictates a particular way of seeing rural space, and develops a quasi-environmentalist interpretation of the impact of army activity on the landscape. Second, it is suggested that this conceptualisation of the countryside contributes specifically to the construction of particular (hegemonic) notions of masculinity. The ideas of adventure and danger are particularly important in this respect. Third, the role of the body of the soldier in this process is examined. The construction of a specific gendered identity through a process of transformation from civilian to soldier is discussed. The article concludes by suggesting how the body of the soldier is used to signify particular senses of place.     

侵华日军中“笔部队”的“文学报国”

在日本文学史上,有一批为法西斯军国主义侵略战争高唱赞歌、涂脂打气;为日本国民战争狂热鼓噪喧嚣、推波助澜;为天皇笔战、为天皇献身的法西斯作家——“笔部队”。他们包括长期在军队服役并直接参与作战的“军人作家”;受日本内阁情报派遣到侵华前线体验战争的“从军作家”及受报社、杂志社派遣或自愿赶赴前线的“民兵”。“笔部队”的这些作家受军国主义思想的影响,在扭曲的“大亚洲主义”和狭隘的“文学报国”思想支配下,本着“吾为君书,吾为君亡”的精神,心甘情愿地投身于侵略战争。     

Scientific investigation of the paint and adhesive materials used in the Western Han dynasty polychromy terracotta army,Qingzhou, China

A royal tomb of early period of the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C–8 A.D) was excavated by archaeologists in Qingzhou County, Shandong Province in 2006. Over 2000 polychromy terracotta soldiers, horses, chariots, servants etc. were unearthed from the tomb. All the terracotta figures are one quarter or one sixth as large as the livings, most of them were painted with well designed patterns. In order to gain complete information about the materials and techniques used for the polychromy on the terracotta army, five samples from the painted areas were taken. In addition, one sample from the area to adhere one leg to the ploychromy horse body was also obtained. The analytical techniques applied include XRF, FTIR, Py-GC/MS and GC/MS. Chinese purple, cinnabar, lead red and ochre were used as pigments, while animal glue was identified as binding medium and adhesive in the polychromy terracotta army in the Han Dynasty. The results definitely will provide new evidence about the materials and technologies used in Han Dynasty. Especially, the binding medium identified is different in comparison with Qin Shihuang's terracotta army (259–210 BC).     

"The dangers of this atmosphere": a Quaker connection in the Tavistock Clinic's development

During the Second World War, through innovations in officer selection and group therapy, the army psychiatrists John Rickman and Wilfred Bion changed our understanding of leadership. They showed how soldiers under stress could develop real authority through their attentiveness to each other. From contrasting experiences 25 years earlier each had seen how people in groups are moved by elemental forces that undermine judgement and thought. This article arose from my experiences as a trainee at the Tavistock Clinic, where the method of reflective work discussion, giving individuals seated in a circle the choice to speak or to remain silent, seemed similar to a Quaker meeting. Many decades later, I found that this association had a basis in fact. Among other influences on Bion -- a childhood in India, distinguished service in the First World War, and a surgical apprenticeship with Wilfred Trotter -- there is a little-acknowledged Quaker source, in John Rickman, for Bion's radical work in the army that led to new methods of training and organizational consultancy in the postwar Tavistock.     

The Archaeologist as Witness: Matthew Harvey's Glebeland Works,Walsall

Abstract

Opportunities to make first-hand records of industry should be grasped whole-heartedly by archaeologists. By taking a saddlery manufacturer in Walsall as an example, this article outlines some of the benefits of documenting working practices. It emphasizes that a first-hand knowledge of manufacturing techniques can assist archaeological interpretation, and shows that processes rarely proceed in a 'text book' manner, usually allowing for empirical adaptations. Process recording can also be used as a critical tool in the understanding of archaeological sites where the techniques employed are now extinct. The article concludes by considering two accounts of the iron trade written in the 18th century, which are compared with the results of process recording in the 20th to offer new insights into industrial archaeology as the archaeology of work.     

Cosmopolitan Catterick? Isotopic evidence for population mobility on Rome’s Northern frontier

In order to investigate how the population diversity at major Romano-British urban centres compared to small towns and military outposts, we conducted multi-isotope (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and strontium) analyses of bones (42 individuals) and teeth (26 individuals) of human skeletons from Cataractonium/Roman Catterick in North Yorkshire (U.K.). The results suggest a markedly less diverse population at Catterick than at the larger towns. Significant differences are observed between burials from the town and fort area and the suburb of Bainesse to the south, and it is suggested that these reflect a shift to more localised recruitment for the Roman army in the Late Roman period. Isotope data for the ‘Bainesse Eunuch’, an unusual 4th century burial that has been interpreted as the remains of a ‘transvestite’ priest of Cybele, are not ultimately conclusive but consistent with origins in Southern Britain or areas with a similar climate abroad.     

中国军队大裁军与新时期经济建设

以1975年邓小平领导的军队整顿为发端,中国人民解放军逐步走上一条大裁军之路。30年来,中国军队按照服从和服务于国家经济建设大局的原则,先后进行了6次大规模的精简整编,使军队总员额减少了65％,年度国防费开支在国家财政支出和国内生产总值中所占比例大幅度下降,探索和开创了一条有中国特色的精兵之路,有力地支持和促进了国家经济建设的快速发展,逐步形成国防建设与经济建设协调发展的局面,在正确处理国防和军队建设与国家经济建设的关系方面,创造和积累了宝贵的成功经验。     

Expectation and unrest among Cistercian lay brothers in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries

This paper seeks to reposition the scholarly debate over the rebelliousness of Cistercian lay brothers by assessing a broad array of narrative, legislative, and contractual documents. For Cistercian writers, lay brothers embodied monastic principles of simplicity and dutifulness. Authors also portrayed disobedient or ambitious conversi to illustrate the dangers of inflated pride. At the same time, however, Cistercian literature presents numerous conversi who do not fit the stereotypes dear to the moralists. Contractual and legal sources confirm that lay brothers were not only simple labourers or insubordinate underlings. They also had directorial functions in their monasteries and were sometimes charged with important political missions. These activities brought them enhanced social status as well as a sense of privilege. Lay brothers rebelled not, as some scholars assert, because they were unscrupulous, or, as others claim, because they were systematically oppressed. They resisted when the expectation of reward generated by their successful management of monastic affairs was frustrated by the directives of their superiors.     

纪南城周边楚墓地出土青铜“越式鼎”现象的考古学考察

湖北江陵纪南城为楚国都城,在该城址周边楚墓中出土了约13件青铜"越式鼎",时代始于战国中期,延续至战国晚期。这批墓葬的考古学文化特征显示其葬制以楚文化特征为主,但部分墓葬随葬品的越式风格浓郁。通过综合研究,本文认为此为楚化的越人或其后裔墓葬,他们在楚国的社会生活中担当着较为重要的角色。这批楚化的越人可能在楚国军队之中担任军士,或以巫觋身份参与了当地的祭祀等宗教活动,并有着与楚人彼此认同的宇宙观、灵魂观和祭祀习俗。这一现象也在一定程度上反映了多元楚文化的包容性和开放性,以及越文化在楚文化构建中的特殊地位。     

略论新中国成立以来中国共产党对军队的绝对领导

中国共产党对军队的绝对领导,即"党指挥枪",是马克思主义建党建军学说与中国军事斗争实践相结合的伟大创造,是毛泽东建军思想的重要组成部分。新中国成立后,中国共产党逐步发展和完善了一整套领导人民军队的基本制度,实现了党的组织与军队建制的有机融合,实现了党的思想政治领导与军事行政领导的内在统一,并从新的高度深刻论述和发展了毛泽东"党指挥枪"的建军思想,为坚持党对军队的绝对领导奠定了新的理论基础。     

Fruit stones from Tiao Lei's tomb of Jiangxi in China,and their palaeoethnobotanical significance

Fruit stones were discovered in Mr. Tiao Lei's Tomb (around 300 AD) at Nanchang, China. The morphology and anatomy of the fruit stones were investigated. They are identified as belonging to three species, namely, Chinese plum (Prunus salicina Lindley), red bayberry (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc.), and Chinese date (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.). These stones suggest the possibility of orchards in the local area, and the fresh or processed drupes of these three species probably played important roles in the tomb owner's life.