Scandinavians swearing oaths in tenth-century Russia: Pagans and Christians

The Old Russian Primary Chronicle reports on four tenth-century treaties concluded on oath between unchristianised merchants coming from Scandinavia and the Greek emperor, describing the oaths and ceremonies, the objects used, and the gods invoked. This article presents an investigation into the oaths and the formalities performed on those occasions. The opportunity is given for a comparison with fragmentary data elsewhere in the Scandinavian area of the time, and for a clarification of the portrayal of the oath in its pre-Christian form. As the agreements were concluded on the eve of Russian’s official Christianisation, interesting encounters between pagans and Christians are signalised.     

Bohemia and economic geography

This paper examines the geography of bohemia and the relationshipsbetween it, human capital, and high-technology industries. Theunderlying hypothesis is that the presence and concentrationof bohemians in an area creates an environment or milieu thatattracts other types of talented or high human capital individuals.The presence of such human capital in turn attracts and generatesinnovative, technology-based industries. To explore these factors,this paper introduces a new measure—the bohemian index—thatdirectly measures the bohemian population at the MSA level.Statistical research examines the relationships between geographicconcentrations of bohemians, human capital, and high-technologyindustry concentration. The findings support this hypothesis.The geography of bohemia is highly concentrated. The resultsindicate positive and significant relationships between thebohemian index and concentrations of high human capital individualsand between the bohemian index and concentrations of high-technologyindustry. The relationship between the bohemian index and high-technologyconcentrations is particularly strong.     

Fishing settlements in the Pskov region in the 16th century (according to archaeological data and written sources)

Numerous written sources report that an extensive system of special fishing villages called isads existed in the Pskov region in the 16th century. These villages were inhabited by professional fishermen and their fishing grounds were strictly delineated. Due to the analysis of scribes books, cartographic material analysis and exploratory excavations in the area, 314 sites were exposed. More than 60% of the fishing sites mentioned in the scribes books were mapped and the location of 20% more was determined by indirect information. Some of the isads which were located are partially studied by prompt or archaeological excavations. During the excavations of beach debris, some fishing gear dated to the late Medieval–Modern time periods were found. The combination of information obtained from the study of lake coastline changes, hydrological regime of waterways and water bodies of the Pskov region, and data on the economy and economics of the whole area under study give impetus to research into a number of problems related to natural environmental characteristics of the Pskov region for the period of study.     

Plants in Late Medieval festivals and customs in written and pictorial sources from southern central Europe

Abstract

This paper derives from research carried out on plant representations in Late Medieval religious art in southern central Europe. The uses of plants in most important Late Medieval religious festivals and customs in southern central Europe are described. Plants with festive connotations are identified and shown in their cultural contexts. The main goal of this research was to show how visual evidence, interpreted with the help of historical sources, could contribute to archaeobotanical research on Late Medieval plants and their use in festive occasions in the region in the later Middle Ages.     

Land sales in eighth- and ninth-century Bavaria: legal, economic and social aspects

Based upon an examination of the Bavarian law code and detailed analysis of thirty eighth- and ninth-century deeds from Bavarian cartularies, this article argues that land sales were common in early medieval Bavaria and generally followed codified procedures, derived in part at least, from late-Roman vulgar law. The essential element in the sale was the payment of the purchase price ( pretium ) which established its validity. This purchase price, even when expressed in monetary forms, was seldom executed in specie and was determined by customary social as well as strictly economic considerations. The Church probably was the primary purchaser of land to consolidate properties obtained by gift, and lay men and women sold land to meet public obligations, to obtain necessary stock and to satisfy personal wants.     

Settlement and settlement continuity in the parish of karlsoey in the middle ages. An analysis based on written sources

Cultural relations in the central Celtic and the Germanic regions during the late LaTene/pre‐Roman iron age have been investigated through a comparison of the fibula material from different sub‐regions. The reliability of results based on occurrence patterns for fibula types has been tested by a direct comparison of the fibulae, without prior type classification. To check the representativity, a detailed analysis has been made of the Northern Germanic region, including also other kinds of artifacts. It appears that cultural relations reflected in similarity of fibulae, dress ornaments and other personal adornments cross the boundaries of the main cultural areas defined through more stable cultural elements, like pottery and burial types and burial customs, while the relations reflected in similar weapons respect these boundaries.     

Logboats from Bohemia and Moravia,Czech Republic

More than 40 logboats are known from the Czech Republic, and at least 20 are preserved in repositories or regional museums (seven in Moravia, 13 in Bohemia). Two further vessels remain in situ. Many logboats are known from neighbouring countries, but until recently vessels from the Czech Republic have not attracted the same research interest. Only five Czech vessels (two from Bohemia and three from Moravia) have been dated by absolute methods. Several more have been assigned tentative dates on the basis of context or close similarity to other dated vessels. This article presents a summary of current evidence. © 2009 The Author     

The value of empire: tenth-century Bulgaria between Magyars,Pechenegs and Byzantium

The article seeks to explain the connection between the migration of the Magyars and Pechenegs in central and south-east Europe, in the late ninth and early tenth century, and the conflict between Byzantium and Bulgaria during the same period. Through reference to anthropologists discussing the relations between nomadic and sedentary societies (Khazanov, Barfield), and historians studying medieval rituals (Buc, Althoff, Koziol), the article interprets the aggressive policy of the Bulgarian tsar Symeon as a consistent effort to displace Byzantium as major partner of the nomadic polities in the area. By subverting the principles of Byzantine diplomacy and political culture, Symeon turned his own kingdom into a society-structuring factor in the nomadic world. The article evaluates the very meaning of imperial claims not so much in legal terms, as an effort to guarantee Bulgaria’s sovereignty in a Byzantium-centred world, but in the real-time capacity of a ruler to make use of imperial symbols and act upon the dynamically changing conjuncture.     

The value of empire: tenth-century Bulgaria between Magyars,Pechenegs and Byzantium

The article seeks to explain the connection between the migration of the Magyars and Pechenegs in central and south-east Europe, in the late ninth and early tenth century, and the conflict between Byzantium and Bulgaria during the same period. Through reference to anthropologists discussing the relations between nomadic and sedentary societies (Khazanov, Barfield), and historians studying medieval rituals (Buc, Althoff, Koziol), the article interprets the aggressive policy of the Bulgarian tsar Symeon as a consistent effort to displace Byzantium as major partner of the nomadic polities in the area. By subverting the principles of Byzantine diplomacy and political culture, Symeon turned his own kingdom into a society-structuring factor in the nomadic world. The article evaluates the very meaning of imperial claims not so much in legal terms, as an effort to guarantee Bulgaria’s sovereignty in a Byzantium-centred world, but in the real-time capacity of a ruler to make use of imperial symbols and act upon the dynamically changing conjuncture.     

Hosting the king: hospitality and the royal iter in tenth-century England

Traditional studies of royal itinerancy have depended on locating the king’s progress through his kingdom(s) as precisely as possible and it should therefore not surprise that the iter regis in pre-conquest England has received relatively little attention, since Anglo-Saxon diplomas only rarely record their date and place of issue, making the establishment of the royal itinerary all but impossible. However, more recent studies, particularly by German scholars, have moved away from the earlier attention to the concrete details of the royal iter and focus more on the effects of itinerancy as a method of rulership, viewing itinerancy as a central part of royal ritual. This study argues that if we investigate itinerancy in tenth-century England from this standpoint, we can throw new light onto the subject. Contemporary sources reveal that in England as in France and Germany the iter regis was of great importance, with symbolic acts of feasting and gift-giving accompanying royal visits. The attention given to these ritualised acts in contemporary sources suggests, moreover, that Anglo-Saxon kingship possessed an important ‘charismatic’ quality, which deserves further investigation.     

Archeology in Conflict and UNESCO: Legal Aspects

This article analyzes the obligations under the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols related to the protection of cultural property in occupied territory. It goes on to provide practical examples of the return of cultural property from Iraq to Kuwait following the entry of Iraqi military forces into Kuwait in August 1990 and the legal framework of the return of Iraqi cultural property under operative paragraph 7 of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1483, adopted on 22 May 2003.     

Commons and the construction of power in the early Middle Ages: tenth-century León and Castile

ABSTRACT

This article examines the role played by the control of common lands (commons) in the configuration of power in the northern Iberian Peninsula during the early Middle Ages. Although there were marked differences between them, the kings of León and the counts of Castile consolidated their power over local society by guaranteeing the defence and correct management of commons. Their example provides the basis for this study, which investigates whether these higher levels of commons protection and management could have been a way of building and consolidating power (whether as lords, royalty, counts, or in urban areas) during the Middle Ages.     

滨田耕作和东洋考古学京都学派

滨田耕作是日本考古学京都学派的创始人,也是日本考古学的创始人。他一生多次来到中国东北地区,从事合法和非法的考古发掘活动。他把西方的考古学理论和研究方法引入了日本,也对我国近代考古学的建立和发展作出了重要贡献,特别关于对红山文化的考古学研究。但是,也需要看到他的考古行为和理论密切配合并为当时日本政府的侵华政策提供了学术论证。     

考古学与中国上古史重建

中国近代考古学建立之初,不免材料不足并有先天局限,但随着考古学的发展和壮大,其对中国上古史之重建的作用日益显现。以顾颉刚为代表的古史辨派对旧古史系统进行了摧毁性的批判,傅斯年、李济等人继之而起,开辟了重建之路。傅斯年为重建中国古史提供了体制保证并指明方向,李济则在理论和方法上提出了系统的方案。然而,李济等人限于当时条件,具体实践工作并不理想,而中国大陆考古学者们则做出了切实的贡献。经过60年的发展,中国田野考古学取得极大的成就,苏秉琦等学者据此提出考古学文化"区系类型理论"和中国文明"多元一体格局说",中国上古史重建已进入切实展开的时期。     

Archeology and the heritage of man the hunter

Bailey, Geoff, ed. Hunter‐Gatherer Economy in Prehistory: a European Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983. viii + 247 pp. including index and composite bibliography. $49.50 cloth.

Price, T. Douglas, and James A. Brown, eds. Prehistoric Hunter‐Gatherers: The Emergence of Cultural Complexity. Orlando: Academic Press, 1985. xviii + 450 pp. including chapter references and index. $60.00 cloth.

Schrire, Carmel, ed. Past and Present in Hunter‐Gatherer Studies. Orlando: Academic Press, 1984. xvii + 298 pp. including chapter references and index. $33.00 cloth.     

岛田翰《汉籍善本考》书后——兼谈日本古钞本与中国中古史研究

岛田翰《汉籍善本考》,原名《古文旧书考》,明治三十七年(1904)东京民友社排印,最近北京图书馆出版社据以影印出版.此书主要论述日本所藏中日韩三国古籍的版本源流、流布传播和校勘考释的情况,分为旧钞本、宋椠本、旧刊本、元明清韩刊本四卷,有俞樾《序》和黄绍箕《跋》.     

Darwin to Einstein: Primary sources on science and belief

R.G. Collingwood defined historical knowledge as essentially ‘scientific’, and saw the historian's task as the ‘re-enactment of past thoughts’. The author argues the need to go beyond Collingwood, first by demonstrating the authenticity of available evidence, and secondly, using Namier as an example, by considering methodology as well as epistemology, and the need to relate past thoughts to their present context. The ‘law of the consumption of time’ encourages historians to focus on landmark events, theories and generalisations, thus breaking from Collingwood's emphasis on fidelity to past ideas and interpreting the past from the concepts of the present. This conflict can only be reconciled by the study of historiography.     

A possible hydroid from the Lower and Middle Ordovician of Bohemia

A new genus Webbyites from the Lower and Middle Ordovician of Bohemia is described. Its planar, feather-like benthic colonies (or their parts) display possible hydrozoan affinites. Webbyites is interpreted as an inhabitant of the littoral and sublittoral environment, with high energy, oscillating to current zones.