A SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF N. MIDLANDS MEDIEVAL TILE PRODUCTION

Summary. This paper describes a study of neutron activation analyses of some medieval tiles from the North Midlands. Having established the feasibility of the method of analysis, we applied a number of multivariate statistical techniques to derive eleven reference groups, each consisting of tiles with similar compositions which could plausibly have originated from the same source of clay. While known kiln sites could be readily distinguished, less confidence could be placed on the results where it was suspected that several sources had been mixed. Design information on the tiles when combined with the analytical results has led to the conclusion that stamps may have been passed from one tilery to another, though in some cases the tiles themselves were moved. The reference groups have proved to be useful in our continuing research on the composition of tiles from this area.     

BUILDING URBANITY: SPATIAL ORGANISATION AS SOCIAL PRACTICE IN MEDIEVAL ODENSE

The article investigates the social practices of the inhabitants of the medieval town as it is expressed in the materiality of the urban landscape. It is argued that a practice‐based approach allows an understanding of how urbanity, defined as a specific set of social practices motivated by the shared space, developed in the medieval period. The town is seen as something more than a physical entity. The argument is developed through a diachronic and contextual analysis of the spatial organisation and layout of the medieval town of Odense in Denmark, as it is seen in the archaeological record of I. Vilhelm Werners Plads, representing the 9^th‐16^th centuries. The analysis demonstrates that from the mid‐12^th century, the organisation of the settlement plot and the interaction between town dwellers and townscape change. This change of practices is seen as related to a different mind‐set and perception of what it means to live in a town, that progressively has provided a sense of urbanity.     

THE MEDIEVAL URBAN CHURCHYARD AS A MEETING PLACE: A CASE STUDY OF FUNCTION AND ORGANISATION OF THE CHURCHYARD OF ST. CLEMENS IN COPENHAGEN

The article presents the results of a study based on activity analysis of a medieval churchyard of St. Clemens in the urban setting of Copenhagen. The churchyard was in function from the 11^th to 16^th century revealing changes in layout and burial rites over time. A glimpse of the symbolic life of the medieval Copenhageners is also exposed and analysed. Moreover, the study of the churchyard reveals activities of a more secular nature and presents some of the activities that must have been part of everyday life in the medieval town. Thus, the churchyard has not only been an arena for meetings between the living and the dead but also a location for experiencing the urban life burgeoning outside the churchyard. For comparison, a recently discovered contemporaneous churchyard at Rådhuspladsen is also discussed.     

GOLD TILE HALL OF THE TAR MONASTERY UNDER REPAIR

Following in the wake of the repair of some halls at Tar Monastery in the 1992-1995 period, with the help of a State Council allocation to the tune of 37 million Yuan, the monastery will see the repair of its Gold Tile Hall with another 14 million Yuan from the State Council. The repair project has started, and it is expected to be completed before the end of the year. In the 12th year of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Emperor Hong Wu, a Lotus Gathering Pagoda was built in the place where…     

MEDIEVAL BRICK‐BUILDING IN THE CENTRAL ALPS*

Since Roman times, the Alpine area has been the scene of all movements in brick construction—certainly only in a few places, but always at a high technical and aesthetic level. This is all the more surprising as in the mountain areas sufficient stone material is available in a suitable quality for building. Obviously, brick materials displayed overwhelming advantages. Via the mediation of the Church and the secular managerial class, the latent capacity of brick technology was able to rapidly gain a foothold as ideas began to flow internationally. Every era has discovered particular advantages in the use of brick and has expressed them in its architecture.     

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE LIGHT-TRANSMITTING PROPERTIES OF EARLY MEDIEVAL SPLAYED WINDOWS

There is some evidence that early medieval single-light splayed windows were specifically designed for maximum optical efficiency. Some factors affecting the design of an individual window are examined from three points of view: (1) a brief theoretical consideration of the crude effects of size and angle of splay; (2) an abbreviated account of an analysis of the characteristics of actual windows surviving from the Anglo-Saxon period; (3) an account of an experiment to determine by means of a scale apparatus the relative effects of window size, angle and type of splay, and surface finish of the fabric.     

METHODOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LUMINESCENCE DATING OF BRICK FROM ENGLISH LATE‐MEDIEVAL AND POST‐MEDIEVAL BUILDINGS*

Fired clay brick samples, obtained from a group of seven high‐status late‐medieval and post‐medieval buildings in England ranging in age from c. ad 1390 to 1740, were dated by the luminescence method using an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique. The results obtained indicate that, when applied to quartz extracted from brick, the technique is capable of producing dates that are in consistently good agreement with independent dating evidence for the buildings. For six samples taken from a group of four dating ‘control’ buildings the mean difference between the central values of luminescence and assigned ages was 5 ± 10 years (SD, n = 6). The methodology used is appropriate for application to other standing buildings in other temporal and geographic regions, and may be used with confidence where conventional dating methods are less certain. The study also examines the luminescence characteristics of quartz and the characteristics of the lithogenic radionuclides in brick samples and identifies various aspects related to the assessment of experimental uncertainty in testing the reliability of the method.     

NETWORKS OF IRON: THE ROLE OF BLACKSMITHING IN MEDIEVAL COPENHAGEN

The information which can be extracted from studying craft and production in past societies is by no means limited to technology and exchange. Analysing the chaîne opératoire of iron production in medieval society provides a new perspective and knowledge of its role for urban development. Seen as a complex network of economic, social and material relations, craft and production are embedded in society and have the power to influence it. This article presents and discusses the remains of blacksmithing found at the site of Rådhuspladsen ('City Hall Square') in Copenhagen. The analysis focuses on the scale, types and organisation of the ironworking, as well as identifying the people who may have been involved, including their social and geographical networks. This study aims to better understand the role of iron production for the development of medieval Copenhagen and in general, its role in medieval Danish towns.