Tonnages and displacements in the 16th century

Questions associated with the size of ships suggested in historical documents are relevant to giving an idea of the volume of cargoes, the size of crews, cost of freights, or when trying to evaluate competitive advantages in war and commerce. Good estimates are often difficult to obtain from the written record, although some values concerning basic hull dimensions are sometimes mentioned. The establishment of reliable relations between registered capacity, as expressed in coeval documents, and displacement, as it is defined nowadays, would be helpful to both historical and archaeological research. This paper probes into the relations between a number of known formulas to calculate tonnages in the 16th century, and the reconstructed hull of the Pepper Wreck, an archaeologically excavated shipwreck dated to 1606.     

Aspects of the sugar-refining industry from the 16th to the 19th century

This paper considers some aspects of the sugar-refining industry in Britain from the 16th to the 19th century. The pottery types involved are defined, and illustrated by examples from different parts of the country. The method of manufacturing sugar loaves is discussed, and the technology is placed in a wider context, drawing upon archaeological and historical evidence from the Old and New Worlds.     

十六至十八世纪的澳门与东西宗教文化交流

从１６世纪至１８世纪,澳门因其特殊的地理位置和社会背景成了东西文化、宗教交流的基地,对于推动国际间的交流与融合有着特别重要的地位。     

The German Empire and Palestine: German pilgrimages to Jerusalem between the 12th and 16th century

This study is an attempt to discuss various points of interest concerning the pilgrimages to Jerusalem which started from the German Empire during and after the Crusader period. On the basis of a comprehensive critical investigation, it will be demonstrated that by reason of extremely high travel expenses, most pilgrims decided against going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is pointed out to what extent the noble and non-noble pilgrims from the Empire who planned the journey to Jerusalem would have to take into consideration their legal and moral obligations toward their feudal lords or local communities. It will be shown that most German pilgrims' ignorance of foreign languages furthered the cohesion and isolation of their travel parties on the road to Syria. As may be proved, they were not ready to adapt themselves to unusual manners and customs and had a remarkable penchant for violence. Finally, it will be demonstrated that the presence of German pilgrims ready to give donations or to pay for an indulgence must always have been a very important economic factor for some of the religious communities in Jerusalem.     

Myths,missions, and mistrust: The fate of Christianity in 16th and 17th century Japan

This article examines accepted opinion regarding the persecution and demise of Christian/Catholic missions in 16th and 17th century Japan. Many of the key issues associated with the encounter of European missionaries and Japanese feudal systems of authority and power resonate with contemporary interest in transculturalism, semantic slippage, personal agency, and the intimate interplay between religion, politics, and economics. Burdened with rigid standards of belief, heresy, and race from European inquisitions as well as Mesoamerican conquests, the Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries made numerous strategic blunders that contributed to their fates, both as recipients of expulsion orders and, finally, on the execution grounds.     

Loading and stability of a late 16th century Portuguese Indiaman

The stability characteristics of 16th century ships are not known with certainty, but safety issues related to floatability, stability and overloading were a cause of concern at the time. The aim of the paper is to advance knowledge in this field by developing a set of loading conditions for a typical Portuguese ship of this epoch, for both the voyage from Lisbon to India and the return voyage. This allows testing the reconstruction of the presumable Nossa Senhora dos Mártires as well as to use this reconstruction to bring a better understanding of safety and loading issues on the Portuguese East India route. Given the uncertainties about the loading conditions, several hypotheses are tested, varying the amount of ballast, the degree of overloading and the distribution of weights on board, and allowing the development of a range of plausible loading arrangements. The stability of the ship is then assessed using modern tools to develop the limit KG curve for compliance with a modern stability criterion applicable to large sailing vessels. The case study ship is a plausible reconstruction based on the analysis of nautical archaeological remains, contemporary documents and the use of modern naval architecture methods.     

A case of squamosal craniosynostosis from the 16th century southeastern United States

This paper describes a case of plagiocephaly stemming from a unilateral synostosis of the left squamosal and coronal sutures in a 16^th century calvaria from Georgia. Although cases of squamosal involvement in syndromic, multisuture synostotic cases have been found in the archaeological record, isolated squamosal involvement is quite rare. Our literature review found only 15 such cases reported, and this is the first case to be reported from the southeastern United States. Despite the fact that the bevelled nature of the squamosal suture is unique in the human body and that the cause for squamosal involvement remains unclear, to our knowledge there have been no reviews of the nosology and aetiology of synostosis with particular reference to the squamosal suture in the anthropological or clinical literature. Isolated squamosal craniosynostosis may be frequently unreported in clinical settings, and thus case studies on the condition in archaeological contexts may prove valuable for future attempts to identify the frequency and causes of squamosal involvement. This case study also highlights both the potential and challenges of using rare pathological conditions as a tool for positive identification of human remains in historical forensic cases. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

16-17世纪西欧社会的"猎巫"

The European witch-trials became numerous in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A large number of witches were imprisoned and many of them were executed at the stake. The ubiquitous social strain brought on the witch-hunt, and the witch became the scapegoat. Study on the witch-hunt provides a special perspective on the transition of Western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. __________ Translated from Shixue Yuekan 史学月刊 (Journal of Historical Science), 2007, (8): 64–71     

The Western European witch-hunt in the 16th and 17th centuries

The European witch-trials became numerous in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A large number of witches were imprisoned and many of them were executed at the stake. The ubiquitous social strain brought on the witch-hunt, and the witch became the scapegoat. Study on the witch-hunt provides a special perspective on the transition of Western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.     

Central administration versus provincial arbitrary governance: Patmos and Mount Athos monasteries in the 16th century

Abstract

The confiscation of monastic properties ordered by Selim II in 1568 served as a catalyst precipitating a process of negotiation and mutual accommodation between the centre – represented by the sultan and his jurisconsult- and the periphery articulated by the monks. Even in formulaic imperial orders, it is apparent that the monastic communities successfully negotiated the terms for the normalisation of the affair, whereas the jurisconsult accommodated the Porte's interests to the local society's needs. On the local level, the judge functioned as a mediator, addressing the monks' requirements, even if he had to transgress a number of Islamic rules and imperial orders. Thus, this case study illustrates the gradual transformation of a polity in dialogue with local communities.     

Isotopic evidence for Middle Horizon to 16th century camelid herding in the Osmore Valley,Peru

Archaeological and zooarchaeological data indicate that camelid pastoralism was a subsistence and economic mainstay of Middle Horizon and more recent cultures in the Osmore region of southern Peru. However, it is not known whether camelids were primarily herded in highland puna pastures or near lower elevation sites in the middle valley or along the coast. This research examines the elevation of archaeological camelid herding in the Osmore Valley using stable isotope analysis. Stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope ratios were measured on 28 archaeological camelid bone samples from the Middle Horizon sites of Cerro Baúl and Cerro Mejía, the Late Intermediate site of Yaral and the late pre‐Hispanic to Colonial period site of Torata Alta. Twenty‐three archaeological camelids have δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values similar to five modern camelids maintained in highland puna pastures. In contrast, three camelids from the high status Wari site of Cerro Baúl, and two from Yaral have unexpectedly high δ¹³C and/or δ¹⁵N values outside the expected range for camelids pastured in highland puna habitats. The results may be explained by differences in foddering practices, altitudinal herding range or climatic conditions. Strontium isotope ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) were also assessed to infer pasture elevation using the camelid remains from Cerro Baúl (n = 11). One individual in this sub‐sample exhibits a non‐local ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr value indicative of an origin in the highland puna region east or south of Lake Titicaca. It was not possible to further distinguish between camelids herded in lower to middle elevation habitats outside the Lake Titicaca basin using ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values. This study suggests that multiple isotope proxies may be used to identify animals primarily pastured in lowland coastal versus highland puna (> 4000 masl (meters above sea level)) habitats, but are less useful at distinguishing between animals pastured in lower to middle elevation settings. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

16世纪英国粮食政策研究

粮食是人类生存和发展的基本生活资料及生产资料。在不同历史时期、不同国家及地区,粮食的概念有所差别。本文按英国统计习惯,粮食指谷物。粮食政策是国家经济政策的重要组成部分,它是粮食政策目标、粮食政策手段、粮食政策效应三者互动形成的粮食政策体系;在社会再生产过程中,粮食政策则包括粮食的生产、交换、分配、消费政策。目前,世纪粮食问题已引起举世瞩目,有关各国粮食政策的研究取得了一定的进展,但是,对各国粮食政策的历史形成进行考察却较薄弱。本文拟就16世纪英同粮食政策作初步探讨。