Commercial conflict resolution across the religious divide in the thirteenth-century Mediterranean

Commercial conflict resolution in the medieval Mediterranean has been treated by a number of scholars in recent years, notably through the use of documents from the Cairo Geniza and the archives of the Italian port of Genoa. Recent research on this subject, and more specifically on contract enforcement, has focused on contract reinforcement within the Mediterranean Jewish community, largely because of the sources available. Parallels drawn with medieval Italian mechanisms of conflict resolution emphasize differences between public- vs. private-order responses, that is, the reliance on personalized groups in the Islamic world rather than on public institutions typical of the Italian port-cities. These studies do not, however, examine how commercial conflicts were resolved across religious and political lines, despite the growing role of Italian merchants in the trade networks of Islamic North Africa, a role that inevitably led to trade disputes and occasional uncollected payments. Through close textual analysis of 14 Latin and Arabic letters exchanged between Islamic Almohad Tunis and Christian Italian Pisa, this article explores how Almohad commercial agents and governmental authorities sought to maintain positive trade relations across the religious divide while protecting the interests of their own clients and citizens when disputes arose over commercial payments and debt collection. Rather than relying on commercial conflict resolution methods specific to one culture or the other, these documents reveal a middle ground of borrowed vocabulary and procedures. Through these letters, Almohad merchants and officials attempted to negotiate through the bonds of personal trust and reputation established with their Italian counterparts. However, they also appealed to Italian sensibilities with hybridized methods recognizable by the legal and public institutions of both cultures.     

Russia and the Islamic World

This article offers a historical retrospective of the interactions between Russia and the Islamic world in all their diversity, beginning from the first trade contacts of Medieval Rus with the Arabs and Persians of the Abbasid era, as well as with the Turkic-speaking residents of Volga Bulgaria. The author concludes that except for the initial sporadic period, the connections between Russian and Muslim worlds have been stable and close throughout all the following periods. Moreover, with time, these two civilizational communities turned into communicating vessels because of the growing number of Muslims within the Russian State and in Russian society. Special attention is paid to Russian-Turkish relations across several centuries. A complete comprehension of the relations between Russia and the Islamic world through an example of the historical retrospective of Russian interactions with the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey helps to provide a full appreciation of the importance of joint efforts to secure a bridge connecting East and West and the oriental civilizations with Russia.     

中哈经贸发展与国际环境

哈萨克斯坦是资源丰富、战略地位重要的中亚国家。独立后成为东西方投资的热点和竞争的市场。本文通过对哈经济现状及其与俄罗斯、西方国家和伊斯兰世界关系的分析,全面阐述了中哈经贸联系的历史、现状和前景,特别强调两国连接欧亚大陆桥的地缘优势。作者认为发展国际关系、保持过境运输通畅与推动经贸合作是密切相关的,三者缺一不可。     

长江三角洲主要集装箱港口扩张与竞争

伴随着全球经济和贸易的一体化发展,作为世界物流的最主要形式的集装箱运输也快速增长。尤其在长江三角洲地区,近几年来集装箱港口迅速扩张,各港口之间展开争夺腹地集装箱货源的激烈竞争。本文从长江三角洲主要集装箱港口设施建设以及集装箱运输的现状入手,通过该地区两大集装箱港口-上海港与宁波港对其共同腹地-浙江省的国际集装箱生成及流向的调查,引入腹地市场区位商的概念,分析两港口对浙江省集装箱货源的吸引力及竞争态势。     

晚清时期香港与两广的贸易关系

晚清时期香港与两广的贸易关系极为密切.广东大珠江三角洲地区、粤东潮汕地区和粤西南地区,以及广西的北部湾地区、桂西南地区和西江流域依凭13个口岸与香港展开了繁密的贸易往来.不同地区的洋货进口结构略有不同,而土货出口结构则差别极大,反映出区域经济发展的差异.此外,新辟口岸分流效应使原有的贸易路线发生转移,商路的变迁有规律可循.     

Islam and the Dutch in the East Indies: Oppression or Opportunity?

ABSTRACT

Dutch colonial ambitions in the East Indies had to contend with Islam, and this contention intensified as colonisation progressed and Islamisation deepened. The Dutch made pragmatic alliances with Muslim leaders and sultans in pursuit of trade dominance and profits. This, combined with protestant reformation in the Netherlands, allowed for significant religious freedom in the East Indies. The Dutch did proselytize Christianity, with most success in the Outer Islands to the east, mostly because of an absence of a major established religion in those areas. They favoured coexistence over religious wars. In order to improve the lives of locals, Islamic movements were permitted to establish enduring institutions. In the early twentieth century, this included the two largest Muslims groups in the world, the traditionalist Nahdlatul Ulama and the reformist Muhammadiyah, which coincided with the emergence of political Islam in the form of the Islamic Traders Party. These formed important socio-religious structures that influenced political thought and modern state institutions, including the state ideology, the Pancasila, and the constitution, which obliged the state to accommodate religion.     

THE BEGINNINGS OF TIN-OPACIFICATION OF POTTERY GLAZES

A multidisciplinary programme of research on the glazed ceramics of the Islamic world has been focused on questions of their dating, provenance and technology. One particular question has been the development of tin-opacified glazes, and the nature of glaze opacification generally in the Islamic world. The findings of the various studies combine to indicate that tin was first used experimentally in Basra, Iraq, in the first half of the eighth century AD, apparently within the context of pre-Islamic opaque-glaze technology. Over the course of the next century, an opaque-glaze technology entirely reliant on tin oxide inclusions was developed in Iraq and Egypt and, subsequently, this technology spread to the rest of the Islamic world and also to Europe.     

晚清时期东南沿海通商口岸对外航线与港势地位的变迁

晚清时期,东南沿海一系列口岸相继开埠通商,其对外航线和港势地位经历了一个渐进的变化过程,形成了中短程航线、跨区航线、远洋航线三种相互联系依存的航线结构。不同层次的口岸因对外航线结构不同而在功能上存在较大差异,进而形成了三个等级的港势地位。港口对外航线和港势地位与沿海物流和港口集散能力有密切关系。     

1906—1931年日俄经济势力在东北地区的空间推移——以港口、铁路、货物运销范围的变化为视角

日俄战争造成的南北满地理概念, 仅是以条约形式划定的非区域实体的空间分界范围。1906—1931年, 日本通过港口和铁路线的建设, 使其经济势力逐渐从东北南部扩大到东北北部; 同时, 俄国 (1921 年以后为苏联) 在东北北部的经济势力范围则逐步退缩。随着港口—铁路网的完善, 1931 年后日本确立了在整个东北地区的经济霸权。     

Change in chemical composition of early Islamic glass excavated in Raya,Sinai Peninsula,Egypt: on-site analyses using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer

The Raya port (eighth to 12th centuries) on the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, was one of the important port cities for the Red Sea trade. We performed on-site analyses of Islamic glass vessels (used in eighth to 11th centuries) mainly from this site in Egypt using a portable XRF spectrometer. The aim of this paper is to contribute to our understanding of the chemical compositions of early Islamic glass vessels by comparing their archaeological date and typology. In the early Islamic period, glass objects were mainly produced from natron as the soda source. Among the natron glass analyzed in this study, glass vessels with low titanium and iron and high strontium contents, which were probably produced in the Syria–Palestine region, were excavated in the eighth century layer. From the ninth century layer, a large number of samples with high levels of calcium, titanium and iron, probably produced in Egypt, were found. It should be noted that a large number of glass vessels with this chemical composition were found at the Raya site, because this type of glass was rarely reported from other Islamic sites. We finally concluded that this type of glass seems to be produced under a fixed recipe, although some samples contain a colorant or decolorized materials.     

古代希腊罗马的周航记及其功用

随着大殖民运动和海上贸易的发展,不同地区间人员交往日渐频繁,公元前6世纪,出现了记录地中海航线及其周边地区的港口市镇、水文状况、避难地、沿岸物资、人文风情及政治状况等内容的周航记。此类作品具有早期散文的基本特征,其语言简单、句子短小、很少修饰。一般认为,周航记是古代希腊罗马海员和船长的海上航行指南。但是,结合此类作品的成书过程、作者的写作意图和身份、可能的受众读者,加之与中世纪航海图鉴比较,我们可知周航记并非海上航行指南,而是旅行指南或货物购销指南。     

Why Land Here? Ports and Harbors in Southeast Tanzania in the Early Second Millennium AD

The east African Swahili ports developed extensive maritime trading links around the Indian Ocean, and supported economic, political, and urban growth in the early second millennium AD. This article identifies ports of varying function and importance in SE Tanzania, and seeks to understand their development in the context of natural harbor advantage, boat technology, sailing practice, and resource needs. Field data from landing places are combined with weather patterns, historical documents, and oral traditions to provide an integrated survey of the ports and harbors that once sustained medieval commerce along this section of the Swahili coast. The emergence of Kilwa as an entrepôt to become the key center is based initially upon its naturally advantageous harbor facilities, safety and flexibility of approach in days of sail, and assurance of monsoon winds. Original natural advantages gradually become self-sustaining with its economic and political growth. To the north and south of Kilwa a series of ports of call with drinking water and boat servicing supported trade to and from the pre-eminent city, although some such as Kisimani Mafia and Kwale-Kisuju developed important trade functions of their own.     

关于建设我国北方集装箱枢纽港问题的思考

集装箱运输是世界交通运输发展的趋势,在这一进程中,集装箱枢纽港与支线港的形成与分化日益明显,它是集装箱运输规模效益发展的必然结果。随着我国集装箱运量的增加,合量布局我国集装箱枢纽港和支线港的问题日益突出,目前,香港和上海作为我国南方和中部集装箱枢纽港的地位已确立,而北方形成了大连、青岛、天津三足鼎立格局,合理布局北方集装箱枢纽港是我国北方各省区社会经济发展的客观要求。文章深入分析了北方主要集装箱港口的现状和潜力,并提出了我国北方集装箱枢纽港未来的发展战略。     

The Role of Engineer-in-Chief and the Introduction of Foreign Hydraulic Dredging Technology and River Conservancy into China, 1890s–1930s

This paper discusses studies of the development of river conservancy in modern China, and the role of engineers-in-chief in river improvement planning on rivers such as the Hai-ho (Haihe) and the Whangpoo (Huangpu). It discusses the introduction of foreign hydraulic dredging technology and management into two major Chinese ports. It then analyses the process by which two agencies of the Chinese government absorbed and adjusted this technology to suit local circumstances in the treaty ports of Tianjin and Shanghai beginning in the 1890s. Without prior experience in river conservancy, the conservancy boards adopted a range of foreign technologies. This allowed them to develop into major institutions that facilitated increasing trade flows between China and the rest of the world. Of particular significance in this process of technological change was the role of the expatriate engineers-in-chief who were employed as chief executive officers of both agencies. They were responsible for establishing the operations of the agencies, accommodating an increasing range of responsibilities such as financial and human resource management, and training Chinese engineers and managers for senior positions until they were ready to replace the expatriate engineers-in-chief after the 1930s.     

帆船时代福州国际贸易初探

福州是福建省会,帆船时代福州国际贸易是"海丝"文化的重要组成部分,其特色是以朝贡贸易为主。福州官方主导的朝贡贸易始于后汉,发展于唐五代,明清时期福州作为郑和下西洋重要基地和中琉朝贡贸易唯一官定港口而鼎盛。郑和船队驻泊长乐和中琉贸易定点福州,奠定了福州在海外贸易史上的历史地位。国际贸易兴盛带动港口建设,贸易港从福州内河向滨江滨海发展,先后出现东冶港、甘棠港、河口港、太平港、马尾港等名港,成为"海上丝绸之路"的核心港和出发地之一。福州人有精湛的帆船制造技术,熟知天文地理,并掌握高超的航海技术。他们从事海外贸易,穿洋过海、贸迁四方,形成代代相传的海洋文化传统,这是福州国际贸易发展的重要人文因素。     

大连港的中转贸易(1907—1931)

由于优越的地理位置和自由港的贸易政策 ,190 7年后大连成了中国北方诸港与日本之间贸易的中转港。大连港的崛起 ,一方面加深了日本与北方诸港的贸易交往 ,另一方面也导致了大连与北方诸港间相互地位的调适。     

1884—1939年中药材埠际贸易的变迁研究

中药材作为近代中国贸易格局中的重要商品之一,在口岸-腹地的经济互动中位置显要,研究中药材埠际贸易网络对理解其流通的历史具有重要意义。由于受到调查数据相对零散和研究方法相对传统的限制,该网络的复原少有实质性推进。本文主要利用中国旧海关史料的中药材埠际贸易数据,辅以其他对外贸易数据,对近代的中药材埠际贸易流通网络进行数据分析研究,发现中药材埠际贸易格局的演变与通商口岸开埠的空间进程密切相关。从19世纪末到20世纪20年代,中药材埠际贸易网络呈现逐渐加密的态势,1927年后,因为战争,中药材埠际贸易网络摧毁严重;同时,中药材国际贸易的区域分布却较为广阔,从以中国为中心的东亚区域延伸到欧洲、美洲部分地区。     

论晚清上海作为全国外贸中心的影响力(1864-1904)——以外贸埠际转运为视角

作为中国最早开放的通商口岸之一,上海开埠后即迅速跃升为全国对外贸易中心。上海通过与各口岸间的外贸埠际转运,将其外贸影响辐射至大半个中国,显示出其全国外贸中心的地位。本文利用系统的海关数据及文字报告,阐述了晚清上海外贸埠际转运在全国的地位、上海的外贸转运网络及其特点,以此为视角反映出晚清上海作为全国外贸中心的影响力。     

Chihr de l’encens (Yémen)

Frankincense burners found in al‐Shihr’s excavations in Yemen, a frankincense harbour during the Islamic period, represent a rare corpus of this type, which is an indication of both specific use and goods from South Arabia. Although associated with the pre‐Islamic South Arabian kingdoms, the frankincense burner evolved throughout the Islamic period. This is proved by the long chronological sequence of the al‐Shihr site (780–1996). Texts quoting the presence of frankincense, its use and its trade in al‐Shihr are cited in this article to support the reputation of this harbour‐town, which is part of the maritime trade networks of medieval Islam. The aim of this article is to create a renewal of interest in future archaeological research about this object, which is so often neglected in spite of its importance as a testimony of the customs and exchanges that are deeply rooted in Arabian civilisation.     

基于空间相互作用模型的近代中国经济区域划分研究

通商口岸制度,是中国近代史上最重要的经济现象。近代中国经济地理学的格局和区域经济差异等内容,可以利用当代经济地理学、GIS技术、经济学等研究方法结合历史数据进行考察。近代中国一百多个通商口岸的发展,逐步形成了沿海、沿江、边疆对外开放的地理格局,为现代化提供了条件,促进了近代资本主义生产方式的空间扩张,也重构了中国的经济区域。为探究近代中国通商口岸影响下的经济区域变化,首先对通商口岸体系子口税贸易在地理空间分布进行探讨,初步界定一些较大通商口岸的影响区域,进而通过数量化和GIS方法,特别是使用空间交互模型得出结论。通商口岸体系是区域经济现代化的代表和系统性的研究对象,直接影响到当代中国的经济地理格局,可对当前中国经济地理区划提供有历史与现实意义的参考。