Internarriage in the Western Greek Colonies

Intermarriage in the Greek colonies in Italy and Sicily has long fascinated scholars, many of whom view the presence of Italian fibulae in otherwise materially Greek graves as the result of intermarriage between Greek colonial men and local, native women. A reconsideration of the evidence suggests that the hypothesis cannot be generalized for all the early colonies, particularly the Sicilian ones, where the nature of the evidence differs significantly. In Sicily, trade provides the most likely explanation for the presence of these objects in the colonies.     

East Africa and Madagascar in the Indian Ocean world

The Indian Ocean has long been a forum for contact, trade and the transfer of goods, technologies and ideas between geographically distant groups of people. Another, less studied, outcome of expanding maritime connectivity in the region is the translocation of a range of species of plants and animals, both domestic and wild. A significant number of these translocations can now be seen to involve Africa, either providing or receiving species, suggesting that Africa’s role in the emergence of an increasingly connected Indian Ocean world deserves more systematic consideration. While the earliest international contacts with the East African coast remain poorly understood, in part due to a paucity of archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological studies, some evidence for early African coastal activity is provided by the discovery of early hunter-gatherer sites on offshore islands, and, possibly, by the translocation of wild animals among these islands, and between them and the mainland. From the seventh century, however, clear evidence for participation in the Indian Ocean world emerges, in the form of a range of introduced species, including commensal and domestic animals, and agricultural crops. New genetic studies demonstrate that the flow of species to the coast is complex, with more than one source frequently indicated. The East African coast and Madagascar appear to have been significant centres of genetic admixture, drawing upon Southeast Asian, South Asian and Middle Eastern genetic varieties, and sometimes yielding unique hybrid species. The biological patterns reflect a deeply networked trade and contact situation, and support East Africa’s key role in the events and transformations of the early Indian Ocean world.     

中西之间：杨昌济的伦理世界及其对西方的认知——以《各种伦理主义之略述及概评》为例

杨昌济的伦理学思想的形成深受中国传统文化特别是湖湘文化的影响,也受西方近代资产阶级自由平等伦理思想的影响。由于受中国传统文化濡染较深,杨昌济从立志、修身、齐家、为学等四个方面对中国传统伦理思想进行了阐释。杨昌济以中学为体,在《各种伦理主义之略述及概评》②一文中对西方伦理学思想进行批判。总体而言,他的伦理思想是建立在民族主义基础之上;中西结合;志趣高雅、客观务实;立足现实,具有承上启下的作用。     

Identity and borders: seventeenth-century Hungarian travellers in the West and the East

The survey discusses the identity and self-image of seventeenth-century Hungarian and Transylvanian travellers as conveyed through their travel texts. The cultural borders in the mental map of the travellers coincided with the eastern and south-eastern borders of Transylvania. They placed themselves in the same position as their Western European contemporaries. Although the general tone of their diaries was one of admiration, they did not make explicit comparisons to the disadvantages of their home. There are also some cases of criticism on a civilisational basis towards the West, which shows that the travellers felt that they were on equal grounds to the West. The few cases of auto-stereotypes also show that some travellers tended to reinforce even the negative stereotypes attributed to Hungarians in order to question the Western discourse which placed them on a lower grade on a scale of civilisation. Towards their Eastern neighbours, the travellers tended to use a condescending tone: qualities such as boorishness, lack of education and barbarity were attributed to Russians, Wallachians and Moldavians. The worst reputation belonged to the Ottomans: in their case, even if – in a very few cases – tolerance and understanding came into picture, there was no possibility of acceptance. Hungarian travellers only used the discourse of their own inferiority towards Western Europeans when it was a part of their political agenda – otherwise, they included themselves in the concept of the region, imagined on the basis of erudition and Latin education – which they more and more often called Europe.     

吐谷浑东西两京巡礼

(接上期)白兰地望何在?初步归纳,中外史学界大体上提出如下六种观点:一、顾颉刚、李文实说:认为白兰在今果洛州属六县,白兰山即为巴颜喀拉山。见李文实著《西陲古地与羌藏文化》(青海     

An Emerging Development Focus from the Pearl River Delta West to Western Guangdong: A Research Report

A senior Hong Kong-based geographer discusses factors that have the potential to intensify growth in the western part of China's Pearl River Delta and adjacent areas of western Guangdong province. He focuses on: (1) proposals for construction of a Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge linking eastern and western wings of the delta, to become a catalyst for rapid development of the western delta region, with its large unutilized reserves to support economic growth; and (2) the potentially strategic roles of nearby Guangxi and Yunnan provinces in a recently promulgated China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O15, O16, O18, O20. 2 figures, 1 table, 13 references.     

Heretical networks between East and West: the case of the Fraticelli

ABSTRACT

This article explores the links between the Franciscan heresy of the Fraticelli and the Latin territories of Greece in the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. It argues that the early involvement of Franciscan dissidents, like Angelo Clareno, with the lands of Latin Romania played an important role in the development of the Franciscan movement of dissent, on the one hand by allowing its enemies to associate them with the disobedient Greek Church and on the other by establishing havens where the dissidents were relatively safe from the persecution of the Inquisition and whence they were also able to send missionaries back to Italy to revive the movement there. In doing so, the article reviews all the known information about Fraticelli communities in Greece, and discovers two hitherto unknown references, demonstrating that the sect continued to exist in Greece during the Ottoman period, thus outlasting the Fraticelli communities of Italy.     

Christianity and Secularisation in the West and the Middle East: A Theological Stance

In this article I argue that Christianity is essentially secular. Hence, secularisation not only has a theological connotation concerning Christian faith but also it is the highest and most perfect realisation of Christian religion, since it signifies the cross that is in the centre of Christian faith. As Christians take upon themselves secularisation as an existential choice, namely the powerlessness of God and of the human being, they simultaneously take the worldly‐human existence as “here” and “now” upon themselves. I will argue that this is the culmination of Reformation. Further, I want to demonstrate that secular Christianity, in the sense given in this article, remains a challenge for both Western and Eastern worlds. In order to accomplish this I will reflect in the first part of this article — from a theological point of view — upon some sociological interpretations or theories concerning mainly secularisation in Western Europe and also the contemporary socio‐political scene in the Middle East. In the second part of the article I will present several Western and Eastern theological positions that defend secularisation, and through their contributions I will construct my own theological stance for secular Christianity.     

Maritime and Shipwreck Archaeology in the Western Indian Ocean and Southern Red Sea: An Overview of Past and Current Research

This paper provides an overview of previous archaeological research on shipwrecks and the maritime archaeology of the Western Indian Ocean and southern Red Sea. It highlights the early pioneering research on the Santo António de Tanná, wreck off Mombasa Island, before discussing more recent discoveries, surveys and excavations. Attention is drawn to the important distinction between ??shipwreck?? and ??maritime?? archaeology, and the need to develop integrated programmes aimed at investigating the diversity of the maritime heritage of these two regions. Particular attention is also drawn to the increased activity of treasure hunters and other threats to the underwater heritage of these regions, the need to sustain ongoing training and capacity building in maritime archaeology and for strengthening existing legislation.