Adventus in Jerusalem: the Palm Sunday celebration in Latin Jerusalem

Themes of continuity and innovation in the rituals of the church of Jerusalem in the early twelfth century, following the crusader conquest of the city, are examined with a focus on the Latin Palm Sunday procession. Based on the Ordinal of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was produced for the use of the patriarch and the religious community of the Holy Sepulchre, and which contains the yearly ritual cycles and major processional celebrations, the study reveals the original characteristics of the Jerusalem liturgy, as well as its components incorporated from pre-crusade practice. It speculates on the earliest organisers of the liturgy, their identity and the sources of their inspiration, as well as the orientations of the early monastic community in Frankish Jerusalem.     

Holy Fire and sacral kingship in post-conquest Jerusalem

ABSTRACT

In 1101 the Holy Fire failed to appear in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Holy Saturday, as tradition and liturgy dictated. Less a failure and more a deliberately precipitated crisis born of a political struggle of wills between Patriarch Daimbert and King Baldwin, the resolution of this event enabled the kings of Jerusalem to establish dominance over the ecclesiastical sphere for most of the kingdom’s history. A reading of the narrative sources against liturgical sources casts light on the intersection between liturgy and government and on how the simulation of miracles could be used to advance political causes.     

The children's crusade of 1212

The touching story of innocent children setting out to recover the Holy Sepulchre but suffering a tragic fate was becoming a popular legend within half a century of the actual expedition. Linguistic and social analysis, however, suggests that the crusaders of 1212 were not children, but rather were poor persons on the margins of rural society who were thoroughly imbued with the ideals of the cult of apostolic poverty. They believed that after the failure of the armed crusades, God had judged the powers of this world unworthy to rescue the holy places, and had instead made the poor a divine elect to accomplish this task.     

The children's crusade of 1212

The touching story of innocent children setting out to recover the Holy Sepulchre but suffering a tragic fate was becoming a popular legend within half a century of the actual expedition. Linguistic and social analysis, however, suggests that the crusaders of 1212 were not children, but rather were poor persons on the margins of rural society who were thoroughly imbued with the ideals of the cult of apostolic poverty. They believed that after the failure of the armed crusades, God had judged the powers of this world unworthy to rescue the holy places, and had instead made the poor a divine elect to accomplish this task.     

Rewriting the Latin liturgy of the Holy Sepulchre: text,ritual and devotion for 1149

ABSTRACT

An extraordinary reform of Jerusalem’s liturgy took place under the patriarchate of Fulcher of Angoulême (1146–57). The refocusing of Jerusalem’s rite positioned the commemoration of Easter as its central theological theme. This was effected to a level unparalleled in the liturgical traditions of the West. However, rubrics from extant twelfth-century liturgical books from Jerusalem further reveal how this reform was made to coincide with the 1149 rededication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the 50-year celebration of the capture of Jerusalem. From this newly discovered perspective, this study argues that liturgy, through its active rewriting, formed an integral part of a hitherto unexplored religious programme carried out by Patriarch Fulcher. Liturgy, alongside architecture and civic festivities, was used as a central tool to reshape the devotional identity of Jerusalem and the Latin East.     

The Groin Vaults of St. John Hospital in Jerusalem: An Experimental Analysis on a Scale Model

The St. John Hospital is part of a larger complex of buildings known as the Hospitallers Quarter, located south of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. At present, the hospital looks like an irregular volume both in height and in plan; it is covered by ten groin vaults resting on very stocky pillars. Each vault is formed by intersecting double curvature surfaces. In order to verify the effectiveness of continuous carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheets reinforcement, bonded at the extrados of vaults, laboratory tests were carried out on a 1:5 scale model, built with materials and construction techniques similar to those of the real building. Experimental tests were performed on the unstrengthened and strengthened vault. The experimental results shown that the strengthening system is able to increase the collapse load of the vault, without substantial variation of the initial stiffness.     

Recreating the Judean Hills? English hermits and the Holy Land

This article explores the place of the Holy Land in the devotions of medieval English hermits and recluses between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. It first outlines the importance of physical travel to Palestine in the career of anchorites, with pilgrimage to Jerusalem followed by seclusion held up as a powerful ideal in literary sources. It then suggests that some of the dwellings of English solitaries formed deliberate monumental recreations of the holy places of Palestine. It considers the extent to which the cells of recluses were understood as recreations of the tomb of Christ, functioning as living Easter Sepulchre structures, and the dedication of churches used or built by hermits and recluses. Finally, it notes possible links between the hermitage of St Robert of Knaresborough and Jabal Quruntul (Mount Quarentayne), the site of Christ's temptations in the wilderness.     

The analysis of two historic fired artificial stonewares: Coade stone (18th–19th centuries) and a recent discovery from Oxnead Hall,Norfolk (16th–17th centuries)

Coade stone has played a significant role in architectural and ornamental design since its inception in the early 18th century. It is well known that earlier, experimental, architectural stoneware products existed, but few of these have been studied in detail scientifically, and only one major analytical study of Coade stone has appeared in the literature. This paper presents a new spectroscopic analysis of Coade stone along with that of a newly discovered sample from Oxnead Hall in Norfolk where it known that Sir Clement Paston experimented with artificial stone in the late 16th century. The results demonstrate that it is possible to differentiate between the two variants on the basis of both the raw materials used and the different phases formed in their production processes.     

From Langford to South Cerney: The Rood in Anglo-Norman England

Abstract

Two fragments of a figure of Christ crucified from South Cerney parish church comprise the sole survivor of a Romanesque wooden Rood with an English provenance. This paper argues that it is an example of a Triumphkreuz originally located at the chancel arch of South Cerney church and seeks to establish its relationship to both pre-Conquest monumental stone Rood sculpture and wooden Triumphkreuze in northern Europe and Scandinavia. The Triumphkreuz appears to have been a standard feature of the greater churches of Norman England, but how common it was in post-Conquest parish churches is less clear. While church dedications suggest that devotion to the Holy Cross was particularly strong in south-west England, late-11th- and 12th-century mural painting and sculpture of chancel arches in parish churches over a wide area exhibit a close connection with the Rood.     

“In Dubious Battle on the Plains of Heav'n”: The Politics of Possession in Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre

Debates about the “divisibility” or “sharing” of religious sites continue to engage historians, political scientists and anthropologists. This paper assesses the issue of agency in two of the more salient critiques of religious coexistence before approaching the Holy Sepulchre, or Anastasis, as a site for investigating the way various constituencies, most significantly visiting pilgrims and resident monks, have dealt with issues of “sharing”. It contends that inter-communal antagonisms there originate with elite struggles over the possessions of places—struggles which tend to engage political actors far from the site of the conflicts rather than local communities—and concludes that, rather than accept an “identitarian politics” which assumes a profound “civilisational” attachment of cultures to religious identities, we must carefully assess the “politics of possession” which variously play out in sites of inter-communal engagement.     

The partial re-erection of the Temple of Trajan at Pergamon in Turkey: A German Archaeological Institute project

Abstract

The re-erected Temple of Trajan, one of the most prominent monumental structures visible today at Pergamon, is based on the principles of anastylosis. The first task of the team, working under the auspices of the German Archaeological Institute, was the complete documentation of all existing architectural elements. When the preserved fragments yielded sufficient information, these pieces were joined together and restored to their original position in the Trajaneum. If necessary, missing parts of the temple were added using an artificial stone formed from a mixture of crushed marble and white cement, a material that is clearly distinguishable from the original natural stone. This re-erection preserves the integrity of the temple, while simultaneously enabling the visitor to imagine the original splendour of this monumental building.     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Les Sorres X: Un Vaixell Medieval al Canal Olímpic de Rem (Castelldefels, Baix Llobregat) XIM RAURICH, MARCEL PUJOL et al.
Catchers and Corvettes: the Steam Whalecatcher in Peace & War, 1860–1960 JOHN H HARLAND
HMS Sirius 1790. An Illustrated Catalogue of Artefacts Recovered from the Wreck-Site at Norfolk Island MYRA STANBURY
Beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem: The Archaeology and Early History of Traditional Golgotha. Palestine Exploration Fund Monograph Series Maior 1. SHIMON GIBSON and JOAN E. TAYLOR
The Heavy Frigate: Volume 1, Eighteen-Pounder Frigates 1778–1800 ROBERT GARDINER
Viking Voyages to North America B. L. CLAUSEN (Ed.)
Deutsches Schiffahrtsarchiv 16—1993 U. SCHNALL and U. FELDCAMP (Eds)
The Ivory Sundials of Nuremberg 1500–1700 PENELOPE GOUK
Muddy Waters—Proceedings of the First Conference on the Submerged and Terrestrial Archaeology of Historic Shipping on the River Murray SARAH KENDERDINE (Ed.)
Die Schiffswerft von Henry Koch AG HEINZ HAAKER     

BUILDING MATERIALS OF THE THEATRE OF MARCELLUS,ROME*

The building materials of the Theatre of Marcellus, 44–11 bce , reflect Roman builders' careful selections of tuff and travertine for dimension stone and volcanic aggregates for pozzolanic concretes. The vitric–lithic–crystal Tufo Lionato tuff dimension stone contains a high proportion of lava lithic fragments, which increase its compressive strength and decrease water sorption, enhancing durability. Sophisticated installations of travertine dimension stone reinforce the tuff masonry, which is integrated with durable concrete walls and barrel vaults. The pozzolanic mortars of the concretes contain harenae fossiciae mainly from the intermediate alteration facies of the mid‐Pleistocene, scoriaceous Pozzolane Rosse pyroclastic flow. They have pervasive interpenetrating pozzolanic cements, including strätlingite, similar to high‐quality, imperial era mortars. Concrete walls are faced with refined Tufo Lionato opus reticulatum and tufelli, and opus testaceum of fired, greyish‐yellow brick. The exploratory concrete masonry, which includes some of the earliest examples of brick facings and strätlingite cements in Rome, and the integration of these materials in complex architectural elements and internal spaces, reflect the highly skilled workmanship, rigorous work‐site management and technical supervision of Roman builders trained in republican era methods and materials.     

On the Coins of Uriconium

Abstract

This paper investigates for the first time the imagery of the octagonal crossing-tower at Ely Cathedral, attempting a reconstruction of the original programme in the light of newly-discovered sculptural fragments and antiquarian drawings. The scheme is shown to have been extremely sophisticated, articulated through a variety of media, including wall-paintings, stained glass and sculpture in stone and wood. The relationship between Ely and Westminster is touched upon and the view of recent research that there was a much closer connexion between works executed at the Court and those in the provinces than had formerly been supposed is supported by the discovery of an Ely model for some of the wall-paintings in the palatine chapel of St Stephen, hitherto seen as rather isolated in mid fourteenth-century England. The iconography of the Octagon's imagery and its original place within the great architectural works then being undertaken at Ely is also analysed, and it is suggested that the man responsible for drawing up the Octagon's programme was the monastic sacrist, Alan of Walsingham.     

GREEN THESSALIAN STONE: THE BYZANTINE QUARRIES AND THE USE OF A UNIQUE ARCHITECTURAL MATERIAL FROM THE LARISA AREA,GREECE. PETROGRAPHIC AND GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION

The quarries of ‘green Thessalian stone’ provide important information about the use of materials and the application of technology in late antiquity. This stone was used for decorative purposes in Imperial Rome and especially in Byzantium. Sarcophagi, column shafts, facing slabs, tubs, ambones, iconostaseis and baptismal fonts are still found in places stretching from Syria to Britain and from Tunisia to Germany, as well as Rome, Constantinople and Thessaloniki. There are two important areas of quarrying at the Chasanbali Hill in the Larisa area of central Greece. At the southern site, quarrying operations took place mainly in late Roman times, whereas the northern quarrying zone provided mostly raw materials for making pillars and other architectural pieces during the Byzantine period. Green Thessalian stone is composed of an ophicalcite, a mosaic of green serpentinite and white marble fragments. Mineralogically, the Larisa ophicalcite consists largely of serpentine, calcite, magnetite, haematite and chromite. Chemical analyses reveal a high quantity of CaO (26.39 to 31.00 wt%), while Cr varies between 940 and 1430 ppm. C and O isotopic compositions of the marble inclusions show δ¹³C values ranging from +3.12 to +3.31 ‰ and δ¹⁸O values from ?12.98 to ?13.11 ‰.     

Stone circles and megalithic geometry: An experiment to test alternative design practices

This paper describes an experiment which investigates the possibility that stone circles were laid out by eye rather than being geometrically planned. Over 100 simulated stone circles were built and hence a data set of known layout method was generated for comparison with stone circles. The results illustrate that no distinction can be made between the hypotheses. Examination of other architectural traits and geographical distributions suggest, however, that simple laying out procedures, as opposed to the more complex geometries proposed by Thom, are more appropriate for stone circles in Britain.     

Characterization and damage assessment of stones used in the Pasargadae World Heritage Site,Achaemenian period

The architectural remains at Pasargadae were built of three different stones classified according to their colors (beige, dark-gray, and green-gray). The stones show different macroscopic features, such as texture and decay patterns. The aim of this study is to identify the composition of the stones and to evaluate the main decay factors through petrographic studies in order to make conservation decisions more compatible. Petrochemical analyses show that the stones are in fact limestones with different features; two of them have a compact texture (beige and dark-gray stones), while the third has a fairly porous structure (green-gray stone). In some beige stone samples, dolomite was identified. Despite the fact that the presence of salt is a possible decay factor, X-ray diffraction analysis did not report any salt. According to SEM observations, the main reasons for decay in dark-gray and green-gray stones are the dissolution of calcite crystals and the swelling of clay minerals. The main decay factor in the beige stone, by contrast, is dissolution induced by microorganism activity. However, a patina formed by lichens on the surface of the beige stone, although aesthetically detrimental, protects it against further decay.     

Castle Acre

This is the report of research excavations and salvage recording both inside and outside the standing Romanesque church. Evidence was seen of three pre-Conquest churches. The first was a ground standing timber building. The second was a Brixworth-type stone building. The third was a T-shaped church with a continuous transept and a tiny eastern apse. The evidence for these interpretations is presented. Documentary evidence is given and parallels are discussed. Additional information about the succeeding Romanesque church is presented. It had a rectangular crossing and tower, and evidence of a large added eastern chapel, reasoned to have been a new setting for the Holy Cross of Waltham, is discussed. Finds include floor tiles and stone. A burial close to the first church probably dates to the seventh century and suggests that Waltham was a minster church from the early years of the conversion. A herring-bone masonry wall is attributed to Harold.