Medieval Pottery

Excavation of an area of over 750 sq. m during 1992–94 and 1999 revealed a multi-period prehistoric site preserved beneath the Roman fort. Flints attested mesolithic activity. In the early Neolithic a segmented ditch may represent part of a causewayed enclosure. By c. 3000 cal. B.C. this had been superseded (in this area) by pits and shelters associated with flint-knapping. Finds, but not structures, attest a bronze-age presence. Within the period 390–170 cal. B.C. a roundhouse with cultivation plot, part of an unenclosed settlement, occupied the area. This had been burnt and was rich in carbonised plant remains which provided information about the arable economy and spatial variations in the use of the roundhouse interior. In the later Iron Age the area was reclaimed by cultivation associated with an unlocated settlement. The nature of the occupation on the eve of the Roman period is not known.     

中古政治史上的月光童子

魏晋南北朝隋唐时期,有关月光童子(Candraprabha-kumāra)将出于中土为转轮王(Cakravartin)的观念非常流行,对这一时期的政治理念和政治运作都产生了重要的影响,在中古政治史上留下了很深的痕迹。从公元3世纪开始,月光童子就从佛传故事中一个并不显眼的角色,逐渐成为带有谶言性质的政治宗教符号。不论是北齐、隋代、武周的君主进行政治宣传,还是南北朝时期的民众造反,其中都能看到他的影子。以前的研究着重探寻月光童子的思想和信仰源头。其实月光童子本身并不重要。他变得重要起来,是因为他和佛教转轮王的信仰连在了一起。从根本性质上说,月光童子转世于中土为转轮王的预言,是转轮王信仰结合了中古时期中国本土具体情况,发展出来的一套适应中土政治要求的新说法。     

中世纪斯拉夫文化刍议

本简论的对象是中东欧斯拉夫国家的中世纪基督教化，分四个部分：一、关于斯拉夫人的起源和名称；二、斯拉夫国家的建立；三、斯拉夫国家接受基督教；四、斯拉夫国家的基督教化——西方化和拜占庭化。