Identifying King Stephen’s artillery

References to artillery in sources for English history from 1066 to 1189 are typically vague. Eschewing the technical Latin terms ballista, mangonel or onager, medieval writers in the period tended towards generic words like machina. This habit prohibits the positive identification of specific weapon types present at Anglo-Norman/Angevin sieges and thus full interpretations of the engagements themselves. This essay suggests an alternative, contextual methodology. After first assessing the physicality of a siege zone (landscape, topography and fortification architecture), it applies knowledge about artillery type and operation (range to target, trajectory, shot type and size) in order to see what weapons could and could not have been deployed in the zone. When such contextual information is available, the method can help identify weapon type in the absence of specific terminology. The examples presented here are King Stephen’s sieges of Lincoln in 1141 and Faringdon in 1145.     

On the Progress and Prospects of Science in Scotland at the Close of the Sixteenth and Commencement of the Seventeenth Centuries,as Compared with the same at Cambridge a Century Later: With Illustrations of Several Remarkable Coincidences Between The Genius,The Studies,and The Discoveries of Napier of Merchiston,and Sir Isaac Newton

In a recent paper in this journal, the crossing tower built at Rochester Cathedral in the early nineteenth century by L. N. Cottingham was identified as constituting an essay in the Perpendicular style and, furthermore, one based on elements from the medieval tower which it replaced. This paper identifies the style of the tower as Decorated and suggests that Cottingham's design was a specific response to context, one more strongly motivated by structural considerations than aesthetic theory or antiquarian or historicist attitudes.     

阿育王塔实物的发现与初步整理

阿育王塔作为一种极具浙江地域特色的佛教文物,是五代十国时期末代吴越国王钱俶毕生崇佛的集中体现。由塔上铸铭可知,钱俶在乙卯岁(955)和乙丑岁(965)两次范金铸成八万四千宝塔,瘗藏舍利、佛经。阿育王塔实物,多出土于吴越国境内的佛塔,河北定州、河南邓州北宋地宫发现的铁阿育王塔应与钱俶两次进京有关。历代民间仿造的阿育王塔实物,时代以五代至宋为主,塔上多有纪年铭刻。五代时期民间造阿育王塔均分布在吴越国境内,宋代的出土地点仍以五代吴越国故境为多。     

On the “Belgic Ditches,” and the Probable Date of Stonehenge

The acceptance of Caerlaverock castle into guardianship was followed by consolidation of the masonry and the clearance of the silted moat. In parallel with these operations, a series of excavations was carried out to investigate the nature of the outer defences and any surviving evidence for earlier bridges. Four different phases of timber bridges had crossed the moat to the gatehouse; the first three were dated by dendrochronology to 1277, 1371 and to the second quarter of the fifteenth century. An outer earthwork, originally intended purely to retain the water of the moat, was remodelled in the sixteenth century as an artillery defence. The approach to the castle was remodelled with an additional rock-cut moat, crossed by a timber bridge dated by dendrochronology c. 1559–94. Documentary evidence is examined for the use of these artillery defences, especially in the final siege of Caerlaverock in 1640. A rich assemblage of finds was recovered, mainly from unstratified contexts, both from the excavation of the bridges and from the general clearance work of the moat.     

The War Munitions Supply Company of Western Australia and the Popular Movement to Manufacture Artillery Ammunition in the British Empire in the First World War

Among the nations that comprised the British Empire, the First World War has generally either been forgotten, as in India, as irrelevant to the achievement of political independence, or remembered, as in Canada, as the catalyst for developing a separate national identity. This article argues that both these historical interpretations ignore the extent to which the First World War was a shared British Empire experience. The article examines the establishment of the War Munitions Supply Company of Western Australia as an example of the popular movement to make artillery ammunition that swept many parts of the British Empire in 1915. The munitions movement provided an outlet for the patriotic surge that occurred in April–May 1915 in reaction to the German use of poison gas and the sinking of the Lusitania. It was also an attempt to overcome wartime economic disruption by creating a new local industry. The practicalities of cost and shipping meant that by 1917 artillery ammunition production was continued only in Britain, Ireland, and Canada, but in 1915 the Western Australian company was part of an Empire-wide movement to make munitions and support the war.     

Case Shot: An Interim Report on Experimental firing and Analysis to Interpret Early Modern Battlefield Assemblages

Abstract

This article reports on the first stage of a programme of ongoing experimental research to reproduce the firing of artillery case shot of the 17th century, to recover the distribution of the bullets fired, and to analyse their character, to assist in interpretation of case shot distributions from surveys of 17th century battlefields.     

On Some Arrangements for the Hanging of Bells in Churches without Towers

The growth of the study of English artillery fortification, coupled with the various inadequacies of B. H. St J. O'Neil's Castles and Cannon, mean that a reappraisal of the development of these defences is long overdue. The scattered evidence, both architectural and documentary, for pre–1539 works is brought together to form a background against which studies of individual sites may be made. The emphasis is on castles, town defences and blockhouses, but there is a separate section relating to fortified manor-houses. The major fortifications are studied in three sections, each reflecting a stage in the development of artillery fortification. The effectiveness of the defences is assessed based on surviving buildings as well as the capabilities of early ordnance, on which there is a section. 1539 is the terminal date for the study, for in that year Henry VIII's coastal forts marked the end of the basically medieval ideas that went into the planning of the first forts.     

汉阳陵帝陵陵园南门遗址发掘简报

阳陵是汉景帝刘启和王皇后同莹异穴的合葬陵园。汉景帝陵园南门遗址由东西两座对称的建筑群及中间的门道组成,因其平面形制从陵园园墙到中央门道有三次向外的凸出,所以称为三出阙。阳陵帝陵陵园南阙门遗址的发掘对研究西汉乃至中国古代帝陵的门阙制度及中国古代建筑史具有重要意义。     

The Architectural Background of the Ely Octagon

Abstract

Ely octagon is usually regarded as an original invention of the architect Alan of Walsingham. However, the ground plan of the Norman church, with both eastern and western transepts and two axial towers, has affinities with the plans of some Romanesque churches in the Rhineland which also possess octagonal central towers. The presence of an octagonal Norman tower at nearby Swaffham Prior, a church which has belonged to Ely since before the Norman Conquest, suggests that the Norman church at Ely may also have had an octagonal central tower.     

Transverse Seismic Behavior Studies of a Medium Span Cable-Stayed Bridge Model with Two Concrete Towers

Due to lack of investigation on nonlinear seismic behavior of cable-stayed bridges under strong earthquake excitation, the concrete towers, as the main gravity-carrying component, are usually required to remain nearly elastic. However, in order to achieve this high seismic performance objective, the reinforcement ratio of the tower legs and the tower struts need to be greatly increased in addition to its static loading requirement. To study the potential plastic region and possible failure mode of the cable-stayed bridge, a 1/20-scale full bridge model from a typical medium span concrete cable-stayed bridge was designed, constructed and tested on 4 linear shake tables using a site specific artificial wave in the transverse direction. Test results showed that the damage characteristics of the bridge model were as follows: (1) the severe damage was observed at the upper strut, with several steel bars fractured at both ends; (2) the repairable damage was observed at tower legs at the bottom and the middle part, with concrete cover spalling and exposure of steel bars; (3) the minimal damage was observed at the lower strut and the both sides of the side bents, with only slightly concrete spalling; and (4) no damage was observed at the auxiliary bents, the superstructure and the cables. Numerical results and test results were further compared and showed good agreement in low amplitudes of excitations. The test also proved that the bridge system was stable in flexural failure of upper struts, and had the negligible residual displacement subjected to high amplitudes of excitations.     

What Can Be Learned from Shell Fragments? Examples from World War II Battlefields in the Maritime Alps

Shells were the most deadly weapon used during the conflicts of the twentieth century involving industrialized nations. Astronomical numbers of them were produced and fired, making shell fragments the most common artefact to be found on modern battlefields. An understanding of shell fragments can therefore be useful to the battlefield archaeologist. This paper discusses the three main components of artillery shells and mortar shells: the body, the fuse and the rotating band for artillery shells or the tail-fin assembly for mortars. Analysing the fragments of these components can provide important information, including nationalities, types, and calibres of shells used in an area. Body fragments are the least useful, but can prove helpful if they are large, or contain markings, threads, or fragments of band seat. Rotating band fragments are extremely characteristic as well as easy to find, and a single fragment is usually sufficient to determine the exact type of shell it came from. Tail-fin assemblies are also specific of the mortar shell they were used on. Fuses are typically covered with highly informative markings such as dates of manufacture, lot numbers, or factory codes. Because the information derived from the analysis of various shell fragments is a cheap and relatively easy way to help maximize the understanding of a battlefield that is being investigated, any archaeologist working on a modern battlefield should familiarize themselves with this topic.     

Excavations in the Ancient Centre of Antwerp

EXAMINATION of the structure of the stone tower and excavation of it and of the associated earthworks at Lydford, Devon, revealed that the earliest structure, presumed to be the firme domus referred to in the Pipe Rolls for 1195, had been a free-standing, purpose-built gaol. It was partly demolished, and the upper part entirely rebuilt towards the middle of the 13th century. The original ground floor was filled up and the tower enclosed by a ditch with a mound piled against it. A small bailey was also added. The ‘castle’ continued to be used as a prison for the Devon Stannaries until the 18th century.     

Command Centre Bjorn: the conflict heritage of a Swedish Cold War military installation

This text presents the results of a contemporary archaeological investigation of an important Swedish Cold War installation, Command Centre Bjorn. This centre was connected to the Air Force Attack Squadron and together with the coastal artillery and the navy it constituted a crucial part of the Swedish defence efforts during the Cold War period. The text also discusses questions concerning heritage processes, and it stresses that a contemporary archaeology approach can contribute with new insights into the Cold War and its heritage in Sweden, as well as canalize and offer guidance to the huge public interest in the material remains from this period in Sweden.     

浙江省博物馆藏五代吴越国阿育王塔

一2008年江苏南京大报恩寺遗址北宋长干寺塔地宫考古出土的＂七宝阿育王塔＂①是目前所见体量最大的舍利容器。塔高1.2米,内部木胎,外覆银片,表面鎏金,并镶嵌水晶、玛瑙、琉璃（图1）。     

Notes on a Piece of Painted Glass within a Genealogical Tree of the Family of Stewart

Skipwith church's west tower, of ‘pre-Norman’, ‘Saxo-Norman’ or ‘early Romanesque’ style, has been the focus of a campaign of investigation and analysis which included structural recording and archaeological excavation. A building earlier than this tower was identified; within and around it were burials, some in iron-bracketed wooden coffins, and a piece of newly discovered early ninth-century sculpture confirms the contemporary importance of this site. This building was replaced by a church incorporating the standing tower; hitherto unrecognized details of its construction are reported, together with its subsequent structural evolution. Attention is drawn to an extensive series of cross slabs and to a considerable quantity of painted alabaster fragments representing one or more altarpieces.     

Out of Time: Erasing Modernity in an Antique City

Considerations of the socio-politics of archaeology mark the contributions of H. Martin Wobst across studies of many different epochs. Socio-politics open avenues for archaeology to contribute to social justice, especially in places whose histories are fiercely contested, such as in the Middle East. In 1909, a clock tower was built on top of the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem??s walled city; as a material intervention, it was noticeable and noticed. Early in the British Mandate, the clock tower was removed. While there have been many critiques of Israeli erasures of the Palestinian landscape, the antiquing of Jerusalem deserves critical attention. Invoking the dismantling of the clock tower reveals an important aspect of the transformation of the city.     

南京发现的明代铸钟遗迹及相关问题

本文介绍了南京鼓楼西侧发现的一处特殊古代建筑遗迹,认为它与明初京师钟楼铸钟活动有关。并结合文献探讨了这处铸钟遗迹发现的重要意义及与南京钟楼相关的其他问题。     

The Field Artillery Revolution and the European Military Balance, 1890–1914

ABSTRACT

This article centres on the introduction of the French 75mm light field gun, and its impact on the European military balance in the two decades before the First World War. It argues that the 75mm (and particularly its new recoil-absorption mechanism) dramatically accelerated the rate of fire and gave France a major military advantage over Germany between c. 1899 and 1906. Subsequently the application of the new technology to howitzers and heavy artillery enabled Germany to redress the balance. On the eve of war, however, Germany's leaders feared a new round of French and Russian emulation, and this fear influenced their policy in the July 1914 crisis. The article also examines the failure to forestall the quick-firing revolution at the First Hague Peace Conference; the new technology's role in the First Moroccan Crisis; its dissemination across Europe and the Franco-German competition to amass reserves of shells.     

The Military of Qajar Iran: The Features of an Irregular Army from the Eighteenth to the Early Twentieth Century

The article examines the parameters of the irregular army in Qajar Iran, including its assembly, numbers, and provisions, as well as the army's organizational structure: its administration and the divisions of the ad hoc forces (provincial militia and tribal cavalry) and of the standing forces (the shah's bodyguard and artillery corps). Until the creation of the so-called regular army units in Iran at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the irregular army was regarded as the only military force in the service of the Qajar dynasty. Despite the existence of a “regular army,” irregular forces, particularly tribal cavalry, continued to play a significant role in Iran's military system throughout the nineteenth century. By understanding the features of the irregular army—its role in Qajar society, its organizational and social structures, its ethnic composition, and other characteristics—we can better understand the character of the state itself.