A Georgian Language Island in Iran: Fereydani Georgian

This article describes a dialectal variant of the Georgian language in Iran, Fereydani Georgian, which has survived in Iran for about 400 years. Various relevant aspects of the history and research on Fereydani Georgian are analysed. The choice of topics and sources focuses on previously unknown or, for the English-speaking reader, inaccessible authors. Since 2009, a large part of the linguistic data has been collected in several field studies in Fereydan. They serve as sources and show a revealing perspective on the origin, preservation and existence of the Georgian language island of Fereydani in Iran.     

明代盐法之演变与盐商之变化

明代的盐法是从宋元时期的盐法继承而来的,在国家专卖制度下组织了灶户制度,随着明初钞法的破坏,以及社会经济的变化,明代的盐法经历了一系列深刻的变化,如允许余盐和正盐一样可以公开进入国家的专卖体系;明中叶以后又出现了纳银开中制度等。所有的这些变化并不仅仅是盐法自身的变化,它也引起了与明代盐法变化密切相关的商人的地位与命运的变化。     

The Cooper in Liverpool

Abstract

This report assesses the efficiency in timing and layout of the mass-production system at the Portsmouth Dockyard block mill in the early 1800s. It is based on study of the extant buildings and machines as well as pictorial and written evidence from the past. Early output figures for some of the block-making machines reveal 8 to 17 per cent discrepancies from perfect coordination in timing. This difficulty was apparently offset by use of duplicate machines and by short-term stacking up of semi-finished parts between machine processes. An old line shafting diagram implies that the three sets of machines for making pulley-block shells of different sizes were arranged on one shop floor in a hollow rectangle, each set in its own production sequence. Although not ideal, the machinery's coordination and layout showed a greater rationality of design for efficient production 'flow' than has heretofore been documented for it.     

清代泉州晋江沿海商人的乡族特征

Along with the promotion of Taiwan’s economic status in the mid-Qing Dynasty and the expansion of trade with the mainland, the merchants of Jinjiang County of Quanzhou Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty developed a business model focused on the growing cross-strait trade and coastal shipping in Southeast China. The success of these coastal traders in business was closely related to their full use of family and lineage. However, the links of family and lineage, at the same time, were problematical for these businessmen when exploiting economic opportunities. These complex family and lineage ties could either promote or obstruct the development of commercial capital depending on specific situations. Thus, the traditional argument that the family and lineage system hindered socio-economic development should be re-examined.     

The Calderstones,Near Liverpool

Abstract

This article is a contribution to the revisionist literature on the monastic orders in late medieval England and their art and architecture. It discusses the visual and material cultures of the Cistercians in northern England in the period immediately before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, demonstrating the enduring popularity of the Order in the late Middle Ages and that patronage of art and architecture continued until the very moment of the Suppression. Evidence is also discussed showing that monks and nuns salvaged property from their houses in the hope that their monasteries would be restored.     

清代徽州盐商江仲馨获利案例试析

明清时徽州盐商是否牟取暴利 ?这是个需要摆事实、讲道理的问题。汪士信先生在这方面有开拓性的工作 ① 。笔者也曾分别就明万历、清乾隆和嘉道三个不同时期徽商所涉足的两淮盐利 ,作过尝试性数据分析② 。尽管这些分析仍是粗糙的 ,许多方面尚有待改进 ,但它已能排除徽州盐商作为一个商人群体牟取暴利的可能。江巧珍、周晓光二位先生 ,曾分别就嘉道时期徽州盐商江仲馨的经营案例作过研究③ 。该案例涉及商人在淮盐食销区的经营状况。虽因史料本身的限制 ,要对其获利情况作深入探讨尚有困难 ,但以此作为对徽州盐商是否牟取暴利的讨论还是可以…     

The Tale of Aladdin in Georgian Oral Tradition

The tale of Aladdin is an example of the adaptation of Middle Eastern fairy tales in Europe and then of the spread of European literary tales into world culture. This article gives an account of the Georgian folk versions of ‘Aladdin’. An overview of archival material and publications outlines the characteristics and transformations of tale type ATU 561 in Georgian folklore. The article also traces the literary path that directed Aladdin to Georgia and compares Georgian translations of the tale with its folkloric variants, including the neighbouring type ATU 560.     

The Sound of Debate in Georgian England: Auralising the House of Commons

St Stephen's Chapel, Westminster became the first permanent home of the house of commons in 1548. The building had to be adapted to conform to its new use. Visual and architectural adaptations to the space have been discussed in detail, but the building's new role also required improvements to the working use of the space as a forum for public debate. In this essay, acoustic techniques are used to explore how speeches and debate would have sounded during the Georgian period and consider how St Stephen's was adapted for this new use. The results demonstrate that, despite these alterations, the 18th‐century house of commons was not ideally suited to speaking or listening to debate. The listening experience was not uniform across the chamber, and its former use as a medieval chapel may have influenced how well certain positions in the chamber would have experienced speech.     

A Man of Property: Richard Sykes,Merchant and Alderman of Leeds

Abstract

The publication of many of the original returns of the 1851 Census of Religious Worship opens up new potentialities for research, especially when these are studied alongside other sources that illuminate variegated local patterns of religious activity. In 1851, in Yorkshire nearly two thirds of places of worship had been built or opened in the preceding half century, producing a religious climate that was highly competitive and pluralistic. The Census reveals the decline of Quakerism, the rapid growth of Roman Catholicism, and the partial recovery of the Church of England. Methodism was already entrenched almost everywhere in Yorkshire — in rural as well as urban areas — although the Wesleyan schism of 1850 led to significant short-term disruption in some districts. Case studies of the subdistricts of Huddersfield, Grassington and Easingwold illustrate the highly varied nature of local developments, contingent on factors of geography and personality. It is argued that the Census provides evidence of rechristianization, quite as much as secularization, and that long-term decline in English religious practice should neither be predated nor perceived as inevitable.     

The Proverbial Wisdom of a Georgian Language Island in Iran

The Georgian language island in Iran is not yet on the radar of international scholars. Studies by Georgian scholars have mostly focused on linguistic, ethnologic and historic issues concerning the Georgian community living in Isfahan province; no paremiological approach has been undertaken. This article is based on the analysis of Fereydani proverbs recorded from 1968 to 2014. Study reveals that the proverbs used by the Georgians of the Fereydan region in their mother tongue are: proverbs translated from Persian; proverbs of Georgian origin and proverbs existing in both Persian and Georgian paremiological funds. Archaic Georgian vocabulary preserved in proverbs is also considered. This paper highlights the need for a deeper paremiological approach to the proverbs of the Fereydani Georgians.     

Alexander of Macedon in Georgian Folktales

In European and Eastern folklore, Alexander of Macedon (Alexander the Great) is an important figure, introduced through literature and subject to diverse interpretations in folklore, in line with patterns common in folk narratives. Alexander the Great never visited Georgia during his campaigns, yet is one of the most popular characters in Georgian folklore. The Georgian folktales featuring Alexander draw on literary influences from Antiquity and the Middle Ages, representing at the same time an integral part of national folklore. This article shows how a historical figure can be transformed in folk traditions and what role the genre specifics of folklore may have for the formation of the image of such a character.     

清初苏州商船赴日贸易史实辨析

顺治九年(1652),一艘赴日本贸易的苏州商船回国。史学界对该商船的赴日时间及贸易方式存在争议:一说是1644年赴日,在日本进行了八年的海外贸易;一说是1650年或1651年私自出海,交易完毕后即回国。本文根据明清档案及朝鲜史料对该事件的记载,以及当时中国、东南亚、日本之间的贸易状况进行综合考察,可以肯定该商船是于1644年前往日本,并在日本与交趾之间从事贸易活动。     

Ivane Tarkhnishvili (Tarchanoff): A Major Georgian Figure from the Russian Physiological School

This article is dedicated to one of the outstanding scientists of the nineteenth century: Ivane Tarkhnishvili (Tarchanoff), a Russian physiologist of Georgian origin who graduated from the St. Petersburg Medico-Surgical Academy and worked under the supervision of the founder of Russian physiology, Ivan Sechenov. Among his numerous contributions was the discovery of the skin galvanic reflex; however, Tarkhnishvili's most significant contribution was the discovery of the influence of X-rays on the central nervous system, animal behavior, the heart and circulation, and embryonic development. Indeed, these works have given rise to a new field in science (radiobiology).