Re-used Boat Planking from a 13th-century Revetment in Doncaster,South Yorkshire

Abstract

AN EXCAVATION was undertaken during 1993–4 on a site at Low Fisher Gate, Doncaster. Urban archaeological deposits of 11th- to 18th-century date, together with evidence of an earlier course of the River Cheswold (the southern arm of the River Don), were uncovered. The excavations were among the largest ever to take place within Doncaster. Among the most significant finds was a riverside revetment, made from re-used portions of two medieval clinker-built boats. These have characteristics not recorded elsewhere which may represent features of a now lost, South Yorkshire boatbuilding tradition. This type of find is still rather rare and the Doncaster timbers add to knowledge of the variety of local vessels and construction features present in the medieval period. The rolls of fibrous material used to waterproof the vessels were also of interest for comparison with similar finds from England and Norway. The boat timbers have been fully conserved and are now on display in Doncaster Museum.     

Some Evidence for 12th- and 13th-century Linen and Woollen Textile Processing

FLAX-RETTING POOLS, hitherto unrecognized, still survive in the landscape of NW. England, in close association with fulling-mill sites, tenter banks and simple potash pits. The retting-pool sites have common characteristics—usually on flat land; close to a river, but utilizing small streams which have been channelled to provide a controlled water supply; and raised banks for the drying of the retted flax. The field evidence occurs in documented contexts which show that a widespread linen industry was contemporary with, and often linked to, the 12th- and 13th-century demesne woollen industry.     

Children accused of witchcraft in 17th-century Finnmark

This article deals with six children accused of witchcraft in the district of Finnmark, Northern Norway, during a witchcraft panic in 1663. Through a narratological approach, the article presents close-readings of court records, trying to detect the various voices heard in the documents: the voice of the accused person, the voice of the law and the voice of the scribe. The article draws attention to four points discussed within ongoing witchcraft research: the role of the scribe, the individualized character of the children's confessions, oral transference of witchcraft ideas and the speed of transmission of ideas about witchcraft. The analyses show that children confessed to similar demonological elements as adults, similarly seen in other European countries. The contents must be known before the children were brought before the court, as their answers to leading questions were detailed. The voices of the children are individualized, there is no indication that the confessions are constructions made by the scribe. The influence of specific persons had great influence on transference of demonological ideas.     

水下被掩埋沉船的地球物理调查

本文在简要介绍可用于水域考古的物探方法及各自的特点外,结合在长江某河道使用磁法勘察技术发现河床中被掩埋的7条金属沉船的实例,讨论寻找水下磁性物体的方法技术,以及在考古工作中使用高精度磁测能发现的最小磁性体场源及相应的最大有效探测埋深。     

Chiefs,Agitators and the Navy:

American Samoa was governed directly by the US navy from 1901 to 1951, using naval officers on short-term rotations, assisted by Samoan chiefs. Despite being benign and protectionist, the administration in 1920 was disturbed by a protest movement commonly known by the Samoan term mau. This coincided with criticisms from other quarters, including a mixed-race Samoan–Caucasian family, assisted by a California attorney, a mutinous naval officer, a Honolulu journalist and resident American traders. Previous assessments that foreigners agitated among the Samoans for their own ends were challenged by David Chappell, who transfers the initiative for the agitation to the Samoans and sees in the movement an expression of cultural rather than political nationalism. This revisionist interpretation fails to recognise the nature of the links between the foreign and indigenous elements and misreads the Samoan component. The latter was less concerned with grievances about naval rule than with the continuation of traditional rivalries between Samoan chiefs, which crystallised over access to navy patronage. Both Chappell's interpretation and the current one are post-colonialist in their endeavours to shift the focus onto Samoan cultural understandings but they differ in identifying the specific processes involved.     

北洋海军购置雷艇考述

雷艇是以水雷、鱼雷为武器的重要舰种,深受李鸿章重视。在北洋海军购置雷艇的过程中,洋人日意格、柏专敬等皆曾产生过影响,而李凤苞则是一个关键性人物。他通过对各大雷艇船厂的考察和交流,逐渐认识到鱼雷艇的作战价值,不断向北洋介绍最新的鱼雷艇动态和研究著述,并积极访觅优秀的鱼雷教习,促使李鸿章转变为中国官场的鱼雷艇迷,并将购艇重心逐渐转移到可以出海作战的大鱼雷艇方向。在北洋海军所拥有的14艘雷艇中,李凤苞实际负责了12艘雷艇的订购。其中,光绪六年2艘中鱼雷艇订购的成功,充分说明了德国舰船的物美价廉,是北洋海军和德国伏尔铿厂一系列大宗舰船交易的开始,在中国近代海军购船史上具有十分重要的意义。     

Between the sword and the wall: Spain's limited options for Catalan secessionism

We propose a game theoretical model to assess the capacity of Catalonia to become a recognised, independent country with at least a de facto European Union (EU) membership. Support for Catalan independence has been increasing for reasons pertaining to identity and economics. Spain can avoid a vote for independence by effectively ‘buying‐out’ a proportion of the Catalan electorate with a funding agreement favourable to Catalonia. If, given the current economic circumstances, the buying‐out strategy is too expensive, a pro‐independence vote is likely to pass. Our model predicts an agreement in which Spain and the EU accommodate Catalan independence in exchange for Catalonia taking a share of the Spanish debt. If Spain and the EU do not accommodate, Spain becomes insolvent, which in turn destabilises the EU. The current economic woes of Spain and the EU both contribute to the desire for Catalan independence and make it possible.     

'The mystical character of commodities': the consumer society in 18th-century England

Abstract

This article argues for an alternative response to the 'consumer society' hypothesis for 18th-century England, which is seen to focus on large-scale development and obscure the relations between people and objects. Returning to Marx's theories regarding 'consumer fetishism' and utilising Bruno Latour's work on hybrids and the human and the non-human, the paper considers the manner in which people used objects and objects used people. Utilizing the courtesy books and 'it-narratives' of the 18th century and the later works of Jane Austen, the paper argues that goods should not be seen only as commodities.     

抗战初期粤海军虎门作战史料

虎门要塞是广州的重要门户。抗日战争期间,驻虎门要塞的海军官兵对来犯的日本海军进行了坚决抵抗,并在虎门口外海面上与敌展开激战。虎门作战是抗战时期我海军与日军唯一一次在海上的正面交锋。