Rudston 'Cursus A'– Engaging with a Neolithic Monument in Its Landscape Setting Using GIS

Summary. Cursus monuments are one of the most functionally enigmatic of prehistoric structures. Surrounding Rudston, East Yorkshire, a cluster of at least four cursuses converges on a bend in the Great Wold Valley. Of these monuments, Cursus A, or the ‘Woldgate Cursus’, is particularly unusual, with a curving morphology that forms a ‘dogleg’ plan. The unique shape of this structure provides an opportunity for studying cursus morphology with the aim of interpreting its function – essentially, why does the structure curve in this way? A GIS‐based approach is used which demonstrates a compelling visual relationship between the area enclosed by the cursus and the positions of two long barrows lying on its western horizon. The results of this study are considered in relation to the broader question of cursus function.     

The failure of the Patarine movement

Although the authors of recent literature on the Patarine movement in Milan (1057-75) have very different intellectual backgrounds, they all try to study and interpret the movement in its complete historical context, and they point to the circumstances or special combination of circumstances which caused the movement to fail. Its failure was due in part to its relationship to the social structure. In this article we first show why this relationship needs to be re-examined and then go on to investigate how the place of the movement in the social structure contributed to its failure and dramatic collapse.