Les inscriptions des casques de Negau,Styrie

This article is chiefly a sceptical critique of two recent interpretations of the Epicurean doctrine on the relevance of the atomic swerve to free will, by D. N. Sedley and T. J. Saunders. Against the latter, it argues that the role of the swerve is to be found not in the execution of the will but in its formation; against the former, that to ascribe to Epicurus an explanation of free will in terms of ‘emergence’ theory renders the swerve redundant as an condition of the will's freedom. A concluding analysis of the Epicurean theory suggests that it is seriously flawed by internal inconsistencies of principle.     

Is there any interest in Nehemiah 5?

Abstract

It is generally held that the issue addressed by Nehemiah in Neh 5, 6–11 was that the wealthy of the restored community were charging interest or usury from their poorer fellow Jews. This article contends that a better sense is gained by understanding the Hebrew roots na?a and nasah as meaning “to have (or “press") a claim on” instead of “to lend”. It can then be seen that the situation facing Nehemiah was one of the wealthy making inappropriate demands for repayment of loans in a time of financial stringency, demands which were causing severe hardship to the less fortunate members of the community.     

Adapting the roman alphabet for writing Old English: evidence from coin epigraphy and single‐sheet charters

Single‐sheet charters and coin epigraphy provide valuable evidence for the development of representations of the Old English dental fricative in the seventh and eighth centuries. This evidence indicates differing Kentish and Mercian practices up to the 780s, when scribes in both areas rapidly adopt <ð> to represent this sound. In Kent, occasional experimentation with this character from perhaps as early as the reign of Eadbald (616–40 ad ) may suggest a lengthy period of gradual adoption prior to the rapid increase. Mercian practice instead shows an abrupt adoption, which is perhaps the result of reform according to external (perhaps Kentish) models.     

“Castram AD Divisas.” The Castle at the Boundaries

Abstract

Documentary evidence reveals that, when in 1395 the Purbeck marble tomb with gilt cast copper-alloy effigies commemorating Richard II and his queen, Anne of Bohemia, was installed in St Edward the Confessor's Chapel in Westminster Abbey, another tomb was moved to make room for it. It has commonly been supposed that the displaced tomb was the Cosmatesque tomb chest now in the south ambulatory, which has traditionally been believed to house the bones of Katherine, daughter of Henry III, and up to eight other royal infants and older children of Henry III and Edward I. Examination of the evidence indicates that neither part of this view is correct. Three other tombs may have been moved from the Confessor's chapel; of these, the highstatus monument to William de Valence is the most likely candidate for the tomb displaced in 1395.     

A Pre-Norman Field-System at Hen Domen,Montgomery

SURVEY of a field, immediately north of the early Norman motte-and-bailey castle of Hen Domen, Montgomery, revealed ridge-and-furrow, averaging 4 m. in width, cut by the outer ditch of the bailey. Excavation demonstrated that the ridge-and-furrow extended under the inner rampart of the bailey. Pollen analysis of the buried soil showed the former presence of cereals and the weeds of cultivation. A Carbon-14 date from charcoal in the buried soil reinforced the view that this field-system was in use before the Norman conquest.     

The Underdeveloped Historical Dimension of the Study of Community Power Structure

Abstract

This article presents a technique of standardising and coding textual birthplace and occupation strings in the censuses of England and Wales and Scotland, 1851–1911. While the approaches for the two text strings are different, they are both based upon the integration of computer technologies, mathematical methods, and expert knowledge. Both processes are described formally using Structured Analysis and Design Technique methodology. The classification of occupations is defined by two algorithms based on statistical decision theory in order to allocate codes from the original occupation strings. The method of standardising parishes is based on the comparison of original birthplace strings and reference data.