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The exploration of archaeological heritage aims at understanding past societies through the study of ancient materials. While archaeometric analysis provides valuable insights, invasive sampling raises ethical concerns and is often restricted, necessitating the development of non-invasive techniques. This study presents a methodology based on X-Ray Diffraction using synchrotron radiation. The approach involves the elaboration and characterization of model alloys, with X-ray data analysis using Rietveld refinement and Williamson-Hall plot method. Phase identification along with crystallographical investigations conducted on three medieval armours provides insights into manufacturing techniques and highlights the method's limitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People have been living as they believe since the beginning of history of humanity. The believers are turning into rituals with habits as a way of life. In the context of fear, the factor of uncanniness is hidden on the basis of the fact that people transform their beliefs into ritual behavior. Uncanniness spreads by creating a culture of fear and influencing the feelings and thoughts of the people. However, gothic and grotesque aesthetics, with their structure that transforms the culture of fear into an image, conflict with the concept of the sacred, which is the basis of folk beliefs. These aesthetic structures, which emerged when superstitions took the place of the sacred, give rise to the allegorical gothic imagination. Thus, the changes observed in the socio-cultural structure with its structure going from observation to image show how folk beliefs have been shaped in pre-modern, modern, post-modern periods. The fact that superstitious beliefs have taken shape in the outside world as references reveals that although they have established a dominant discourse on women since medieval antiquity, the elements based on women's perception of beauty, beauty-ugliness aesthetics and women's gothic have been dealt with by entering different patterns in Turkish folk beliefs. The images that produce a formal form through women's gothic are in the nature of criminalizing women in terms of jinx. As a universal indicator, "jinx" beautifications appear in the Anatolian geography through women and animals with cultural codes. In the cultural field where the desire to reproduce by reproduction is glorified, the othering attitude made through the ability to give birth coincides with the image of jinx. Just as nature cannot renew itself, it is seen that syntax and stereotyped expressions give birth to gothic in folk beliefs through women both renewing themselves by giving birth to a child. It is seen that allegories and images are reflected as a whole on the metaphorical plane. In addition to the superstitious beliefs that are developing, other qualities that change on the subject-object plane are also images of folk beliefs. It is believed that the part of Turkish folk beliefs filled with gothic images has been formed around superstitions. Superstitious beliefs appear as references and as symptoms on the metaphysical plane. Superstitious beliefs about women are transformed into gothic images and allegories within the scope of body aesthetics, baht openness, pregnancy and fertility. Superstitious beliefs about children stem from the tradition of circumcision. Beliefs related to days and vows are also fear-based examples examined in the superstition group. On the metaphysical context, beings are studied through souls and spiritual beings. The study of the beings considered on the metaphysical plane, where spirits are considered as subjects and spiritual beings as objects, in the personal domain, are the elements that reconcile cultural fear. Beliefs that are in the subject position about the spirit of the dead also include narratives about the object task related to demons in the culture of fear. Beliefs such as protection from them, their impersonation, child abductions have turned into gothic rituals over time. In addition to the rituals performed by folk beliefs embodied through personal and spatial means in cemeteries, shrines and deposits, the communication they establish with people through spirits and spiritual beings reveals gothic and grotesque images. In this study, it is aimed to reflect how superstitions emerging from the culture of fear shape social imagery within the context of Gothic aesthetics and how fear is symbolized in popular culture in a manner parallel to the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is devoted to the study of the prospects of 3D-reconstruction of archaeological monuments landscape on the basis of archival materials. This approach may be relevant for monuments that have not been preserved to date (or are poorly preserved) due to the influence of anthropogenic and natural factors. This is especially relevant for seismic zones and zones of military operations. In some cases (for example, in the case of the Byzantine fortress Gaspra-Isar (XII-XIII centuries, Crimea) - the monuments may have been destroyed during large construction projects. The research is based on the reconstruction of the landscape of the Genoese fortress on the Panea rock (XV century, Crimea) based on the materials of the works of the South Coast detachment of the Department of Ancient and Medieval Archaeology of the Ukrainian SSR Academy of Sciences Institute of Archaeology in 1966-1968. These materials are stored in the Scientific Archive of the Institute of Archaeology of Crimea RAS. The study uses a technique that can provide a very accurate reconstruction of the landscape on the basis of topographic maps and photographic materials. The methodology can be applied to the reconstruction of now lost archaeological monuments.

This study examines the historiography of early Islam by assessing the reliability of Qurʾānic exegeses as sources documenting the early history of Islam and the biography of the Prophet Muḥammad in Mecca. Focusing on Qurʾānic exegetical practices from late antiquity to the medieval period, this article argues that there is a significant discontinuity in how Qurʾānic exegeses align with the historical context of the Qur'an, especially in relation to Meccan sūras such as Q 107. Significantly, this challenges the continuity of tradition, the fundamental concept upon which the "Islamic sciences" are based. This discontinuity is herein revealed through a historical–critical analysis of the exegesis of Q 107:4 that demonstrates how Qurʾānic exegetical practices have reinterpreted and reshaped early Islamic history in response to the pressures of new identity formation and made Qurʾānic exegeses more reflective of the social and political contexts of the exegetes than of the historical milieu of the Qurʾān itself. This analysis contributes to the ongoing discussion of the role exegesis played in reshaping the history of Islam. Indeed, it emphasises the importance of critically evaluating these sources in order to uncover a more nuanced historical narrative of early Islam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Madīnat Ilbīra was the capital of one of the territorial organization units of the Umayyad state. The city was founded in the second half of the ninth century, and then abandoned in the eleventh century as a result of the collapse of the Caliphate of Córdoba and the transfer of the centre of the region to Granada. Its remains were located only in the nineteenth century. Modern excavations and non-invasive geophysical prospections carried out in this century allow the reconstruction of the spatial system of the city in the era of its greatest prosperity, the location of the citadel and the main mosque, and the reconstruction of the city's buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jahrbuch der Raabe-Gesellschaft is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Swiss cities such as Lucerne experienced an epochal transformation around 1900. Its medieval centre was expanded to include prestigious residential and commercial buildings, stations, postal and administrative offices, school buildings, hotels and villas. However, architecturally this modernisation bore the hallmarks of the past. Time for a virtual tour of Lucerne. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper presents the interdisciplinary investigation (archaeology, geochemistry, history) of a medieval silver and lead production site located in southern France, in the Minier valley (Occitanie, Aveyron, Le‐Viala‐du‐Tarn). In order to identify the production sites, in situ geochemical surveys were carried out using a portable X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer and differential GPS, guided on the analysis of medieval archival sources. The cartographic representation of the metal concentrations in the surface horizons shows significant enrichment of zinc and lead in the vicinity of the mines. This first type of enrichment makes it possible to highlight the activities of separation of sphalerite and silver‐bearing galena. The galena thus isolated on the hillsides is then transported to the vicinity of watercourses, where it is crushed, washed, and smelted. These secondary activities result in a last type of enrichment in which only lead is found in large quantities. The cross‐referencing of the information made it possible to overcome the challenges related to the location of the mineral processing workshops, which were often invisible on the surface. The medieval workshops have been located and a function suggested, outlining the first trends in the spatial and social division of labour and providing a solid corpus for future archaeological excavations. Finally, this study highlights the persistence of significant metal contamination in the soils of a rural valley and encourages the consideration of former mining areas when examining the environmental impact of metal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the role and meaning of grinding artefacts in Handoga (Djibouti), a medieval town that flourished between the 13th and 16th centuries in a territory previously occupied by nomadic communities. The technical-morphological and morphological-functional studies conducted on the sample suggest that the management of tools related to agriculture followed an approach characterized by minimal care through the different stages of the objects’ lives. This situation, contradictory to what could be expected in a town that had been sedentary for centuries, has been used to reflect on the interrelations between these objects and their users, following Hodder’s concept of entanglement. The analyses conducted on Handoga’s tools point that contrary to what could be expected, some processes such as sedentarization, which are usually conceived as univocal or inevitable can be negotiated or even rejected, and the material-human interactions built around them can also be untangled, if desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARYA selection of summaries of post-medieval archaeological fieldwork carried out across Britain, Northern Ireland and Crown Dependencies in 2023 have been compiled for this annual round-up. These are indexed with thematic keywords. Formatting conventions and notes for future contributors are also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, the territory of western Somaliland was integrated into a series of Muslim states which controlled large areas of the southeastern Horn of Africa. One of the ways this control manifested itself was in the emergence of a network of permanent settlements on the westernmost side of Somaliland and the neighboring Ethiopian region. Although 20 of these sites have been identified so far, our information about most of them is fragmentary at best. This paper presents a comprehensive study of the material, architectural and territorial context of three of these medieval sites: Abasa (Darbiyah Kola), Hasadinle, and Iskudarka. This paper analyzes the information they provide us for understanding some of the key themes of the history of the region, such as the strategies of state control, the process of Islamization, the relationships between nomads and urban dwellers, and the material expressions of hierarchization and social inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Late Antiquity and the medieval period, gilded objects and lavish manuscripts attest to the widespread diffusion and use of mercury, a material that circulated over large distances in western Europe. Relevant instructions in recipe books show that mercury was essential to specialized crafts. However, given the paucity of the written sources between the fifth and the eighth centuries, mercury has remained elusive. In particular, we do not know much about its circuits of trade and distribution. The present article combines an analysis of the textual sources having to do with mercury, including the fundamental evidence offered by craft treatises and the archaeological remains for production. This interdisciplinary approach opens new perspectives on the system of long-distance maritime routes which, through the Atlantic Ocean, connected Spain with France, Ireland, and Britain during Late Antiquity; particular attention is devoted to Britain and its position at the periphery of this network. Moreover, tracing this neglected but important metal permits us to ask questions about the demand for specialized crafts in different social strata in the post-Roman period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do rulers soften resistance by local powerholders to state‐building efforts? This paper highlights a strategy of compensation, where elites receive government offices in exchange for relinquishing their localist interests, and become uprooted and integrated into the national political system as stakeholders. We explore this strategy in the context of the Northern Wei Dynasty of China (386–534 CE) that terminated an era of state weakness during which aristocrats exercised local autonomy through strongholds. Exploiting a comprehensive state‐building reform in the late fifth century, we find that aristocrats from previously autonomous localities were disproportionately recruited into the bureaucracy as compensation for accepting stronger state presence. Three mechanisms of bureaucratic compensation facilitated state‐building. Offices received by those aristocrats: (1) carried direct benefits, (2) realigned their interests toward the ruler, and (3) mitigated credible commitment problems. Our findings shed light on the “First Great Divergence” between Late Antiquity Europe and Medieval China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Reti Medievali is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Reti Medievali is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Reti Medievali is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article compares the adaptation of anthroponyms of foreign origin in Slovak and Spanish across historical periods. We analyze ancient names of Latin and Greek origin where Spanish shows, in general, a deeper level of adaptation. We have also included biblical, Near Eastern, and Egyptian names and names from the medieval and early modern periods, where the predominant tendency is to find native equivalents, not only for first names, but for surnames as well (in a significantly more systematic way in the case of Spanish). Nowadays the clear tendency is to maintain the original graphic form of foreign names in languages using the Latin alphabet, except for names of popes and monarchs. Searching more widely, the article analyzes rules for transcribing names from Slavic languages, Arabic, and Chinese, noting a greater degree of adaptation in Spanish. Different approaches are found in transcription of Chinese names, with Spanish using pinyin and Slovak employing a system of transcription based on its own alphabet. The article concludes with translations of anthroponyms, highlighting variations in the use or absence of translation of descriptive names (nombres parlantes, e.g. Schneewittchen) into the two languages analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between the sixth and fifteenth c. CE, a vast expanse of central and southern Sudan belonged to the kingdom of Alwa, ruled from the urban metropolis of Soba. Renewed investigation of the city unearthed a small cemetery in the northern part of the site. The heterogeneity of burial practices raised some questions as to the cultural and religious affinities of the deceased and suggested potential multiculturalism of the local urban population. We applied isotopic analyses to investigate the origins of the people buried at Cemetery OS and their concomitant ways of life. Non-concordance of 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O values with local hydro-geological background speaks to the mixing of water sources as a result of residential mobility. The concordance of human and faunal strontium and oxygen results, combined with elevated δ13C values corresponding to almost exclusive reliance on C4 produce, points to the possibility of seasonal movement of people with their herds between the Nile valley and the adjacent grasslands. Despite the turn of the medieval Nubian economy towards settled agriculture, by revealing the granular specificities of human adaptation in challenging ecosystems, our results produce the first insight into the enduring diversification of economic production, even in urbanized settings, and persisting participation of local peoples in agro-pastoral symbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Life in Early Medieval Wales" by Nancy Edwards is a comprehensive and balanced synthesis of the archaeology of late Roman and early medieval Wales. The book covers the decline of the Roman province of Britannia to the end of the Viking Age, providing insights into settlements, society, daily life, agriculture, trade, belief and ritual, power and authority, and the impact of the Vikings. While the book is a valuable resource for students and scholars, it lacks in-depth discussions on mortuary practices, linear monuments, the eleventh century, and a popular synthesis for a wider readership. [Extracted from the article]

The "Titles Received" article in the Archaeological Journal lists various books on topics ranging from human prehistory to medieval history, providing a comprehensive overview of recent publications in the field. The books cover a wide range of subjects, including Neolithic long cairns, Bronze Age societies, Roman archaeology, and medieval monasteries, offering valuable insights into different periods of history. These publications contribute to the understanding of past civilizations and shed light on various aspects of ancient societies, making them valuable resources for researchers and enthusiasts interested in archaeology and history. [Extracted from the article]

AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEDIEVAL HEALING can expand beyond the confines of textual sources. This is exemplified by the discovery of bloodletting fleams from medieval Oslo, iron tools used in the medical practice of phlebotomy. Based on the archaeological context of these finds, phlebotomy was not undertaken solely in monastic institutions or the elite secular settings of manors and castles in the medieval North, but also in urban residential areas. The material properties of the fleams furthermore provide an insight into the process of venipuncture as well as the embodied experience of bloodletting for both practitioners and patients. The paper positions itself within the theoretical framework of archaeologies of corporeality in order to reflect on the correlation between the practice of bloodletting and cultural conceptions of the body as humoral. The archaeological evidence for bloodletting in urban contexts indicates a widespread conception of the medieval body and its fluid boundaries with the natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper sets out new recommendations for recording structural iron nails. Despite their ubiquity, iron nails have received limited analytical and interpretative attention and recording practices are highly variable. Too often current recording is time‐consuming and costly without providing meaningful information. This paper proposes a new recording methodology, developed through analysis of the Roman structural nail assemblage from the MHI A14 Cambridge‐Huntingdon excavations alongside experiments in nail shaping, with wider context provided by medieval and post‐medieval assemblages from the City of London. This approach includes a new nail typology, recommendations for bulk recording of basic details for whole assemblages (using counts and typologies), alongside detailed recording (shank morphology and further metric data) for certain nail groups. Shank morphology is a particularly important aspect proposed here, being indicative of how nails were used in antiquity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first half of the 20th century, all the states that emerged on the east coast of the Baltic gained access to the sea. Each tried to utilise this to strengthen their economies, but contemporaries had different views on their potential to do so. One example is that the Latvians were labelled as a maritime nation, while the Lithuanians were portrayed as a “continental” nation. This is sometimes still the case today. The research presented in this article shows that despite this judgement, the need to create images of the maritime past of the Latvian and Lithuanian nations manifested in both cases through the historiography that influenced modern national identities. The article focuses on the different representations of the maritime past used by the Latvian and Lithuanian national movements in the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century and examines the origins of these representations as well as the contexts in which they were instrumentalised. The research shows that although the images were different, Lithuanian and Latvian historians used similar strategies to create and disseminate them. These included retrospective identification with mediaeval and early modern societies and attempts to use images of the maritime past to find alternatives to German domination in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews archaeological research on the transmission of writing knowledge between literate and pre-literate societies. It proposes the use of productive approaches, such as cultural epidemiology and cultural attraction theory (CAT). The case study focuses on East-Central Europe and discusses the role of writing in the construction of social group identity and the transition from local communities with a prehistoric mindset to a historically acting society during the first millennium AD. The study collects relevant archaeological records of Early Mediaeval writing and explains them using reflective archaeology. It is shown that interactions between literate and pre-literate societies are highly complex social processes that function not only at the cultural and cognitive levels of individuals but also among larger groups of people. By combining cultural attraction theory with empirical archaeological data, this study formulates a conclusive explanation for the introduction of writing among Europe's Slavic-speaking population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation and excavation works in advance of housing development at two sites on Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh, revealed significant archaeological features evidencing multi-phase settlement. At Ravelrig Road, two groups of pits were dated to the Early and Middle to Late Neolithic periods with a cluster of Copper Age and Early Bronze Age features that included two possible storage features. At Newmills Road, alongside limited evidence for late prehistoric occupation in the form of pits dating to the last centuries BC and the first centuries AD, the most significant remains were of early medieval date, including a ring-groove representing a putative roundhouse and other features, including a hearth and linear boundary features, generally placed between the 7th and 9th centuries AD according to radiocarbon dating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a historical archaeology of hope, post-medieval European archaeology should shift the focus beyond dark heritage to sites and events opposed to daily destruction and alienation. This case study of an antinuclear protest camp in 1980s Germany shows that cracks in capitalism formed when people protested for something; as they experimented with alternative lifeways and envisioned an alternative future. Archaeological intervention can help to reveal these fault lines in capitalism as we remember these heritage sites of hope, but intervention also reveals a cautionary tale of how these blurry pictures of an alternative future can so easily be concealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, archaeological, historical and geographical research assisted by Geographical Information Systems (GIS) has shown relevant results. However, the area of study proposed in this paper, together with the historical context chosen, has lacked specific multidisciplinary research that brings together the three disciplines aforementioned. This article presents analyses carried out using QGIS software. It also explains and contrasts the results obtained with the archaeological studies and fieldwork. The study area chosen here belonged to the westernmost territories of the ancient "cora de Santaver". The Order of Santiago inherited these territories at a later date. Currently, the territory coincides with La Mancha of Toledo and Cuenca. The proposed chronology starts in the 10th century, with the Muslims settled in the Iberian Peninsula. And it ends in the 16th century, a time after the Christian population was definitively established in the area. This chronology was chosen because it allows researchers to evaluate the role of the fortifications from their origin until their integration after the Christian conquest. The methodology applied has made possible to locate 86 fortifications of different types over an area of more than 5000 km2. These were built by the Andalusi population between the 10th and 12th centuries. GIS analyses were carried out on these fortifications. They consisted of visibility basins, intervisibility networks and heat maps. The results showed that the fortresses visually controlled the entire territory. This made it difficult to conquer. Entering this territory riddled with fortresses did not allow any medieval army to conquer the capital: Uclés. The GIS study has made it possible to evaluate the defensive patterns created. One of these patterns shows the existence of towers capable of observing over a long distance: 50 km. These towers sequentially connect to other fortresses that have a shorter visual range. This network of fortresses not only defined patterns of territorial defence, but also of occupation of the territory. The distribution of these buildings shows where the population preferred to live, as many of these fortresses were associated with places of habitation. It also reveals where they feared their enemies would approach or where they obtained the resources they most desired. It has also been possible to stipulate a typology of the fortresses, common constructive elements and their functions. The fortifications observed are two qaṣr, one munya, one ma'qil, two qal'a, five qarya, two qaṣabah, ten ṭalā'i' and the rest have been identified as husûn. It is proven that the fortresses were simple buildings. They were built to protect the population and their resources, as well as for communication purposes. They were built on rocky crags that were not the highest in the area, but were the best visually connected to neighbouring fortresses. They were built on a flattened stone surface and used a 'zarpa' to regulate the ground. Their walls were made of stone or mudwall. They used reddish mortar made from clays. It has also been shown that all of them acted as communicating elements: a good example of this is the name Añador (an-nāẓūr). And they must have communicated with fire as suggested by the word al-manāra. Definitely, this network of fortresses was created to be a deterrent effect in itself, being difficult to go through for any medieval army. In sum, the use of GIS provided a simple, useful, and powerful tool for analysing historical defences within the defined cora de Santaver territories. It delivered concrete data that can be checked by fieldwork and synthesises huge amounts of information that would be neglected or misunderstood if they were analysed by smaller portions of territory, as sometimes happens when a small meaningless area is used as a representative pattern of occupation for bigger territories.

• A survey in terms of meaning and witness: identify, give a name, and even replace wooden pieces in the original Notre-Dame de Paris's framework using digital resources. • 3D restitution is helpful to create precise wood volume estimations. • First results of dendrochronology enable the phasing of the different parts of the Notre-Dame's frameworks. • The relocated remains dating will confirm or overturn archaeological hypothesis and allow wood resources studies. The tragic fire of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15th 2019 has provided researchers with a wide variety of materials to study. The condition of the framework remains does not allow any reuse, which creates an unprecedented opportunity to study the charred pieces of the frame: about 10,000 for the highest estimates. But upstream from the wooden items study, an inventory is required to establish methods that are consistent with the potential of the charred remains of the cathedral's framework. The purpose of this article is therefore to present the problems raised, the methods applied, the potential of the remains of the n-dame's frame - so called the "forest" - and the first results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text is a summary of the book "From the Archaeological Record to the Museum: The Path of History. Studies in Tribute to Mercedes Unzu Urmeneta," edited by Javier Martínez Sarasate, Javier Andreu Pintado, and María Jesús Peréx Agorreta. The book presents twenty-five contributions from experts in ancient and medieval history and archaeology of Navarra, addressing topics such as prehistory, the influence of Rome in the Ebro Valley and the Pyrenean region, and aspects of the medieval and modern era. It highlights the importance of Mercedes Unzu in the study of ancient Basques and her contribution to the knowledge of this society in Navarra. The chapters of the book deal with various topics related to the ancient city of Pompaelo and other archaeological findings in the region. The authors of the chapters include several experts in the field of archaeology and ancient and medieval history. [Extracted from the article]

In recent decades, the concept of ribāṭ and its practice have been the subject of intense debate. Recent summary papers on the eastern Mediterranean, Ifrīqiya, al-Maghrib al-Aqṣà, and al-Andalus, among others, have made it possible to compare different realities that express strong links with their local historical contexts. In this paper, we present the results of a new study that analyses the specific case of Northern Sharq al-Andalus, where the practice and institutionalisation of ribāṭ took shape from the early 9th century. There are three elements that lead us to corroborate this hypothesis: the documented presence of numerous individuals and groups voluntarily involved in the active and passive defence of the furthermost frontier of al-Andalus; the confirmation of a construction programme with homogeneous characteristics aimed at building fortified enclosures along the coast, and, lastly, the founding, in the early 9th century, of the Ribāṭ Kashkī centre at the mouth of the Ebro, a building were these practices would become centralised. In conclusion, we propose a much more complex scenario than that proposed previously, which enables us to characterise local forms of armed spirituality and sacralisation of the land that globally enriches the historical reading of ribāṭ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is proposed that combining a microhistorical approach with the frameworks offered by household archaeology and posthumanism provides a way of rethinking what urbanity means in archaeological (specifically later medieval) contexts. This approach is deployed to challenge generalising approaches which obscure the complexity, vibrancy, and generative capacity of past urbanities. Focussing on the question of the fortunes of later medieval small towns in England, a posthuman household microhistory of two households in the town of Steyning (southern England) is presented. This demonstrates how a focus on the practices undertaken by, and relational constitution of, households can reveal difference and open new avenues for understanding past urbanity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the research conducted at the site of Fardowsa, a medieval town located in a strategic trade route in Central Somaliland. The excavations and surveys conducted at the site have confirmed the role of Fardowsa as a trading center between the 14th and 16th centuries, and have revealed the existence of privileged households within the site, with differential access to imports and livestock. The combination of data collected in Fardowsa makes this site the best-studied town in Somaliland for this period, and provides key information to help understand the process of emergence, development and abandonment of permanent settlements in this region of the Horn of Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rhetor. Journal of the Canadian Society for the Study of Rhetoric is the property of Canadian Society for the Study of Rhetoric and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Fundort Wien is the property of Phoibos Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article "Medieval Archaeology and 18th-19th Century Evidence at Layston House, Hare Street, Buntingford" explores the archaeological remains found at Layston House in Hare Street, Buntingford. The site shows evidence of medieval and post-medieval activity, with artifacts and environmental evidence suggesting domestic activities in both periods. The investigation revealed features like linears, pits, and postholes, indicating potential domestic plots or backyard activities associated with dwellings. The study also highlights the historical significance of Hare Street as a medieval settlement and its transition into the 18th and 19th centuries. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the excavation at Hartbam Lane in Hertford, revealing possible evidence of Hertford's Late Anglo-Saxon Northern Burb. The excavation uncovered a wide ditch aligned northeast to southwest, potentially part of the burb's defenses, suggesting its location may have extended further north than previously thought. Artefactual evidence was limited, with features dating back to the late 19th to early 20th century also found. The study suggests a reevaluation of the burb's boundaries and historical significance in the area. [Extracted from the article]

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Copyright of Complutum is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Kilns used for drying grain and for malting are common features of archaeological excavations in medieval towns and in the countryside. They occur in a variety of situations, including within urban tenement plots, open spaces within the urban landscape, manorial enclosures and field systems. This paper examines what the situation of drying kilns can reveal about the ways in which household and community labour were organised and the role of infrastructure in cultivating and maintaining variegated forms of rural and urban sociality. In doing so, it seeks to contribute to ongoing debates about the legacy of 'binary' logics relating to urban and rural life and to the gendered use of space and forms of labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food is central to our understanding of the social, economic and cultural history of the medieval past. Its study sits at the nexus of disciplines, of different classes of sources and data, and of different academic approaches, from studies of historical documentation, to the physical remains of food waste, retrieved from archaeological excavation, to the chemical analysis of human bone in isotope studies or organic residues in cooking vessels, and the contributions of anthropology and contemporary food science. Essays in the special issue focus particularly on cereals and food security; and secondly, on questions of food culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 19th century, the British Empire constituted an economic and political presence in the Mediterranean that was felt far beyond the borders of her colonies Gibraltar, Malta, the Ionian Islands, and Cyprus. One way this may be archaeologically investigated is through the presence of mass-produced British earthenware; another is the development of locally produced imitation ceramics, which were often initiated with British economic, technological, and artisanal input. Drawing on archaeological discoveries across the region, this article marks the first assessment of British earthenware in the Mediterranean. It explores the impacts of British earthenware and its imitations as vectors of empire, enabling consideration of the polycentric colonial encounters that occurred both within colonies and crypto-colonially beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Cultura Económica is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A tanulmány a Közép-Duna-medence hajómalmokkal kapcsolatba hozható hajómaradványait veszi sorra. A hajómalmokhoz kapcsolható legkorábbi leletanyag a 14. század második-harmadik évtizedére keltezhető, és jól illeszkedik az írásos források adataival. A kiterjesztett monoxyl technika egészen a 19. század elejéig megfigyelhető a malomhajók építészetében, amely egyrészt folyamatosságra utal a középkori és újkori magyarországi hajóépítészetben, másrészt anakronisztikus technológiai megoldás az európai (folyami és tavi) hajóépítészet fejlődésének tükrében, magyarázata a célszerűség, a rendelkezésre álló jó minőségű, nagy méretű tölgy rönkök elérhetőségében feltételezhető. Első ízben sikerült felmérni mesterségesen kialakított hajóteleltető medencét, a lelőhelytípus további kutatása jelentős eredményeket ígér, különösen az újonnan definiált „többcélúan hasznosított, különleges adottságú vízterületek" esetében. The study focuses on the ship remains associated with ship mills in the Middle Danube Basin. The earliest finds associated with ship mills date back to the second to third decade of the 14th century and are well matched with the written sources. The extended monoxyl technique can be observed in the construction of mill ships up to the early 19th century, which on the one hand indicates continuity in medieval and modern Hungarian shipbuilding, and on the other hand is an anachronistic technological solution in the light of the development of European (inland water) shipbuilding, which can be explained by the practicality and the availability of high-quality, large oak logs. For the first time, an artificial ship mill winter storage and repairing basin has been surveyed, and further research into this type of deposit promises significant results, especially in the newly defined "multipurpose special water areas". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Historia is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

"Libraries and Books in Medieval England" by Richard Sharpe challenges traditional understandings of medieval book culture and the role of libraries in England during the Middle Ages. Sharpe's work, based on extensive research and the Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, offers a more complex view of book ownership and the movement of books between institutions. He argues that the focus on monastic scriptoria has overshadowed the role of secular scribes and the broader book economy. This groundbreaking study calls for a reevaluation of concepts such as commercial versus institutional production and personal versus institutional ownership. [Extracted from the article]