Early Medieval Research Articles

Abandoned Women and Boudoir Resentment: The Construction of the Feminine Voice in Early Medieval Chinese Literature

Abandoned Women and Boudoir Resentment: The Construction of the Feminine Voice in Early Medieval Chinese Literature

Evoking the Past: The Ning Mao Sarcophagus and Images of the Deceased in Early Medieval China

This paper examines the multifarious functions of images of the deceased (muzhu xiang 墓主像) during the late Northern Wei period (494–534). It focuses on a series of human figures engraved on the Ning Mao sarcophagus, a house-shaped stone coffin constructed ca. 527 and discovered near Luoyang in 1931. By comparing these images with those found on other contemporary sarcophagi from Luoyang, this paper posits that they exemplify two principal approaches to representing the deceased in the Northern Wei dynasty. The first approach alludes to the presence of Ning Mao and his wife through parental figures in didactic narrative scenes, which subsequently serve as stand-in images for the deceased couple. The second approach is embodied in the three gentlemanly figures on the back wall of the sarcophagus; these idealized images encapsulate the political, spiritual, and cultural pursuits of native Chinese elites. Both the stand-in and idealized images of the deceased on the Ning Mao sarcophagus are employed to connect the past with the present, an aspect intrinsically tied to the performance of filial piety in early medieval China.

A new helcionelloid mollusc from the Cambrian of Green land and Idaho (Laurentia)

Ressericonella gen. nov., a new genus of helcionelloid mollusc, characterized by a narrow shell with a shallowly convex dorsal surface and flat to shallowly concave lateral areas, is described from the Cambrian of Greenland and Idaho. The type species is Helcionella aequa Resser, 1939 from the Langston Formation (Naomi Peak Limestone Member) of early middle Cambrian age (Miaolingian Series, Wuliuan Stage, Albertella Biozone). Ressericonella pipalukae gen. et sp. nov. occurs in the latest early Cambrian (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4, Bonnia–Pagetides elegans Biozone) of southern Freuchen Land, North Greenland. Silicified specimens of Ressericonella pipalukae from North Greenland preserve two-layered shell structure in which an inner layer with a transverse fibrous pattern similar to lamello-fibrillar structure is overlain by an outer layer with fine threads radiating from the apex.

Local identity in the Lives of the Fathers of Mérida: when ethnicity and religion aren’t the point

ABSTRACT While scholarship on early medieval Europe often centers ethnicity or religion over other forms of identity, they were not always the most relevant form of identification for contemporaries. In the Lives of the Fathers of Mérida (late sixth-early seventh century), ethnic and religious identity were actually deployed to construct a local identity around the space and people of the city. This article explores how the text did so by closely analyzing terms used and their context, and by applying social scientific theories of boundary construction to illuminate the strategies of identification behind it. It argues that such an approach gives historians of medieval identity a window into shifting affiliations within a locality and forces us to reconsider the salience of various layers of identity, both locally and kingdom-wide.

Holocene Floodplain Transformation Through Catchment‐Scale Human‐Environment Interactions: An Interdisciplinary Case Study of the Gete Catchment (Belgium)

ABSTRACTFloodplains across the European loess region transformed from nature‐ to human‐dominated environments during the Holocene. A general framework of this evolution is well established, but it is less clear how differences in timing—observed within and between catchments—can be explained. Although human impact is an important driver, little attention has thus far been paid to the actual human activities involved, their intensities, and spatiotemporal patterns. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this study provides insight into the evolution of both environmental (e.g., local floodplain geoecohydrology and regional land cover) and human dynamics (e.g., demography and land use) in the Belgian Gete catchment. Results show that the observed changes in land cover and floodplain geoecology can indeed be attributed to spatiotemporal variations in human impact. Human‐induced vegetation change, driven by population growth and associated agrarian production, resulted in hydrological changes and localized colluviation. Catchment‐scale improvement of hillslope‐channel connectivity initiated alluviation in the valleys and completed the transformation from forested marsh to open floodplain with overbank sedimentation. In turn, this allowed people to settle in the floodplains in the Early Medieval period, laying the foundations for our present‐day landscape.

Psychosocial characteristics of suicide deaths by regional types in Korea: An analysis based on population inflow and outflow.

This study aims to investigate the psychosocial characteristics of suicide deaths in Korea according to population inflow and outflow, and to identify high-risk suicide groups by regional type in order to establish tailored suicide prevention plans for each region. The analysis included 4193 suicide deaths from four regional types in Korea. The data source was a comprehensive survey of suicide deaths through police investigation records from the Korean government. The analysis involved collecting demographic variables, suicide-related variables, and stress variables at the time of death for suicide deaths in each region and conducting cross-analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis. Across all regions, factors such as male gender, unemployment, hanging in one's own home, and mental health problems were prevalent. However, in population-inflow urban areas, early-middle age and economic problems were higher, in population-outflow urban areas, late-middle age and economic problems were more prominent. Additionally, in both inflow and outflow rural areas, there was a relatively higher proportion of old age and physical health problems. This study is significant for confirming common and specific factors influencing suicide in each region, and for proposing considerations when formulating tailored suicide prevention plans for local communities.

The Problem of Interrelation between the City and Its Rural District as Illustrated by the Early Medieval Ladoga: concepts and sources

The Problem of Interrelation between the City and Its Rural District as Illustrated by the Early Medieval Ladoga: concepts and sources

Cultural and Population Dynamics in the Ural Region: Insights into the Early Medieval Magyar Formation from Recent Archaeogenetic Research

Cultural and Population Dynamics in the Ural Region: Insights into the Early Medieval Magyar Formation from Recent Archaeogenetic Research

The exploitation of silver deposits in early medieval Europe: some documentary, economic and social problems

AbstractFocusing on Southern Europe, this article sheds light on the mining landscape of the early Middle Ages. Based on the current state of historical and archaeological knowledge, the article raises a number of questions that can be extended to other European regions. The documentary problem shows that the scarcity of sources is due to a less developed mining historiography of the early Middle Ages. The few references show that it was not a question of ignorance, nor of the terrain, nor of the potential, nor of the techniques, taking into account the work in Melle and in the Harz. The study of production from the angle of an economic problem forms the basis of a hypotheses for selective and centralized exploitation during the Carolingian period and of an unbridled mining boom from the early 11th century. Even with the current paucity of documentary evidence, it is reasonable to assume that early medieval societies did not choose to exploit all the resources available to them. Finally, there is the social question. Who was behind the work and trade in ingots? The model of elite dirigisme will be discussed and it will be suggested that the role of the elite be reduced in favour of other actors such as entrepreneurs. Finally, the article argues for the extension of archaeological research to production areas in order to date operations, establish reference systems for ores and read archaeological remains from a social perspective.

Self-harming behaviours and social support among a sample of young men in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Abstract Background Psychiatric morbidity is substantially higher in Northern Ireland (NI) than in peer nations and men are disproportionately represented in suicide mortality data, particularly at early adulthood and middle age. To better scale interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality among young men, a mixed-methods study was conducted combining interviews and validated quantitative tools. Methods A non-random community sample of 30 working-class young men in Belfast aged 16-19 was recruited via organisations focused on job training, restorative justice, and youth work. Participants completed the Self-Harm Inventory and a semi-structured interview. Analyses were completed in NVivo and RStudio. Results The prevalence of self-harm was more than 8 times higher than for the general population of adolescents in NI, with 83.3% reporting ever engaging in self-harm. Only 2 of the 28 participants reported making a suicide attempt and most injuries were minor, suggesting nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) represented almost all injuries. Although the sample had a higher risk profile than the general population-with high levels of trauma, substance use, and socioeconomic deprivation-participants also endorsed strong social connections to friends, family, and community. While many expressed concerns about sharing their own emotional distress, almost all reported that disclosures are important to avert poor mental health and shared times when they or friends sought support. Conclusions Although there was a high prevalence of NSSI in the sample, the low prevalence of suicide attempts may be associated with the high levels of protective social connections reported by participants. Gender-based concerns regarding emotional support were common, but there was also strong endorsement for the importance of seeking support from trusted relationships. This suggests that there may be an appetite for male role models to provide education around the “bravery” of help-seeking. Key messages • Prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury may be substantially more elevated in some populations of adolescent males. • Gender-based concerns continue to act as a barrier to young men sharing their emotional distress with trusted individuals.

Seen and named in narratives: denizens of hell in the early Middle Ages

This article discusses a special type of narrative: encounters with named individuals in hell. The catchment is broad (Homer to Dante) but the focus is on the early Middle Ages. Philological and literary techniques elucidate and reinterpret a number of important visionary texts, Anglo‐Saxon, Merovingian, and Carolingian. Boniface, Ep. 115 re‐emerges as a woman’s vision. Gregory of Tours, DLH 8.5 (Guntram’s banquet of 585), where Chilperic is sighted, finds a place within the Roman tradition of the dark or terrifying banquet and the dangerous telling of dreams. In the Visio Pauperculae (terminus post quem = 3 October 818), Queen Irmengard’s torture is reinterpreted by reference to the NT and to contemporary legal realia. An argument is made for an old emendation that required a romantic and courtly reading, including a fuzzy connection to Dante’s Inferno 5.

To the issue of identifying multi-temporal complexes in urban cultural layer (based on excavations of Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral, Tobolsk Kremlin)

The paper describes archaeological complexes identified among materials of the excavations inside Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral in Tobolsk Kremlin. The archaeological works were imposed on the cape. The cape hosted the town, the Kremlin and, later, the residency of the highly placed clergyman. History of these processes is kept as records. It helps compare the processes with archaeological materials and distinguish multi-temporal complexes among them. The excavations revealed traces of an ancient settlement. The settlement dated back to the early Iron Age – early Middle Ages and had existed long before the town was established. The research apparently identifies the cultural layer dated the late 1500s – middle 1600s. This layer refers to the activities of the first Russian settlers in Siberia. The same period applies to discovered burials of the Orthodox Christian cemetery by the wooden Church of Our Savior. The researchers especially highlight layerings and objects from the construction of brick Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral (late 1600s). They reflect the beginning of stone construction in Siberia. In the excavations, the researchers discovered several brick tombs. These tombs were made for burying highly placed clergymen known by their names. The findings and multi-temporal complexes allow to describe main phases of Troitsky cape development. They also show how the status of this territory changed. The archaeological materials are a valuable source of information about the material culture, funeral rites, stone architecture of both the town and the whole vast Siberian region.

The Churches of Santiago de Compostela, a diachronic analysis of their orientations

The orientation of nearly 50 churches in the historic city of Santiago de Compostela are presented. These include churches built along the history of the town, from the early Medieval period until the end of the 20thcentury. Interestingly, all churches built before the Council of Trent appear to have orientations consistent with canonical prescriptions, notably in two flavors. One would be consistent with the canonical equinox at the date of construction, possibly dictated by the orientation of the Cathedral itself. The other orientation is set a few degrees south of due east and could be dictated by the streets of the Medieval town. After the Council of Trent churches were built mostly to have the façade perpendicular to a main street, so that the apse and the altar no longer are systematically facing towards the rising sun.

By order of the king? Castles in Gallecia in the Early Middle Ages (ninth-tenth centuries)

ABSTRACT With the end of the Visigothic Kingdom in the early eighth century, the territory of Gallecia, located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, entered a period initially characterized by the absence of major supra-local powers. Although nineteenth-century ideas of demographic abandonment have been surpassed, the different powers controlling this territory struggled to impose their agency. Only during the ninth century was this territory gradually integrated into the kingdom articulated from its political hub in Asturias. In this process, a fortified landscape in which castles were a fundamental part of the sociopolitical organization of the territory emerged. These types of sites have been significantly underestimated by archaeologists, with an increased interest in their study developing only in recent years. In this text, we examine several fortified elements located in Gallecia and analyze the relationship of these archaeological sites to the power dynamics and territorial control of the kingdom (ninth-tenth centuries).

Climate and natural risks of the settlement of Yuzhno-Ussuriysk fortress area

The paleogeographic study of one of the large Medieval settlements of the Jin Empire (1115–1234) in the Primorye was carried out in order to analyze the minor climatic rhythm during the settlement of a large river valley. New data on the chronology of the settlement were obtained using radiocarbon dating of charcoal and tephrostratigraphy. It was established that the territory began to be developed by the Krounovskaya culture (4th century BC to the 3rd century AD) under relatively dry conditions associated with a decrease in the summer monsoon intensity. In the 10th century the humidity increased sharply. The peak of warming occurred in the 11th century. At this time Medieval settlement appeared here, that existed before the construction of the fortress. The layers of this settlement lie under the ramparts. The study of pollen and diatoms in the cultural layers has allowed us to determine the characteristics of the environment during the Jurchen period (12th–13th centuries). Radiocarbon dating of the humus shows that the cultural layers contain redeposited organogenic material, which provides information on the pre-Jurchen environment. It has been established that significant changes in the natural steppe landscapes occurred in the early Middle Ages. Pollen data show signs of agriculture and other economic activities, including the plants’ cultivation, the development of ruderal plants and apophytes, as well as spores of pathogenic fungi. During the development of the territory in the Middle Ages, the main risks were associated with severe floods. Layers of loams found among the cultural layers indicate the repeated flooding of the fortress. Bioindicators of severe floods are allochthonous diatoms, represented by species that lived in the aquatic environment.

The Vlachs in Ottoman Borderlands: The Sanjak of Klis in the Middle of the 16th Century

The paper proposes the study of the Vlach population of the Ottoman Dalmatian hinterland in the middle of the 16th century, as described in the tax register (defter) of the sanjak of Klis from 1550, a document that allows for a better understanding of the social and economic history of southwestern Bosnia and the Herzegovina and parts of Lika, Krbava and Dalmatia, which all formed this administrational unit since 1537. The analysis outlined in the case study includes the problem of cross-border migrations, the specificity of transhumant economy, and the functioning of the “Vlach law” as well as the general status of the Vlach community in the Ottoman Empire, which can be also traced thanks to the abovementioned register. This document testifies that Vlachs were used to populate borderland areas, as it mentions that they settled in some deserted territories. Their migrations, which were sometimes caused by the colonization initiated by the authorities of the states (Venice, Habsburg Monarchy and Ottoman Empire) were partially facilitated by the internal social connections that characterized the Vlach community. The register clearly indicates that transhumance pastoralism practiced since the Early Middle Ages remained the main activity of the Vlachs in 16th century. Some of them also cultivated the land, although agriculture never became their main economic activity.

Greek history

The new paradigm of ancient economic history that has dominated the last twenty years is based on New Institutional Economics; its key concepts are growth and transaction costs. It has succeeded in proving that the ancient economies were not static and in documenting the significance of ancient markets; but by excising labour, slavery, and exploitation from discussion, the conceptual limits of this paradigm are becoming apparent to more and more people. The volume edited by John Weisweiler on debt in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East is solid evidence that an alternative, non-neoliberal, paradigm is currently in the process of formation.1 The book is obviously an attempt to assess the validity of David Graeber's blockbuster book on debt for the study of ancient economic and social history.2 As with the volume on citizenship presented below, the fact that this collection of twelve essays ranges temporally from the archaic period to the early middle ages and includes Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern societies is an excellent illustration of a growing and encouraging trend in our discipline. This is a highly stimulating volume. The essays explore: the nexus between coinage, slavery, and warfare in various ancient societies; how quantified social obligations colonized various social, political, and intellectual fields; and whether Graeber's concept of the Axial Age is valuable for the study of ancient history. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Graeber's model seems to fit best the world of ancient empires (Roman, late Roman, and Sassanian), but seems to make less sense for the world of Greek poleis. This illustrates, yet again, the need for Greek historians to think seriously about the peculiarities of the Greek world and the appropriate comparisons.

:The Foundations of Royal Power in Early Medieval Germany: Material Resources and Governmental Administration in a Carolingian Successor State

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New data of historical and archaeological topography of Kirov and Slobodskoy ob- tained through 2015–2022 state historical and cultural expertise

The article analyses C-shaped all-cast earrings from complexes dated 4th-7th century. There is a collection of artefacts from 79 monuments (France, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria). Precise topological &amp; geodesic data are used to draw the map of embellishments. In the first place C-shaped earrings are found in the Northern Black Sea region. In terms of chronology they were popular for an extended period of time from antiquity (6th-5th century BC till early Middle Ages 4th-5th century AD). C-shaped earrings in complexes of 4th-7th centuries are evident of the Alans’ interference. However, it is assumed that the Huns adopted the Alans’ aesthetics and symbols. Caucasus, Northern Black Sea region and Lower Volga region in the first half of the 1st millennium were occupied by Sarmatian tribes (the Aorsi, the Alans) and the Huns. This territory is found with more than a half of our complex selection with C-shaped earrings. The Danube region (Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria) is another region discovered with archaeological materials that include this jewellery. Besides, C-shaped earrings are found in Brittany in the 5th century burial ground La Mézière (near Orléans), in Burgundy and Normandy. In the South-West France (Occitania, Pyrénées-Orientales) they found a few C-shaped earrings. Two regions in Gaul (France) were mentioned in certain written sources in relation to the Alans’; these regions were also discovered with C-shaped earrings. Volga - Kama - Aral region is registered with 25 closed complexes with C-shaped earrings. Elements of the burial ritual accompanied by tools are described in the table. Both ritualistic elements and tools found in complexes demonstrate homogeneous materials in regions thousands of kilometres apart. Simple C-shaped earrings in Volga - Kama - Aral region can be dated 4th-6th century. Earrings with bunches or pyramids can be dated the second half of the 6th-8th century. These earrings belong to the Sarmatian Alans.

Middle Stone Age technological organisation from MIS 5 at Mertenhof Rockshelter, South Africa

Lithic technological organisation within the southern Africa Early Middle Stone Age (∼315,000–80,000 years ago) has seen relatively little investigation owing to the subtly of technological change, frequent use of locally derived raw materials, and the archaeological spatio-temporal discontinuity. This has resulted in relatively limited use of explanatory models for technological variability, including mobility, provisioning, tool production, and core reduction strategies. This paper uses 2952 artefacts to test the lithic technological organisation across Marine Isotope Stage 5 units of Mertenhof Rockshelter. Here we argue that the scales and concepts currently used to approach Early Middle Stone Age technology requires reconsideration. The Mertenhof sequence exhibits high proportions of non-local raw materials with their transport reflective of tactical adjustments within relatively stable mobility, provisioning, and reduction strategies. We demonstrate that Early Middle Stone Age populations maintained a diverse array of tactical solutions across these strategic domains, offering a durable and flexible strategy that would be adapted to changing contexts.