Early Medieval Research Articles

Early Middle Age Surgeons – Two Trepanned Skulls from the Necropolis near the village Nedan, Bulgaria

Early Middle Age Surgeons – Two Trepanned Skulls from the Necropolis near the village Nedan, Bulgaria

Atypical Burials from the Early Middle Ages in the Territory of Western Slovakia

Atypical Burials from the Early Middle Ages in the Territory of Western Slovakia

‘Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations’

The study of chapel-sites in any part of north and west Britain and Ireland is not easy. Contemporary documentary references are rare, and archaeological work has traditionally been site-specific, with interpretations often contested. In Lewis, the northernmost island of the Outer Hebrides, or Western Isles, of Scotland, this situation is magnified due to an almost complete lack of any surviving historical documents relating to the island prior to the 17th century, and of any archaeological work other than ad hoc rescue work. As the first extensive survey of chapel-sites to be undertaken in Lewis, the completion and publication of the Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites Survey is therefore a crucially important starting point in the analysis of these understudied sites. The survey identified 37 known chapel-sites on the Lewis mainland and outlying islands, and thus testifies to a vibrant landscape of Christian belief from the early medieval period onwards. Since being published (Barrowman 2020) it has provided a baseline, to which this paper adds an overview and brief discussion of site distribution, building form, landscape setting, potential dating, relation of sites to place-names and local traditions, and the setting of chapel buildings within the local identity and culture of medieval Lewis. In common with the Hebrides as a whole, most chapel buildings in Lewis, where discernible, are single-chambered with a doorway in the south wall and a window in the east gable wall, and most have approximated length–breadth ratios of 1:1.5 or 1:1.6. The exceptions to this are the small chapels on the outlying islands of North Rona and the Flannans, and on one mainland site in Lewis situated on a high headland. Visible from the busy routeways around Lewis, associated with early place-names, it is suggested that these sites, while potentially early, were not secluded and remote from the world. The evidence within the suite of sites for Viking Age or Late Norse chapels is also explored, particularly those bicameral chapels built directly into mounds or areas of earlier material. Finally, the place of chapel-sites in the Lordship and beyond is discussed, with particular emphasis on local identity and tradition in the district of Ness at the north end of Lewis.

Copper-alloy belt fittings and elite networking in Early Medieval Central Europe

This paper attempts to change the traditional view of the Late Avar belt fittings, which in the 8th century AD delineated an extremely dense communication network within the Carpathian Basin and beyond, by using a groundbreaking combination of iconography, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), lead isotope analysis, digital morphometry and 3D comparative prototyping. It presents a complex analysis of bronze belt ends decorated with an exceptional scene of a snake eating a frog-like creature, discovered in the last decade in Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany. According to the iconography, this motif represents an important cosmogonic and fertility myth, known to various early medieval populations living in Central Europe. Some of these belt ends come from the same workshop and/or are derived from a common model, even though they were found in very distant regions. The study also focuses on the provenance of the raw material used in the production of Avar-style belt fittings in general. For the first time, it was possible to locate the Early Medieval source of copper in the Slovak Ore Mountains, using lead isotope analysis.

Barbara Crostini. Review of "Santa Maria Antiqua: The Sistine Chapel of the Early Middle Ages" by Giulia Bordi, John Osborne, and Eileen Rubery.

Barbara Crostini. Review of "Santa Maria Antiqua: The Sistine Chapel of the Early Middle Ages" by Giulia Bordi, John Osborne, and Eileen Rubery.

Hidden riches in the Early Medieval Rhine Delta: Iron working at Merovingian Oegstgeest

Long dismissed as a backwater, increased study of the Rhine Delta in the Early Middle Ages has revealed considerable wealth and prosperity in even the most isolated of sites. The 6th–8th century Merovingian settlement at Oegstgeest is a good example of such. Despite its seeming remoteness and small size, its excavation found evidence for the creation and importation of quality goods, seemingly without any connection to existing elite structures. This study examined one aspect of this prosperity (iron working) to gain a better understanding of the role of Oegstgeest within its socioeconomic environment. Metallurgical and chemical characterisation was undertaken on thirteen metal samples and twenty-three slag samples from Oegstgeest. The results of this study established the use of quality metals and advanced forging techniques. This suggests that the inhabitants of Oegstgeest had the required contacts to obtain such materials, as well as the presence of skilled artisans with the time and demand to put their experience into practice. Further study found definite evidence of iron and copper alloys being worked in tandem. A provenance study was also undertaken on the metallic samples. Possible matches were established between the material from Oegstgeest with Lorraine in Eastern France as well as a potential connection to Southern Germany. In short, the results of this study suggest complement that of other the other finds of the settlement, suggesting that Oegstgeest was integrated into regional trade networks of the Early Middle Ages.

The reduction of the left ventricular long-axis early diastolic peak velocity (e') evident by early-middle age occurs in the absence of aging-related slowing of active relaxation.

A decrease in the left ventricular (LV) long-axis early diastolic peak velocity (e') is evident by early-middle age, but it is unknown to what extent this decrease is due to slowing of the speed of active relaxation versus a reduction in LV long-axis excursion during early diastole (EDExc). Pulsed-wave tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) signals were acquired from the septal and lateral borders of the mitral annulus in 62 healthy adult subjects of age 18-45years. EDExc and LV systolic excursion (SExc) were measured as the integrals of the respective TDI signals. The speed of active relaxation was indirectly assessed using time interval measurements related to the TDI early diastolic signal, including the isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT'), the acceleration time (EDAT), and the duration (EDDur). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify the relationships between e', age, EDExc, SExc, and time intervals. The findings were similar for both LV walls. Age was negatively correlated with e' and EDExc, but was not correlated with SExc, IVRT', EDAT, or EDDur. The closest correlate of EDExc was SExc, and EDExc was independently correlated with both SExc and age. e' was also positively correlated with SExc, but the closest correlate of e' was EDExc, and when combined with EDExc, EDDur became an independent predictor of e'. The aging-related decrease in e' evident by early-middle age occurs in the absence of aging-related slowing of active relaxation and therefore can be largely attributed to the accompanying reduction in EDExc.

Gård – kongsgård – bispegård: spor etter bosetning og makt på domkirkeplatået i Trondheim i jernalder og tidlig middelalder

This article describes and discusses archaeological traces of a ‘landscape of power’ on the cathedral plateau in Trondheim; in particular, traces of the saga-mentioned Viking-Age farm and structures from the early medieval period linked to emerging institutions of royal and ecclesiastical power. Remains of the first bishop's palace have been identified near the site of King Olav the Gentle’s Christ Church, as well as traces of the medieval royal residence that King Harald Hardrada reputedly established in the same area in the mid-11th century. Adopting a long-term perspective, the article describes the materialities of elite power networks and practices which formed this important place on the Nidarnes peninsula during the Norwegian Iron Age and the early medieval period and discusses them in the context of changes and developments in topography and social organisation.

Hest, hjort, ku eller geit! Hvilke typer lær ble brukt til sko i Borgund på Sunnmøre i sen vikingtid og tidlig middelalder?

Leather types and tanning technique used on shoes during the late Viking Age / early Medieval Periods in Norway, are addressed with 139 shoes from the deserted town Borgund in Sunnmøre, western Norway, as a case. Shoe-leather is species identified through hair follicle pattern interpretation and ZooMS analysis. Tanning technique is assessed visually. The study shows that the Borgund-shoes were made of leather from domesticated animals, predominantly from cow (Bos taurus), but also horse (Equus caballus), goat- (Capra circus) and tentatively sheep (Ovis aries) was used. Furthermore, raw tanned leather was used for both soles and shoe uppers in Borgund. Borgund’s strong preference for leather made of cattle has parallels in both Danish and English contemporary urban contexts, whereas horse leather is not previously identified as shoe-leather in contemporary Norse-sphere urban contexts. For future research an atlas of Viking Age / Medieval hair follicle patterns based on archaeological leather finds is presented.

Ein ungebildeter Bischof oder ein unterschätzter Gelehrter? Prämissen, Probleme und Perspektiven einer neuen Edition der Historien des Gregor von Tours

Abstract The Histories of Gregory of Tours are among the most important literary testimonies for the transition period from Late Antiquity to the early Middle Ages. The verdict on the Latin literature and language of the first centuries of the Frankish Empire has often been very negative. Krusch and Levison, who published today’s still authoritative critical edition of the Histories, also assumed that Gregory’s original text could only have been written in poor Merovingian Latin. This paper presents arguments for a new edition of the Histories from different perspectives. Gregory’s testimonies in which he addresses his own linguistic and grammatical deficiencies or the necessity of writing in a simple language, have to be viewed and evaluated within the larger tradition of statements of this kind in (Late) Antiquity. They should, thus, not be read as evidence for the argument that Gregory’s Histories were written in poor and incorrect Latin. An assumption of this kind, however, has influenced Krusch’s and Levison’s evaluation of the manuscripts of Gregory’s Histories and is thus reflected in their reconstructed text, even though quite a few manuscripts offer a much better text. This approach has repeatedly been criticised by different scholars; my paper joins this criticism. In assessing the various manuscripts of Gregory’s Histories, the editors have to make a decision regarding the presumed quality and state of Gregory’s Latin. My paper, therefore, also offers a case-study of Gregory’s stylistic and rhythmic arrangement of his text. The analysis of the so-called prose rhythm provides important evidence in favour of a positive assessment of Gregory’s level of education and thus of his linguistic and grammatical proficiency. This can also be viewed as an argument for a new and appropriate edition.

Cereal farming practices in Italy during the 1st millennium CE: An integrated approach to regionality

This study investigates the cereal farming practices of the Italian peninsula during the first millennium CE, with a particular focus on the Early Middle Ages. Using non-parametric multivariate statistics and a dimensionality reduction algorithm (PERMANOVA; nMDS), this research presents and compares 177 archaeobotanical caryopses assemblages from three areas of Italy. The results showed that differences in cereal farming practices between Northern and Southern Italy were not statistically significant during the Roman period, but became significant during the early medieval period. The research suggests that after the collapse of the Roman Empire, northern peasants had more autonomy in selecting their crops, while southern farmers were more resistant to change. These findings challenge the prevailing assumption that early medieval peasants across the entire peninsula uniformly adopted cereal crops like millets and rye. Overall, the study sheds new light on the diversity of cereal farming practices in early medieval Italy and presents a comprehensive collection of cereal macroremains from mainland Italy.

On Beowulf's Elegiac Mood: from the Perspective of Cognitive Poetics

Beowulf is the longest narrative poem in ancient England and the most complete and outstanding epic in the early Middle Ages of Europe. It holds an important position in the history of British literature and even European literature. Beowulf mainly tells the great deeds of the hero Beowulf, who is half human and half divine, in subduing monsters and killing poisonous dragons. It has a mythological colour and can be regarded as a heroic mythological epic. It mainly praises Beowulf's heroic spirit, promotes Christian consciousness, and showcases England's unique cultural style during the Anglo-Saxon period. Most studies of Beowulf focus on Germanic culture, literary form, historical background, themes, and symbolic significance portrayed in the poem. By adopting theories in Cognitive Linguistics like prototype, iconicity, perspectives, metaphor, naming in cognitive poetics, this article peruses the elegiac language of Seamus Heaney's Beowulf, illustrating that Beowulf is an elegy of the deaths of heroes, the inconstant fate, the vicissitudes of the world and age, the collapse of tribal society, and ultimately—the elegiac world, and results in that Beowulf is more like an elegy than an epic.

The Roman to medieval landscape transformation at Aardenburg (southern The Netherlands) based on palynology and diatom analysis

The region of Bruges (Flanders, Belgium) was an economic and cultural centre during the Late Middle Ages because it was connected to the North Sea via a large tidal inlet called the Zwin, along which smaller towns developed. One of these towns was Aardenburg (Zeeland, The Netherlands), which developed from a Roman castellum to become one of the important medieval towns in the hinterland of Bruges. Unfortunately, archaeological, historical and (palaeo)environmental data about the Roman to medieval evolution of the Zwin area are scarce. However, the continuous occupation of Aardenburg during the first millennium AD and its location on a Pleistocene sand ridge bordering the coastal plain provide a unique opportunity to investigate the natural dynamics of the coastal evolution and the interplay with the human impact that shaped the Zwin region before its heyday. The variable character of the depositional environments on the dynamic coastal plain makes local environmental studies essential for understanding larger patterns, which were previously reduced to a simplistic outdated model over the entire region. Palynological and diatom assemblages of two sequences in Aardenburg allow the reconstruction of the terrestrial and aquatic palaeoenvironments from the Middle Holocene to the high Middle Ages. The results reveal landscape evolution in relation to woodlands, peat bogs, coastal environments and human presence, consistent with previous regional landscape evolution. A distinct increase in marine influence during the Roman and early medieval periods, when human activities played a significant role, was followed by an increase in inland indicators from the high medieval period onwards. This evolution is in accordance with the expansion of the town and the reclamation of the coastal landscape as it evolved to become a cultural centre in the Late Middle Ages.

Ukrainian identity in the images and symbols of Olena Kulchytska’s graphic works

This article introduces the graphic work of Olena Kulchytska (1877–1967) within the cross-cultural context of Austro-Hungary and the Russian Empire pre-1914, where she received her training. Kulchytska is at once an internationalist and European artist and indebted to regional religious practice and local folkloric motifs. She practised her craft designing ex-libris bookplates, an important genre in Ukraine. The article then analyses the iconography of Kulchytska’s graphic works on military themes, emphasizing their significance in the context of Ukrainian identity. The parallels between the horrors she depicted and events from Ukrainian history (from the Early Middle Ages to the second half of the twentieth century) are identified, and the quite timeless character of most of the images and symbols is demonstrated. The practical significance of this study lies in its emphasis on the war theme in modern art, especially in the conditions of the current war in Ukraine.

Agricultural Dynamics in Southwestern Mediterranean France from the End of the Iron Age to the Early Middle Ages

ABSTRACT The north-western Mediterranean rural world underwent major socioeconomic and cultural changes between the Late Iron Age and the beginning of the Middle Ages, with a decisive impact on the evolution of agricultural production, practices and landscapes. Roman expansion led to the spread of villae (2nd–1st c. BC), leading to a new structuration of rural areas and the development of a speculative agriculture that favoured wine production. By the end of the Roman period, new changes are observed: while certain Roman villae are still occupied, the appearance of a new network of rural settlements reveals the emergence of a new form of rural economy. Although these changes are increasingly well documented by archaeology, their impact on the agrarian production and practices remains little explored. The multiplication of archaeobotanical investigations in southwestern Mediterranean France allows us to present a first review of farming practices and their evolution during this key period. The study of 30 rural sites provides new data concerning local agriculture between the 2nd c. BC and the 8th c. AD (cultivated plants, prevalence of certain species, farming practices, exploited landscapes) and attempts to detect potential evolutions over time such as changes in staple crops, diversification, exploitation of new ‘terroirs’.

The reuse of ancient tuff blocks in early medieval construction in Rome

AbstractThis paper analyzes the reuse of ancient tuff blocks in early medieval architecture in Rome, in both papal and private structures. The blocks are a well-known phenomenon, but they have not yet received any focused study. Short discussions in earlier scholarship have typically described them in utilitarian terms. I first identify a pattern of targeted reuse in papal building projects. I then argue that they would also have had symbolic value for an independent papacy wanting to display power. For later private builders, I propose that the blocks became prestige materials displayed on the houses of an ever-tightening aristocracy eager to be seen within some of the city's most important monumental spaces. I consider how the city's ancient monuments and their pieces were viewed in the early medieval period and how the blocks’ ancient contexts contributed to the symbolic value that I identify in them.

Is the promontory a promising site to diagnose otitis media in paleopathology? A search for evidence

ObjectiveThe promontory of the middle ear was recently suggested to be an appropriate site for diagnosing otitis media (OM) in archaeological bones by endoscopic inspection. The present study scrutinized the underlying assumption that a bulgy, irregular promontorial surface represents a pathological condition. MaterialsWe compared an allegedly healthy individual and an allegedly diseased individual in skeletal remains of two human individuals from the early Medieval period in Germany. MethodsThe specimens were studied using microscopic analyses of thin ground sections. ResultsThe osseous architecture of the three-layered promontorial wall was the same in both specimens. Both the contour of the resorption front of the middle layer and the thickness of the overlying outer periosteal layer showed some variation, resulting in an either smooth or a bulgy promontorial surface, while signs of resorptive or proliferative changes at the periosteal surface were missing in both cases. ConclusionsOur results suggest that an irregular promontorial surface represents normal variation in the development of the otic capsule rather than a pathological condition. We therefore conclude that the promontory is not an appropriate site for diagnosing OM in archaeological bone. SignificanceThe study contributes to evidence-based diagnoses in paleo-otological studies. Our assumption is in line with clinical and experimental findings indicating that the otic capsule is protected against bone remodeling. LimitationsOnly two specimens were studied. Suggestions for further researchSEM-studies to detect more subtle changes to the promontorial surface.

Integrating Data on Early Medieval Graves: Mapping the THANADOS database to the ARIADNE infrastructure with the Mortuary Data Application Profile

This article discusses the creation of an Application Profile (AP) for mortuary data and how it was used to integrate the THANADOS anthropological and archaeological database of sepultures in the ARIADNEplus infrastructure. Ontologies increase data interoperability and their potential for being reused. The CIDOC CRM is a formal ontology designed to facilitate the integration, mediation, and interchange of heterogeneous cultural heritage information. APs provide exemplary mappings that other researchers can use as an orientation. For creating and testing the ARIADNE mortuary data AP, data from early medieval cemeteries provided an ideal case study because of the high degree of similarity between sites. The mapping of early medieval cemetery data has shown that mapping to an ontology contributes to data interoperability in several ways. Firstly, it may reveal inconsistencies in the native dataset and improve data organisation for future projects. Secondly, it enables the querying of information concerning graves and cemeteries from different sources across the ARIADNE infrastructure. Finally, this article provides an example of how archaeological data can be aggregated across multiple providers.

The association of adolescent fitness with cardiometabolic diseases in late adulthood: A 45-year longitudinal study.

The aim of this study was to examine the associations of adolescent cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), muscular fitness (MF), and speed-agility fitness (SA) with middle-aged cardiometabolic disease risk and explore sex differences. This 45-year prospective cohort study examined the associations between objectively measured fitness at adolescence (12-19 years) and physician-ascertained diabetes mellitus, elevated blood pressure (BP), and coronary heart disease reported either in early (37-44 years) or late (57-64 years) middle age, and self-measurement of waist circumference (WC) in late middle age. Fitness measurements for healthy adolescents in baseline included CRF (1.5 km [girls] and 2 km [boys] run), MF (standing broad jump, sit-ups, pull-ups [boys], and flexed-arm hang [girls]), and SA (50 m dash and 4 × 10 m shuttle run). Logistic regression and general linear models were adjusted for baseline age, sex, and body mass index (BMI), involving data from baseline and at least one follow-up measurement (N up to 1358, 47% males). Adolescent CRF was inversely, and regardless of adiposity, associated with middle age accumulated burden of cardiometabolic conditions in the whole sample (N = 562, ß = -0.10, 95% confidence intervals [CI] [-0.18, -0.03], p = 0.006), and elevated BP in females (N = 256, OR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.51, 0.91]). Overall, we observed stronger associations in females than in males. An inverse association of adolescent MF and SA with middle-aged WC was observed, but it did not show as consistent associations as with CRF. In this study, adolescent fitness, particularly CRF, was inversely associated with the burden of cardiometabolic conditions up to 45 years. Promotion of fitness in youth may be beneficial in preventing adulthood cardiometabolic diseases.

Детское захоронение начала раннего средневековья из некрополя Горный-10 (юг Западной Сибири)

The article presents the results of studying of an extraordinary children’s burial excavated at the Gorny-10 necropolis. This complex, which today is the largest of the studied sites dated to the beginning of the early Middle Ages in the south of Western Siberia, is located in the Krasnogorsk region of the Altai Territory. The published object (grave 63) is an undisturbed burial of a 10—12-year-old child with representative accompanying grave goods, including horse equipment, costume elements, tools, jewelry and weapons. An analysis of the discovered items made it possible to establish the dating of the burial within the last quarter of the 6 th — the first half of the 7 th centuries AD. It has been established that the qualitative and quantitative composition of the finds indicates a high lifetime status of the buried person. There are grounds to assume that the originality of the grave goods was determined not only by the position of the child’s family, but also by his personal qualities, including participation in the traditional occupations of the early medieval population of the south of Western Siberia.