Medieval Age Research Articles

A long gestation: spine anatomy from the medieval age to the end of the 19th century. An analytical historical review.

The discovery of spine anatomy followed a problem/solution pattern; it took almost 1000 years to transition from nihilism to perfectionism. Before the 16th century, the main issue was accessing and opening the spine. The level of knowledge progressed rapidly when the spinal canal was opened longitudinally during the 16th century. The 17th century was an incubation period that allowed the consolidation of the science of anatomy with the help of art, philosophy, and other sciences. In particular, the conservation of the cadaver was improved. Famous spine anatomists were close to Rembrandt, master of the chiaroscuro technique, which helped to improve the anatomical drawings significantly. Descriptions of the pathological anatomy of the spine were first published early in the 17th century, but progress was slow up to the end of the 18th century due to a lack of occasions for clinical-pathological correlations. Normal anatomy became remarkably accurate in the 18th and 19th centuries when soft tissues and connections (e.g., among the intervertebral discs) were studied in detail. The slow compressions due to underlying diseases and then the degenerative processes were subsequently described.

The Historical Sustainable Cities In India: A Survey Of Sustainable Practices Followed In Cities Of India In Ancient And Medieval Times

The role played by India in achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030 is extremely crucial owning to its large but impoverished population. It is necessary for India to achieve these goals so that the world can achieve them. India is currently lagging in many of the goals, targets and sub-targets. But there was a time when India was the centre of sustainable lifestyle. Indian cities were well planned with remarkable sanitation and cleanliness. The excellent drainage system of Harappan cities is well known to everyone. The cities were divided into various layers with the most important structures located on citadel. The great bath of Mohenjodaro, the great granary of Harappa, the water conservation tank of Dholavira and the dockyard of Lothal are living examples of sustainable practices in those sustainable cities. The imperial city of Pataliputra is another example of a sustainable city. The city administration comprised of thirty members which was divided into six committees. There was a separate committee for registration of births and deaths. Similarly, the life of Kanyakubja as described by Hiuen Tsang reflects the sustainable lifestyle of the ruler as well as the people of the city. The early medieval age was categorized as dark age by many historians. But these ages have also produced remarkable cities. Anhilwada (present day Patan, Gujarat) was capital of Solanki dynasty of Gujarat in which we can find Rani-ki-Vaav which is an excellent water conservation tank accessible to the population of the city. Similarly, Bhoj of Parmar dynasty constructed several lakes, tanks and ponds in his capital city Dhar. It was the imperial city of Vijayanagar that can be described as textbook example of a sustainable city. The city was surrounded by seven walls. The agricultural farms in the vicinity which fed the city were fortified. The city was well planned into residential, commercial and military areas. This paper analyses the sustainable structures, practices and lifestyle that existed in the prominent cities of ancient and medieval India.

Investigating soils of barrows in the Rozumice Forest (SW Poland) – Dynamics of soil and landscape evolution in a Central European loess plateau

Soil properties reflect a host of environmental conditions and land-use patterns. Formation of cultural landscapes may well be studied at barrow cemeteries, which give the opportunity of comparing the properties of buried soils, the material building the mounds and the present-day soil cover. Current archaeo-pedological research on Late Neolithic long-barrows indicates a widespread Early Holocene presence of fertile chernozemic soils in the loess zone in Silesia (SW Poland) and their subsequent transformation (en masse) into Luvisols during the Subboreal and Subatlantic. Since the timing of the transformation remains a question – to elaborate the regional chronosequence of soil evolution – we examined the barrow cemetery in the Rozumice Forest, presumably of early medieval age. We assessed the chronology of the burial mounds and properties of the soil record by analysis of ALS data and magnetometer survey, as well as pedological and archaeobotanical analyses and 14C dating of samples from cores extracted from four of the barrows. The results show that the barrows in the Rozumice Forest were most likely built in the Early Middle Ages (7-9th c. AD) using local Luvisol (clay-illuvial soil) material, after vegetation clearance by fire. The buried Luvisols found beneath the mounds bear traces of human land-use – settlement and/or agriculture during the Late Neolithic, and may be polygenetic, being the result of transformation of Early Holocene chernozemic soils.

The Islamic Influence on Saadia Gaon’s Method in Defending Rabbinic Judaism

Saadia Al-Fayyumi was one of the medieval scholars of Jewish law who lived in Muslim societies. He was the first in Iraq to defend Rabbinic Judaism against the opponents and skeptics of its religious heritage and he was influenced in his defense by Islamic thought. Previous studies discussed Saadia’s defense of the Written and Oral law and illustrated Saadia’s polemical writings against the Karaites. The current paper discusses the influence of Islam on Saadia’s method in defending Rabbinic Judaism. Also, this essay illustrates the influence of Islamic thought on Saadia’s arguments to pave the way for the Rabbis to use reason like the Mu’tazilah to defend their beliefs and provided them with arguments and proofs. Clearly, Islamic thought was a principle for Saadia to establish the foundations of faith. He laid down the principles of faith just as the Mu’tazilah and was influenced by Mu’tazilah’s thoughts, Muslim jurists, Islamic theological doctrines, and their various ideas related to religious matters. Also, Saadia agreed with the Islamic theological sects in using logical evidences and religious texts as defensive tools to defend his beliefs. This Islamic influence on Jewish thought was a factor in its development, especially in light of the Arab-Islamic civilization in the medieval ages between 10th and the 15th centuries CE.

It’s Time we Get Rid of Jury Trials

This paper shows that the process of jury trails are not needed in a modern society as the trial by a judge is more than enough to meet the tenets of the justice system of a fair, just, balanced, unbiased and impartial trial. We need to totally and completely abolish this giant elephant in the room from medieval ages and make the judicial process more efficient, better and quicker by introducing the trial by single judge as a norm.

Medieval city of France and Germany: the Сritical Vision of Professor L. M. Berkut

In the article the author makes an attempt to analyze the most common theories of the emergence of a medieval city and the concept by the medievalist Leonid Berkut devoted to this issue. It is shown the his critical vision regarding the historical process of the causes and evolution of a medieval city. X–XI centuries became a turning period in the history of Western Europe. There were significant changes in the development of agriculture, crafts and trade, feudal affairs were completely formed. In addition to these important social phenomena, another significant process began in the development of feudal Europe: along with ancient cities, new medieval cities began to emerge as a concentration of crafts and trade, an administrative- legal and religious center. The medieval city became an essential factor of social development then. How and where, why, under what conditions did the new cities arise? Today there are more than a dozen theories of the origin of the medieval city: Romanistic, patrimonial, market, burg, guild, mark, merchant and their varieties. Each of these theories is debatable. Leonid Nikolaevich Berkut (1879–1940) Ukrainian medieval historian studying the Medieval ages a lecture in Kyiv, Warsaw, Don universities, educator, doctor of historical sciences, professor. He devoted his monographs to the topic: "History of French Cities in the Middle Ages", "The Fate of French Cities in the Middle Ages", "Imperial Privileges and City Rights of the XII century in Germany", "History of German Cities in the Middle Ages”. In his works, the scientist also touched upon the issue of the phenomenon of the emergence of a medieval city. For L.Berkut, the the formation and development of a medieval city in the Western Europe could not be the same (не зрозуміло). The development of the cities depended on many different reasons: the degree of division of labor in agriculture and crafts, trade routes, international relations, cultural and religious institutions (monasteries, bishops’ chairs), the development of law, strategic considerations in the construction of fortresses, the degree of interest of the feudal lord in the growth of cities. Also, one cannot ignore the reasons of the political development of medieval countries: the centralization or decentralization of supreme power. L. Berkut was not only a thorough researcher presented the Western urban schools on the development of a medieval city, but also an active participant in the scientific debates that unfolded on this issue in Ukrainian and Russian historiography of the 20th century.

Thapsigargin: a promising natural product with diverse medicinal potential - a review of synthetic approaches and total syntheses.

Thapsigargin, a sesquiterpene lactone, naturally occurring in the roots and fruits of the Mediterranean shrub Thapsia garganica L, is known to the practitioners of traditional medicines since the medieval ages as a cure for rheumatic pain, lung diseases, and female infertility. This naturally occurring guaianolide has shown remarkable activity for Sarco endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase inhibition, which eventually renders it fit as a potential candidate for anti-cancer drugs. Mipsagargin, a prodrug derived from thapsigargin, is under clinical trials for the treatment of glioblastoma. Recently, thapsigargin has shown promise as an antiviral against SARS-CoV-2. Limited natural availability and challenging synthesis have prompted research into new synthetic pathways. This review discusses significant synthetic approaches and total syntheses of thapsigargin reported to date.

Batı Düşüncesinde Din-Bilim İlişkisi: Tarihsel bir İnceleme

Concepts are the products of the human mind and imagination that have emerged in the context of history-society. For this reason, their meaning contents also change throughout history. In this context, science and religion are two important concepts that the human mind has produced in history. However, both have found a wide application area in practical life and have influenced each other interactively throughout history. Until the emergence of scientific thought, religions have gained the power to organize human and social life by undertaking the task of meeting the need for knowledge of human beings. With the emergence of scientific thinking ability, the way religions describe and explain nature and its contents has also been discussed. However, the attempt to think scientifically, which took off in Ancient Greece in European history, could not show a significant presence during the Medieval Ages, when Christianity determined scientific thought. Some important scientific, social and economic developments that took place in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries led to the questioning of the authority of the Church, and brought the importance and value of scientific thought back to the agenda of the Western people. As the power of science to explain nature increased, the power of institutional religion to determine thought began to decline. However, when we look closely at this period, it can be seen that the leading figures of the scientific revolution - although they are free-thinking people - also have sincere religious and metaphysical beliefs, and the struggle is mostly tied around the “problem of authority”. In the following centuries, as modern science began to make itself felt more and more in public life with its spectacular achievements, institutional religion would have to largely leave the public sphere. From now on, science will claim to establish it on earth in return for the claim of heaven provided by religions in the next world. However, with the understanding that science cannot answer the existential problems of human beings and the need for certainty with the 20th century, the “sacred” has succeeded in reproducing itself in a new form. Thus, the history of science has clearly shown us once again that it is not possible to completely remove metaphysical beliefs from the human mind and scientific thought.

Christianization, Islamization, and Judaization in Jerusalem

Throughout its history, the region of the Middle East has been marked by significant religious transformations, including the processes of Christianization, Islamization, and Judaization. Jerusalem, as a city sacred to the main religions of the Abrahamic faiths, stands as a compelling case study for examining these processes, given its unique holiness and the historical confrontations among these religions in the region. This study introduces Jerusalem as a focal point for analyzing the dynamics of each of these processes, tracing the emergence of the first communities of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam within this city. Through this examination, the study underscores both the similarities and differences among these transformative processes that unfolded in Jerusalem. The historical timeline of these processes in Jerusalem reveals that Christianization was the earliest to be implemented during Roman rule, followed by Islamization in the Medieval age, and, finally, Judaization in the modern era, which continues to the present day. Each of these processes can be distinguished by two distinct stages of application in Jerusalem, each leaving its impact on the city's demographics, resulting in the dominance of the majority population associated with the respective religion. Moreover, these transformations were accompanied by significant shifts in language, reflecting the cultural changes that took place. In addition to demographic and linguistic shifts, this study delves into other similarities and differences, shedding light on the evolution of Jerusalem's religious identity. Jerusalem serves as an illustrative example for other cities in the Middle East that have experienced religious shifts primarily linked to the Abrahamic faiths, showcasing the complex interplay of history, religion, and culture in shaping the identity of these cities over time.

The Metamorphosis as a Critique of Enlightenment

This research article deals with the failure of enlightenment in Gregor Samsa’s life which The Metamorphosis reflects. Enlightenment means the way of enlightening with the help of reasons, logics and skeptical power of knowledge on any subject/discipline. It implies the emancipation from superstitious beliefs through the power of reasons. It can be regarded as the cradle of modernity. Anyway, the God-centered medieval age is converted into the man-centered renaissance age, which is regarded as the beginning of enlightenment in the modern history of mankind. Different theorists of enlightenment believe that human life becomes perfect and social due to reasons. The modern technology and science that are uplifting the lifestyle of human beings is due to the power of reasons. However, the philosophy that reason is the core of human beings becomes a great failure in the life of Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis. After Samsa’s physical metamorphosis into a venomous insect, he suffers from alienation, consciousness, and existentialism though he uses his inherent rationalistic power of thinking. Hence, Immanual Kant’s theory of enlightenment can be applied to show the futility of enlightenment due to the effect of modernity. Likewise, Rene Descartes’ theory of existentialism can be applied to show the struggle of an individual despite the effect of modernity for the survival. Thus, for the broad theoretical framework, Kant and Descartes can be used as theorists. Their theory of enlightenment and existentialism can be used for the textual analysis of the select novella to discover that The Metamorphosis is a critique of judgment.

CERCETĂRI ARHEOLOGICE DE SUPRAFAȚĂ ÎN CÂMPIA ROMANAŢIULUI (I)

Archaelogical researches developed on the Frăsinetului River Valley, Dobrosloveni commune, Olt county, in 2021, revealed close up to a private lake, situated in the north-east of the Frăsinet village, a very rich area in archaeological remains. Here were discovered a lot of pottery fragments belonging to different prehistoric periods, roman period and medieval age. Among these pottery fragments, we remark some fragments belonging to the Vădastra culture with various types of decorations as: excisions, incisions, grooved types and pottery with incisions and Vinča points. Among Vădastra pottery discovered here, in the mentioned point, we remark a fragment, probably from a cult table, decorated with incisions and Vinča points. We consider that, probably, in the mentioned area, was an important settlement of the Vădastra culture. We also remind you that here (Dobrosloveni and Fărcașele communes, Olt county) were attested a lot of important settlements of the Vădastra culture. These settlements are published and are considered as reference settlements for the mentioned culture.

Absolute dating of construction materials and petrological characterisation of mortars from the Santalla de Bóveda Monument (Lugo, Spain)

The construction materials of the Santalla de Bóveda Monument, one of the most studied buildings in Galicia (Spain), are analysed to date the mortars and bricks of walls and vaults by combining three dating techniques: optically stimulated luminescence, radiocarbon and thermoluminescence. Petrological characterisation of the mortars themselves is carried out. Until now, the paintings on the vault have been interpreted as Roman, early Christian or Pre-Romanesque, depending on the interpretative framework used by the researcher who studied them. There is also no consensus on their functionality. A total of 21 samples were collected, and 39 datings were made. The results are conclusive: the original building dates from the second half of the fourth century AD, the paintings date from the beginning of the seventh century or the upper floor from the tenth to twelfth centuries. These results make it necessary to review the history of Galician architecture between Late Antiquity and the Early Medieval Ages.

A Low-Cost and Fast Operational Procedure to Identify Potential Slope Instabilities in Cultural Heritage Sites

Italy is famous for its one-of-a-kind landscapes and the many cultural heritage sites characterizing the story of its regions. In central Italy, during the medieval age, some of them were built on the top of high and steep cliffs, often on the top of ancient ruins, to protect urban agglomerations, goods and people. The geographical locations of these centers allowed them to maintain their original conformation over time, but, at the same time, exposed them to a high risk of landslides. In this context, this research aimed to present an integrated and low-cost approach to study the potential landslide phenomena affecting two medieval towns. Field surveys and mapping were carried out through the use of innovative digital mapping tools to create a digital database directly on the field. Data gathered during field surveys were integrated with GIS analyses for an improved interpretation of the geological and geomorphological features. Due to the inaccessibility of the cliffs surrounding the two villages, a more detailed analysis of these areas was performed through the use of unmanned aerial vehicle-based photogrammetry, while advanced differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry (A-DInSAR) interpretation was undertaken to verify the stability of the buildings in proximity to the cliffs and other potential active failures. The results of the study highlighted the similar geometry and structural settings of the two areas. Kinematically, the intersection of three main joint sets tends to detach blocks (sometimes in high volumes) from the cliffs. The A-DInSAR analysis demonstrated the presence of a landslide failure along the northwest side of the Monte San Martino town. The buildings in proximity to the cliffs did not show evidence of movements. More generally, this research gives insights into the pro and cons of different survey and analysis approaches and into the benefits of their procedural integration in space and in time. Overall, the procedure developed here may be applied in similar contexts in order to understand the structural features driving slopes’ instabilities and create digital databases of geological/monitoring data.

Surface researches on the valley of the Frăsinet river (Frăsinetul de Pădure village, Dobrosloveni commune, Olt County). I

Archaeological researches developed on the Frăsinetului River valley, Dobrosloveni commune, in December 2021, revealed close up to a private lake, situated in the north-east of the Frăsinet village, a very rich area in archaeological remains. Here were discovered a lot of pottery fragments belonging of different prehistoric cultures, roman period and medieval age. Among these pottery fragments, we remark some fragments belonging to Vădastra culture with various types of decoration as: excision, incision, grooved types and pottery with incisions and Vinča points. Among Vădastra pottery discovered here, in the mentioned point, we remark a fragment probably from a cult table, decorated with incisions and Vinča points. We consider that, probably, in the mentioned area, was an important settlement of Vădastra culture. Also, we remember that here (Dobrosloveni and Fărcașele communes, Olt County) were attested a lot of important settlements of Vădastra culture. These settlements are published and are considered as reference settlements for the mentioned culture.

Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North: Investigating Stereotypes and the Dehumanizing Effects of Colonialism

Long before colonialism emerged as an imperial project, cultural stereotypes and myths have fed the Western discourse about the Orient. Even during the medieval ages and Renaissance period, the discourse about Muslims and Islam was deeply informed of the distorted images, fabricated views, and overgeneralizations rooted in racial and religious prejudices. These myths were popularized through European art and literature to construct a particular narrative later used to legitimize the imperial designs and economic control of the native people. The research views this dehumanization of people and the vicious cycle of psychological trauma as a direct result of colonial enterprises by imperial forces. Using anti-colonial theories and postcolonialism as a framework of the study and building on the works of anticolonial theorists like Fanon, Memmi, and Césaire, the research seeks to investigate how these dehumanized images form the core of imperial designs and how colonialism dehumanizes people, distorts perspectives, engenders alienation and perpetuates a cycle of psychological violence across cultures and regions.

Diet and metabolism are back: The oldest known Islamic medical manuscript bridges the gap from ancient to modern gout management.

Gout is a chronic disease frequently associated with lifestyle; its prevalence is increasing in Western societies, as well as in the Middle East. Apart from its partial genetic features, diet accounts for 12% of the causality of the disease, while purine-rich foods contribute decisively to its development and evaluation. The influential Persian physician of the medieval ages, Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi (or by his Latin name Rhazes; 860-925 AD), wrote a short book (20 chapters) entitled 'Treatise on gout'. Rhazes adopted the Hippocratic humoralism, and suggested that the disease results from metabolic excess in the peripheral blood, presenting sex dimorphism and age-dependence. His therapeutic guidelines include a diet prescribed by a physician, the use of laxatives and emetics, counter-balancing excess or deficiency of bile or phlegm and analgesics, bloodletting, foot and steam baths, as well as salves and poultices as preventive measures. He appends differential dietary restrictions/suggestions for phlegmatic or choleric patients: Small rations and intake of good quality foods low in purine by 20% for phlegmatic and 28% for choleric patients, as well as the restriction of foods high in purine by 27% for phlegmatic and 22% for the choleric patients. Finally, the acidic to alkaloid food intake ratio suggested is 2/5 for choleric and 3/7 for phlegmatic patients. His suggested foods and drugs are vitamin C and B-rich complexes, thereby inhibiting the accumulation of tophi.

Britanya Mitinde Yer Alan Robin Hood ve Kral Arthur’un Folklorik İncelemesi

King Arthur and Robin Hood, as two main folkloric figures, play an important role in British national identity especially in the nineteenth century. Throughout centuries, these mythical stories became well-known in the cultural heritage of other countries besides Britain. The lore and depictions of these two characters were not limited to the written and oral literature but came into existence through different mediums such as television, cinema, and computer games. Both the stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood have topical themes reflecting the political, social, and cultural issues and conflicts in societies and shape the future as timeless artefacts. In this sense, the major aim of this paper is to present and analyze the evolution of these two folk legends by using various historical and cultural sources to demonstrate the validity of the two characters across time, place, and medium. King Arthur and Robin Hood: The History and Folklore of England’s Most Famous Folk Legends by Jesse Harasta (2009) is used as the basis of the evolution of the lore of the two folkloric characters. The stories and the characters, the subjects of various myths and legends throughout centuries, have also been adapted and used in a variety of works and products transmitting local history of the lore of King Arthur and Robin Hood into global folklore. The political, social, and cultural use, adaptation, and evolution of King Arthur and Robin Hood will be traced starting from their emergence in the medieval ages through the twentieth century when the lore of King Arthur and Robin Hood is transformed through story-telling and added to different structures by using different media. As will be exemplified per the aim of the study though some changes in the presentation of the folkloric characters are present; the major dichotomic human characteristics are preserved. The article follows the trajectory of evolution of two legends into myths, literature, and finally products of popular culture. The work questions whether the divisive line between what is local and authentic versus that which is globalized and thus international is as clear as is presupposed.

Comprehend the Women in the Middle Ages from The Parisian Household Book

The late Middle Ages is a crucial period in the history of Western Europe for the transition to modern times. The social outlook of this period has changed a lot compared with the previous times. People who were in this context have generated their own expressions corresponding to the society at this time, mainly manifested as the change of views and values. This paper is aim at selecting the material called The Parisian Household Book (Le Mnagier de Paris) to do primary source analysis, then extensively collecting other documents about women, marriage and family in the Middle Ages for a more comprehensive interpretation. Through the research, we know the living conditions of urban women in the late medieval ages and the requirements of family or society to them from this instruction manual. Meanwhile, the following conclusions are drawn: in medieval marriage, both husband and wife had rights and obligations to fulfill. Some men with high social status taught their wives to manage the family well in order to maintain the stability of their class. For women, those who came from the countryside to the city were willing to accept such guidance, because these might become favorable tools for the improvement of their social standing.

Contributions of Muslim medieval scholars to psychology

Psychology has been the significant discipline since the time of antiquity which becomes more consolidated during the medieval age of Islam. It had a strong foundation in the professional writings of polymaths from the Islamic Middle Ages that were eventually transmitted to the West. However, the unique psychological contributions of these medieval polymaths remained largely unexplored. Despite the growing interest in their work, which is partly due to Islamic psychology, only a handful of them have been investigated for their unique psychological contributions, and a complete examination of psychological work has not been done, separately from an Islamic perspective. The majority of them have only been examined in terms of their medical value, neglecting psychological issues in their all-encompassing approaches to care. Therefore, it was quintessential to extensively explore all those scholars who contributed to the various fields of psychology and to fill a gap of information that has been left by the previous researchers.

Lex-Mercatoria Principles: A keystone in International Commercial Arbitration

The international Commercial Arbitration is a dispute resolution mechanism; thus, it allows the parties to a dispute to settle their affair outside the national courts. On the other hand, lex mercatoria can be defined as a body of rules that encompasses usages and customs that were used by the merchants in the medieval ages, thus the English nomination “merchant law’. After globalization, more specifically in the twentieth century, both above-mentioned concepts have been developed and adopted by most of the legal systems around the world. This paper aims to define lex mercatoria by exploring its’ history, its’ development, and by tackling all its’ elements to study the impact of lex mercatoria’s principles on international commercial arbitration proceedings.