Middle Ages Research Articles

Raw-material exploitation in the Earlier and Middle Stone Age in the Eastern Desert of Egypt: evidence from Wadi Abu Subeira

Abstract Despite its key role in out-of-Africa hominin dispersals, little is known about Pleistocene human occupation of north-eastern Africa outside the Nile Valley and desert oases. A survey in Wadi Abu Subeira aims to help fill this gap and attests to the repeated occupation of the Eastern Desert during the Pleistocene.

An Assessment of the Nutritional Status and its Predictors amongst Women in a Rural Community of Dharwad Taluk, Karnataka, India

The connection between food insecurity and health is becoming more widely acknowledged, as it plays a major role in the onset and advancement of non-communicable illnesses. The family's overall well-being and health are directly impacted by the health status of the female. Rural women play a dominant role in the country’s economy and their nutritional status has direct bearing on the whole family. Hence the present study was conducted with the objective to assess nutritional status and to identify the predictors of poor nutrition among rural women of Dharwad taluk, Karnataka. The sample of the study included 500 rural women in the age group of 16-80 years. A self structured questionnaire, SES Agarwal 2005, Anthropometric measurements were used to assess BMI, Hb level, knowledge level and morbidity status. More than one third of the rural women were selected were in the age group of 40-80 years, were illiterates and involved in agriculture. Majority belong to social tribes and staying in nuclear families. Two third of the selected rural womenconsume non-vegetarian food. More than half of the families belonged to upper middle socio economic status. Majority of them had health related problems and were in mild to moderate anemia category. Low SES, low nutritional knowledge, non working status, morbidity condition, middle age group, anemia status and poor protein diet were found to be the risk factors of poor nutritional status among rural women. Low SES was found to be 2.6 times riskier; anemia condition was 4.68 times risk when compared to normal Hemoglobin level.

The role of working conditions in educational differences in all-cause and ischemic heart disease mortality among Swedish men.

This study aims to investigate the extent to which low job control and heavy physical workload in middle age explain educational differences in all-cause and ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality while accounting for important confounding factors. The study is based on a register-linked cohort of men who were conscripted into the Swedish military at around the age of 18 in 1969/1970 and were alive and registered in Sweden in 2005 (N=46 565). Cox proportional hazards regression models were built to estimate educational differences in all-cause and IHD mortality and the extent to which this was explained by physical workload and job control around age 55 by calculating the reduction in hazard ratio (HR) after adjustments. Indicators of health, health behavior, and other factors measured during conscription were accounted for. We found a clear educational gradient for all-cause and IHD mortality (HR 2.07 and 2.47, respectively, for the lowest compared to the highest education level). A substantial part was explained by the differential distribution of the confounding factors. However, work-related factors, especially high physical workload, also played important explanatory roles. Even after accounting for earlier life factors, low job control and especially high physical workload seem to be important mechanistic factors in explaining educational inequalities in all-cause and IHD mortality. It is therefore important to find ways to reduce physical workload and increase job control in order to decrease inequalities in mortality.

Overcoming the apocalypse in the pluralistic space of poetics and politics

In the shift toward the Early Modern era, the end-centric temporality of the Middle Ages underwent a critical reevaluation, which spawned four distinct historical paradigms in the interplay between eschatology and politics. This article delineates these paradigms as follows: the revolutionary, where political constructs undergo a metamorphosis toward the eschatological, culminating in their complete dissolution within it; the progressive, in which political elements evolve in the direction of eschatological thought while retaining their distinct existence; the conservative, where political structures act to curtail the influence of eschatological expectations; and the post-apocalyptic, wherein both political and eschatological spheres merge into the economic, exemplifying the cultural logic of late capitalism. Utilizing process tracing as a methodological tool within the framework of critical realism, the study investigates the dynamic processes through which societies confront and potentially overcome apocalyptic scenarios. It reveals that poetic and political pluralism serves as a transformative mechanism, facilitating the potential overcoming of apocalyptic threats. However, this overcoming is only achieved in the progressive model, which is marked by the adoption of a polytheistic political myth and a clear separation between the domains of politics and ethics. In contrast, the post-apocalyptic model is characterized by a radical proliferation of apocalyptic narratives, which leads to the normalization and institutionalization of a metaphorical ‘worldly hell.' In this context, the political and eschatological are reconstituted within the economic domain, signaling a shift to a new cultural and ideological paradigm dominated by capitalist ideology.

Comprehensive design of the 3D printing process for architectural models. A case study: the medieval walled enclosure of Priego De Cordoba (E1:200)

AbstractNowadays, an object can be viewed both physically and virtually. In both cases, the visualization process consists in a continuous variation of the observer’s perspective. When looking at objects, visual interactivity is achieved by the tandem formed by human vision and the position of the observer. 3D technology allows the viewer to delve into this aspect: starting from a virtual reconstruction. It is possible to go from the virtual 3D reconstruction of a model shown on a display to a real element materialized by means of a scale model or prototype. The innovation of this research lies in the development of an efficient method for printing 3D models, with a specific emphasis on material and time savings. This study aims to obtain the three-dimensional physical model of the walled enclosure of the city of Priego de Córdoba in the Middle Ages, at its time of greatest historical development, i.e., in the late 15th century. To this end, 3D printing technology was applied, which is an innovative method for the realization of architectural scale models. The performance of 3D printers, with different printing formats, was evaluated in terms of efficiency and quality of the architectural scale models. Our theoretical assumption showed that material saving is determined by the orography slopes of the model. Obtaining slopes with values in the range of 1–5%, a large format printer is the most suitable option; in the range of 5–15%, the medium format printer is recommended; and, for a slope greater than 15%, the small format printer should be used.

The Brand Image Perception of Indirect Comparative Advertisements: Lipton Ice Tea “Don’t Choose the Easy Way” Ad Case

Comparative advertising is to make comparisons between two brands by making indirect or direct explicit references to the product of a certain brand. Comparative advertising is used to reveal the advantages, differences and qualities of a certain product or brand in a way that will attract the attention of the consumer. The impact of comparative advertisements on brand image has been discussed by advertising agency managers and in academic researches for many years. For this purpose, a sample of 18 participants, 9 males and 9 females, aged 22-59, from different professional groups was selected for the study using purposive sampling. In the research where the content analysis method was used, the brand image perception of indirect comparative ads was examined through Lipton Ice Tea's 'Drink Lipton, Don't Choose the Easy Way' advertising case. According to the findings, the participants above middle age have a more positive attitude towards comparative ads and the purchasing intention of the female participants, especially mothers, increased after watching the ad.

Investigations of an Early Iron Age Siege 2

A research team of the Institute of Archaeological Sciences of the Eötvös Loránd University continued the fieldwork between 1 September 2022 and 31 December 2023 on two Early and Middle Iron Age sites, Dédestapolcsány-Verebce-bérc and Dédestapolcsány-Várerdő, in the frame of a project investigating Early Iron Age crises. New excavation trenches were opened at the fortified settlement in the north of the Bükk Mountains (Northern Hungary). One was an extension of a trench opened in 2022, where remains of a burnt house had been identified. Metal detector surveys recovered some new fascinating stray metal finds (e.g., an akinakes, battle axes, and the bronze protective sheath of a sword) and new assemblages (iron tool deposits and a hoard of gold jewellery and amber beads). Eleven more graves were excavated in the cemetery (Várerdő) north of the coeval settlement. The most interesting grave was the burial of an adult man with rich grave goods such as an ironworking toolkit, pottery, and other items.

Northwest Transdanubia from the end of the Early Bronze Age until the Koszider Period

Review article of the PhD dissertation submitted in 2023 to the Archaeology Doctoral Programme, Doctoral School of History, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, and written under the supervision of Gábor V. Szabó. The dissertation investigated the processes taking place at the end of the Early and in the Middle Bronze Age in northwest Hungary, predominantly in Győr-Moson-Sopron County, based on sites at Nagycenk, Hegyeshalom, Enese, Győr-Ménfőcsanak, and Mosonszentmiklós. This region between the Devín Gate and the confluence of the Rába and Danube rivers is important for European research on prehistory, as it could have been a gateway between the Carpathian Basin and the western parts of Central Europe. The complex statistical evaluation of the collected archaeological finds and their contexts has revealed the diversity of the material culture (Gáta–Wieselburg, Kisapostag, Transdanubian Encrusted Pottery Culture) and mortuary practices (inhumation and cremation burial rites, diverse patterns of grave furnishing) in the study area and period. In addition, a spatial analysis of the sites indicated a change in the settlement pattern between 2200 and 1500 BC. The typochronological analysis and the radiocarbon data helped specify the chronology and refine the connections maintained with Central European territories.

Gendered repartnering in later life: structural and processual dimensions of the transition into new relationships

Abstract Against the backdrop of demographic change and the pluralisation of living arrangements, the article focuses on repartnering after widowhood, divorce and separation in older age in Germany. While theoretically framing repartnering as a lifecourse transition, the question arises of how later-life relationships form in relation to gender- and ageing-specific as well as structural and processual dimensions. Since previous research indicates that there are gender-specific patterns when repartnering in older age which differ from repartnering in middle age, the article explicitly accounts for gendered ageing and attitudes towards ageing. Using data from the German Ageing Survey (1996–2017), longitudinal hybrid panel regressions are modelled for 3,653 respondents, 11,628 observations and 179 new relationships. I propose to understand within-effects as processual and between-effects as structural dimensions of repartnering. The results for the structural dimensions show that the likelihood of repartnering is higher for men and for individuals with more negative attitudes towards ageing. The results for the processual dimensions show how repartnering becomes less likely the older one gets and the more positive one's attitudes towards ageing become. The interaction term for gender and ageing shows that ageing has a stronger influence on the likelihood to repartner for women than for men. Additionally, the findings reveal a difference between forms of singlehood: in the short term, repartnering is less likely for divorced or separated individuals than for widowed individuals, whereas the opposite effect shows in the long term. In sensitising the lifecourse perspective with gender- and ageing-specific concepts and analytically separating processual and structural dimensions, this article demonstrates the importance of gendered ageing and of the linkage between relationship transitions. Applying hybrid panel models to lifecourse transitions in older age reveals the processual dynamic and structural embeddedness of repartnering in older age.

ISLAMIC THOUGHT AND THE CIVIL STATE A READING OF SAYYED AL-SISTANI’S EXPERIENCE IN IRAQ AFTER 2003

The emergence of the concept of the civil state dates back to the era of the Industrial Revolution in the middle of the eighteenth century, and even now the concept still raises a lot of controversy and differences in views, as some see that the civil state is the opposite of the religious state, while others say that the civil state is not against religion. Rather, it is the opposite of the authoritarian state, regardless of its religious, military, tribal, or sectarian form, and it was a reaction to the tyrannical experience of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Therefore, it is not correct to project the experience of the Catholic Church and its tyrannical behaviors in Europe onto Islamic law, and Islam does not aim to Building power or a theocratic state. We can say that the religious authority represented by Sayyed Ali al-Sistani, after the year 2003, called for, in its directives, positions and responses, the building of a civil state in Iraq, a state of constitution, law, freedoms, the supremacy of the popular will, and the strengthening of the spirit of citizenship, and although Sayyed al-Sistani did not use the description of the civil state categorically, But the form he wanted for Iraq was completely similar to the concept of a civil state.

Formulation and Evaluation of Microspheres Drug Delivery for Multiple Sclerosis Disease Condition

AMultiple sclerosis (MS) is chronic inflammatory disease that affecting the central nervous system (CNS) which leads to the degeneration of oligodendrocytes, neurons, and myelin over time. Being the foremost reason of neurological disability multiple sclerosis has affected about 2.5 million humans around the world. MS is mainly seen in early adulthood and adults in their middle age. Disease modifying agents are being used in treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Medications that reduce the severity of the disease are frequently utilized as standard therapies. The immune system is the primary focus of modern MS treatments. However, researchers are putting more effort into designing novel CNS-focused treatments. Therefore, under the current scenario, an alternative route for drug delivery is required, one that provides a speedy onset of action and then maintains the drug release over an extended period. The desired prolong-acting intramuscular injecting stable fingolimod HCl microspheres to treat MS were formulated using solvent evaporation technique. Further, based on the number of factors to be optimized, formulation was prepared using solvent evaporation. Additionally, the formulated fingolimod microspheres were characterized for the size distribution of particle, particle surface morphology, and lyophilization of formulated microspheres. Post lyophilization, the formulated microspheres evaluation was done for efficiency of entrapment, drug release in-vitro, and stability parameters. Furthermore, in-vivo studies were performed on suitable animal models for the optimized formulation.

(Re)writing orality: editing the preaching of the Compileison de Dis Commandemenz

Sermons are a type of text ideally suited for analyzing historical methods of writing orality as a rhetorical technique, illustrating the rhetorical techniques employed to invoke the spoken word on the written page and the responses that the impression of orality was intended to elicit from a sermon’s envisioned audiences. Artes praedicandi, guides to composing and performing sermons, flourished during the High Middle Ages; reading them alongside contemporary sermons allows us to explore how the advice that they gave was carried out in practice. By combining this theoretical approach with the study of the material text—looking at cues particular to the manuscripts in which these works were found, such as punctuation—we can consider how, why, and for whom these texts set out to construct themselves as oral, and perhaps learn something about the methods and intentions of writing (or, perhaps, ‘feigning’) orality in the process.

Exploring the correlation between environmental pesticide exposure and antioxidant level in recently diagnosed cancer patients

Aim: Within biological systems thiol and ascorbic acid are important antioxidant that play roles in the antioxidant defense systems. In this study, we investigated the correlation between environmental pesticide exposure and antioxidant level in recently diagnosed cancer patients. Methodology: Blood samples were collected from 87 participants (48 male and 39 female) including control, gallbladder, blood, and oral cancer patients. Serum total thiol content and antioxidant ascorbic acid levels were measured by biochemical method. We also examined whether there is any correlation between the plasma thiol content and ascorbic acid content in cancer prevention. Results: Analysis indicated that most of the cancer patients belonged to middle age and were mostly non-vegetarian. In the present study, it was found that the total thiol content of cancer pateints was high, while the ascorbic acid content was low in cancer patients as compared to control indicating the role of oxidative stress in cancer development. Interpretation: The present study suggests that pesticide exposure may increase the total thiol content and negatively impact ascorbic acid content in cancer patients. Key words: Antioxidant, Blood cancer, Epidemiology, Gallbladder cancer, Oral cancer, Pesticide

The Walloon settlers in Spiš in the Middle Ages

In the kingdom of Hungary we assume the presence of a Romance-speaking population as early as in the 11th century. Other groups of Latins, mainly Walloons, immigrated during the 12th century to Transylvania, along with the Flemish people, and to other important cities of the kingdom (Esztergom, Székesfehérvár, Oradea Mare, Pécs, Zagreb). But also into Spiš county. The most important Wallonian locality in the upper part of the country (Slovakia) was established in Spišské Vlachy located in the vicinity of the important German locality of Spišské Podhradie, where Saxon ʻguestsʼ were the first to be documented in Spiš. The presence of Walloons in Spiš is generally associated with the construction of the nearby Spiš castle although there may have been other reasons for their arrival. The local settlement is first recorded in sources in 1243, when King Bela IV. granted the settlers from Spišské Vlachy a special privilege. But Latin hospites in Spiš county lived not only in Spišské Vlachy and its immediate surroundings. The presence of individuals from the Romance language area is testified in other localities of Spiš as well, mostly in villages of the Hornád river valley (Aranyás, Mečedelovce, Odorín, Žehra and so on). The Wallonian community in Spiš wasn´t very numerous in comparison with local Slavs or German (Saxon) settlers and very soon was gradually assimilated in the domestic Slovak or German environment.

Abstract 825: Adverse childhood experiences and history of depression among cancer survivors

Abstract Introduction: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful life events that are associated with an increased risk of depression. Depression is experienced by 25% of cancer survivors in the US. While previous studies have examined the associations between ACEs and depression in the general population, studies on cancer survivors are lacking. We aimed to examine the predictors of depression with a primary focus on ACEs among cancer survivors. Methods: Using a cross-sectional data from the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 19,241 cancer survivors aged 18 and above, we categorized ACEs based on severity. The ACE categories (zero, one, two-three, ≥four) included questions assessing exposure to eight types of ACEs before age 18 years. The outcome is self-reported history of depression diagnosis (yes/no). Weighted multivariable logistic regression models estimated odds of depression by ACEs as the primary variable and covariates were age, gender, smoking status, income, education, marital status, body mass index, health status and race. Results: In this sample of cancer survivors, 41%, 22%, 21% and 16% reported having experienced zero, one, two-three, and >4 ACEs respectively. Personal history of depression was reported by 21% of survey respondents. In the adjusted model, survivors with 1 ACE (aOR: 1.6, 95% CI. 1.2- 2.0), 2-3 ACEs (aOR: 1.7, 95% CI. 1.3- 2.1), or >=4 ACES (aOR: 4.4, 95% CI. 3.4- 5.7) had higher odds of depression compared with those with zero ACEs. Additional notable predictors of higher odds of depression are younger age, 18-39 (aOR: 2.7, 95% CI. 1.8- 4.0), middle age, 40-64 (aOR: 1.6, 95% CI. 1.3- 1.9) compared with those aged 65 and older; females (aOR: 2.1, 95% CI. 1.7- 2.5) compared with males; obese respondents (aOR: 1.5, 95% CI. 1.2- 1.9) compared with respondents with normal body mass index; current smokers (aOR: 1.5, 95% CI. 1.2- 2.0) compared with respondents who never smoked; and poor or fair health status (aOR: 3.2, 95% CI. 2.6- 3.9) compared with respondents with excellent/good health status. Conclusion: Adult cancer survivors who experience ACEs as children represent an important targeted prevention group to reduce risk of depression. Variation by age, obesity, female gender, current smoking status, and poor health associated factors that may reduce the risk of depression warrants additional studies regarding potential for identification of resilient factors; and this may inform future selective prevention strategies, as well as identify a pathway between ACE and depression among cancer survivors. Citation Format: Oluwole Adeyemi Babatunde, Vince Collucielli, Melanie S. Jefferson, Swann Arp Adams, Chanita Hughes Halbert, Jessica Obeysekare, Frank Clark, Anusuiya Nagar, Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, Eric Adjei Boakye. Adverse childhood experiences and history of depression among cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 825.

Abstract 811: Impact of Medicaid eligibility expansion to adults regardless of immigration status on health insurance access among Latina patients

Abstract Background: Disparities in the receipt of cancer screening and preventive services are strongly associated with health insurance status. Even after federal- and state-wide initiatives to boost access to health insurance such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid Expansion to all individuals earning ≤138% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and nationwide individual health insurance marketplaces, Latino populations continue to have the highest uninsured rate of any racial or ethnic group in the US, with 17% of Latinos remaining uninsured compared to 5% of non-Hispanic white peers. In 2021, California and Oregon states amended their respective Medicaid program to expand eligibility to adults regardless of immigration status; which could reduce access disparities for patients from Latino communities. This study shows preliminary results of changes in health insurance status among Latina patients (who have multiple cancer prevention services recommended in middle age) receiving care in community health centers. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of Latina, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic white women ages 50-64 years receiving primary care from 382 community health clinics in California and Oregon. Using 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 electronic health record data, we estimated monthly rates of insured-type visits per 100 visits. We compared rates pre- and post-Medicaid eligibility expansion, both within and between race and ethnicity groups. Reported estimates were derived from generalized estimating equations Poisson regression, clustered on clinic, and adjusted for clinic-level demographics. Results: Of 41,960 patients, over half (53%) were Latina, most of whom (83%) preferred Spanish language communication. Latina patients had more uninsured visits pre-Medicaid eligibility expansion than did non-Hispanic Black and white patients (Rate: 27% versus 5% and 4%, respectively). All racial and ethnic groups experienced a decrease in uninsured visit rates, and this change was similar for all groups [Difference-in-difference Latina versus Black patients: 0.77 (95% CI 0.55, 10.7) and versus white patients: 1.02 (95% CI 0.89, 1.17)]. Overall rates of Medicaid-insured visits increased only for Latina patients [pre-to-post Relative Rate=1.06 (95% CI: 1.03-1.10)]. Both non-Hispanic Black and white patients experienced a drop in Medicaid-insured visits. Only Black patients experienced a significant decline in private-insured visits [pre-to-post RR=0.79 (95% CI: 0.70-0.89)]. Conclusion: These early results suggest an uptake of Medicaid-paid visits among Latina patients. This increase in healthcare coverage for Latina patients could significantly reduce disparities in access to primary care and especially in cancer preventive care. Citation Format: Nathalie Huguet, Jorge Kaufmann, Heather Holderness, Margaret Vieira, Gretchen Mertes, Jackilen Shannon, John Heintzman. Impact of Medicaid eligibility expansion to adults regardless of immigration status on health insurance access among Latina patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 811.

Isotopic biographies reveal horse rearing and trading networks in medieval London.

This paper reports a high-resolution isotopic study of medieval horse mobility, revealing their origins and in-life mobility both regionally and internationally. The animals were found in an unusual horse cemetery site found within the City of Westminster, London, England. Enamel strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope analysis of 15 individuals provides information about likely place of birth, diet, and mobility during the first approximately 5 years of life. Results show that at least seven horses originated outside of Britain in relatively cold climates, potentially in Scandinavia or the Western Alps. Ancient DNA sexing data indicate no consistent sex-specific mobility patterning, although three of the five females came from exceptionally highly radiogenic regions. Another female with low mobility is suggested to be a sedentary broodmare. Our results provide direct and unprecedented evidence for a variety of horse movement and trading practices in the Middle Ages and highlight the importance of international trade in securing high-quality horses for medieval London elites.

About the Settlement of the City of Ufa-II: To the 70th Anniversary of Scientific Research

Purpose. The settlement of Ufa-II is a reference monument of the early Middle Ages of the Southern Urals. The work introduces the latest materials from the site into academic discourse.Results. The obtained materials complement the picture of the development of the immediate surroundings of the Ufa-II settlement. The thickness of the cultural layer in the study area was more than 1 m, which suggests that the site had been in operation for quite a long time. Data on the archaeozoological collection and the results of a morphological and chemical-analytical study of the soil cover are presented. The osteological material is highly fragmented, it bears traces of cuts and appears to be kitchen remains. The species composition is represented by 4 domestic animal species. The cultural layer in its chemical composition is characterized by an increased content of gross phosphorus, and the content of humus, total nitrogen, mobile forms of phosphorus and potassium corresponds to background natural soils. The total thickness of the cultural layer of the monument in this profile is an average of 110 cm. The overlying layers were formed at a later time.Conclusion. The studies made it possible to establish the presence and thickness of the cultural layer. The obtained materials indicate that in the early Middle Ages, the area around the citadel of the settlement was actively developed by the tribes of the Bakhmutin and Turbaslin archaeological culture in the period of the 5th – 7th / 8th centuries.

Seals as a Reflection of the Self-Confidence, Self-Image and Identity of the Teutonic Order

This article deals with the question of the extent to which the Teutonic Order, as a clerical order of knights founded during the Third Crusade, succeeded in expressing its self-confidence and identity by means of its seal. The “geographical” area of investigation extends to the bailiwicks of Franconia, Alsace–Burgundy, Lorraine, Austria, An der Etsch and in the mountains (South Tyrol) as well as the so-called Deutschmeistertum, whereby the terms mentioned do not necessarily correspond to the present-day areas of that designation. The time frame is within the Middle Ages. Due to the large number of surviving seals of the Teutonic Order, however, only a small insight from a larger study can be provided here. Selected seals of the Order’s various internal leadership strata are therefore presented, compared and examined to determine whether and to what extent they express a form of self-confidence and identity.

Introduction to renal pathology

In recent decades, nephropathology has developed worldwide as asubspeciality of pathology, which requires special methodological and technical equipment to process the material and specific clinical and pathological expertise to interpret the findings. These special requirements mean that nephropathology is not available at all pathology institutes, but is carried out on alarge scale in afew highly specialised centres. The history of nephropathology, or in anarrower sense the specialised histopathological examination of kidney biopsies, began in 1958 with the first use or performance of akidney biopsy [1]. It thus replaced the practice of urinalysis, which had been common since the Middle Ages, as adiagnostic tool for kidney diseases. Specialised techniques such as immunofluorescence or immunohistology but also electron microscopy are required to assess specific renal changes, for which the examination of renal biopsies is one of the few remaining routine applications today. In Germany and German-speaking countries, the discipline developed thanks to the work of outstanding people in the field of pathology who were primarily involved in this discipline and had the necessary technical and human resources in their laboratories to ensure that these biopsies could be analysed.