This book presents the results of years of research on Limoges enamels in the medieval Norwegian Church province (established 1152/1153). This is the first study of the 133, more-or-less complete, surviving objects. In presenting this new knowledge, the book aims to stimulate further research about the material culture of the Middle Ages, and to provide an important resource for those studying churches and places in the Nordic countries, medieval art and especially Limoges enamels. Over 4000 of the French enamels probably found their way to the northern fringes of Europe in the 13th century. This estimate is based on the numbers of preserved objects and pieces that have been discovered in Norwegian medieval churches, as well as on the references to such items in the Icelandic church inventories. The results of this new study question some of the earlier interpretations accepted by European medievalists.The lustrous copperworks of the Limousin district were known throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. Their products – reliquaries, crucifixes, candlesticks, book-covers, censers – embellishing churches and coffrets, boxes, belt buckles and harness fittings, revealed the success of the elite. Yet, these works have not received much attention in the Nordic countries, and the secular enamels have been particularly underestimated. We have no evidence for the location and organisation of workshops, or to the diffusion of products, including exports to the Nordic countries. The author argues that enamels destined for Norway, and probably Iceland too, travelled by established sea routes and reached Bergen via the port of London.The book keeps the object at the centre, explores its setting and history and emphasises that the enamel itself supplies the main information; it becomes a source to itself. The focus is not the traditional art historical study of typologies and styles; instead, the key theme is the cultural context of the enamels and the visual vocabulary, supplied by the ecclesiastical conventions, that they convey. The enamellers consistently employed the same imagery from the 12th–14th centuries. Yet, the works reveal amazing individual variations and are a remarkable fusion of creativity and continuity – no two are identical.The role of these liturgical objects is as guides to devotion. Accordingly, a specific survey of the crowned and robed Christ enamels reveals that he is epitomised not only as King, but also as High Priest and Celebrant of the Mass: he thus becomes a mediator between God in Heaven and the earthly congregation. The author also explores the effect on Limoges enamels from renewed interest in the Middle Ages in the 18th–20th centuries: the production of modern enamels in ‘the Limoges style’ (fakes), and the dismounting of medieval enamels and re-use in modern contexts. This suggests that the acknowledged Catholic allegories have been lost in the transformation process.The surviving collection from medieval Norway reveals that rare, exclusive enamels are outnumbered by the more modest ones meant for a wider market. Yet, every single item is proof of and a unique source for the history of Nordic material culture in the Middle Ages.

This book presents the results of years of research on Limoges enamels in the medieval Norwegian Church province (established 1152/1153). This is the first study of the 133, more-or-less complete, surviving objects. In presenting this new knowledge, the book aims to stimulate further research about the material culture of the Middle Ages, and to provide an important resource for those studying churches and places in the Nordic countries, medieval art and especially Limoges enamels. Over 4000 of the French enamels probably found their way to the northern fringes of Europe in the 13th century. This estimate is based on the numbers of preserved objects and pieces that have been discovered in Norwegian medieval churches, as well as on the references to such items in the Icelandic church inventories. The results of this new study question some of the earlier interpretations accepted by European medievalists.The lustrous copperworks of the Limousin district were known throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. Their products – reliquaries, crucifixes, candlesticks, book-covers, censers – embellishing churches and coffrets, boxes, belt buckles and harness fittings, revealed the success of the elite. Yet, these works have not received much attention in the Nordic countries, and the secular enamels have been particularly underestimated. We have no evidence for the location and organisation of workshops, or to the diffusion of products, including exports to the Nordic countries. The author argues that enamels destined for Norway, and probably Iceland too, travelled by established sea routes and reached Bergen via the port of London.The book keeps the object at the centre, explores its setting and history and emphasises that the enamel itself supplies the main information; it becomes a source to itself. The focus is not the traditional art historical study of typologies and styles; instead, the key theme is the cultural context of the enamels and the visual vocabulary, supplied by the ecclesiastical conventions, that they convey. The enamellers consistently employed the same imagery from the 12th–14th centuries. Yet, the works reveal amazing individual variations and are a remarkable fusion of creativity and continuity – no two are identical.The role of these liturgical objects is as guides to devotion. Accordingly, a specific survey of the crowned and robed Christ enamels reveals that he is epitomised not only as King, but also as High Priest and Celebrant of the Mass: he thus becomes a mediator between God in Heaven and the earthly congregation. The author also explores the effect on Limoges enamels from renewed interest in the Middle Ages in the 18th–20th centuries: the production of modern enamels in ‘the Limoges style’ (fakes), and the dismounting of medieval enamels and re-use in modern contexts. This suggests that the acknowledged Catholic allegories have been lost in the transformation process.The surviving collection from medieval Norway reveals that rare, exclusive enamels are outnumbered by the more modest ones meant for a wider market. Yet, every single item is proof of and a unique source for the history of Nordic material culture in the Middle Ages.

This volume presents the proceedings of the HOMER 2021 international conference, held in September/October 2021 on the Island of Oléron, France. The conference focused on recent advances in coastal and island archaeology across a wide geographical area, covering the Atlantic north of the equator. From the 55 oral presentations and 24 posters, 49 papers emerged, contributed by scholars from seven countries. The publication showcases the diversity of maritime archaeology, spanning fieldwork to specialized analysis, and from exploratory to synthesis studies. This volume is crucial for the archaeological community as it addresses both methodological issues and the new challenges facing coastal archaeology, reflecting diverse political perspectives.It also presents new research findings, a decade after the Homer 2011 conference was published in 2013 (BAR), and emphasizes the importance of coastal archaeological heritage. The volume engages with current global challenges and serves as a valuable tool for raising awareness among the public and decision-makers about the future of maritime heritage in the face of rising sea levels. It demonstrates that archaeology is a dynamic discipline, adapting daily to political decisions and natural events.Most of the case studies presented are previously unpublished. A key feature of this volume is its diachronic approach, ranging from prehistoric sites to historical ones.

Neolithic long barrows in Bohemia were long neglected by archaeologists due to their destruction by modern intensive agricultural activity. This new analysis, resulting from a threeyear interdisciplinary research project, of the phenomenon of Neolithic long barrows in Bohemia and Central Europe presents entirely new findings and data and tackles a number of previously unresolved questions. New discoveries, based primarily on remote sensing and targeted excavations, together with the revision of earlier archaeological records, allow us to define more accurately the construction and chronological development of these monuments, and to advance our knowledge of the southeastern boundary of this phenomenon's spread together with reconstruction of the social and religious significance of these monuments for the agricultural communities of Central Europe. At the sacred places defined by the long barrows, ceremonies and rituals took place over millennia that confirmed the cohesion of the living with the ancestors and their faith in the gods. People, even many generations later, continued to venerate these ancient monuments, not as places of final rest for their direct ancestors but as places dedicated to mythical time, where the living meet the dead and honour the gods. It is not surprising, therefore, that people added the burials of their own ancestors to the embankments of ancient barrows and established their own funerary areas nearby even after several millennia.All long barrows excavated within our project contained only one primary burial: in Bohemia these were not collective graves as found, for example, in the British Isles or Scandinavia. Given the monumentality of barrow construction, it can be presumed that the buried individuals represented a form of social elite, though not necessarily due to their individual social power. It seems that the primary burial played the role of an initiation sacrifice: a ritual of consecration of the ancestor sanctuary, which then no longer served for further burials that may have been taboo. Subsequent activities may have been related to forms of ancestral cult, but the primary burial was not followed by other funerary events. All evidence of later burials is at least 1000 years later than barrow construction.In the region around the Czech mythical Mountain Říp, burial monuments from various prehistoric periods, including the Late Neolithic, abound. Residential and economic activities on the plains appear later. It can be assumed that this area was perceived as a ritual landscape in earlier prehistory in which long barrows played a significant role in structuring the farming landscape and as significant landmarks. Their monumentality initiated a longstanding tradition creating palimpsests of funerary and sacred sites near Mount Říp. The places where the long barrows were built played an important role in the lives of prehistoric communities, and their placement and orientation in the landscape was not random, indicating significant symbolic connotations with the surrounding landscape. The rituals and festivities held here allowed people to connect with the spiritual legacy of their ancestors, thus creating a significant spiritual tradition inscribed in the agriculturally colonised landscape.

The Armenian Church Synaxarion is a collection of saints’ lives according to the day of the year on which each saint is celebrated. Part of the great and varied Armenian liturgical tradition from the turn of the first millennium, the first Armenian Church Synaxarion represented the logical culmination of a long and steady development of what is today called the cult of the saints. This volume, the first Armenian-English edition, is the tenth of a twelve-volume series—one for each month of the year—and is ideal for personal devotional use or as a valuable resource for anyone interested in saints.

The first historical biography of Priscillian, a controversial figure of great importance for the history of the West, who until now has been considered by the different authors who have approached his figure as a heretic, reformer, apocryphal martyr or non-conformist Christian.

The human past is unimaginable without the horse. From our ancestors hunting and painting horses in the Upper Palaeolithic, to the earliest riders, the rise of equestrian empires, and the critical role of horses in war, settler colonialism, and modern state formation, human history is undeniably equestrian. Because of the deep and varied entanglements between people and horses, the study of horses of the past is inherently, and increasingly, interdisciplinary. However, scholars often do not understand the methods or know the research outside of their discipline.This book corrals a herd of specialist authors from seventeen countries that explain their disciplinary approaches and provide case studies of human-horse relationships in the past, including archaeology, history, classics, art history, literature, and veterinary medicine.This ground-covering volume overviews key methods, theory, period, and area studies. Aimed at scholars wanting to understand and incorporate research outside of their speciality, or those who wish to undertake collaborative projects, it is also designed as a starting point for students and non-specialists to pursue the study of horses in the past.

The Armenian Church Synaxarion is a collection of saints’ lives according to the day of the year on which each saint is celebrated. Part of the great and varied Armenian liturgical tradition from the turn of the first millennium, the first Armenian Church Synaxarion represented the logical culmination of a long and steady development of what is today called the cult of the saints. This volume, the first Armenian-English edition, is the ninth of a twelve-volume series—one for each month of the year—and is ideal for personal devotional use or as a valuable resource for anyone interested in saints.

The first ever edition and translation of a biography of Sallara and his mother Elishbah, exploring both its local context – their asceticism and deeds in North Mesopotamia in the early 7th century – and the geopolitical events underway in the Middle East: war between Persia and Byzantium, and the rise of Islam in the region.

This volume celebrates the academic life of prof. Raymond Corbey. It gathers contributions by diverse scholars and professionals from both science and society to engage with a range of key topics Raymond has grappled with at different stages of his capricious career. The volume not only provides an opinionated portrait of Raymond as an academic persona and sometimes controversial scholarly figure, unpacking key tropes of his intellectual journey such as “sitting on the fence” or the “embedded philosopher” and academic “jester”, it also illustrates the wide-ranging and inspirational nature of his work. As a “boundary-worker” seeking to re-negotiate the limits, opportunities and contributions of various disciplines, the volume reflects Raymond’s critical but always provocative engagement with issues such as theory-building, alien civilizations and cosmic evolution, nonhuman sentience, the politics of species, Darwinism, the Maussian gift, human nature, hand axes, the mark of the intentional, diamonds, the structure of the European Mousterian, the relation between cultural anthropology and archaeology, liminality and the marginal, ritual and religion, cats, primates, language, heritage and the many legacies of Western thinking and acting in the world. Taken together, these individual contributions showcase the immense scope – temporal, geographic and topical – that defines Raymond's unique scholarly venture which continues to animate many of his friends, colleagues and former students.The volume will be of interest for a broad readership in academia and beyond, and for the first time brings poignant essays from philosophy to archaeology into conversation, which comment on, continue, or critique the scholarship Raymond embodies. This scholarship defies the contemporary tendency of hyper-specialization, and sometimes scholasticism, and inspires us to transcend the self-erected boundaries of academic and public cathedrals in our thinking and acting alike.

Modern archaeological research carried out since the late 19th century has sufficiently demonstrated that the beginning of the food production economy and the establishment of a farming society had a significant impact on the shaping of subsequent human history. Accordingly, these processes of Neolithization have attracted a great deal of interest from archaeologists and anthropologists worldwide. The South Caucasus, i. e. the region discussed in this book, has remained one of the least studied regions in a modern sense. However, the research situation has improved remarkably since the 2000s, for a number of reasons, above all the increasing efforts of local and international archaeologists in collaboration.Since 2008, the Azerbaijan–Japan Archaeological Mission has played a major role in elucidating the origins and developments of the earliest farming communities in the South Caucasus, conducting a series of field campaigns in West Azerbaijan. The remarkable achievements made thus far include the establishment of a secure chronological framework for understanding the Neolithization processes in the early 6th millennium BC through the excavations of two important Neolithic sites: Göytepe and Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe in the Tovuz region, representing the early and late phases of the Neolithic of the South Caucasus, respectively, dating from the early 6th millennium BC.This volume presents a set of archaeological evidence obtained from the Azerbaijan–Japan excavations in 2016–2022 at Damjili Cave, West Azerbaijan. The cave contained cultural layers from the Mesolithic period in particular, along with Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age and medieval material indicating a very long sequence of use. Earlier explorers recorded Middle Palaeolithic lithic artifacts, though no tools of this period were recovered during the recent program of work. Ten small trenches were excavated, revealing a considerable depth of deposits. Mesolithic lithic materials provided evidence for obsidian blade production. Neolithic levels, that included some amorphous limestone block structures, hearths and pits, produced flaked and ground stone tools, pottery and bone objects. Part of the cave at least was utilized in the medieval period with evidence for some built structures and several burials. A program of environmental sampling and both radiocarbon and luminescence dating were undertaken. Through combining the records of the late (Göytepe), early Neolithic (Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe), and Mesolithic (Damjili Cave) periods, our understanding of the Neolithization processes of the South Caucasus will be greatly improved. Data from a combination of three chronologically different sites provide the first opportunity to observe Neolithization processes with secure stratigraphic evidence in a small region of West Azerbaijan.

This edited volume brings together an international group of scholars to address the lives, roles, myths, mythology, and lived experiences of Viking women as well as the impacts of change on women during the turbulent period of the Viking Age. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, this is a book dedicated to the lesserknown aspects of women’s lives as active members of society. It provides an innovative way of bringing together work from archaeological, anthropological, historical, and literary perspectives to address questions about women in trade, in war, in magic, in the household and activities that provided women with power and respect in their communities.

The end of the 3rd millennium was a time of significant transformation in Southeast Arabia (the United Arab Emirates and Northern Oman). The cultural homogeneity of the preceding Early Bronze Age, Umm an-Nar period (c. 2700–2000 BC) came to an end and gave way to the Middle Bronze Age, Wadi Suq period (2000–1600 BC). Settlements changed, and possibly began to decline in size and number; the economy changed for many; and the important trade in copper ore seems to have declined. In addition, there was a marked change in funerary practices as new types of tombs appeared – both collective and individual burials. All of this took place within the context of a climatic shift that led to a decline in rainfall across many parts of the region. Much of the countryside of Southeastern Iran was abandoned and the urban period of the Indus Valley was weakening. In the midst of this turmoil, the limited agricultural plains of Northern Ras al-Khaimah appear to have developed into an island where there was greater continuity than elsewhere. This book reports on the excavation of a number of monumental collective tombs that were built there and used through the early part of the 2nd millennium. The way that they were constructed and used as well as the burial goods that they contain throw light on the population of this area, and give some indication of how and why it was that life continued in this small pocket in a way that was different way to surrounding regions.

This volume brings together recent excavations at two sites in Pocklington, East Yorkshire. The main focus of the volume is examination of Iron Age burials, which included chariots, swords, and spears, along with inclusion of earlier Prehistoric and later Roman activity. The excavations have enabled further scientific evidence for migration and mobility in the Iron Age population and secure chronologies for artefacts. New evidence from osteological analysis gives support for Warrior Graves and burial rites. The volume also examines the Pocklington shield, which has been described as one of the most significant pieces of Iron Age art. The exceptional finds, including a dismantled chariot with horses and an upright chariot also with horses, captured the world’s media and the public imagination. The excavations at Pocklington in 2017 and 2018 were featured on BBC 4’s Digging for Britain series and was voted Current Archaeology Rescue Project of the Year 2018. Anglian elements will be included in an additional volume.

Forsaken Relics is the result of an interdisciplinary dialogue between history, archaeology, and ethnography on the topic of the appropriation of disputed goods and places. Scholars with diverse backgrounds convened to address this common challenge: how different societies in time and space managed to claim and re-appropriate alleged ‘abandoned’ or ‘ownerless’ goods or things ‘in ruin’.The volume includes a diverse range of case studies – from Neolithic sites in Eastern Europe to ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean, encompassing early modern and present-day Europe – reflecting on the ways in which actions can be used to legitimise appropriation, with a particular focus on ritual actions and practices. The objective of this book is to stimulate comparative analysis of this topic in both ancient and modern societies, by identifying the actors of appropriation, examining the definition of abandonment, and exploring the ritual aspects intrinsic in actions such as inventorying, dedication and communication to ancestors, and prayers to gods. Ritual actions, in the last instance, were designed to legitimise the reappropriation and resignification of places and goods classified as abandoned or in a state of ruin, and to recreate locality, kinship, and communities.

Exploring Ancient Sounds and Places: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Archaeoacoustics brings together scholars from diverse academic fields – including archaeology, anthropology, architecture, classics, history, art history and sound engineering – to shed light on the role of sound and acoustics in the cultural practices of past societies from various chronologies and locations around the world. This innovative volume covers a broad spectrum of topics, such as the genesis of archaeological investigations into sound, the emergence of speech and song in early humans, the cognitive effects of music in ritualistic contexts, the acoustic dimensions of rock art sites, and the emotional responses elicited by sonorous activities experienced in these decorated spaces. Additionally, the book delves into the study of prehistoric musical instruments, the use of ethnohistorical sources in archaeoacoustic research, the analysis of sound imagery in medieval frescoes, and explores historical approaches to the study of specific acoustic parameters and the sonic properties of urban environments. Each chapter not only aggregates a wealth of academic perspectives but also bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and the most advanced methods used in this field of research. Case studies from all over the world illustrate the different ways in which ancient communities perceived and engaged with sound and the acoustics of the landscapes in which they were immersed. Exploring Ancient Sounds and Places is an essential resource for scholars and students interested in archaeoacoustics and how sound has shaped the cognitive, cultural and spiritual facets of human societies across time and space.