What’s new in medieval studies? Here are ten open-access articles published in June, which range Byzantine cuisine to Viking-Age dogs.
This ongoing series on Medievalists.net highlights what has been published in journals over the last month that deal with the Middle Ages. All ten articles are Open-Access, meaning you can read them for free. We now also have a special tier on our Patreon where you can see the full list of 80 open-access articles we found.
War, Peace, Solomon’s Bed and Henry III’s Patronage at Westminster
By Paul Binski
Journal of the British Archaeological Association
Abstract: This paper focuses on the impact of internal war in medieval England, specifically the Barons’ Wars of the 1260s and their possible consequences for the political art of the English realm at its very heart, in the king’s great chamber in the Palace of Westminster, the murals of which were recorded in the 19th century. By examining the imagery of the king’s bed in the chamber and its reference to the bed of King Solomon, it pursues the idea that the Barons’ Wars, which dragged on through the 1260s when the chamber was repainted, may have been more important for an assessment of the murals’ significance than has previously been thought.
By combining Solomonic and Coronation imagery with a Psychomachia, the suggestion is that Henry III, their patron, consciously cultivated an ideology of peaceable kingship, and that the murals in question may in fact have been partly or wholly an innovation of the post-war period. The paper is a contribution both to ‘peace studies’ and to our understanding of the politics of English court art.
Numbers on the Visigothic Slates: A Cognitive Approach
By Nerea Fernández Cadenas
Early Medieval Europe
Abstract: Numerical notation found on multiple slates from Early Medieval Visigothic Iberia remains undeciphered. Previous studies have proposed that they simply represent Roman numerals. However, the comparative study of the numbers on the written and numerical slates suggests that they do not in fact represent the same graphic code. This paper analyzes the use of the numbers on these slates through the lens of human cognitive architecture and cognitive extension.
The results of the study suggest that the Roman numerals on the written slates coexist alongside the notational system used on the numerical slates rather than that both types belonging to the same system. Whereas written slates worked as asynchronous code to facilitate dual communication, numerical slates could be used as a memory aid to assist with individual cognition. These results shed important light on who was using numerals in early medieval Iberia and for what purposes.
The effects and contributions of Byzantine cuisine to modern Istanbul cuisine
By Murat Doğan
Discover Food
Abstract: Istanbul cuisine has a rich and unique gastronomic identity shaped by the interaction of many cultures throughout history. This study aims to systematically examine the effects of Byzantine cuisine, which is often overlooked in the literature, on Istanbul cuisine. While existing studies focus on the Central Asian and Ottoman heritage, the role of Byzantine cuisine has been addressed in a limited way, and a comprehensive analysis has been lacking.
The study aims to fill the literature gap in this field by revealing that Byzantine cuisine is an important building block in Istanbul’s gastronomic identity in terms of historical continuity, cultural transmission, and diversity. This study employed a systematic literature review to establish a conceptual framework and identify gaps in existing research. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted to gather in-depth information on Byzantine culinary heritage, and the resulting data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. This methodological approach offered an interdisciplinary perspective, ensuring data integrity in the field of historical gastronomy research.
The findings were classified under three main impact themes (cultural heritage, social continuity, and geographical-strategic impact) and five contribution headings. Particularly, contributions to food diversity and the enrichment of culinary culture were highlighted. The results provide an interdisciplinary contribution to historical gastronomy and cultural heritage studies. Overall, Byzantine cuisine has a significant impact and contribution to Istanbul cuisine in terms of diversity, cultural heritage, and culinary culture.
Rethinking Grand Narratives: Mobility, Diet, and Health in a Small Corner of Early Medieval Hampshire
By Robin Fleming, Sam Leggett, and Emma Smith
Speculum
Fifth- and early sixth-century Britain is often framed in the scholarship by three grand narratives: the fall of the Western Roman Empire, barbarian migration, and, increasingly, climate catastrophe. In many modern accounts of the period, collective entities—peoples rather than individuals—are cast as the protagonists, and the humans within these collectivities are stripped of agency. Furthermore, migration into lowland Britain after the withdrawal of the Roman state is still too often conceptualized as an “event,” which has led to the erasure of one culture and its replacement by another.
Scholars working on early medieval Britain have strong and diverse opinions regarding the appropriateness of these narratives, but our perspectives on these issues are not well known outside our field. Nonetheless, medievalists researching other centuries and regions often teach early medieval Britain in their medieval history, art history, and medieval literature survey courses, where these overarching narratives continue to shape the portrayal of early medieval Britain.
The Origins of Viking Age Dogs in Luistari, Eura, Finland
By Ulla Nordfors, Alžběta Danielisová, Heli Etu-Sihvola, Lukáš Ackerman, Kristiina Mannermaa and Laura Arppe
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Abstract: We used stable (δ18O) and radiogenic (87Sr/86Sr) isotopic proxies to investigate the origins of dogs (Canis familiaris) buried in Viking Age graves at Luistari, Finland. While all 13 dogs exhibited oxygen isotope values compatible with local surface waters, 87Sr/86Sr ratios for two of the four dogs analyzed (graves 289 and 480) were compatible with a likely origin in southern Scandinavia. The findings align with previous evidence of the mobility of Viking Age dogs. The results highlight the importance of dogs in trade, exchange and social networks between communities in southwestern Finland and the Baltic Sea coastline during the Viking Age.
Theodore Irwin: An early collector of Western medieval manuscripts in North America
By Ana de Oliveira Dias
Journal of the History of Collections
Abstract: Theodore Irwin (1827–1902) of Oswego, New York, was among the first modern collectors of medieval manuscripts and rare books in North America. Despite the small size of his holdings relative to those of other prominent Gilded Age private collectors, his library included the most sought-after items available on the contemporary market and has been described as one of the richest collections of illuminated manuscripts and printed books in the world. His practice as a collector, and his contribution to the development of the trade in rare books remain, however, poorly understood, in part because his manuscripts were subsumed into J. P. Morgan’s library in New York.
This article considers Irwin’s medieval manuscript acquisitions and examines his approach against the wider panorama of contemporary manuscript collecting in Britain and America. It interrogates his choices and his interactions with local and international dealers to shed light on his contribution to the development of the transatlantic trade in rare books at the turn of the twentieth century.
The medieval stained glass in Catalonia: Girona cathedral
By Trinitat Pradell, Sílvia Cañellas, Jordi Bonet, Maite Garcia-Valles and Anna Santolària
Journal of Cultural Heritage
Abstract: The production and distribution of stained glass in Mediterranean Europe during the Middle Ages remains inadequately understood. This article focuses on Catalonia, where local glass production is documented as early as the 13th century, but little is known about the production of window glass.
This study analyses a collection of stained glass fragments from Girona Cathedral, dating from the 13th to the 16th century, some of which is the work of renowned master glassmakers. The data obtained is compared with contemporary stained glass documented from other parts of Europe, and with a collection of 15th and 16th century archaeological window glass from Barcelona. The data is also contrasted with historical documentation on glass production in Catalonia.
The findings reveal that the glass from Girona from the 13th and 14th centuries is of the potassium-lime type, similar to that produced in the workshops of north-western France. By the late 14th and 15th centuries, the composition aligns more closely with that of north-eastern France. In the 16th century, however, the glass changes to a soda-lime composition, similar to the glass found in Barcelona, suggesting a transition from central European to Mediterranean sources, and indicates a change in the raw materials involving the use of soda-lime plant ash instead of potassium-lime forest ash. These results indicate that the production of window glass shifted from France to Barcelona at the close of the 15th century.
A broken heritage: non-invasive analysis of 11th-century psalter fragments from C. Norwid Library, Elbląg, Poland
By Piotr Targowski, Barbara Wagner, Dorota Jutrzenka-Supryn, Jakub Karasiński, Grażyna Z. Żukowska, Magdalena Kowalska, Wiesław Łasocha, Zofia Stos-Gale and Monika Opalińska
npj heritage science
Abstract: This paper presents the results of a non-invasive physical and chemical analysis of manuscript parchment fragments from the 11th-century N-Psalter originating in England. The fragments, located in the C. Norwid Library in Elbląg, Poland, match other membra disiecta from the same codex dispersed throughout Europe.
By gathering detailed information on the material features of the fragments, in particular, the ruling method (optical coherence tomography) and the elemental composition of the inks (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and pigments (X-ray fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy), the analysis seeks to provide further insight into the production process, the manuscript’s dating, and possibly the origin of the ink (multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). The overarching goal was to contextualise the Elbląg fragments within the broader framework of manuscript production and use, and propose research scenarios for future studies in fragmentology.
Ibn Rushd’s Unification of Forms in the First Form as an Early “Theory of Everything”
By Hakan Turan
Theology and Science
Abstract: Besides God’s role as the First Mover, in Ibn Rushd’s Metaphysics, God also represents the First Form, which is the cause of all forms in the world. But how can the existence of a variety of forms be reconciled with a causing single First Form? This article will present three phases in the development of this problem by Ibn Rushd. After a comparison of these with the concept of unification of the laws of nature in modern physics, the article concludes with a proposal to introduce objects of modern mathematics into Ibn Rushd’s concept of the unification of forms.
Abstract: How did one become an astronomer in imperial China? Where did one start? What texts did would-be astronomers study, and what criteria did they have to meet? Combining the regulation of the Yuan (1271–1368) Bureau of Astronomy with biographies of astronomers who worked in different sections of the Bureau, this paper explores the physical, technical, and literary skills required for this profession in late medieval China. It underscores the pivotal role of family in training astronomers and offers fresh insights into the relationship between bureaucracy and science in imperial China.
We found 80 open-access articles from June – you can get the full list by joining our Patreon – look for the tier that says Open Access articles in Medieval Studies.
Top Image: Medieval stained glass (13th century) discovered in 2019 behind the Corpus Christi altarpiece of the chapel of Sant Francesc and Sant Martí of the Cathedral of Girona (Girona, Catalonia) – Wikimedia Comons
What’s new in medieval studies? Here are ten open-access articles published in June, which range Byzantine cuisine to Viking-Age dogs.
This ongoing series on Medievalists.net highlights what has been published in journals over the last month that deal with the Middle Ages. All ten articles are Open-Access, meaning you can read them for free. We now also have a special tier on our Patreon where you can see the full list of 80 open-access articles we found.
War, Peace, Solomon’s Bed and Henry III’s Patronage at Westminster
By Paul Binski
Journal of the British Archaeological Association
Abstract: This paper focuses on the impact of internal war in medieval England, specifically the Barons’ Wars of the 1260s and their possible consequences for the political art of the English realm at its very heart, in the king’s great chamber in the Palace of Westminster, the murals of which were recorded in the 19th century. By examining the imagery of the king’s bed in the chamber and its reference to the bed of King Solomon, it pursues the idea that the Barons’ Wars, which dragged on through the 1260s when the chamber was repainted, may have been more important for an assessment of the murals’ significance than has previously been thought.
By combining Solomonic and Coronation imagery with a Psychomachia, the suggestion is that Henry III, their patron, consciously cultivated an ideology of peaceable kingship, and that the murals in question may in fact have been partly or wholly an innovation of the post-war period. The paper is a contribution both to ‘peace studies’ and to our understanding of the politics of English court art.
Click here to read this article
Numbers on the Visigothic Slates: A Cognitive Approach
By Nerea Fernández Cadenas
Early Medieval Europe
Abstract: Numerical notation found on multiple slates from Early Medieval Visigothic Iberia remains undeciphered. Previous studies have proposed that they simply represent Roman numerals. However, the comparative study of the numbers on the written and numerical slates suggests that they do not in fact represent the same graphic code. This paper analyzes the use of the numbers on these slates through the lens of human cognitive architecture and cognitive extension.
The results of the study suggest that the Roman numerals on the written slates coexist alongside the notational system used on the numerical slates rather than that both types belonging to the same system. Whereas written slates worked as asynchronous code to facilitate dual communication, numerical slates could be used as a memory aid to assist with individual cognition. These results shed important light on who was using numerals in early medieval Iberia and for what purposes.
Click here to read this article
The effects and contributions of Byzantine cuisine to modern Istanbul cuisine
By Murat Doğan
Discover Food
Abstract: Istanbul cuisine has a rich and unique gastronomic identity shaped by the interaction of many cultures throughout history. This study aims to systematically examine the effects of Byzantine cuisine, which is often overlooked in the literature, on Istanbul cuisine. While existing studies focus on the Central Asian and Ottoman heritage, the role of Byzantine cuisine has been addressed in a limited way, and a comprehensive analysis has been lacking.
The study aims to fill the literature gap in this field by revealing that Byzantine cuisine is an important building block in Istanbul’s gastronomic identity in terms of historical continuity, cultural transmission, and diversity. This study employed a systematic literature review to establish a conceptual framework and identify gaps in existing research. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted to gather in-depth information on Byzantine culinary heritage, and the resulting data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. This methodological approach offered an interdisciplinary perspective, ensuring data integrity in the field of historical gastronomy research.
The findings were classified under three main impact themes (cultural heritage, social continuity, and geographical-strategic impact) and five contribution headings. Particularly, contributions to food diversity and the enrichment of culinary culture were highlighted. The results provide an interdisciplinary contribution to historical gastronomy and cultural heritage studies. Overall, Byzantine cuisine has a significant impact and contribution to Istanbul cuisine in terms of diversity, cultural heritage, and culinary culture.
Click here to read this article
Rethinking Grand Narratives: Mobility, Diet, and Health in a Small Corner of Early Medieval Hampshire
By Robin Fleming, Sam Leggett, and Emma Smith
Speculum
Fifth- and early sixth-century Britain is often framed in the scholarship by three grand narratives: the fall of the Western Roman Empire, barbarian migration, and, increasingly, climate catastrophe. In many modern accounts of the period, collective entities—peoples rather than individuals—are cast as the protagonists, and the humans within these collectivities are stripped of agency. Furthermore, migration into lowland Britain after the withdrawal of the Roman state is still too often conceptualized as an “event,” which has led to the erasure of one culture and its replacement by another.
Scholars working on early medieval Britain have strong and diverse opinions regarding the appropriateness of these narratives, but our perspectives on these issues are not well known outside our field. Nonetheless, medievalists researching other centuries and regions often teach early medieval Britain in their medieval history, art history, and medieval literature survey courses, where these overarching narratives continue to shape the portrayal of early medieval Britain.
Click here to read this article
The Origins of Viking Age Dogs in Luistari, Eura, Finland
By Ulla Nordfors, Alžběta Danielisová, Heli Etu-Sihvola, Lukáš Ackerman, Kristiina Mannermaa and Laura Arppe
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Abstract: We used stable (δ18O) and radiogenic (87Sr/86Sr) isotopic proxies to investigate the origins of dogs (Canis familiaris) buried in Viking Age graves at Luistari, Finland. While all 13 dogs exhibited oxygen isotope values compatible with local surface waters, 87Sr/86Sr ratios for two of the four dogs analyzed (graves 289 and 480) were compatible with a likely origin in southern Scandinavia. The findings align with previous evidence of the mobility of Viking Age dogs. The results highlight the importance of dogs in trade, exchange and social networks between communities in southwestern Finland and the Baltic Sea coastline during the Viking Age.
Click here to read this article
Theodore Irwin: An early collector of Western medieval manuscripts in North America
By Ana de Oliveira Dias
Journal of the History of Collections
Abstract: Theodore Irwin (1827–1902) of Oswego, New York, was among the first modern collectors of medieval manuscripts and rare books in North America. Despite the small size of his holdings relative to those of other prominent Gilded Age private collectors, his library included the most sought-after items available on the contemporary market and has been described as one of the richest collections of illuminated manuscripts and printed books in the world. His practice as a collector, and his contribution to the development of the trade in rare books remain, however, poorly understood, in part because his manuscripts were subsumed into J. P. Morgan’s library in New York.
This article considers Irwin’s medieval manuscript acquisitions and examines his approach against the wider panorama of contemporary manuscript collecting in Britain and America. It interrogates his choices and his interactions with local and international dealers to shed light on his contribution to the development of the transatlantic trade in rare books at the turn of the twentieth century.
Click here to read this article
The medieval stained glass in Catalonia: Girona cathedral
By Trinitat Pradell, Sílvia Cañellas, Jordi Bonet, Maite Garcia-Valles and Anna Santolària
Journal of Cultural Heritage
Abstract: The production and distribution of stained glass in Mediterranean Europe during the Middle Ages remains inadequately understood. This article focuses on Catalonia, where local glass production is documented as early as the 13th century, but little is known about the production of window glass.
This study analyses a collection of stained glass fragments from Girona Cathedral, dating from the 13th to the 16th century, some of which is the work of renowned master glassmakers. The data obtained is compared with contemporary stained glass documented from other parts of Europe, and with a collection of 15th and 16th century archaeological window glass from Barcelona. The data is also contrasted with historical documentation on glass production in Catalonia.
The findings reveal that the glass from Girona from the 13th and 14th centuries is of the potassium-lime type, similar to that produced in the workshops of north-western France. By the late 14th and 15th centuries, the composition aligns more closely with that of north-eastern France. In the 16th century, however, the glass changes to a soda-lime composition, similar to the glass found in Barcelona, suggesting a transition from central European to Mediterranean sources, and indicates a change in the raw materials involving the use of soda-lime plant ash instead of potassium-lime forest ash. These results indicate that the production of window glass shifted from France to Barcelona at the close of the 15th century.
Click here to read this article
A broken heritage: non-invasive analysis of 11th-century psalter fragments from C. Norwid Library, Elbląg, Poland
By Piotr Targowski, Barbara Wagner, Dorota Jutrzenka-Supryn, Jakub Karasiński, Grażyna Z. Żukowska, Magdalena Kowalska, Wiesław Łasocha, Zofia Stos-Gale and Monika Opalińska
npj heritage science
Abstract: This paper presents the results of a non-invasive physical and chemical analysis of manuscript parchment fragments from the 11th-century N-Psalter originating in England. The fragments, located in the C. Norwid Library in Elbląg, Poland, match other membra disiecta from the same codex dispersed throughout Europe.
By gathering detailed information on the material features of the fragments, in particular, the ruling method (optical coherence tomography) and the elemental composition of the inks (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and pigments (X-ray fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy), the analysis seeks to provide further insight into the production process, the manuscript’s dating, and possibly the origin of the ink (multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). The overarching goal was to contextualise the Elbląg fragments within the broader framework of manuscript production and use, and propose research scenarios for future studies in fragmentology.
Click here to read this article
Ibn Rushd’s Unification of Forms in the First Form as an Early “Theory of Everything”
By Hakan Turan
Theology and Science
Abstract: Besides God’s role as the First Mover, in Ibn Rushd’s Metaphysics, God also represents the First Form, which is the cause of all forms in the world. But how can the existence of a variety of forms be reconciled with a causing single First Form? This article will present three phases in the development of this problem by Ibn Rushd. After a comparison of these with the concept of unification of the laws of nature in modern physics, the article concludes with a proposal to introduce objects of modern mathematics into Ibn Rushd’s concept of the unification of forms.
Click here to read this article
Becoming An Astronomer in Late Medieval China
By Qiao Yang
Journal of Chinese History
Abstract: How did one become an astronomer in imperial China? Where did one start? What texts did would-be astronomers study, and what criteria did they have to meet? Combining the regulation of the Yuan (1271–1368) Bureau of Astronomy with biographies of astronomers who worked in different sections of the Bureau, this paper explores the physical, technical, and literary skills required for this profession in late medieval China. It underscores the pivotal role of family in training astronomers and offers fresh insights into the relationship between bureaucracy and science in imperial China.
Click here to read this article
We found 80 open-access articles from June – you can get the full list by joining our Patreon – look for the tier that says Open Access articles in Medieval Studies.
See also our list of open-access articles from May
Top Image: Medieval stained glass (13th century) discovered in 2019 behind the Corpus Christi altarpiece of the chapel of Sant Francesc and Sant Martí of the Cathedral of Girona (Girona, Catalonia) – Wikimedia Comons
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