Byzantine garlic and Turkish delight

2000 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanita Vroom
Keyword(s):  
Social Meaning ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Central Greece ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Interdisciplinary Perspective

AbstractOn the basis of the Post-Roman surface finds from the Boeotia Survey in central Greece, the use and social meaning of glazed vessels as table utensils from Byzantine to Ottoman times (ca. 10th–19th centuries A.D.) will be discussed, as well as the cultural changes in dining manners in that period. It is the intention of this paper to approach this evolution of “wining and dining” habits in an interdisciplinary perspective, in which archaeological data, textual sources and iconographical information will be combined.

scholarly journals Bridging Legends and Science: Field Evidence of a Large Tsunami that Affected the Kingdom of Tonga in the 15th Century

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franck Lavigne ◽  
Julie Morin ◽  
Patrick Wassmer ◽  
Olivier Weller ◽  
Taaniela Kula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colonial History ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Neighbouring Island ◽  
Large Tsunami

The pre-colonial history (i.e. before the 16th century) of Tonga and West Polynesia still suffers from major gaps despite significant scientific advances in recent years, particularly in the field of archaeology. By the 14th century, the powerful Tu’i Tonga kingdom united the islands of the Tongan archipelago under a centralised authority and, according to tradition, extended its influence to neighbouring island groups in the Central Pacific. However, some periods of deep crisis were identified, e.g. in the mid- 15th century, marked by an abrupt cessation of inter-archipelago migration on the deep seas in the Pacific, significant cultural changes, and a decrease in accessible natural resources. The origins of these disturbances are still debated, and they are usually assigned to internal political problems or loss of external influence vis-à-vis neighboring chiefdoms. However, the hypothesis of a major natural disaster was rarely suggested up to now, while field evidence points to the occurrence of a very large tsunami in the past, including the presence of numerous megablocks that were deposited by a “red wave” (or peau kula, which also mean tsunami in the Tongan language) according to a local myth. Drawing on a body of new evidence from sedimentary signatures and radiocarbon dating of charcoal and marine bioclasts, geomorphology, and sedimentology, in support of previously published archaeological data, we argue that a large tsunami inundated large areas of Tongatapu island in the mid-15th century with runup heights up to 30 m, and that the Tu’i Tonga kingdom was severely impacted by this event. We also discuss the likely sources of this tsunami.

scholarly journals African Heritage in Mythology

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (48) ◽  
pp. 91-114
Author(s):  
Yuri Berezkin
Keyword(s):  
Modern Human ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
African Heritage ◽  
The North ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
First Americans ◽  
Source Of Information

Our analytical catalogue contains information on many thousands of folklore and mythological texts. The systemic approach to this material argues in favor of an African origin of episodes and images that were recorded in sub-Saharan Africa, the Indo-Pacific border of Asia and in America but are absent in continental Eurasia. Such a pattern corresponds to genetic and archaeological data concerning the early spread of the modern human from Africa in two directions, i.e. to the East along the coast of the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia and Australia, and to the North into Europe, Central Asia and Siberia. The natural conditions of humankind in the Indo-Pacific Tropics and in the African homeland are essentially similar; conversely, in the Eurasian North, deep cultural changes and a loss of the African heritage are to be expected. Though there are no cultures in Asia that could be considered to be related to the ancestors of the earliest migrants into the New World still being identified by archaeologists, similar sets of motifs in South America and in the Indo-Pacific part of the Old World provide evidence in favor of the East Asian homeland of the first Americans. Later groups of migrants brought those motifs typical for continental Eurasia to North America. Though we take into account conclusions reached by specialists in other historical disciplines, big data on mythology and folklore is argued to be an independent source of information on the human past.

Blessings for the sailors. The cult of the Great Gods of Samothrace in the Mediterranean context between the Hellenistic and Roman Ages

2021 ◽  
Vol 60 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 469-479
Keyword(s):  
Religious Thought ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Trojan War ◽  
Classical World ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Roman Age

Abstract The aim of this paper is to underline some cultic features of the cult of the Great Gods of Samothrace, in its development between Hellenistic and Roman Age. In this regard, we analyze the mythological background of this cult, with particular reference to Trojan war and Aeneas saga and the influences on the cultic performances and ideology in Roman age. Our main goal is to show, through an analysis of the different syncretic cults (Dioskuroi, Penates, Lares) and the archaeological data, how the metaphors of sea and sailing influenced the transmission of this soteriological cult in Rome and how these cultural changes represent a weighty argument to demonstrate the very important revolution introduced by the Samothracian cult in the religious thought of classical world.

The kingdom of Tonga devastated by a megatsunami in the mid-15th century

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franck Lavigne ◽  
Julie Morin ◽  
Wassmer Patrick ◽  
Weller Olivier ◽  
Kula Taaniela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Colonial History ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
History Of ◽  
Neighbouring Island ◽  
New Evidence

<p>The pre-colonial history of Tonga and West Polynesia still suffers from major gaps because its reconstruction is essentially based on legends left by oral tradition, and by archaeological evidence somehow difficult to interpret. By the fourteenth century, the powerful Tu'i Tonga kingdom united the islands of the Tongan archipelago under a centralised authority and, according to tradition, extended its influence to neighbouring island groups in the Central Pacific. However, some periods of deep crisis were identified, e.g. in the mid- 15<sup>th</sup> century, marked by an abrupt cessation of inter-archipelago migration on the deep seas in the Pacific, significant cultural changes, and a decrease in accessible natural resources. The origins of these disturbances are still debated, and are usually assigned to internal political problems or loss of external influence vis-à-vis neighboring states. However, the hypothesis of a major natural disaster was never suggested up to now.</p><p>Drawing on a body of new evidence from sedimentary signatures and radiocarbon dating of charcoal and marine bioclasts, geomorphology, and sedimentology, in support of previously published archaeological data, we argue that the Tu’i Tonga kingdom was severely impacted by a megatsunami in the mid-15th century. We also discuss the likely sources of this event, which happened in an isolated region of the world before the European maritime “great discoveries”. This tsunami could be the source of vivid local myths that strongly suggest that a giant wave covered almost the entire island of Tongatapu at one time.</p>

scholarly journals Social Characterization of the Medieval and Modern Population from Joué-lès-Tours (France): Contribution of Oral Health and Diet

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
V. Miclon ◽  
M. Gaultier ◽  
C. Genies ◽  
O. Cotté ◽  
F. Yvernault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Saint Paul ◽  
Rural Site ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Dietary Practices ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
Modern Population

The social and cultural changes that occurred between the medieval and modern periods in urban contexts are well documented; however, those in rural contexts are less well understood. This research aims to bridge this gap by analysing changes in dietary practices and oral health conditions between the medieval and modern eras, and by identifying their relationship with the social status of individuals buried at the rural site of the church of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul in Joué-lès-Tours (Indre-et-Loire, France). The objectives of this study are to jointly analyse the isotopic data concerning the diet of 37 individuals and the osteological and archaeological data, and to tie these results in with local historical and archaeozoological data. While the burial practices identified between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries suggest social distinctions between groups of individuals, the study of diet (δ13C and δ15N) and the state of oral health point to a homogeneous social group characterized by the preferential consumption of pig meat, poultry and freshwater resources, and a degraded state of health. The available parochial registers and regional archaeozoological knowledge tend to confirm this hypothesis. This study confirms the relevance of the isotopic tool, which supplies dietary information to reinforce the archaeo-anthropological framework of interpretation, and also provides a critical examination of some of the criteria used to discuss the social composition of a set.

Cultural Dynamics, Deep Time, and Data

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith W. Kintigh ◽  
Jeffrey H. Altschul ◽  
Ann P. Kinzig ◽  
W.Fredrick Limp ◽  
William K. Michener ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Computer Science Research ◽  
Tool Building

AbstractArchaeological data and research results are essential to addressing such fundamental questions as the origins of human culture; the origin, waxing, and waning of civilizations and cities; the response of societies to long-term climate changes; and the systemic relationships implicated in human-induced changes in the environment. However, we lack the capacity for acquiring, managing, analyzing, and synthesizing the data sets needed to address important questions such as these. We propose investments in computational infrastructure that would transform archaeology’s ability to advance research on the field’s most compelling questions with an evidential base and inferential rigor that have heretofore been impossible. At the same time, new infrastructure would make archaeological data accessible to researchers in other disciplines. We offer recommendations regarding data management and availability, cyberinfrastructure tool building, and social and cultural changes in the discipline. We propose funding synthetic case studies that would demonstrate archaeology’s ability to contribute to transdisciplinary research on long-term social dynamics and serve as a context for developing computational tools and analytical workflows that will be necessary to attack these questions. The case studies would explore how emerging research in computer science could empower this research and would simultaneously provide productive challenges for computer science research.

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