The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian epic chronicle of the thirteenth century Translated with a historical and philological commentary

Inner Asia ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor De Rachewiltz
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Epic Poetry ◽  
Social Organisation ◽  
Outstanding Contribution ◽  
The Real ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
Secret History

AbstractThe appearance of this new publication by Igor de Rachewiltz is evidence of the unquenchable interest in the Mongolian medieval literary monument The Secret History of the Mongols. To quote: ‘The real interest of the Secret History lies . . . in its faithful description of the Mongol tribal life in the 12th and 13th centuries’. Why is this text so especially valuable? Firstly, ‘The Secret History stands alone also because it is so close to the events which it relates’ (p. lxiv), and secondly, ‘The Secret History is and remains a true and original Mongol product, unique of its kind, for no other nomadic or seminomadic people has ever created a literary masterpiece like it, in which epic poetry and narrative are so skilfully and indeed artistically blended with fictional and historical accounts’ (p. xxvi). In the present study the author used more than forty translations in different languages. By doing it he pays a tribute to his predecessors: ‘Mostaert’s outstanding contribution’ (p. cxiii), ‘Mostaert’s and Ligeti’s epoch-making studies’ (p. lxxv), ‘Cleaves’ book is nevertheless of paramount importance’ (p. lxxvi) etc. To complete the translation and the commentary, the author used bibliographies, references, and dictionaries, all of which helped him to create a piece of work which revealed different sides of Mongolian life in the period of formation of the Mongolian Empire. For instance, the mentality of the time is revealed through interpretation of various folk motifs. Types of social organisation are revealed by explanation of terms, social positions, ranks and hierarchy, the levels of political organisation, and through analysis of interrelations between social groups and the elite. The present translation is the product of thirty years’ continuous investigation into this difficult text. ‘Over 1,300 primary and secondary sources, as well as monographs and essays in many languages, have been consulted by the author’. One can not disagree with the statement that, despite the longevity of observation and interest in it, the Secret History still remains ‘a true mine of information’.

Heroic Mother and Wise Wife

Inner Asia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-232
Author(s):  
Di Wang
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
Secret History

Abstract Thirteenth-century sources provide us with striking images of Mongol noblewomen, which are not eclipsed by the heroic conquests and military exploits of their men. While recognising the complexity of gender roles in pre-imperial Mongol society, this article aims to explore the specific responsivities carried by Hö’elün and Börte in the narrative of The Secret History of the Mongols. The selective presentation of their characters and duties further reveals the goal of the Secret Historian to create a ruling model, which includes a brave widowed mother and an intelligent wife for the Qan of the empire.

Godfrey of Fontaines and the Real Distinction between Essence and Existence

Traditio ◽  
1964 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 385-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Wippel
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
The Real ◽  
Duns Scotus ◽  
History Of ◽  
Henry Of Ghent ◽  
Siger Of Brabant

If a definitive history of the controversy during the final decades of the thirteenth century regarding the real distinction between essence and existence still remains to be written, an exposition of the views expressed by Godfrey of Fontaines on this point may provide one more step in this direction. It seems probable that Godfrey had studied in Paris during Thomas' final years there (1269-1272) and that he may have studied under Henry of Ghent as well as under Siger of Brabant. He lectured as Master of theology at Paris for some thirteen years (1285-1297), and again around 1303-1304, when he composed his fifteenth Quodlibetal Question. Giles of Rome had also studied at Paris under Thomas (1269-1272) and served there as Bachelor in theology (1276-1277), and later as Master in theology (1285-1291). Henry of Ghent had taught at Paris around 1271 (apparently on the faculty of Arts) and later, beginning in 1276, on the faculty of Theology. Between 1276 and 1292 he delivered the courses which resulted in his Summa and in his Quaestiones Quodlibetales. Because Godfrey was familiar with the work of Thomas Aquinas (in Q[uodlibet] 2 q.3 one finds an almost verbatim reproduction of a section of Thomas' De aeternitate mundi), because he witnessed the famed debate on the real distinction between Henry of Ghent and Giles of Rome, and because his work was well known to Duns Scotus, clarification of his own position should be of historical interest. In addition, it is to be hoped that such a study will show that his views are distinctive enough to merit investigation for their own sake.

Ernest Leslie Ransome

2019 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-96
Author(s):  
Stephen Mikesell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
The United States ◽  
Art Museum ◽  
Death Valley ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
History Of ◽  
Culinary Institute Of America ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
St Helena

Ernest L. Ransome is a famous but often misunderstood 19th century California engineer and builder. Architectural historians and engineering professionals see him as a central figure in developing reinforced concrete as a usable building material decades before its use became prevalent. He is most commonly recognized as building the first reinforced concrete bridge, San Francisco's Alvord Lake Bridge, which was built in 1890 and is still in use. Historical accounts of his work, however, are based chiefly upon secondary sources and are sometimes incorrect or misleading. This article clarifies Ransome's true role in concrete building in California and debunks misinformation about the famous Alvord Lake Bridge. It traces his career in the United States (he emigrated to California in 1870 at the age of 26), first as a manufacturer of imitation stone and later as a builder of increasingly large and complex buildings and structures. It discusses his work on a series of iconic Northern California buildings and structures: the 1888 Bourn Winery (now the Culinary Institute of America school in St. Helena); the 1890 Torpedo Building, still standing on the Oakland side of Yerba Buena Island; the 1890 Alvord Lake Bridge and its near twin the Conservatory Bridge, both still in use in Golden Gate Park; the 1891 Art Museum, now being used as the Canter Center on the Stanford University campus. It also discusses Ransome's partnership with Sidney Cushing, a railroad magnate in Marin County for whom the Cushing Amphitheater on Mt. Tamalpais was named, and Francis Marion “Borax” Smith, who built the borax industry in Death Valley and who founded and owned the Key System transit in the East Bay. The article concludes with observations about Ransome's true place in the history of concrete engineering in the United States and concrete construction in California.

Of Crowds and Empires: Afro-Asian Riots and European Expansion, 1857–1882

1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan R. I. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
The Political ◽  
European Expansion ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
History Of ◽  
Social Entities ◽  
International Aspects

Comparative studies pose special problems for historians, given their long tradition of being wed to the political history of individual countries and given the limitations of their methods, which lend themselves to (at most) middlerange generalizations. Sociology and anthropology have always seemed better poised to deal with the big questions across cultures. The rise of social history, however, provides new opportunities for comparative studies, insofar as such social entities and processes as cities, social classes, crowds, and women lend themselves better to comparison than do micropolitics within the framework of a single country's history. Despite these new possibilities, most historians demand intense contextualization and mistrust secondary sources, making it difficult for one scholar to master the relevant languages and archives in more than one culture, or to pose a broad enough question for comparative analysis. Much social history, even by the most sociologically minded historian, is likely to be based on archives and concerned largely with a single country or culture. Social historians can, however, legitimately inject a comparative element into their writing by paying special attention to the international aspects of their subject and by considering their works about particular social groups in individual countries as case studies in related phenomena.

The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian epic chronicle of the thirteenth century

Inner Asia ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-132
Author(s):  
Tatyana Skrynnikova
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
Secret History

AbstractThe Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian epic chronicle of the thirteenth century Translated with a historical and philological commentary by Igor De Rachewiltz. Leiden & Boston: (MA) Brill. 2004. cxxvi + 1347 pp. Brill’s Inner Asian Library 7. ISBN 90 04 13159 0 (Set), ISBN 90 04 13596 0 (Vol. 1), ISBN 90 04 13597 0 (Vol. 2). EUR 190, US 272, £130.00.

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