scholarly journals ANTHROPOMORPHIC REPRESENTATIONS ON MEDIEVAL RINGS IN SERBIA

Author(s):  
VESNA MANOJLOVIĆ NIKOLIĆ

Jewellery represents a very indicative and chronologically sensitive type of archaeological material, expressing the fashion and style of a certain period, and certain examples have characteristics related to specific cultures and indicating ethnic affiliation of persons wearing it. Medieval rings, just like jewellery in general, represented an integral part of the traditional garb as well as a decorative piece that an individual carried in life and was often buried with it too. Their unchanging shape makes them the most conservative piece of jewellery, which has retained the same form until the present time. What varied through time/space were materials the rings were made of, the quality of production, the choice of motives and also the appearance of the hoop and the shape of the head of the ring.This paper offers an analysis of medieval rings with anthropomorphic representations. According to the number of figures represented on the head of the ring, two groups are distinguished: rings with one or with two human figures. With respect to the elements represented alongside the figure defining it more precisely, the first group includes rings with warriors and holy warriors. With respect to the variations in compositions with two figures, we can distinguish four groups of rings: the ones with a cross between human figures; the ones with hands raised in the act of benediction; the ones with a halo; the ones without a halo around the figures’ heads.The rings are dated back to the 12th century and the first decades of the 13th century. According to results of archaeological research, they are mostly found on necropoles in Eastern Serbia. Similar to the most of the rings from this period, they belong to the Byzantine cultural circle, i.e. they imitate Byzantine models, and certain examples can be linked to the strengthening of Christianity among the Slav populations of the Balkans. 

Author(s):  
Oleg Oleynikov ◽  

The article summarizes available information on bone ice skates and presents the results of research and classification of the collection of skates of the 11th–15th centuries found by the Novgorod Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology RAS. Medieval ice skates are small bone runners made from the tubular bones of large domestic animals. All objects show traces of the specific processing of original bones: cut off epiphyses and a flattened plantar side (sliding surface). The amount of accumulated archaeological material, instrumental study of wear pattern on the working surface, experiments in the use and manufacture of skates, numerous ethnographic parallels in the use of bone skates in a number of countries almost up to the present day, as well as the fact of skating on bone shoes recorded in a 12th century source, make it safe to say that, in functional terms, ice skating was one of the forms of winter pastime and was a part of the Novgorod dwellers’ everyday life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-138
Author(s):  
Andrzej Buko ◽  
Tomasz Dzieńkowski ◽  
Stanisław Gołub ◽  
Mirosław P. Kruk ◽  
Marek Michalik ◽  
...  

Abstract The paper presents fragments of a Byzantine icon discovered in 2015 during regular archaeological excavations carried out in Chełm, eastern Poland. Iconographic analyses allow the nine surviving fragments to be interpreted as belonging to a diptych wing with the Great Feasts cycle. The icon represents archaic iconography of the subject, with the scene of Transfiguration placed after Entry into Jerusalem and before the Crucifixion. The artefact was created in the second half or at the close of the 12th century, and it was made from steatite, which has been confirmed by petrographic analyses. The icon was discovered in the remains of a palace complex of King Daniel Romanovich, the greatest ruler of the Galicia-Volhynia Lands. The results of the archaeological research allow the terminus ante quem for the icon’s arrival in Chełm to be determined as before the middle of the 13th century. Various possible explanations as to how the icon found its way to Chełm are also explored in the paper.


Author(s):  
Grzegorz Domański

Fifteen years after my attempt at summing up the results of the historical, and above all archaeological research on Ślęża mountain (Domański 2002 ‒ research as of 2000) the time has come to make some minor corrections and important additions, mainly related to the early years of St. Augustine’s monastery in Ślęża, which from the 12th century to 1494 owned the majority of the massif, and after 1494 the entire mountain. The location of the monastery on Ślęża has been a matter of discussion since at least the 19th century. Written sources unambiguously speak of its location on the mountain. In 2000, I presented several purported stages of the monastery’s construction on top of the mountain. When, following new discoveries, the supposed location of the monastery changed, I put forward the hypothesis that there was a preliminarystage in the monastery’s construction (perhaps in cooperation with messengers from the parent monastery) when the materials were collected and the ground was prepared. Next, the monks arrived and almost immediately construction started. Completion (or discontinuation) of construction could have coincided with the monks’ flight in 1146 to Wrocław. On the basis of the scant archaeological material discovered in the monastery building, the conclusion should be drawn that no part of it was used. The suggested location of the monastery on the edge of the order’s property is an indication that looking after the terrain was not the main goal of the venture. The construction material, traces of the structure’s foundations, elements of stonemasonry and the Ślęża plaque all hint at construction having at least commenced, while it remains a mystery at which stage it was abandoned. Generally, the construction of the Ślęża monastery is associated with the “production” of granite sculptures of lions. More importantly, they were discovered beyond the Ślęża massif, but the majority of researchers attribute them to the monastery. I agree with most art historians that the objects date back to the 12th century. Bearing in mind that in Western and South-European architecture, similar sculptures were placed in pairs at the doors of magnificent buildings, as the bases of columns, the Ślęża lions (8) must have been planned as decoration of four imposing entrances. However, as a majority of them cannot be paired (they were dedicated to two sides of a gate), the number of the original statues must have been greater. The Ślęża lions share many features with similar statues from the St. Gallen abbey; bearing in mind the contacts of the founder (Palatine Peter Wlast), they could have been the prototypes for the Ślęża lions.


2020 ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
Igor I. Kaliganov ◽  

The article discusses St Sava of Serbia (c. 1170–1235), the greatest figure in the history of religious and cultural life of the orthodox Slavs in the Balkans from the late 12th century to the first third of the 13th century. He was the creator and Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the distributor among the Serbs of first codes of church and secular laws and the first known Serbian translator and writer. After his death, Sava was proclaimed a saint, became one of the main heroes of Serbian literature and folklore, and became honored as a heavenly defender of Serbia and protector of Serbian education.


Author(s):  
Natalya V. Zhilina ◽  

On the base of typical hypothetical reconstructions according to the stages of the development of the attire upon archaeological material the comparative history of attires of two states is restored. At the end of the 11th – in the beginning of the 12th century and later, the features of heavy metal attire were preserved, in Volga Bulgaria – of Finno-Ugric and nomadic, in Old Rus’ – mainly of Slavic one. At the end of the 11th – the first half of the 12th century noisy attires of different designs were formed. In the first half – the middle of the 12th century filigree, niello, openwork weaving were combined in Bulgarian jewelry. Adornments were complemented with bead pendants of new shapes. In Rus’, enamel attire of the sacred-ascetic style created innovations, the niello one was distinguished with a variety of ornamentation (wide bracelets), the filigree retained Slavic traditions. At the end of the 12th – the first third of the 13th century the best jewelry was created. In Bulgaria the temporal rings were complemented by a miniature filigree sculpture, necklaces and chains with pendants presented. Original filigree bracelets with oval endings were famous. In Rus’, enamel and black attires were made in exaggerated and lush styles; luxurious frames of jewelry with filigree technique were used. Filigree attire changed constructively, moving away from folk traditions. In Bulgarian attire the traditions of local and eastern jewelry combined; in Russian attire – of local and Byzantine jewelry.


Author(s):  
Evgeniy M. Pigarev ◽  

The article discusses the results of archaeological research in 2019-2020, conducted on the territory of the village of Selitpennoe in the Astrakhan Region, which overlaps the cultural layer of the Selitrennoe settlement. The characteristic of excavations and pits with the most expressive finds is given. The distribution of archaeological material and numismatic finds in chronological and topographical aspects is analyzed. Two previously unknown urban necropolises and a pottery workshop discovered in the course of research are localized. The dynamics of changes in the area of the medieval city in the 14th -15th centuries is presented. The analysis of the coin case shows the predominance of coins of the 1330s-1350s and the products of the Sarai al-Jedid mint. It is proved by archaeological methods that there is no cultural layer of the 13th century under the modern village. As a result of the materials obtained, the Selitrennoe settlement is identified by the author with the capital of the Ulus of Jochi, the city of Saray al-Jedid.


Mediaevistik ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-132
Author(s):  
Michalina Duda ◽  
Sławomir Jóźwiak ◽  
Marcin Wiewióra

Abstract Thanks to the wide use of the fruits of interdisciplinary research (history, archaeology, and art history) and a thorough analysis of written and architectural sources, it can be clearly demonstrated that, from at least as early as the end of the 12th century, architects, builders, stonemasons and probably also sculptors from what is now northern and eastern France were operating in the Kingdom of Hungary (though it is not known to what extent). It is impossible not to see a correlation between their activity and the very early appearance of the Gothic style in the territory of what was then Hungary. The architect–builder–designer–sketcher Villard de Honnecourt of Picardy, northern France, and his stay on the shores of the Danube are of particular interest. He was there most probably in the 1220s, but it is unfortunately difficult to say for certain which of the edifices he worked on considering those that were erected at the time in the Kingdom of Hungary.


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kaplan ◽  
H. Bilgin ◽  
S. Yilmaz ◽  
H. Binici ◽  
A. Öztas

Abstract. On 6 April 2009 an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred in L'Aquila city, Italy. In the city center and surrounding villages many masonry and reinforced concrete (RC) buildings were heavily damaged or collapsed. After the earthquake, the inspection carried out in the region provided relevant results concerning the quality of the materials, method of construction and the performance of the structures. The region was initially inhabited in the 13th century and has many historic structures. The main structural materials are unreinforced masonry (URM) composed of rubble stone, brick, and hollow clay tile. Masonry units suffered the worst damage. Wood flooring systems and corrugated steel roofs are common in URM buildings. Moreover, unconfined gable walls, excessive wall thicknesses without connection with each other are among the most common deficiencies of poorly constructed masonry structures. These walls caused an increase in earthquake loads. The quality of the materials and the construction were not in accordance with the standards. On the other hand, several modern, non-ductile concrete frame buildings have collapsed. Poor concrete quality and poor reinforcement detailing caused damage in reinforced concrete structures. Furthermore, many structural deficiencies such as non-ductile detailing, strong beams-weak columns and were commonly observed. In this paper, reasons why the buildings were damaged in the 6 April 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy are given. Some suggestions are made to prevent such disasters in the future.


2015 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 75-93
Author(s):  
J. Fournier ◽  
P. Hamon ◽  
M.G. Parissaki

In 2011 the École française d'Athènes celebrated the centenary of its activities on Thasos (Muller and Mulliez 2012). Apart from the publication of a modern Greek translation of the second edition of the Guide de Thasos (Grandjean and Salviat 2000; 2012), the centenary was the occasion for the publication of a number of thematic studies, based on past archaeological research (Muller 2011; Picard 2011; Marc 2012). More generally, current research on Thasos focuses on all aspects of archaeology, including excavation and field survey (mainly within the ancient urban area), as well as study of archaeological material kept in the museum's collections. This work benefits from the unfailing support of the Ephoreia of Antiquities in Kavala.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Smiljan Gluščević

The article deals with the archaeological material recorded over the past decade on the island of Silba and on its seabed. The island is located on the most important seafaring route that led from the northern to southern Adriatic. The source of the earliest – albeit scarce – information about its population is the island’s prehistoric hill-fort. As for the life on the island in Antiquity and Late Antiquity, the graves and sarcophagi recorded there can be used as evidence of it. In terms of the number of finds, the seabed off Silba is much richer than the island itself, particularly the area near Sveti Ante Cove and Cape Arat, where Antiquity remains and Modern Age glass objects were found. Grebeni – the neighboring group of three reefs – were also included in the excavations. They were fatal for numerous ships of the Antiquity, as well as for one Late Medieval ship and one Modern Age ship. The most important finds include those from a mid-1st-century AD ship (a large quantity of material which is mostly unique for the Adriatic), a bell from the second half of the 13th century, and a ship with mid-17th-century cannons, anchors and ceramics. We should add to these the find of a shipwreck with Baetical amphorae (type Dr. 20) – the first such find on the Adriatic seabed. 


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