scholarly journals Gautavik - a trading site in Iceland re-examined

AmS-Skrifter ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 259-275
Author(s):  
Natascha Mehler ◽  
Guðmundur Ólafsson ◽  
Bart Holterman ◽  
Joris Coolen ◽  
Ragnar Edvardsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Twelfth Century ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
New Research ◽  
And Function

Gautavík is a well-known archaeological site on the east coast of Iceland. It was partially excavated in 1979 and interpreted as a seasonal occupied trading site, abandoned shortly after c. 1500. However, recent archaeological research on the  excavated ceramics, which hitherto had not been studied in detail, raised doubts about the interpretation regarding the dating and function of the site. New research was then initiated that included an investigation of written documents in the archives of Bremen, Hamburg, and Copenhagen, pertaining to the trade with Iceland during the sixteenth century. On the basis of the new results presented here we now interpret Gautavík to have been a trading harbour that also included a farm, at least periodically, occupied from the late twelfth century, at the latest, until shortly before 1600. Gautavík was a place of supra-regional importance, being the main port of entry in Berufjörður during the medieval period. In the sixteenth century, however, Gautavík lost its importance. This was a period of intensive trade of German merchants with Iceland, and after Bremen and Hamburg merchants established Djúpivogur and Fýluvogur at the entrance of the fjord c. 1570, both gradually superseded Gautavík, such that shortly before 1600 trade was no longer conducted there.

CURRENCY AND CREDIT IN MEDIEVAL JAPAN

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiji Sakurai
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Twelfth Century ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Early Modern Japan ◽  
Medieval Japan ◽  
Modern Japan

AbstractIn contrast to the currency issued for use in ancient and early modern Japan, a feature of the currency of that country's medieval period was that the Japanese state did not mint its own coinage but rather imported the entirety of its supply of copper coins from China. An economy based on Chinese coins therefore lasted for 650 years, from the middle of the twelfth century, through the upheavals of the sixteenth century, down to the seventeenth century when the Tokugawa Bakufu once again minted coins. This article outlines the situation of currency and its specific features during this period, paying particular attention to the trend towards the use of credit, in such forms as bills of exchange and promissory notes. In addition, it points out that the medieval Japanese state had absolutely no motivation, either financially or geopolitically, to issue its own currency.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dating of the Temple of the Monkey—The Next Step Towards a Comprehensive Absolute Chronology of Pachacamac, Peru

Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 565-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Michczyński ◽  
Peter Eeckhout ◽  
Anna Pazdur ◽  
Jacek Pawlyta
Keyword(s):  
General Framework ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Monumental Architecture ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Temple ◽  
Shed Light

The ongoing Ychsma Project aims to shed light on the chronology and function of the late Prehispanic period at the well-known archaeological site of Pachacamac, Peru, through extensive archaeological research. The Temple of the Monkey is a special building that has been cleared, mapped, and excavated within the general framework of the study of “pyramids with ramps,” the most common form of monumental architecture at the site. Through the application of radiocarbon measurements, it can be shown that the temple has been used for around 150 yr and therefore is quite different from other pyramids with ramps previously studied (see Michczyński et al. 2003). Details of the temple, 14C sample selection, and methodology, as well as results, are discussed in this paper. The research has allowed us to make significant advances in the current understanding of pyramids with ramps and the function of the site of Pachacamac as a whole.

The Śukraniti— a Nineteenth-Century Text

1962 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 524-556
Author(s):  
Lallanji Gopal
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Twelfth Century ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Early Medieval Period

Ever since the publication of the text, scholars have disagreed on the date of the composition of the Śukraniti. Oppertx placed it very early, in the period of the Smrtis and the early epic literature. V. S. Agrawala and Syamlal Pandya regard it as a work of the Gupta period. But generally the text is utilized as a source for the early medieval period, especially the eleventh or the twelfth century. Rajendra Lai Mitra held that the work could not be older than the sixteenth century. Sanskritists, following the lead of Keith and Kane, dismiss the text as of quite a late date and hence not applicable to the Hindu period.

Jiangnan Style

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Wickham
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
The World ◽  
Transnational Connections ◽  
New Research ◽  
Different Parts

Building on impressive new research into the concept of a ‘global middle ages’, this chapter offers insights into how economic formations developed around the world. Drawing on new research on both Chinese and Mediterranean economies in the ‘medieval’ period, it compares structures of economy and exchange in very different parts of the world. The point of such comparisons is not simply to find instances of global economic flows but to understand the logic of medieval economic activity and its intersections with power and culture; and, in so doing, to remind historians that economic structures, transnational connections, and the imbrications of economy and politics do not arrive only with modernity, nor is the shape of the ‘modern’ global economy the only pattern known to humankind.

scholarly journals Molecular biology approaches in bioadhesion research

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 983-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Rodrigues ◽  
Birgit Lengerer ◽  
Thomas Ostermann ◽  
Peter Ladurner
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Biological Function ◽  
Molecular Approach ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Blast Search ◽  
Search Facility ◽  
New Research ◽  
And Function ◽  
Functional Analyses

The use of molecular biology tools in the field of bioadhesion is still in its infancy. For new research groups who are considering taking a molecular approach, the techniques presented here are essential to unravelling the sequence of a gene, its expression and its biological function. Here we provide an outline for addressing adhesion-related genes in diverse organisms. We show how to gradually narrow down the number of candidate transcripts that are involved in adhesion by (1) generating a transcriptome and a differentially expressed cDNA list enriched for adhesion-related transcripts, (2) setting up a BLAST search facility, (3) perform an in situ hybridization screen, and (4) functional analyses of selected genes by using RNA interference knock-down. Furthermore, latest developments in genome-editing are presented as new tools to study gene function. By using this iterative multi-technologies approach, the identification, isolation, expression and function of adhesion-related genes can be studied in most organisms. These tools will improve our understanding of the diversity of molecules used for adhesion in different organisms and these findings will help to develop innovative bio-inspired adhesives.

Imperial Policy and Church Income: The Sixteenth Century Mexican Church

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Hennessey Cummins
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Spanish America ◽  
Internal Conflict ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Church Finance ◽  
Church Hierarchy ◽  
Counter Reformation ◽  
New Research

The long-traditional view of the Roman Catholic Church in Spanish America as a monolithic, wealthy, and all powerful institution has been gradually modified by successive studies over the last thirty years. From these examinations emerges the picture of a complex institution characterized by diversity, and internal conflict. New research continues to enlarge and clarify understanding of the Church's role as an institution of the Spanish empire.What follows will, in highlighting the colonial Church's relationship to the Spanish crown, add to this view of it as a complex and diverse institution. An examination of crown policy with regard to Church finance in the sixteenth century shows that the episcopal hierarchy of the Mexican colonial Church had a subordinate relationship to the crown in the era of the Counter Reformation. Rather than a strong Church influencing the crown, what emerges is the portrait of a relatively weak, dependent institution, supported by the king. The secular church hierarchy had only enough power to carry out its function and serve as a counterpoint to the religious orders, not enough to achieve financial independence on its own. The basis for this relationship lies in the patrimonial nature of Castilian government and its dominant position over the Church hierarchy because of the Patronato Real.

Medieval Interpretation of Phonation Through the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri

2022 ◽  
pp. 019459982110730
Author(s):  
Martha Borraccini ◽  
Matteo Marinini ◽  
Michele Augusto Riva
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Dante Alighieri ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Divine Comedy ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Vocal Cords ◽  
The Divine Comedy ◽  
And Function ◽  
Dual Functions

The anatomic and medical knowledge of people throughout history is unexpectedly evident in some of the poems and texts written by intellectuals of the time. This article attempts to understand the conception of laryngology in the Middle Ages by analyzing the Divine Comedy, written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) at the beginning of the 14th century. In the text, Dante mentions the throat several times. He recognizes that the larynx has the dual functions of allowing respiration (dead souls recognize that the poet is alive through movement of his throat when breathing) and speech (souls with their throat cut cannot speak). However, Dante does not seem to know of the existence of vocal cords, thinking that it is the tongue that allows for word formation. In general, Dante’s poem indicates that the anatomy and function of the throat were known during the medieval period, although this knowledge was not precise.

scholarly journals Zinc: A Necessary Ion for Mammalian Sperm Fertilization Competency

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 4097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Kerns ◽  
Michal Zigo ◽  
Peter Sutovsky
Keyword(s):  
Male Fertility ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Zinc Supplementation ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Sperm Maturation ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Human Reproductive ◽  
Semen Processing ◽  
New Research ◽  
And Function

The importance of zinc for male fertility only emerged recently, being propelled in part by consumer interest in nutritional supplements containing ionic trace minerals. Here, we review the properties, biological roles and cellular mechanisms that are relevant to zinc function in the male reproductive system, survey available peer-reviewed data on nutritional zinc supplementation for fertility improvement in livestock animals and infertility therapy in men, and discuss the recently discovered signaling pathways involving zinc in sperm maturation and fertilization. Emphasis is on the zinc-interacting sperm proteome and its involvement in the regulation of sperm structure and function, from spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm maturation to sperm interactions with the female reproductive tract, capacitation, fertilization, and embryo development. Merits of dietary zinc supplementation and zinc inclusion into semen processing media are considered with livestock artificial insemination (AI) and human assisted reproductive therapy (ART) in mind. Collectively, the currently available data underline the importance of zinc ions for male fertility, which could be harnessed to improve human reproductive health and reproductive efficiency in agriculturally important livestock species. Further research will advance the field of sperm and fertilization biology, provide new research tools, and ultimately optimize semen processing procedures for human infertility therapy and livestock AI.

scholarly journals The T-shaped “axe” from Northeast Honduras: Observations on chronology and function of a pre Columbian stone tool

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul F. Healy ◽  
Daniel Savage
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Central America ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Distinctive Type ◽  
University Museum ◽  
And Function ◽  
Bay Islands

This paper provides a description and analysis of a distinctive type of pre-Columbian stone tool, usually termed a T-shaped axe, found almost exclusively in Northeast Honduras, Central America. There have been very few detailed or technical studies of lithics from Honduras. Early archaeological research and the current understanding of the regional prehistory are included, with Northeast Honduras viewed as a frontier zone located between the Mesoamerican and Isthmo-Columbian culture areas. Our study examines, in particular, a collection of these tools curated today at the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (CUMAA). The 39 (whole and fragmentary) specimens were collected between 1937 and 1939, from the Bay Islands, Northeast Honduras, but have never been published. This paper classifies the collection specimens into five varieties, based on morphology, with sample statistics, form dimensions, and illustrations provided for each. Manufacturing technology is primarily percussion flaking. The tool type is compared with similar specimens excavated and described from the Bay Islands and adjacent Honduran mainland, and with similar appearing implements from elsewhere in Central America. Insights about the possible age and function of these unusual, and distinctive, lithics are included. Based on preliminary macroscopic and microscopic analyses, it is concluded that the tools may have been employed as agricultural implements (hoes or spades), primarily for digging activities, rather than as axes or weapons used for cutting and slicing. It is most likely that these implements first appeared about 800 CE, and continued in use until at least 1400 CE. The tool type is most probably a local (not imported) product. More functional analysis is encouraged.

scholarly journals Predicting Temperature Shifts off the U.S. East Coast

Eos ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Stanley
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Ocean Temperature ◽  
Middle Atlantic Bight ◽  
Atmospheric Processes ◽  
Middle Atlantic ◽  
New Research ◽  
The U.S

New research reveals the relative importance of oceanic and atmospheric processes in year-to-year changes in ocean temperature along the Middle Atlantic Bight.

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