‘Dragging Seventy Little Plaits of Her Across the Land of the Altai’: Haircare, Hairstyles, and Hair Ornaments of the Southern Altaians from Historical and Cultural Perspectives

This study deals with haircare, hair ornaments, hairstyles, and hairrelated rituals of the Southern Altaians (Altai Kizhi, Telengits) and their development over time. Haircare has played an important role in Altaian society for centuries. It has been a ritual symbol, an indicator of gender, age, marital or social status. In context, hair has played a significant cultural and social role across societies and historical periods around the world. For this reason, haircare has also been sometimes included among the so-called cultural or human universals, i.e. phenomena that are common to all known human cultures in time and space. The source of information for this study was the authors’ own field research, relevant literature and visual sources documenting the broader context of haircare. The issue is viewed from historical and cultural perspectives, with the main focus on the current haircare of the Altaian people in connection with changes compared to the past. The study focuses on selected phenomena that proved to be the most important in the field research in terms of their existence and the role they currently play in Altaian society. It does not therefore aim to cover the full breadth of the topic, but leaves room for further research on sub-topics.

Bestia Triumphans: Enrique Stanko Vráz in Beijing in 1901

This study focuses on a description of the Boxer Rebellion in Beijing, in the first months of 1901, written by E. S. Vraz during his second journey to China. Enrique Stanko Vraz (1860–1932) was a Czech naturalist and explorer, renowned for his travels to Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which he depicted in a series of books addressed to a broader public. His travelogue on Beijing during the Boxer Rebellion is particularly engaging, since it shows the country in the midst of great turmoil and chaos, just after the uprising had reached its climax. It is also extremely interesting from the ethnographical and anthropological perspective, because Vraz not only comments on the activities of the allied forces in China, but he also describes the Chinese people, their customs, Chinese culture and society, and in doing so develops an interpretation of the kingdom, governed by the dichotomy between ‘civilization’ and modernity, on one hand, and ‘barbarism’ and obscurantism, on the other. Vraz’s narrative therefore seems to be inexorably bound to an ethnocentric paradigm, so characteristic of travel writing at the beginning of the 20th century. I argue, however, that this statement is oversimplifying, and that Vraz’s text is self-aware of these antagonisms and therefore defies any straightforward reading.

Skulls from Tiwanaku: A Forgotten Part of Nestler’s Collection in the Hrdlička Museum of Man in Prague

Julius Nestler, high school teacher and amateur archaeologist from Prague, brought home more than 3,500 archaeological and anthropological artifacts from his expedition to Bolivia (1909–1912). At present they are in the possession of the Náprstek Museum in Prague. a smaller corpus of human bones, especially skulls, some deformed (elongated) and/or trepanned, were deposited at the Hrdlička Museum of Man (Charles University in Prague). Nestler’s second collection has not, so far, re­ceived much attention from anthropologists, museologists or historians of science, one of the reasons probably being the fact that there is no preserved documentation as to its provenance. Sources dispersed in several archives and publications made it possible to ascertain Nestler’s motivation for collecting human remains, the location where he collected them, and the circumstances of their sale to Charles University. The article also aspires to insert the collection and its original owner into the broader context of anatomical and anthropological disciplinary practices in the Czech Lands in the first decades of the 20th century.

‘Deo Magno Mercurio Adoravit…’ – The Latin Language and Its Use in Sacred Spaces and Contexts in Roman Egypt

The use of Latin in the multilingual society of Roman Egypt was never more than marginal. Yet, as a language of the ruling power, the Roman Empire, Latin enjoyed to some extent a privileged status. It was generally more widely applied in the army, as well as on some official occasions, and in the field of law. Less expectably, various Latin inscriptions on stone had religious contents or were found in sacred spaces and contexts. Such texts included honorary and votive inscriptions, visitors’ graffiti, and funerary inscriptions. All three groups are surveyed and evaluated focusing especially on their actual relation to the religious sphere and social background, noting both continuity and changes of existing practices and traditions. Such analysis of the inscriptions allows to draw conclusions not only regarding the use of Latin in religious matters in Egypt but also reveal some aspects of the use of Latin in Egypt in general and the role of Roman culture in the Egyptian society.

Rudolf Dvořák’s Stay in Leipzig and Munich in the Light of Correspondence with Vojta Náprstek: a Selection of Documents

Rudolf Dvořak, one of the founding fathers of Czech Oriental studies, began his academic career as a student at the Faculty of Arts in Prague. In 1882 and 1883 he studied at the University of Leipzig, where he also successfully completed his dissertation. After finishing his studies, he continued his career at the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague. He focused mainly mainly on the Chinese and Middle Eastern regions and translated many texts from these areas. Dvořak’s attitudes were under influence of patriotism and nationalism. This mindset, together with a focus on the study of Oriental studies, led Dvořak to Vojta Naprstek, who espoused the ideas of emancipation of the Czech nation and showed an interest in distant lands and cultures. The two men also shared the same attitude to science and scholarship in general. They wished to elevate Czech learning to a competitive level on the world stage and shared strong sense of patriotism. These two intellectuals were in active contact during Dvořak’s studies in Germany. Dvořak share his opinions, experiences and attractions from Leipzig and Munchen. In letters he described situation at university and information about its professors. This study brings an edition of these letters.

Photographs from an Excursion to North Africa in 1936

The ethnographic photographic collection of the Náprstek Museum has two sets of photographic material documenting an excursion to North Africa, which was organized mainly for teachers in 1936 by the Excursion Department of the Central Association of Teachers in the Moravian-Silesian Lands. The main destinations of the excursion were Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In 1961, the Náprstek Museum received a set of postcards which was collected by the writer Sida Volfová during the excursion. In the 1970s, teacher Karel Křížek donated three photo albums and loose photographs which he took during the excursion to the museum. Together with other preserved documents, it was possible to accurately reconstruct the course of the excursion and evaluate everything from both a geographic and thematic perspective.

Notes on a Folio from the Gulshan Album in the Collection of the Náprstek Museum, Prague

In 2015 the Naprstek Museum, in cooperation with the National Library of the Czech Republic, carried out a conservation survey of two rare folios from the Gulshan Album of the Mughal emperor Jahāngīr which form part of the Naprstek Museum’s Indian collection. During the survey an unknown signature by the painter Āqā Rezā was discovered in the border of one of them. The new finding was the impetus for this study, looking at the folio in more detail. In addition to the introductory part, which looks at the form and function of illustrated albums in the Mughal Empire, the study describes in detail both a miniature on one side of the folio and the calligraphy and border with human figures on the other side, and explains the relationship between them.

Preliminary Report on the Eighteenth Excavation Season of the Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga

The eighteenth excavation season of the Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga focused on the continued excavations of the so-called Isis Temple (WBN 300; more specifically on the frontal part of the proper temple), the continued excavations of structure WBN 250, and the continued excavations of cemetery WBN C260.

Preliminary Report on the Nineteenth Excavation Season of the Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga

The nineteenth excavation season of the Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga primarily focused on the continued excavations of the so-called Isis Temple (WBN 300). The main aim was to confirm the assumptions that could have been made about the dimensions and disposition of the temple based on the results of previous excavation seasons. The second, southern, tower of the temple’s pylon was uncovered. Similar to the northern one, it included a side entrance to the temple. Another trench was opened in the back of the temple confirming the position of another corner of the building. Outside the so-called Isis Temple (WBN 300), the works continued in gradual uncovering of structure WBN 250.

The Inrō Collection in the Náprstek Museum

Small several-compartment cases called inrō were a supplement to Japanese men‘s clothing during the Edo period and were used to store various small items (especially personal stamps). Decorated with various techniques, such as decorating with gold, nacre (mother of pearl), and inlaying with metals, they gradually became a decorative accessory for Japanese clothing. In the 19th century inrō became favorite collector’ items in Europe. This article deals with inrō collection in the Naprstek Museum, its origin, but also with the techniques of inrō production.