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Archaeological data. The Romanian archeologists recently discovered artefacts of the Viking presence from the second half of the 10th century in the fortress next to Nufaru village, Tulcha district. The settlement is situated on the river bank called St. George of the Danube. Some scholars located mediaeval Pereyaslavets or Little Preslav on the very same place. Numismatical data. Probably in that trade zone the coins were used. The question is what type of coins? Mainly Byzantine because they are of a first rate standard. The Russian coins had not come yet. We have a large list of Byzantine coins from the 10th – 11th centuries – stray finds and deposits from the territory of Lower Danube. At the same time there are circulated imitative Byzantine coins produced by Bulgarians for example. Sigillographical data. Till now the seals of two kommerkiarioi are known in the area of Lower Danube – from Dristra and Preslavitsa. They were established after ca. 1000 when the Danube became a north imperial border. The kommerkiarioi of Preslavitsa could be localized with Pereyaslavets na Dunai from the Russian primary chronicle.
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The article is a philological analysis and an initial epigraphic analysis of inscriptions embroidered on silk fabric found in 1960 in tomb no. 24 in the Romanesque collegiate church in Kruszwica. The preserved three pieces of silk (two are of identical length and one is a fragment) originally constituted probably a single object with the inscriptions arranged most likely into a sequence with a cohesive meaning (on the function of this object cf. articles by E. Dąbrowska and M. Cybulska and E. Orlińska-Mianowska in this volume). A philological analysis of the inscriptions preserved on the longer pieces of fabric makes it possible to ascertain that they comprise rhythmic-versification units. Inscription no.1 is in so-called rich hexameter, while inscription no. 2 is an incipit of a hymn to The Holy Spirit, attributed to Notker the Stammerer (Balbulus) from St. Gallen. The fragmentary inscription no. 3., barely several letters long, poses the greatest interpretation problem owing to the state of its preservation, which (according to B. Kürbis, who witnessed its discovery) could have been quite different than its present-day version. For this reason it seems possible to decipher the fragment in question in two ways, and the place which inscription no. 3. could have originally held in the sequence of inscriptions remains of a closely connected question. An epigraphic analysis of the inscriptions written in Romanesque capitals with elements of the uncial indicates their imitative execution (i.a. an error in the word: spiritus in inscription no. 2), albeit with the use of rather sophisticated lettering (the letter P). The shapes of the signs permit a restricted establishment of the time of the origin of the inscriptions, since some occur in codex writing and epigraphic much earlier than could be the date of the strips of fabric from Kruszwica (A in: gracia from inscription no. 2). By referring to a typology of Romanesque epigraphic writing presented by Rudolf M. Kloos, codex and epigraphic comparative material (which should be considerably expanded) allows us to propose an approximate time of the origin of the inscriptions as not later than the second half or the end of the twelfth century, especially if the object to which the discussed inscriptions belong had been imported from the West.
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The paper deals with the questionable identification of the seat of the Teutonic Order official, described in the sources as „Przewłoki”, located on the eastern borderland of the Teutonic Order’s state. On the basis of the unutilised source, the author identifies the place as Ełk (German: Lyck).
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The author deals with the different relation towards the notion of chivalry within the contemporary context of the Sinjska Alka, a traditional game from the region of Sinjska krajina, which originates from the mediaeval chivalry tournaments and is in itself defined as being chivalrous. The first part is dedicated to the reconstruction of the events from the 286th Alka festivity, that is, their political context and different comprehension of the notion of chivalry the participants have shown, and it is mainly based on newspapers’ articles. This is followed by a part with the discussion of the basis on which the mediaeval institution of chivalry has been founded, and which stresses out the changed meaning of the chivalry and its values. Those are being compared to the ones that can be interpreted from the Statute of the Chivalry Alka Society. The last part talks about the intensification of the usage of the notion of chivalry in Croatia from the beginning of the 1990s war, about the development of its meaning within the context of the Sinjska Alka and about its manifest characteristics.
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The article shows the presence of creatively reworked elements of historiographic ideas in the Annales of Jan Długosz. The mental formation of Długosz and his intellectual millieu is discussed, with special attention paid to the university circles and practical theology in Cracow. The dedicatory epistle of the Annales, as the expression of methodological awareness of the chronicler, is the subject of analysis from the perspective of the aims of history and its relations with philosophy and morality. The author also presents the ideas of providentialism, typical for Długosz, especially the meaning of God’s justice for the course of history. As its exemplification serves the original and sophisticated conception of Długosz, showing the causes of the loss of Polish throne by the Piast dynasty.
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Judging from the rich manuscript legacy the Herzegovinian franciscan Dominik Mandić had left us and that is to be found in the Archive of the Herzegovinian Franciscan province, it is evident that he had been cooperating with the famous scientist Muhamed Tajib Okić. The preserved letters were written in the period between 1963 and 1968. It is a legacy of 12 letters altogether, each one or two pages long, and one postcard, with clearly visible dates. Mutual respect is to be noticed in the letters. The two authors regularly use the salutation “Dear compatriot”. The preserved correspondence informs us about the communication of the two scientists, their attitudes to some of the scientific issues, but also about Okić’s help to Mandić while Mandić was in a quest for some documents and their translations from the archives in Istanbul and Ankara.
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St. Gerasimus of the Jordan – founder of the monasteries in Palestine – died on March 5, 475 AD. The Latin and Syrian calendars honor his memory on March 5. In most Greek calendars the saint is mentioned on March 4, but there are certain calendars – related to the status of Studios Monastery – where his commemoration takes place on March 20. This article presents a brief overview of the evolution of St. Gerasimus iconography over the centuries, from the first known image, preserved in the mural painting of St. Anthony's monastery in Novgorod, to the examples of some of the seventeenth-century icons or some illustrated manuscripts from the eighteenth century. A special role is given to the description of the scenes contains The Story of St. Gerasimus' lion preserved in the Moldavian mural paintings of the 16th century. This story is inspired by one of the chapters of John Moschus' The Spiritual Meadow and has many similarities with The Story of St. Jerome and the Lion. The frescoes of the Humor and Voroneţ monasteries have preserved the Slavonic inscriptions, thanks to which we can today reconstruct the contents of the mural cycles dedicated to this story.
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There are many examples of the fact that the actors and representatives of the Babaî Rebellion, who accelerated the process of the establishment of the Ottoman Empire, in the vicinity of the first Ottoman rulers. It is understood that the contributions of Abdalan-ı Rum to the Turkification of Anatolia continued during the conquest of the Balkans. Essentially, it is known that guest groups were not separated each other by sharp lines. For this reason, dervishes with ghazi character are found, as well as representatives of a ghazi family who belong to the dervish group. The study aims at introducing the representatives of the Abdalan group in the Balkans, focusing on the lodges that have performed many functions.
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By including translated Slavic text of Prohiron into Nomocanon, Saint Sava helped instill civil law (Greco-Roman) into the very foundations of Nemanjic state and raise awareness among the population of engagement (obručenje) as an essential component of the family and state. Saint Sava disseminated transcripts of Nomocanon which epilogue stated that each archbishop, presbyter and teacher is bound to know the Nomocanon and to teach it to others. He succedeed in making the Nomocanon widely accepted, so that the existing customs were gradually superseded. Thus, the Nomocanon of Saint Sava became foundation for civil and canon law of medieval Serbian state. The author strongly believes that it is an unfortunate mistake that in the past two centuries this unique legal transplant was insufficiently studied. Dusan’s Code makes mention of marriage on only three occasions in Articles 2, 3 and 9 which suggests that he did not feel marital law should be regulated by new provisions. Instead, he accepted the provisions about marriage made by the Byzantine Tzars and incorporated into Nomocanon of Saint Sava. This is also indicated by the occurence of transcripts of Nomocanon of Saint Sava following the adoption of Dusan’s Code, such as Sarajevo, Belgrade, Hilandar and Moraca transcripts. The very Serbian civil code adopted in 1844 cited the Book of Kormchy.
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The Polish version of the article was published in Roczniki Humanistyczne 64 (2014), issue 2. The present article indicates some examples of the circumstances and ways of taking prisoners of war into captivity during military conflicts, the different possibilities of treating them and some measures to release them. The article includes, among others, fixed gestures and signs that were used to manifest the intention of giving oneself into the hands of one’s opponent and the ways of treating other prisoners of war. The examples cited herein, related to the captivity of kings, illustrate how different were the ways of treating prisoners of war, even of the same rank. Moreover, they show that some aspects of a politico-economic nature were superior to those indicated by the chivalric code. At the same time, the Crusades and close encounters with the Islamic world contributed to the considerable growth of sensibility to the fate of prisoners of war, which was expressed by the institutionalised (at least partially) procedure of giving freedom.
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Weapon are not typically found in Novgorod Land burials of the 8th—10th centuries. A new funerary rite was formed with the adoption of Christianity, with a number of specific features — erection of burial mounds, costume and headdress of the interred. Weapons, mainly spears and axes of various types, appear in male burials of the 11th—13th centuries, which can be connected with distribution of a new faith and self-identification of the local population. Concentration of burials with weapons in the border areas marks the western and north-western borders of the Novgorod Land and their defense systems. Such burials gradually disappeared starting from the second half of the 12th century. It is associated with the evangelization of the population, changes in land relations and in the military organization of Novgorod.
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The authors address items of arms and horse harness from Bagaevka rural settlement of the second half of 13th — 14th century, situated in periphery of the Golden Horde city Ukek in Saratov area of Saratov region and studied by expedition of Kazan University under supervision of L. F. Nedashkovsky in 1995, 2002—2003, 2006—2012 and 2014—2016. Numismatic finds from the site, which covered a large area of over 5.1 ha, are dated to the beginning of 1280s — beginning of 1360s. The weapons are represented by mace-head, axes, arrowheads and quiver hinge. Horse harness includes a debacle thorn, cinch buckles and harness rings. Morphological features of wares are examined in the article typologically with broad references to comparative materials from synchronous sites. A topographic analysis of finds is offered. The complex characterizes material culture of the Golden Horde village of the Low Volga region, which, judging by the published materials, differed from material culture of the nearby Ukek city.
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To date, more than 50 medieval swords, broadswords and sabers belonging to the culture of the Yenisei Kyrgyz have been recorded on the territory of the Minusinsk Basin and Tuva. Among them, a group of four items with Arabic inscriptions on the blades stands out, of which only three are available for study. The first find discovered at the end of the 19th century was lost, and the information about it is very scarce. The second find is stored in the Minusinsk regional museum of local history: it is half of a broadsword from which a woodworking tool (saw) was made at a later time. On one side of the broadsword there is an inscription made by chisel. This inscription is an imitation of Arabic inscriptions. In the same museum, there is a saber, on one side of which there is also an inscription and an image of a hexagonal star surrounded by two wavy lines. They are not visible due to metal corrosion. It is possible that the inscriptions are made in “Naskh” handwriting. The fourth sword was discovered during excavations of the Kyrgyz burial ground Eilig-Khem III. In the literature, it is known as the “sword of Bagyr”. On both sides of the blade, the inscription is clearly visible, which is one of the suras of the Quran. The article discusses a possible East European origin of these expensive weapons and ways of its penetration into Southern Siberia as a military trophy or import from Zhetysu (Semirechye) region. The Yenisei Kyrgyz, who cremated their warriors upon funeral pyres together with their weapons, these weapons served as an additional indicator of their social status.
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The article is an attempt to give the interpretation to the unique mud-brick construction on Starokievskaya Hora near the Desyatinnaya church excavated in 1909, 1911, and 2007. The authors undertake the comprehensive analysis of the field records of the early 20th century research and the stratigraphical observations in the course of the recent excavations of the secular buildings surrounding Desyatinnaya church, and presume that the mud-brick construction was a standing wall of the princely residence, and that it was erected by the builders responsible for the construction of the late 10th century mud-brick fortifications in Pereyaslav, Belgorod and others. A few versions of the origin of these builders are considered. The links with the building techniques of the Saltovo archaeological culture fortifications on the river Tikhaya Sosna are believed to be much more grounded than the links with the contemporary fortification tradition of Byzantium or the First Bulgarian Kingdom.
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Despite relatively short period of Sasanian occupation of Egypt, there is much evidence of their influence upon Egyptian material culture, and especially, textile production. Sasanian and post-Sasanian influence was manifested in different fields related to textiles in general: changes in costume and ‘fashion’, appearing of neatly tailored garments, introduction of new textile techniques and iconographical features. Egyptian weavers started drawing inspiration from new images and subjects. The question is how deep that influence got into the Egyptian textile production weaving techniques? The studies of textile objects from the Egyptian necropolises of Late Antiquity demonstrate the controversial nature of Sasanian occupation of Egypt. Certainly, it contributed to expansion of the Central Asian influence. At the same time, this influence was not spread by force. At some point, a certain technical feature or iconographical motif alien for Egyptian culture, became fashionable, later to be adopted and considered autochthonous. Egyptians developed new weaving techniques inspired by colorful and fancy Near Eastern models. The Egyptian-Persian workshops imitated some Central Asian techniques, but provincial weavers and tailors copied just shapes. The finished textiles and dress were not imitations of original costumes but rather copies of copies.
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This material is a review of recently published books on the results of the archaeological study of early city centers of the Viking period in Northern Russia: Ryurikovo Gorodishche, Pskov, Gnyozdovo, Gorodok on Lovat’ and Usvyat. Lack of detailed publications of many key archaeological sites is a long-standing problem of Russian archeology, which has only gradually improved in recent years. The books considered here add up to a kind of a single collection, united both by a common theme and by a single circle of authors. The most important topics are the development of early urban centers in Northern Russia, the chronology and mechanisms of the formation of medieval Russian culture as primarily the culture of urban centers, the role of Northern Europe and Byzantium in the composition of medieval Russian culture, connections of early cities with their environs and with each other. Some of the proposed points are debatable, while others confirm and develop the existing concepts.
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The purpose of the article refutes the opinion that the Old Russian style inherited the traditions of metropolitan Byzantine architecture, creatively reinterpreting them, which was established in the literature since the 50s of the twentieth century. The differences from Constantinople architecture were often treated as the original features of the Old Russian architecture. Nowadays, on the basis of excavations and systematization of the history of architecture of that time, scientists prove that the monumental architecture of Kievan Rus’ took the traditions of the Byzantine provinces, which were significantly different from the capital ones. The original Old Russian style was shaped only by the end of the XII century in the work of Miloneg with his aggrandized pyramidality of both interiors and the facade. Its origins occur not in the folk wooden architecture, but in the general tendencies of the development of the world architecture. The article shows the transformation of the Old Russian style under the influence of Gothic and Renaissance tendencies in the ХV century in the western Ukrainian lands.
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