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The new research methods that developed in the 20th century, useful for the studies of sediments and palaeogeographical reconstructions, have caused the need for specialists in these fields to arise. One of such methods is pollen analysis, whose centennial anniversary was celebrated in 2016. Its use in the studies of the sediments of the Quaternary was the decisive factor in employing a pollen analysis specialist by the Institute of Geography, University of Łódź. The article elucidates the history of palynology in Łódź, which, after two short episodes, lasted continuously, between the years 1972–2006 and to presents, very briefly, the problems connected with organizing the laboratory as well as to highlights the most important accomplishments of its employees.
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The South-Polish pollen complex, being an equivalent of the South-Polish complex in relation to its pollen content, was distinguished based on pollen data coupled with palaeomagnetic and geological investigations. The complex contains the Augustovian, Domuratovian and Ferdynandovian pollen sequences with a multicycle record of vegetation changes. The record of vegetation changes allows for the reconstruction of high-amplitude climate changes of a glacial/cooling/glacial rank and low-amplitude changes such as interstadial/stadial oscillations and climate fluctuations taking place both during interglacials and cool intervals. Based on palaeomagnetic data, vegetation and climate changes, the Augustovian succession should be correlated with MIS 21–19, the Domuratovian succession – with MIS 17, and the Ferdynandovian succession – with MIS 15–13.
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The article presents an evolution of the experience in the application of lithological methods for palaeogeographic reconstructions of glacigenic processes in Central Poland as well as a proposal for a wider use of the lithofacies and lithogenetic analyses in connection with determining the energy level record in sedimentation environments. It was found that the lithotypes distinguished on the basis of energy level show connections both with specific sedimentation environment types and with genetic groups of relief forms. By applying the method of lithological record with determining the environment energy level, the authors assumed the distinction of four main lithotypes: 1) very high, 2) high, 3) medium, and 4) low energy. The authors analysed the positive and negative conclusions from the application of this typology in different outcrops, noticing a number of advantages for palaeogeographic inference.
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Earthquake-triggered seismic wave propagation can induce liquefaction of water-saturated unconsolidated finegrained clastic sediments. As a result, layers with soft-sediment deformation structures called seismites can be formed. To propose a seismic origin of the layer, it should meet recognition criteria. Therefore, it is necessary to provide (1) a lithofacies analysis of the sediments in the studied section; (2) a detailed description of deformation structures including their position in the sedimentological log as well as within the deformed layer, lateral extent and continuity, geometry, texture and structure of both deformed and host sediments, spatial distribution and heterogenity of deformation structures in the plan view as well as an oblique view; (3) identification of structures that could have been formed during a liquefaction process and a comparison with those that recently occurred in tectonically active zones as an earthquake effect; (4) a subsurface geological structure recognition, particularly the presence and activity of faults; (5) discussion and elimination of all other possible triggers that could have caused sediment deformation; (6) estimation of the age of the deformation.
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Large erratic boulders located in situ on moraines may be a target for surface exposure age dating with TCN (Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclides ). This paper presents the method and the results of the selection of erratics in Pomerania for this type of dating. Middle and eastern Pomerania are key regions to complete the cosmogenic chronologies of the geomorphology left by the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet retreat in the northern Polish landscape. Our selection of massive erratics consists of two stages. First, a GIS database (254 erratics) was constructed based on all available information about large boulders, and erratics were selected based on their dimensions and distribution against a digital elevation model and geologic maps. Second, field inspection of preliminarily selected boulders was conducted and 27 erratics were finally selected as suitable for surface exposure age dating with TCN. The significant reduction of the number of boulders at particular stages of qualification shows the importance of the proposed systematic selection. Spatial distribution of the selected boulders (location on moraine plateaux and paleo ice-marginal belts) and their individual features show their high usefulness for surface exposure age dating with TCN
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The trade in oxen, along with the trade in grain, was one of two most important branches of Polish export trade in the 16th c. Both merchandises were produced in the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom and were exported to Western Europe. However, the specific trade routes differ due to the different properties of these goods. While grain was a typical bulk good, the transport of which required cheap means of transportation, it was exported via sea and delivered to harbours through rivers, the trade routes of oxen ran orthogonal to those of grain (i.e. parallel to the sea), for the simple reason that oxen can move on their own. Furthermore, the final destinations of these goods lay in the annual fairs in Silesia and Saxony which were located far from the Baltic Sea. These trade routes typically began in the south- -east, around the Moldavian regions, and crossed the country towards the north-west. Analysing the history of these trade relations is uncommonly challenging since most of the official sources were destroyed during World War II. The source investigated in the present text was transmitted through a private archive (it belonged to the Branicki family) and thus, it survives to this day. The text in question is written in a paper booklet of only six pages, giving no information on the time and place of its origin, or about the author. It is not even clear whether the writer was the actual author or whether the text is a copy of another manuscript. The aim of the text is to explain the proper behaviour for the observant of the oxen trade. The intended reader was to be interested in trade due to his occupation such as a young merchant or a toll keeper. The manuscript details the steps necessary or helpful for dealing with the annual fairs and toll houses of Greater Poland, explaining how to retrace the path of the oxen, e.g. looking out for how often how many oxen were given water. The text assumes a chronological structure, i.e. it starts in January and abruptly ends in November. The reasons why the second half of November and December are missing are not clear – several pages are left blank. To the researches, these descriptions provide a unique insight into the functionalities of the annual fairs in Greater Poland of those times, and the mechanisms of their trade.
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In the second half of the 16th century, the district of Kcynia was administratively a part of the Kalisz voivodeship, which also comprised the districts of Kalisz, Pyzdry, Konin, Gniezno and Nakło. Th e district of Kcynia was situated in the northern part of the voivodeship, from the north bordering the district of Nakło and from the south the district of Gniezno. It constituted a part of the Kalisz voivodeship since 1768, when three northern districts were separated from that voivodeship, namely of Gniezno, Kcynia and Nakło – thus establishing the Gniezno voivodeship. The source basis of the reconstruction of settlement, together with state and church administrative divisions in 1600 are the so-called tax registers, which were the lists of incomes from the extraordinary tax temporarily passed by the Seym of the Republic of Poland for military purposes. In the second half of the 16th c. it acquired a common character, including all categories of the population and industrial facilities functioning in rural and urban areas. The censuses were performed according to the administrative division into voivodeships and districts as well as parishes inside them. For the second half of the 16th c. eleven tax registers of the district of Kcynia have been preserved from the years 1564–1591, at present kept in the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw. Data from the registers are supplemented with the information from other sources, first of all ecclesiastical ones. The settlement network of the district of Kcynia was mostly shaped already in the period of the Middle Ages (13th–15th centuries). The number of new settlements in the 16th c., especially in the second half, was already small. In the period under discussion the district of Kcynia comprised 2400 km2 and the number of identified settlement sites can be determined at 317, which means that one settlement included approximately 7.5 km2. In that time there were 13 towns in the area of the district, the biggest being Żnin, which belonged to the archbishop of Gniezno and which had 2500 inhabitants. The population of the district capital Kcynia, the seat of the starost (overseer of the Crown lands), can be estimated at about 1000 persons. The district of Kcynia mostly included small rural settlements with the area not exceeding 10 lans (a unit of field measurement) of arable land plus the manor lands. The area of the arable land (except the manor lands) in the district of Kcynia was at that time about 340 km2, which was a little more than 14% of the whole area of the district. The total size of the usable area can be estimated at only 30% of the whole district area, while the rest included forests and waste land. The gentry property clearly predominated, constituting about 79% of the whole estate, while 18% was church property and only 2% of the lands belonged to the kind, while 1% was a mixed property. It can be stated on the basis of the sources that in the district of Kcynia at that time nearly 40 watermills and more than 50 windmills functioned and they were concentrated in the central part of the region with the least forestation. The area of the district of Kcynia in the period under discussion was divided between three dioceses, namely of Gniezno, Poznań and Wrocław. Most of the area belonged to the archdeanery of Gniezno of the Gniezno archdiocese and within it, to three deaneries: of Łekno, Żnin and Gniezno-St. Peter. Forty one parishes had their seats in the area of the district.
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In late autumn 1686 and early spring 1687 the archdeacon of Pomerania Andrzej Albinowski, who represented the bishop of Kujawy and Pomerania – Bonawentura Madaliński – conducted a canonical visitation of the parishes composing the archdeanery of Pomerania. The source basis of the article consists of the dates of visitation activities recorded in the fair copy rewritten in the second half of the 18th c. The present article reconstructs the route of the visitor and the stages of his journey. Th e sequence of the visited sacral places was set down and an attempt was made to establish the covered distances on the basis of a simplified method determining the distances covered by the visitor in a straight line based on the contemporary maps. The analysis of the source records characterized the journey of archdeacon Albinowski during the autumn and spring stages of his visitation with mean daily distances covered by the visitor as well as the average number of visited churches during one day and the average distances between the visited places in particular deaneries. While analyzing the journey made by Rev. Albinowski, even by means of a simplified method of establishing the distance in a straight line, a clear tendency to minimize the distances and to economize time can be noticed. What can be observed at the same time are the eff orts of the bishop’s delegate to visit the churches on the basis of deaneries. Where, however, for geographical reasons it was not rational to visit the churches belonging to one deanery, this rule was given up and the nearest places, though situated in another deanery, were traveled to. It should be added that further studies on visitation journeys should undertake an attempt to establish the actually covered distance on the grounds of a broader source basis.
More...Hauptprobleme und Forschungsdesiderate in einem kurzen Überblick
The written sources referring to these natural disasters are quite scarce for the region of Reghin. This study is based upon local chronicles of the town Reghinul-Săsesc (Sächsisch-Regen), upon the records made by orthodox priests on missals, upon printed historical sources as well as secondary literature. It is possible that many natural events that occured in this region have not been recorded or that the records have been lost. Most of the natural disasters, like floods or extreme temperatures, have influenced the economic life, but they have caused fewer human losses. The author also presents the reaction of the society to these disasters. Where epidemics are concerned, it was noticed that the poor population was more exposed to illnesses than the other population groups, especially on account of the hygienic conditions. The greatest problems were caused by plague (18th century) and cholera (19th century). Famine was brought about not only by climatic events, but also by military incursions. The action of the vulcanoes Laki and Tambora, which have caused food problems on wide areas, is also depicted. These problems have led to the creation of local grain stores. The positive consequences of natural disasters were a growing feeling of inter-community solidarity as well as the establishment of insurance companies. Regarding the people's perception of disasters, there are two perspectives: on the one hand the religious interpretation, which explains the events by celestial activity or divine punishment, on the other hand the rational interpretation of phenomena that emerged towards the end of the 18th century, with the Age of Enlightment.
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The present article is concerned with the problem which has been so far neglected by the scientists dealing with the Mazovian history. This is the history of iron ore mining on the example of two settlements, namely Ruda-Skroda and Rudka-Skroda, situated on the fringes of the Kolno Highland, on the river Skoda, the left-side tributary of the river Pisa. Luckily, two oldest acts initiating the establishment of both villages and ironworks, from 1416 and 1461, were preserved. Th e documents determined the scope of rights and duties of the recipients of the rights, ore miner Jan from Przasnysz and his son Klemens. An important element of those documents was the establishment of the right to exploit the Duke’s forest Zagajnica by mining iron ore, wood burning and logging as well as building a bridge on the river Pisa, which facilitated transport. What can be interesting to the reader is the fact that ore mills and ironworks were situated in both localities until modern times, with another building of a mill in Ruda-Skroda, from the 19th c., existing till now, while the mill has been converted into an electrically powered grain mill.
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According to economic geography literature, the success of firms is affected by the local context, in particular when firms are socio-spatially embedded. We expect this effect to be stronger when firms face an increase in local disorder. We analysed data on 344 firms (active in retail, eating and drinking establishments, personal services and private education, business services, cultural activities, manufacturing and building) in 108 Dutch residential neighborhoods,and data on the changes in social and physical disorder of those neighborhoods, to examiner success determinants. We find that it is not the degree of disorder that matters to local firms turnover, but rather recent changes in local disorder. More in particular, we find that local firm turnover is negatively affected by an increase in local disorder, but only when a firm depends on daily visits from predominantly local customers. Our results suggest that physical and social local interventions to create safe and clean public spaces will indirectly positively influence local firms and subsequently, the neighborhood economy. This spill-over effect is promising for both residents, who benefit from local amenities and local ‘buzz’, and local entrepreneurs, whose firm success is stimulated.
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Population ageing and growing awareness of the need for physical activity is one of the most important topics in Europe nowadays. But it should be noted that there is still no interdisciplinary and integrated approach to urban environment planning concerning physical activity of elderly people which would take into account special needs and possibilities of this particular group. Elderly people represent one of the groups which are threatened with social exclusion for different reasons. This article presents a proposal for a method of constructing a spatial system consisting of natural and anthropocentric elements of urban environment which can be interpreted as Inclusive Urban Green Infrastructure, enabling active and healthy ways of recreation, including the needs of elderly persons. It is based on the existing elements of the environment, but to create a well-functioning system in urban space it is necessary to introduce additional elements, both natural and man-created. The method refers to the spatial definition of areas for active recreation which meet the adopted, specific for elderly people, pro-health and functional requirements. Creation of such a system in cities would contribute to inclusion of this group into social life, thus boosting social coherence and integration across generations, and would also bring beneficial health results. Such infrastructure would also be of considerable importance for sustainable urban growth and improvement of the quality of urban space. The paper is based on source materials from the fields of science investigating health in connection with physiology of the process of ageing, influence of physical activity on this process, impact of negative features of the environment on the health of elderly people as well as urban space planning and development.The proposed methodology of constructing Inclusive Urban Green Infrastructure is presented on the example of Łódź, using data from the Geographic Information System (Topographic Objects Database) and population database for cities.
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In 2010 Serbia faced with many social, economical and political issues such as the economic crisis, unemployment, uncertain candidate for membership in the European Union, cooperation with the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague and others. Recurrences of the past are still being felt in the political than some of the European Union with Serbia. Serbia has a long way toward permanent membership, and to intensify regional cooperation in Southeast Europe (SEE) through active membership in regional organizations and initiatives. Although this region for many years been burdened with the past and lack of understanding among nations, the steppes of integration is still achieved and is still stricken by stereotyped comparisons with a barrel keg, and so damn yard. The aim of this paper is to point out some directions for further development of the region and review of the circumstances that have contributed to this state, to show the events of the past who may be a message for the future.
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Regionalization is a contemporary conception of a development within a society. We are interested in cooperation at regions whose area is intersected by the national border. One of those borders is the Drina River that in different periods had changeable role of connecting or separating. In this way we want to stress the necessity of making a stronger, functional connection and developing of overall process of integration in the Podrinje region, on a land between the two republics-Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, because we think that this area has the most reasons for that, but so far it has been done very little. The first attempts to form Euroregions in Lower Podrinje region have already started, but it lacks many activities for this area to receive a cross-border role that it deserves.
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The article is devoted to actual in conditions of modern model of education in high school problem of an interdisciplinary connection between some disciplines – a world arts history, world culture, regional geography, a world history, museums of the world.
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This article presents the results of the excavation of necropolis on the site of Kamenjača in Breza near Sarajevo led by the author from 1975 to 1980. The explored archaeological material from the Daesitiates’ necropolis has not been published as a whole. Its importance and significance was only presented partially in several shorter contributions, especially when study and introduction of the cultural history of the Daesitiates in pre−roman or La−Tene periods were the issue. Results show a general conclusion that, except one inhumed grave, the ritual of incineration burial is predominant. In these excavations there has been ascertained inseparable area of the necropolis used for the sepulchral ritual of cremation of deceased – so called ustrinum publicum. Systematic excavation marked two types of burial. First is chronologically older and it is assigned to the pre-Roman period, time of the Illyrian independence epoch, while the other, younger period is contemporary to the period of Roman conquest. The older type of burial is characterized by several forms of the grave construction: (1) Rectangular dry – wall flattened with soil and stones, is mentioned as a mortal bier. On the surface of these grave constructions are discovered remains of the ashes of the deceased brought from the funeral pile as well as the pieces of grave goods like weapons (spears) and fibulae; (2) Small piles of stones, with grave goods next to or on it.
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Nell’ambito dell’arte altomedievale della Dalmazia già da tempo è noto un bassorilievo raffigurante un cavaliere in una scena di caccia rinvenuto nella località di Žrnovnica nei pressi di Spalato ( Fig. 1). Il manufatto è scolpito su un blocco di calcare bianco lungo 123 cm e alto 80 cm, e presenta uno spessore che varia tra i 25 e 26 cm, misurabile soltanto lungo il lato sinistro , in quanto il bassorilievo è inserito nell’angolo sinistro della facciata della chiesa dedicata alla Beata Vergine Maria a Žrnovnica. L’impossibilità di esaminare tutti i lati della scultura, rende dunque difficile stabilirne la funzione primaria. In questa sede, in via del tutto propositiva, avanziamo l’ipotesi che si tratti del pluteo di un cancello presbiteriale. A tale conclusione inducono la distribuzione degli ornamenti sul lato frontale e le sue dimensioni . M. Abramić, che per primo ha studiato il bassorilievo, sulla base di un’analisi comparativa e stilistica e per la presenza del motivo di intrecci viminei, colloca il cavaliere nei secoli tardi del medioevo. Ipotesi basata sull’identificazione di connotazioni figurative probabilmente note alla coeva comunità rurale che, anche dopo l’esaurimento dell’arte preromanica, coltivava ancora la tradizione espressiva dell’intreccio vimineo.
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During the last two thousand years the Western Balkans area has been mainly ruled by external factors, whose governors were mainly interested in personal gain or the exploitation of domestic resources, people and riches. One of the rare individuals who stood out from this general rule was Publius Cornelius Dolabella. His reign, lasting from14 to 20 AD, was marked with the introduction of civilisation values from the developed Mediterranean world into the less developed world of the proto-historic Western Balkans. This was especially crucial if we take into consideration the fact that this was the time of reconstruction after the catastrophe which befell upon the Illyrian lands during the Great Illyrian Uprising from 6 to 9 AD. Dolabella’s activities were mainly focused on the large infrastructural works, such as the building of a road network with a combined length of over 400 Roman miles, which is a feat not even rivalled in modern times. Beside this, Dolabella also undertook another important project by introducing a unified land-registry which was the first of its kind in the Western Balkans. This land-registry would later become the basis for the development of territorial relations.
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In 2009 rescue archaeological excavations were made on the site of Grovnice in Mali Mošunj, Vitez municipality. During this campaign it has been excavated only one part of the large and unexplored necropolis: 9 graves and 3 tombs (the third one, accord- Maksimijana 305-311; Licinija 307-323 i Julijana II. 360- 363. Truhelka 1893, 690-691. 24 Osim numizmatičkih nalaza u prilog ovoj dataciji govori i kameni namješta iz crkve na Kalvariji koji po antičkim karakteristikama ne bi trebalo datirati kasnije od IV. st. Basler 1972, 158. ing to the lack of arguments, is not completely defined object), which were very destroyed by the mechanization of the local stone mine. Nevertheless, during the investigation, it was possible to reach a series of findings on which basis was possible to put this necropolis in a certain context and to define it chronologically. Even though some elements like fragments of the sepulchral monuments (stele) are pointing to existence of this necropolis in the period of the Early Antiquity; vault tombs, burials oriented W-E with heads on west and legs on east, with arms straight to the body and hands placed on pelvis, remains of the wooden coffins and traces of the linen that enfolded the deceased offered us more arguments to determine this necropolis in the period from 4th to 5th century, when the Late Antiquity not just in Mali Mošunj, but in the vast area showed very intensively.
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