Early Medieval Europe最新文献

The long-standing collaboration between Bishop Damasus of Rome and Furius Dionysius Filocalus has prompted extensive scholarly research over the years, thereby forging a lasting and inseparable link between them. This article does not seek to undermine that bond; rather, it demonstrates – on the basis of surviving epigraphic evidence – that Filocalus’ workshop was not solely Damasus’ domain but was also heavily employed by Roman presbyters. They were the earliest imitators of Damasus’ building initiatives and the most devoted supporters of his project to monumentalize suburban cemeteries, making full use of the recognizable Filocalian script as their primary means of expressing this innovative vision.

The Astronomer's Life of the emperor Louis the Pious (814–40) is a canonical source for scholars of Frankish history. It sits at the centre of recent debates about the nature and tone of Carolingian political discourse, and about the crisis of the empire in the 830s. Yet the date and precise context of the text's composition have hardly ever been debated. The consensus position, codified in Ernst Tremp's definitive 1995 edition, is that it was written very shortly after the death of its subject, during the succession war fought between his sons. In this article I argue that this reading is not as secure as is usually assumed, and that a later dating may be preferable. I propose a new interpretation of the text as a product of Charles the Bald's reign and argue that this context reinvigorates the Life's value as a source for ninth-century history.

The repurposing of earlier sites and monuments is an enduringly popular theme in early medieval archaeology, but in England it has attracted little interest among Late Saxon and early post-Conquest studies. From the tenth century, however, an increasingly prevalent pattern is discernible of secular lords locating their power centres in relation to earlier features. A variety of evidence for such correlations is presented here, demonstrating reuse as an explicit strategy of aspirant lords who developed their private complexes with reference to a wide range of prehistoric, Roman, and earlier medieval antecedents. It is argued that the tumultuous political conditions around the turn of the first millennium intensified elite engagement with material signatures of the past, which they curated in efforts to shape collective memory and buttress their authority.

The article deals with eleventh-century Hungarian pro anima donations, which reflect the efforts of the members of the Árpád dynasty and other powerful elites to secure eternal salvation. Medieval Hungary underwent profound social changes following the adoption of Christianity. For the rulers and magnates, this manifested in a concern for their immortal souls and the securing of memorialization after death, something that was to be provided by the emerging Benedictine abbeys or proprietary churches. For purification of one's sins, the various ecclesiastical institutions needed to be duly supported materially; widespread donations meant for the salvation of souls served this specific purpose.

Drawing on the extensive documentary record of northern Italy, available archaeological evidence, and comparative case studies from early medieval Europe, this study demonstrates that mill-based landscapes in the Po and Friuli-Venetian plains were shaped by society as a whole. Italian charters from the late ninth and tenth centuries highlight the pivotal role of kings and emperors in managing mills and milling resources, alongside ecclesiastical and secular landlords, aristocratic women, and wealthy peasants. This article explores the varied forms and functions of mills, highlighting that, beyond their crucial role in ecological sustainability, they also served as powerful social instruments for establishing authority, consolidating alliances, and controlling territory.