Despite recent considerable gains, our knowledge of cancer in antiquity is still limited. This paper discusses an adult individual from a Dutch medieval hospital site who demonstrates osteoblastic... Show moreDespite recent considerable gains, our knowledge of cancer in antiquity is still limited. This paper discusses an adult individual from a Dutch medieval hospital site who demonstrates osteoblastic and osteolytic lesions on the ribs, scapula, clavicle, and vertebrae. The morphology, radiographic appearance, and distribution of the skeletal lesions suggest that this individual was affected by metastatic carcinoma. This case increases the number of publications that present an osteoblastic and osteolytic response to cancer and contributes to the body of evidence for archaeological neoplastic disease. For the Netherlands, this individual presents the first published case of probable metastatic carcinoma with mixed skeletal lesions. Show less
This dissertation provides an in-depth study of the Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order, also known as the 'Jüngere Hochmeisterchronik'. It examines the circulation of (historical)... Show moreThis dissertation provides an in-depth study of the Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order, also known as the 'Jüngere Hochmeisterchronik'. It examines the circulation of (historical) knowledge within the Teutonic Order at the end of the fifteenth century. Only decades earlier, the order suffered major defeats in Prussia and its former heathen enemies had become Christians. It has been the underlying aim of this study to gain an understanding of the introduction of the order’s tradition of history writing to the Low Countries, far removed from the traditional production centres in Prussia and Livonia, as well as the effects this change of location, and accompanying change of perspective had on the content and purpose of such historical production within the order. It has become clear that the chronicle was written in Utrecht, in various phases from 1480 to 1491 and possibly the mid-1490s, by the Utrecht land commander Johan van Drongelen and his personal secretary. The material product of their collaboration is a manuscript kept in Vienna, which can now be classified as an author’s copy. Furthermore, the author(s) managed to collect a wide selection of sources – including from locations hundreds of kilometres away from the city of Utrecht. Show less
The Our Lady Cathedral in Tournai is today one of the most remarkable churches of the Low Countries. In the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of the most northern bishopric of France.... Show more The Our Lady Cathedral in Tournai is today one of the most remarkable churches of the Low Countries. In the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of the most northern bishopric of France. The early 12 Century Cathedral was built during a highly turbulent chapter in the history of the bishopric. After five centuries in personal union with the diocese of Noyon, and a long struggle for independence, Tournai recovered its own bishop in 1146. The architecture of the new early 12 Century Cathedral was to represent the venerable age of the Church of Tournai and its original independence. The triconchos (trefoil) ground plan points to the martyrium churches: it recalls the ideal of the early Church and its local saintly founder. The impressive group of five towers refers to the future, being a prefiguration of the Holy City Jerusalem that will descent on earth at the end of time. The strength of the Cathedral as a representation of the episcopal see of an independent bishopric of Tournai was visualised in the attribute of Eleutherius, the new patron saint: a model of the group of five towers forms a concise summary of the architecture of the Cathedral. Show less
Barrett, J.H.; Orton, D.; Johnstone, C.; Harland, J.; Van Neer, W.; Ervynck, A.; ... ; Richards, M. 2011
Archaeological fish bones reveal increases in marine fish utilisation in Northern and Western Europe beginning in the 10th and 11th centuries AD. We use stable isotope signatures from 300... Show moreArchaeological fish bones reveal increases in marine fish utilisation in Northern and Western Europe beginning in the 10th and 11th centuries AD. We use stable isotope signatures from 300 archaeological cod (Gadus morhua) bones to determine whether this sea fishing revolution resulted from increased local fishing or the introduction of preserved fish transported from distant waters such as Arctic Norway, Iceland and/or the Northern Isles of Scotland (Orkney and Shetland). Results from 12 settlements in England and Flanders (Belgium) indicate that catches were initially local. Between the 9th and 12th centuries most bones represented fish from the southern North Sea. Conversely, by the 13th to 14th centuries demand was increasingly met through long distance transport - signalling the onset of the globalisation of commercial fisheries and suggesting that cities such as London quickly outgrew the capacity of local fish supplies. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Show less
Between 1213 and 1484, numerous towns came into being in the counties of Holland and Zeeland, resulting in the rapid transformation of Holland in particular, into a “landscape of towns” where a... Show moreBetween 1213 and 1484, numerous towns came into being in the counties of Holland and Zeeland, resulting in the rapid transformation of Holland in particular, into a “landscape of towns” where a large proportion of the county’s population – well above the average for that period - came to live. The research forming the basis of this book aimed at establishing the effect of the granting of town privileges (or city rights) with regard to the creation of these towns from both a historical and a legal-historical perspective. This was done along three lines. First, the historical circumstances accompanying the granting of specific town privileges have been assessed. Secondly, it has been established whether the granting of town privileges had been used as an instrument for attaining certain political goals and if so, in what manner. The third line was to discover which party - either Count or citizens - could be seen as the main instigator behind the granting of these privileges. This research subsequently focused on town privilege affiliations and on the hierarchical relations between town privileges. Finally, the contents of the town privilege charters were subjected to a legal-comparative analysis. Show less
In the late middle ages, the inhabitants of the duchy of Guelders had to deal with a number of negative stereotypes. They were reputed to be lumpish, barbaric, belligerent, and rebellious. These... Show moreIn the late middle ages, the inhabitants of the duchy of Guelders had to deal with a number of negative stereotypes. They were reputed to be lumpish, barbaric, belligerent, and rebellious. These stereotypes had come into existence during the many wars with the Burgundian and Habsburg princes, who wanted to conquer the duchy. Some Guelders historians, however, used these negative stereotypes in order to create a positive image of their compatriots: they described the people of Guelders as natural, brave, and as lovers of freedom. According to them, these labels were the essence of the Guelders identity. In Gelre. Dynastie, land en identiteit Aart Noordzij describes the development of a political identity in Guelders between 1100 and 1600. He does this by analyzing the interaction between political processes, state-formation and the shaping of identities. Successively, the formation of the dynasty, the structure of the territory, and the imagination of the dynasty, the territory, and its inhabitants pass in review. By reconstructing the interaction between political processes, imagination, and the shaping of identities, we can understand how a political community like Guelders, notwithstanding its complexity and lack of unity, could exist, function, and get coherence. Show less
