This thesis investigates the daily life of an early medieval community in Central Italy by focusing on the skeletal collection (n = 66) from the ancient site of Satricum dating between the 9th and...Show moreThis thesis investigates the daily life of an early medieval community in Central Italy by focusing on the skeletal collection (n = 66) from the ancient site of Satricum dating between the 9th and 11th century AD, to advance our understanding of this everchanging period. The research employs the study of paleopathology, with a focus on osteoarthritis (OA), osteochondritis dissecans (OD), and periosteal new bone growth (PNB). The skeletal analyses revealed a high prevalence of joint degeneration, particularly in the spine, hip, shoulder, and elbow, while also PNB was recorded in relatively high numbers. The findings suggest that Satricum was a small, self-reliant community engaged in agricultural practices with ongoing physiological stressors. However, the presence of OA might have been influenced by both activity and genetic predisposition due to the long duration of the community settling in Satricum. The study also explored the impact of sex and age. The osteological assessment indicated a potential surplus of males, aligning with demographic patterns of early medieval times, while the identified females showed no distinctive activity markers, prompting further investigation into the "missing women" concept of the Middle Ages. The presence of only five subadults also raised questions about community beliefs, suggesting a potential societal distinction for individuals under the age of seven since no social separation was recognized between the adults and juveniles over that age. Furthermore, the funerary practices exhibited potential indicators of a Christian belief system, such as burial orientation and the absence of grave goods. The reuse of a Roman villa with a possible apsis also hinted at the presence of an ecclesial building. Comparisons with other Central Italian sites of the same period (Albano, Santa Severa, and Colonna) highlighted pathological and demographic commonalities. Therefore, in the broader context, this research contributes to existing knowledge by confirming scholar’s theories about life in rural medieval Central Italy. Finally, this study emphasizes the significance of investigating previously unstudied skeletal collections because these findings not only deepen our understanding of Satricum but also provide a foundation for future research, encouraging diverse approaches to further unravel the complexities of this ancient community.Show less
Drawing on research findings of a fish event horizon in England and extensive work on historical fish consumption in Belgium, this study aims to answer the question: How did fish consumption...Show moreDrawing on research findings of a fish event horizon in England and extensive work on historical fish consumption in Belgium, this study aims to answer the question: How did fish consumption develop in the northern Low Countries during the early and late medieval period (450-1500). This research is conducted using the Dutch Fish Bones (DFB) dataset, which includes the Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) of fish species and families from archaeological sites between 0-2000 CE. The DFB-dataset is subjected to aoristic analysis in 25-year bin categories to create a diachronic timeline. Despite potential biases and limitations, coherent with the presence of uncertainty within each assemblage and the underrepresentation of certain fish species due to differential preservation and the collection methods employed in archaeological excavations, the study offers valuable insights into regional fish consumption dynamics. During the period from 450 to 650, both inland and coastal regions displayed a preference for locally sourced fish. Freshwater eels, cyprinids, and perches were the primary choices inland, while coastal consumption mainly consisted of demersal righteye flounders and small amounts of herring. From 650 to 950, the coastal region continued to heavily rely on righteye flounders, while freshwater fish remained popular inland. However, there was a gradual emergence of marine fish consumption during the "long eighth century," likely influenced by trade and commercial hubs. Between 950 and 1200, the consumption of marine, migratory, and freshwater fish declined in the northern Low Countries, potentially due to the Medieval Warm Period and changes in fish populations. Despite this decline, there was a slight increase in codfish consumption, which may be linked to the growing trade of Norwegian stockfish. Urban areas witnessed a shift towards marine consumption between 1200 and 1375 in a period that can be called a gradual ‘fish event horizon’, rural areas, in contrast, exhibited a delayed increase in marine fish consumption almost a century after urban consumption surged. The development of markets and trade hubs played a crucial role in making marine fish more accessible in inland regions. The rapid growth in smelt consumption during the fourteenth century reflects the broader trend of rising fish consumption, fuelled by urbanization, population growth, and dietary restrictions. The formation of the Zuyderzee facilitated trade of the Hanseatic cities by providing an open waterway to the North Sea. However, human interventions disrupted the distribution of fish species, leading to a decline in freshwater eels. During the late fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, fish consumption experienced significant expansion phases. Herring, cod, and righteye flounders were consumed in larger quantities, driven by technological advancements in fishing techniques and equipment. The herring industry of the northern Low Countries grew rapidly, with Dutch vessels dominating European trade. Between 1650 and 1800, overall fish consumption declined due to conflicts, economic difficulties, and political instability. However, throughout the centuries following the fish event horizon, the pattern of high marine fish consumption has remained steadfast and continues to be relevant in modern times. These findings illuminate historical fish consumption patterns in the region and provide a foundation for future research, including enriching the dataset, calling for additional meta-analyses and isotopic research, and addressing knowledge gaps, such as the significant decrease in overall fish consumption in the period 950-1200.Show less
This thesis studies a Middle Dutch Book of Hours which was copied in 1498 and illuminated in 1499 for Aef van Bolgerien, an inhabitant of Beverwijk, and which is currently preserved in the Special...Show moreThis thesis studies a Middle Dutch Book of Hours which was copied in 1498 and illuminated in 1499 for Aef van Bolgerien, an inhabitant of Beverwijk, and which is currently preserved in the Special Collections of Leiden University Libraries under the shelfmark BPL 2747. While several aspects of this manuscript have already received scholarly attention (in particular its colophon and decoration), this thesis presents a first comprehensive study into the history and contents of the codex. It focuses in particular on the way(s) in which the book was customized for the use by Aef van Bolgerien. Books of Hours were often made to order, meaning their contents could be adjusted to the preferences of the comissioner. As a result, while Books of Hours are the most surviving type of texts from the Middle Ages, they show great variety among them. As the selection of additional prayers in particular is specific to each copy, they offer insight into both the relgious practice of the first owner and, in general, into the practice of customising Books of Hours. For this reason, the eleven additional prayers contained in BPL 2747 were chosen to be transcribed and edited as part of the thesis. In the first chapter, the historical developments surrounding the production and use of the Book of Hours are discussed, focussing on developments in lay religious culture, the Devotio Moderna, and the vernacular translation of the Hours that was created in this context. The second chapter introduces the manuscript central to the study, BPL 2747, and provides insight into elements such as the materiality, provenance and decorations of the book. The third chapter contains a transcription of the prayers separate from the Hours. The final chapter, chapter 4, adresses the dissemination of the prayers and what they may tell us about van Bolgerien’s devotional practice.Show less
This thesis examines medieval and early modern ordinances found in the ordinance books of the cities of Ghent, Dordrecht, Leiden, Sint-Truiden and Antwerp in order to establish whether city...Show moreThis thesis examines medieval and early modern ordinances found in the ordinance books of the cities of Ghent, Dordrecht, Leiden, Sint-Truiden and Antwerp in order to establish whether city policies relating to animals were changed during disease outbreaks.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
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In popular culture, the European Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500) are commonly portrayed as a culturally homogenous time period in which the supremacy of the white, heterosexual male is taken for granted...Show moreIn popular culture, the European Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500) are commonly portrayed as a culturally homogenous time period in which the supremacy of the white, heterosexual male is taken for granted. This makes the period attractive to the far-right, whose members view the Middle Ages as an alternative to our modern, multicultural times. In the past, Medieval imagery and rhetoric have consequently been appropriated by groups and individuals ranging from the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis to Anders Breivik, the Charlottesville protesters and Vladimir Putin. In this thesis, Guus van der Peet examines how the appropriation of history has taken place in the Dutch Language Area. He analyses four case studies: 1) an antisemitic sequel to the Middle Dutch classic Vanden Vos Reinarde; 2) the academic publications of Jan de Vries, a national-socialist professor in Leiden; 3) two Youtube videos from the Flemish far-right student association Schild & Vrienden; 4) two speeches by alt-right politician Thierry Baudet. In the end, Van der Peet concludes that there is a significant difference between the Flemish and Dutch appropriation of the past. Whereas the Flemish far-right repeatedly references the Middle Ages, the Dutch far-right deviates from the international tradition by instead appropriating the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.Show less
Human activities have impacted the natural landscape and vegetation from the emergence of agriculture onwards. Subsequent traces of anthropogenic activities are documented and preserved in...Show moreHuman activities have impacted the natural landscape and vegetation from the emergence of agriculture onwards. Subsequent traces of anthropogenic activities are documented and preserved in paleoenvironmental archives, such as peat or lake sequences. The current study utilizes a high-resolution pollen dataset retrieved from a peat sequence in combination with archaeological data from the area to reconstruct the paleoenvironment and cultural landscape of the area of Haraldstadmyr bog in Southeastern Norway. An in-depth analysis of agricultural activities was performed focusing on the period of the Early Iron Age to the Medieval Period. Utilizing radiocarbon dating, a chronology of farming activities was provided. Archaeological burial dates from a local burial site located were used in comparison with the pollen data to interpret habitational patterns of the local area. As a result, periods of intensive farming as well as periods of abandonment were identified. In addition, periods of pastoral farming were distinguished from periods of mixed farming. The forcing factors of the changes seen in farming strategies and agricultural intensity are likely related to climate changes as well as societal changes in the area. In this study, a new finding is proposed, indicating an abandonment of the area around 950 CE. An abandonment of the agricultural area in Southeastern Norway in the mid 10th century has not been previously discovered nor studied. Further in-depth studies are needed in order to confirm this finding, as well as to identify the forcing factors of the abandonment.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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In this thesis, Guido delle Colonne's Historia Destructionis Troiae will be analysed anew. Scholars have often assessed the work and its author very negatively: they claimed the work had no moral...Show moreIn this thesis, Guido delle Colonne's Historia Destructionis Troiae will be analysed anew. Scholars have often assessed the work and its author very negatively: they claimed the work had no moral message, that it was badly written, and that Guido was very misogynistic in his depiction of women. In this thesis, the Historia will be analysed intertextually to show that Guido was not a bad translator of the French Roman de Troie (his main point of focus), but that he played with his pre-text to create an original work of history with its own moral aims and messages. In the second chapter, a case study of the character of the Amazonian queen Penthesilea will show how learned and complexly constructed the work actually is. Penthesilea questions the traditional gender norms, showing that not all women are bad in Guido's work. By transcending these gender norms, she is able to question a social construct that is even more important to reform in Guido's eyes: chivalry and its intricate connection with warfare. Guido wishes to show that chivalry has no place in warfare and that eventually, war brings destruction and misery upon all. While reading this work, the reader is constantly invited to delve further into the material and extract valuable moral lessons from it.Show less
In this thesis, the zooarchaeological assemblages from the Tabacalera site are compared with each other and changes in animal husbandry strategies and diet are studied. Afterward they are also...Show moreIn this thesis, the zooarchaeological assemblages from the Tabacalera site are compared with each other and changes in animal husbandry strategies and diet are studied. Afterward they are also compared to other data from the Iberian Peninsula known for the periods in question. These assemblage date to the Late Roman Period (5th-6th centuries) and the Middle Ages (8th to 16th, but mainly 14th to 16th). The Late Roman assemblage exists of carcasses dumped after a catastrophic event and the medieval assemblage was accumulated over de course of the centuries. These differences in accumulation made it hard to compare the two assemblages. To asses the possible changes a plethora of methods was used: species ratios, element distribution, mortality profiles, osteometric analysis and the distribution of taphonomic marks. In addition to the mammal fragments these methods were used on, species distribution is also discussed for the other animal groups, such as birds. All in all, this led to the following conclusions. Firstly, due to the different taphonomy and accumulation the two assemblages can barely be compared when animal husbandry and diet is considered. Some conclusions, however are possible. Secondly, cattle were the animals that were produced at the site. The focus of production lay on a mix of meat and secondary products. A part of the cattle was used for milk, ploughing and traction, and not consumed until old age and a part was slaughtered for meat and likely traded to a high-status or urban site in the area. Pig and sheep/goats were animals consumed at the site, but not produced or traded. The only product of pig was meat and sheep/goats were kept for mixed production of both wool and meat. Other species formed a supplement to this diet. Mainly these are chicken and turkey. The presence of turkey is special due to its only recent introduction to the country. Other animal groups still need to be studied. The medieval assemblage fits with the characteristics of a rural Christian site near a high-status or urban settlement during the High Middle Ages in Northern Spain. The changes that could be determined between the Roman and medieval assemblages were the change in socio economic status from high-status Roman to rural medieval. This was also attested by historical sources. There was also a change in primary consumption animal and the breed improvement of cattle known in the area from the Roman period ceased in the Middle Ages, resulting in a decrease in cattle size. The size of the sheep (that were already small during the Roman period) stayed the same during the Middle Ages. This resulted in the conclusion that no breed improvement took place 71 and that the mixed production known for the Roman period stayed the same in the Middle Ages. In conclusion, between the Late Roman period and the (High) Middle Ages the site underwent many changes with little continuity between the periods. These changes envelope both taphonomical and husbandry changes.Show less
The subject of this work is the development of relations between Italian merchants and the Ilkhanate of Persia during the course of the last decades of the thirteenth and the first half of the...Show moreThe subject of this work is the development of relations between Italian merchants and the Ilkhanate of Persia during the course of the last decades of the thirteenth and the first half of the fourteenth century. Italian presence in the Ilkhanate is discussed in a multitude of works, but often marginalised as an appendix of Italian Levantine trade relations. The aim of this work is to deal with it as an autonomous and independent subject, trying to demonstrate that the nature of Italian presence in Persia was quite different from that of Latin trade relations with Levantine and North African territories. I will conduct an analysis of Italian commercial penetration in Persia providing a quantitative analysis of trade and focusing on the city of Tabriz and its connections. I will also try to demonstrate how Italians expanded their trade networks into Persia because they played an important role in the supply of certain services and commodities both to western and Mongol aristocracies. Lastly, by analysing the institution of ortagh (partnership), I will try to demonstrate how Italian presence in the Ilkhanate was similarly tied to a specific conduct of life and political project, and how the sudden disappearance of the latter caused the slow decline of Latin trade with Persia.Show less
This study researches the role of accountability in several late medieval middle Dutch texts. The thesis underlines the importance of cultural factors like religion and honor in the thinking about...Show moreThis study researches the role of accountability in several late medieval middle Dutch texts. The thesis underlines the importance of cultural factors like religion and honor in the thinking about accountability of medieval officials.Show less
This MA thesis contains analyses of the status of same-sex desire in late medieval Europe and researches how same-sex desire is depicted in three Arthurian stories written during this period: the...Show moreThis MA thesis contains analyses of the status of same-sex desire in late medieval Europe and researches how same-sex desire is depicted in three Arthurian stories written during this period: the Lai de Lanval, the Prose Lancelot and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The thesis examines whether these depictions engage with or react to the socio-historical circumstances around same-sex desire in the late medieval period.Show less
This thesis researches the legal status of people with mental illnesses in the fifteenth century Low Countries, based on an analysis of both normative sources (bylaws) and sources of practice ...Show moreThis thesis researches the legal status of people with mental illnesses in the fifteenth century Low Countries, based on an analysis of both normative sources (bylaws) and sources of practice (court cases). It looks at two specific areas, namely guardianship procedures and inheritance law. The research focusses on an urban setting, using two case studies (Leiden and Leuven). The findings are placed in a comparative context by comparing them with results for other cities in the Low Countries, as well as the findings of other medievalists for different countries (England, France and Italy).Show less
