Brepols Online Books Medieval Miscellanea Collection 2017 - bob2017mime

‘From Carrickfergus to Carcassonne…’ has its genesis in the IRC funded exhibition of the same name which explores the unlikely links between medieval Ulster and Languedoc.

Hinging upon the personal story of a charismatic individual - Hugh de Lacy, earl of Ulster, ‘From Carrickfergus to Carcassonne’ explores the wider interplay between the Gaelic, Angevin, Capetian and Occitan worlds in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.

This book brings to light new research linking de Lacy to a conspiracy with the French king and details his subsequent exile and participation in the Albigensian Crusade in the south of France. The combined papers in this volume detail this remarkable story through interrogation of the historical and archaeological evidence, benefitting not just from adept scholarly study from Ireland and the UK but also from a Southern French perspective. The ensemble of papers describe the two realms within which de Lacy operated, the wider political machinations which led to his exile, the Cathar heresy, the defensive architecture of France and Languedoc and the architectural influences transmitted throughout this period from one realm to another.

In exploiting the engaging story of Hugh de Lacy, this volume creates a thematic whole which facilitates wide ranging comparison between events such as the Anglo-Norman take-over of Ireland and the Albigensian Crusade, the subtleties of doctrine in Ireland and Languedoc and the transmission of progressive castle design linking the walls of Carcassonne and Carrickfergus.

La letteratura d’istruzione intesa nella sua accezione più ampia costituisce uno dei campi d’indagine più fecondi della cultura medievale d’area germanica, sia perché consente di seguire la nascita e lo sviluppo di diverse forme letterarie in società nelle quali a lungo la trasmissione della conoscenza era stata orale, sia perché aiuta a comprendere le dinamiche di adattamento di quelle popolazioni al mondo classico e cristiano col quale esse vennero in contatto, gradualmente, nei secoli compresi tra la Tarda Antichità e il Medioevo.

Ma già prima dell’incontro con la superiore cultura latina le popolazioni germaniche dovettero essere ben consapevoli “dell’utilità di quella socializzazione del sapere che è alla base di ogni attività formativa”, dandone evidenza anche nei primissimi documenti scritti, perfino quelli runici.

L’istruzione, che è primariamente condivisione del sapere, diventa così il “pretesto” per la traduzione, l’adattamento e l’originale redazione di opere di grande profondità. Opere dai contenuti più diversi: saggi grammaticali, riflessioni sulla lingua, testi filosofici, storici, pedagogici.

I saggi contenuti nel volume danno un quadro variegato del fermento d’interessi, curiosità, rifl essioni che le popolazioni germaniche, non solo nei primi secoli della loro storia, hanno dedicato a un tema centrale per lo sviluppo di qualunque comunità culturalmente evoluta, come è la condivisione del sapere e la formazione delle generazioni future, e costituiscono l’omaggio e il saluto della comunità accademica, non solo italiana, a Fabrizio D. Raschellà, a conclusione della sua carriera.

Slavery has played a significant role in the history of human society, not the least in the greater Mediterranean region, since ancient times. Long neglected by mainstream historians, the medieval history of slavery has received an increasing amount of attention by scholars, since the pioneering work of Charles Verlinden (1907–1996). Today historians have generally laid to rest the nineteenth-century preoccupation with whether slavery was a significant ‘mode of production’ in the post-classical period, to concentrate on the changing face of the institution over time by looking at legal norms, linguistic representations and social practice. This volume presents a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary approach to slavery and the slave trade in the Eastern Mediterranean region in the pre-modern period, placing these into a larger historical and cultural context. It surveys the significance of slavery in the three monotheistic traditions, the involvement of Eastern and Western merchants and other agents in the slave trade, and offers new interpretations concerning the nature of this commerce.

This collection explores the theoretical and methodological foundations through which we understand Old Norse myths and the mythological world, and the medieval sources in which we find expressions of these. Some contributions take a broad, comparative perspective; some address specific details of Old Norse myths and mythology; and some devote their attention to questions concerning either individual gods and deities, or more topographical and spatial matters (such as conceptions of pagan cult sites). The elements discussed provide an introductory and general overview of scholarly enquiry into myth and ritual, as well as an attempt to define myth and theory for Old Norse scholarship. The articles also offer a rehabilitation of the comparative method alongside a discussion of the concept of ‘cultural memory’ and of the cognitive functions that myths may have performed in early Scandinavian society. Particular subjects of interest include analyses of the enigmatic god Heimdallr, as well as the more well-known Óðinn, the deities, the female ásynjur, and the ‘elves’ or álfar. Text-based discussions are set alongside recent archaeological discoveries of cult buildings and cult sites in Scandinavia, together with a discussion of the most enigmatic site of all: Uppsala in Sweden. The key themes discussed throughout this volume are brought together in the concluding chapter, in a comprehensive summary that sheds new light on current scholarly perspectives.

The contributions in this volume are dedicated to cross-cultural exchanges during the Middle Ages among exponents of the Arabic, Hebrew and Latin philosophical and theological traditions. They draw particular attention to the intellectual approaches which shaped the interplays among these traditions - interplays that were characterized by the contact of various languages being used by people of different religious beliefs in their quest for knowledge: Spanish Jews writing in Arabic, Jews collaborating in the translation of Arabic texts into Latin through the vernacular, Western Muslims whose writings were read mainly by Jews and Christians in Hebrew and Latin, etc. Altogether, the eleven studies contained in this book wish to offer new insights into the rich exchanges of knowledge among communities of learning and their scholarly traditions during the Middle Ages and beyond.

In recognition and celebration of the achievements of Marlia (Maria Cordelia) Mundell Mango as a researcher and as a teacher, twelve of her doctoral students offer her this volume of collected essays, showcasing recent research in Byzantine archaeology and material culture studies. The essays are divided into three sections. The first comprises studies on Byzantine economy, shipping, road networks, production and trade from Late Antiquity down to the time of the Crusades. The studies in the second part discuss facets of the material culture and the lifestyle especially of the upper social strata in the Byzantine Empire, while those of the final section explore aspects of artistic creativity in the lands of the empire. Taken together, these diverse studies offer ‘glimpses’ into the Byzantine economy and trade, lifestyle and religion, ideology and identity, artistic creativity and its impact beyond the Byzantine frontier, illustrating a variety of methodological approaches and pointing towards new directions for future research. Their wide chronological, geographic and thematic coverage is in itself a tribute to Marlia Mango’s breadth of knowledge and a reflection of her far-ranging research interests.

The late medieval period is widely acknowledged as one of the most salient moments of the history of logic and semantics. It not only considered logic as a sine qua non condition for scientific knowledge, it also begot highly sophisticated theories about both argumentation and language. The last fifty years of increasingly intense research have brought about an ever more detailed knowledge of these theories. And yet, the questions as to what kind of logic is medieval logic, whether and to what extent it corresponds to our conception of logic, and, even, what the nature of its object was, remain challenging. That it has a formal character is widely accepted; and its semantic components display remarkable affinities with contemporary ones. But is it formal in the way modern logic is - or believes it is? Medieval logic does not really make recourse to symbolisms, after all, and the fact that the idea of formal validity might have been born in the twelfth century does not mean that developing formal approaches was an aim of medieval logicians. And what is its semantics a semantics of? Medieval logicians use Latin to deal with Latin constructions, but do these constructions belong to natural language or are they regimented to the point of forming some sort of ideal language?

The twenty-five papers gathered in this volume deal with these issues, thus allowing to reassess the broader questions of the formal character and formalising ambitions of medieval logic, as well as that of the natural character of the language in (and on) which it operated: in other words, they address the question of the nature, object and purpose of medieval logic.

Après deux premiers volumes consacrés à la traduction intralinguale de l’ancien français au français moderne et aux questions concernant la traduction empêchée et la traduction manipulée, ce troisième ouvrage entend sillonner deux domaines mal connus de la traduction au Moyen Âge et à la Renaissance, domaines que seules les apparences distinguent : la réception des traductions médiévales au XVI e siècle et la pratique de l’auto-traduction.

La Journée d’étude dont ce livre recueille les contributions a permis de dénouer les nombreux liens qui lient ces deux thématiques autour des notions centrales de rupture et de continuité, de fidélité idéalisée et d’infidélité impossible. D’un côté, on voit que le traducteur de la Renaissance qui a accès aux traductions médiévales est poussé à en prendre le contre-pied pour marquer une nouvelle subalternité alors que, en même temps, il peut en subir profondément l’influence. De l’autre côté, l’auto-traducteur est pensé comme incapable de se trahir lui-même. La relation au texte initial et, en conséquence, la contrainte de fidélité ne sont-elles pas différentes selon que le traducteur translate sa propre création ou qu’il auto-traduit une œuvre originale ? Les quatre théorèmes exposés ici dans l’article d’ouverture de la section consacrée à l’auto-traduction au Moyen Âge et à la Renaissance montrent comment les caractères spécifiques de l’écriture médiévale et l’usage social et culturel des langues ont façonné la pratique de l’auto-traduction.

Les liens sont serrés entre les deux thèmes du présent ouvrage : dans les deux cas, le traducteur est confronté à la question de la médiation de ce qui existe déjà, médiation qui ne peut se comprendre qu’au regard des aires culturelles privilégiées dans lesquelles elle s’effectue. Les deux volets de ce troisième volume jettent une lumière originale sur une des raisons internes de la traduction : elle ne peut vivre que dans un perpétuel renouvellement.

En 1974, à l'époque de la publication du texte des Auctoritates Aristotelis les chercheurs n'avaient pas encore mesuré l'influence que ce florilège avait pu avoir dans bon nombre d'œuvres médiévales. Nombreux étaient ceux qui ne connaissaient même pas ce recueil et qui préféraient se référer directement à l'œuvre même du Stagirite pour identifier des citations. Mais la réalité médiévale était bien différente. En effet, les recherches menées après la parution de l'édition ont modifié considérablement notre conception de l'usage qu'en firent les intellectuels du 13e au 17e siècle. Beaucoup de progrès ont été faits depuis, surtout dans le domaine des éditions critiques de textes philosophiques encore inédits à l'époque. Il suffit de consulter les apparats critiques des sources utilisées par ces auteurs pour constater qu'ils furent nombreux à citer des « auctoritates » d'Aristote, extraites de ce florilège. D'autre part, les recherches réalisées progressivement, montrent que ce recueil a aussi une histoire.

Les études réunis dans ce volume se proposent de présenter un nouvel état de la question et de montrer à l'aide d'exemples pertinents l'usage qui fut fait des citations contenues dans le recueil par divers auteurs de l'époque. D'autre part, les informations glanées dans les divers exposés illustrent parfaitement des moments de son histoire. Ils ne rendent pas stériles les recherches ultérieures mais proposent diverses voies d'accès à la reconstitution de son élaboration, sans épuiser pour autant le sujet. Ces études permettent déjà de constater le succès énorme que connut le recueil, non seulement pendant l'époque scolastique, mais aussi jusqu'à la fin du 17e siècle, ce qui peut paraître étrange à première vue.

Présentées dans le cadre d’un colloque organisé à l’Université de Fribourg (Suisse), les contributions rassemblées dans ce volume examinent des doctrines originales sur le lieu, l’espace et le mouvement. En pointant des apports encore inexplorés, elles permettent de mieux comprendre les transformations de ces notions entre Moyen Âge et première Époque moderne. Ce recueil offre ainsi une reconstruction thématique sur la longue durée : des questionnements suscités par la réception latine des traités platoniciens, aristotéliciens et pythagoriciens (xii e-xiv e siècles) jusqu’aux synthèses élaborées durant la scolastique tardive (xvi e siècle). Les articles réunis dans ces Actes s’attachent à expliciter diverses thèses soutenues en physique, métaphysique ou cosmologie, et ayant contribué à façonner une nouvelle image de l’univers.