Law, Custom and Ritual in the Medieval Mediterranean – Day One

Society for the Medieval Mediterranean Conference 2015: Law, Custom and Ritual in the Medieval Mediterranean – Day One

So, thank you to all of those delegates who have travelled from far and wide to meet this week here at the University of Lincoln for the 4th International Conference of the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean. Special thanks, of course, to those delivering papers and to today’s keynote speaker, Prof. Simon Doubleday of Hofstra University.

Papers today covered such diverse topics as our first sessions on Justice and judicial practice in early medieval NW Iberia – Government and Archives – and on Comparative aspects of the institutionalisation of law – the Making of Political Discourses, on Fatimid rituals, revolts and rules, on Medieval Laws of the Sea, the late medieval crown of Aragon, and last (but certainly not least) Orthodoxy and deviance. As so often, sessions were lively, the speakers engaging and the questions extremely thought-provoking – thank you.

Professor Doubleday’s keynote speech on ‘Illegitimate Approaches’, essentially on how we should undertake a serious re-evaluation of our views of illegitimacy in the medieval period and beyond, looking especially at the relationship of Alfonso X of Castile and his daughter Beatriz, was also very well received. Again, thank you!

I’m writing this whilst at the evening wine reception and listening in on the buzz of academic conversation. It seems like it will be an interesting day tomorrow.

We hope you all enjoy your stay in Lincoln. Please make the most of its wonderful medieval history and heritage while you are here – and we look forward to meeting you again tomorrow.

 

History student looks forward to excavating Roman site in Spain

In merely a month’s time, I along with two other Lincoln students, will be travelling to south-west Spain where we will be taking part in an archaeological excavation, supported by funding from the School of History and Heritage.

In the city of Merida lies, amongst a plethora of historical artefacts, a series of excavation sites revealing ancient Roman ruins. For a number of years, archaeologists have been painstakingly removing the ground to reveal an incredibly timeworn world beneath the feet of Merida’s residents.

We will be joined by excavation experts and fellow students from the mighty Oxford and various Spanish and Portuguese universities. I am looking forward to meeting so many new, and undoubtedly interesting people during my stay in Merida, and hope to develop my language skills. The experience will afford us students with an insight into how excavations are run, applicable for future job searching in the field. I think I can speak for all three of us when I say how grateful we ae to have been given this amazing opportunity.

A long with my trusty, and already worn in, steel toe-capped boots, I will be bringing with me some protective gloves and if I can get a hold of any, some kneepads. The latter of which has been recommended by more than one archaeologist. It will be strange to consider myself part of the grave-digging clique of historians, having spent most of my academic time digging through Google Scholar rather than Roman amphitheatres. The heat may be a bit more difficult to deal with given my Nordic skin-tone and very British disdain towards weather of any kind.

I trust that I will be in safe hands, given that it will be the first time I have spent more than two weeks in another foreign country (without my parents). But there is a first time for everything, and I believe this trip will hold many firsts for me.

Bradley Taylor (2nd year History and Politics student)

Viva la differenza? Italian towns in the early middle ages

CONFERENCE: Viva la differenza? Italian towns in the early middle ages, 500-1100 
 
29th – 30th May 2015
Meadows Lecture Theatre Doorway 4, Old Medical School
Dr Tom Brown, well-known for his scholarly work on early medieval Ravenna, will be retiring from the History Subject Area in Edinburgh in the summer of 2015. This conference marks Tom’s wide contribution to the study of early medieval Europe, as well as his three decades of service as a lecturer in History at Edinburgh. The conference theme relates to Tom’s enduring interest in the development of urban settlement and culture across early medieval Europe.
 
More information in the pdf attachment and online at: www.shca.ed.ac.uk/tb-retirement

History-writing and Violence in the Medieval Mediterranean

Antonella Liuzzo Scorpo and Jamie Wood have just co-edited a special issue of the journal Al Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean, published by Taylor & Francis. The special issue is entitled “History-writing and Violence in the Medieval Mediterranean” and can be accessed online here.

The contents are as follows:

  • Introduction: History-writing and Violence in the Medieval Mediterranean by Antonella Liuzzo Scorpo (Lincoln) & Jamie Wood (Lincoln)
  • Anxieties of Violence: Christians and Muslims in Conflict in Aghlabid North Africa and the Central Mediterranean by Jonathan P. Conant (Brown)
  • Third/Ninth-Century Violence: “Saracens” and Sawdān in Erchempert’s Historia by Christopher Heath (Manchester Metropolitan University)
  • Persecution, Past and Present: Memorialising Martyrdom in Late Antique and Early Medieval Córdoba by Jamie Wood (Lincoln)
  • Anger in the Crónica de Alfonso X by Simon R. Doubleday (Hofstra)
  • Images of Biblical Conflict in Castile, c.1150–c.1240: A Comparison of the Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris and the Chronica Latina Regum Castellae by Alun Williams (Exeter)

PhD studentship at Lincoln (possibly medieval)

The School of History and Heritage at the University of Lincoln (UK) seeks to recruit a PhD student whose research interest is inMedieval history (particularly editions or close textual analysis) or in modern history.
The fully-funded PhD studentship is available for high quality candidates wishing to begin their doctoral studies in September or October 2015.
The quality and breadth of research at the University of Lincoln was highlighted in the national Research Excellence Framework 2014. More than half (53%) of the University’s submitted research was rated as internationally excellent or world leading (3* or 4*). Lincoln was placed in the top ten nationally for the quality of its research outputs in two major subject areas.
The University is making a significant investment in providing research opportunities for exceptional doctoral candidates through its annual half million pound Research Investment Fund.
Deadline for expressions of interest is close of day on 13th March 2015. Candidates shortlisted for interview will be notified on Friday 20th March with interviews during the week commencing 6th April. 
Further details on PhD studentship opportunities for 2015, including how to make an expression of interest, can be found below:
For any queries, please contact any other member of the medieval team at Lincoln: https://msrg.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/

2nd Call for Papers – SMM conference 2015

We are delighted to announce that the University of Lincoln will be hosting the fourth biennial conference of the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean from 13th to 15th July 2015.

The theme of the conference is “Law, Custom and Ritual in the Medieval Mediterranean” and the keynotes will be delivered by Professor Maribel Fierro (CSIC, Madrid: “Obedience to the ruler in the Medieval Islamic West: legal and historical perspectives”) and Dr Andrew Marsham (University of Edinburgh: “Rituals of accession in early Islam: a comparative perspective”).

The call for papers is accessible here: http://www.societymedievalmediterranean.com/conference-2015.php

We look forward to seeing you in Lincoln!

Funding to attend excavation and summer School in Mérida (Spain)

The School of History and Heritage at the University of Lincoln is pleased to announce that it plans to provide two or three bursaries for students to attend an excavation and summer school in Spain in July 2015.  This represents an excellent opportunity to take part in an established and internationally respected series of archaeological excavations in perhaps the best preserved Roman city in western Europe.  Having both participated in this scheme (you can see some of Dr Jamie Wood’s pictures from this year’s course here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/making-digital-history/sets/72157646337597745/), we can assure you that this is a wonderful experience that will add lustre to your CVs and help you to gain new insights and perspectives on archaeology and the role it plays in shaping our interpretations and understanding of the past.   On top of all of this, this excavation and summer school will help you to polish those all-important transferable skills such as teamwork, collegiality and leadership.

2-3 bursaries worth £500.00 will be awarded to successful student applicants.   Each bursary will comfortably cover the enrolment fee (which last year cost £350); this includes three meals a day, accommodation in a comfortable student hall of residence, and two or three day trips organised by the host institution, the Consorcio de Arqueología de Mérida.  All archaeological instruction and training on-site, plus a series of site visits and evening lectures given by expert speakers from Spain and the UK, are also included in the enrolment fee.   If travelling arrangements are made well in advance, it is envisaged that transport to Mérida (flight to Madrid or Seville, followed by train or bus) would also be covered by the bursary.  Students will, however, be expected to provide their personal spending money and insurance, but remember that nearly all meals (you will have to arrange your own food on Sundays, for example) and accommodation are included in the enrolment fee.

Please note that excavation takes place five days a week, and July in Mérida can be extremely hot; for this reason, excavation takes place in the (early) mornings so as to minimise exposure to the sun during the hottest part of the day.  Afternoons provide the opportunity to relax or else to explore a city that was a major urban centre under Roman and, later, Caliphal rule (for more on the city and its monuments see this UNESCO website: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/664).

Selection Criteria

This opportunity is open to all Level 2 students.

However:

  • Preference will be given to students who are studying modules in Medieval History at Level 2.
  • Preference will be given to students who have some knowledge of Spanish (e.g. GCSE, A Level or demonstrable experience in the language).
  • Preference will be given to students who achieved an average of over 60 in examination at Level 1.

If you would like to apply, and we strongly encourage you to do so, please write a short statement of 300 words explaining why you think archaeology is important for the study of history and how your attendance would benefit your degree.  You should also include details of (a) any medieval modules you are doing this year and (b) any Spanish language qualifications you have or other relevant experience you would like to bring to our attention. All applications will be considered.  If you would like to discuss any aspect of this opportunity, please contact either of us at:

jwood@lincoln.ac.uk

rportass@lincoln.ac.uk

To be considered for one of these bursaries, please send your expression of interest, plus your supporting statement, to both of the above email addresses by 9am on Wednesday 22 October 2014.

Further details for successful applicants will follow in due course. We anticipate being able to give you a decision by the first week of November.

Best wishes,

Dr Jamie Wood

Dr Robert Portass

CFP: Lincoln Record Society Magna Carta Conference

Lincoln record Society and the University of Lincoln are organising an international conference on the Magna Carta 7-9 April 2015 as part of the 800th anniversary celebrations.

We welcome proposals on all aspects of Magna Carta and related themes for sessions to open the conference on 7 April from Early Career Scholars (doctoral students, or postdoctoral researchers within five years of completion who are not in full time academic posts). Travel bursaries will be available for those selected to give papers.

Please send abstracts of no more than 500 words by 15 September 2014 to secretary@lincoln-record-society.org.uk

Further details are available from

Paul Dryburgh [Paul.Dryburgh@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk] or Philippa Hoskin [phoskin@lincoln.ac.uk]

Call for papers: The Late Antique & Early Medieval Trivium

CFP for session at Kalamazoo 2015: The Late Antique and Early Medieval Trivium
 
A session on the early medieval trivium encourages papers that examine the adoption and/or the adaptation of the Roman educational core, grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic in the post-classical world. A topic applicable to a range of fields including history, philosophy, theology, and linguistic studies, this session would allow a multi-disciplinary approach to the changing perceptions and applications of classical linguistic disciplines throughout the late antique and early medieval periods. As an integral component of the Roman educational system, the breadth of this topic would allow a  wide-sweeping look at the inheritance of classical education without geographical constraints.
 
The session welcomes papers that span the post-classical world, from Byzantium to Anglo-Saxon England, allowing scholars working in these diverse fields a chance for dialogue and debate. It will highlight investigations into early medieval education, but more broadly, applications of intellectual culture beyond the schoolroom, such as to the geopolitical arena. Due to its wide-ranging focus, this session also allows a variety of approaches to the topic of the “trivium” that may include: manuscript transmission of grammatical and rhetorical handbooks,  the application of the trivium within a specific intellectual milieu (e.g. Anglo-Saxon England), or examples of the appropriation of the trivium within other disciplines (e.g. biblical exegesis).
 
To submit a proposal for a 20 minute paper, please email an abstract and participant information tolaura.carlson@queensu.ca by September 15, 2014.