Christopher Gerrard

Diet, society, and economy in late medieval Spain: Stable isotope evidence from Muslims and Christians from Gandía, Valencia

This article investigates the diets of neighboring Christians and Muslims in late medieval Spain (here 13th–16th centuries) through the analysis of the stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in adult human and animal bone collagen. Twenty-four Christians and 20 Muslims are sampled from two adjacent and contemporaneous settlements in the township of Gandía on the Mediterranean coast, together with the remains of 24 animals. Statistical differences in both δ13C and δ15N reveal that the diets of the two faith communities differed, despite living side-by-side. These differences may relate to inequalities in their access to foodstuffs, particularly to C3/C4 grain and/or possibly terrestrial meat sources, though cultural preferences are also highlighted. Isotopic values for animals were also found to vary widely, both between and within species, and this provides a window into the local livestock economy. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:263–273, 2015.

Chronological Description of the Spatial Development of Rammed Earth Techniques

Rammed earth has been used by man for thousands of years and is currently experiencing a revival in some parts of the world as a result of its inherent sustainability. Historic rammed earth structures are scattered around the world, and much information can be derived from these structures to inform the development of modern rammed earth. This article provides a chronological study of rammed earth distribution through observation of monumental buildings to aid the study of this building technique. It is shown that the rammed earth technique is likely to have originated independently in China and around the Mediterranean, and spread through the movement of people and ideas to many other parts of the world. Through observation of historic rammed earth sites, geographic and climatic limits can be placed on the extent of rammed earth. The different ways rammed earth has been used over time are explored, culminating in its current incarnation as a sustainable building material.

A risk society? Environmental hazards, risk and resilience in the later Middle Ages in Europe

Modern society is said to have restructured in reaction to contemporary hazards with the aim of improving its management of risk. This implies that pre-industrial societies were somehow fundamentally different. In this paper, we challenge that hypothesis by examining the ways in which risks associated with environmental hazards were managed and mitigated during the Middle Ages (defined here as the period from 1000 to 1550 AD). Beginning with a review of the many case studies of rapid onset disasters across Europe, we draw upon both historical and archaeological evidence and architectural assessments of structural damage for what is a pre-instrumental period. Building upon this, the second part of the paper explores individual outlooks on risk, emphasising the diversity of popular belief and the central importance of Christianity in framing attitudes. Despite their religious perspectives, we find that medieval communities were not helpless in the face of serious environmental hazards. We argue instead that the response of society to these threats was frequently complex, considered and, at times, surprisingly modern.

Identifying and protecting historic landscapes

Six years ago, Darvill and colleagues reported (A NTIQUITY 61: 393–408) on the Monuments Protection Programme, a new English initiative to build, from a century of haphazard acts of site protection, a set of balanced judgements and priorities by which to recognize ancient places that are more precious, genuinely of a national importance. The Programme, they tell A NTIQUITY , has now completed the first-stage review of information in local sites and monuments records and is proceeding with the identification of nationally important monuments in every English county. This further paper reports on how the Monuments Protection Programme is addressing landscapes, as distinct from ‘spot sites’ with clear limits, where the matters of defining a ‘relict cultural landscape’ and judging relative value are harder.

Opposing identity : Muslims, Christians and the military orders in rural Aragon.

THIS paper addresses the issue of identity among Christian and Muslim groups in medieval Spain after the Reconquest in the 12th century. A wide variety of archaeological evidence, including artefacts, graffiti, settlement morphology and standing buildings, demonstrates that ethnic and racial divides were etched into material culture and endured until the final expulsion of the Muslim population at the beginning of the 17th century.

Luminescence dating of qanat technology: prospects for further development

With few exceptions in which dating is implied by indirect association with adjacent settlements or incorporation of diagnostic artefacts in upcast sediment, individual qanats have proven very difficult to date. This absence of a chronological framework hampers both our understanding of technology transfer, as well as the study of local settlement and landscape evolution and the temporal correlation of land use with climatic and palaeoenvironmental data. However, surface shaft mounds potentially contain a sequence of upcast deposits collected periodically from the tunnel, starting with initial construction and persisting until the last maintenance episode, less any material lost by surface erosion. The sedimentary nature of the upcast lends itself to the application of luminescence dating to determine the burial age, in particular, using the techniques based on optically stimulated luminescence. We examine the results produced by two recent dating studies where luminescence techniques were applied to two qanat systems with the aim of building a chronostratigraphy for the deposits within their upcast mounds. These studies show that the extent to which a complete record of the deposition since initial construction survives may differ between qanat systems, and even shaft mounds within the same system. Providing there is a close coupling of luminescence and sedimentological analysis in the testing of qanat mounds, these formative studies suggest that there are good prospects for introducing a valuable tool in the study of various types of hydraulic feature where upcast has been preserved and guidance regarding further fieldwork is provided.

Damage in Historic Rammed Earth Structures: a Case Study at Ambel, Zaragoza, Spain

This paper examines the possible causes of damage to historic rammed earth structures based on a case study of a medieval and later building, formerly a preceptory of the Military Orders, in the village of Ambel in Aragon, north-east Spain. Structural and water-based mechanisms of damage are reviewed and an engineering basis for the cause of damage is proposed. Since a number of repair strategies have already been attempted on this structure, their effectiveness is also discussed. A four storey granary at the north-east corner of the preceptory complex is described in detail since it encapsulates many damage mechanisms and repair strategies which are common to historic rammed earth. The granary tower has a random rubble foundation, which is probably in part the remains of previous building, with rammed earth walls for the three storeys above. This rammed earth was originally rendered and scored to imitate fired brick but almost all of this has now fallen away. The gable end of the building has fired brick quoins, and now leans outwards slightly at the head of the wall. There is evidence of water damage because the building was neglected in the past, though not enough to initiate collapse. Structural and water based damage mechanisms are identified, and example repair strategies used at Ambel are described.

Constructing Identity in the Middle Ages: Relics, Religiosity, and the Military Orders

This paper examines the materiality and use of religious relics by the Military Orders. Examples taken from the Knights Templar, the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Order and across Europe and the Holy Land from the 12th to 16th centuries are explored using historical and archaeological evidence; particular attention is paid to Baltic and Spanish case studies. A persistent desire for relics is identified and their means of accumulation explained within the wider context of Crusader memorabilia. In particular, the Military Orders acquired Passion and Life of Christ relics, as well as those of popular saints and patron saints who echoed their geographical and cultural associations. Female martyrs, especially St Catherine, were more popular with the knights than military saints amongst whom only St George was favoured. However, the Orders also promoted new cults around the relics of venerable individuals with whom they were closely associated. These artefacts were generally displayed in conventual chapels whose architecture, symbolism and setting are also discussed here. Overall, relics were central to the religiosity and identity of the Military Orders but the authors question just how distinctive their practices were.

A collaborative engineering and archaeology project to investigate decay in historic rammed earth structures : the case of the medieval preceptory in Ambel.

ABSTRACT This study assesses the structural vulnerability of part of a later medieval earthen building at Ambel (near Zaragoza, Spain), once a preceptory or monastic house belonging to the Military Orders. An inspection of its morphology and materials coupled with the results of an extensive campaign of static monitoring reveals marked structural inhomogeneities, the product of more than a thousand years of construction, failure, and repair from the 10th century to the present day. Building materials are inappropriately juxtaposed, there are discontinuities between construction phases and fundamental concerns remain over the long-term stability of the structure. The current condition of the structure is mainly influenced by structural discontinuities introduced at the time of construction, the unintended consequences of repair and modification and the material decay that has affected the base of the rammed earth walls. The overall findings of the static monitoring show that there is no related damage, variations in crack widths are related to the building seasonal cycle. While static analysis is an essential prerequisite before a suitable maintenance program can be fully defined, this study argues that no evaluation of the structural behavior of any historic building can afford to ignore its archaeological “biography” of modification and repair.

Exploring representativeness and reliability for late medieval earthquakes in Europe

Seismic catalogues of past earthquakes have compiled a substantial amount of information about historical seismicity for Europe and the Mediterranean. Using two of the most recent European seismic databases (AHEAD and EMEC), this paper employs GIS spatial analysis (kernel density estimation) to explore the representativeness and reliability of data captured for late medieval earthquakes. We identify those regions where the occurrence of earthquakes is significantly higher or lower than expected values and investigate possible reasons for these discrepancies. The nature of the seismic events themselves, the methodology employed during catalogue compilation and the availability of medieval written records are all briefly explored.