The Seljuk Sultanate of Rūm and the Turkmen of the Byzantine frontier, 1206–1279*

This article examines the frontier between the Seljuk Sultanate of Rūm and its Byzantine neighbours in the thirteenth century, concentrating on the place of these frontier districts within the Seljuk state. Scholarship on the frontier, influenced by the ideas of Paul Wittek, has seen it as something of a “no man's land”, politically, economically, culturally and religiously distinct from the urban heartland of the Seljuk sultanate in central Anatolia, dominated by the nomadic Turks, the Turkmen, who operated largely beyond sultanic control. It is often thought that the Seljuk and Greek sides of the border shared more in common with each other than they did with the states of which they formed a part. In contrast, this article argues that in fact the western frontier regions were closely integrated into the Seljuk sultanate. Furthermore, with the Mongol domination of the Seljuk sultanate in the second half of the thirteenth century, the Seljuk and Mongol elites became increasingly involved in this frontier region, where some of the leading figures of the sultanate had estates and endowments.     

The “Other” in the Crusading Period: Walter the Chancellor's Presentation of Najm al-Dīn Il-Ghāzī

This paper examines ideas surrounding the presentation of the Muslim “other” in Latin writings of the early period of the Crusades. Using a case-study approach of the views of one chronicler, Walter the Chancellor, in his work Bella Antiochena, on one individual Muslim, Najm al-Dīn Il-Ghāzī, the paper studies aspects of the image of Il-Ghāzī, the reasons for them, how and why they develop throughout the chronicle, and whether, from the other information given in the chronicle, it would be possible to interpret the information in other ways. The conclusions reached demonstrate that the reason for the vitriol in Walter's presentation was his wish to justify the Crusades and suggest that the writers of Outremer started to develop their own cross-cultural responses to Islam, independent of mainstream European thought, because of their situation.     

Provenance study of ancient Iranian luster pottery using PIXE multivariate statistical analysis

Although luster potteries are frequently excavated at archeological sites in Iran, a thorough scientific study of their provenance has not yet been performed. In this work, 43 pieces of Iranian luster pottery (bowl, dish and tile) excavated from Rayy, Kashan, Maragheh, Alamoot, Takht-i-Sulayman and Jiroft were analyzed in order to investigate their origin. The luster shards which belong to Seljuks and Il-Khanids dynasties (12th–13th centuries) were analyzed using proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique. To classify the fragments according to their location and origin, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied to the chemical compositions of the body of the shards. We were able to classify the samples into three distinct groups using PIXE.     

“War Through Children’s Eyes” in the Archiwum Wschodnie [Eastern Archive] Collection

In 1981, Hoover Institution Press published a collection of testimonies of Polish citizens and their children deported to the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1941. War Through Children’s Eyes contained English translations of compositions, interviews, and testimonies from the Polish Government Collection at the Hoover Institution Archives. In the 1980s efforts were underway in Poland to collect similar personal stories of survivors of Soviet deportations, including children’s testimonies. The result was the creation of the Archiwum Wschodnie [Eastern Archive] and the KARTA Center in Warsaw. The archive, legalized after the fall of Communism in 1990, is a major primary source collection dealing with the history of former Polish eastern territories. The paper discusses parts of the Archiwum Wschodnie collection focusing on the testimonies of children deported to the Soviet Union. The trauma of war and displacement is examined through personal stories and testimonies of deportees.     

Understanding Copyright Law for Slavic,East European,and Eurasian Materials

ABSTRACT

In the last decade the issue of copyright has become more complex for Slavic and East European librarians for a number of reasons. Technological advances have led to new forms of publication and new options for document distribution, and have also had a major impact on intellectual property law in the U.S. and abroad. As the technical means for copying and distributing materials in various formats have increased, and as electronic resources comprise a steadily increasing proportion of the material used in libraries, copyright law has become more integral to the work of librarians. In the background of technological progress, the newly independent states which emerged after the dissolution of Communism have all adopted new copyright laws within the context of global developments in intellectual property legislation. This paper provides a context for copyright as it relates to the work of Slavic and East European librarians in the U.S., by offering a framework for understanding the main issues surrounding copyright and a method for approaching questions related to copyright protection of library materials. The emphasis of this article is on use by U.S. libraries of textual material created or published in Slavic and East European countries.     

唐代的舞蹈文化

唐代的舞蹈文化是中华艺术史上的瑰宝,是吸收异域文化和传播东方文明精华的博大载体。它内在地凝结着唐代特有的审美文化理想,是时代风尚的艺术反映。     

宋代“武科”考论

从体育文化角度对宋代科考“武科”的历史沿革、考选内容、体育文化价值和弊端等进行系统研究。“武科”又称“武举”,宋承唐制,宋仁宗天圣七年(公元1029年)正式设立。考试内容以骑射弓马为主,内场有策论(诸家兵法)。“武科”有助于宋朝社会“尚武”风气的形成,为国家遴选优秀的军事体育人才提供了方便,促进了宋代民族传统体育的形成和发展。宋朝300年间,“武科”虽受到历代君王的重视和支持,历经77榜却未选拔出一位名将,存在“武科”标准以文为主和拘于制度化运作等弊端。     

关于依托CALIS建设宋代文献特色数据库的构想

依托CALLS,依托开封丰富的历史文化资源、河南大学雄厚的宋代研究专业人才资源和丰富的馆藏文献资源,建设宋代文献特色数据库,具有十分重要意义,也是切实可行的。     

从清代“索性”类副词的使用看汉语副词演变的规律

“索性”在宋代的《朱子语类》中已经产生,元明清时期使用频繁,用法与现代汉语基本一致。但是清代用法与“索性”相近的副词相当多,如“爽性”、“率性”、“索兴”、“爽得”、“头信”、“投性”、“投信”、“干脆”等,不过后来“索性”类副词又趋于统一。这反映了语言现象大都是由纷纭繁复走向规范统一的规律。     

少林寺“十三棍僧救唐王”与“明代僧兵抗倭”关系研究

通过对少林寺“十三棍僧救唐王”与“明代僧兵抗倭”的史料分析,还原了隋末唐初、明代少林寺僧参与政治与军事文化的历史事实。“十三棍僧救唐王”与“明代僧兵抗倭”一定程度上强化了人们对少林武术文化的历史记忆,进一步丰富了少林武术文化“修身、治国、平天下”的思想内涵;二者文化价值取向趋同,一致指向“匡扶正义、维护国家与民族利益”的精神层面。“十三棍僧救唐王”培育了“明代僧兵抗倭”的精神规范与价值取向,而“明代僧兵抗倭”演义了“十三棍僧救唐王”历史事实。