The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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1,000-Year-Old Medieval Treasure Uncovered by Metal Detectorist in the Netherlands
by Francesca Aton
March 10, 2023

Introduction:
(Art World) A 1,000-year-old Medieval treasure trove, including four golden ear pendants, two strips of gold leaf, and 39 silver coins were found by a Dutch historian, according to the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities on Thursday.

Lorenzo Ruijter found the hoard using a metal detector in Hoogwoud, a small city in North Holland, in 2021. The metal detectorist had to keep it a secret for two years, while experts at the National Museum of Antiquities cleaned, researched, and dated the objects.

“It was very special discovering something this valuable, I can’t really describe it. I never expected to discover anything like this,” Ruijter told Reuters.

One of the coins dated back to 1250 CE, which researchers believe was around the time the treasure would have been buried. By that time, however, the jewelry would have already been at least two centuries old.
Read more here: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/ ... 34660442/
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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^^^An interesting video. A lot that I did not know prior to viewing the video, including the extent to which archaeological remains have been discovered. I note reference toward the end to the writings of Don Miguel Ruiz and family. Ruiz does claim to be passing down Toltec wisdom through a largely oral tradition. Obviously, such an oral tradition is susceptible to influence from other cultures or newly created ideas and insights. So, distilling what is "purely" Toltec versus what has been introduced under the guise of being Toltec becomes a very challenging endeavor. Still, one misses the point in becoming too wrapped up in that endeavor. It is a bit like becoming obsessed with tracing the roots of Freud's thoughts. The point is are they applicable to the world of today?

If one reads Ruiz, one can also detect obvious Christian influences. Buddhism is also occasionally cited as a source of wisdom or inspiration. Charles Mann in 1493 points out the presence of Chinese immigrants in Mexico that goes back much farther than one might suppose. So, the influence of Buddhism might have also penetrated this oral tradition as it was passed down from generation to generation. Somebody like Ruiz might also be borrowing form Buddhism based on twentieth century translations into Spanish and English of elements of that tradition.

Also of interest is the reference to Aztlan. This somewhat mythologized land also has had a great influence on Mexican American identity. Art related to "Atzlan" may very much be traceable back to art that is considered to be of Toltec origin. It certainly does not look like anything derived from Eruopean tradition.

Much of Mexican identity involves a fusion of Spanish culture with nativistic traditions. One may thus suspect that "Aztec" is an umbrella term for a focus upon that which can be traced to such nativistic traditions. As the video suggests, "Aztec" may in turn have been very much influenced by "Toltec" traditions.

Also in the mix are the Yaqui, as popularized by Carlos Castaneda.

All of this adds up to a very rich tradition. Disentangling the roots of this tradition is challenging in the extreme.
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Meanwhile, over in East Africa...

Persian Princes Fleeing to Africa May Have Helped Found Ancient Trading Empire
by Ben Taub
March 30, 2023

Introduction:
(IFL Science) Legend has it that seven Persian princes fleeing persecution once escaped across the Arabian Sea before landing in East Africa and establishing a trading dynasty that dominated the Swahili coast for centuries. Known as the Kilwa Chronicle, this ancient oral tradition had until now been dismissed as fiction, yet a new genetic study suggests that the fable may be rooted in reality.

The Swahili coast stretches from Ethiopia to Tanzania and was once a major hub of medieval trade. From here, merchants established commercial networks that spanned East Africa and the Indian Ocean, although scholars have spent the past 100 years debating whether this prosperous civilization was established by local African populations or foreign traders from South Asia.

Colonial chroniclers tended to favor the latter explanation, although postcolonial historians have pointed out that the medieval architecture and language of the Swahili coast were of African origin, thus suggesting that the culture was founded by local populations.

To settle the debate, researchers analyzed the DNA of 80 medieval individuals recovered from elite burial sites across the Swahili coast and an inland town. Dating from the 13th to 19th centuries, the skeletons derived much of their male ancestry from Persian men, while female lineages were almost exclusively African.

Based on the rate of genetic admixture, the study authors say the first Persian men probably arrived in the area around 1000 CE, which coincides with the adoption of Islam on the Swahili coast. Such a finding lends new credence to the Kilwa Chronicle, indicating that the mighty trading empire may indeed have been founded by royal Persian escapees.

Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/persian-pri ... ire-68237
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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List all wars of the past 2,000 years up until 1800 that killed more then 50,000


Here is a list of wars from the past 2,000 years up until 1800 that resulted in more than 50,000 deaths:

Three Kingdoms War (China, 220-280 AD) - Estimated death toll of 36 million.
An Lushan Rebellion (China, 755-763 AD) - Estimated death toll of 36 million.
Conquest of the Americas (1492-1650 AD) - Estimated death toll of 20 million.
Thirty Years' War (Europe, 1618-1648) - Estimated death toll of 8 million.
Dzungar genocide (Central Asia, 1755-1758) - Estimated death toll of 480,000 to 600,000.
Great Turkish War (Europe, 1683-1699) - Estimated death toll of 300,000.
French Wars of Religion (France, 1562-1598) - Estimated death toll of 3 million.
Japanese invasions of Korea (Korea, 1592-1598) - Estimated death toll of 1 million.
Mongol conquests (Eurasia, 1206-1368) - Estimated death toll of 40 million.
Crusades (Middle East, 1096-1270) - Estimated death toll of 1-3 million.

Note that these death tolls are estimates and can vary depending on the sources used.
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Medieval Monks Made Unexpected Contribution to Study of Volcanos
by Alanna Madden
April 5, 2023

Introduction:
(Courthouse News) — Bubonic plague. Famine. Civil and political unrest. Faithfully documented lunar eclipses between 1100 and 1300 A.D. Besides obvious medieval timelines, all share ties to something seemingly unrelated: volcanic eruptions.

A study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday from a team of international researchers led by the University of Geneva details the five years they spent pouring over European and Middle Eastern texts from the 12th and 13th centuries to identify some of the most prolific volcanic eruptions known to date — eruptions that occurred between 1100 and 1300 or the “High Medieval Period.”

The collective effect of volcanic eruptions during the High Medieval Period is thought to have led to the “Little Ice Age,” a climate interval between the early 14th and mid-19th centuries where mountain glaciers expanded in several locations and temperatures dropped, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.

To find what they were looking for, researchers had to dig through hundreds of annals and chronicles in search of references to a total lunar eclipse and descriptions of coloration, which left clues as to whether a volcanic eruption occurred at the time.

“I was listening to Pink Floyd’s 'Dark Side of the Moon' album when I realized that the darkest lunar eclipses all occurred within a year or so of major volcanic eruptions,” said lead author Sébastien Guillet in a statement. “Since we know the exact days of the eclipses, it opened the possibility of using the sightings to narrow down when the eruptions must have happened.”

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/medieva ... volcanos/
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Frozen "Mummies" Of The Mongol Empire Are Rising From Melted Permafrost
by Tom Hale
April 6, 2023

Introduction:
(IFL Science) The permafrost of east Eurasian mountains is slowly melting away, helping to reveal the buried bodies of the much-feared Mongol Empire – as well as their unquenchable thirst for yak milk.

New research has studied the remains of a cemetery at the so-called Khorig site, located high in the Khovsgol mountains. Dating suggests that the cemetery was operating in the 13th century starting around the time of the Mongol Empire’s unification in 1206 CE.

This was the year when the infamous Genghis Khan was proclaimed the ruler of all Mongols. With the help of a fearless horseback army, he launched a series of bloody military campaigns across Asia, laying the foundations for the largest contiguous land empire in history that spanned from the Pacific coast of Asia to Eastern Europe. The world was never the same again.

In 2018 and 2019, the skeletons of 11 individuals were discovered at the elite burial site after they had partially been revealed by melting permafrost. The bodies were still in surprisingly good condition, despite being over 800 years old, thanks to the sub-zero temperatures preserving the remains.

Buried alongside lavish grave goods and dressed in fine materials, it appears the people interred here held a high social status.

Read more of the IFL Science article here: https://www.iflscience.com/frozen-mumm ... ost-68341

For an article on the subject as published in Communications Biology: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-04723-3
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“Unprecedented” Pre-Hispanic Ceremonial Structure May Have Been Used For Controlling The Weather
by Ben Taub
April 14, 2023

Introduction:
(IFL Science) A strange circular structure in the cold, harsh highlands of Bolivia may once have hosted rituals designed to control the region’s hostile climate, researchers have suggested. Reporting the discovery of the unusual pre-Hispanic ceremonial center, the study authors say the “surprising” construction is unlike any other ever found in the Andes.

The ruin was located during an archaeological survey in Carangas, which the researchers describe as “a region of the central-southern Andean Altiplano characterised by its extremely arid and cold climate.” After identifying 135 “noteworthy” religious sites in the area, the authors say that this unwelcoming wasteland was once “a dense ritual landscape.”

While the presence of so many ceremonial structures in this remote stretch of highland is itself somewhat unexpected, the researchers go on to explain that “of these sites, one ceremonial centre stands out for its unprecedented characteristics for the Andes.” Named Waskiri, the structure “surprises both in its large dimensions (140 meters [459 feet] in diameter) and its design and regularity,” they say.

Located near the Chilean border, Waskiri is described as “an impressive circular construction” that features a perimeter ring comprised of 39 adjoining enclosures. This outer structure surrounds a central plaza that was found to contain pottery from the Late Intermediate and Late Periods.
Based on these artifacts, the researchers believe the structure was in use some time between 1250 and 1600 CE.
Read more of the IFL Science article here: https://www.iflscience.com/unprecedent ... er-68420

The study is published in the journal Antiquity: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journal ... 6679939D6
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... in-denmark

Hoard of 1,000-year-old Viking coins unearthed in Denmark

Artefacts believed to date back to 980s found by girl metal-detecting in cornfield last autumn

Agence France-Presse
Fri 21 Apr 2023 09.06 EDT

Nearly 300 silver coins believed to be more than 1,000 years old have been discovered near a Viking fortress site in north-west Denmark, a museum has said.

The trove – lying in two spots not far apart – was unearthed by a girl who was metal-detecting in a cornfield last autumn.

“A hoard like this is very rare,” Lars Christian Norbach, the director of the North Jutland Museum, where the artefacts will go on display, told Agence France-Presse.

The silver coins were found about 5 miles (8km) from the Fyrkat Viking ringfort, near the town of Hobro. From their inscriptions, they are believed to date back to the 980s.

The trove includes Danish, Arab and Germanic coins as well as pieces of jewellery originating from Scotland or Ireland, according to archaeologists. Norbach said the finds were from the same period as the fort, built by King Harald Bluetooth, and would offer a greater insight into the history of the Vikings.
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