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Books > Humanities > History > World history > 500 to 1500
The Greek commentary tradition devoted to explicating Aristotle's
Nicomachean Ethics (NE) was extensive. It began in antiquity with
Aspasius and reached a point of immense sophistication in the
twelfth century with the commentaries of Eustratius of Nicaea and
Michael of Ephesus, which primarily served educational purposes.
The use of Aristotle's ethics in the classroom continued into the
late Byzantine period, but until recently scholastic use of the NE
was known mostly through George Pachymeres' epitome of the NE (Book
11 of his Philosophia). This volume radically changes the landscape
by providing the editio princeps of the last surviving exegetical
commentary on the NE stricto sensu, also penned by Pachymeres. This
represents a new witness to the importance of Aristotelian studies
in the cultural revival of late Byzantium. The editio princeps is
accompanied by an English translation and a thorough introduction,
which offers an informed reading of the commentary's genre and
layout, relationship to its sources, exegetical strategies, and
philosophical originality. This book also includes the edition of
diagrams and scholia accompanying Pachymeres' exegesis, whose
paratextual function is key to a full understanding of the work.
In an era when women were supposed to be disciplined and obedient, Anna proved to be neither. Defying 16th-century social mores, she was the frequent subject of gossip because of her immodest dress and flirtatious behavior. When her wealthy father discovered that she was having secret, simultaneous affairs with a young nobleman and a cavalryman, he turned her out of the house in rage, but when she sued him for financial support, he had her captured, returned home and chained to a table as punishment. Anna eventually escaped and continued her suit against her father, her siblings and her home town in a bitter legal battle that was to last 30 years and end only upon her death. Drawn from her surviving love letters and court records, The Burgermeister's Daughter is a fascinating examination of the politics of sexuality, gender and family in the 16th century, and a powerful testament to the courage and tenacity of a woman who defied the inequalities of this distant age.
Literature serves many purposes, and one of them certainly proves
to be to convey messages, wisdom, and instruction, and this across
languages, religions, and cultures. Beyond that, as the
contributors to this volume underscore, people have always
endeavored to reach out to their community members, that is, to
build community, to learn from each other, and to teach. Hence,
this volume explores the meaning of communication, translation, and
community building based on the medium of language. While all these
aspects have already been discussed in many different venues, the
contributors endeavor to explore a host of heretofore less
considered historical, religious, literary, political, and
linguistic sources. While the dominant focus tends to rest on
conflicts, hostility, and animosity in the pre-modern age, here the
emphasis rests on communication with its myriad of challenges and
potentials for establishing a community. As the various studies
illustrate, a close reading of communicative issues opens profound
perspectives regarding human relationships and hence the social
context. This understanding invites intensive collaboration between
medical historians, literary scholars, translation experts, and
specialists on religious conflicts and discourses. We also learn
how much language carries tremendous cultural and social meaning
and determines in a most sensitive manner the interactions among
people in a communicative and community-based fashion.
Anglo-Danish Empire is an interdisciplinary handbook for the Danish
conquest of England in 1016 and the subsequent reign of King Cnut
the Great. Bringing together scholars from the fields of history,
literature, archaeology, and manuscript studies, the volume offers
comprehensive analysis of England's shift from Anglo-Saxon to
Danish rule. It follows the history of this complicated transition,
from the closing years of the reign of King AEthelred II and the
Anglo-Danish wars, to Cnut's accession to the throne of England and
his consolidation of power at home and abroad. Ruling from 1016 to
1035, Cnut drew England into a Scandinavian empire that stretched
from Ireland to the Baltic. His reign rewrote the place of Denmark
and England within Europe, altering the political and cultural
landscapes of both countries for decades to come.
This volume offers the author's central articles on the medieval
and early modern history of cartography for the first time in
English translation. A first group of essays gives an overview of
medieval cartography and illustrates the methods of cartographers.
Another analyzes world maps and travel accounts in relation to
mapped spaces. A third examines land surveying, cartographical
practices of exploration, and the production of Portolan atlases.
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