Histories

20 pages, 405 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Barcelona, Naples and Salonika: Ethnic and Civic Nationalism in Three Mediterranean Port Cities (1888–1915)

by Daniele Conversi

Histories 2023, 3(3), 288-307; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories3030020 - 05 Sep 2023

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How far is port cities’ cosmopolitan inclination reflected in the type of nationalism prevailing in the surrounding area or region? How do these relationships change in different timeframes, one determined by nationalist modernization, the other by neoliberal globalization? This article attempts to respond to this question by looking at three Northern Mediterranean port cities (Barcelona, Naples, and Salonica) in two different time settings: the advent of the centralizing nation-state preceding WW1 and the advent of free-market deregulation policies adopted worldwide since the 1980s. It does so by adapting a new critical reading of Hans Kohn’s dichotomy on civic/ethnic nationalism—and extending it to the realm of culture in an age of deep global transformations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)

17 pages, 5229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Singapore Stone: Documenting the Origins, Destruction, Journey and Legacy of an Undeciphered Stone Monolith

by Kelvin Cahya Yap, Tony (Wenyao) Jiao and Francesco Perono Cacciafoco

Histories 2023, 3(3), 271-287; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories3030019 - 03 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1646

Abstract

The Singapore Stone was a large monolith present at the mouth of the Singapore River, clad with a faded inscription that was a point of interest for local and foreign antiquarians and other enthusiasts, as no person—native or otherwise—could decipher the meaning of its tongue. Tragically, the stone was blasted in 1848 by East India Company engineers as part of works to widen the mouth of the river. Only four fragments were saved; these were sent to Calcutta’s Asiatic Society of Bengal and later placed in the custody of the Indian Museum. Today, only one fragment remains, which was returned to Singapore in 1919 and at present is displayed in the National Museum of Singapore. Over the past century and a half, there has been great interest in the fate of the lost fragments and in the mysterious inscription that the fragments hold. There have been various attempts at deciphering the Stone, with a variety of suggested interpretations and languages. This research paper compiles and documents both the physical journey of the fragments and the various attempts at deciphering them, aiming to comprehensively detail the Stone’s origins and journey from its erection to its present residence while providing an analysis of the past attempts at decipherment and the future of this effort. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)

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10 pages, 4045 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unravelling the Mystery of the Singapore Stone: A Comparative Analysis with the Calcutta Stone and the Possible Kawi Connection

by I-Shiang Lee and Francesco Perono Cacciafoco

Histories 2023, 3(3), 261-270; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories3030018 - 29 Aug 2023

Viewed by 3832

Abstract

The Singapore Stone, discovered in 1819, was blown up in 1843 and remains an enigma today. Several studies have suggested the script to be Kawi, a Brahmic script used between the 8th and 16th centuries in Java and other parts of Southeast Asia. The language remains unknown but is thought to be Old Javanese, Sanskrit, or Tamil. There is great historical value in finding out what the script says, and it is the aim of this project to offer deeper insight into this undeciphered inscription. In this paper, an in-depth comparison of the Singapore Stone with the Calcutta Stone (1041 CE), a prominent example of a Later Kawi inscription, is performed. Brief comparisons of the Singapore Stone with other inscriptions are also conducted. Numerous characters on the Singapore Stone are matched to those on the Calcutta Stone. However, the Singapore Stone appears to have a much lower frequency of diacritics and clusters. Such a phenomenon is anomalous and could have hindered decryption efforts thus far. Nonetheless, an identification and comparison of such character signs are attempted. Overall, the two inscriptions are shown to share many stylistic similarities, suggesting that the Singapore Stone could be dated to the Later Kawi period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)

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16 pages, 300 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Daniel Sennert’s Corpuscularian Reforms to Natural Philosophy

by Gabriel Müller

Histories 2023, 3(3), 245-260; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories3030017 - 16 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 783

Abstract

Daniel Sennert (1572–1637), professor of medicine and natural philosophy in Wittenberg, defended a highly unusual philosophical system. This paper examines Sennert’s vision of natural philosophy within the context of the rapidly changing environment of the seventeenth century and relates his philosophical innovations to his methodology. The main result is that Sennert’s postulation of corpuscles with substantial forms, though it takes place within the framework of Aristotelian natural philosophy, directly influences his philosophical view of qualities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Images of Nature—From the Middle Ages to (Non-)Western Modernities)

14 pages, 301 KiB

Open AccessEssay

Changing Natures: On Theory and Practice of Breeding in the European Middle Ages

by Camille Schneiter

Histories 2023, 3(3), 231-244; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories3030016 - 18 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 960

Abstract

While throughout modern history it has been shown how thoroughly biological discourses were shaped by conceptions originating in the theory and praxis of breeding, for the medieval period similar studies are mostly absent. This paper offers a symmetrical history of theory and praxis of breeding by asking to what extent they shaped medieval conceptions of human ‘race’ and ‘ancestry’ in Europe. For scholarly knowledge of breeding, the analysis relies on Albertus Magnus’ extensive Aristotelian work De animalibus. For the practical knowledge of the breeders, scattered indications from the secondary literature are compiled and promising primary sources are outlined for further research. The paper finds that various concepts and practices whose origins are commonly placed in the early modern period were already present in the Middle Ages, including the concept of reproductive heredity and the view that creation diversified over time through reproductive ancestry. Breeding practices, thus, existed before the rise of genetics in modern biology. The medieval conceptions of ‘race’ and ‘ancestry’ underwent conceptual transfers from the non-human into the human sphere, collapsing the qualitative distinction of the two spheres into one quantitively graded overarching image of nature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Images of Nature—From the Middle Ages to (Non-)Western Modernities)

12 pages, 24454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Puzzling Religious Inscription from Medieval Tuscany: Symbology and Interpretation

by Stefano Vicari and Francesco Perono Cacciafoco

Histories 2023, 3(3), 219-230; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories3030015 - 05 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1321

Abstract

At the entrance of some churches in Tuscany (Italy), the reproduction of an apparently undecipherable inscription can be found. Beginning in the 18th century, this epigraphic puzzle has originated a debate on its interpretation. This study proposes a hypothesis based on the Latin alphabet used in texts contemporary to the churches where the inscription is reproduced and a possible interpretation of the message consistent with the official religious doctrine. The proposed deciphering is extended to the full text, including some signs that were previously considered geometric forms or a specific elaboration of letters not attested in other contemporary documents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)

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Histories, Volume 3, Issue 3 (September 2023) – 6 articles

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