Images and Visual Culture

MECERN abstracts, 2023

Filipova, Snežana (SS. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje) Continuities and changes in the visual and material culture on Macedonian land in the Middle Ages Culture and art represent and preserve the spirit of the land and form the curriculum vitae of the land and the people. The continuity of high-quality art values, the cohesion of cultures and art styles and valuable works of art make us very proud. Macedonian territory is in some cases the only region where some of the most important works of medieval styles have been preserved. Certain monuments are inevitable when giving an art history survey. Developed city life predates the Roman period. The importance of the municipium Stobi is proved by the visits of Emperor Theodosius, while the importance of Heraclea is demonstrated by the 7 visits of Manuel II Komnenos. Since the time of Tzar Samuel, Skopje had importance as strategical point for Byzantium, the Serbian State and the Turks. Macedonia was very important for the Roman Empire, as shown by the roads, theatres, aqueducts, beautiful palaces and mosaics, and also for Byzantium. Since the Komnenos dynasty had lands and authority here, they invested in new churches and residencies. After the beautiful, marble Roman-era portraits, there was a continuation in the art of royal portraiture in icon painting and within the Komnenian-era churches. Since the fifteenth century there has mainly been a late Byzantine art influence. Later, some features of late European Baroque art were introduced. In the late nineteenth century Macedonian architects built large churches in the Balkans, and Macedonian sculptors were engaged in Serbia and Moldavia. Thus Macedonian artistic genius had a large impact on Balkan art. Ohrid, as the seat of the Archbishopric, was another mighty artistic centre. Some researchers think that Theodor Duka (1224-1230) was elected tsar here by the Archbishop Demetrius Homatianus. During the Middle Ages the Church became the main creative institution. In the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries Macedonian churches were painted by the best painters of Palaiologan era, Michael and Eutihius. Art continued to flourish to a lesser extent under Turkish rule. Still, the Bishopric of Ohrid managed to order new art works and objects and to receive gifts by town guilds or rich orthodox citizens. To sum up, there has been a continuation in the creation of high-quality orthodox art in Macedonia for over 16 centuries, since the fourth century, CE. Also, the places where a pagan temple and later a church were erected show over two millennia of continuity, which speaks of the continual usage of “holy places”. Sometimes this is related to “holy springs of water”, sometimes to the long-time memory and respect towards holiness as a general state.

Continuity and Change in Medieval East Central Europe explores the crucial societal, political, and cultural dynamics that defined medieval East Central Europe during the early and high Middle Ages. Focusing on the historical regions of Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania, the book provides a comprehensive and comparative analysis of this transformative historical period. It gathers the latest perspectives from leading experts, offering nuanced insights into the interactions between power, religion, and social structures. Featuring original chapters from an interdisciplinary team of contributors, this volume delves into specific aspects of medieval East Central Europe. It examines the "dark ages" around 900 AD, the territorial organisation of the Piast monarchies, and the evolution of rulership in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Other topics include the changing social status of royal servants in Hungary, the role of church and state in societal changes, and the unique concept of twin cathedrals in ecclesiastical architecture. By providing comparative assessments, the book highlights the complex relationship between continuity and change, offering fresh perspectives on the political and cultural transformations that influenced the region's development. Intended for historians and archaeologists interested in medieval societal changes, this volume is also essential for students in history, archaeology, and art history. By presenting cutting-edge research from various language areas and historical schools, the book makes advanced scholarship accessible to English-speaking readers. It serves the Anglophone academic market and engages experts and students within East Central Europe, offering a critical resource for understanding the medieval period's enduring impact on contemporary societies.

2022

The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Central Europe summarizes the political, social, and cultural medieval history of Central Europe (c. ad 800–1600), a region long considered a “forgotten” area of the European past. The twenty-four cutting-edge chapters present up-to-date research about the region’s core medieval kingdoms—Hungary, Poland, and Bohemia—and also their dynamic interactions with neighboring areas. From the Baltic to the Adriatic, the Handbook includes reflections on modern conceptions and uses of the region’s shared medieval traditions. The volume’s thematic organization reveals rarely compared knowledge about the region’s medieval resources, its people and structures of power, social life and economy, religion and culture, and the images of its past.

Early Medieval Europe, 2007

B). To this reader, there are a few points that needed clarification. Despite being sensible, flexible, and a clear improvement over previous typologies for being based on multiple criteria (i.e. material, manufacturing techniques, decoration, translucency and opacity, colour), Brugmann's choice of typology is not adequately justified. She states that the typology was arrived at because it proved to be the most 'effective for chronological analysis', but this inevitably rests on a circular argument that the ends justify the means. Disappointingly there is little in the way of synthesis or suggestions for future research. For instance, Brugmann does not develop upon the possible models she outlines for the economy of bead manufacture, exchange and consumption, nor the significance of beads for femalegendered costume and their use in adorning the dead during funerary rites. Despite an assessment of previous work, Brugmann might also be accused of resting her interpretations on a simplistic and static dichotomy between 'Roman' and 'Germanic' tastes and fashions when discerning the degree of Roman survival and the degree of continental and Scandinavian influences on Anglo-Saxon bead-types and uses. Despite the limitations-justifiable given the scale and nature of the project-Brugmann's work makes important and valuable additions to the study of early medieval artefacts. The author builds a rigorous foundation for future research concerning this important category of early Anglo-Saxon objects.

2018

The Middle Ages in the Modern World is a biennial conference about the ways in which the Middle Ages have been received, imagined, invoked, relived, used, abused, and refashioned in the modern and contemporary worlds. Hosted by John Cabot University and the École française de Rome, MAMO 2018 will take place for the first time outside of Great Britain, in the historic center of Rome, on 21-24 November 2018 (Wednesday-Saturday). A special, optional day of medieval and medievalizing site visits in and around Rome will follow on Sunday, November 25th. The Middle Ages in the Modern World è un convegno, finora tenutosi a cadenza biennale, sui modi in cui il medioevo è stato percepito, immaginato, evocato, rivissuto, usato, strumentalizzato e riproposto nel mondo moderno e contemporaneo. Nel 2018, MAMO si terrà per la prima volta fuori della Gran Bretagna. Ospitato dalla John Cabot University e dall’École française de Rome, il primo MAMO continentale si celebrerà nel centro storico di Roma, nei giorni 21-24 (mercoledì-sabato) novembre, 2018. La successiva domenica 25 novembre sarà un giorno speciale e facoltativo di visite a siti medievali e medievalisti dentro e intorno a Roma. The Middle Ages in the Modern World est un colloque biennal portant sur les manières dont le Moyen Âge a été perçu, imaginé, évoqué, revécu, utilisé, instrumentalisé et réinventé dans le monde moderne et contemporain. En 2018, pour la première fois, MAMO se tiendra hors de Grande-Bretagne. Accueilli par la John Cabot University et l’École française de Rome, le premier MAMO continental se déroulera dans le centre historique de Rome, du mercredi 21 au samedi 24 novembre 2018. Le dimanche 25 sera une journée particulière, facultative, consacrée à la visite de sites médiévaux et médiévalistes dans et autour de Rome.

The Middle Ages in the Modern World is a biennial conference about the ways in which the Middle Ages have been received, imagined, invoked, relived, used, abused, and refashioned in the modern and contemporary worlds. Hosted by John Cabot University and the École française de Rome, MAMO 2018 will take place for the first time outside of Great Britain, in the historic center of Rome, on 21-24 November 2018 (Wednesday-Saturday). A special, optional day of medieval and medievalizing site visits in and around Rome will follow on Sunday, November 25th. The Middle Ages in the Modern World è un convegno, finora tenutosi a cadenza biennale, sui modi in cui il medioevo è stato percepito, immaginato, evocato, rivissuto, usato, strumentalizzato e riproposto nel mondo moderno e contemporaneo. Nel 2018, MAMO si terrà per la prima volta fuori della Gran Bretagna. Ospitato dalla John Cabot University e dall’École française de Rome, il primo MAMO continentale si celebrerà nel centro storico di Roma, nei giorni 21-24 (mercoledì-sabato) novembre, 2018. La successiva domenica 25 novembre sarà un giorno speciale e facoltativo di visite a siti medievali e medievalisti dentro e intorno a Roma. The Middle Ages in the Modern World est un colloque biennal portant sur les manières dont le Moyen Âge a été perçu, imaginé, évoqué, revécu, utilisé, instrumentalisé et réinventé dans le monde moderne et contemporain. En 2018, pour la première fois, MAMO se tiendra hors de Grande-Bretagne. Accueilli par la John Cabot University et l’École française de Rome, le premier MAMO continental se déroulera dans le centre historique de Rome, du mercredi 21 au samedi 24 novembre 2018. Le dimanche 25 sera une journée particulière, facultative, consacrée à la visite de sites médiévaux et médiévalistes dans et autour de Rome.