“Diuiduntur in quattuor”: the Interim and Judgement in Anglo-Saxon England

The division of souls in the afterlife into groups of three or four can be found in the works of many patristic and medieval authors, drawing on a number of traditions about the fate of the soul in the interim and at judgement. These groupings have often been the subject of confusion, not least because it is sometimes difficult to ascertain whether descriptions of the various groups of souls are intended to refer to the interim or to the judgement. This paper seeks to clarify and explore some of these divisions as they were discussed in Anglo-Saxon England: first in vision accounts by two eighth-century authors, Boniface, a missionary to the Continent, and the Venerable Bede; and secondly in the works of two later authors, Ælfric of Eynsham in the tenth century and Goscelin of Saint-Bertin in the eleventh

Migraine

For centuries, people have talked of a powerful bodily disorder called migraine, which currently affects about a billion people around the world. Yet until now, the rich history of this condition has barely been told. In Migraine, award-winning historian Katherine Foxhall reveals the ideas and methods that ordinary people and medical professionals have used to describe, explain, and treat migraine since the Middle Ages. Touching on classical theories of humoral disturbance and medieval bloodletting, Foxhall also describes early modern herbal remedies, the emergence of neurology, and evolving practices of therapeutic experimentation. Throughout the book, Foxhall persuasively argues that our current knowledge of migraine's neurobiology is founded on a centuries-long social, cultural, and medical history. This history, she demonstrates, continues to profoundly shape our knowledge of this complicated disease, our attitudes toward people who have migraine, and the sometimes drastic measures that we take to address pain. Migraine is an intimate look at how cultural attitudes and therapeutic practices have changed radically in response to medical and pharmaceutical developments. Foxhall draws on a wealth of previously unexamined sources, including medieval manuscripts, early-modern recipe books, professional medical journals, hospital case notes, newspaper advertisements, private diaries, consultation letters, artworks, poetry, and YouTube videos. Deeply researched and beautifully written, this fascinating and accessible study of one of our most common, disabling—and yet often dismissed—disorders will appeal to physicians, historians, scholars in medical humanities, and people living with migraine alike

The social and political sides of food surplus

This article looks at how surplus is not only an economic reality but a state of mind, created by and reflecting the social and political relations of a group, by considering examples of historic and prehistoric food surplus. The state of one’s surplus is not just what one stores, but also how others see it and think about it. Individuals are not alone, but always think of their surplus within a larger network of social and political interactions with others who are also storing food as well as within the rules for access. These networks have been considered safety nets by archaeologists, but often, as with many situations today, the populace does not have access to the safety net. Two case studies illustrate the dynamics and differences of this constructed side of food surplus

The Power of Binding and Loosing: The Chains of Sin in Anglo-Saxon Literature and Liturgy

This article examines discussions and representations of the chains of sin in Anglo-Saxon liturgy and saints' lives, considering in particular the idea of post-mortem release from sin

Migraine

For centuries, people have talked of a powerful bodily disorder called migraine, which currently affects about a billion people around the world. Yet until now, the rich history of this condition has barely been told. In Migraine, award-winning historian Katherine Foxhall reveals the ideas and methods that ordinary people and medical professionals have used to describe, explain, and treat migraine since the Middle Ages. Touching on classical theories of humoral disturbance and medieval bloodletting, Foxhall also describes early modern herbal remedies, the emergence of neurology, and evolving practices of therapeutic experimentation. Throughout the book, Foxhall persuasively argues that our current knowledge of migraine's neurobiology is founded on a centuries-long social, cultural, and medical history. This history, she demonstrates, continues to profoundly shape our knowledge of this complicated disease, our attitudes toward people who have migraine, and the sometimes drastic measures that we take to address pain. Migraine is an intimate look at how cultural attitudes and therapeutic practices have changed radically in response to medical and pharmaceutical developments. Foxhall draws on a wealth of previously unexamined sources, including medieval manuscripts, early-modern recipe books, professional medical journals, hospital case notes, newspaper advertisements, private diaries, consultation letters, artworks, poetry, and YouTube videos. Deeply researched and beautifully written, this fascinating and accessible study of one of our most common, disabling—and yet often dismissed—disorders will appeal to physicians, historians, scholars in medical humanities, and people living with migraine alike

Effect of plutonium doping on radiation damage in zirconolite: A computer simulation study

We present the results of extensive Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of alpha-recoil radiation damage in a range of crystalline zirconolites, CaZrTi2O7. Our studied systems include pure zirconolite, which we use as a reference material and the first ever simulations of damage in Pu-doped zirconolite, where plutonium is doped onto both of the M1 sites in the material, i.e. (Ca0.7Pu0.3)ZrTi2O7 and Ca(Zr0.7Pu0.3)(Ti1.7Fe0.3)O7. Our goal was to determine the extent of local damage caused by a plutonium primary knock on atom (PKA) interacting with the crystal lattice. Recoil energies of up to 34.7 keV have been simulated. The damage is characterised using a number of analysis tools including: site specific radial distribution functions; defect statistics; and the asphericity parameter at various times during the annealing process. Our results show that there is much information to be gained by the use of novel techniques for radiation damage analysis. Also, we show inclusion of actinides in radiation damage simulations can significantly increase the extent of damage observed and should be considered carefully when describing radiation damage behaviour in future

Latin lives on! Classical and post-classical Latin

This project developed a new and exciting introductory Latin course integrating classical and post-classical Latin for undergraduates studying Ancient History, Archaeology, History and English. In addition to a firm grounding in basic Latin grammar, the module explores how Latin lived on in many forms beyond the Roman Empire up to the twentieth century. Intertextuality between classical texts (e.g. Virgil) with the post-classical texts they inspired (e.g., Alcuin, Milton) forms a key component of the module. Readings are drawn from a wide range of sources beyond standard 'texts' including coins, graffiti and inscriptions. This module provides a valuable skill for students studying and researching historical, literary and historical archaeological topics. Themes covered include: history writing, letters, biography/hagiography, letters, student writing, pastoral poetry, legal texts, mythology, geography and travel writing, erotic/love poetry, satire and humour, oratory/rhetoric and sermons