4 ms·

People traded in the Middle Ages? Not the biggest surprise. And ugh, its medieval, not ancient.

olavk 12y ago
In Scandinavian historiographic tradition the Middle Ages is counted from the arrival of Christianity. Being the the 8th century, the find is from the Viking Age which is earlier.
- pbhjpbhj 12y ago
  From the abstract of the paper itself: >"an Arabic finger ring, which was found in a 9th c. woman's grave" // Which by your definition makes this mediaeval, as the GP states.
  - olavk 12y ago
    No, according to my definition 9th century is Viking Age. Scandinavian medieval period starts around year 1000 with christianization. Of course these labels are more or less arbitrary. In western Europe, the medieval times are sometimes counted from the fall of the western roman empire, and in that case 9th century is clearly medieval. I believe this is the tradition in England.
    - pbhjpbhj 12y ago
      Ah, OK, I stand corrected. Your error in saying '8th Century' confused suggested you were saying 'as it's 8th and not 9th century. In Scandinavia is it considered that the Viking age and mediaeval period don't overlap at all? Is there a specific event that marks the start of the mediaeval period - you mentioned Christianisation, perhaps the arrival of an evangelist (aka saint)? Of course the ring could be C8 - I wonder if they can date it with reference to the comparison of the composition with coins with a known date [though I guess that only gives an upper bound as the silver used in the coins could have been mined much earlier].
huxley 12y ago
I'm glad you're not dissing the Middle Ages, but the Ancients had some amazing trading networks too. The Britons in Cornwall, Devon and Brittany traded tin with the rest of Europe as far back as 2150BC. Pytheas of Massalia travelled all the way Britain about 325 BC and wrote about the thriving trade. Update: also Bronze Age trading between the Scandinavians and Egyptians: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-egyptian-blue-glass-beads-reached-scandinavia https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-egyptian-blue-gl...

olavk 12y ago

In Scandinavian historiographic tradition the Middle Ages is counted from the arrival of Christianity. Being the the 8th century, the find is from the Viking Age which is earlier.

pbhjpbhj 12y ago
From the abstract of the paper itself: >"an Arabic finger ring, which was found in a 9th c. woman's grave" // Which by your definition makes this mediaeval, as the GP states.
- olavk 12y ago
  No, according to my definition 9th century is Viking Age. Scandinavian medieval period starts around year 1000 with christianization. Of course these labels are more or less arbitrary. In western Europe, the medieval times are sometimes counted from the fall of the western roman empire, and in that case 9th century is clearly medieval. I believe this is the tradition in England.
  - pbhjpbhj 12y ago
    Ah, OK, I stand corrected. Your error in saying '8th Century' confused suggested you were saying 'as it's 8th and not 9th century. In Scandinavia is it considered that the Viking age and mediaeval period don't overlap at all? Is there a specific event that marks the start of the mediaeval period - you mentioned Christianisation, perhaps the arrival of an evangelist (aka saint)? Of course the ring could be C8 - I wonder if they can date it with reference to the comparison of the composition with coins with a known date [though I guess that only gives an upper bound as the silver used in the coins could have been mined much earlier].

huxley 12y ago

I'm glad you're not dissing the Middle Ages, but the Ancients had some amazing trading networks too. The Britons in Cornwall, Devon and Brittany traded tin with the rest of Europe as far back as 2150BC. Pytheas of Massalia travelled all the way Britain about 325 BC and wrote about the thriving trade. Update: also Bronze Age trading between the Scandinavians and Egyptians: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-egyptian-blue-glass-beads-reached-scandinavia https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-egyptian-blue-gl...