Sensing the Late Medieval World

In the modern world, our understanding of the five senses are deemed to be within the remit of medical science; in the medieval world it was the Church and religious devotion that largely shaped how people conceived of and used their senses. In his fascinating new book, C. M. Woolgar looks at the 'sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings of the late medieval period' from the foul stench of sinners to the sweet smelling lavender pillows of King Henry V, from the infectious touch of the leper, to the innocent, spiritually uplifting kiss of the clergy.

Warfare in all its guises

Two new books on warfare are worthy of a mention this month. First is an edited collection of papers coming out of a research project at Aarhus University on the subject of Warfare and Society. The scope of these studies, as well as the credentials of the contributors, make this a must for anyone studying warfare and social change. Second is Philip Sidnell's study of the under-rated warhorse which seeks to redress the balance between the infantry and cavalry in the history of ancient warfare.

Of all the new books that have passed over the desks of the Oxbow staff this month, these, for whatever reason, are the ones that grabbed their attention.

New Releases

Building Memories: The Neolithic Cotswold Long Barrow at Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire
edited by Don Benson and Alasdair Whittle
Hardback. GB £55.00, GB £15.00

It is just over forty years since the start of the excavations of the Ascott-under-Wychwood long barrow (1965-69) under the direction of Don Benson. The excavations belonged to the latter part of a great period of barrow digging in southern Britain, which was ending just as, by striking contrast, intensified investigation and fieldwork at causewayed enclosures were beginning. Although a long gap has passed since the excavations took place, they have nonetheless produced a rich and important set of results, and the analysis has been enhanced by more recent techniques. The site now joins Burn Ground and Hazleton North as one of only three Cotswold long barrows or cairns to have been more or less fully excavated. The barrow had been built in two main stages, in a series of bays defined by lines of stakes and stone, and filled mainly with earth and turf, with some stone; it was enclosed or faced by stone walling, the outermost being of very fine quality. The barrow contained two opposed pairs of stone cists, each with a short passage from the long sides of the monument. The cists and passages contained the remains of some 21 people (of all ages and both sexes), probably deposited in a variety of forms from fleshed inhumations to incomplete secondary remains and cremations. The barrow was built in the 38th century cal BC and was probably one of the earliest such constructions in the region. It was probably in use for only three to five generations, lasting into the 37th century cal BC. Occupation features from the early fourth millennium cal BC included small pits, hearths and two small timber post structures, and there were finds of pottery, flint, axe fragments, stone querns and animal bone. People used cattle, sheep and pigs, and there is a range of wild species, especially in the midden. The authors of this report not only document the finds and research, but also address wider questions of how the early Neolithic inhabitants viewed their society through the barrow, and how the development of the site reflected memory and interaction with a changing world.

Food for the Gods: New Light on the Ancient Incense Trade
edited by David Peacock and David Williams
Hardback. GB £35.00, GB £10.00

The story of incense is one of the most intriguing in both eastern and western culture. From the first millennium BC to the present day it has been sought after and valued on a par with precious metals or gems. Although incense was a luxury, it was consumed in prodigious quantities by the ancient world, in temples and at funerals, but also in private homes. The papers in this volume look at the role of incense, primarily - though not exclusively - during the Roman period. It is hoped that they will provide a starting point for further research into this important, but neglected, area of social and economic archaeology.

The Panathenaic Games
edited by Olga Palagia and Alkestis Spetsieri-Choremi
Hardback. GB £45.00, GB £15.00

The papers in this volume were presented at an international conference organised in Athens (May 11-14, 2004) and focus on the study of the Panathenaic Games, a Panhellenic athletic event that lasted for nearly a millennium. An international assembly of archaeologists, art historians, ancient historians, epigraphists and classical scholars contributed to the discussion of the origins and the historical development of the Panathenaic Games in general and of individual contests in particular. The role of royal and other patrons in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, as well as the form and meaning of victory dedications and other monuments generated by the games were also examined, making this a truly interdisciplinary study into this fascinating event. Two papers are in Greek.

Common Ground: Archaeology, Art, Science, and Humanities
by Brauer
GB £85.00, GB £15.00

This volume contains over 150 papers presented at the Classical Congress held in Boston, Massachussetts in August 2003.