Camille M L Vo Van Qui | University of Exeter (original) (raw)
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Papers by Camille M L Vo Van Qui
Arts et Savoirs, 2024
La seule méthode originale de débourrage existant pour l’Europe occidentale du bas Moyen Âge se t... more La seule méthode originale de débourrage existant pour l’Europe occidentale du bas Moyen Âge se trouve dans les premiers chapitres du De medicina equorum (circa 1250) de Jordanus Rufus. Sept traductions en moyen français de ce texte existent, datant du XIIIe au XVIe siècles. Les variations qu’elles présentent reflètent une adaptation de la méthode en fonction des types de chevaux à laquelle elle était appliquée, destriers ou simples roncins. C’est en raison de son adaptabilité que cette méthode, reposant sur les expérimentations de son auteur, sur ses connaissances scientifiques et sur une multitude de traditions équestres aujourd’hui disparues, a traversé les siècles.
Cheiron, Sep 1, 2023
Though mares were essential to the breeding of medieval warhorses, they are elusive in written an... more Though mares were essential to the breeding of medieval warhorses, they are elusive in written and iconographic sources dominated by male horses. When they appear, their portrayal is ambiguous: thirteenth-century encyclopaedists describe them both as an ideal representation of motherhood and as lascivious beings. This may have influenced the perception of mares in the context of equine husbandry. This paper compares descriptions in thirteenth-century encyclopaedias to French versions of Rufus's De medicina equorum (1250), and to its 1456 reinterpretation by Guillaume de Villiers. The Roman d'Alexandre (1180) by Alexandre de Paris, and the financial records of Charles VI (1368-1422) are used to understand the complex cultural perception of mares. Despite negative sexual undertones, mares were portrayed as strong and independent, eliciting wariness and admiration.
Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History, 2023
Though mares were essential to the breeding of medieval warhorses, they are elusive in written an... more Though mares were essential to the breeding of medieval warhorses, they are elusive in written and iconographic sources dominated by male horses. When they appear, their portrayal is ambiguous: thirteenth-century encyclopaedists describe them both as an ideal representation of motherhood and as lascivious beings. This may have influenced the perception of mares in the context of equine husbandry. This paper compares descriptions in thirteenth-century encyclopaedias to French versions of Rufus's De medicina equorum (1250), and to its 1456 reinterpretation by Guillaume de Villiers. The Roman d'Alexandre (1180) by Alexandre de Paris, and the financial records of Charles VI (1368-1422) are used to understand the complex cultural perception of mares. Despite negative sexual undertones, mares were portrayed as strong and independent, eliciting wariness and admiration.
Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History, 2021
The warhorse is arguably the most characteristic animal of the English Middle Ages. But while the... more The warhorse is arguably the most characteristic animal of the English Middle Ages. But while the development and military uses of warhorses have been intensively studied by historians, the archaeological evidence is too often dispersed, overlooked or undervalued. Instead, we argue that to fully understand the cultural significance and functional role of the medieval warhorse, a systematic study of the full range of archaeological evidence for warhorses (and horses more generally) from medieval England is necessary. This requires engagement with material evidence at a wide variety of scales — from individual artefacts through to excavated assemblages and landscape-wide distributions — dating between the late Saxon and Tudor period (c. AD 800–1600). We present here a case study of our interdisciplinary engaged research design focusing upon an important English royal stud site at Odiham in Hampshire. This brings together several fields of study, including (zoo)archaeology, history, la...
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2021
Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful m... more Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in-life usage of horses and activity related changes. This paper presents the largest zooarchaeological dataset of English horse bones (n = 1964) from 171 unique archaeological sites dating between AD 300 and 1650. Using this dataset alongside a modern comparative sample of known equids (n = 490), we examine trends in size and shape to explore how the skeletal conformation of horses changed through time and reflected their domestic, elite and military roles. In addition to evidencing the generally small stature of medieval horses relative to both earlier and later periods, we demonstrate the importance of accurately exploring the shape of skeletal elements to describe the morphological characteristics of domestic animals. Furthermore, we highlight the need to examine shape variation in the context of entheseal changes and biomechanics to address questions of functional morphology and detect possible markers of artificial selection on past horses.
Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History, 2021
The warhorse is arguably the most characteristic animal of the English Middle Ages. But while the... more The warhorse is arguably the most characteristic animal of the English Middle Ages. But while the development and military uses of warhorses have been intensively studied by historians, the archaeological evidence is too often dispersed, overlooked or undervalued. Instead, we argue that to fully understand the cultural significance and functional role of the medieval warhorse, a systematic study of the full range of archaeological evidence for warhorses (and horses more generally) from medieval England is necessary. This requires engagement with material evidence at a wide variety of scales-from individual artefacts through to excavated assemblages and landscape-wide distributions-dating between the late Saxon and Tudor period (c. AD 800-1600). We present here a case study of our interdisciplinary engaged research design focusing upon an important English royal stud site at Odiham in Hampshire. This brings together several fields of study, including (zoo)archaeology, history, landscape survey, and material culture studies to produce new understandings about a beast that was an unmistakable symbol of social status and a decisive weapon on the battlefield.
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful m... more Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in-life usage of horses and activity related changes. This paper presents the largest zooarchaeological dataset of English horse bones (n = 1964) from 171 unique archaeological sites dating between AD 300 and 1650. Using this dataset alongside a modern comparative sample of known equids (n = 490), we examine trends in size and shape to explore how the skeletal conformation of horses changed through time and reflected their domestic, elite and military roles. In addition to evidencing the generally small stature of medieval horses relative to both earlier and l...
Arts et Savoirs, 2024
La seule méthode originale de débourrage existant pour l’Europe occidentale du bas Moyen Âge se t... more La seule méthode originale de débourrage existant pour l’Europe occidentale du bas Moyen Âge se trouve dans les premiers chapitres du De medicina equorum (circa 1250) de Jordanus Rufus. Sept traductions en moyen français de ce texte existent, datant du XIIIe au XVIe siècles. Les variations qu’elles présentent reflètent une adaptation de la méthode en fonction des types de chevaux à laquelle elle était appliquée, destriers ou simples roncins. C’est en raison de son adaptabilité que cette méthode, reposant sur les expérimentations de son auteur, sur ses connaissances scientifiques et sur une multitude de traditions équestres aujourd’hui disparues, a traversé les siècles.
Cheiron, Sep 1, 2023
Though mares were essential to the breeding of medieval warhorses, they are elusive in written an... more Though mares were essential to the breeding of medieval warhorses, they are elusive in written and iconographic sources dominated by male horses. When they appear, their portrayal is ambiguous: thirteenth-century encyclopaedists describe them both as an ideal representation of motherhood and as lascivious beings. This may have influenced the perception of mares in the context of equine husbandry. This paper compares descriptions in thirteenth-century encyclopaedias to French versions of Rufus's De medicina equorum (1250), and to its 1456 reinterpretation by Guillaume de Villiers. The Roman d'Alexandre (1180) by Alexandre de Paris, and the financial records of Charles VI (1368-1422) are used to understand the complex cultural perception of mares. Despite negative sexual undertones, mares were portrayed as strong and independent, eliciting wariness and admiration.
Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History, 2023
Though mares were essential to the breeding of medieval warhorses, they are elusive in written an... more Though mares were essential to the breeding of medieval warhorses, they are elusive in written and iconographic sources dominated by male horses. When they appear, their portrayal is ambiguous: thirteenth-century encyclopaedists describe them both as an ideal representation of motherhood and as lascivious beings. This may have influenced the perception of mares in the context of equine husbandry. This paper compares descriptions in thirteenth-century encyclopaedias to French versions of Rufus's De medicina equorum (1250), and to its 1456 reinterpretation by Guillaume de Villiers. The Roman d'Alexandre (1180) by Alexandre de Paris, and the financial records of Charles VI (1368-1422) are used to understand the complex cultural perception of mares. Despite negative sexual undertones, mares were portrayed as strong and independent, eliciting wariness and admiration.
Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History, 2021
The warhorse is arguably the most characteristic animal of the English Middle Ages. But while the... more The warhorse is arguably the most characteristic animal of the English Middle Ages. But while the development and military uses of warhorses have been intensively studied by historians, the archaeological evidence is too often dispersed, overlooked or undervalued. Instead, we argue that to fully understand the cultural significance and functional role of the medieval warhorse, a systematic study of the full range of archaeological evidence for warhorses (and horses more generally) from medieval England is necessary. This requires engagement with material evidence at a wide variety of scales — from individual artefacts through to excavated assemblages and landscape-wide distributions — dating between the late Saxon and Tudor period (c. AD 800–1600). We present here a case study of our interdisciplinary engaged research design focusing upon an important English royal stud site at Odiham in Hampshire. This brings together several fields of study, including (zoo)archaeology, history, la...
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2021
Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful m... more Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in-life usage of horses and activity related changes. This paper presents the largest zooarchaeological dataset of English horse bones (n = 1964) from 171 unique archaeological sites dating between AD 300 and 1650. Using this dataset alongside a modern comparative sample of known equids (n = 490), we examine trends in size and shape to explore how the skeletal conformation of horses changed through time and reflected their domestic, elite and military roles. In addition to evidencing the generally small stature of medieval horses relative to both earlier and later periods, we demonstrate the importance of accurately exploring the shape of skeletal elements to describe the morphological characteristics of domestic animals. Furthermore, we highlight the need to examine shape variation in the context of entheseal changes and biomechanics to address questions of functional morphology and detect possible markers of artificial selection on past horses.
Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History, 2021
The warhorse is arguably the most characteristic animal of the English Middle Ages. But while the... more The warhorse is arguably the most characteristic animal of the English Middle Ages. But while the development and military uses of warhorses have been intensively studied by historians, the archaeological evidence is too often dispersed, overlooked or undervalued. Instead, we argue that to fully understand the cultural significance and functional role of the medieval warhorse, a systematic study of the full range of archaeological evidence for warhorses (and horses more generally) from medieval England is necessary. This requires engagement with material evidence at a wide variety of scales-from individual artefacts through to excavated assemblages and landscape-wide distributions-dating between the late Saxon and Tudor period (c. AD 800-1600). We present here a case study of our interdisciplinary engaged research design focusing upon an important English royal stud site at Odiham in Hampshire. This brings together several fields of study, including (zoo)archaeology, history, landscape survey, and material culture studies to produce new understandings about a beast that was an unmistakable symbol of social status and a decisive weapon on the battlefield.
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful m... more Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in-life usage of horses and activity related changes. This paper presents the largest zooarchaeological dataset of English horse bones (n = 1964) from 171 unique archaeological sites dating between AD 300 and 1650. Using this dataset alongside a modern comparative sample of known equids (n = 490), we examine trends in size and shape to explore how the skeletal conformation of horses changed through time and reflected their domestic, elite and military roles. In addition to evidencing the generally small stature of medieval horses relative to both earlier and l...