Roman and Lombards Research Papers (original) (raw)

From "The English Historical Review", 115, no. 463 (2000), p. 1093: In a rigorous and minute analysis of the much debated appearance (unique of its kind) of the temr 'romani' in a Lombard document of 767, A. Ghignoli argues convincingly that it resalts, in fact, from a mistranscription by the baffled tweltfth-century notary responsible for the copy in wich the document survives of the contextually much more fitting word 'massari'.

In which some passages of the Historia Langobardorum are examined, with the purpose of evidentiating the existence of a "trickster" or shapeshifting figure in the Lombard culture of the VII century.
Parallels among this character and the Norse character of Loki (or rather Loptr) are made.
Original Latin text included.
Emglish translation soon to follow.

- by Alberto Aldrovandi
- •
- Gender Studies, Correspondence Analysis, Langobards, Byzantine Italy

An examination of various accounts of Alboin's murder. The tying of the Lombard king's sword as a spell operated by the queen.

Lombard's Anabasis in Syria: sixty thousand warriors working for the Empire (paper in Italian)

- by Nicola Bergamo
- •
- Byzantine Italy, Lombard Italy, Lombards in Siria, Byzantine-Persian wars
- by Antonio Alberti
- •
- Archaeology, Medieval History, Medieval Studies, Medieval urban history
- by Valentina Flapp
- •
- History, Archaeology, Medieval Archaeology, Funerary Archaeology

Problem of ethnic identity between Roman and Longobards in Historia Langobardoum of Paul the Deacon (paper in Italian)

- by Maurizio Tani
- •
- Philology, Religion, History, European History

Tricking Odin: the wearing of beards by the Langobard women in the Langobard origin myth.

- by Alberto Aldrovandi
- •
- Gender Studies, German History, Old Norse Literature, Old Norse Language
- by Fabio Romanoni
- •
- Medieval History, Slavic Languages, Medieval Studies, Slavery
- by Alberto Aldrovandi
- •
- Old Norse Literature, Medieval Scandinavia, Old Norse Language, Sagas
- by Maria Cristina Terzaghi
- •
- Lombard Art, Caravaggio, Early modern Rome, Workshops

How have instances of ehtnogenesis and cultural change been influenced by migrations and the meetings of disparate groups in new lands? By examining the historical and archaeological evidence, I sought to examine the processes that drive ethnogenesis and specifically, how the Longobards of southern Italy developed out of a culturally complex and dynamic time such as the early middle ages. Based primarily on the archaeological assemblages found within the VII century necropoles of Campochiaro, I have brought together a variety of different sources to paint a picture of whom the early Longobards of southern Italy were, and how disparate barbarian groups across Europe in the early middle ages made sense of their present and how they created ideas of identity and belonging. This work refers primarily to the Italo-Lombard sphere of the VI to VIII centuries, but is also applicable to Avar studies questions regarding identity in the migration age and beyond. Many sources used for this work have never been translated into english, and this serves as a primary source of information in the english language for southern Italian early medieval necropoles

- by Anthony Gasparini
- •
- History, Sociology, Archaeology, Zooarchaeology

An examination of the Lombard version of judicial duel, a Germanic institution that shaped the history of post-Roman West. Praxis and ideology are reconstructed by confronting Langobard sources with other Romano-barbaric kingdoms and the later Norse tradition. An attempt is made at tracking the early history of duel, from pagan and tribal times to Christianity, and further on as a feudal institution and a nobiliar privilege.

- by Giulio Ciampoltrini
- •
- Archeologia medievale, Toscana, Roman and Lombards

Discusses the practice and meaning of the term "palatium sacrum" from Late antiquity until the Age of Charlemagne. Its use in Law, Ritual and Political Theory was much more restricted than claimed by many scholars, because of changing... more

Initially intentioned to defend its independence and individuality with respect to power of the sovereigns of Pavia, after 774, the Lombard Duchy of Benevento proclaimed itself Principality and, at the same time, proposed itself as the legitimate successor of the kingdom of the Lombards and as guardian of traditions and institutions of that people. However, wishing to go beyond political rhetoric and seek the true identity of the Lombards of Benevento, the juridical life (legislation and practice) of the Duchy / Principality is proposed as a useful indicator. The examination of the chapters issued at a distance of about a century from each other by the princes of Benevento Arechi II and Adelchi strikes, first of all, the evident attempt to oppose the contemporary legislation that the Carolingian rulers addressed to northern Italy in the sign of a strong continuity. A closer look, however, cannot escape certain similarities and contiguities and as many elements of rupture with the past. Very characteristic, on the other hand, is the way in which, even in the south, we see the return to Roman law (or rather the re-emergence of this) take place. Contrasting impressions also seem to emerge from the examination of the surviving public and private documentation. The judicial acts, in particular, give an account of a very jagged and lively reality, in which the declared attachment to the Longobard "national" tradition gives way instead to important injections of novelty.

The paper deals with a sort of crossing between late antique sources reporting the starting moment of Langobardish people with its name, which are written in the VII century, and classical sources of early imperial times where we find a people named as Langobardi among the others with which the Roman armies had to deal with and fight.
Proceeding from this point, we observe a possible involvement of Langobardi in the Germanic wars fought by the Romans in the age of Augustus and the early years of Tiberius, basing on the certainty that the Romans knew the Langobardi and that the name of this gens already existed.

- by Lorenzo Magliaro
- •
- Roman History, Strabo, Cassius Dio, Tacitus

Byzantine influence on the Regnum Langobardorum
according Paul the Deacon.

A bronze coin dated to the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I the Great appears is of highly unusual appearance, and appears to be a contemporary imitation. Consideration of events subsequent to the coin’s date indicates a likelihood of its production during or not long after Byzantium’s wars against the Sasanians to the east or the Lombards to the west.

Origins, Identities and ethnicities were all central concerns of Early Medieval writers. The interface between time, history and memory is demonstrated by Gregory of Tours, Bede and Paul the Deacon (amongst many others) and how they mediated the relationships between themselves and the pasts they depicted in their narrative works. Paul the Deacon, for instance, related how the Lombards acquired their name within the non-historical and mythic orbit of Book I of his Historia Langobardorum. Significantly, the episode is also discussed by ‘Fredegar’ and two subsequent and anonymous works of the VIIth- and VIIIth-centuries – the Origo Gentis Langobardorum and the Historia Langobardorum Codicis Gothani. This paper analyses the features of the origins of the Lombards which are described in the above works – which on each occasion have interesting and important variances- by doing so, it will be shown that time, memory and purpose have shifted and amended the ‘absurd tale’ so that it becomes a key to understanding the changes and pre-occupations of those who wrote about the mythic past and their present. Thus, we will be able to track and understand the responses of each of the writers to the Pagan and Mythic origins of the Lombards and how these responses were vitiated by time and memory.

- by Christopher Heath
- •
- Medieval History, Italian Studies, Medieval Studies, Early Medieval History

Uno studio che analizza l'editto di Rotari per estrapolarne le informazioni sul potere del sovrano longobardo, che ne chiarisca la posizione rispetto all'influenza del diritto romano e che espliciti il rapporto di legittimità che... more

- by Vasco La Salvia
- •
- Economic History, Early Medieval Archaeology, Early Medieval History, Barbarians

La questione longobarda, il più generale problema del passaggio e della trasformazione dei mezzi e dell'organizzazione della produzione fra tardo antico e alto medioevo, vengono trattate in questo volume con particolare attenzione alle tecniche della manifattura del ferro. Le diverse tradizioni fabbrili del mondo romano e di quello germanico sono state messe a confronto all'interno del più generale contesto dell'interazione culturale fra eredità del mondo classico e Barbaritas. Ancora, attraverso le analisi metallurgiche, effettuate su due campioni prelevati da due differenti spade della necropoli longobarda di Hegyko (Ungheria), è stata approntata una comparazione con i dati provenienti da spade prodotte in Italia (necropoli longobarda di Benevento – resi disponibili da Marcello Rotili nel 1977) in modo da valutare la presenza di eventuali soluzioni di continuità fra le tecniche produttive utilizzate in Italia e quelle del periodo precedente. Inoltre, la ricostruzione dei processi produttivi di tali oggetti e l'indagine delle scelte tecniche effettuate, nonché il confronto con le altre fonti disponibili, sia scritte che archeologiche, hanno contribuito a delineare il quadro tanto dell'ambiente interno, più strettamente connesso alla storia tecnologica del prodotto, quanto di quello esterno, ovvero il contesto etnico-sociale, intorno ai quali ruotavano le vite degli artigiani che effettivamente produssero tali spade.

La storiografia ufficiale italiana, specie quella risorgimentale, ha spesso sottovalutato l’importanza della storia dei Longobardi. Eppure questo popolo dimostrò una spiccata duttilità nell'integrarsi nel complesso scacchiere italico tanto da regnarvi per quasi duecento anni. Secondo molti storici, il regno longobardo fu foriero di importanti cambiamenti, perché furono proprio le Völkerwanderungen a portare la penisola nel Medioevo. Con l’arrivo dei Longobardi si spense ogni velleità bizantina riguardo al mantenimento della provincia italica e, allo stesso tempo, con l’istituzione dell’esarcato si tentò di contenere l’espansione barbarica. La lotta tra Longobardi e Bizantini fu aspra, specialmente all’inizio della migrazione, e portò a violenti scontri, spesso a favore dei primi, ma quando il regno longobardo riuscì a radicarsi, istituì una solida realtà istituzionale e un saldo organismo territoriale attraverso un lungo ma costante percorso di riunificazione di tutte le tribù che avevano partecipato alla conquista della penisola.

- by Nicola Bergamo
- •
- Byzantine Italy, Lombards, I Longobardi, Paolo Diacono

This article analyses all the flint finds from Loppio – S.Andrea Island (TN, Italy). There are overall 106 flint finds. Most represent undetermined refuse flakes. Some artefacts are prehistoric, some medieval. Among the first there are arrowheads, scrapers and
fragments of other tools. On the basis of morphology, all of the artefacts could be dated to the Copper Age (3500-2200 BC) when the island could had been used for burying the dead or simply for fishing, hunting or other purposes but was not used as a
settlement, because of the lack of pottery. Instead, the medieval flint artefacts were all used only as ‘flint and steel’, namely for lighting the fire. In some cases we found that artefacts were used more times, both in the prehistory and in the Middle Ages. Indeed
we can see some typical ‘flint and steel’ use-wear on prehistoric items.
To recognize the different use-wear we have experimented by using the flint on a piece of soft iron and then studying it under the microscope. In the same way we have tried to understand the tools used to work the raw flint, observing primarily the point of
impact and the bulb of percussion. We can note that on this site, in the Middle Ages, for lighting the fire every kind of flint was used, a high quality pre-worked yellow flint, low quality red rough flint removed from the island bedrock as well as an ancient prehistoric artefact. We can conclude therefore that there was not a really local flint manufacturing industry. The distribution of the flint finds is interesting as well. The medieval flints were spread around the whole island whereas the prehistoric ones were concentrated in Sector A. This is a further evidence of the casualness of the oldest human presence in the island. Indeed, the less steep ground that could be found was used on the island before the medieval terracing. However, all prehistoric finds come from medieval layers. They have been moved some millennia after their deposition. But for one of them, a Copper Age arrowhead, we can reconstruct the original position. It comes from a heap of filling earth of a nearby big oval hole, near Building V in Sector A. Regarding the origin of the raw material we can presume, even without chemical analysis, that the flint was easily gathered both on the island rock itself and from the near prominence of ‘Monte Baldo’. This mountain, and the neighbour ‘Lessini’, were an important hub for the flint commerce from the Neolithic to the last century (used for the trigger of the rifles).

- by Maurizio Battisti
- •
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Medieval History, Medieval Archaeology

Paper details the ancestry of these two popes as well as others. In addition, see my other papers to get an overview of all of these early popes and their common ancestor Arrius Calpurnius Piso. This Arrius Piso was the main creator of... more

- by Roman Piso
- •
- Religion, Christianity, Comparative Religion, History
- by Balázs Gusztáv Mende
- •
- Geography, Medieval History, Genomics, Biology

Despite centuries of research, much about the barbarian migrations that took place between the fourth and sixth centuries in Europe remains hotly debated. To better understand this key era that marks the dawn of modern European societies, we obtained ancient genomic DNA from 63 samples from two cemeteries (from Hungary and Northern Italy) that have been previously associated with the Longobards, a barbarian people that ruled large parts of Italy for over 200 years after invading from Pannonia in 568 CE. Our dense cemetery-based sampling revealed that each cemetery was primarily organized around one large pedigree, suggesting that biological relationships played an important role in these early medieval societies. Moreover, we identified genetic structure in each cemetery involving at least two groups with different ancestry that were very distinct in terms of their funerary customs. Finally, our data are consistent with the proposed long-distance migration from Pannonia to Northern ...

- by Maria Cristina La Rocca
- •
- Medieval History, Genomics, Medieval Archaeology, Migration Studies

Evidence from laws and histories is produced, pointing to the fact that the Langobards had a complex and vital system of making new Langoabards, either during the migration period and their occupation of Italy - a system based on the... more

- by Vasco La Salvia and +1
- •
- Archaeology, Ritual, Culture, Early Medieval Archaeology

- by Walter Pohl
- •
- Medieval History, Genomics, Medieval Archaeology, Migration Studies

A few documents of the Lombard Period (7th–8th centuries) mention specific lands known as case tributarie. Some of these were part of the Curtis Regia (i. e. the Fiscus), while others may have been owned by private individuals. All of them disappeared after the dissolution of the Lombard Kingdom. Their features have never been examined in depth: the case tributarie are generally considered an equivalent of the case massaricie, i. e. centres of agricultural production managed by tenant farmers. This hypothesis is in agreement with the most recent conclusions of scholars, who rule out the existence of general taxation in the Lombard Kingdom; however, the sources seem to suggest a different framework. By analysing these sources, we can access information of help in interpreting both the functions and the main features of the case tributarie, and in indicating some peculiar features of the Lombard administration. To achieve this aim, we first introduce the few surviving documents mentioning the case tributarie and analyse some of their principal features and problems. We then discuss the historiographical interpretations hitherto proposed. Finally, we suggest a different model, and its application to a specific case study.

- by Fabio Carminati and +1
- •
- Medieval History, Medieval Studies, Early Medieval History, Early Medieval And Medieval Settlement (Archaeology)

Abstract: This very short essay introduces into the Langobard funerary Perticae (poles) debate a source previously overlooked by historians, at least in the author’s knowledge: a chapter of Charlesmagne Duplex Legationis Edictum (in the following: Duplex), dated 789. This chapter, while definitely referring to perticae and magical pagan practices, is not apparently relevant in itself, but becomes strikingly meaningful when confronted with the Vita Barbati relation of another Langobard pagan practice previously not believed to be connected with the perticae. Triangulation of these two sources with Paul the Deacon’s description of the funerary ritual of the poles provides a solution to the problem that seems more satisfactory than – while not in contrast with – traditional ones.

- by Vasco La Salvia
- •
- Art, Early Medieval Archaeology, Byzantine Italy, Barbaricum