How much did medieval lay people know about Christianity? Which religious observances were expected of them? Recent studies have often suggested that ecclesiastical expectations of the laity were relatively low overall, even if some laypeople exceeded these basic requirements. For example Norman Tanner and Sethina Watson have argued that although medieval churchmen had high aspirations for the ...

The history of the production of glass paperweights is obscure as is the history of glass making, the latter being traceable back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries B.C. Though the idea of the glass paperweight originated in Venice the main decorative element, the millefiori cane, which ensured its popularity, was Egyptian in origin. The first glass paperweights contained ceramic figures...

Mycotic aneurysm of the descending aorta is usually described as rare. We present two recent cases of mycotic aneurysm of the descending aorta complicated with hemoptysis. Urgent tube graft replacements were successfully performed under cardiopulmonary bypass support. Bacterial causes of the aneurysms were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the first case and Staphylococcus aureus i...

This article serves both as survey of illuminated manuscripts the Institutiones and an analysis links between iconography criminal law model Judas hanged. investigation is based on study all digitalised Institutiones. The corpus composed ranging from fifth to fifteenth century, produced over Europe. elucidates how manuscript boomed during thirteenth with Bologna at its heart. production continu...

This article seeks to determine how much we understand of Pacioli's purpose, and clarify what he wrote justifying his preparation publication ‘bookkeeping treatise’ in 1494. The context that motivated Pacioli prepare treatise is identified: why published it for whom. A new critical translation the first chapter presented, revealing statements omitted from translations, terms misunderstood. Its ...

The ancient civilizations were dependent upon sophisticated systems of water management. The hydraulic engineering works found in ancient Angkor (ninth to thirteenth century AD), the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan (thirteenth to fifteenth century AD), Byzantine Constantinople (fourth to sixth century AD) and Nabatean Petra (sixth century BC to AD 106) are particularly striking because each of these...