A Companion To Medieval Pisa

This volume comprises a multidisciplinary study of Pisa’s socio-economic, cultural, and political history, art history, and archaeology at the time of the city’s greatest fame and prosperity during the transformative period of the Middle Ages.

A Companion to Medieval Genoa introduces recent scholarship on the vibrant and source-rich medieval history of Genoa, with thematic chapters positioning the city and its people within the broader history of Italy and the Mediterranean ca. 1100–1500.

The Companion to Medieval Palermo offers a panorama of the history of Medieval Palermo from the sixth to the fifteenth century. Often described by contrast with the communal reality of Medieval Italy as submitted to a royal (external) authority, the city is here given back its density and creativity. Important themes such as artistic and literary productions, religious changes or political autonomy are thus explored anew. Some fields recently investigated are the object of particular scrutiny: the history of the Jews, Byzantine or Islamic Palermo are among them. Contributors are Annliese Nef, Vivien Prigent, Alessandra Bagnera, Mirella Cassarino, Rosi Di Liberto, Elena Pezzini, Henri Bresc, Igor Mineo, Laura Sciascia, Gian Luca Borghese, Sulamith Brodbeck, Benoît Grévin, Giuseppe Mandalà, and Fabrizio Titone.

In Conflict, Commerce, and an Aesthetic of Appropriation in the Italian Maritime Cities, 1000-1150, Karen Rose Mathews analyzes the relationship between war, trade, and the use of spolia (appropriated objects from past and foreign cultures) as architectural decoration in the public monuments of the Italian maritime republics in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Feathered with illustrations, a deep dive into the meaning of this half-lion, half-bird creature over millennia of human history. Griffinology is a fascinating exploration of the mythical creature’s many depictions in human culture. Drawing on a wealth of historical and literary sources, this book shows how the griffin has captured the imagination of people for over five thousand years, representing power, transcendence, and even divinity. It explores the history and symbolism of griffins in art, from their appearances in ancient Egyptian magic wands to medieval bestiaries, and from medieval coats of arms to modern corporate logos. The use of the griffin as a symbol of power and protection is surveyed throughout history and into modern times, such as in the Harry Potter series. Beautifully illustrated, this book should appeal to all those interested in monsters, magic, and the mystical, as well as art and history.

This collection of essays is the first English-language, multidisciplinary analysis of medieval and modern Sardinia, offering fresh perspectives from archaeology and other fields. This volume is an ideal introduction for a new comer to the field, as well as the advanced scholar.

The emergence of citizenship, some 4,000 years ago, was a hinge moment in human history. Instead of the reign of blood descent, questions regarding who rules and who belongs were opened up. Yet purportedly primordial categories, such as sex and race, have constrained the emergence of a truly civic polity ever since. Untying this paradox is essential to overcoming the crisis afflicting contemporary democracies. Why does citizenship emerge, historically, and why does it maintain traction, even if in compromised forms? How can citizenship and democracy be revived? Learning from history and building on emerging social and political developments, David Jacobson and Manlio Cinalli provide the foundations for citizenship's third revolution. Citizenship: The Third Revolution considers three revolutionary periods for citizenship, from the ancient and classical worlds; to the flourishing of guilds and city republics from 1,000 CE; and to the unfinished revolution of human rights from the post-World War II period. Through historical enquiry, this book reveals the underlying principles of citizenship-and its radical promise. Jacobson and Cinalli demonstrate how the effective functioning of citizenship depends on human connections that are relational and non-contractual, not transactional. They illustrate how rights, paradoxically, can undermine as well as reinforce civic society. Looking forward, the book documents the emerging foundations of a "21st century guild" as a basis for repairing our democracies. The outcome of this scholarship is an innovative re-conceptualization of core ideas to engender more authentic civic collectivities.

Heywood's 1921 history of Pisa is a valuable addition to the study of the historiography of medieval Italy.