Aedificia Nova: Studies in Honor of Rosemary Cramp (Publications of the Richard Rawlinson Center)

While the essays offered in this collection vary in subject, discipline, and methodological approach, they center on the interpretation of the material world, whether that materiality appears in literature, stone, or the artifacts removed from an archaeological dig. The essay deal mainly with the Germanic and Celtic worlds, but incorporate motifs from Eastern Christian and Roman cultures. Contributors address the themes of time in history; societal and ideological change and continuity; iconic style and polysemous textuality; symbolic and representational interpretation; gender-specific economic production; definitions of social and political structures; and social processes of eclecticism and adaptation. Hence the approaches are interdisciplinary, contextual, comparative, and fluid in their integration of texts and images where the text represented is as crucial to the meaning as is the image or object; they therefore represent the study of the material culture of the Anglo-Saxon period at its best. The variety of disciplines represented in the essays and the range of topics covered by the individual scholars give some indication of the enormous scope of the scholarship of Rosemary Cramp, in whose honor this volume was produced. Readers will find that the subjects dealt with resonate with each other in interesting and complex ways. It is an invaluable contribution to scholars of Anglo-Saxon culture and archaeology. Contents Abbreviations Introduction The Changing Image, Divine and Human, in Anglo-Saxon Art Bede and Change Who Then Read the Ruthwell Poem in the Eighth Century? The Boar on the Helmet Beowulf and Archaeology—Revisited Embroidered Wood: Animal-Headed Posts in the Bayeux “Tapestry” Ships Furniture Architecture Conclusion: The Place and Function of the Beast-Head Terminals Design in the Past: Metalwork and Textile Influences on Pre-Conquest Sculpture in England Evidence from Scandinavia Conclusion Missing Material: Early Anglo-Saxon Enameling The Doors of His Face: Early Hell-Mouth Iconography in Ireland Constructing Salvation: The Figural Iconography of the Iona Crosses Apocalypse Then: Anglo-Saxon Ivory Carving in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries The Glass Beads from St. Ninian’s Isle, Shetland Discussion Scientific Analysis Conclusion Appendix Roman to Saxon in East Anglia Literary Insights into the Basis of Some Burial Practices in Ireland and Anglo-Saxon England in the Seventh and Eighth Centuries The Location of Burials The Treatment of the Body Conclusion Buried Truths: Shrouds, Cults, and Female Production in Anglo-Saxon England Toward a Definition of the Irish Monastic Town Fairs and Markets Internal Divisions Houses and Workshops Streets Defenses The Problem of Definition Parallels Conclusion Bibliography Contributors Index of Manuscripts General Index The essays vary in subject, discipline, and methodological approach, they center on the interpretation of the material world, whether in literature, stone, or the artifacts removed from an archaeological dig. The essays deal mainly with the Germanic and Celtic worlds, but incorporate motifs from Eastern Christian and Roman cultures. Edited By Catherine E. Karkov And Helen Damico. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 361-411) And Index.