scholarly journals Stadt, Land, Berg. Vom Zusammenspiel von Dialektwahrnehmung und Topographie

2017 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Schwarz ◽  
Philipp Stöckle
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Black Forest ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Political Borders ◽  
Low Mountain Ranges ◽  
Rhine Valley ◽  
Tribal Areas ◽  
National Borders ◽  
The Middle Ages

In traditional dialectology, prominent geographical conditions are particularly made responsible for linguistic divergence between neighboring dialect areas (e. g. rivers, mountain ranges, etc.). Also modern national borders, territories of the Middle Ages or even older borders between tribal areas are made responsible as factors which consider linguistic areas as “mirror pictures of history” (Bach 1950: 31, translation: CS). Geographical as well as political borders seem to function as points of orientation that speakers use for constructing their cognitive surroundings and which consequently can result in linguistic divergence. In our contribution, we want to focus on the question of how the topographic nature of land-scapes influences the mental construction of linguistic areas by lay speakers. For pursuing this question, we will discuss results from German dialect areas that cover a broad range of different topographic landscape forms. The analyzed areas are located in the utter southwest of Germany (characterized by flat lands along the Rhine valley and low mountain ranges of the Black Forest) and in South Tyrol in the very north of Italy (characterized by mountains and deep valley cuttings). In our contribution, we will argue that speakers in their subjective dialect perception orient themselves toward national borders and topographically prominent points. With regard to topography primarily valleys are used as eponyms for subjective dialect areas.

The German Enigma

1941 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-450
Author(s):  
Goetz A. Briefs
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
German History ◽  
Rhine Valley ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Middle Ages ◽  
Thin Veneer

No country within the Western orbit offers to foreign thinkers such an ambiguous and enigmatic aspect as does Germany. There is no end of books and articles wrestling with this problem.German history presents sufficient justification for the existence of an enigmatic dualism within the nation. To begin with: Germany is that country in Europe through which a line of profound cultural demarcation runs. The Limes Germanicus (cf. my articles in this Review, July and October, 1939) signified the borderline of Roman conquest and Roman cultural penetration. Within this line Mediterranean civilization took undisputed hold both during the Roman Empire and throughout the middle ages, in the latter period mediated by the Church. The lands farther to the East and North became christianized hundreds of years later than the lands around the Danube and Rhine valley. Often the christianization of the East was pushed forward by force of arms. Riehl, Nietzsche, Ricarda Huch and others have remarked that, to all appearances, the christianization of the German North and East was only superficial, a thin veneer over a basically heathen reality; of late H. Rauschning expressed his concern over the quick disappearance of the Christian faith and ethics among the Northern German peasants after Nazism came to power, and the prophets of the “German Faith” today spread the suggestion that the Northern German peasant never was a Christian.

scholarly journals Archaeopedological analysis of colluvial deposits in favourable and unfavourable areas: reconstruction of land use dynamics in SW Germany

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 171624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Henkner ◽  
Jan Ahlrichs ◽  
Sean Downey ◽  
Markus Fuchs ◽  
Bruce James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Black Forest ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Land Use Dynamics ◽  
Early Modern Times ◽  
The Middle Ages

Colluvial deposits, as the correlate sediments of human-induced soil erosion, depict an excellent archive of land use and landscape history as indicators of human–environment interactions. This study establishes a chronostratigraphy of colluvial deposits and reconstructs past land use dynamics in the Swabian Jura, the Baar and the Black Forest in SW Germany. In the agriculturally favourable Baar area multiple main phases of colluvial deposition, and thus intensified land use, can be identified from the Neolithic to the Modern times. In the unfavourable Swabian Jura increased colluvial deposition began later compared to the more favourable areas in the Baar. The same holds true for the unfavourable areas of the Black Forest, but intensified land use can only be reconstructed for the Middle Ages and Early Modern times instead of for the Bronze and Iron Age as in the Swabian Jura. Land use intensity and settlement dynamics represented by thick, multilayered colluvial deposits increase in the Baar and the Black Forest during the Middle Ages. In between those phases of geomorphodynamic activity and colluviation, stable phases occur, interpreted as phases with sustainable land use or without human presence.

scholarly journals Medieval Relict Beaver Ponds in the Polish Plain: Studies from the Tuchola Forest

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 777
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Śnieszko ◽  
Mirosław Rurek ◽  
Marcin Hojan
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Geological Structure ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Beaver Ponds ◽  
Field Works ◽  
Organic Deposits ◽  
River Valleys ◽  
The Middle Ages

Beavers have lived in the territory of Poland since the beginning of the Holocene, as testified by bone remains found in archaeological sites of different ages. The area inhabited by these animals has experienced continuing transformations of terrain relief, geological structure, hydrology and plant cover. In Poland, beavers are partially protected and their population has spread in virtually every part of the country (except in the highest mountain ranges). The authors of this paper wish to present the results of field works carried out since 2006 in the Tuchola Forest (Polish Plain). This paper aims to identify the potential sediments of relict beaver ponds and their sedimentological features. The studies are also backed up with a description of radiocarbon dating of samples. The results indicate that beavers used to live in the Tuchola Forest in the Middle Ages, as shown by the radiocarbon dates and sequences of mineral–organic deposits found in exposures and geological boreholes. The spatial distribution of organic and mineral deposits in wider sections of river valleys can be explained by the avulsion of the riverbed downstream of the pond and by the distribution of ponds in the Gołyjonka valley. The discovery of relict beaver pond sediments suggests that the activity of these mammals in the Middle Ages played a major part in shaping the landscape of the valley. The results of studies clearly indicate that analyses of the valley sediment facies of small watercourses should take into account the role beavers played in the past in shaping the landscape of the analysed valley. This highlights the insufficiency of studies concerning the activity of beavers in river valleys.

scholarly journals Neolithic settlement dynamics derived from archaeological data and colluvial deposits between the Baar region and the adjacent low mountain ranges, southwest Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Johannes Miera ◽  
Jessica Henkner ◽  
Karsten Schmidt ◽  
Markus Fuchs ◽  
Thomas Scholten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Black Forest ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Site Distribution ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Settlement Dynamics ◽  
Low Mountain Ranges ◽  
Weathering Effects

Abstract. The present study combines archaeological data with archaeopedological data from colluvial deposits to infer Neolithic settlement dynamics between the Baar region, the Black Forest and the Swabian Jura. A review of the state of archaeological research and an analysis of the processes leading to the discovery of the Neolithic sites and thereby the formation of the current archaeological site distribution in these landscapes is presented. The intensity of land use in the study area is compared with other landscapes in southern Germany using site frequencies. Phases of colluvial deposition are dated using AMS 14C ages of charcoals and luminescence ages of sediments and interpreted as local proxies for a human presence. Archaeological source criticism indicates that the distribution of the Neolithic sites is probably distorted by factors such as superimposition due to erosion and weathering effects limiting the preservation conditions for Neolithic pottery. A reconstruction of Neolithic settlement dynamics is achieved by complementing the archaeological data with phases of colluviation. Evidence for a continuous land use in the Baar region throughout the Neolithic is provided and sporadic phases of land use on the Swabian Jura and in the Black Forest are identified. In the late and final Neolithic, an intensification of colluvial formation can be noticed in the low mountain ranges.

scholarly journals A spatiotemporal gradient in the anthropization of Pyrenean landscapes. Preliminary report

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentí Rull ◽  
Teresa Vegas-Vilarrúbia
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Preliminary Report ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
The Bronze Age ◽  
The Middle Ages

A preliminary analysis of the timing of landscape anthropization in the southern-central Pyrenees shows the occurrence of an elevational gradient from the Bronze Age (basal belts) to the Middle Ages (alpine belts). This relationship is statistically significant and suggests an average anthropization rate of 40 m in elevation per century. The elevational gradient is most clear between the Bronze Age and the Roman occupation, suggesting a progressive upward anthropization trend from the south with the likely involvement of Iberian cultures. During the Middle Ages, a massive anthropization pattern of subalpine/alpine areas is observed; this pattern is chronologically consistent with the incursion of northern cultures crossing the Pyrenees and the development of extensive high-mountain pastoralism and horizontal transhumance. In general, the progression of upward anthropization has occurred during warm climatic phases. Further work is needed to confirm these observations, especially in areas with few available paleoecological studies, notably the basal and montane belts. It could be interesting to develop similar studies of other Pyrenean regions and other mountain ranges.

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