This weekly feature is a place to discuss new developments in fields of history and archaeology. This can be newly discovered documents and archaeological sites, recent publications, documents that have just become publicly available through digitization or the opening of archives, and new theories and interpretations.
It seems like I've seen a lot of questions about early Islam recently, which I consider to be a good thing. Early Islamic history has been and is being put to many uses, including as justification for the enslavement of Yazidi women by members of ISIS.
But I'd like to point out one historian using his knowledge of early Islamic history to fight against slavery. Check out this great article on Biram Dah Abeid, an abolitionist in Mauritania where slavery remains endemic. It's a good reminder that the past isn't just about the past, it's also about who we are today and who we can aspire to be.
"Freedom Fighter: A Slaving Society and an Abolitionist's Crusade"
You all thought I was going to forget about this thread all day until just now. That's what I wanted you to think. Acting.
Anyways, two really cool things popped up since the last Wednesday thread.
Liao Dynasty Tomb and Murals Uncovered
I'm really excited about this first one. The Liao are the earlier of two non-han dynasties (the Liao being Khitan peoples and the other dynasty, the Jin, being Jurchen; proto Manchurians) that existed in the northern Chinese region from the 10th to the 12th century. The Liao and Jin are definitely not easy to find materials on or visit sites of, so this stuff is a great boon to the field. There is an apparently pretty good site on top of an old Liao/Jin city wall of the city in the vicinity of Beijing but I unfortunately haven't been able to check it out (it was closed when I tried. Dragon boat festival and all) so I'm hoping that this site also opens up to the public.
Some New Insights Into the Terra Cotta Warriors
Just because I'm very excited about the previous story doesn't mean I'm not also excited for this. Being able to delve further into the details of these pieces with this technology and future technology has an amazing amount of potential. If, as this study suggests, all these pieces were crafted by individual artisans, not only are there implications about technological know-how and artisan techniques, but it could reveal some information about class-structure in the Qin dynasty and the role of the artisans within that structure. Truly fascinating.
I thought the article The Curious Case of Jesus's Wife in the Atlantic was one of the best popular looks at the historical method (though it's primarily about one text, rather than fabricating an article from multiple data sources). The discussion on FoodForThought is a little disappointing so far, filled mainly with the usual suspects.