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Topic Review
Zuytdorp
The VOC Zuytdorp also Zuiddorp (meaning "South Village", after Zuiddorpe, a still existing village in the South of Zeeland, near the Belgian border) was an 18th-century trading ship of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, commonly abbreviated VOC). On 1 August 1711 it was dispatched from the Netherlands to the trading port of Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia) bearing a load of freshly minted silver coins. Many trading ships of the time travelled a "fast route" using the strong Roaring Forties winds to carry them across the Indian Ocean to within sight of the west coast of Australia, (then called New Holland) whence they would make a turn north towards Batavia. The Zuytdorp never arrived at its destination. No search was undertaken, presumably because the VOC had no idea whether and where the ship had been wrecked or taken by pirates and possibly due to prior expensive but fruitless attempts to search for other missing ships, even when an approximate wreck location was known. As a result Zuytdorp and its entire complement were never heard from again. Their fate was unknown until the mid-20th century when the wreck site was identified on a remote part of the Western Australian coast between Kalbarri and Shark Bay, approximately 40 km north of the Murchison River. This rugged section of coastline was subsequently named the Zuytdorp Cliffs, was the preserve of the Indigenous inhabitants and one of the last great wildernesses until the advent of the sheep stations established there in the late 19th century. Something, perhaps a violent storm, occurred and the Zuytdorp was wrecked on a desolate section of the West Australian coast. Survivors scrambled ashore and camped near the wreck site. With no European settlements anywhere on the coast they built bonfires from the wreckage to signal fellow trading ships that would pass within sight of the coast. But fires seen in the vicinity tended to be dismissed as "native fires" as appears to have happened in the case of Vergulde Draeck in 1656. It has been speculated that survivors may have traded with or may have intermarried with the local Aboriginal communities between present-day Kalbarri and Shark Bay. It is also possible that intermarriage occurred in the case of a predecessor to the Zuytdorp, the infamous VOC Batavia, wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos islands offshore. After a mutiny, atrocities, massacres and trials, two of the mutineers were marooned on the Australian mainland, near the Murchison River (for details about these two mutineers see castaway). News of an unidentified shipwreck on the shore surfaced in 1834 when Aborigines told a farmer near the recently colonised Perth about a wreck the colonists presumed it was a recent wreck and sent rescue parties who failed to find the wreck or any survivors. The details provided (90 days walk, and coins on the beach), tend to point to the Zuytdorp; however. In 1927, wreckage was seen by an Indigenous-European family group (comprising Ada and Ernest Drage, Tom and Lurleen Pepper and the women's father Charlie Mallard) on a clifftop near the border of Murchison house and Tamala Stations where they all worked. Tamala Station head stockman, Tom Pepper later reported the find to the authorities, their first expedition to the site occurring in 1941. In 1954 Pepper gave Phillip Playford directions and it was he who subsequently identified the relics as from Zuytdorp.
  • 720
  • 30 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Heraldic Visitation
Heraldic visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms (and more often by junior officers of arms (or Heralds) as deputies) throughout England , Wales and Ireland. Their purpose was to regulate and register the coats of arms of nobility and gentry and boroughs, and to record pedigrees. They took place from 1530 to 1688, and their records (akin to an upper class census) provide important source material for historians and genealogists.
  • 666
  • 25 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Transport Infrastructure Construction History in the United Kingdom
The performance of geostructures in the United Kingdom (UK)’s transport network is significantly impacted by their construction age. A considerable portion of railway geostructures were constructed in the late 19th and early 20th century. 
  • 645
  • 11 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Artistic Interchange between Al-Andalus and Iberian Christian Kingdoms
The ivory casket made in Cuenca in A.D. 1026 and signed by Mohammad ibn Zayyan constitutes invaluable evidence for the study of artistic transfers between Al-Andalus and the Iberian Christian kingdoms. In the 12th century this piece was transformed in the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos) with the addition of Christian-themed enamels and reused as a reliquary. 
  • 604
  • 02 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Federalists and Council of Europe
This article looks at the first steps of the Council of Europe and seeks to understand how federalists, united in powerful lobbies at the time, sought to make it an instrument for European sovereignty.
  • 533
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Chronographer
A chronographer was a graphical representation of historical information devised by American educator Emma Willard in the mid-19th century. The chronographers intended to show historical information in a geographic and chronological context. The first graphic was Picture of Nations, published in 1835, which showed civilizations as streams running through time, becoming wider and narrower as they gained or lost influence. She developed another chronographer, the Chronographer of American History, in 1844, showing the history of the United States as events marked on the branches of a tree. Later chronographers showed historical events within an imagined Ancient Greek temple; the Temple of Time (1846), American Temple of Time (late 1840s), English Chronographer (1849) and Chronographer of Ancient History (1851) are examples of this type. In these chronographers the floor was occupied with the streams of civilizations, as in the Picture of Nations; the walls (often colonnaded) denoted the passage of time and were marked with historical leaders and the roof was split into categories to list other historic persons. The back wall of the temple was often marked as the point of biblical creation, sometimes with the date of 4004 BC from the Ussher chronology, though in her American Temple of Time a map of the continent is used. The birth of Christ was often denoted with a white star and other biblical figures included. Willard's chronographers were intended as learning aids, allowing students to place themselves within the imaginary temple and to consider events in their historic and geographic context. She presented her chronographers at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and received a medal and certificate from Albert, Prince Consort. Willard's work has been disparaged by later writers, including for their almost complete omission of non-Western peoples and events.
  • 507
  • 12 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) was established in 1981 by the Arizona Board of Regents as a state-wide, tri-university research unit that bridges the intellectual communities at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona. Located centrally on the campus of Arizona State University, ACMRS is charged with coordinating and stimulating interdisciplinary research about medieval and early modern literature and culture. Its mission is to enable and promote the most expansive, creative, and daring scholarship in medieval and renaissance studies. ACMRS fosters a vibrant intellectual community for the faculty at the three universities, but also by publishes forward-looking, vanguard research through their in-house press. ACMRS promotes work that is historically grounded and theoretically expansive, with the aim of advancing dialogues that reach into the present moment and point us to different, more inclusive, futures. Moreover, ACMRS develops projects that explore complex topics in an accessible manner so as to reach as wide an audience as possible. In keeping with the ASU charter, ACMRS believes that success in realizing this vision for premodern scholarship should be judged not by whom we exclude, but whom we include, and how they succeed.
  • 471
  • 12 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Institute for Medieval Studies, Leeds
The Institute for Medieval Studies (IMS) at the University of Leeds, founded in 1967, is a leading research and teaching institute in the field of medieval studies. It is home to the International Medieval Bibliography and the International Medieval Congress.
  • 446
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Rae–Richardson Arctic Expedition
The Rae–Richardson Polar Expedition of 1848 was an early British effort to determine the fate of the lost Franklin Polar Expedition. Led overland by Sir John Richardson and John Rae, the team explored the accessible areas along Franklin's proposed route near the Mackenzie and Coppermine rivers. Although no direct contact with Franklin's forces was achieved, Rae later interviewed the Inuit of the region and obtained credible accounts that the desperate remnants of Franklin's team had resorted to cannibalism. This revelation was so unpopular that Rae was effectively shunned by the British Admiralty and popular opinion, and the search for Franklin continued for several years.
  • 336
  • 30 Sep 2022
Topic Review
MANDIR: More than Just a Religious Temple
Mandir, a religious temple for Hindus to worship. This is the glimpse everybody thinks as they hear the word "Mandir" and a great mistake they make is that they don't think anything beyond this thought. In ancient times, Mandirs were not just a place of worship but also................
  • 274
  • 31 Oct 2024
Topic Review
The Festival of Diwali: Its Origins and History
Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is one of India's most celebrated festivals, marked by joy, light, and a spirit of togetherness. Originating in ancient India, Diwali has grown beyond its religious roots to become a global celebration symbolizing victory over darkness, ignorance, and evil. While traditionally associated with Hinduism and stories from the Ramayana, Diwali is also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, each community attaching its own significance and narratives to the festivities. This article traces the historical evolution of Diwali from its origins in agrarian societies to its current standing as a multicultural and global festival. It examines the religious and cultural stories associated with Diwali, the rituals and customs observed across different communities, and the festival’s role in fostering social cohesion. As Diwali has spread globally, it has taken on new meanings and variations, demonstrating the enduring appeal of this ancient festival in modern times.
  • 72
  • 01 Nov 2024
Topic Review
Durga Puja
Durga Puja, one of the most celebrated and grand festivals of India, particularly in West Bengal, has a deep historical, cultural, and spiritual significance. Originating as a form of Shakti worship in the Indian subcontinent, Durga Puja has evolved over millennia. This festival honors Goddess Durga, the embodiment of feminine power, who symbolizes the victory of good over evil. However, the practice and celebration of Durga Puja have faced numerous challenges over the centuries, especially during periods of foreign invasions and the rise of Islam and Christianity in India. Despite these obstacles, Durga Puja not only survived but flourished by adapting to the social, political, and religious changes of the time. This article traces the history of Durga Puja from its ancient roots, examines how it weathered foreign invasions, and explores how it continues to thrive in the modern world.
  • 52
  • 31 Oct 2024
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