Monastic Magic and Healing

The dataset was created during research for Professor Roberta Gilchrist�s Rhind Lectures in 2017 and subsequent publication on Sacred Heritage (R. Gilchrist, 'Sacred Heritage and Monastic Archaeology: Interpreting Medieval Identities and Beliefs', Cambridge University Press, forthcoming). The Rhind Lectures are hosted annually by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Part of this research concentrated on establishing the range of archaeological evidence for magic and healing practices from later medieval monastic and church contexts in Scotland (c. 1000 AD � c. 1600 AD). This was collected from published excavation reports and from Historic Environment Scotland�s Canmore Database, and was recorded in a Microsoft Access database. Evidence was chosen for inclusion in the database based on current understandings of medieval magic and healing, and the potential forms this could take in the archaeological record. It is comprised of burials, objects and environmental data, such as medicinal plant remains, amulets, evidence for surgery and pathology on human skeletal remains. This is the first regional synthesis of the archaeology of magic and healing from medieval Scotland and marks a first step towards understanding this under-researched area of archaeology.

本数据集源自2017年罗伯塔·吉尔克里斯特教授（Roberta Gilchrist）的莱因德讲座（Rhind Lectures）相关研究，以及后续《神圣遗产与修道院考古：解读中世纪身份与信仰》（Sacred Heritage and Monastic Archaeology: Interpreting Medieval Identities and Beliefs，剑桥大学出版社（Cambridge University Press），即将出版）的相关著述。莱因德讲座由苏格兰古物学会（Society of Antiquaries of Scotland）每年主办。本研究的核心内容之一，是梳理公元1000年左右至1600年左右的苏格兰中世纪晚期修道院与教会语境中，与魔法及疗愈实践相关的考古证据范畴。相关证据均取自已公开的考古发掘报告，以及苏格兰历史环境局（Historic Environment Scotland）运营的坎莫尔数据库（Canmore Database），并被录入微软Access（Microsoft Access）数据库。该数据库的收录标准基于学界对中世纪魔法与疗愈的现有认知，以及此类现象在考古记录中可能呈现的形态。本数据集涵盖墓葬遗存、人工器物与环境数据三大类，具体包括药用植物残骸、护身符（amulets）、人类骨骼遗骸上的手术痕迹与病理证据等。本数据集是首个针对中世纪苏格兰魔法与疗愈考古学的区域性综合研究成果，同时为理解这一长期未得到充分研究的考古学分支领域迈出了基础性的第一步。