Category: Research

A place for ideas for the future, to collect research

Research3 Comments

The genius at work – Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk

Greet Gijsberts

I don't think of myself as an artist. A creative person, sure.  I have creative skills, and I solve problems with creative thinking.  I think of myself on the craft side of the craft vs. art continuum, and that's okay.  My work doesn't make any sweeping statements about the human condition in this place and time, it just tries to bring useful and attractive objects and places into being, that weren't there before.  I draw and paint and weave and embroider and sew and knit and write and calculate and imagine…and all these skills come together into objects that are … Continue reading The genius at work – Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk

Clothing and Equipment, Research4 Comments

Non-SCA early period fora, furniture and oil lamps

Greet Gijsberts

My buddy Cynred introduced me to Roman Army Talk, which I've been finding a terrific resource for my Coptic interest. Today, I stumbled on Kelticos, which has lots of lovely (and new to me) archeological directions, as well as people who are very focused on late Iron Age Europe. I was actually looking for some guidance on a ceramic oil lamp, because this weekend I can play with dirt under the guidance of Kerstyn Gartenier, but of course, I got sidetracked.  Here's an illustrative exchange about Celtic household furnishings: Joan Liversidge is an expert on furniture from Roman Britain. She … Continue reading Non-SCA early period fora, furniture and oil lamps

Research2 Comments

Millefiori glass bowl

Greet Gijsberts

We're all atwitter over the new find in London, a Roman millefiore bowl of impressive size, and unfortunately just-lost color.  (This contemporary bowl using the same technique, is for sale, here.  It's not as big as the lovely one just found, only 11cm dia x 3 cm height.  But I'd be happy with it.  If it was red.) I had not known that millefiore – fabulous glasswork now associated with the island of Murano, in Venice, called "thousand flowers" – was so old.  I'm very glad, as I've loved it since I first spent more than I ought on some … Continue reading Millefiori glass bowl

Research4 Comments

Book Review – Early Christian Mosaics, The Bog People, Archeologia

Greet Gijsberts

I had some time to burn before catching a flight recently, and found myself in an academic rare/used bookstore.  Today I picked up the package of books I asked Alcuin Books to send back. Can I say how lovely it is to walk into a bookstore, be asked "can I help you", say "I'm looking for 6thc archeology, particularly Kent, or Anglo-Saxon textiles, but also the Mediterranean" and be handed a folding chair and pointed to three places?  Just smashing. In the box for me were: (St. Agnes – I love how her over dress is hiked up to show … Continue reading Book Review – Early Christian Mosaics, The Bog People, Archeologia

Research1 Comment

Europeana.eu

Greet Gijsberts

Uh oh. Europe is thinking big and has launched Europeana.eu, a huge digital library inspired by nothing less than the ancient library of Alexandria. Users will have direct access to some 2 million digital objects, including film material, photos, paintings, sounds, maps, manuscripts, books, newspapers and archival papers selected from that which is already digitized and available in Europe’s museums, libraries, archives and audio-visual collections. europeana.eu Continue reading Europeana.eu

Clothing and Equipment, Research2 Comments

Refocusing persona development – 6thc Kent

Greet Gijsberts

I haven't really done any persona development since getting my name (15thc Flemish, Margareta Gijsberts, called Greet, which is a 15thc pet name).  The last two years, my first two years, I've been following advice to play around…try things…and I've gotten sucked into Major Funness that required Themed Clothes. But now I think it's time to settle down and focus on one placetime for a while, and that's going to be 6thc Kent.  Southeastern England, influenced by the Anglo-Saxon, the Jutes, and some highborn Frankish marriages, after the pullout of the Romans, but before the Holy Roman Empire swells back … Continue reading Refocusing persona development – 6thc Kent

ResearchLeave a comment

Bibliography: 6thC (includes Kent/Roman/Byz/Coptic)

Greet Gijsberts

(note from Greet: I’ve noted which copies I own, which sources I’ve read carefully, and which ones have been recommended to me from whom.  They are organized by topic that I’m interested in, and appear more than once as appropriate to the topic that I’m researching.  Links for shopping might also appear on the useful-links-elswhere list here.)WOMEN’S CLOTHING -KENT Owen-Crocker, Gail.  Dress in Anglo-Saxon England.  2004 ed.(Asta/Maudey/et al)(own)(currently reading) Rogers, Penelope Walton.  Cloth and Clothing in Early Anglo-Saxon Britain, AD450-700.  2007.(Asta/Maudey/et al)(own)(currently reading) Ewing, Thor.  Viking Clothing. (Gwen) Ellis, Peter Berresford.  Celtic Women. 1996 (own)(currently reading) Nalbinding site Chadwick Hawkes, … Continue reading Bibliography: 6thC (includes Kent/Roman/Byz/Coptic)

Research1 Comment

Norse clothing used “blue-green”, Early English red, Irish pink/purple

Greet Gijsberts

I'm still madly preparing for Gulf Wars, but in the midst, this snippet from the 12thCgarb list on appropriate colors for various northern placetimes is really interesting!  Emphasis mine: But that is not what Rogers found and the fact that it is what makes it interesting. Looking at her graph, she found nearly 75% of her samples from the Norse textiles (found in Norway and Denmark) to have been dyed with woad, compared with only 20% in England and less than 5% in Ireland. This chemical evidence seems to confirm what can be inferred from both the literature (not only … Continue reading Norse clothing used “blue-green”, Early English red, Irish pink/purple