Rabbinical manuscripts of Judah Monis, ca. 1700s

This leather-bound volume contains ten handwritten Hebrew texts presumably compiled by Judah Monis in the early 18th century. The pieces range from three to 150 pages on different sized leaves and appear to be in multiple hands. The last page of the volume has the struck-through inscription, "Judah Monis' Book" and accompanies a 44-page text. The texts are unattributed and undated, but have been identified as transcriptions of cabalistic writings and include a short biography of Isaac Luria (1533-1572) and extracts from the work of Luria, Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, Jacob ben Hayyim Zemah, Abraham ben Isaac of Granada, and Naphtali Bachrach. The transcriptions appear to be unattributed and undated.

The Rasikajy civilization in northeast Madagascar: a pre-European Chinese community?

Archaeological excavations in northern Madagascar during the first half of the 20th century have revealed the presence of a former prosperous civilisation known as the Rasikajy civilisation. Little is known about the origin of this civilisation and how and when they first arrived in Madagascar. The most striking evidence for the Rasikajy civilisation comes from excavations at a necropolis in Vohemar located along the northeast coast, where more than 600 tombs containing spectacular objects were unearthed in the 1940s (Vernier & Millot 1971). The findings in the tombs included, amongst others, Chinese ceramics, silver and gold jewellery, iron weapons, glassware, bronze mirrors and chlorite-schist objects (ibid.). The latter objects were produced from chlorite schist mined at quarries in northern and eastern Madagascar and there is evidence that jewellery and iron objects were also produced by the Rasikajy from locally available raw material. Chlorite-schist objects have not only been found in coastal sites in Madagascar, but also in the Comores and eastern Africa suggesting an active engagement of the Rasikajy in western Indian Ocean trade. Our re-evaluation of published literature on archaeological sites in northern Madagascar indicates that the majority of Chinese ceramics found in the tombs at Vohemar dates from the 15th and first half of the 16th century with some dating back to the 14th century or earlier. Our comparative analysis of burial objects at Vohemar shows that locally produced chlorite-schist tripod vessels exhibit remarkable resemblances to ancient Chinese bronze ritual tripod vessels. The objects encountered in the tombs and their positions with respect to the body indicate that the Rasikajy practiced burial rites similar to those practised in the past in China. Our re-evaluation of the literature suggests that communities with Chinese roots were present in northeastern Madagascar prior to the arrival of the first Europeans in 1500 and participated in the Indian Ocean trade network. The demise of the Rasikajy civilisation seems to have occurred in the second half of the 16th century when production of chlorite-schist objects ceased. It is still unclear why this occurred.

The path of the great,

Mode of access: Internet.

Heinrichs von Neustadt ʻApollonius von Tyrland ̓nach der Gothaer Handschrift, ʻGottes Zukunft ̓und ʻVisio Philiberti ̓nach der Heidelberger Handschrift,

Mode of access: Internet.

Two medieval satires on the University of Paris: La bataille des vii ars of Henri d'Andeli, and the Morale scolarium of John of Garland.

Series note varies: At head of title of v. 1 and on verso of t.-p of v. 2, Memoirs of the University of California. v. 4, no. 1, 2. History, v. 1, no. 1, 2.

Reports and pleadings of cases in assise, for offices, nusances, lands and tenaments; shewing the manner of proceeding in assises of novel disseinsin ... with observations on every case ... To which are added, writs of assise, & c.

Spine title: Lilly's reports.

Head of a Sasanian King, probably Shapur II

Metalwork, Iran, Sasanian; 1 ft. 3 3/4 in.x 9 1/64 in.x 7 7/8 in.; silver, mercury gilding

Necklace Elements

H: 2 7/8 in (lg. medallion); 1 47/64 in. (half-medallion); 3/4 in.x 33/64 in. (cartouches); gold sheet; worked, chased, and set with turquoise, gray chalcedony, and glass

Covered Jar

Pottery, Iran, Ilklhadid; H: 1 ft. 2 49/64 in.; stonepaste; overglaze painted and leaf gilded (lajvardina)

Vessel in the form of a horse's head

Metalwork, Iran, Achaemenid; L: 8 1/32 in.; silver, silver gilding

Plate with a Hunting Scene from the Tale of Bahram Gur and Azadeh

Metalwork, Iran, Sasanian; 1 5/8 in. x 3 7/64 in.; silver, mercury gilding

Bowl with Fish Motifs

Pottery, Islamic, Ilkhanid; 5 in.x 11 17/64 in.; stonepaste; molded and glazed

Tile with Image of Phoenix: detail

Tiles, Iran, Ilkhanid; 1 ft. 2 49/64 in. x 1 ft. 2 1/4 in.; stonepaste; modeled, underglaze painted in blue and turquoise, luster-painted on opaque white ground

Villa Agrippa Posthumus, cubiculum nocturnum, north wall, center panel, Aedicula with a small landscape: detail of the landscape

Boscotrecase, Italy; fresco on black ground