Kropp, Claus
Draft Animals in the Past, Present and Future
For millennia, draft animals played a key role in the survival of many cultures. Even today, they still secure the livelihood of millions of people around the globe. Be it in transportation, agriculture, or forestry: draft animals can offer sustainable, eco-friendly and economically valuable ways of land use. Nevertheless, there are a lot of challenges, be it the pressure of high-profit markets or politics, in animal welfare, breeding and harnessing. Furthermore, the total number of draft animals is declining. In 2021, an international, virtual conference has addressed these challenges. Participants from around the globe discussed the history, preservation, education and future of draft animals. The conference proceedings represent a comprehensive result of these efforts.
LOPODVNVM VII: Ladenburg und der Lobdengau zwischen ‚Limesfall‘ und den Karolingern
The town of Ladenburg looks back on a rich historical heritage: In the Roman era, Lopodunum was the capital of an extensive municipality, the civitas Ulpia Sueborum Nicrensium, and from the Carolingian period onward, Lobedtenburc is documented as the center of the Lobdengau. For the period in between, written sources are largely missing; all the more important are archaeological features and finds. The most important of these are presented in the volume at hand and embedded in the historical context. For instance, a group of Postumus coins from Ladenburg are presented, new interpretations of the late Roman burgus and the medieval ‘bishop's court’ are discussed, and recent findings on a Carolingian cemetery in the city area are presented. The surroundings of Ladenburg are represented by overviews on the richly equipped early medieval cemeteries of the region and on recent settlement excavations. Critical re-evaluations of written sources as well as historical-archaeological syntheses on the various possible scenarios of the 'Fall of the Limes' and on comparative regions such as the Palatinate in Late Antiquity complete the volume.
