Past Perfect!

Christopher Mielke was awarded in 2017 a PhD in Medieval Studies from Central European University receiving a "magna cum laude" for his dissertation "Every hyacinth the garden wears: the archaeology of medieval queens of Hungary, 1000-1395." This was an archaeological study of the material culture and space of Hungarian queens of the Árpádian and Angevin dynasties. From 2012 to 2017, he was the host, organizer, and lead correspondent for CEU Medieval Radio (www.medievalradio.org), having interviewed over 70 guests for the biweekly program "Past Perfect!". Most recently, he has led the charge for updating exhibits at the Beverly Heritage Center, including a reconstructed floorplan of the original 1808 Randolph County Courthouse, and including information about the Underground Railroad in the Exhibit about the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. He is also part of negotiating the opening of Beverly's first public library. Stephen Pow has recently completed his Ph.D. at Central European University with the dissertation, ""Conquest and Withdrawal: The Mongol Invasions of Europe in the Thirteenth Century."" This study involved an interdisciplinary revisiting of the historical problem of the Mongol evacuation of Hungary in 1242 after a swift occupation. He has volunteered as a member of the team at CEU Medieval Radio for over half a decade - activities which culminated in the publication of the present volume. His publications include research on environmental history, ethnogenesis, military history, and the literary-historical origins of Arthurian knights like Sir Lancelot. In addition, he has taken part in several co-authored translation projects.Tamas Kiss is a historian of the early modern Ottoman Empire, software and web developer, as well as a digital humanist with a research focus on natural language processing models optimized to Ottoman Turkish. He founded CEU Medieval Radio in 2012, and completed his doctoral dissertation on the Cyprus War of 1570-71 and its Venetian and Ottoman political and cultural historical contexts at Central European University in 2016. He taught Digital Humanities (DH), early modern historical and literary courses at Queen Mary University of London (2004-2008) and Central European University (2011-18). Currently, he works as an IT project manager in charge of DH, language technological and repository projects. At the same time, he continues academic research as a member of Eötvös Loránd University's Centre for Digital Humanities (ELTE_DH).

• PrefaceCHAPTER 1. How it all began. Harmonia with Angela Mariani Interviews CEU Medieval RadioINTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS AND HONORED GUESTSCHAPTER 2. The Return of Natalie Zemon Davis: From Microhistory to Intercontinental ConnectionsCHAPTER 3. Stealing the Limelight: Theft of Saintly Relics and Mythbreaking with Patrick GearyCHAPTER 4. Take Me Back to Constantinople: Averil Cameron Talks Byzantine Complexities and ComplexesCHAPTER 5. Popular Culture and Cultural Hybridity: A Cultural Experience with Peter BurkeCHAPTER 6. The End is Near: Talking Medieval Mindsets and Eschatology with Felicitas SchmiederHERE AT HOME: CEU MEDIEVAL STUDIES FACULTY MEMBERSCHAPTER 7. Monks, Crusaders, and Fishponds: Digging up the Past with József LaszlovszkyCHAPTER 8. Royal Power, Insignia, and Authority: János Bak Lays Down the LawCHAPTER 9. Life in a Medieval Urban Landscape: Taking a City Tour with Katalin SzendeCHAPTER 10. Royal Saints, Witch Hunting, and Divine Visions: Gábor Klaniczay Discusses All That's HolyCHAPTER 11. Pagans, Heretics, and Schismatics, Oh My! Volker Menze Talks Late Antique SocietyTHE EDITORS' PICKS: PERSONAL FAVORITES AND MEMORABLE INTERVIEWSCHAPTER 12. Richard W. Unger Talks Ships, Beer, and Shop for Today's HistoriansCHAPTER 13. Hungarian Rhapsodies: Orsolya Réthelyi Discusses Queens and Music in the Middle AgesCHAPTER 14. Trade and Migration Routes: Navigating the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean with Georg ChristCHAPTER 15. Medieval Magic and Cryptology: Benedek Láng Shares Some Dark Secrets Conclusion