Berenike Walburg (1984-2012)

 

Berenike’s life was tragically cut short in a road traffic accident in Aberdeenshire on Saturday 1 December 2012. She will be fondly remembered as an outstanding young scholar and a dear friend to many. A memorial, as well as a Book of Condolence has been set up in the Undercroft of St John’s House, in the Department of Mediaeval History, 71 South Street (open 9.00-5.00 weekdays), for those within St Andrews. This will remain in place, in the first instance, until the University closes on Friday 21 December 2012.  

M.A. Mediaeval History and Archaeology (St Andrews, 2007)
M.litt Mediaeval History (St Andrews, 2008)

Thesis: “The Persian Gateway: International Trade between the 7th and 9th century”
Supervisor: Dr Tim Greenwood

The aim of the thesis is to clarify the nature and extent of the international trade routes in Central Asia, the Near East and Armenia between around 600 and 900 through the analysis of the extant primary literary evidence coupled with several archaeological case studies. The thesis charters the development of trade in these regions from the time when they were under the control of the Sasanian Empire, through the tumultuous period of the Arab conquests, and into the period of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. It challenges commonly held views on international trade and proposes new models that can help us understand the workings of long distance goods exchange and the interconnection of international, intra-regional and regional economic structures.

 

Papers presented at conferences

  • “Sogdian long-distance trade from the late sixth to the early tenth centuries” The CCS-IHSA Annual Conference, Galway, 01.03.2008
  • “The Problem of Siraf” Postgraduate Colloquium ‘Aspects of the Medieval Arab World’, Edinburgh, 14.05.2008
  • “Maritime Trade in the Persian Gulf” Postgraduate Conference, St Andrews-Aberdeen, St Andrews, 23.05.2009
  • “Waterless Wells? – The Problem of Textual Evidence for Trade in Iran between the 7th and 9th
    centuries” Postgraduate Mediaeval Studies Seminar Series, St Andrews, 11.03.2009
  • “Arabic love poetry and adab literature as mirror for changes in the attitude of Muslim society towards
    homosexuality” Gender & Transgression in the Middle Ages 2010, St Andrews Institute of Medieval
    Studies, 24.04.2010
  • “Models for International Trade in the Late Antique-Early Medieval Near East” Postgraduate
    Conference, St Andrews-Aberdeen, Aberdeen, 01.05.2010   
  • “The Representation of Merchants in Literary Sources: the Other?” Oriens meets Occidens, St
    Andrews, 26.03.2011
  • “Commerce in the Middle East between the 7th and 9th centuries according to the Syriac law books”
    Economy and Society in Late Sasanian and Early Islamic Iraq, Oxford, 14.04.2011
  • “The Impact of the Silk Route Trade on Local Economies” International Medieval Congress, Leeds,
    12.07.2011     

Conferences organised
“Oriens meets Occidens” An interdisciplinary postgraduate conference held at the University of St Andrews on 25th and 26th March 2011