cover 2006

Masters degrees from the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. He then
went to Cambridge University,
where he studied with Prof.
Rosamond McKitterick, one of the
world’s leading experts in this area.
He has been on the BGU faculty for
the last three years.
Apparently, Hen had perfect
timing, as during the last two
decades, early medieval history has
undergone a revival. Only recently,
he half-jokes, have researchers
shown awareness that there was
In reality, all
Barbarians behaved
like Romans – they
spoke Latin, served
in the Roman army
and were Arian
Christians
something prior to the 12th century.
He explains this neglect by the fact
that until recently, few original
sources existed – researchers had to
search for manuscripts and to read
corrupt Latin, a language that
diverted from classical syntax and
was widely used in that period.
“Today, this is the most productive
field in medieval history,” he says,
adding that new sources, in the form
of liturgy, hagiography (that is,
Saints’ Lives) and poetry can be
used to create a historiographical
picture of the early Middle Ages.
Not only benefiting from this
trend, Hen has significantly
enhanced it. He points to the use of
liturgy as a proper historical source
as his main contribution. To unravel
the mysteries of daily life more than
a thousand years ago, he turned to
liturgical texts, which he terms “the
mass media par excellence” of that
period. “This material gets you
closer to real life, to the previously
silent majority,” he says.
Liturgy is composed of prayers
and sermons written according to a
set formula. However, each priest
or bishop in the early Middle Ages
would compose his own text,
revealing his personal thoughts.
Written in corrupt Latin, this huge
corpus of material touches on such
unholy topics as paganism,
drunkenness and magic. In addition,
rulers used liturgy as propaganda
and for indoctrination.
In one liturgical text, Hen
discovered a bishop’s recrimination
of those who wasted money on
alcohol instead of giving to charity.
Another manuscript included the
account of a priest who was
preaching in the malaria-infested
Alps at a hostel for infected pilgrims.
Hen’s broad knowledge of
languages has been helpful in his
research. Aside from his fluency in
Hebrew and English, he reads and
writes French and German and
reads Italian, Spanish, Byzantine
Greek, Latin, Gothic and Dutch.
Asked why he chose this area,
Hen answers, “The Middle Ages
always fascinated me. The early
Middle Age period was even more
compelling because there was so
little known about it. I feel like a
detective searching for clues and
putting together a puzzle. I always
find new angles to pursue,” he
continues. “I am lucky enough to be
able to say that my hobby is my job.”
Prof. Yael Edan
New Deputy-Rector
Prof. Yael Edan has been appointed
to the position of Deputy-Rector,
replacing Prof. Shraga Segal, who
passed away in February 2006.
For the last six years, Edan has
served as Chairperson of the
Department of Industrial
Engineering and Management.
She received her doctorate from
Purdue University and holds a
Masters degree in Agricultural
Engineering and a Bachelors
degree in Computer Engineering
from the Technion. She has been
a member of the Department of
Industrial Engineering and
Management since 1993.
Edan’s research focuses on
robotics, sensors, simulation,
computer integrated manufacturing
and intelligent
automation in agriculture. She has
instructed and continues to guide
many graduate and postgraduate
students. She has received
accreditation for a number of
patents and has published widely
in Israeli and international
journals.
BGU NOW 25