''The Heroic Age: A Journal of Early Medieval Northwestern Europe'' is a
peer-reviewed
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...
academic journal
An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and d ...
founded in 1998, with its first issue having been published during spring/summer 1999. The founder and the first
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of the journal was Michelle Ziegler.
The title of the journal, ''The Heroic Age,'' refers to the
early medieval period
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They ...
, though there is certain variation in the definition of the period in focus: it is (or has been, in previous versions of their website, calls for papers, and other sources) defined as stretching "from the early 4th through 13th centuries", "from the beginning of the fourth century through the beginning of the thirteenth",
"from the late fourth through eleventh centuries",
"from 400-1100 AD", "approximately
..between 300 and 1200 CE", and "from the late Roman empire to the advent of the Norman empire". This variation is (partly, at least) accounted for in the Letter from the Editor in Issue 10 (May 2007) as related to changes in the editorial board of the journal: "
..our Editorial Board experienced a few changes. While some members retired, we also added several new members
..With these changes in board composition, our attentions necessarily shifted: four of the five new members do significant work on the continent. To address this, our new Mission Statement increases the time period we consider from 400–1100 to 300–1200. Likewise, there is an accompanying shift in geography. Our new Mission Statement addresses all of Northwestern Europe evenly rather than stressing the British Isles."
Publications in ''The Heroic Age'' cover all aspects of Early Medieval Northwestern Europe.
The journal seeks, according to their own homepage, "to foster dialogue between all scholars of this period across ethnic and disciplinary boundaries, including—but not limited to—
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
,
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
, and
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
pertaining to the period".
''The Heroic Age'' started as a
biannual journal: it had a spring/summer and a fall/winter issue in 1999 and in 2000. Two issues were published also in 2010, the first one in August and the second in November. However, the frequency of published issues decreased in the new millennium. No issues of the journal were published in 2002, 2011, 2013, and 2014. Otherwise (that is, in 2001, 2003–2009, 2012, and 2015), one issue per year was published. Larry Swain wrote that the original idea was that ''The Heroic Age'' should appear quarterly. Intentions to publish two yearly issues have also been expressed, both in the initial stage, and later.
Regular features include full-length research articles, editions and translations of primary sources, biographical essays, a forum on modern theory and scholarship, a review of relevant web-sites ("Electronic Medievalia"), reviews of scholarship originally published in German, Dutch, and French (a column called "Continental Business"), as well as book reviews (including reviews of scholarly monographs and fiction based on the Middle Ages), and film and television reviews.
In 2010, the journal published a cluster of essays in tandem wit
postmedieval: a journal of cultural medieval studies
The website of the journal has also a links page.
The
editors-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
are currently L. J. Swain (
Bemidji State University
Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public university in Bemidji, Minnesota. Founded as a preparatory institution for teachers in 1919, it provides higher education to north-central Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Univ ...
) and Deanna Forsman (
North Hennepin Community College
North Hennepin Community College (NHCC) is a public community college in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It was founded in 1966 and is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
History
The college was founded in 1966 as N ...
).
The journal is included databases and bibliographies including the
MLA Directory of Periodicals and International Bibliography,
EBSCO
EBSCO Industries is an American company founded in 1944 by Elton Bryson Stephens Sr. and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The ''EBSCO'' acronym is based on ''Elton Bryson Stephens Company''. EBSCO Industries is a diverse company of over 40 ...
's Electronic Journal Service, the
History of Science Society
The History of Science Society (HSS) is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. It was founded in 1924 by George Sarton, David Eugene Smith, and Lawrence Joseph Henderson, primarily to support the public ...
, and others.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heroic Age
European history journals
Publications established in 1999
Medieval studies literature
English-language journals
Irregular journals