This dissertation looks at slavery in early Mesopotamia (ca. 3200-1595 BC) in the longue durée and establishes theoretical foundations for interpreting the data preserved in the extant sources. Rather than attempting to define slavery, the forms the social institution took from proto-history into the historical era of early Mesopotamia are contextualised, while identifying the broader social changes which might explain the non-linear evolution of the practice. After considering the difficulty of defining the term ‘slave’ in relation to early Mesopotamia in general and numerous attempts to approach the problem, this work moves beyond definition, attempting to historicise slavery. To achieve this, slavery in early Mesopotamia is considered in the high points of the record in relation to key diagnostic features. The acquisition of slaves is studied alongside the release of slaves, demonstrating the numerous ways people in early Mesopotamia could be reduced to some form of bondage or slavery, while there remained relatively few means by which a person could experience upward movement out of slavery, opportunities which were reduced further for foreign and houseborn slaves. The following discussion of the economics of slavery seeks to place the question in an historical context of modern scholarship before assessing the motivations, benefits, and risks of owning slaves in early Mesopotamia. After this chapter which looks at slavery from the perspectives of the elite, the subsequent chapter attempts to move beyond the elite bias of the documentation to understand history from the bottom, by studying flight and the related means of coercion. By considering the ways in which runaways were pursued and the risks members of the lower stratum community were willing to take for a change in status, the discussion presents a way forward to understanding slavery in early Mesopotamia. These diagnostic features of slavery reveal a traceable non-linear evolution of slavery in early Mesopotamia.

Flight across the North Atlantic is a routine process now, with thousands of flights carrying millions of passengers between Europe and North America every year quickly, safely, and affordably. By some measures it remains the busiest international flight corridor in the world and the most profitable for airlines. Yet there were no planes capable of making the flight a mere century ago. Aviation underwent a period of rapid development and expansion during the twentieth century that transformed the North Atlantic from a barrier into a central corridor in the global air network. This dissertation examines the development of civil aviation on the North Atlantic from 1919 to 1970, focusing on political, economic, and technological factors. Transatlantic flight was a focus of aviation but the earliest planes lacked the range needed to make the crossing. Technological improvements let pioneering aviators cross the ocean by 1919, proving that it was possible though difficult without further advances. Infrastructure also needed to be further developed since the North Atlantic was a hostile environment, with bad weather and limited facilities for aircraft in emergencies. Until 1945, the governments of the North Atlantic region thoroughly explored, studied, and built the infrastructure to make regular transatlantic possible. Postwar, governments supported their airlines through further infrastructural improvements, subsidies, by funding aeronautics, and by complex negotiations with foreign countries to open the skies to passenger travel. By 1970, transatlantic flight was a routine endeavour enjoyed by the masses and supported by systems invisible to the average traveler.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T14:16:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Erivelton Alves Bizerra.pdf: 8926443 bytes, checksum: 178bf86156f6b57ad9075f66503b1aac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-10-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Alberto Santos Dumont (1873-1932) is well known in Brazil and France for his pioneer contributions to the development of the airplane. However, before that, he also helped to develop the technique of balloon flight, obtaining important results of directed flight using motorized airships. This works analyses his contribution to this field. This dissertation presents, first, an historical account of the invention of balloons, from the early Chinese flying lights to the introduction of hot-air and hydrogen balloons in Europe, in the 18th century. Next, this work analyses the issue of balloon flight control. After the first manned flights, in 1783, there was a strong interest for this invention and there were several proposals of controlling its flight. The first attempts of flying motorised balloons, which attained a moderate success, were made in 1852, using a heavy steam machine. Other attempts were made afterwards, using several kinds of motors (including electrical ones), but they did not attain practical results. In the late 19th century, Santos Dumont began to develop airships driven by internal combustion engines (such as those used by automobiles) and obtained good results. In 1901 he was awarded the Deutsch de la Meurthe Prize, when he demonstrated the control of a motorised balloon that was able to make a flight round the Eiffel Tower. Finally, this dissertation analyses Santos Dumont s scientific and technical knowledge, as well the technical difficulties involved in the control of airships, at that time / Alberto Santos Dumont (1873-1932) é muito conhecido, no Brasil e na França, por seus trabalhos pioneiros sobre aviação, mas também desenvolveu, antes disso, a técnica de vôo em balões, obtendo importantes resultados na dirigibilidade com aparelhos dotados de motor. Este trabalho analisa sua contribuição neste campo. Esta dissertação apresenta primeiramente um histórico da invenção dos balões, desde as luzes voadoras chinesas até a introdução de balões de ar quente e de hidrogênio na Europa, no século XVIII. Em seguida, a dissertação analisa a história da dirigibilidade dos balões. Logo após os primeiros vôos tripulados, em 1783, surgiu um enorme interesse pelo invento e foram propostas formas de proporcionar-lhe dirigibilidade. As primeiras tentativas, com algum grau de sucesso, de balões dotados de motores ocorreram em 1852, utilizando uma máquina a vapor. Houve depois algumas poucas tentativas, utilizando motores de vários tipos (inclusive elétricos), mas não foram obtidos bons resultados. Nos últimos anos do século XIX, Santos Dumont iniciou o desenvolvimento de balões movidos por motores de combustão interna (como os de automóveis) e conseguiu bons resultados. Em 1901, obteve o Prêmio Deutsch de la Meurthe, demonstrando o controle de um balão motorizado que contornou a Torre Eiffel. Por fim, a dissertação analisa os conhecimentos científicos e técnicos de Santos Dumont, bem como as dificuldades técnicas que era necessário superar para conseguir controlar o vôo dos balões, na época