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Firmalampen, produced in enormous quantities in the Northern provinces of the Roman Empire, bear with them still many mysteries to be solved. The most important of these concerns the very few individuals which have ever been used, if compared to the immense corpora of this type, gathered from Britannia to all the provinces situated along the Rhine and the Danube limes. This fact is not only in contrast with the quantities unearthed, but also with the incredible technological progress brought by a Firmalampe. By placing the wick on its channel, its lighting power doubles, being then comparable to the cumulative light provided by two contemporary "discus-lamps". This article aims to offer a new framework and new hypothesis for further studies, by examining diverse elements: locations and delocalizations of the workshops, supply chains leading to the most remote newly conquered areas, military and civilian logistic needs and tastes. Last but not least, a list of specific contexts where the majority of the lamps of this type are found with traces of use will give further clues, for the Firmalampen as well as for another poorly aesthetic and merely utilitarian type, which seem to have the same fate: the much less studied Imperial Vogelkopflampen. The latter type has also been created and manufactured massively during almost three centuries, with a specific "industrial design" elaborated to suit other specific needs: package easiness and possibility to fix them on a wall with a simple nail thanks to their vertical, pierced handle.

Durante el siglo XIV comienzan a producirse en la corona de Castilla una serie de cambios y transformaciones profundas en sus estructuras organizativas que conducen a un incremento de los recursos fiscales, logísticos y militares disponibles. Este proceso, contemporáneo a otros territorios peninsulares y europeos, llevó a un aumento de las capacidades de reunión y sostenimiento de fuerzas militares en el tiempo y el espacio, a un cambio en la organización y conducción de la guerra, cuyas dimensiones espaciotemporales crecen, y en definitiva a un proceso evolutivo a largo plazo que conducirá a lo largo de la baja Edad Media a la aparición del ejército permanente como instrumento de poder del naciente estado moderno. Abstract A series of important changes and transformations in the organizational structure of the Crown of Castile took place during the fourteenth century and led to an increase in financial, logistical and military resources. This process which ocurred at the same time in other Iberian and European territories produced an increase in the capability to garner and maintain military forces through time and space. As well, it gave way to a change in the organization and the process of war, whose dimensions grew in every sense. In the end, the changes resulted in a long-term evolutionary process during the late Middle Ages that concluded in the rise of a permanent army as an instrument of power in the nascent modern state.

Studies of the military logistics in the early modern period have mainly focused on wartime up to this date. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that supply systems were important during both war and peace. Stores of grain and bread were needed to supply garrisons and prepare for sudden war. Food was also needed if an army was mobilized and used as a workforce in large-scale construction works. This can be clearly seen in the construction work of Sveaborg’s sea fortress in the middle of the eighteenth century. Thousands of soldiers were commanded to take part in it, which required careful planning to keep them supplied annually through the intensive construction periods from spring to autumn. As the soldiers could not buy enough food by themselves, the Crown had to give them bread for sustenance. This in turn required purchasing large quantities of grain, grinding the grain into flour and baking the flour into bread. To manage all this, the whole supply system had to evolve. New magazines, bakeries and mills were established and new personnel hired. Although the construction of Sveaborg was an extraordinary phenomenon, many of these changes had a long lasting legacy.

Opsomming: Hierdie artikel beskryf die oorsprong van die woord logistiek, stip die ontwikkeling daarvan uit en verklaar die hedendaagse betekenis daarvan. Die ontwikkelingsgang van die begrip word aangedui vanaf die oorsprong daarvan in Grieks, met inagneming van die opeenvolgende opname daarvan in Laat-Latyn, Frans en Nederlands, tot by die huidige gebruik daarvan in Afrikaans. Die vestiging van die Franse logistique as milit?re konsep gedurende die Napoleontiese oorlo?, en die uitbreiding daarvan tot 'n bedryfsbegrip ná afloop van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog word verduidelik. Die ontwikkelingsgang sedertdien van die betekenis van die konsep in bedryfsverband word bespreek. Eietydse omskrywings van logistiek, betreffende die gebruik daarvan in die bedryfslewe en in die omgangstaal, word verskaf. Vervolgens bied die artikel 'n eietydse definisie van logistiek in bedryfsverband. Ten slotte word aangetoon hoe doeltreffende bedryfslogistiek waarde toevoeg.Sleutelwoorde: BEDRYFSLOGISTIEK, BESITNUT, BESTUUR, DIENS, DOELMATIGHEID,DOELTREFFENDHEID, GOEDERE, GRONDSTOF, INLIGTING, KLIËNTEDIENS, KLIËNTETEVREDENHEID,LOGISTIEK, MILITÊRE LOGISTIEK, NUT, PLEKNUT, PRODUK, TYDNUT,VORMNUT, WAARDEAbstract: Logistics: Its Origin, Conceptual Evolution and Meaning in Contemporary Usage. This article traces the origin of the word logistics, outlines its conceptual evolution, and explains its meaning in contemporary usage. The contextual development of the concept is traced from its origin in Greek, along with its successive adoption in Late Latin, French and Dutch, up to its contemporary usage in Afrikaans. The establishment of the French logistique as military concept during the Napoleonic wars, and its later extension to commercial usage subsequent to the Second World War are described. The development since then of the meaning of the concept in a commercial context is detailed. Contemporary descriptions of logistics relating to its meaning in a commercial sense and in common parlance are discussed. Thereafter the article offers a contemporary definition of logistics in a commercial context. Finally it is indicated how effective business logistics adds value.Keywords: BUSINESS LOGISTICS, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, CUSTOMER SERVICE, EFFECTIVENESS, EFFICIENCY, FORM UTILITY, GOODS, INFORMATION, LOGISTICS, MANAGEMENT, MILITARY LOGISTICS, PLACE UTILITY, POSSESSION UTILITY, PRODUCT, RESOURCE, SERVICE, TIME UTILITY, UTILITY, VALUE

Abstract The main argument of this paper is that the logistical structures of rapid reaction forces offer great dual-use potential. It means they may be used in military operations other than war (MOOTW), such as civil defence or humanitarian assistance. The theoretical model of Haas, Kates and Bowden (1977) is presented in order to defend this argument, as it indicates the utility of intense military actions in the very first moments following a natural disaster due to their ability to rapidly respond in hard-to-access areas. The NATO Response Force humanitarian operation launched to assist the Pakistani government after a major earthquake in 2005 is presented as a practical example. The text concludes by arguing that the dual-use potential of military logistics is an important way to justify the high financial costs of rapid response forces in times of defence budget constraints while also providing other than war operations capabilities, such as civil defence support.