Lagos leprosarium (Portugal): evidences of disease

In 2009, an archaeological intervention in the Valle da Gafaria (Lagos, Portugal) allowed the excavation of part of a leprosarium and an associated necropolis (15th–17th centuries). The individuals recovered were buried directly in the soil, in positions and orientations discordant to the prevailing Christian rules. The sample is made up of eleven adult individuals of both sexes.     

New investigations of the Göllüdağ obsidian lava flows system: a multi-disciplinary approach

The Göllüda? obsidian lava flow system is relatively complex. More than ten different obsidian outcrops and knapping workshops have been identified around this volcano. Their importance for long and short distances obsidian supply has already been demonstrated.One of the main problem encountered when studying the Göllüda? obsidian flows, is the great chemical similarity of some of them. The use of the geochemical approach to solve the problems of obsidian trade around the Göllüda? is therefore insufficient. A multi-disciplinary program joining archaeology, geochemistry and geomorphology, was thus started to understand the relationships between the different obsidian flows and to draw the pattern of the Göllüda? obsidian trade.Our archaeological and geomorphologic approach will help us to understand which obsidian outcrops were available during the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods.Also our geomorphologic approach, linked to intensive geochemical analyses, will help us to understand the spatial variability of the geochemistry of the obsidian outcrops. Lithic technology will also give information about the different knapping methods used at the workshops.     

Proselytizing Islam — Problematizing “Salafism”

This article discusses the contemporary European setting pertaining to Islamic interpretations, mainly so called Salafi Islam. The empirical material is based on publications by a Swedish group that conducts street da?wa, aiming to proselytize among non‐Muslims. The ideology, as presented in official publications to be used for da?wa, is described and analyzed as part of a larger da?wa‐movement with Salafi‐inclinations in Europe. The group is not unique, but rather one example of many in Europe, at least concerning the activism advocated. The presentation of the group serves to reflect upon global influences and similarities among contemporary Islamic da?wa activism, as well as effects that the national context has on the choice of predominant themes addressed by the group as well as interpretative strategies used. The overarching aim with the article is to problematize the common usage of the concept Salafi among scholars of religion to describe and characterize contemporary Islamic groups of various kinds. The conclusion calls for a more nuanced approach concerning conceptualizations and the use of typologies in studying contemporary Islamic groups in a minority setting.     

Ancestry Estimation Based on Morphoscopic Traits in a Sample of African Slaves from Lagos,Portugal (15th–17th Centuries)

In 2009, a skeletal collection of 158 individuals was excavated in Valle da Gafaria, Lagos, Portugal. These individuals were buried in an unusual way, having been discarded in an urban dump located outside the medieval city walls, dated from the 15th–17th centuries. Lagos was, at the time, an important slave trade harbour, and during the excavation, the morphological appearance of the skulls and the presence of intentionally modified teeth in some individuals raised suspicion that they were African slaves. Despite the extensive historical information about the Atlantic slave trade, so far, skeletal remains identified as slaves were scarce, especially in Europe. The aim of the present study is to estimate the ancestry of a sample of 33 adult individuals (28 women and 5 men) recovered in the Valle da Gafaria applying eleven morphological characteristics using the naïve Bayes classifier. When comparing the individuals with four groups of classification (European, African, American Indian and Asian), 24 (72.7%) specimens were classified as Africans with a posterior probability greater than 0.90. When only two groups were considered (the African and the European), 31 (93.9%) individuals were classified as Africans with a posterior probability greater than 0.90. These results are in accordance with the historical record and previous genetic studies, suggesting that this sample represents a rare archaeological sample of great interest to the history of the Atlantic slave trade, that is, the Lagos individuals were probably of African ancestry. Although the ancestry is a parameter of the biological profile mainly estimated in forensic Anthropology, this study confirms the importance of its investigation in past populations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Portuguese East Indiaman from the 1502–1503 Fleet of Vasco da Gama off Al Hallaniyah Island,Oman: an interim report

Two Portuguese naus from Vasco da Gama's second voyage to India, left behind to disrupt maritime trade between India and the Red Sea, were wrecked in May 1503 off the north‐eastern coast of Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman. The ships, Esmeralda and São Pedro, had been commanded by da Gama's maternal uncles, Vicente and Brás Sodré, respectively. A detailed study and scientific analysis of an artefact assemblage recovered during archaeological excavations conducted in Al Hallaniyah in 2013 and 2014 confirms the location of an early 16th‐century Portuguese wreck‐site, initially discovered in 1998. Esmeralda is proposed as the probable source of the remaining, un‐salved wreckage.     

Smelting and recycling evidences from the Late Bronze Age habitat site of Baiões (Viseu,Portugal)

Many aspects of bronze production during Late Bronze Age in Western Europe are so far unknown. In the present study selected artefact fragments and metallurgical debris, which include a slag fragment, from the emblematic Late Bronze Age habitat site of Castro da Senhora da Guia de Baiões (Viseu, Portugal) have been studied by optical microscopy, micro-EDXRF, SEM–EDS and XRD. Evidences were found for bronze production involving smelting and recycling. Compositional analysis showed that the artefacts are made of a bronze with 13 ± 3 wt.% Sn (average and one standard deviation) and a low impurity pattern, namely <0.1 wt.% Pb, being comparable with the composition of other bronzes from the same region (the Central Portuguese Beiras). This alloy is generally different from elsewhere Atlantic and Mediterranean bronzes, which show frequently slightly lower Sn contents and higher impurity patterns, namely Pb which is often present as an alloying element. The present study gives further support to early proposals suggesting the exploration of the Western Iberian tin resources during Late Bronze Age, and besides that, it indicates that metalworking and smelting could have been a commonplace activity requiring no specific facilities, being bronze produced at a domestic scale in this Western extreme of Europe.     

Language and politics in Italy: from Moro to Berlusconi

The article posits the existence of a nexus between some language dimensions on the one hand, and the type of party system and degree of electoral volatility on the other. The first part dissects the old language of Italian politics, these days contemptuously referred to as politichese , and argues that its cryptic character can be properly understood only if seen against both the functional requirements and systemic constraints of the Italian post-war political regime in general, and the functioning of its party system in particular. The second part examines the new language that emerged in the early 1990s, the so-called gentese , and argues that its populist characteristics are linked to the disintegration of old parties which meant that a sizeable portion of the electorate was up for grabs. Other important factors were the emergence of political actors who wished to differentiate themselves from those of the past and their perception that the Italian party system was changing. Il saggio esplora alcuni dei nessi esistenti tra varie dimensioni del linguaggio politico (lessico, complessitÀ sintattica, tono) da un lato, e dimensioni politiche (tipo di sistema di partiti e grado di mobilitÀ elettorale) dall'altro. La prima parte esamina il vecchio linguaggio della politica italiana, oggi sprezzantemente definito politichese , e sostiene che il suo carattere ermetico e complesso è da collegarsi ad alcune caratteristiche del sistema politico della Prima Repubblica e al suo sistema partitico in particolare. La seconda parte esamina il nuovo linguaggio politico italiano (il cosiddetto gentese ) e sostiene che le sue caratteristiche populiste vanno collegate all'aumento della mobilitÀ elettorale registrata all'inizio degli anni 90 (dovuta anche alla disintegrazione dei partiti tradizionali) e alla percezione, largamente errata, dei nuovi attori politici che la riforma della legge elettorale avrebbe condotto necessariamente a un sistema partitico bipolare.     

REVIEWS

LE Poème et la Légende des - Nibelungen. By H. Lichtenberger. 8vo. 432 pp. Paris : Hachette. By Alfred Nutt.

Canti Popolari Siciliani, raccolti ed illustrati di Giuseppe Pitrè. Preceduti da uno studio critico a seguiti da melodie popolari. Nuova edizione, interamenta rifusa. Carlo Clausen, Torino and Palmero, 1891. 2 Vols. 8vo.

Bibliografia delle Tradizioni popolari d'Italia. Compilata da Giuseppe Pitrè. Scherie internazionali. Same Publishers. 1 vol. crown 8vo., 700 pp., on hand-made paper. By R. H. Busk.     

A Compositional and Microstructural Study of Eighth‐Century BC Bronzes from Moita Da Ladra (Tagus Estuary): How Did the Spread of the Phoenician Metallurgy Take Place in Western Iberia?

Metals from a votive deposit at Moita da Ladra (Tagus Estuary) dating to the eighth century bc were studied by micro‐EDXRF, optical microscopy and Vickers testing to investigate the adoption of Phoenician innovations by indigenous communities. Artefacts are made of bronze alloys with suitable tin contents (11.6 ± 2.3 wt%) and very low iron impurities (<0.05 wt%), and were often manufactured using the long post‐casting sequence. Comparisons with indigenous and Phoenician metallurgies from western Iberia revealed a conservative technology suggesting that the spread of Phoenician innovations was very slow. In this region, the adoption of a diversified copper‐based metallurgy and reduction furnaces only seems to occur during the Post‐Orientalizing Period, c. sixth to fourth centuries bc .     

Characterization of Materials and Artistic Techniques on Two 17th‐Century Neapolitan Wood Sculptures

Two sculptures of Gaetano Patalano, one of the most important Italian sculptors of the late 17th century, were analysed to study the stratigraphy, the organic and inorganic materials, and to distinguish the original layers from the repaintings. Samples taken from the Immacolata Concezione and from San Gaetano da Thiene (Santa Chiara church, Lecce, Italy) were studied by optical microscopy, μ‐Raman spectroscopy and Py‐GC–MS. Different binders and pigments were used for the preparatory layers on the different parts of the statues: the results demonstrate that Patalano mastered the various materials and techniques, and that his choices have allowed his carving ability to be emphasized.     

GILDINGS AND FALSE GILDINGS OF THE BAROQUE AGE: CHARACTERIZATION AND CONSERVATION PROBLEMS

This work investigates the decayed decoration of the ‘Vergine del Carmelo’ chapel, with a particular interest in the residual gildings. Samples of the finishing layers were examined by VIS‐UV optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled with EDX spectrometry, in order to evaluate the unusual degradation phenomena. Mineralogical composition of the stucco substrate was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed the unexpected presence of a thick layer of brass flakes, applied without any binder, used as a substitute for the damaged original gold leaf, and highlighting a very uncommon selective corrosion process of the brass.     

Liebe Leserin,lieber Leser,

Geographie ist in! Nur: Es sind keine Geographinnen und Geographen dabei. Hierfür zwei kleine Beispiele: • Da mailt eine Firma, die einen Routenplaner für Europa entwickelt und vertreibt, an die DVAG-Gesch?ftsstelle und hat eine zun?chst sehr einfach klingende Frage, die ihr von einem Kunden gestellt wurde: Geh?ren die Kanarischen Inseln zu Europa oder zu Afrika? Die Frage intendiert also auch die Frage danach, ob – oder ob nicht – die Kanarischen Inseln in den Routenplaner zu integrieren seien. Die Antwort ist – wie man als ausgebildeter Geograph wei?– mehrschichtig: Die Kanaren geh?ren geologisch zur Afrikanischen Platte, damit also zu Afrika. Politisch geh?ren sie zu Spanien und somit zu Europa. Interessant ist hier, da? diese Frage offenbar von Nichtgeographen – sowohl was die “Routenplanerfirma” als auch ihren Kunden angeht – gestellt wurde und da? damit ein Interesse (denn wer macht sich schon die Mühe, eine Frage zu formulieren und jemanden zu suchen, der sie beantworten kann?) an einer geographischen Fragestellung existiert. • Oder es kommt – mit gro?em Erfolg – ein neues Buch auf den Markt, der “Atlas der Erlebniswelten”. Dieser “Atlas” (ausführliche Rezension in einem der n?chsten STANDORT-Hefte) wurde erstellt von zwei Graphikdesignern, einem Philosopie-Professor und einer Soziologin. Ein/e Geograph/in war nicht dabei. Es handelt sich natürlich nicht um einen “realen” Atlas. Aber interessant ist es schon, da? sich die o.g. Autoren des Werkzeuges eines Atlasses, also eines typisch geographischen Arbeitsmittels, bedienen – und tats?chlich auch Karten zeichnen! –, um ihre Ideen und Ansichten zu vermitteln. Wie gesagt: Ohne Geograph/inn/en. Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser, werden wir Geographen nicht mehr gebraucht? Ich finde, da? wir und unser Wissen gebraucht werden – und zwar dringender denn je! Und dies nicht nur vor dem Hintergrund obiger Beispiele, sondern vielmehr vor dem Hintergrund sich weltweit rasant ver?ndernder r?umlicher, natürlicher, ?konomischer und sozialer Strukturen. Nur müssen wir – neben allen Erfolgen, die wir in der Angewandten Geographie in den letzten Jahr(zehnt)en errungen haben – immer wieder dafür sorgen, da? wir “im Gespr?ch” bleiben. Dies bedeutet vor allem eine herausragende ?ffentlichkeits- und Pressearbeit. Aber wir dürfen – als in der Praxis t?tige Geograph/inn/en – darüber nicht vergessen, da? das Image unseres Faches wesentlich auch in der Schule gepr?gt wird. Kümmern wir uns also um unser Fach – im pers?nlichen Umfeld, im Arbeitsumfeld, gegenüber Kultusministerien, die Stunden streichen wollen, gegenüber der Presse usw., denn: Geographie ist in! Ein sch?nes Weihnachtsfest und einen guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr wünscht Ihnen und Ihrer Familie für das Redaktionsteam Dipl.-Geogr. Arnulf Marquardt-Kuron     

Scholarly Authority and Lay Mobilization: Yusuf al‐Qaradawi's vision of da‘wa, 1976‐1984

The late 1970s and early 1980s were a propitious yet challenging time for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, as its elites sought to define the movement's priorities in the face of new opportunities to spread their call (da‘wa). The debate over preaching, while one of strategic assessment, also involved a negotiation of intellectual hierarchy: Should laymen lead Egypt's oldest Islamist organization, or should scholars? In contrast to previous studies that focus on how laymen led the Brotherhood's return to grassroots preaching, this article reintegrates scholars into the story of da‘wa by focusing on the organization's most prominent ‘ālim, Shaykh Yusuf al‐Qaradawi, and his vision of institution‐based preacher education and extra‐institutional activism. Drawing on three books written by Qaradawi on this topic between the mid‐1970s and early 1980s, this article casts lights not only on this Islamist scholar's claim to religious authority as he sought to mold the Brotherhood, but also on the ways in which projects of mass mobilization – whether grassroots preaching or the reform of state‐sponsored educational curricula – have transformed scholarly claims to authority more broadly.     

Evolving Ideas: J. B. d’Anville’s Maps of Southern Africa, 1725–1749

This article focuses on the changes made to the cartography of southern Africa between 1725 and 1749 by the French geographer Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville. The maps in question were produced in collaboration with the Portuguese ambassador Dom Luís da Cunha as part of d’Anville’s plan to demonstrate what lay between the Portuguese colonies of Angola in the west and Mozambique in the east and to establish a link across the continent. The maps he produced in the first two phases of his mapping of southern Africa (1725–1731) echoed the traditional horror vacui. The vast blank that appeared on his map of Afrique of 1749, however, has to be seen as d’Anville intended—the integration of empty space on a map with Enlightenment rationalization of geography.     

Medieval Descriptions and Doctrines of Stroke: Preliminary Analysis of Select Sources. Part III: Multiplying Speculations – The High and Late Middle Ages (1000–1450)

By analyzing a body of texts compiled by various medical authors from the 11th to the 15th century, four basic developments can be noted: (1) From the beginning of the eleventh century the reception, translation and assimilation of Arabian and arabicized ancient texts became the ultimate goal of Western medicine (Constantine the African, Arnald of Villanova, et al.). Concepts of stroke were consequently guided by textual tradition, not by observation. (2) Scholastic speculations about different aspects of apoplexy, especially those concerning its origins, were numerous (Johannes Platearius, Batholomaeus Salernitanus, Pietro d'Abano, Giacomo da Forlì). Although most medieval physicians used the ancient doctrine of the four humors as model and explanation, opinions differed in many ways. (3) Attempts developed to present a simple outline of the etiology, the prognosis, and the treatment of the disease (Gilbertus Anglicus, Bernard of Gordon, John of Gaddesden). (4) Although lacking in originality, many of these writers nevertheless achieved a certain uniformity in presenting main topics, thus setting the standard for later practitioners.     

Perilous shipwreck, misery and unhappiness: the British military at Tristan da Cunha, 1816–1817

After losing the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to St Helena. As part of the arrangements to keep him secure, the British annexed the island of Tristan da Cunha to deny its possible use to French rescue forces. The military remained on the island for fifteen months, an unpleasant experience, especially given the loss of 55 people in the wreck of H.M.S. Julia in 1817. Using evidence from holdings in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, this paper studies the experiences of the British on the island during 1816 and 1817, illuminating the chaotic military operation and also the difficulties of habitation on Tristan da Cunha. However, the present population of the island traces its origin back to one of the garrison who remained there after 1817.     

Geochemical signatures of Roman amphorae produced in the Sado River estuary,Lusitania (Western Portugal)

Several archaeological sites located in the Sado estuary, Lusitania province (Western Portugal), show evidence of an important amphorae production, mainly related to the Roman Tróia industrial centre of fish preserves. The chemical analysis of amphorae sherds found in Barrosinha, Bugio, Zambujalinho, Xarrouqueira and Vale da Cepa (Lower Sado) was performed by instrumental neutron activation analysis, and the mineralogical composition obtained by X-ray diffraction. The chemical results were compared with amphorae from the Herdade do Pinheiro production centre, also located in the Sado estuary. Application of several exploratory and discriminant techniques of multivariate statistical analysis using chemical data of Lower Sado amphorae allowed the characterization and differentiation of two reference groups, named Sado 1 and Sado 2. The geochemical patterns and the mineralogical composition of these groups indicate the use of two different raw materials, the selection of which appears to have been based on the proximity factor of the kilns. The amphorae produced in the Sado basin were differentiated from amphorae from the Gualdalquivir estuary (Villa Nueva, Cádiz, Spain) in Baetica province.     

Do we have any genuine works by Aristotle? Francesco Patrizi da Cherso’s discussion of the corpus Aristotelicum

ABSTRACT

This paper deals with the scrutiny, as found in the Discussiones Peripateticae 1, 2–4, to which Francesco Patrizi da Cherso subjected the works of the transmitted corpus Aristotelicum, and those attributed to Aristotle outside the corpus. It explains why Patrizi rejected most of the transmitted ?uvre as spurious, and shows what would have been the most radical consequence of his hyper-critical stance, had it carried the day. Particular attention is paid to contemporary (i.e. sixteenth-century) scholarship available to, and used by, Patrizi.     

Mouzinho da Silveira and the Political Culture of Portuguese Liberalism, 1820–1832

Summary

Liberalism as an identity and as a political ideology was non-existent in Portugal, as in most of the countries of Ibero-America, before the beginning of the nineteenth century. But the semantic development of the term ‘liberal’ in Portuguese underwent a clear and rapid mutation in the following decades. It became associated with specific meanings in relation to constitutional issues and civil law matters. While the former prevailed between 1820 and 1823, the latter were dominant in the writings of Mouzinho da Silveira and his Civil War legislation of 1832 to 1834.