The Use of Optical Coherence Tomography for Monitoring the Subsurface Morphologies of Archaic Jades

We demonstrate the use of the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technique for non‐invasive scanning of the subsurface morphologies of jade objects. The two‐dimensional tomography images show the refractive index or dielectric constant variations in the samples, reflecting their structures. Three samples of archaic jade objects from the Qijia and Liangzhu cultures in China are scanned in order to understand the subsurface morphologies of the naturally whitened jades. Also, two jade objects with artificial treatments (burning) are scanned and compared with the original materials in subsurface structures. In the original objects, the jade materials can generally be quite transparent, such that the backscattering intensity is weak, although the large‐scale (tens of microns or larger) subsurface morphology can be clearly observed. After burning, small‐scale (smaller than a few microns) structures are formed and the backscattering intensity is enhanced. In this situation, the large‐scale structures may be preserved or even newly generated. On the other hand, in an archaic object with natural whitening, small‐scale structures are also formed. Hence, the deeper distributions of significant backscattering intensity are observed, when compared with the unwhitened objects. Nevertheless, the large‐scale features diminish during the whitening process. With OCT scanning, such differences in subsurface morphology can provide us a valuable reference for authenticating archaic jade objects.     

Moving Closer to the Fire: Heat Transformations and Bucket‐Shaped Pots in Burials

Archaeological discourse reveals an appreciation of the potentially deeply intertwined relationship between the life histories of human beings and material culture. I argue that the intimacy between lived experience and things is a vital source for understanding symbolic meaning – that the bodily experienced everyday interaction enables close associations between humans and material culture, in this case bucket‐shaped pots in graves. The consistent representation in Migration Period burials from western Norway has led to the contention that there are reasons to believe that there may have been only one bucket‐shaped pot for each person buried. Provenance and technological influence is often demonstrated as a function of surface similarity between bucket‐shaped pots and other material forms, leading to notions of ‘wandering’ surfaces which become passively copied templates. As a result, causality is left elsewhere than in the technological choices made and the factors involved in shaping the pots' social lives after manufacture. An emphasis on heat transformations and ceramic technology within a wider social context enables us to discuss bucket‐shaped pots in burials both as symbolic elements in material assemblages and as ontological metaphors intimately associated with the deceased.     

THE HISTORY OF SO-CALLED EGYPTIAN FAIENCE IN ISLAMIC PERSIA: INVESTIGATIONS INTO ABŪ'L-QĀSIM'S TREATISE

The glazes and bodies of fifteen Persian ceramic objects datable to c. A.D. 1300 were analysed by X-ray fluorescent and optical emission spectroscopyin order to test the veracity of parts of Abū'l-Qāsim's treatise on pottery manufacture. The results showed that the bodies of these pots were closely akin to so-called Egyptian faience, and it is suggested on the basis of textual evidence that this body was used in Persia before the Seljuq period to imitate Chinese pottery, and may have been developed either from beads or glass.     

FIXED‐FREQUENCY RADIO‐WAVE IMAGING OF SUBSURFACE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FEATURES: A MINIMALLY INVASIVE TECHNIQUE FOR STUDYING ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES*

In memoriam Tony Clark Sadly, this research marked the last field visit to the test site that the authors were able to share with their colleague Tony Clark. His enthusiasm, experience and encouragement inspired us to complete this project that, to many, must have appeared as grown men at play in a sand pit. A new approach to subsurface exploration has been developed, based on fixed‐frequency radio‐wave illumination from a buried transmitter. Data are collected from a buried, continuous wave source with a phase‐coherent surface‐scanning receiver and recorded in a digital archive from which images of the archaeological features are subsequently produced. An important feature of this approach is the opportunity to separate the data collection and archive functions, which form an uncompromised record of the site, from the more subjective image formation function. This paper reports the results of a feasibility assessment programme and discusses the future application of the method to real archaeological sites.     

郑州四方汇泽清华·紫光园小区东周墓发掘简报

2009年7月-9月,郑州市文物考古研究院对河南四方汇泽清华.紫光园小区经济适用房项目工程内古文化遗迹进行了考古发掘,清理东周墓葬28座。墓葬均为长方形竖穴土坑墓,有棺椁,个别墓葬有头箱和腰坑。葬式以仰身直肢为主,另有仰身屈肢和俯身直肢葬。随葬器物组合为鬲、盂、豆、罐。对研究郑州地区东周墓葬形制具有重要价值。     

The production and technology of glazed ceramics from the middle ages,found in the saepinum territory (Italy): a multimethodic approach*

A collection of ceramics from the Middle Ages found in Altilia and Terravecchia (the Saepinum area, Campobasso, Italy) were characterized by using different mineralogical analyses to investigate their provenance and production techniques. The body ceramic was investigated using Rietveld phase analysis of X‐ray powder diffraction patterns, X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The chemical compositions of the coatings were measured by scanning electron microscopy and their mineralogical compositions were determined using a particular technique of X‐ray small‐angle scattering (SAS) optimized for studies of thin films. Moreover, the material used for decoration was studied using micro‐Raman spectroscopy. The archaeometric results confirmed the distinction into two different ceramic classes, already individuated from archaeological analysis: the Altilia objects belong to the protomajolica class, whereas the objects from Terravecchia are RMR (ramina‐manganese‐red) ceramics. A comparison between the chemical and mineralogical compositions of good‐quality ceramic objects and those of waste products indicated local production of the ceramics. A sharp distinction was found in the chemical composition of the coatings: the Altilia products have tin‐opacified lead glazes, while the Terravecchia ones have transparent high‐lead glazes. Among the Altilia products, the unsuccessful process that produced a large quantity of discarded materials was attributed to the high lead content of the glazes. In fact, the principal advantage of the high lead content was to make the preparation and application of the glaze suspension easier, but the risk of reduction of lead oxide to metallic lead was greatly increased. Using micro‐Raman spectroscopy, the following minerals were identified as pigments: pyrolusite for the dark colour, malachite for green, lepidocrocite for yellow and hematite for red.     

Remarks on Early Iron Age Burial Sites from Southern Cameroon

For the first time, graves dating to the Early Iron Age between 2000 BP and 1700 BP have been discovered in the southern Cameroonian rain forest. The features in question, from the sites of Akonétye and Campo, were almost identically furnished with iron objects and ceramic pots. Other features with more or less corresponding finds have been discovered at Mouanko–Lobethal, Mouanko–Epolo, Kribi–Mpoengu, and Yaoundé–Obobogo. The spatial distribution of these sites and their near synchronous dating suggest that a particular burial rite was practiced over a considerable area of southern Cameroon during the Early Iron Age.     

Archaeological microgravimetric prospection inside don church (Valencia, Spain)

The microgravimetric surveying technique is applicable to the detection of shallow subsurface structures if a lateral density contrast is presented, and thus, it is a valid technique for archaeological prospection. In this paper, this technique has been revealed to be an efficient tool for archaeological studies, such as those performed inside Don Church (18th century), located in the urban area of Alfafar town, Valencia (Spain), where a buried crypt, suggested by different boreholes drilled during the second restoration process in 1993, is expected. Details of the site’s characteristics, topographic survey procedures, microgravimetric field operations, data collection and gravity reduction operations (where the inner building effect of walls, pillars and the altar is confirmed as one of the most important) are also presented. Finally, the results confirm the buried crypt.     

TIME‐OF‐FLIGHT NEUTRON DIFFRACTION CHARACTERIZATION OF CERAMIC FINDINGS FROM SOUTHERN AND WESTERN SICILY*

We present the results of a study that is part of a wider research programme regarding knowledge of the initial living phases of Sicilian agricultural and pastoral society. Three sets of ceramic samples were analysed through time‐of‐flight neutron diffraction (TOF‐ND) to derive information about the composition of the clay and the manufacturing techniques. The first two sets of sherds came from an excavation in Licata, close to Agrigento, and are composed of findings dated around the third century bc , while the third set was of samples from prehistoric sites located in the northwestern part of Sicily. Measurements were performed to obtain a quantitative identification of the mineralogical composition of the samples in a totally non‐destructive way. Hints about manufacturing techniques and firing temperatures are derived to provide information on provenance and production processes of the objects.     

Pore‐scale investigation on stress‐dependent characteristics of granular packs and the impact of pore deformation on fluid distribution

Understanding the effect of changing stress conditions on multiphase flow in porous media is of fundamental importance for many subsurface activities including enhanced oil recovery, water drawdown from aquifers, soil confinement, and geologic carbon storage. Geomechanical properties of complex porous systems are dynamically linked to flow conditions, but their feedback relationship is often oversimplified due to the difficulty of representing pore‐scale stress deformation and multiphase flow characteristics in high fidelity. In this work, we performed pore‐scale experiments of single‐ and multiphase flow through bead packs at different confining pressure conditions to elucidate compaction‐dependent characteristics of granular packs and their impact on fluid flow. A series of drainage and imbibition cycles were conducted on a water‐wet, soda‐lime glass bead pack under varying confining stress conditions. Simultaneously, X‐ray micro‐CT was used to visualize and quantify the degree of deformation and fluid distribution corresponding with each stress condition and injection cycle. Micro‐CT images were segmented using a gradient‐based method to identify fluids (e.g., oil and water), and solid phase redistribution throughout the different experimental stages. Changes in porosity, tortuosity, and specific surface area were quantified as a function of applied confining pressure. Results demonstrate varying degrees of sensitivity of these properties to confining pressure, which suggests that caution must be taken when considering scalability of these properties for practical modeling purposes. Changes in capillary number with confining pressure are attributed to the increase in pore velocity as a result of pore contraction. However, this increase in pore velocity was found to have a marginal impact on average phase trapping at different confining pressures.     

越国贵族墓随葬陶瓷礼乐器葬俗探论

春秋战国时期崛起于太湖地区的越国历史文化中有许多独特的内容,其中在上层贵族墓中随葬仿铜的陶瓷礼乐器就是一个重要的方面。本文根据近年来的考古新资料及相关研究成果认为,越国贵族墓不像中原和其他诸侯国贵族墓那样随葬铜礼乐器,而是随葬仿铜的原始瓷或硬陶的礼乐器。这种有别于其他地区的葬俗既非越国建立后出现的一种新的文化现象,也不是矿源缺乏和战争的原因,而是对本民族传统葬俗的继承与发展。     

Action research and reducing the vulnerability of peri‐urban agriculture: a case study from the Montreal Region

Important pressures still increase the vulnerability of peri‐urban farming despite initiatives to protect agricultural land and activities since the mid‐1960s in several jurisdictions in the USA and Canada. Often, farmland is still removed from agricultural reserves for the ‘good of society’ (for example, creating industrial parks). In 2008, an action research project was initiated to attempt to reduce agricultural vulnerability in several peri‐urban and rural areas near Montreal by emphasising the importance of the appropriation of the value of these farmlands by non‐farm citizens and actors. The action research roles involved accompanying the farmers, facilitating meetings, mobilising non‐farm actors, and informing farmers of possibilities when asked to do so. In this article, one specific project is analysed in Senneville (in the west of Montreal Island). While the project was initiated by the farmers to guarantee their long‐term future, they also sought to involve other, mostly non‐agricultural, actors. In a colloquium, a collective vision for the project was constructed, integrating other functions of farmland such as conservation and leisure activities. Many meetings were organised over a three‐year period and formal presentations were made to the municipality. The project is ongoing, including new farm operations and the reinforcement of local markets for marketing mainly organic produce. The area is now an integral part of an emerging ‘green belt’ of the Montreal agglomeration and is already part of a ‘green coalition’ of both urban and peri‐urban actors (farmers and non‐farmers), and an emerging food system movement which represents a more holistic approach to food production.     

Iron in the soil: Living with military waste in Bosnia‐Herzegovina

Waste, in particular the waste produced by conflicts, has become a serious matter of concern in recent scholarship on materiality and society. But what is military post‐conflict waste, and what kind of materiality does it entail? This article retrains an ethnographic focus on post‐conflict materiality away from visible and easily recognized entities such as politicized monuments, towards (in)visible and misrecognized war remnants, those parts buried in the soil, in trees and sometimes in people's bodies. The article focuses on people's quotidian practices of re‐creating, re‐relating to and re‐dwelling in the world in the presence of military waste in rural Bosnia. It calls for an inclusive scholarship of materiality that takes the material‐cum‐emotional affects and effects that these material objects discharge upon persons as a matter of serious concern. The themes discussed in the article have far‐reaching implications, not just for Bosnian postwar anthropology, but for critically engaged anthropology and the role of the discipline in the contemporary world.     

Decreasing CO2 partial pressure triggered Mg–Fe–Ca carbonate formation in ancient Martian crust preserved in the ALH84001 Meteorite

We retrace hydrogeochemical processes leading to the formation of Mg–Fe–Ca carbonate concretions (first distinct carbonate population, FDCP) in Martian meteorite ALH84001 by generic hydrogeochemical equilibrium and mass transfer modeling. Our simple conceptual models assume isochemical equilibration of orthopyroxenite minerals with pure water at varying water‐to‐rock ratios, temperatures and CO₂ partial pressures. Modeled scenarios include CO₂ partial pressures ranging from 10.1325 to 0.0001 MPa at water‐to‐rock ratios between 4380 and 43.8 mol mol^?1 and different temperatures (278, 303 and 348 K) and enable the precipitation of Mg–Fe–Ca solid solution carbonate. Modeled range and trend of carbonate compositional variation from magnesio‐siderite (core) to magnesite (rim), and the precipitation of amorphous SiO₂ and magnetite coupled to magnesite‐rich carbonate are similar to measured compositional variation. The results of this study suggest that the early Martian subsurface had been exposed to a dynamic gas pressure regime with decreasing CO₂ partial pressure at low temperatures (approximately 1.0133 to 0.0001 MPa at 278 K or 6 to 0.0001 MPa at 303 K). Moderate water‐to‐rock ratios of ca. 438 mol mol^?1 and isochemical weathering of orthopyroxenite are additional key prerequisites for the formation of secondary phase assemblages similar to ALH84001’s ‘FDCP’. Outbursts of water and CO_2(g) from confined ground water in fractured orthopyroxenite rocks below an unstable CO₂ hydrate‐containing cryosphere provide adequate environments on the early Martian surface.     

The Iron Age lower settlement at Kabri revisited

ABSTRACT

During the 2017 excavation season at Tel Kabri, Iron Age remains were found cutting into the western part of the Middle Bronze Age palace. These remains consisted of a segment of a large structure and a series of sizable pits. Similar Iron Age remains were unearthed during previous soundings in Areas D and F of the excavation and were loosely dated to the Iron Age II. The ceramic assemblage from these soundings demonstrated a disproportionate number of imports and cooking pots, which prompted the excavators to suggest that the lower settlement was engaged in the processing of agricultural products connected to the nearby forts located elsewhere on the tell. A recent re-examination of the pottery from the previous excavations suggest that the forts could have only existed during the Iron Age IIA and IIC. Our examination of the pottery indicates that the imports can be dated to the Iron Age IIA, while the large number of cooking pots should mostly be dated to the Iron Age IIC. We would therefore like to suggest a new interpretation for the function of the lower settlement at Kabri during the Iron Age II in relation to the forts and the political reality in the Galilee at that time.     

湖南道县玉蟾岩遗址早期陶器及其地层堆积的碳十四年代研究

位于湖南道县的玉蟾岩遗址包含大量灰烬,丰富的动物遗存,砾石和石片石器以及骨角器。从出土遗物,特别是人工制品来看,该洞穴应是一处旧石器晚期狩猎采集者的营地。洞穴堆积反映出人类的一系列短期活动或栖居,其间穿插着遗址被废弃的时期。微形态学研究显示堆积中的红色粘土条带是当时人类从洞外搬进来的。该遗址还出土了若干陶片,可以复原成2件或更多的陶器。多数陶片出自于1993和1995年的发掘。另有10多件陶片在2004和2005年的发掘中被发现。我们将在本文介绍该洞穴堆积的年代研究过程和结果,包括样品的采集、预筛选和前处理过程,以及最后对保存好的炭屑和骨头样品的测年。玉蟾岩遗址的年代为距今21000～13800年(校正后,后同),年代数据表明下层堆积中存在人类栖居的间断,陶片的年代为距今17,000～18,000年。这些陶片是在中国发现的制造陶器的最早证据之一。     

Failure Prediction and Function Determination of Archaeological Pottery by Finite Element Analysis

We present a quantitative model, based on the finite element analysis (FEA) approach, developed for predicting the failure of vessels under almost any possible loading conditions, by taking into account the shape. The vessel is divided into a large number of virtual elements, on which the strains, under any type of loading, are calculated by the parametric solution of a large number of equations. The inputs needed for the analysis are the Young's modulus and the Poisson's ratio of the material as well as the geometric characteristics of the vessel and the loading mode. The efficiency of the FEA approach is evaluated on ceramic pots manufactured for this purpose. The maximum strain experienced by the pots is calculated by FEA, under different loading modes and loads. The actual pots are subjected to mechanical loading and the load at failure was found to be within 10–20% of the calculated value. The model is also applied to archaeological pottery with a view towards predicting its mechanical behaviour.     

A New Approach to Identifying Bone Marrow and Grease Exploitation: Why the “Indeterminate” Fragments should not be Ignored

The economic importance of bone fat to past peoples is discussed and the ethnography of bone marrow and grease extraction is briefly outlined. Models for expected patterns of bone fracture and fragmentation, relating to the exploitation of bone marrow and grease, are described. Current methods for assessing bone fracture and fragmentation, in archaeological assemblages, are discussed and a new methodology is suggested. The importance of retaining and studying the “indeterminate” class of fragments is stressed. The new methodology employs a fracture freshness index (FFI) to study fracture type, and fragmentation is assessed through the separation of fragments into size classes and different bone types. An example application is given.     

Never Judge A Gold Object by Its Surface Analysis: A Study of Surface Phenomena in a Selection of Gold Objects From the Staffordshire Hoard

With the introduction of commercially available handheld XRF analysers, there is a growing problem that the results, simply taken at face value, are regarded as representative of the bulk gold alloys of the objects analysed in museums and used for treasure analysis. It is well known that surface analysis is problematic, and the aim of this study was to test whether non‐destructive surface analysis could be useful in grouping the very large numbers of fragmentary pieces in the Anglo‐Saxon Staffordshire Hoard. Surface and subsurface analyses of 16 objects from the Hoard were carried out by X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis (SEM–EDX). The results indicate that there are significant but inconsistent levels of enrichment of the gold at the surface of many of these objects, due to the loss of both copper and silver. The significant loss of silver (up to 50% relative in some cases) suggests that some form of deliberately induced depletion gilding was carried out during manufacture to remove both silver and copper from the surface. In three cases, an increase in silver at the surface compared to the core metal was detected: this might tentatively be explained by redeposition from contact with silver objects during burial. These results have clear implications for the reliability and interpretation of surface analysis data of gold alloys from this period.     

Analysis of the role of fluids in causing fractures in the Spraberry Trend,Midland Basin

The Spraberry Formation in west‐central Texas is a highly fractured formation with both extension and shear fractures. At least two sets of natural fractures exist in two reservoir intervals. We have considered two possible origins for the fracturing: (i) high fluid pressure plus tectonic stress and (ii) tectonic stress at near‐hydrostatic fluid pressure. Reconstruction of geologic, thermal and hydrodynamic histories suggests that high fluid pressures probably did not occur during the basin’s history. To explore the second hypothesis, we developed and applied a calibrated, discrete‐element model of Spraberry strata to investigate whether weak Laramide compressional forces could cause fractures in the absence of high fluid pressures. Simulation results suggest that a mild compressional episode of geologically short duration may indeed have induced conjugate shear fractures.