Scurvy‐related Morbidity and Death among Christopher Columbus' Crew at La Isabela,the First European Town in the New World (1494–1498): An Assessment of the Skeletal and Historical Information

This article explores the living conditions and specifically the possible etiologies of subperiosteal reactions among those seafarers who did not survive Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the Americas and died at La Isabela, the first permanent European settlement in the New World, which is located in the present‐day Dominican Republic. The town was founded in 1494 by Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) and occupied for only 4 years. This study analyses the macroscopic and histological evidence of the skeletal series excavated from this contact cemetery, which is presently curated at the Museo del Hombre Dominicano. Twenty of the 27 systematically scored individuals reveal subperiosteal bone accretions, and in at least 15 individuals, these accretions appear bilaterally. The morphology, distribution and healing stages of the majority of these lesions provide new, direct evidence suggesting severe adult scurvy, a condition caused by sustained vitamin C deprivation, which was common among seafarers before the 18th century. The historical context surrounding the individuals' death at the European contact settlement and the conditions and duration of Christopher Columbus' second transatlantic voyage to the New World represent key elements in the interpretation of these lesions. In this case, the evidence also corroborates the known failure of Columbus' crew to exploit the locally available foods rich in vitamin C. Scurvy probably contributed significantly to the outbreak of sickness and collective death within the first months of La Isabela's settlement, an aspect that inflects the current discussion about the degree of virulence of New World infections that decimated the European newcomers, who we conclude to have been already debilitated and exhausted by scurvy and general malnutrition. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Copper people” of the bronze age: The reconstruction of their health and social status

“After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth” Dan. 2: 39 The Metal Age opened up new prospects for mankind and led to the emergence of a new category of professionals – miners, founders, smiths. With relation to the Bronze Age, these may be called “copper people.” The article explores new methods that can be used to identify their skeletal remains in museum collections. Based on biological data, certain aspects of the lifestyle of a male (presumably a smith) buried in an Abashevo collective grave at Pepkino, the Republic of Mari-El, Volga Federal District, and of other individuals buried in the same grave are reconstructed. Morphological, paleopathological, radiographic, and computer tomography examination of skeletal remains, as well as the results of histological, atomic absorption, and isotopic analyses of bone tissue provide information concerning diet, physiological stress, beginning of professional specialization, and the effects of heavy physical stress on their health status.     

Memory as Archaeology: An Experience of Public Archaeology in the Atacama Desert

Conducting archaeological projects in areas inhabited by Indigenous Communities who dislike both excavations and archaeologists leads to an ethical conundrum, one requiring a reconsideration of the research methodologies utilized in these settings, and a turn toward Public Archaeology as a means to find alternative pathways. This article describes a research project conducted in the Indigenous Atacameño Community of Peine, in the Atacama Desert, Chile, where, through a principal methodology of Participatory Action Research, it became possible to explore the past of this community in ways that were both meaningful and valid for its members. The results drawn from this experience differ markedly from traditional archaeological approaches (i.e. excavations, analysis of material culture), both in terms of the nature of the knowledge recovered and the temporal depth achieved. In this particular instance, collective remembrance and embodied memory featured prominently in accounting for the past of Peine.     

社区参与生态旅游的内在动因分析——以滇西北哈木谷社区为例

社区居民作为生态旅游开发中的相关利益群体之一,他们参与生态旅游开发、经营的内在动因直接影响到生态旅游开发的质量和生态旅游社区的持续发展。本文作者通过在滇西北哈木谷社区的实地调查,研究社区居民参与生态旅游发展的需求,进而分析社区参与生态旅游的内在动因,以期为生态旅游社区的发展规划提供决策上的参考。     

南朝“贡瓷”考——兼论早期“官窑”问题

"贡瓷"及与其相关的"官窑"制度是中国古代瓷业生产中的重要学术问题。文物考古界一般认为,中国的"贡瓷"制度开始于唐代,烧制优质"贡瓷"的"官窑"制度则始于晚唐或宋代。然而,近年来在湖南湘阴窑和南京发现的"太官"、"供奉"、"上府"铭瓷器标本证实,"贡瓷"制度最迟开始于南北朝时期。湘阴窑址出土的刻有多种瓷业工人姓氏及"官"款的窑具资料可能还把中国烧制"贡瓷"的"官窑"制度开始的时间提前到南朝或隋代。     

Pottery Use-Alteration as an Indicator of Socioeconomic Status: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of the Gamo of Ethiopia

The use of a pottery vessel leaves markers on the ceramic wall that can inform archaeologists how the vessel functioned in the past. At present, archaeologists have little information for understanding how use-alteration reflects the complex nature of ceramic function and socioeconomic status. I conducted a 2-year ethnoarchaeological research project among the Gamo people of southwestern Ethiopia, who continue to produce and use pottery on a daily basis. This research indicates that interior surface attrition occurs primarily on pottery vessels used in wealthy households because of fermentation processes from high-status foods. Thus, the Gamo example suggests that there is a relationship between ceramic use-alteration and household socioeconomic status.     

Domestic Spaces as Public Places: An Ethnoarchaeological Case Study of Houses, Gender, and Politics in the Ecuadorian Amazon

In an ethnoarchaeological case study, we take a gendered perspective on the house as a locus of political life in Conambo, a village of about 200 Achuar- and Quichua-speaking peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In this small-scale society, women and men engage actively in political practice in independent yet complementary ways, and the domestic context is a place where political life is conducted on a daily basis. In this article, the house is examined as a politicized context at three scales of materiality: the organization of settlement in the community, the spatial relationships in the house, and the scale of painted designs on pottery bowls used in the house. At each scale, we identify material correlates of women's and men's participation. Our goal is to bring attention to potential archaeological correlates of women's political involvement in past societies, to question assumptions about women's political lives and domestic spaces, and to expand the ways in which anthropological archaeology may contribute to understanding cross-cultural variation in women's and men's domains of power.     

国内女性游客旅游消费行为实证研究 --以重庆旅游目的地为例

随着女性在社会生活中的地位越来越高,女性出游人数逐年上升,本文作者通过实地调查来渝的国内女性游客,尝试对女性旅游者的消费特点做出分析。本文对女性旅游者的人口学特征(年龄、职业、月收入、文化程度)和行为特征(旅游目的、信息来源、旅游方式)进行分析,从而得出女性旅游者出游行为的一般规律,并在此基础上从旅游产品开发、服务设施完善及促销方面探讨了女性旅游市场的开发对策。     

新中国成立初期渔业社会变迁的考察——以浙江省洞头列岛为例

新中国成立初期,浙江省洞头列岛一直处于人民解放军与国民党军对抗的最前沿。其间,为争夺对洞头列岛的控制权,两军进行了多次战斗。在这一战乱频仍、政权更迭的特定背景下,洞头列岛渔业社会深受影响,渔业的生产环境、渔业生产方式、渔产品购销方式和渔民思想观念等都发生了重要变化,从而使得整个渔业社会发生了历史性的变迁。     

历史语境、史学语境与史料的解读——以弗吉尼亚州批准美国宪法大会中一条材料的解读为例

"语境主义"意识对于历史研究具有重要的意义。历史学家在解读具体的史料时,只有清楚而准确地把握史料产生的"历史语境",以及由相关研究构成的"史学语境",才有可能探明史料的"原意",进而恰当地运用史料。     

20世纪上半叶东北天主教史的考察——以黑龙江省海伦县海北镇为例

海伦县海北镇自建镇之初至20世纪30年代一直是天主教教会管理的自治村镇,东北沦陷之后逐渐丧失了自治权,教会利益也受到威胁。在这种情况下,海北镇天主教教会秉承罗马教廷的旨意,采取与日本殖民主义者合作的政策。虽然教会得以存续下去,但却沦为了伪满当局的统治工具。     

一部评述十一届三中全会的信史——简评朱佳木新作《我所知道的十一届三中全会》

在纪念中共十一届三中全会召开30周年的日子里,读到朱佳木的专著《我所知道的十一届三中全会》,获益良多。笔者以为,这是一部叙述和评价中共十一届三中全会的信史,是林林总总同一题材著作中的上乘之作。这本书最显著的特点是回忆与研究的结合,这是作者独具而别人难以企及的优长之处。中