Archaeological Heritage Management and Site Inventory Systems in Africa

Abstract

Archaeological Heritage Management in West Africa is hampered by lack of adequately trained personnel, lack of funds, and lack of appropriate equipment such as computers. It is suggested that organizations such as the World Bank should consider supporting training programs for Third World archaeologists, with internships at U.S. universities with appropriate expertise, and in areas where the World Bank has development projects, providing equipment which would be most efficient for archaeological survey and testing. Most particularly needed are intensive surveys in all African countries; one cannot “manage” if one does not know what the resource base contains.     

A still worm from excavations at Carrick Castle,Argyll

Abstract

During 1993 excavations at Carrick Castle, Argyll, a rare item of distilling equipment was unearthed. Possibly dating to the 17th century, the copper alloy condenser or ‘worm’ is unique in design. Pollen analysis of an associated soil sample supports a use in the production of grain spirits. The technology of manufacture and historical context of the worm are examined in depth.     

Capturing the geography of children’s active and sedentary behaviours at home: the HomeSPACE measurement tool

ABSTRACT

Children spend much of their time at home, indoors and sedentary. This study reports on the development, exploratory factor analysis, validity and reliability of the HomeSPACE Instrument. The instrument assesses features of the home physical environment that influence children’s sedentary behaviour and physical activity, and the family influences that create this environment. The space and equipment audit achieved good to excellent criterion validity and test-retest reliability for equipment, outdoor features and home design measures (Study 1, n?=?36 parents). Family influence scales showed acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Study 2, n?=?96 parents). Factor analysis highlighted fifteen scales to assess the importance, preferences and supportiveness of the home environment for activity. The HomeSPACE Instrument extends previous tools to provide a valid and reliable assessment of home influences on children’s sedentary behaviour and physical activity, that is adaptable for varying home physical environments.     

Interdisciplinary Research and the American University

Abstract

The rise and fall of physical theories may have common features with the appearances and the disappearances of fashion, their political and economic roots. The history and philosophy of scientific methodology form the background to the consideration of big physics, accelerator research, and of small physics carried out with electronic equipment. The first is fashionable, the second not yet. It is concluded that science is a perpetual race, enjoyable for scientists to run.     

The Selby Project Britain's Greatest Coal Mine

Abstract

In the 260 square kilometres between York and Selby, under the rich agricultural land of the Plain of York, the British National Coal Board is creating one of tbe world's greatest single deep mining undertakings. Designed to produce 10 million tonnes of coal a year at very high efficiency, the scheme is well advanced to reach full production in 1987. In addition to utilizing all the latest mining technology, the design, which handles all the output at one disposal point, has involved the development of much greater capacity coal-handling techniques and equipment than that previously used in the deep coal mining industry.     

Some Aspects of Byzantine Military Technology from the Sixth to the Tenth Centuries

Abstract

Byzantine military technology remains to be examined thoroughly, despite its importance in demonstrating the Byzantines' ability to absorb ideas and practices from areas outside the Empire as well as developing their own traditions. This article examines arms and armour from the mid-sixth century to the end of the tenth century and puts the military panoply into a wider context, that of the development of offensive and defensive military equipment in Europe and the lands to the north and east of the Empire. Finally, it examines the relationship between military affairs and the economic and political situation of the Empire and attempts to account for the use of particular weapons and methods of equipping the soldiers at particular times.     

Industrial Archaeology in New Zealand

Abstract

Notwithstanding its isolation and very small population New Zealand has a remarkably interesting legacy of industrial archaeology. Early industries were stimulated by a rugged colonial self-reliance and in spite of the temporary nature of many structures there is a reasonable measure of visual evidence remaining. Fanning and gold-mining generated other industries, in particular the manufacture of agricultural equipment and mining machinery. In addition to shipbuilding, refrigeration of meat and dairy produce, timber milling, flaxmilling and coalmining there were many service industries leaving industrial monuments and relics. Unlike Britain there is only a very small number of people committed to the study, recording and preservation of industrial archaeology.     

Hindcasting the Japanese Military Base on Midway Atoll (Central Pacific)

Abstract

The Battle of Midway (4–7 June 1942) was the turning point of World War II in the Pacific. Not only did the battle cost the Japanese Navy four of its fleet carriers, it also thwarted Japanese hopes of establishing a seaplane base there. Midway, in conjunction with another in the Aleutians, was to be the anchor of Japan’s eastern defence perimeter. Drawing on an analysis of the Japanese military base on Kiska (Aleutians) this paper reconstructs what equipment the Japanese had destined to be placed on Midway. A comparison with the well-documented Japanese bases on Micronesian atolls allows us to hindcast the appearance of a base that never was.     

The Industrial Heritage in Japan

Abstract

Although Japan had begun to learn Western technology from the mid-sixteenth century, it was immediately before the Meiji Restoration in 1868 that the imminent necessity of industrialization was realized by a few farsighted leaders of some feudal clans. Thereafter, her industrialization made rapid progress down to the time of World War II, when much industrial equipment was lost in the massive air-raids.

The loss of her pre-war plants was further aggravated by the extensive renewal of old-fashioned buildings and machines, carried out during the period of her economic growth in the 1960s. This paper attemps to describe how the surviving industrial monuments from several representative sections of industry are preserved either on site or in museums, and how their study has recently been taken up in Japan.     

The Mechanical Farm of 2030

Abstract

After introducing influences which will affect mechanization of agriculture over the next 50 years, the review deals separately with three aspects of equipment on farms. These are machinery for arable farming, equipment used in livestock husbandry, and the hardware and software likely to assist farm management. The bulk of crop production is predicted to be carried out by a system of field gantries which will replace today's tractor and implements. The gantries will be fitted with automatic guidance but will still carry an operator who will be provided with extensive monitoring instrumentation. Second, monitoring of livestock growth or yield will be computer based. Health and breeding will also be automatically monitored and controlled, and farm staff will be aided by a robot, whose functions will include remote viewing and sensing, routine animal and feed handling operations, and assistance with animal herding. Computers will be used extensively in farm management with on-farm machines linked permanently to national information data banks, to suppliers and organizations who purchase from the farm and to consultant organizations. Computers will also be used for planning decisions based on operational research predictive methods and particularly for daily work planning.     

Electricity Supply in Shropshire before Nationalisation

Abstract

Although there have been histories written of the electricity supply industry in the past, it is only very recently that any archaeological approaches have been made to buildings and equipment in the field. To this end, Shropshire was taken as an example and all the known generating station sites visited. The study of old photographs and documents supplemented the information gained on-site and also revealed the existence of a previously un-noticed station at Clun and confirmed that of a hydro-electric station at Ludlow. A number of historic subsidiary transformer stations were also discovered and items such as early overhead line towers, feeder pillars, pavement link boxes and electric street lights examined in order to try to give a complete picture of the physical side of the electricity supply industry before Nationalisation in 1948.     

Innovations,food storage and the origins of agriculture

Abstract

The global phenomenon of the birth of agriculture remains an enigma and challenges the role of food storage. Much has been written about their invention. A general explanation is needed for its progression in various parts of the world, which is both sociologically based and founded on the archaeological data. This task led Alain Testart to claim that it was by developing their existing skill sets (foraging, pottery, food storage and small-scale agriculture) that nomadic hunter-gatherers, burdened by an increasingly diverse set of tools and equipment, became sedentary. This sedentarism in turn allowed them to specialise in those activities, which had (literally) weighed them down: notably, breeding the first plant cultivars and, often, storing food.     

Mesoamerican Obsidian Blades: an Experimental Approach to Function

Abstract

The experimental replication and utilization of a sample of 165 obsidian blades is discussed in terms of research design. methodology, and results. Use-wear observed on the blades provides the basis for 1) the identification of wear-pattern “signatures” corresponding to particular modes of use and contact materials, 2) the evaluation of general propositions concerning edge damage on utilized tools, and 3) the determination of the probable function of a sample of prismatic obsidian blades recovered from Patarata 52, a Classic Period residential site located in an estuarine zone of coastal Veracruz, Mexico.

Two levels of functional analysis are discussed: the low-intensity or in-the field study, and the high-intensity analysis, which involves tool replication and use. high-power microscopy , and statistical manipulation with computers. Both approaches are advocated: the choice of one method over the other must be made on the basis of availability of time. money, special skills, and equipment.     

Household and community behavior at Bronze Age Politiko-Troullia,Cyprus

Abstract

We investigate intrasite patterns of artifacts and floral and faunal data to interpret household and community behavior at the Middle Cypriot (Bronze Age) village of Politiko-Troullia in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains, Cyprus. Floral evidence indicates cultivation of orchard crops (e.g., olive and grape), as well as the persistence of woodlands that provided wood for fuel. Animal management combined herding of domesticated sheep, goat, pig, and cattle with the hunting of Mesopotamian fallow deer. Metallurgical evidence points to the production of utilitarian copper tools in household workshops. Group activities are reflected by the deposition of anthropomorphic figurines, spinning and weaving equipment, and deer bones in an open courtyard setting. In sum, Politiko-Troullia exemplifies a diversified agrarian economy on a distinctly anthropogenic landscape that fostered the development of household and supra-household social differentiation in pre-urban Bronze Age Cyprus.     

Verifying the Reliability of Lithic Use-Wear Assessments by ‘Blind Tests’: the Low-Power Approach

Abstract

Several freshly knapped pieces of fine-grained basalt were utilized by an experimenter for a large variety of tasks. The tools were then submitted to an analyst, who was ignorant of the uses to which each of the objects had been put. Employing low-power microscopic techniques, he was able to identify with reasonable accuracy the used part(s) of the implements, the prehended part(s), the activities in which the pieces had been engaged, and the relative resistance of the materials worked. It is argued that low-power micro-wear techniques have several advantages, among which are ease and speed of analysis and availability of equipment. The methods selected for any use-wear analysis of stone tools, however, must be adapted to the particular situation and the questions to be asked of the data.     

Three-dimensional recording by laser scanning of the petroglyphs at Rombald's Moor,West Yorkshire

Abstract

A variety of methods have been used to depict and document petroglyphs, from hand sketching to close-range photogrammetry. Most methods, however, record only a two-dimensional image, whereas petroglyphs are by their nature three-dimensional. Additionally, most methods suffer from inaccuracies resulting from the skill and subjectivity of the recorder or distortions imposed by the equipment and conditions under which the panel was viewed. Conventional three-dimensional recording techniques such as the use of traditional moulding and casting materials, may damage the petroglyph itself. An assessment of the various shortcomings of established rock art recording methods resulted in the field-testing of laser scanning with the objective of obtaining a quantitative, three-dimensional record of petroglyph panels and the creation of non-contact replicas. This paper presents the principles behind laser scanning and an account of field trial results of laser scanning rock art in situ at Rombald's Moor, West Yorkshire, England. The work presented was undertaken as part of the Rock Art Pilot Project commissioned by English Heritage in July 1999.     

A Qualitative Approach for Assessment of the Burial Environment by Interpreting Soil Characteristics; A Necessity for Archaeological Monitoring

Abstract

Modern-day archaeological monitoring is often hampered by lack of money, lack of time, inadequate measuring equipment, and lack of insight in the conservation potential of a site.

Although in modern archaeological excavations soil characteristics are noted (colour, texture, groundwater level, and sometimes mineralogy), these characteristics are mainly used for the interpretation of a site. However, by looking to these characteristics from a conservational view eventually combined with the conservation status of the archaeological objects, much can be learned about the burial environment. This is essential for optimizing archaeological monitoring.

Degradation processes result from the change of reactive phases in the soil or the site. Reactive phases are soil components such as organic matter, sulfides, iron(hydr)oxides and carbonates (chalk, shells), and, if present, components in the ground or interstitial water such as hydrogen ions and sulphate. The presence of these phases can easily be established by the archaeologist or soil scientist in the field. We propose a simple field-based method for assessing degradation processes essential for in situ preservation and monitoring.     

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting for the Palestine Exploration Fund, 9 June 2016

Abstract

Palestine's archaeological heritage is facing a serious crisis due to the prevalence of illicit digging. Antiquities looting is a widespread and flourishing phenomenon throughout the Palestinian National Territories (PNT) and has resulted in a large number of primary and secondary archaeological sites and features being damaged, disfigured, or completely destroyed, and in the extraction of at least hundreds of thousands of heritage items. The main aim of this research project is to explore the physical hazards encountered by the Palestinian antiquities looters. To this end I interviewed 53 antiquities looters residing in 41 different villages in the West Bank. The physical hazards which they encountered are classified by type as follows: cave-ins; the use of equipment, including heavy machinery (back-hoes, front-end loaders, bulldozers, etc.), other power implements, and traditional excavation tools; falling stones or tools; contact with insects, snakes, scorpions, and spiders; work during inclement weather; and attack by the jinn.     

The Spanish telephone sector (1876-1924): A case of technological backwardness

This article explains the often neglected history of the Spanish telephone sector. Its main purpose is to examine the factors that determined the technological choices that were made in this sector, and to describe and analyze the growth of telephone networks in Spain and the rest of Europe between 1876 and 1924, a period marked by the internationalization of technology. It concludes that a complex range of factors, varying in their specific importance over the period, determined the pattern of technological diffusion in this sector. In the period dominated by Bell's patents, the sector was characterized by a high degree of technological homogeneity. However, once the licenses on these patents expired, a greater variety of technological devices were adopted in the sector, although this variety was limited by the control that the larger firms wielded over the market and policies of international cooperation. Spain, unable to keep pace with technological developments elsewhere in Europe, failed to establish its own national industry of telephone materials and equipment.