THE ‘LORD OF THE STONEMASONS’: PART I. THE ‘SWORD DEITY’ AT PETRA

Abstract

During the 2000 Season of the Brown University excavations of the so-called Great Temple at Petra, an elusive rock-cut figure (termed the ‘Sword Deity’) was discovered in the southern perimeter wall. Since then, the current authors have identified other such figures as belonging to this previously unknown type, which has similarities with the Greek herm. Based on a contextual analysis of these figures, it is proposed that the type may depict a protective deity or ‘lord’ of the Nabataean stonemasons, most likely Dushara. According to this interpretation, the stonemasons sought divine protection during their work by carving the image of the deity high in the rock faces. This paper sheds new light not only on the representation of Nabataean deities, but also on the role of religion in the daily life of the inhabitants of Petra and their relationship with the natural environment.     

AT THE ROOTS OF THE ‘FINLAND BOOM’

Finland enjoys a positive country image in Japan, where, reportedly, enthusiasm for things Finnish reached the state of a ‘boom’ during the 2000s–2010s. What is this positive visibility based on? To shed light on the foundations of Finland’s visibility in Japan, this article tracks Finland’s national imaging there from a historical perspective. Through an empirical study of Finnish diplomatic archives, the article looks beyond nation branding – the latest mode in the official promotion of states to foreign audiences – and opens a window into the past practices of Finland’s official promotion in the distant East Asian case. In the 1960s, the Press Bureau of Finland’s Foreign Ministry drafted an image policy to support Finland’s neutrality and to broaden the country’s interaction with the West. The policy was implemented through Finland’s embassies, and therefore Finland’s newly defined characteristics also became actively promoted in Tokyo. As a result of this intensification of Finnish public diplomacy in the Cold War, many of the modern aspects of Finland’s later nation branding in Japan were introduced. Of the redefined official autostereotype, cultural and commercial dimensions proved the easiest to promote, whereas its foreign political dimension was met with the most local contradiction.     

SUTRA STREAMERS AT THE KANGDESE MOUNTAIN

Apole24metershigh,andadiame-terof300cm.,standsoutatSangxungintheKangdeseMountain.Wrannedtightlywithyakhide,itissupportedbythickropesstretchingindifferentdirections.Hangingfromtheropes,colorfulsutrastreamersflutterinthebreeze.Tibetanpilgrimsaswellasoversea…     

THE ‘LORD OF THE STONEMASONS’: PART II. ‘STANDING FIGURE WITH BETYLS’ AT PETRA

Abstract

This paper presents the second type of representation of the ‘lord’ of the Nabataean stonemasons, a male figure standing with betyls. This type is found in five rock-cut reliefs in Petra, usually high in the walls of quarries or monuments. It is argued that, like the so-called ‘sword deity’ figures presented in Part I, this second type was also carved by the stonemasons as another representation of their tutelary deity, possibly Dushara. Study of these little-known figures reveals new information on the diverse depiction of Nabataean deities, as well as on the religious beliefs of the stonemasons at Petra.     

A FINE BALANCE? GEOGRAPHY AT THE MILLENNIUM

Recognizing that post-modernism (broadly defined) has had a significant impact upon contemporary geographical practice, this essay considers the claims of its proponents and seeks to weigh the implications of the postmodernist impulse for the subject as a whole. On balance, recent engagements with the ideas of a broad spectrum of important philosophers and critical theorists are seen to have broadened, enlivened, and in some respects enhanced human geography. The impress upon physical geography has been much less consequential. Yet many post-modernist claims must be met with circumspection. Embraced tout ensemble, they would seem to blinker understanding, limit practical engagement with the world, and imperil the foundations upon which important geographical work has been (and should continue to be) built. In human as well as physical geography, different scales of inquiry favour (even require) different modes of analysis, and a respectful understanding of different scholarly aims and means is essential if Geography is to remain robust well into the new millen nium. Étant donné que le postmodernisme (au sens large) a beaucoup influé sur les pratiques de la géographie contemporaine, cet essai étudie les affirmations de ses partisans et cherche àévaluer les implications du post-modernisme pour la discipline dans sa totalité. En fin de compte, l'utilisation des idées de toute une gamme de philosophes importants et de théoriciens du post-modernisme peut être perçue comme ayant élargi et à certains égards amélioré la géographie humaine. L'impact du postmodernisme sur la géographie physique a été beaucoup moins important. Et pourtant, on doit envisager avec beaucoup de prudence les prétentions des partisans du postmodernisme. Si l'on accepte toutes ces théories dans leur ensemble, on risque de mettre en cause notre compréhension du monde et de nuire aux fondements mêmes sur lesquels la recherche en géographie a été (et continuera àêtre) construite. En géographie humaine aussi bien qu'en géographie physique, l'échelle des recherches entreprises implique (et même nécessite) l'utilisation de différentes méthodes d'analyse. Une compréhension respectueuse des différents objectifs et méthodes des chercheurs en géographie est essentielle, si nous voulons que la géographie en tant que discipline maintienne sa vigueur au-delà du seuil du nouveau millénaire.     

KHAMPA'S “STANDING BUSINESS MARKET” AT THE TROMSIGKANG MARKET

<正>Abogyalyu,a Khampa Businessman It has been almost thirty years since I first became acquainted with Abogyalyu.That was during a visit to Kunming when I acted as a casual interpreter for him.I was asked to meet him in his luxury hotel room in a booming part of the downtown     

REPRESENTATION IN THE U.S. ARMED FORCES?

On November 8, 1978 several years of activity in the Congress and concern by the Department of Defense culminated in Public Law 95–610 when President Carter signed bill S.274. This law prohibits union organizations of the armed forces, membership in military labor organizations by members of the armed forces, and recognition of military labor organizations by the Government. Severe sanctions can be imposed for violations. Since representation is a broader concept than collective bargaining, P.L. 95–610, even should it survive possible court challenges to its constitutionality, does not settle the basic issues. These issues focus on (1) the changing demography and enlistment rules for the armed forces; (2) the response of the Department of Defense to these changes; and (3) the evolution of the various organizations of present and former military personnel into more union-like activities. This paper addresses the policy implications of the foregoing three factors and suggests approaches compatible with both our military needs and our civilian traditions.     

GLASS TRADE BEADS FROM THE ENGLISH COLONIAL PERIOD IN THE SOUTHEAST,CA. A.D. 1607–1783

Abstract

The study of glass trade beads has contributed much to our chronological understanding of the colonial period in the Eastern Woodlands of North America. Indeed, this class of artifact has allowed archaeologists to identify and conduct research at important archaeological sites that never appeared in the European historical record. In the Southeast, the best chronological resolution established by current bead chronologies relates either to sixteenth- to mid-seventeenthcentury Spanish-traded bead assemblages or eighteenthcentury French-traded bead assemblages. There is a conspicuous gap, however, in glass bead chronologies associated with the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English-Indian trade in the Southeast. In this paper, I address this gap by characterizing a large sample of trade beads (n = 35,309) found in individual mortuary assemblages recovered from a number of Southeastern Indian sites. This is the first time a regional synthesis of this scale has been conducted for the English colonial period in the Southeast. In order to begin to refine the bead chronology of this period, I also present the results of a quantitative seriation (using a technique known as correspondence analysis) of the same mortuary assemblages. While the results of this exploratory technique represent a preliminary stage in this process, they nevertheless identify a number of temporal trends that can be used to derive occupation date estimates for sites spanning the English colonial period in the Southeast (ca. 1607–1783).     

THE HENSBACKA: A SUBSISTENCE STRATEGY OF CONTINENTAL HUNTER-GATHERERS,OR AN ADAPTATION AT THE PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE BOUNDARY?

Summary. In this paper, three aspects of the Hensbacka/Fosna assemblage are discussed. Although significant features of the inventory have been touched upon, emphasis is placed on two issues: firstly, the environmental premise of the assemblage and, secondly, the origin(s) of the group(s) behind the assemblage. In this regard, it is suggested that the Hensbacka/Fosna assemblage is an 'expression' that reflects subsistence strategies of Continental hunter/gatherers at the close of the Late Glacial. In support of this proposition, a discussion has been initiated that addresses the diagnostic features of tanged points and the rationality of human behaviour.     

6. WHAT'S IN A CONCEPT? THE KINETIC EMPIRE OF THE COMANCHES

This essay revisits the main themes and arguments put forward in The Comanche Empire: indigenous agency; spatial reorientation in the writing of colonial histories; the composition of the Comanche empire and its impact on the history of North America. It also responds to a number of specific issues raised by the roundtable participants: differences and similarities between indigenous and Euro‐colonial power regimes; balancing of culture‐specific frameworks with broad‐gauge political economic analysis; linkages between indigenous agency and indigenous sovereignty in colonial encounters; the question of periodization in writing Native American and colonial histories. Finally, the essay points to new ways of understanding, conceptualizing, and comparing nonterritorial nomadic empires by introducing the concept of “kinetic empire,” which refers to a flexible imperial organization that revolves around a set of mobile activities and relies on selective nodal control of key resources.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EGYPT AND PALESTINE IN THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE （CA.2000-1550／1500 BCE.）

The relationship between Egypt and Palestine during the Bronze Age has been discussed since the 1940s. For the period of the Middle Bronze Age, the problem is both chronological and interpretative. The end of the Middle Bronze Age is fixed by the initial military activities of Dynasty 18 in Palestine around the end of the 16th century BCE. But the dates for the beginning of this period and the transition from one archaeological phase to another are still debated. Lacking a generally accepted solution, the chronology adopted here is that of Dever --- the transition from MB Ⅰ to MB Ⅱ occurred around 1800 BCE,     

‘THE BEAUTY OF A SICK ROOM’: FAMILY CARE FOR THE DYING IN THE ENGLISH UPPER AND MIDDLE CLASS HOME c. 1840–c. 1890

Abstract

With the standard of care provided by hospitals and nursing homes to those nearing the end of their lives in Britain the subject of much concern and when increasing numbers of people would like to die at home, it is a timely moment to consider end of life care in the 19th century, when death at home was the norm and families had a leading role in providing care. This was also a period of change that laid the foundations for the 20th century model of hospital-centred palliative care. The article examines the experiences of middle and upper class carers, the objectives of care, including the importance of spiritual care, and the practicalities of providing care in the home. It also considers the support available to through informal networks of extended family, friends and neighbours and suggests aspects of care that may still have relevance to palliative care practice today.