The settlement of Iceland

The aim of the project is to ascertain whether, in connection with the exploitation of natural resources, any special ties existed between the boat grave people of Vendel in northern Uppland, Sweden, and the Anglo‐Saxons in Sutton Hoo in East Anglia, England, during the pre‐Viking period. The existence of cultural ties between these areas has been assumed in earlier research. The scientific methods used in palaeoenvironmental mapping of the study areas include detailed stratigraphical examination of both biogenic and minerogenic sediments in the basin of Lake Vendelsjön and in the valley of the river Deben. Different types of scientific analyses are applied in order to reconstruct the geological background and the environmental, vegetational and settlement histories of the two areas.     

小河沿文化聚落形态

一、居址 小河沿文化发掘的居址数量较少,居址中有房址、窖穴和灰坑.在敖汉旗南台地遗址①发现了4座房址,为圆形或椭圆形半地穴式建筑,有单室和双室之分.F4为平面近圆形,在居住面东部上有一道隔墙,房屋形成东西两间,西室东西长3.1米,南北宽2.7米,面积约7平方米.     

The fractal geometry of ancient Maya settlement

Ancient Maya settlement patterns exhibit fractal geometry both within communities and across regions. Fractals are self-similar sets of fractional dimension. In this paper, we show how Maya settlement patterns are logically and statistically self-similar. We demonstrate how to measure the fractal dimensions (or Hausdorff–Besicovitch dimensions) of several data sets. We describe nonlinear dynamical processes, such as chaotic and self-organized critical systems, that generate fractal patterns. As an illustration, we show that the fractal dimensions calculated for some Maya settlement patterns are similar to those produced by warfare, supporting recent claims that warfare is a significant factor in Maya settlement patterning.     

The Ecology of Command: U.S. Pacific Command and the Environment of the Pacific Rim

Abstract

Environmental ethicists speak fervently about the impact of human activity on the sustainability and survivability of Earth's community. But often these discussions fail to acknowledge one human activity more powerful and with the potential for greater destruction than any other— the United States military and its "empire of bases" encircling the globe. Military operations, both peacetime missions and contingency operations, and military installations stamp a large footprint on the earth's environment. From the atmospheric nuclear tests in the Bikini Atoll to the removal of the coral reef at Diego Garcia, the environment of the Pacific Rim has been shaped by the demands of U.S. national security. This paper examines the environmental footprint of U.S. Pacific Command. Secondly, it suggests that the exigencies of U.S. military presence need to be included in discussions of environmental ethics.     

Views on the development of settlement

Masonry buildings are subjected to much more strenuous conditions in the harsh Nordic climate than in milder environments. For this reason, in the past the climate‐dictated limitations of and prerequisites for the use of mortar as a binding medium demanded some knowledge of the materials employed in masonry buildings. Consequently, our understanding of the technical quality and physical chemical properties of mortars can provide valuable information about the technical level of work in the building and rebuilding phases of old masonry structures.