A botanical survey of Scotland

Gauged river runoff records extend only over limited timespans, mostly commencing post‐1940. Historical sources can provide additional material to assist in extending the hydrological record into the nineteenth century and earlier. Such sources vary, however, in the nature of the detail, in their reliability and in their potential use in hydrological reconstruction. This paper outlines the main categories of sources available, subdivided into those which have been authenticated and those of variable reliability.     

A Ceramic Assemblage from the Seabed near Kinlochbervie, Scotland, UK

An assemblage of pottery and bricks recovered during two seasons of diving has been sorted by fabric and vessel type, quantified and analysed. A substantial quantity of Italian maiolica, including examples in the grotesque style, and others from Montelupo and other Italian manufactories, has been considered from an art historical perspective, while a range of more utilitarian earthenwares, including olive jars and micaceous redwares, are also present. The chronology of this assemblage is discussed, together with the functions of particular types and an interpretation of the origin of the ship on which they were carried.
© 2004 The Nautical Archaeology Society     

A first prehistoric case of tuberculosis from Britain

A likely case of tuberculosis in an Iron Age human burial from Dorset, England is described. Osteological examination and biomolecular study support the diagnosis. A radiocarbon determination indicates a date range for the burial of BC 400–230. This case represents the earliest reported case of tuberculosis from Britain, and indicates that the disease was present here prior to the Roman invasion. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The geology of Scotland: A review

The hypothesis of the study is that external influences play a more dominant role than internal factors in influencing village population growth. Furthermore, the importance of any given index associated with village population growth may oscillate through given time periods. Factors selected are size of place, occupational grouping, urban influence and regional location. Their association with the population changes of Ontario villages are examined for three time periods, 1941–1951, 1951–1961, 1961–1966. The analysis indicates that external factors, regional location, and urban influences are most important.     

Later Prehistory in South-East Scotland: A Critical Review

This paper reviews the progress of research over the past twenty years, with particular reference to enclosed and unenclosed settlement, agricultural patterns, domestic structural types and burial practices of the Iron Age in the south-eastern Borders. The concept of a 'trend towards enclosure' in the first millennium BC is reviewed and rejected, not least on the grounds of evidence from excavation for the dating sequences of major enclosed sites. In consequence a new overview of the later prehistoric settlement of the region is now possible, consistent with the accumulating archaeological and environmental data.     

A Mediaeval Case of Lepromatous Leprosy from 13–14th Century Orkney, Scotland

Erosion in the 1960s resulted in exposure of human skeletal remains from a Norse Christian cemetery at Newark Bay, Orkney, Scotland. One set of remains showed osteological evidence of advanced lepromatous leprosy, but the absence of bones from the lower limbs precluded definitive diagnosis. The aim of the present study was to determine whether Mycobacterium leprae could be detected in bone extracts, as a means of confirming the diagnosis of leprosy. Bone samples were examined from the suspected leprosy case and from a second contemporary burial thought to be free of disease. DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific for a repetitive element (RLEP) characteristic of M. leprae. Additional PCR tests specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and for amelogenin (a human gene suitable for sex determination) were also applied to the samples. M. leprae DNA was detected only in the skull sample from the suspected leprosy case. The DNA sequence was identical to that found in present day isolates of M. leprae. Positive results were obtained only using a PCR reaction designed to amplify relatively short stretches of DNA (<175 bp), suggesting the microbial DNA had undergone extensive fragmentation. There was no evidence of M. tuberculosis DNA in bones from the leprosy suspect or control individual. The ability to recover ancient samples of DNA provides an opportunity to study long-term evolutionary changes that may affect the epidemiology of microbial pathogens.     

行走苏格兰

爱丁堡 从英国南部乘火车北上苏格兰,第一站自然是苏格兰的首府爱丁堡.世界上奇特的城市很多,但爱丁堡绝对是一个与众不同的城市,一个会让你过目不忘的城市.在苏格兰的历史上,爱丁堡就像一面旗帜,这面旗帜上留有无数的历史印迹,上面写满了光荣与梦想,也留下了悲伤与惆怅.在苏格兰和英格兰几百年的历史纷争中,爱丁堡就像一个勇敢的古代骑士,坚守着传统的苏格兰精神. 爱丁堡的城市分为旧城区和新城区.旧城区大部分的建筑都是建在山坡上,从著名的王子大街走向爱丁堡城堡恍如置身于中世纪.而要俯视整个老城则要到新城的卡尔顿山山顶.