Stable isotope insights (δ18O, δ13C) into cattle and sheep husbandry at Bercy (Paris,France, 4th millennium BC): birth seasonality and winter leaf foddering

Abstract

Bercy is a prehistoric village sited by the Seine river (Paris, France), whose main period of occupation was dated to the very beginning of the 4th millennium BC. The animal subsistence economy relied heavily on cattle husbandry, complemented by other species including sheep. Cattle and sheep isotopic history (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O) was investigated at the seasonal scale, through sequential sampling in tooth enamel, providing new insights into seasonality of birth and diet. Sheep were lambing in mid-spring, only slightly later than expected from what is observed nowadays in temperate Europe at similar latitude. Cattle were born over a period spanning approximately six months, which was an unexpected result compared with a two to three months calving period in free-ranging cattle populations. The extension of the calving period might have been related to seasonal food supplementation. Some cattle and some sheep fed on a ¹³C-depleted resource in winter, potentially leafy fodder. A direct consequence of an extended calving period would be the availability of cow milk, which would have covered the whole year at Bercy. This is important information in a context where the exploitation of cattle milk by the human community was highly suspected from the demographic management of the herd.     

Excavations at Houndhill,near Barnsley,Yorkshire

Abstract

A ‘cottage’ weaving industry was established at Houndhill, family seat of the Elmhirsts in Worsbrough, near Barnsley, during the mid-16th century. It ceased early in the 17th century but excavation has shown it was revived under new ownership in the late 18th century. During the 19th century the mill became a general farm store and was totally demolished in the 1930s to permit a garden extension. The excavation was planned to retain any remaining features for conservation as part of the historical interest of the residence.¹     

On the Fourteenth Amendment: A Textual Analysis

Abstract

The most significant and lasting results of the Civil War were the 13^th Amendment, abolishing slavery in the US, and the 14^th Amendment, protecting certain privileges, immunities, and rights of citizens and persons in the US. The meaning of the 123^th amendment has been, for the most part clear and uncontroversial. The same cannot be said for the 14^th Amendment. The language of the 14^th is much more complex than that of the 13^th and the interpretation of the meaning of the Amendment has been very controversial since the very first Supreme Court cast attempting to construe it. My article attempts to show that despite that history of controversy and uncertainty of meaning the 14^th amendment is a model of clear constitutional draftsmanship and translucence of meaning.     

Assessing Prehispanic Herding Strategies through Stable Isotope Analysis: A Case Study from the Dry Puna of Argentina

ABSTRACT

The main goal of this work is to study the camelid herding and management strategies employed by the human groups that occupied the Dry Puna of Argentina during the late Holocene. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope compositions were measured on bone collagen from domesticated South American camelids (llamas: Lama glama) recovered at two archaeological sites (Huirunpure and Chayal Cave). These results were interpreted using an already published data set of δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N values measured on bone collagen from modern herds of llamas managed in a traditional way. Our results showed that even though the archaeological sites of Huirunpure and Chayal Cave are located within different settings – at 4020 and 3700?masl respectively – and present different chronologies – 0–650 and 1300–1500 CE respectively – the llamas from both sites exhibit similar δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N values. This pattern was explained considering the characteristics of the vegetation communities that grow in the vicinity of both sites as well as the paleoenvironmental records of the Andean highlands. In sum, this work presents and discusses some preliminary results on the study of prehispanic herding practices in the Dry Puna of Argentina during the first 1500 years of the Common Era through stable isotope analysis.     

The Excavations at Tel 'Eton (2006–2009): A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Tel 'Eton, commonly identified with biblical 'Eglon, is a large site in the trough valley in the southeastern Shephelah. Since the summer of 2006, Bar-Ilan University has been carrying out a large-scale exploration project at the site and its surroundings. The excavations were preceded by a detailed mapping of the site, which was subsequently divided into 39 sub-units. This was followed by survey and shovel tests in each of those units, and by full-scale excavations in four excavation areas. It appears that the site was first settled in the Early Bronze Age, and again in the Middle Bronze Age to the late Iron Age (8^th century BCE). Following a settlement gap in the 7^th–5^th centuries BCE, the site was resettled for a short period in the late Persian or early Hellenistic period. Among the major finds is a thick Assyrian destruction layer (8^th century BCE), which sealed many houses with their content, including many pottery vessels, metal artifacts, and botanical material (some still within the vessels), and many additional finds. The present article summarizes the results of the explorations of the site in 2006–2009.     

Widows,ownership and political culture: Sweden 1650-1800

In this paper we will analyse and discuss the widow's political participation during the second half of the early modern period. We focus on political elections and what possibilities that laid open for peasant and burgher widows to exert their influence at the elections.¹ [Formula: See Text] We would like to thank Hanne Marie Johansen and others that participated in the workshop Enkefolk i skandinavisk historie …, Bergen in October 2003 and colleagues in the Department of Historical Studies, Umeå for valuable comments on earlier versions of this paper.     

Books Received

Abstract

YEARS FROM NOW, historians seeking a barometer of the decline in popular support for the Iraq War need only read Bob Woodward's trilogy on the George W. Bush administration's foreign policy. The first volume, Bush at War, which exanfines the planning for the war in Afghanistan in 200l, borders at times on the hagiographical.¹ The sequel, Plan of Attack, which examines the military and diplomatic approach to war in Iraq in 2oo3, is more reserved. Bush himself receives even-handed treatment, but many of his subordinates, in particular the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and the civilian leadership in the Pentagon, are severely criticized. Woodward's disillusionment is complete by the summer of 2oo6, when he published the dfird and final volume, State of Denial, which details the failures of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, and shows no sign of the patriotism that coloured the earlier work. Bush at War, written with the smoke from 9/11 wafting in the airs could praise because it does not focus on Iraq: few objected to the means used and the ends pursued in Afghanistan. But Plan of Attack and State of Denial seek to explain a manifestly unpopular war.¹     

Diversity in foddering strategy and herd management in late Bronze Age Britain: An isotopic investigation of pigs and other fauna from two midden sites

Abstract

Middens of the southern British late Bronze and Iron Age are vast accumulations of cultural debris that can be explained as refuse dumps linked with large periodic feasting events. A distinctive feature of these sites is that their faunal assemblages invariably comprise a considerably higher proportion of pig remains than contemporaneous settlement sites. This paper presents results from a programme of stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope analysis of fauna from two major midden sites, Llanmaes in South Wales and Potterne in Wiltshire. The research aim is to reconstruct husbandry strategies and foddering regimes, particularly concerning pigs, to better understand how the challenges of raising large herds were met. Analysis produced exceptionally wide-ranging results for pigs and other domesticates at both sites, particularly in terms of δ¹⁵N values, demonstrating that diverse foddering strategies were employed. Diversity in the late Bronze Age pig foddering regimes indicates that the Neolithic husbandry practices (focusing on woodland fodder) had not been abandoned, but that new husbandry methods (consumption of household waste) were also being practised, which subsequently became more widely established in the Iron Age. The heterogeneity of signatures suggests that animals may have been husbanded in a piecemeal fashion at a local, household level. This in turn hints that fauna may have been brought to these sites from households across the surrounding landscape, rather than being husbanded by specialist producers in the vicinity of the middens.     

The Invisible Dance: The Supreme Court and the Press

Abstract

In America, Tocqueville writes, men were born equal; they did not have to become so.¹ But he is not unaware of the radical democratic character of the American revolution of which Gordon Wood has reminded us.² Prior to 1776, Tocqueville observes, the democratic principle was “far from dominating the government of society.” It was the Revolution that made it “the law of laws.” “The war was fought and victory obtained in its name” (1:1, ch. 4. 59).     

A 17th-century Kiln Site at Woolwich

Abstract

This report describes the results of the excavation of two adjacent kilns at Woolwich, one producing earthenware and one producing stoneware. Both date from the third quarter of the 17th century, though evidence suggests that the stoneware kiln is the earlier of the two. The report also includes a discussion of an earlier feature, a clay-lined pit, as well as several features associated with the three main features. The earthenware kiln had twin stoke holes and produced domestic pottery. The stoneware kiln had a single stoke hole and produced Bellarmine jugs with other stoneware vessels, and is the only stoneware kiln of this period yet discovered in Britain.¹     

Refit and Oxygen Isotope Analysis of Freshwater Mussel Shells from the Tillar Farms Site (3DR30), Southeast Arkansas

ABSTRACT

We investigate the link between the consumption of foodstuffs, excavation of a large pit, and disposal of waste at the Tillar Farms site (3DR30), southeast Arkansas, using refit and oxygen isotope analyses of well-preserved freshwater mussel shells from Feature 1. Only 0.13% of 7,408 valves analyzed were unidentifiable to species.The refit analysis produced 460 refits across 23 species and strongly indicates that the shell midden represents a single episode of shellfish gathering, consumption, and discard. Oxygen isotope analysis of five randomly selected shells are used as a test of the refit results. δ¹⁸O values from the five archaeological shells are compared to modern control samples of live-collected specimens from Bayou Bartholomew in winter of 2011. Refit analysis suggests the accumulation of mussel shells occurred quickly, likely as a result of one collection, consumption, and discard event. δ¹⁸O values suggest this activity took place during a single winter season.     

BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SUBSISTENCE AND HEALTH AT THE LAKE GEORGE SITE,MISSISSIPPI (22YZ557)

Abstract

Bioarchaeological investigations of subsistence and health were conducted on a skeletal population from the Lake George site (22YZ557), a large prehistoric settlement in the lower Yazoo basin of west-central Mississippi. Subsistence is inferred from oral health indicators (including dental caries, calculus, periodontal disease, abscesses, antemortem tooth loss, and macrowear) and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen and apatite. Health is inferred from nonspecific indicators (including cranial porous lesions, enamel hypoplasias, and Harris lines). The sample includes 25 adults and 25 subadults, all of which date to the Coles Creek period (A.D. 700–1200). Frequencies of all pathological conditions are reported for the entire sample and divided by sex and age for adults. Results indicate a heavy pathology load at Lake George, but one that is not dissimilar to other Coles Creek populations. Isotope values indicate a diet that included primarily C3 plants (δ¹³C_Col = ?21.03‰, δ¹³C_Ap-Diet = ?22.06) and terrestrial protein (δ¹⁵N = 9.72‰). The sources of nonspecific pathologies are attributed to stressors associated with increasing population density and cultural complexity that occurred during the Coles Creek period.     

David S. Bell and John Gaffney (eds.), The Presidents of the French Fifth Republic,Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, xvi+219pp., £57.50, ISBN 9780230285224

Agir ici—Survie France Cameroun. Croisement dangereux Dossiers noirs de la politique africaine de la France, no. 7 L'Harmattan, 1996 95 pp., no price indicated, ISBN 2 7384 4458 X

ALDRICH, R. and MERLE, I. (eds) France Abroad: Indochina, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Mayotte University of Sydney, 1997 168 pp., no price indicated, ISBN 1 86451 042 0

ALLEGRE, C. and JEAMBAR, D. Questions de France Fayard, 1996 355 pp., 120F., pbk, ISBN 2 213 59744 8

BADINTER, R. La Prison républicaine (1871–1914) Livre de poche, 1995 44F., ISBN 2 253 136 344

BARTRAM, G., SLAWINSKI, M. and STEEL, D. (eds) Reconstructing the Past Keele University Press, 1996 224 pp., £35, ISBN 1 85331 168 5

HARGREAVES, J. Decolonization in Africa Longman, 1996 298 pp., £14.99, ISBN 0 582 24917 1

Impression de la Convention Nationale, 1792 — an IV. Inventaire analytique des unarticles ADXVIII^e 208–357 Archives nationales, 1997 556 pp., 400F., ISBN 2 86000 255 3

LETERRIER, S.‐A. Le XIX^e siècle historien, Anthologie raisonnée Belin, 1997 352 pp., 125 F., ISBN 2 7011 2252 X

School of European Studies, University of Wales Cardiff New readings, vol, 2, 1996 87 pp., no price indicated, ISSN 1359 7485

NORA, P. Les Lieux de mémoire Collection ‘Quarto’, Gallimard, 1997 vol. 1, 1642 pp., 180F., ISBN 2 07 074902 9; vol. 2, 1372 pp., 180F., ISBN 2 07 074903 7; vol. 3, 1756 pp., 180F., ISBN 2 07 074904 5.

WOLOCH, I. (ed.) Revolution and the Meanings of Freedom in the Nineteenth Century Stanford University Press, 1996 447 pp., £40, ISBN 08 047 2748 1     

Survey and Experimental Investigation of Movable Fire Loads in Japanese-Style Wooden Historical Buildings

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the movable fire loads and the characteristics of combustible materials in Japanese-style wooden historical buildings via field surveys and cone calorimeter experiments. Twenty-one historical buildings with 102 rooms and a total floor area of 2235.06 m² were surveyed to determine the movable fire load. Strong correlations among fire load density, compartment floor area, and spatial use are found in this survey. The mean values of the movable fire load density in decreasing order in terms of room use are storeroom (431.38 MJ/m²), study room (298 MJ/m²), bedroom (294.88 MJ/m²), reception room (287.20 MJ/m²), and dining room (217.11 MJ/m²), providing fire engineering design with a reliable fire load setting in various types of rooms in historical buildings.     

Zoos as heritage tourism attractions: A neglected area of research?

Abstract

Zoos are a form of museum.¹ The main difference between zoos and other forms of museum is that zoos exhibit living objects. These objects are examples of natural heritage. Unlike other museums, the focus of much research in the past decade, zoos appear under‐researched. Zoos, however, are significant tourist attractions. There are over 10,000 zoos worldwide,² many in major world cities and some attract millions of visitors annually. Zoos date back at least three thousand years, but their role has been changing in the past twenty‐five years from menageries to conservation centres. Concern recently has focused on animal welfare when wildlife is in captivity, and this has led to a re‐examination of the purpose of zoos. This article examines the aims of zoos, their nature as heritage‐tourism attractions and the profile of zoo visitors. In an attempt to establish a new research agenda, the article also examines issues about the future of zoos, including questions concerning potential and real conflict between their educational, scientific and entertainment roles.     

Norse Animal Husbandry in Liminal Environments: Stable Isotope Evidence from the Scottish North Atlantic Islands

ABSTRACT

This paper employs δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N analysis of bone collagen to explore animal management at large Norse settlement sites in the liminal environments of the Scottish North Atlantic Islands. The Norse period was a time of social, cultural and economic change; the need to feed an expanding population and the demand for trade meant that domestic stock were a crucial resource. Our results indicate that rearing animals in these challenging insular environments required careful management. At all sites, the diet and movement of domestic cattle and sheep were highly similar and carefully controlled and, despite many of the analysed settlements lying close to the coast, there was no use of shorefront grazing or fodder resources. In contrast, pig rearing strategies varied across the island groups. In the Western Isles pig diets were diverse, indicative of household or ad hoc management, whilst on Orkney all pigs consumed a more restricted diet based primarily on terrestrial protein. A comparison of red deer with domestic stock on the Western Isles indicates that both groups were exploiting similar grazing niches.     

Medieval Britain in 1978

Abstract

ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF a substantial assemblage of animal bones excavated from Dudley Castle, West Midlands, suggests that a significant change in pig management occurred during the 14th century. A dramatic decrease in the relative abundance of pigs, combined with an increase in the size of post-cranial bones and teeth, and a higher proportion of neonatal individuals, raises the possibility that greater control over breeding and feeding was being exerted in this period through the emergence of enclosed husbandry practices. Carbon and nitrogen stable-isotope analysis of a sample of 41 pig mandibles from two tightly dated phases of occupation supports this interpretation. Between the late 13th century and later 14th century there was a statistically significant decrease in δ¹⁵N, but not in δ¹³C, and pig dietary diversity probably also decreased. This paper discusses several explanations for these patterns, all consistent with a major change in pig management at this time.     

Review Symposium

Abstract

This book is an attempt to make sense of, on the one hand, the intersection between Christianity, place, and identity, and on the other, the relationship between church, civil society, the market and the state.²