Investigating the likelihood of a reservoir offset in the radiocarbon record for ancient Egypt

Some radiocarbon dates for ancient Egypt have been significantly offset from the established historical chronology (see Bonani et al., 2001). In this paper, short-lived plant species collected in Egypt between 1700 and 1900 AD were used to investigate the possibility that the radiocarbon record had been influenced by reservoir effects. AMS radiocarbon measurements were made on 66 known-age samples, resulting in an average offset from expected values of 19 years. The implications of this minor discrepancy on the likelihood of a reservoir process are discussed, and the agreement of the data with recent models of radiocarbon seasonality is also considered.     

Migration in the Nile Valley during the New Kingdom period: a preliminary strontium isotope study

The value of strontium isotope analysis in identifying immigrants at numerous archaeological sites and regional areas has been demonstrated by several researchers, usually by comparing ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of human tooth enamel and/or bone with the local strontium isotope signature determined by faunal and environmental samples. This paper examines the feasibility of using ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios to investigate residential mobility in the Nile Valley region, specifically at the New Kingdom period (∼1050–1400 BC) archaeological site of Tombos (ancient Nubia). Archaeological and textual information regarding this period indicates that immigrant Egyptians and local native Nubians were likely interacting at this site during a period of Egyptian colonial occupation. The results of this study suggest that non-local individuals may be distinguished from locals using ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values and that colonial agents in the Tombos population were probably both local native Nubians and immigrants.     

Cultural Origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic: An Evaluation of the Evidence from the Dakhleh Oasis (South Central Egypt)

The debate surrounding the origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic has, over the past few decades, come to rest on the neighboring Saharan region as the most likely source of influence. Although there is some evidence for the appearance of domesticates in the Western Desert before food-producing communities emerged in Upper and Lower Egypt, there is a strong case for the introduction of Saharan artifacts and technologies to the Nile Valley communities. This paper examines this argument in relation to the Western Desert region of the Dakhleh Oasis (South Central Egypt). The intent of the paper is to recognize the role Dakhleh played in the cultural development of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic and whether this can clearly be seen through artifact parallels. Les parties débattant des origines de l'Egypte néolithique et pré-dynastique ont fini, au cours des dernières décennies, par conclure que la région voisine du Sahara était leur source d'influence la plus vraisemblable. Bien que certaines preuves existent de l'apparition de plantes et d'animaux domestiques dans le Désert occidental avant l'émergence de communautés produisant des aliments en Basse et Haute Egypte, de solides arguments émergent en faveur de l'introduction d'objets fabriqués et de technologies dans les communautés de la Vallée du Nil. L'exposé en question examine cet argument par rapport à la région du Désert occidental de l'Oasis de Dakhla (centre-sud de l'Egypte). Le but de cet exposé est de reconnaître le rôle de Dakhla dans le développement culturel de l'Egypte néolithique et pré-dynastique et de déterminer si oui ou non celui-ci peut clairement être identifié, de façon parallèle, au travers d'objets fabriqués.     

The Predynastic of Egypt

The Predynastic of Egypt, spanning an interval from ca. 4000 to 3050 B.C., was an eventful period. After the inception of food production in the Nile Valley at least a millennium before, it was the time when the identity of Egyptian society was forged. Egypt was settled by refugees from the deserts of the eastern Sahara and the southern Levant, fleeing from mid-Holocene droughts, and became a melting pot of indigenous Nilotes and desert herders, part-time cultivators, and hunters. Within a millennium, an increasing dependence on agriculture led to sedentary life and, in some cases, to the development of sizable communities. By 4000 B.C., the settled communities had also developed a distinct division of labor between men and women and ritual and religious beliefs in which women, grain, fertility, and death were salient and interrelated elements. The Predynastic communities were also faced by the most destabilizing factor of agricultural economy, namely, fluctuations of yield. Attempts to dampen the fluctuations through interregional integration led to the emergence of community representatives and eventually chiefs. Legitimation of the status of chiefs through affiliation with the traditional and supernatural power associated with women, fertility, and death and the acquisition of exotic goods stimulated trade and an industry in funerary goods. Enlargement of economic units through alliances, with occasional incidences of fighting, especially after 3600 B.C., led to the rise of a state society governed by supreme rulers. The wedding of the funerary cult of Late Predynastic Egypt with political power and military might was the basis for the most fascinating aspects of Ancient Egypt—religion and kingship.     

Shifting social networks along the Nile: Middle Holocene ceramic assemblages from Sai Island, Sudan

During the middle Holocene, profound changes in environment, economy, and social relations laid the foundations for the emergence of Africa’s earliest polities: the Egyptian Old Kingdom and the Kerma state. Regional shifts in economy and society may be reflected in local changes in patterning of ceramic production and exchange. Analysis of two pottery assemblages from Sai Island, north Sudan, reveals dramatic shifts in the scale of cultural spheres and the nature of cross-cultural interaction between 5000 BC (Khartoum Variant) and 2600 BC (Pre-Kerma). Near-sedentary Khartoum Variant hunter–gatherers at site 8-B-10C participated in a longstanding cultural sphere that extended far into the Sahara, but were beginning to focus more tightly on resources by the Nile. By Pre-Kerma times, Sai occupants familiar with animal husbandry started to use southwest Asian plant domesticates; they began to experiment with large-scale storage facilities and engage in long-distance trade along the Nile, outside of their own cultural boundaries. Beyond a shift in axes for contact from east–west to north–south, these changes signal progressive geographic and temporal compression of cultural entities, amidst accelerating processes of economic innovation and social change that finally culminated in the polities of Egypt and Kerma.     

刘碑寺造像碑研究

刘碑寺造像碑,是河南现存最大的造像碑,清代金石著录对其多有介绍,但仅限于造像铭文,其精美的造像未有著录和专文介绍,不被世人关注。本文主要对刘碑寺造像碑的现状、造像内容进行详细介绍,并对造像题材、风格以及艺术成就进行探索研究。     

Environmental changes in the Maryut lagoon (northwestern Nile delta) during the last ∼2000 years

Here, we interpret the evolution of Maryut lagoon (Egypt) during the past ∼2000 years. Chronostratigraphy and laboratory analyses have enabled us to identify four main phases since the 3rd century AD: (1) a fluvial-dominated lagoon between the 2nd–3rd and the 8–9th centuries cal. AD; (2) a gradual desiccation of the lagoon toward a sebkha-like environment from the 9–10th to the 13th centuries cal. AD; (3) a fluvial-dominated lagoon from the 13th century cal. AD; and (4) a second gradual desiccation between the 17th and the 18th centuries cal. AD. The general aridification trend described throughout the study period may be linked to the gradual decline of the Canopic branch, which supplied the Maryut lagoon with freshwater. Nonetheless, at shorter timescales, the different phases of lagoon aridification and flooding coincide with land abandonment and irrigation works in the region. It is suggested that the history of the Alexandria countryside has been a key driver in shaping the environmental history of the Maryut during the past ∼2000 years.     

Impacts of Alexandria's Heptastadion on coastal hydro-sedimentary dynamics during the Hellenistic period: a numerical modelling approach

After its foundation in 331 BC, Alexandria was linked to the island of Pharos by the Heptastadion. The present study aims at understanding the impact of this building on the local water and sand dynamics. We used numerical models to compute the wind-induced currents and sediment re-suspension, comparatively without and in the presence of the Heptastadion. Results suggest that the Heptastadion was not only a link structure to reach the Pharos island, but a structure liable to reduce the sandy sediment dynamics in the eastern harbour, and then to protect the eastern harbour from infilling by the allochthonous sand drift.
© 2006 The Authors     

The Construction of the Khufu I Vessel (c.2566 BC): a Re-Evaluation

A re-evaluation of the published reports on the Khufu I vessel suggests: first, Egyptian boatwrights used as much of a plank's original width and length as possible to minimize waste, resulting in unpredictable stealer and scarf placement; second, crafting tenons to be narrower than corresponding mortises may have been one of many standardized techniques of Egyptian boatbuilding; third, temporary and permanent edge-to-edge transverse lashing was an important structural feature. Finally, woven straps instead of ropes were probably used to lash this vessel, and seams were probably sealed with wadding and battens, while the frames appear to have been recycled.
© 2009 The Author     

The dry summer on the Upper Nile

EUROPE

Scottish Farming in the Eighteenth Century. By James E. Handley. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp.314. London: Faber and Faber Ltd, 1953. 25s.

The Scottish Islands. By George Scott‐Moncrieff. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 208. 98 illustrations. 4 sketch maps. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1952. 21s.

Skye: The Island and its Legends. By Otta F. Swire. Foreword by Sir William Tarn. 7 1/2 × 5. Pp. xii+244. Sketch map. London: Geoffrey Cumberlege, Oxford University Press, 1952. 15s.

The Central Highlands. Edited by H. Macrobert. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. viii+145. 15 figs. 49 photographs. End‐paper sketch map. [The Scottish Mountaineering Club Guides.] Edinburgh: The Scottish Mountaineering Club. Second edition, 1952. 15s.

Granite City: A Plan for Aberdeen. By W. Dobson Chapman, M.A., P.P.T.P.I., L.R.I.B.A., F.I.L.A., and Charles F. Riley, Dip.Arch., Dip.T.P., A.R.I.B.A., M.T.P.I. Foreword by The Hon. Thomas Johnston, P.C., LL.d., F.E.I.S. 13 × 9 3/4. Pp. xx+168. 22 figs. 73 plates. City Development Plan (4 1/4 in. to 1 mile). [Published on behalf of the Corporation of the City and Royal Burgh of Aberdeen.] London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1952. 42s.

Round and about Spain. By A. F. Tschiffely. 8 3/4 × 5 5/8. Pp.317. Decorations and sketch maps by the Author. End‐paper map by A. Spark. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 20s.

ASIA

The Orphaned Realm: Journeys in Cyprus. By Patrick Balfour (Lord Kinross). 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 221. 17 illustrations. Decorative end‐paper sketch map. London: Percival Marshall and Co. Ltd, 1951. 18s.

Die Türkei. By Karl Krüger. 8 1/2 × 5 1/4. Pp. 392. 13 figs. 68 plates. Berlin: Safari‐Verlag, 1951.

Tirich Mir: The Norwegian Himalaya Expedition. Translated by Sölvi and Richard Bateson. Foreword by Professor Georg Morgenstierne. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 192. 57 illustrations. 3 sketch maps. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 21s.

The Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition, 1951. By Eric Shipton. 10 1/2 × 8 1/2. Pp. 128. Photogravure illustrations. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 25s.

AFRICA

The Zambesi Journal of James Stewart, 1862–1863, with a Selection from his Correspondence. Edited by J. P. F. Wallis. 10 × 6 1/2. Pp. xxvi+276. Portrait. Map of the Shiré River (1867). [Central African Archives: Oppenheimer Series, No. 6.] London: Chatto and Windus, 1952. 35s.

AMERICA

Suwannee River: Strange Green Land. By Cecile Hulse Matschat. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 256. Illustrated by Alexander Key. [Rivers of America.] Edinburgh, Glasgow, London: William Hodge and Co. Ltd, 1951. 15s.

The Rural Land Classification Program of Puerto Rico. Preface by Malcolm J. Proudfoot. 11 × 8 1/2. Pp. vii+261. Illustrated. (Lithoprinted). [Northwestern University Studies in Geography, No. 1.] Evanston, Illinois: Department of Geography, Northwestern University, 1952.

Uruguay: South America's first Welfare State. By George Pendle. 8 × 5 1/4. Pp. viii+100. 2 sketch maps. London and New York: The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1952. 11s 6d.

POLAR REGIONS

The Antarctic To‐day: A Mid‐Century Survey by the New Zealand Antarctic Society. Edited by Frank A. Simpson, M.A., Dip.Jour. 9 3/4 × 7 1/4. Pp. 389. 50 figs. 46 plates. Folding map. Wellington: A. H. and A. W. Reed, in conjunction with the New Zealand Antarctic Society, 1952. 47s 6d.

BIOGEOGRAPHY

Geography of Living Things. By M. S. Anderson, M.A. General Introduction by Frank Debenham. 7 1/4 × 4 3/4. Pp. xiv+202. 5 illustrations. [Teach Yourself Geography.] London: The English Universities Press Ltd, 1951. 8s 6d.

The Origin and History of the British Fauna. By Bryan P. Beirne, M.A., M.Sc, Ph.D., M.R.I.A., F.R.E.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. x+164. 60 figs. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1952. 18s.

EDUCATIONAL

Practical and Experimental Geography. By W. G. V. Balchin, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.G.S., F.R.Met.S., and A. W. Richards, M.A., B.Sc., F.R.Met.S. 8 1/2 × 6 1/2. Pp. viii+136. Frontispiece. 73 figs. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1952. 12s 6d.

Geomorphologie. By Fritz Machatschek. 9 × 6 1/4. Pp. 203. 89 figs. Leipzig: B. G. Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft. Fifth edition, 1952. DM 9.60.

Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Edited by E. D. Laborde, Ph.D., F.R.G.S. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. xii+268. 48 figs. 8 plates. London: William Heinemann Ltd. Second edition, 1952. 12s 6d.     

Daily growth increments on fish otoliths as seasonality indicators on archaeological sites: The Tilapia from late palaeolithic Makhadma in Egypt

Daily growth increments in fish otoliths have been demonstrated for the first time on Quaternary sagittae from a late palaeolithic site in Egypt and they have allowed us to establish the season of fishing. Transverse sections of tilapia sagittae studied under light-microscope demonstrate that recrystallization during diagenesis renders the majority of the margins unreadable. The well-preserved otoliths, however, all have widely spaced outer growth lines, indicating that the fish died during a period of fast growth which coincides with the flood season. Moreover, counting the daily increments showed that late palaeolithic man captured the animals on the floodplain of the Nile after the maximum of the flood, when residual pools were present.     

Re-examining the Egyptian colonial encounter in Nubia through a compositional,mineralogical, and textural comparison of ceramics

Textural, mineralogical, and X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses are used as a cost effective method to distinguish for the first time ancient Egyptian and Nubian-style ceramics found in Nubia. Textural and mineralogical data suggest that Nubian-style sherds are mixtures of sand, silt, and clay sediment that is generally finer grained and poorer in quartz than is the sediment mixture used to produce Egyptian-style pottery. Chemical data also establish a significant difference in the amount of chemical variation found within each style population, but nonetheless supports a considerable overlap in the possible provenance of both styles. Observations and data obtained during this study indicate that standardized, Egyptian-style manufacturing was introduced into Nubia under colonialism, without substantially altering the diversity of native methods of production.     

Near-surface imaging of a buried foundation in the Western Desert,Egypt, using space-borne and ground penetrating radar

ALOS/PALSAR L-band full polarimetric data have been used to detect and characterize a well-defined geometric target hidden under sand deposits in the Western Desert of Egypt. This buried object is rectangular in shape with very straight boundaries and encloses an area of 500 m². Inside the rectangular area there is a perfectly circular feature of approximately 53 m² area. High and medium resolution optical satellite images (WorldView-2, ALOS/AVNIR-2) and field investigation confirm that the topography of the study area is relatively flat and completely covered by dry sand. The electromagnetic wave scattering behavior of the detected buried object was measured by decomposing the scattering matrix of ALOS/PALSAR full polarimetric data into Entropy-Alpha (H/α) and Freeman and Durden decompositions. Furthermore, a combination of unsupervised classification algorithms and Constant False-Alarm Rate (CFAR) edge detection was performed on the polarimetric data which revealed a well-defined geometric shape with straight borders. These borders have high α angles with low entropy, which physically means double bounce scattering mechanism with low randomness and is very similar to that of an urban scatterer, indicating that the detected target might be a buried wall-like foundation of a man-made structure. Moreover, 28 ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiles were acquired using a 270 MHz shielded antenna to validate the satellite radar remote sensing results. The GPR profiles reveal very clear hyperbolic shapes at 1.5 m depth with one of them showing a large hyperbolic shape-like structure, which might indicate the presence of a buried foundation. Thus the site might have significance to archaeological studies of the Western Desert, particularly previous human occupation and the sources of water for such habitation.     

国际移民的定义与类别——兼论中国移民问题

详细评介了国际移民的学术定义;归纳其六大基本类别,指出不同类型的迁移可能相互转化;阐述了当代国际移民发展趋势,并将华侨华人研究置于国际移民的大背景下进行剖析;对由于缺乏对当代“国际移民”相关定义的基本了解而出现的明显错误给予了指正。     

Bird Remains from Two Sites on the Red Sea Coast and some Observations on Medullary Bone

This paper discusses the bird remains found in the Roman levels of the military fort of ‘Abu Sha’ ar and of the ancient harbour of Berenike. Food procurement was essentially based on wild resources at ‘Abu Sha’ ar and this is also reflected in the bird remains. Only 28 per cent of the bird bones at the low status site of ‘Abu Sha’ ar are from domestic fowl, whereas at the commercially important town of Berenike 92 per cent were. Medullary bone was present in 66 per cent of the 161 chicken remains at Berenike. The occurrence and formation of medullary bone in modern domestic fowl is discussed and possibilites from its study in the chicken remains from Berenike are presented.     

A Variation on a Basic Theme: The Transition to Farming in Southern Central Europe

This paper attempts to summarize the past years of research on the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in Central Europe and to review recent discussions about the origin and spread of the Early Neolithic. Particular emphasis is given to the debate about migration or diffusion. A combined migrationist/diffusionist model is presented, arguing for an emergence of a farming economy among hunter-gatherer populations in Transdanubia and the subsequent spread of this economy through migration. The new settlers interacted with local Mesolithic groups and adopted and incorporated local material culture and sometimes even aspects of local Mesolithic economy, a process which continued throughout the Early Neolithic. With time, population increase, subsequent competition for resources, and climatic instability led to a destabilization of traditional Early Neolithic society and finally to the outbreak of severe intercommunity violence. The only escape from mutual extinction was a rearrangement of subsistence and social and political structures, possibly with contributions from surviving Terminal Mesolithic groups.     

GIS-based modeling of drought and historical population change on the Canadian Prairies

This article describes the development of a GIS-based model of historical drought and population change in western Canada, designed to support qualitative field research into drought adaptation and migration. The model combines digitized census data and recently available modeled historical climate data at a 10 km² grid cell scale and can be used to generate maps of ‘hotspots’ where historical declines in rural populations may be associated with extended periods of heat and lack of precipitation. The results suggest a promising avenue for expanding and refining GIS-based modeling of historical human–climate interactions to support qualitative research and to potentially serve as a stepping stone toward forecasting future risk areas of drought-related migration in continental dryland areas.     

Change in chemical composition of early Islamic glass excavated in Raya,Sinai Peninsula,Egypt: on-site analyses using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer

The Raya port (eighth to 12th centuries) on the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, was one of the important port cities for the Red Sea trade. We performed on-site analyses of Islamic glass vessels (used in eighth to 11th centuries) mainly from this site in Egypt using a portable XRF spectrometer. The aim of this paper is to contribute to our understanding of the chemical compositions of early Islamic glass vessels by comparing their archaeological date and typology. In the early Islamic period, glass objects were mainly produced from natron as the soda source. Among the natron glass analyzed in this study, glass vessels with low titanium and iron and high strontium contents, which were probably produced in the Syria–Palestine region, were excavated in the eighth century layer. From the ninth century layer, a large number of samples with high levels of calcium, titanium and iron, probably produced in Egypt, were found. It should be noted that a large number of glass vessels with this chemical composition were found at the Raya site, because this type of glass was rarely reported from other Islamic sites. We finally concluded that this type of glass seems to be produced under a fixed recipe, although some samples contain a colorant or decolorized materials.