Use of Bronze Celts in Military Operations

The purpose of this article is to bring together archaeological evidence relating to the consumption of porpoises from excavations at both Dover and Canterbury. A contrast can be drawn between porpoise remains recovered from Anglo-Norman fishermen in Dover and contemporary remains from two sites within the Cathedral Precincts at Canterbury. These differences are then considered in relation to issues of status.     

Identifying Narrative Descriptions in Agent-Based Models Representing Past Human-Environment Interactions

There is a growing use of bottom-up simulation models to reconstruct past human-environment interactions. Such detailed representations pose difficult questions not only in their design (the generality-realism trade-off) but also about the inferences that are made from them. The historical sciences are faced with seeking to make robust inferences from limited, potentially biased and/or incomplete samples from uncontrolled systems, and as a result have sometimes employed narrative explanation. By contrast, simulation models can be used experimentally and can generate large amounts of data. Here, using an agent-based model of hunter-gatherer foraging in a previously unexplored ecosystem, we consider how narratives might be identified from the trajectories produced by simulations. We show how machine learning methods can isolate qualitatively similar types of model behaviour based on summaries of model outcomes and time series. We stand to learn from this approach because it enables us to answer two questions: (i) under what conditions (representations and/or parameterisations) do we observe in the model what is recorded in the archaeological and/or palaeoenvironmental record? and (ii) does the model yield unobserved dynamics? If so, are they plausible? Using models to develop narratives is a logical extension of the bottom-up approach inherent in agent-based modelling and has the potential, alongside conventional methods of model evaluation, to aid in learning from the rich dynamics of such simulations.     

考古学视野下的礼仪甄别方法及其反思

后过程主义考古的兴起促进了考古学家对礼仪问题的关注,礼仪研究的首要步骤是对相关考古遗存进行有效的甄别。目前学界使用较多的甄别方法是根据礼仪独特的礼仪成分和逻辑结构,从形形色色的考古遗存中甄别出与礼仪相关的遗存。以商代为例,用这种方法可以有效地甄别出占卜、葬仪、祭祀等礼仪遗存。然而,在甄别的实践中依然存在一些无法克服的困难。考古学家在进行礼仪研究的同时,也应理性地认识到这些缺陷。     

Re-approaching Celts: Origins,Society, and Social Change

Journal of Archaeological Research - This work re-approaches the origins of “the Celts” by detailing the character of their society and the nature of social change in Europe across...     

Using Enthesis Robusticity to Infer Activity in the Past: A Review

In bioarchaeological studies, entheseal change is commonly used to infer patterns of activity in past populations. This category of skeletal modification includes both pathological changes (enthesopathies) and changes in size, shape and surface complexity (robusticity). Despite the recent impetus to reassess the use of enthesopathies as markers of activity, robusticity has received little critical attention. In this review, we reassess key assumptions that underpin the use of robusticity in activity studies, drawing on anatomical, physiological, biomechanical and sports medicine literature sources. We find that, whilst there is some evidence to support the assumption that variation in enthesis robusticity reflects different activity patterns, little is known about the process through which this variation is produced. Presently, the stimuli (dynamics of muscle use or muscle size) for entheseal adaptation are ill-defined, a situation that limits our interpretive abilities. Consideration of bone functional adaptation principles and of the relationship of entheses to soft tissue also highlights how other factors, such as age, sex and genetic background, may influence enthesis robusticity and obscure activity-related adaptation. Understanding how these factors influence enthesis robusticity helps define how robusticity studies should be controlled, but further research is required to clarify how these factors interact with activity in robusticity development and the precise relationship between activity and robusticity. Ultimately, this review emphasises the complexity of entheseal structures and their morphological development. Any interpretation of activity from enthesis robusticity should be approached with caution, but in some circumstances, the endeavour may be ill-advised.     

顾颉刚的"疑古辨伪"思想与胡适的学术影响

20世纪20年代,顾颉刚提出"层累地造成的中国古史"学说,对封建古史观念提出了大胆的怀疑和批判,在学术界引起了极大的震动.顾颉刚的"疑古辨伪"思想,深受胡适的学术思想和学术方法的影响.     

Ancient Egypt in Brazil: A Theoretical Approach to Contemporary Uses of the Past

In this paper we consider archaeology as a product of social interaction, and discuss how ancient Egyptian materiality has been an important part of identity building in Brazil. We begin by reviewing our theoretical setting, and suggest that a postmodern approach is most helpful to our goal of understanding the social context of the public uses of archaeology. The paper then turns to the trajectory of “Egyptomania” in Brazil, from the 19th century onwards, highlighting the importance of cultural movements such as Kardecism and Masonry in this trend. We argue that the use of Egyptian subjects in Brazil has connections with social inequality, racism, and gender biases. Finally, we present a case study on positive recent trends in the presentation of ancient Egypt in school textbooks which highlights critical approaches to the use of ancient Egyptian subjects in contemporary Brazil.     

广东侨乡研究三十年：1978-2008

回顾了广东侨乡研究三十年的发展历程,从综合性论述、侨乡经济、侨乡社会、侨乡文化等几个方面对广东侨乡研究成果进行了概述,就理论视角、研究领域和观点三个方面分析了广东侨乡三十年的研究趋向,并认为,广东侨乡研究的水平还有待提高,研究领域和研究深度还有待拓展。在研究理论和方法上,要有全球化的学术视野,采用多学科的研究方法;在研究领域上,亟需拓宽,不仅要关注物质景观或经济现象,更要关注侨乡的深层社会结构和民众的价值观念;在实证研究上,要通过各种途径多方收集资料。     

A Preamble to Family Policy: Issues of the Past and Present

The subject of family appears appropriately related to social policy, since family functions interface with society so closely. Moreover, U.S. families have been changing rapidly enough in this decade to warrant new attention to policy development. Public and political interest in family policy has been growing. Yet, historical barriers to government targeting family issues for policy development abound. While some intellectual, organizational, and bureaucratic mobilization has occurred, producing broad family policy declarations, interest groups are in the process of positioning themselves differentially, and disagreement about the value of explicit family policy is on the increase. The author believes that family policy will develop slowly in the D.S., and that comprehensive and cohesive family policy can better be considered a goal rather than a readily implemented public activity.