Partial cranial trephination by means of Hippocrates' trypanon from 5th century BC Himera (Sicily,Italy)

The paper deals with a new case of partial cranial trephination found in one of the necropolises of the Greek colony of Himera in Sicily. It is one of the very few cases of cranial trephination of Greek classical age. Macroscopic as well as radiological investigations prove that the operation was perimortal as no growth of new bone could be detected, SEM‐EDS microanalysis of the piece revealed the traces left by the tool used during trephination. The review of ancient Greek and Latin medical and surgical texts permitted us to establish that the tool used in Himera was a (trypanon) mentioned by Hippocrates and named terebra by Latin authors. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stone Age exploitation of birds on the island of Gotland,Baltic Sea: a taphonomic study of the avifauna on the Neolithic site of Ajvide

We have conducted a detailed taphonomic study of the avifauna of the Pitted Ware culture site of Ajvide on the Island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, in order to investigate the fowling patterns and the taphonomic history of the bird remains. We have investigated cultural as well as natural modifications on the bird bones, fragmentation and fracture patterns, and performed a systematic surface modification study. No specific area for the deposition of bird remains or specific bird species was identified. All major anatomical parts of birds are present in the assemblage, but there is a dominance of specimens from the wing elements. Traces of cultural modification were observed on the bones, including cut marks, burning, modification (implements, beads, raw material), and gnawing marks. The bone surface modifications and fracture analysis indicate that the majority of the bird bones at Ajvide did not lie on the soil surface for an extended period of time before being deposited in the soil. Dry fractures increase while fresh fractures decrease towards the upper levels of the stratigraphy, indicating more extensive post‐depositional destruction. This may partly be connected to modern agriculture, but also to later use of the settlement area as a burial ground. The Ajvide assemblage contains a variety of birds living in different biotopes. However, bird hunting was mainly focused on sea birds. Auks and ducks are the most common families in the assemblage. We find it likely that the Ajvide hunters conducted organised hunting expeditions to two nearby islands for the hunting of auks, while it was possible to hunt other birds such as ducks closer to the site. The presence of medullary bone and bones from subadult birds indicates a main hunting season in late spring and early summer. However, comparisons with modern migration patterns indicate that hunting may have occurred throughout the year. Of special palaeozoological interest is the find of gannet (Morus bassanus), which apparently in Neolithic times visited the Baltic area more regularly than today. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prehistoric dental modification in West Africa – early evidence from Karkarichinkat Nord,Mali

This paper reports the earliest securely dated evidence for intentional dental modification in West Africa. Human remains representing 11 individuals were recovered from the sites of Karkarichikat Nord (KN05) and Karkarichinkat Sud (KS05) in the lower Tilemsi Valley of eastern Mali. The modified anterior maxillary dentitions of four individuals were recovered from KN05. The dental modification involved the removal of the mesial and distal angles of the incisor, as well as the mesial angles of the canines. The modifications did not result from task‐specific wear or trauma, but appear instead to have been produced for aesthetic purposes. All of the filed teeth belonged to probable females, suggesting the possibility of sex‐specific cultural modification. Radiocarbon dates from the site indicate that the remains pertain to the Late Stone Age (ca. 4500–4200 BP). Dental modification has not previously been reported from this region of West Africa and our findings indicate that the practice was more widespread during prehistory. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diagnostic criteria for identification of seashell as a trephination implement

Scanning electron microscopy has been applied to experimentally cut bone samples and an ethnographical example of trephination on a human skull in order to produce diagnostic criteria for the identification of mollusc shells as cutting implements used in trephination. Shell scrapes are identifiable by parallel striations in the direction of cut, crossed at 90° by chatter marks caused by uneven movement of the fragile shell-edge across the bone surface.     

The pearls and pitfalls of skull trephination as described in the Hippocratic treatise "On Head Wounds"

The purpose of our current study is to describe the guidelines regarding trephination as suggested in the Hippocratic writer's book, "Peri ton en cephali traumaton" ("On Head Wounds"). The ancient Greek text was reviewed as well as two English translations. The Hippocratic author described the indications, timing, and techniques of trephination for patients with head injury. He emphasized that attention should be paid to the details of the employed technique. He also commented on the difference of skull thickness at different anatomical sites and also between different age groups. The Hippocratic recommendations provided details for the performance of trephination by the ancient Greek physicians that are still considered important in modern neurosurgery.     

毕节青场瓦窑商周遗址发掘主要收获

青场瓦窑遗址是贵州商周时期非常重要的一处古文化遗址。2008年10月至12月对其进行了第二次发掘,清理出更加丰富的遗迹,出土大量陶石器等遗物,对其文化特征和发展演变有了突破性认识。出土资料表明,它与分布在乌蒙山西缘的鸡公山文化遗存有一定联系但是独立发展的两个文化系统,原因与地理阻隔有关,瓦窑遗址在发展中更多地受到来自其北部四川盆地商周时期古文化的影响。     

Excavations at Balakot,Pakistan, 1973

Abstract

During the winter of 1973–74 preliminary excavations were conducted at the ancient coastal site of Balakot in Sanmiani Bay, Pakistan. Two periods are represented at the site. Period B, capping the mound, represents the Mature Indus (Harappan) period, the earliest urban period of South Asia. Balakot is one of five known coastal sites of the Indus Civilization. It is hoped that evidence will be discovered in subsequent seasons bearing on the question of the assumed sea trade contacts between the Indus and the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia in the centuries just before and after 2000 B.C.

Period A at Balakot is designated as Early Indus. The more than 6 m. of occupational debris resting on sterile soil represent the developmental stages leading directly into the earliest civilization of South Asia. The Early Indus sequence at Balakot contains ceramic elements related to many of the so-called “painted pottery cultures” of Baluchistan and the southern Indus Valley. The proposed series of extensive excavations at the site should provide a sound chronological and cultural framework within which any of these presently isolated cultural traditions can be studied.

This report describes the location and potential importance of the site. The most significant findings of the first season's work are presented.     

Micromammal taphonomy of el-Wad Terrace,Mount Carmel,Israel: distinguishing cultural from natural depositional agents in the Late Natufian

A taphonomic analysis of micromammal remains from the Late Natufian deposits of el-Wad Terrace, Mount Carmel, Israel, was conducted in order to test the long-standing premise of owl deposition as the primary accumulating agent. The inferred taphonomic sequence was modeled within an actualistic (recent) comparative framework incorporating a locally derived barn owl pellet collection and an off-site control assemblage of micromammal remains from the cliff overhanging the terrace. The sequence was reconstructed based on multiple types of recorded taphonomic data, comprising skeletal modifications (breakage, digestion, weathering, gnawing, and charring) and age structure. Evidence for post-depositional processes including fluvial transport, trampling, and weathering was isolated and consequently the typical owl imprints were traced through the two actualistic and the archaeological assemblages. Based on the extent of breakage and patterning in skeletal element frequencies it was also possible to scale the preservation potential of primary data in el-Wad Terrace as a discrete site type, intermediate between true cave and open-air depositional environments. Verifying the role of owls as principal agents of accumulation of the el-Wad Terrace micromammal remains enabled the detection of two minor superimposed cultural patterns: consumption of mole rats (Spalax sp.) by the Natufians and commensalism of mice (Mus spp.).     

安徽泗县新石器时代中期遗址的调查与研究

为进一步探索皖北地区新石器时代前期的文化面貌,2012年春夏之际,安徽省文物考古研究所对泗县进行了重点区域的调查。共发现3处新石器时代中期遗址,分别是于庄、唐圩、张集遗址。于庄遗址与江苏泗洪顺山集遗址文化面貌较为一致,距今约8000年;唐圩、张集遗址与蚌埠双墩遗存较类似,距今约7300—6700年。这三处遗址的发现对进一步认识淮河中游新石器时代文化的起源和早期发展提供了积极的线索。     

The Ethnoarchaeology of Reptile Remains at a Lake Turkana Occupation Site, Kenya

The role of reptiles in hominid hunter–gatherer subsistence in Pleistocene Africa has been largely overlooked. This study examines the reptile component of a modern lake shore camp (site 20) assemblage of low archaeological visibility. Site 20, located on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, has been observed from its creation to burial. The site is an ideal modern analogue for the interpretation of African prehistoric archaeological sites. Patterns of element loss, and patterns of bone modifications, namely burn, cut and slice marks, are examined. From this baseline data, three conclusions are drawn regarding the interpretability of reptile remains found at archaeological lakeside sites: (1) the MNI of crocodile remains at a site is likely to be similar to the original number of individuals which contributed to the deposited assemblage; (2) the MNI estimates of the turtle component will be much less than the original number of individuals in the deposited assemblage; and (3) patterns of bone modifications can be related to hominid food procurement and processing activities.     

Visitor Management,the Development of Sustainable Cultural Tourism and Local Community Participation at Chogha Zanbil,Iran

Abstract

Chogha Zanbil, an Elamite ziggurat and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Iran, has considerable potential as a cultural tourism destination but currently it receives a surprisingly small number of visitors. The site has seen a successful international conservation project over the past decade: now it needs a complete heritage strategy, which will give sufficient weight to developing sustainable tourism in a way that ensures the site's conservation, as well as its effective presentation to the public. This paper combines existing approaches to sustainable cultural development with primary research in Iran, including interviews with different stakeholders. It uses the Chogha Zanbil case study to suggest how visitor management strategies and cultural tourism can equip a site with the necessary tools to receive visitors and manage their impact while generating revenue for the site's maintenance and preservation. It also highlights the importance of local community participation in this process and provides examples of how local villagers can participate in, and benefit from, the development of sustainable cultural tourism at Chogha Zanbil.     

江苏丹阳葛城遗址勘探试掘简报

江苏丹阳葛城吴文化遗址,经勘探试掘,确认其为一座吴国城址.城址内分布有窖穴、房基、水井、水沟,城址外分布有土墩墓.遗址中出土有较丰富的陶器、石器、青铜器等吴文化遗物.通过对出土陶器分析,可将该文化遗存分为三期:早期为西周中晚期,中期为春秋前期,晚期为春秋后期,三者之间连续无缺环.经与江、浙、皖地区同类吴文化遗存对比,可推知丹阳葛城古城是目前所发现的最早、延续使用时间最长、保存状况较为完好的吴国城址.     

湖北襄阳邓城韩岗遗址发掘报告

襄阳邓城韩岗遗址位于襄樊市区西北郊,是一处省级物保护单位“邓城”的从属遗址。此次发掘包括东周、秦汉时代的化遗存。主要遗迹有灰坑、灰沟、水井、陶窑和汉、唐时代的墓葬。主要遗物有陶鬲、罐、盆、豆、盂等。韩岗遗址的发掘,揭示了该地区从春秋中期到两汉早期的化面貌。通过发掘认识到,春秋中期较多地保留了中原化的因素,反映出楚化北部的区域特色;秦汉之际的化面貌发生了变化,产生了许多新的化因素。韩岗遗址的发掘对邓城城址及该地区的古代化研究提供了重要的资料。     

山东博兴县利戴遗址清理简报

利戴遗址为省级文物保护单位利城遗址的一部分,整个遗址面积约60万平方米.利戴遗址以龙山文化遗存为主,此次清理的5座灰坑及1座半地穴式房址均为龙山文化遗迹,其中出土陶、石、蚌器38件.从出土的器物看,该遗址龙山文化遗存的文化面貌与潍坊姚官庄、鲁家口和青州凤凰台相类似,其年代约为龙山文化早期偏晚阶段并一直延续到龙山文化晚期.     

Like You Need a Hole in the Head: Tool Innovation a Possible Cause of Trephination. A Case from Kerma,Nubia

This paper presents one case from Kerma (ind‐14.1.595 or K317) which was initially reported to have a ‘fatal traumatic wound’ in the front of the skull. The individual has a dime sized, circular hole with no radiating or concentric fracture lines associated with it. It also shows clear evidence of healing along the inside edges of the pathology. This was according to the preliminary, and only, analysis performed when excavated at Kerma (1913–1916), which was most likely performed by a crew member not formerly trained in anthropology, or medical science. Differential diagnosis will be discussed with respect to this lesion actually being a form of traumatic injury, possible remnants of a bony tumour, and trephination, among other diagnoses. Trephination has been identified in ancient Egypt and Nubian studies, though it is a rarity. Although trephination is a possible cause for the present lesion, this example does not fit the morphology of any other examples of the practise from this region or time period. Given that there have been similar borings witnessed on architecture from the Egyptian Old Kingdom, this lesion may suggest implementation of an already present architectural tool for medical purposes among the Kerma Nubians. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solifluction-induced modifications of archaeological levels: simulation based on experimental data from a modern periglacial slope and application to French Palaeolithic sites

The taphonomic study of Petit-Bost, Croix-de-Canard and Cantalouette II, three Palaeolithic sites that were recently discovered near Périgueux and Bergerac (Dordogne, France) in a colluvial context, has enlightened the difficulty of adequately appreciating the relative role of cultural and natural processes in site spatial patterning. Periglacial solifluction was thought to have played a significant role in site formation. Because the nature of the modifications induced by solifluction was still poorly understood, a simulation was made using data of soil movement recorded at La Mortice (French Southern Alps, 3100 m in elevation) in a modern periglacial environment. The results show that, for a knapping location, the first steps of deformation are typified both by a downslope translation of the location center and by an anisotropic diffusion of the artifacts. The knapping spot becomes elongated along the slope, with a dense relic concentration of artifacts in the upslope portion. This type of pattern has been obtained after 100–200 years of simulated displacement according to the climatic and soil conditions that characterise the La Mortice site. The ultimate stages of deformation show that the artifact distribution tends to homogenise on larger surfaces and resemble a random distribution. The ability of the simulated patterns to closely fit those observed in archaeological contexts is evaluated at three sites from Southwestern France. At Petit-Bost, the hypothesis of limited solifluction explains accurately the association of both cultural (artifact concentrations) and natural (artifact preferred orientation) features. At Croix-de-Canard, long-term solifluction can be proposed. By contrast, the simulated patterns do not describe the structures observed on the steeper slopes at Cantalouette II, where the knapping spot transforms into distinct solifluction lobes.     

The woman of Pritschoena: an example of the German neolithic neurosurgery in Saxony-Anhalt

We present an outstanding example of successful prehistoric double trephination dating between 2700 and 2200 BC, most likely to the Corded Ware culture, at the end of the Neolithic Age. The particularity of this case is the presence of a double trephination, one frontal over the sinus sagittal superior and one parietal right. There is evidence that the patient survived months to years after the operations. The purpose of the procedure is not known. The case confirms the astonishing degree of technical skills reached in Saxony-Anhalt over 4500 years ago without anesthetic, antiseptic, or technologic aids.     

The woman behind the syndrome: Frey's syndrome — the untold story*

We present an outstanding example of successful prehistoric double trephination dating between 2700 and 2200 BC, most likely to the Corded Ware culture, at the end of the Neolithic Age. The particularity of this case is the presence of a double trephination, one frontal over the sinus sagittal superior and one parietal right. There is evidence that the patient survived months to years after the operations. The purpose of the procedure is not known. The case confirms the astonishing degree of technical skills reached in Saxony-Anhalt over 4500 years ago without anesthetic, antiseptic, or technologic aids.     

Tradisi and Turisme: Music,Dance, and Cultural Transformation at the Ubud Palace,Bali, Indonesia

This article investigates relationships between music and place through analysis of performances for tourists at a prominent site, Puri Saren Agung (the Ubud Palace) in the Balinese village of Ubud. These performances are representative of ways in which Balinese traditional cultural representation is transformed when it is packaged for tourist consumption. Through a number of readings of the palace, potential meanings for music are shown to be dependent on the past and present identities of this site. This is heightened by a view of changes in the palace's status and uses as a metaphor for ongoing developments in Balinese music and dance, and thus of ways in which tourism has been, and continues to be, a force in Balinese cultural production.     

吉林省扶余县陶西林场遗址发掘简报

陶西林场遗址是为数不多的保存较好的大型金代遗址.此次发掘,仅仅只是揭露了其中的一小部分,发现了众多的遗迹,出土了丰富的遗物.尤其檐瓦的纹饰种类更是在以往的发掘中少见,这为研究金代物质文化提供了又一批宝贵的资料.另外,在F2磉堆中出土的佛像残块,还向我们揭示了该遗址区域内或附近可能存在过寺庙,这无疑给我们探寻金代寺庙址及寺庙文化提供了宝贵的线索.