Precision in the X-ray fluorescence analysis of sixty-one Augustan quadrantes

Sixty-one Augustan quadrantes were analysed for calcium, iron, nickel, copper, silver, tin, antimony, and lead by X-ray fluorescence. Most coins contained about 99·7% copper with the other seven elements present as trace impurities. Significant differences in composition were found for the three different issues of quadrantes minted in c. 9 BC indicating that these issues were not minted exactly contemporaneously. Quadrantes minted in c. 4 BC have trace element concentrations in ranges that differ from those of the 9 BC quadrantes. The precision is very good for all trace elements (the precision of calcium was not calculated): average standard deviations are 0·0021% for Fe, 0·0026% for Ni, 0·0038% for Ag, 0·0014% for Sn, 0·0031% for Sb, and 0·015 for Pb.     

X-ray fluorescence analysis of late Roman and Sassanian silver plate

About 200 analyses have been made on late Roman and Sassanian silver objects using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence. This has shown that the main feature of the composition of the silver throughout the period and across the geographical area studied was towards high fineness (average silver percentage about 95%). Compositional differences are found between Roman and Sassanian silversmiths' products for the elements copper and lead. Much of the material analysed came from hoards, and using a statistical technique on the analytical data (Discriminant Analysis) broad compositional differences between hoards were found to emerge. The use of different compositions of silver for different joined parts of a single object are discussed.     

Provenance of prehistoric obsidian artefacts from Kul Tepe,northwestern Iran using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis

Analysis by X-ray fluorescence of 53 obsidian artifacts the main source of obsidian for the workshops in Kul Tepe was Syunik but obsidian sources as far as west as the Lake Van region (Nemrut Da? and Meydan Da?) and as far north as Gutansar were also utilized. These new results indicate a broad network of trade and exchange.     

A short note on starch and xylem of Colocasia esculenta (taro) in archaeological deposits from Pitcairn Island,southeast Polynesia

We present results of starch analysis of archaeological deposits from Pitcairn Island. High concentrations of starch grains preserved in cell membranes, and xylem tracheary elements, consistent with introduced Colocasia esculenta (taro) were found. Because of limited age control, we are uncertain if the microfossils are prehistoric. Problems associated with identifying taxa with small starch grains in extractions from weathered deposits are highlighted.     

Non-destructive provenance study of cuneiform tablets using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF)

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) apparatus of the last generation was tested to determine its potential for routine provenance determination of clay cuneiform tablets, which cannot be analyzed by “classical” intrusive methods. A group of tablets from Hattuša (Bo?azköy) and from el Amarna, which were previously provenanced using optical mineralogy (OM) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), was analyzed by pXRF and the results were used to establish the grouping according to their elemental concentrations. These groups were compared with the previous results retrieved by OM and INAA in order to confirm their validity. The results corroborate the high potential of the pXRF for non-destructive study of well-defined, ‘closed’ assemblages of clay-derived, delicate artifacts, such as cuneiform tablets, bullae, and fine-ware pottery. Consequently, a group of previously unexamined tablets from Hattuša was analyzed by pXRF and the results are discussed with implications on future research.     

First discovery of the ancient dingo-type dog in Polynesia (Pukapuka,Cook Islands)

A Dingo-type dog skeleton was excavated in Pukapuka Island of the Cook Islands with an estimated age of about 350 years. Luomala (1960) suggested that an investigation of the breed of Polynesian dogs would provide clues to the history of migration of the Polynesians, who domesticated the dogs. The Pukapuka dog skeleton is morphologically similar to the dingo and suggests some racial or economical interchange among Australia and Polynesian islands before contact with western civilization.     

1881至1914年的东欧犹太移民潮与英国社会

东欧犹太人大规模移居英国的行动,是在19世纪欧洲人口大流动和东欧犹太人大规模外移的背号下,随着俄国大俄罗斯政策的推行而发生的。东欧犹太人的大规模涌入,在英国引起了一场相当罕见、自下而上的反移民运动。特别值得注意的是,英国本土犹太人不仅在总体上反对东欧犹太人大规模移居英国,而且从一开始就采取切实行动,在反移民运动方面做出了比非犹太人乃至英国官方更大的努力和实绩。     

The chronology of Neolithic dispersal in Central and Eastern Europe

We analyze statistically representative samples of radiocarbon dates from key Early Neolithic sites in Central Europe belonging to the Linear Pottery Ceramic Culture (LBK), and of pottery-bearing cultures on East European Plain (Yelshanian, Rakushechnyi Yar, Buh-Dniestrian, Serteya and boreal East European Plain). The dates from the LBK sites form a statistically homogeneous set with the probability distribution similar to a single-date Gaussian curve. This implies that the duration of the spread of the LBK is shorter than the available temporal resolution of the radiocarbon dating; therefore, the rate of spread must be larger than 4 km/yr, in agreement with earlier estimates. The East European sites exhibit a broad probability distribution of dates. We identify in these data a spatio-temporal sequence from south-east to north-west, which implies the rate of spread of the initial pottery-making of the order of 1.6 km/yr, comparable to the average rate of spread of the Neolithic in Western and Central Europe. We argue that this spatio-temporal sequence is consistent with an idea that the tradition of the initial pottery-making on East European Plain developed under an early impulse from the Eastern Steppe.     

Potentialities of X-ray fluorescence analysis in numismatics: the case study of pre-Roman coins from Cisalpine Gaul

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a well-known technique for the analysis of ancient metals. Thanks to the availability of portable instruments (p-XRF), it is extensively used for the chemical characterization of coins directly in museums. In this work, the potentialities of the technique have been investigated, through its application to a case study concerning the Cisalpine Gaul coinage. More than 200 drachmas have been analysed to discriminate different productions on the base of minor elements. Major elements, on the other hand, have been used to trace alloy changes through the centuries. As concerns the quantification of the silver content (fineness), XRF and neutron diffraction results have been compared, in order to check the presence of surface-enriched layers.     

中原文化中的东方因素

20 0 1年 1 2月 8日 ,由哈佛燕京学社等单位主办的中国文化研讨会第十六届年会在哈佛大学举行。会议的主题是“考古学与中国文明的再发现———纪念张光直教授学术研讨会”。在“张光直教授的考古学贡献”专题演讲中 ,有六位学者发言 ,他们就中国考古学的发展、中国古代文明起源的研究和张光直教授对中国考古学做出的杰出贡献 ,作了深入浅出的阐发。此次以中文为工具的考古学讲座 ,吸引了大量听众 ,引起很大反响。为了能够让读者及时了解演讲的内容 ,征得作者同意 ,我们特编发这组文稿。同时也希望通过这组文稿 ,使学术界对张光直教授的考古学贡献有更深层次的了解 ,从而进一步推动中国考古学和中国文明的研究。     

Application of magnetic susceptibility on polished stone tools from Western Hungary and the Eastern part of the Czech Republic (Central Europe)

A non-destructive method – magnetic susceptibility (MS, κ) measurement – was used to characterize about 360 Neolithic, Copper and Bronze age polished stone tools of the Miháldy collection (Laczkó Dezső Museum, Veszprém, Hungary), composed of artefacts from three Neolithic (Moravian Painted Ware) workshops around a source of greenschist at Želešice near Brno (Moravia, Czech Republic) and semifinished artefacts from workshops at Neolithic mines in the Jizerské hory Mts. (Bohemia, Czech Republic); in addition, rock reference samples collected from the possible provenance areas and rock outcrops in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary were analysed as comparative material with the same method. We elaborated a model experience to control the thickness correction factor (TCF) following Williams-Thorpe et al. (2000).Among various stone raw materials of polished artefacts we found basaltic rocks and greenschists-metabasites as the most common.     

浅析中亚国家的社会分化与整合

本文通过对中亚国家独立十年来的民族社会结构分化与社会整合等问题的探讨 ,揭示了中亚各国在独立道路上所遇到的困难与波折 ,分析了中亚各国的社会发展情况。从社会结构的分化上来说 ,中亚各国独立十年来体现在各领域的分层十分明显。从社会整合方面来讲 ,由于前苏联人为地造成的资源分配的不平衡 ,导致中亚各国资源利用上的匮乏 ,致使其政治系统的正常运行受到严重的打击 ,结果给中亚各国的社会整合带来了较大的困难。目前中亚各国的社会整合任重而道远 ,需要社会各部分力量的相互协调与合作。     

The American Palestine Exploration Society and the Survey of Eastern Palestine

Abstract

The Survey of Western Palestine, carried out from 1871 to 1878 by the Palestine Exploration Fund, has become one of the central pieces of scientific research for this region. From its outset, it was conceived as one half of a two-fold project, the other being a survey conducted in the same manner in Transjordan. The Society that was to undertake this, in collaboration with the PEF and their work in Western Palestine, was the American Palestine Exploration Society (APES), founded in 1870. However, by the autumn of 1877, the APES had ceased to exist, and their survey was never widely published. As the first American Society to focus on the Levant as an area of study, the APES is significant, despite its failure to produce a map of lasting value. Many of the founding members went on to be significant players in later, more successful American ventures, notably the American School of Oriental Research. The PEF's archives hold a record of the relationship between the APES in New York, and the PEF in London, and chart the fortunes of the two societies, and their endeavours to map the region east of the Jordan.     

隋末唐初东突厥与中原势力的关系

本共分三个部分,第一部分论述隋末唐初东突厥分化操纵中原各派势力的史事;第二部分分析东突厥对付中原各派势力的策略,指出不同时期东突厥的策论有不同的特点和变化;第三部分讨论东突厥分化操纵中原势力的几种措施,措施的特点以及形成的原因：承袭突厥的传统、借鉴隋朝的经验、利用居住突厥的胡人和华人的作用等等。最后还讨论了东突厥这些措施与中原民族的差异。     

Impact of the Russian Financial Crisis on Stock Exchanges in Central and Eastern Europe

A German economist analyses the structure of capital flows to Central and Eastern European countries following the Russian financial crisis in August 1998. Special attention is devoted to the behavior of equity flows and their impact on the stock exchanges in the region and on enterprises' ability to raise capital. In addition, the paper provides an assessment of the effects of the establishment of pension funds on the development of the stock exchanges and evaluates the prospects for several newly established trading places for stocks of companies from Central and Eastern Europe. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F30, G15, G20. 1 figure, 4 tables, 24 references.     

Pigment analysis in Bronze Age Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean painted plaster by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was used in the examination of Bronze Age painted plaster samples from several sites in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. The elemental content of paint materials was determined in most cases leading to the identification of the pigment used in agreement with data from analyses of the same samples with other established techniques. The analyses demonstrate that a virtually non-destructive technique such as LIBS provides sufficient data for the elemental characterisation of painting materials while in parallel has the capability for routine, rapid analysis of archaeological objects enabling the quick characterisation or screening of different types of artefacts. This certainly shows an important way forward in technological studies of fragile and scarce archaeological material.