Fork formation and other signs of osteophagia on a long bone swallowed by a red deer stag (Cervus elaphus)

A right anterior cannon bone (os metacarpale 3 + 4) of a red deer that was found in the reticulum of a 7-year-old red deer stag is described. The bone, which had accidentally been swallowed by the stag, showed clear signs of bone chewing (osteophagia), the most prominent being the formation of a fork at its distal end. Knowledge of the possible bone changes brought about by ruminant osteophagia may prevent the erroneous interpretation of skeletal remains as being worked by hominids.     

The taphonomy of fallow deer (Dama dama) skeletons from Denmark and its bearing on the pre-Weichselian occupation of northern Europe by humans

The ecological tolerances of Neandertals, their ability to subsist in the dense forests of full interglacials, and their capacity to colonize northern latitudes are the subject of ongoing debate. The site of Hollerup (northern Denmark) lies at the northern extreme of the Neandertal range. Dated by various techniques to the Eemian interglacial (MIS 5e), this site has yielded the remains of several purportedly butchered fallow deer (Dama dama). Taphonomic reanalysis of the remains from Hollerup and a handful of other Eemian-aged fallow deer skeletons cast doubt on the interpretation that they were humanly modified. We place this revised conclusion into the wider context of human settlement of southern Scandinavia during the Eemian. Other claims of Neandertal presence in the region rest on candidate Middle Paleolithic artifacts, all of which derive from surface contexts. With the fallow deer material removed as a secure indicator of Neandertal settlement of Denmark during the last interglacial, this lithic material must be viewed with renewed skepticism. While ecological and/or topographic factors may have played an important role in preventing Neandertals from penetrating into peninsular Scandinavia, we caution that geological, taphonomic, research-historical, and demographic factors may have significantly distorted our picture of their occupation in this region.     

New evidence for the establishment and management of the European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) in Roman Britain

The semi-domestic status of the European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) renders its ancient biogeography a reflection of human activity with the potential to provide important insights into the movement, trade patterns and ideology of past societies. Given this potential, fallow deer have received surprisingly little attention from scientists within the fields of archaeology, biology and zoology. Here we present new AMS radiocarbon dates, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data and genetic evidence (the first ancient DNA sequences for the species) resulting from the analysis of a set of remains recovered from the Roman settlement at Monkton on the Isle of Thanet, Kent, UK. By viewing our results against the very limited available comparative data, this paper provides new information for the establishment and management of fallow deer in Britain. We argue that much more could be achieved with even a slight increase in sample sizes and a plea is made for greater research into this culturally significant species.     

The use of dental crown heights for constructing age profiles of red deer and similar species in archaeological samples

The analysis of dental crown heights in a sample of known-age American Red deer (known in America as “elk”) has permitted the derivation of formulae for the prediction of age from crown height. The ages predicted from crown heights closely approximate true ages, when both predicted and true ages are grouped into broad, but still useful age classes. At least for the Red deer or “elk” dP₄, M₂ and M₃, age prediction formulae very similar to the empirically derived ones may be constructed by making certain hypothetical assumptions about the nature and rate of crown attrition. This suggests that these assumptions may be used to construct age prediction formulae in situations where an empirical relationship between age and crown height has not been or cannot be established. With certain provisos noted in the text, the age prediction formulae that result will probably provide reasonably reliable age profiles for the numerous ungulate species whose teeth are similar in structure to those of Red deer or “elk” and at least as hypsodont.     

A red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) skeleton from seamer carrs, Cleveland, England: Provenance of the skeleton and palaeoecology of the site

A Red deer, Cervus elaphus L., skeleton from Seamer Carrs was excavated and the collagen fraction of one of the bones dated to 4330 ± 100 bp (Birm. 977). The bones were embedded in a limnic sediment that was dated to 7360 ± 120bp(Birm.882). This date was confirmed by the pollen assemblage, which indicated a Flandrian I/II chronozone age. The date of the Cervus bone is explained by its movement vertically downwards in the limnic sediment. Attention is drawn to the number of large mammalian skeletons that have been recovered from Seamer Carrs during drainage operations and subsequently, and to the mesolithic and neolithic artifacts recovered from the slopes around the Carrs.     

Disentangling long bones of foxes (Vulpes vulpes and Alopex lagopus) from arctic archaeological sites

To discern the presence of two anatomically close species within an archaeological assemblage is always a problem for the analyst. A particularly interesting case is the distinction between the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), which is often determined using non-rigorous criteria and producing results that must be regarded with caution. Classical methods for separating these two species and determining sexual dimorphism, and eventually the sex ratio, such as analyses using uni- and bivariate plots, are based on arbitrarily fixed limits between sexes. In this text, a more robust statistical method termed mixture analysis (MA) is used to determine the species of limb bones from foxes. First, the MA is applied to a sample of each species using metric data taken from a collection of present-day fox skeletons. Afterwards, the MA is applied to archaeological samples dated to the Dorset period and retrieved from the Tayara site (near Salluit, South Hudson Strait, Nunavik). The results clearly demonstrate that the greatest length (GL) of long bones, especially the humerus and tibia, is the best measurement for distinguishing the species, followed by the distal breadth and the proximal breadth; and that GL is better suited for sexing foxes. The results of MA applied to the Tayara site collection lead to the conclusion that the red fox is present along with the arctic fox among the assemblage, and that there is no fox body size change during the last two millennia in the Eastern Arctic.     

A study by thermal treatment and X-ray powder diffraction on burnt fragmented bones from tombs II,IV and IX belonging to the hypogeic necropolis of “Sa Figu” near Ittiri,Sassari (Sardinia,Italy)

In the course of an anthropological investigation of three tombs of the hypogeic necropolis of “Sa Figu” (near the village of Ittiri in North Sardinia, Italy), numerous burnt bone fragments were collected. In particular, from the whole necropolis we selected a tenth of long bones from tomb IV, a small fragment of femur from tomb II and four fragments belonging to tomb IX. The aim of this work is to determine a temperature range to which the bone fragments were heated, in order to assess a funerary cremation which was presumably used at that time to quickly and hygienically eliminate the flashy parts of deceased people rather than a purification rite with fires inside the sepulchres. We attempted to evaluate the range of temperature to which the bones were likely subjected, making a joint use of thermal treatment and powder X-ray diffraction investigations. From our X-ray line broadening results carried out with a modern approach (Rietveld method), it emerged that a group of five fragmented burnt bones (one specimen belonging to tomb IV, the other four from tomb IX) were subjected to a heat treatment in a temperature range from 600 and 750 °C. Conversely another group of bones (belonging to tombs II and IV) turned out to be subjected to temperatures not higher than 250 °C.     

北宋西夏间贡赐交往中的开封与兴庆（银川）

北宋对外交往活动中,与西夏王朝维持着一种特殊的政治经济关系。双方官方的贡赐交往,在宋都开封与夏都兴庆之间架起了一座桥梁。两个城市之间相互学习,取长补短,使夏化得以长足发展,同时也使宋化广为传播。开封、兴庆之间的影响是相互的,而开封对兴庆的影响则是主要的。     

1766年以来永定河汛期径流量与太平洋年代际振荡

以清代永定河芦沟桥志桩尺寸记录为骨干资料,结合近现代器测水文资料,使用分段建模的方法恢复了1766-2004年永定河芦沟桥断面的汛期径流量序列,序列表明永定河径流量在逐年尺度上具有极大的不稳定性,但其洪峰规模自19世纪以来不断减小,19世纪中期与20世纪初期是最为明显的丰水时段,而1920年代后径流量便明显萎缩,枯水期一直延续至现代。进入1920年代后,流量变化在18世纪后期至19世纪存在的30年准周期消失,水量变化呈现无周期特征。与太平洋年代际振荡指标PDO的比对发现,两者在30-40年尺度上具有明显的反相关关系,天然状态下,太平洋温度升高对应于永定河流域较为干旱的时段。海温异常造成的季风强度变化会导致华北地区降雨格局出现变化,进而影响到永定河芦沟桥以上河段的汛期水量,表明处于季风区北部边缘的永定河水系对于太平洋海温变动具有更大的敏感性。     

Promoting Environmental Education for Sustainable Development: The Value of Links between Higher Education and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Environmental sustainability education, the dissemination of environmental education for sustainable development into the community, should be a lifelong process and not one restricted to a learner's years in higher education. Informal environmental sustainability education, including personal involvement in NGO environmental action, can be an effective way of increasing the understanding of environmental and sustainability issues. NGO projects help provide practical environmental education to environmentally aware people who have built their careers in other areas. In the process, they help environmental awareness to trickle into areas of life where it would not ordinarily impinge. In this case study of a community-based land reclamation research project, supported jointly by the NGO Earthwatch and Oxford Brookes University, analysis of the motivations and experiences of project volunteers shows that their aims include making a personal contribution to enhancing the quality of the environment and networking with like-minded individuals, and that they expect to carry their new understanding back into their everyday lives to influence other people in their workplace. Engagement in practical work and action research may help overcome some of the negativity linked to many assessments of the human impact on the environment and, working together, universities and NGOs can more effectively ‘think globally and act locally’. NGOs may provide the best hope for helping to change the destructive aspects of modern society but they are vulnerable through financial dependency on sponsors, volunteers and donors.     

《论语》“民”、“入”的实际所指与词义特点

本对《论语》中的单音词“民”与“人”的使用情况作了穷尽性的考察,认为《论语》“人”的词义主要指称“有仁德与才能”、“在位”;“民”的词义指称在“知”和“地位”上处于“下等”的众庶。“民”的词义特点是“下”,“人”的词义特点是“上”。这种“下”、“上”的区别反映出的社会现实是：在春秋时代,孔子与弟子有仁德,仁人、贤人、善士、人才有贤能,但不在位;而居于上位的君王、诸侯、卿大夫大多“不仁”、“不德”、“不贤”。众庶则处于为“君”所“使”的“低下”地位。     

口岸市场上中外鸦片的竞争与替代（1877-1912）--基于芜湖海关资料分析

芜湖为近代皖省的唯一通商口岸。在1877—1912年间,外国鸦片一直是芜湖海关进口价值最高的商品。在这种长期趋势下,外国鸦片进口数量具体呈现出三个阶段性的波动。在第一阶段,芜湖口岸开放,以及税厘成本的比较优势,刺激外国鸦片进口数量上升;在第二阶段,在财政安稳的考量下,官府对本土鸦片全面弛禁,替代作用进一步发挥,外国鸦片进口数量下降。在第三阶段,国内外舆论对中外鸦片的毒品性质进行抨击,促成中英签订禁烟条款,1913年,芜湖海关中外鸦片进口竞争的历史正式结束。可见,在近代中国,鸦片问题始终有着国际因素的影响和考量,是半殖民地经济的典型缩影,深刻地影响着国民的身心健康与经济发展。     

The politics of ‘forgetting’ as poetics of belonging: between Greek self‐narration and reappraisal (Michaniona, 2000/3)

ABSTRACT. The repressive mechanisms of collective memory have received due attention in the social sciences, with scholars examining the ethics of remembering and forgetting and their political implications. This study focuses on episodes that took place in a Northern Greek town in 2000 and 2003, when an Albanian student was twice denied the right to hold the Greek flag during a commemorative national parade. It is argued that this line of action against the student, representative of Greek attitudes towards immigrants in Greece, asserted the locality's participation in the Greek ‘imagined community’. This was made possible through a process of ‘forgetting’ the locality's history and the analogies this presents with the experience of contemporary immigration. Questioning the ethical implications of this collective decision, the article links regional micro‐politics to nationalist discourses that originate in the European project itself.     

论晚清上海作为全国外贸中心的影响力(1864-1904)——以外贸埠际转运为视角

作为中国最早开放的通商口岸之一,上海开埠后即迅速跃升为全国对外贸易中心。上海通过与各口岸间的外贸埠际转运,将其外贸影响辐射至大半个中国,显示出其全国外贸中心的地位。本文利用系统的海关数据及文字报告,阐述了晚清上海外贸埠际转运在全国的地位、上海的外贸转运网络及其特点,以此为视角反映出晚清上海作为全国外贸中心的影响力。     

咸若馆供藏擦擦佛整理研究——兼及与《诸佛菩萨圣像赞》之比较

咸若馆位于故宫外西路慈宁宫花园内,为该园中主体建筑。乾隆三十七年(1772)在东、西稍间的内壁上增设24个挂龛,用于供奉十二套擦擦三百六十佛,共计4320尊。经整理,咸若馆现存擦擦佛4233尊,其中4217尊属于三百六十佛系列,是利用三世章嘉胡图克图·若必多吉编订、乾隆二十二年十一月初十日(1757年12月20日)最终定型的三百六十佛铜阴佛模制作而成,其余16尊背后无字的擦擦无量寿佛则是清后期的作品。4217尊擦擦佛中目前仅有一套完整的擦擦三百六十佛,其余各套均不全。将这套完整的擦擦三百六十佛与《诸佛菩萨圣像赞》进行比较,两者有354尊佛像完全相同,仅6处存在差别,一致性高达983%。依据中正殿火场残存的《四体文佛名折》等一系列档案,考证其出现差别的原因是《诸佛菩萨圣像赞》和咸若馆供藏擦擦三百六十佛分别是三世章嘉编订三百六十佛过程中的前后两个阶段的作品,前者属于稿本,后者为定本。