Facilitating Interaction: Board Games as Social Lubricants in the Ancient Near East

This re‐evaluation of existing data on board games from the Near Eastern Bronze Age demonstrates their function as social lubricants in cross‐cultural interaction. Board games are situated theoretically as liminoid practices, which lie outside the bounds of normative social behaviour and allow for interaction across social boundaries. Utilizing double‐sided game boards, with an indigenous game on one side and a newly introduced game on the other, the games of senet, mehen and twenty squares provide evidence for social interactions. Cypriots had adopted Egyptian mehen and senet by the third millennium BC, and indigenized the games. This lies in contrast to the game of twenty squares, which had a particular role among elites in the Late Bronze Age interaction sphere. This anthropological discussion of evidence relating to gaming seeks to inspire further research on the role of board games in society.     

No laughing matter: Antiquity in Greek political cartoons

Abstract

This article discusses the deployment of antiquity in Greek political cartoons covering the period from 1974 to the present. It argues that in order to function cartoons must rely on preconceptions and widespread popular beliefs; they thus can be seen as an important source for the investigation of popular stereotypes of antiquity. Moreover they engage actively in the construction of visual memory through the visualization of abstract notions. Greek political cartoons are shown often to use the most easily recognisable themes from antiquity and rely on its moral authority (stemming from the position of antiquity in the national imagination and public discourse) in order to critique and ridicule policies and politicians. The authority of antiquity itself, however, is rarely questioned. Cartoons and antiquity are not involved in a simple relationship of representation; theirs is rather a relationship of engagement, a relationship of veneration and submission which constructs a reality where the dividing lines between the past and the present are blurred, a reality which is structured by the powerful symbolic order of national memory.     

How Much Life do I Lose from the Plague? Educational Board Games as Teaching Tools in Archaeology and Ancient History Courses

This article describes the development, implementation, assessment, debriefing and outcomes, and potential uses of a university student-driven educational gaming project, as a major assessment item in an archaeology course entitled ‘Ancient Medicine’. Discussion of these various aspects of the project is explored in the context of educational gaming theory and practice. We demonstrate that educational board games not only represent an effective method for students to retain and convey information in courses exploring the history and archaeology of medicine, but provide such a platform for undergraduate courses in general. Furthermore, we argue that they can present a cost-effective, fun and less time-/resource-intensive alternative to electronic or web-based projects, while still being an attractive addition to traditional classroom teaching methods.     

The early Byzantine economy in context: aristocratic property and economic growth reconsidered

This article responds to recent primitivist claims with respect to the late antique economy of the early Byzantine period. It examines the archaeological and documentary evidence for economic sophistication in early Byzantine Egypt, and addresses the issue of economic growth in late antiquity as a whole by placing the evidence for early Byzantine economic expansion in a broader medieval context. In particular, the epiphenomena of economic growth in late antiquity are compared to the epiphenomena of statistically demonstrable economic growth in Anglo‐Norman England.     

云南地方的古代历史记载与史学

汉晋至元代是云南古代地方史学发展的早期阶段 ,其中汉晋时期是云南史学的萌起时期 ,开始出现了专门记载云南地方历史的、带有方志特点的史著 ;南诏大理国时期 (即唐宋时期 )为云南史学发展的关键时期 ,地方志史书的编撰趋于成熟 ,史籍体例日趋丰富 ,信史特征更加明显。元代为云南古代早期史学的成熟期 ,云南地方史学的编撰直追中原内地的发展水平。而且云南古代史学发展从一个侧面体现了云南地方文化与中原文化交流和融合     

Models of war 1770–1830: the birth of wargames and the trade-off between realism and simplicity

The first sophisticated wargames (military board games) were developed between 1770 and 1830 and are models of military conflict. Designers of these early games experimented fruitfully with different concepts that were formulated in interaction with the external dynamics of the military systems that they tried to represent and the internal dynamics of the design process itself. The designers of early wargames were confronted with a problem that affects all models: the trade-off between realism and simplicity, which in the case of wargames amounts to the trade-off between realism and playability. I try to show how different game concepts were developed as an answer to this problem, and how these seemingly arcane concepts form a relevant topic of investigation in the history of ideas. Moreover, a direct offshoot of this conceptual experimentation between 1770 and 1830 was the ‘free’ German wargame (Kriegsspiel), which became an integral part of German operational planning in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, thus adding another chapter to the story of the influence of ideas on human history.     

An Independent Confirmation of the 4 ka Antiquity of a Beeswax Figure in Western Arnhem Land,Northern Australia

Critical to any chronology is reliability in the determination of age for a distinctive artefact that is related to other components in a series. Therefore, the independent testing and verification of the antiquity of an apparent anomalous measurement for an old beeswax figure in northern Australia is of fundamental interest in rock art studies. Replication of the radiocarbon dating process has confirmed that one exceptional figure in early X‐ray style at the Gunbilngmurrung site in western Arnhem Land is indeed c. 4–4.5 ka. The result also confirms the great antiquity of paintings over which the beeswax was applied.     

Surrogate Fathers: imaginary dialogue and patristic culture in late antiquity

This article seeks to contribute to recent debates over Christian dialogue in late antiquity. It explores a specific form of dialogue text: invented debates about the definition of correct doctrine, often starring renowned church Fathers and notorious heretics. It argues that, far from symbolizing an ‘end’ to dialogue in late antiquity – closed down by appeals to patristic authorities – these heresiological dialogues helped to perpetuate controversial Christian debates.     

ERZGEBIRGE TIN: A CLOSER LOOK

Summary. The publication of Muhly's Copper and Tin in 1973 was an important contribution to the study of the metals trade in antiquity. However, in his section on Central and Eastern European tin ore deposits, he ruled out the possibility, on geological grounds, that the Erzgebirge might be a source of tin ore in the Bronze Age. This paper is not in agreement with this conclusion, and attempts to reinstate the Erzgebirge as a viable source of tin in antiquity.     

"故事"与"古史":贯通20世纪二三十年代 "疑古"和"释古"的一条道路

一般认为20世纪二三十年代"疑古"与"释古"两条学术路向分别代表了破坏古史和重建古史两条不同的路线。这一看法大体成立。但二者在观念上也有不少相通乃至相同的地方。一方面,"重建派"学者在研究中也运用了与顾颉刚非常相似的"层累说"观察古史的构成,而历史研究中的"故事眼光"更成为贯穿"疑古"和"释古"的一条道路。另一方面,"疑古派"在辨伪过程中也发展出来一些与"重建派"非常相似的具有建设意义的观念,但因其给人留下的"破坏"的形象过强而被忽视了。     

Earliest evidence of spinal tuberculosis from the Aneolithic Yayoi period in Japan

Tuberculosis has existed from early prehistoric days to modern times. The main causative agents of tuberculosis worldwide are Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and M. bovis, along with M. africanum, M. cenettii and M. microti; these species make up the ‘M. tuberculosis complex’. This worldwide infection has been of special interest to palaeopathologists due to its characteristic bone lesions as well as its great antiquity. Historically, tuberculosis has been recognised in Japan for more than a thousand years. However, the origin and early prevalence of tuberculosis remain unknown. In the present study, we present the earliest evidence of skeletal tuberculosis found in the Aneolithic Yayoi period in Japan (ca. 300 BC to AD 300). The skeletal remains showing typical pathological changes of spinal tuberculosis were dated to between 454 BC and AD 124 by dendrochronological methods using coburied arrow-shield board and house columns made of Japanese cedar. We discuss the early prevalence of this infectious disease and its influence on the population history of the Japanese from prehistoric to Aneolithic times. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Did Women Have a Transformation of the Roman World?

Despite intense and interdisciplinary interest in the transition from antiquity to the middle ages, work on women and gender generally remains marginal to the dominant paradigms for understanding political and social change in the period from c. 300 to c. 800 ce . This article critiques these interpretations from a gendered perspective and also reviews recent work on women and gender in late antiquity, Byzantium and the early medieval Europe. By outlining similarities and contrasts between women's lives in early medieval western and Byzantine cultures, it emphasises the diversity of women's experience. Suggestions about how to envisage a fully gendered history of this period conclude with a call for radically new approaches to the study of the transformation of the Roman world.     

清理与重构:吕思勉的神话研究

上古史是中国近代历史学的重要研究对象,有关上古神话的研究更引起了广泛关注。吕思勉利用文献考据、社会从低级到高级的发展规律及“统属思维”塑造的“同质人类群体”的概念,对上古神话进行清理和重构,形成了区别于传统的新解释,并尝试以此取代传统思想中有关上古神话的“旧常识”。这种新旧知识迭代背后隐藏着吕思勉以“统属性思维”取代“关联性思维”的研究理路,是近代新史学打造学科话语体系的尝试,也彰显出历史学家普遍面对的“当下主义”的困境,以及这种困境对于历史知识迭代的意义。     

Trephination as a possible treatment for scurvy in a middle bronze age (ca. 2200 BC) skeleton

Although trephination of sub-adults in antiquity is rare, scurvy both infantile and adult, is even more rare in the archaeological record. Pathological changes appearing in the maxilla, mandible and orbits of a child of 8–9 years of age are highly suggestive of infantile scurvy. Advanced forms of this metabolic disturbance lead to severe subperiosteal haemorrhaging, at times turning the skin of the face and skull black. This condition may have led to the trephination along the sagittal suture as a form of blood letting in hopes of draining the subperiosteal haemorrhage in the cranium. Although cause and effect are often confusing in antiquity, the surgical intervention presented here led to the ultimate death of the child.     

Bear Imagery and Ritual in Northeast North America: An Update and Assessment of A. Irving Hallowell's Work

Abstract

Over seventy years ago, A. Irving Hallowell called attention to the widespread distribution of bear ceremonialism among boreal cultures of northern Eurasia and North America. He showed that reverence for the bear was governed primarily by sociopsychological factors of possible great antiquity. This study draws on Hallowell's insights and uses a holistic approach to interpret bear imagery and ritual found in archaeological contexts for northeastern North America. Various data demonstrate the antiquity and variability of bear ceremonialism including the communal feasting of bear brains, ritual use of skull masks, public display of skulls in elevated positions, various expressions of symbolism in art, ritual disposal of post-cranial remains, and widespread distribution of bear clans with their associated rituals and leadership roles. Cross-culturally, the bear may signify a dangerous predatory animal opposed to humans while simultaneously looking and behaving like a person, thus representing a source of power as an other-than-human being.     

Strontium isotope analysis of human tooth enamel from Barsinia: a late antiquity site in Northern Jordan

The archaeological site of Barsinia represents a model of a mixed subsistence strategy in the late antiquity of Jordan. Contrary to historians' belief that the late antiquity economy was stagnated, archaeological evidence at the site of Barsinia points to wealth accumulation as mirrored by the local wine industry and trade. As the economic growth may enhance population dynamics, the study tests the population mobility at the site using strontium isotope ratios from the human tooth enamel. The study comprised 12 right upper third molars and 12 rodent teeth samples. The results confirm that all of the sampled individuals were local to the area (raised in the area) and whose diets were probably obtained from spatially restricted localities in the region.     

THERMOLUMINESCENCE AUTHENTICITY MEASUREMENTS ON CORE MATERIAL FROM THE BRONZE HORSE OF THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

The Bronze Horse of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, suspected in recent years of being a modern forgery, is shown by thermoluminescence to have been made in antiquity. Besides the standard thermoluminescence measurements, a new technique was used, utilizing single, highly radioactive grains of zircon separated from the core material of the horse. The zircon grains, because of their high radioactivities (100–200 ppm) and subsequent large internal alpha doses (60–170 krad), are negligibly affected by γ irradiations given to the horse during previous examination. The results show the horse was made 2000 to 4000 years ago, consistent with a work of classical antiquity.     

Anatomical evidence for the antiquity of human footwear: Tianyuan and Sunghir

Trinkaus [Trinkaus, E., 2005. Anatomical evidence for the antiquity of human footwear use. J. Archaeol. Sci. 32, 1515–1526] provided a comparative biomechanical analysis of the proximal pedal phalanges of western Eurasian Middle Paleolithic and Middle Upper Paleolithic humans, in the context of those of variably shod recent humans. The anatomical evidence indicated that supportive footwear was rare in the Middle Paleolithic but became frequent by the Middle Upper Paleolithic. Based on that analysis, additional data are provided for the Middle Upper Paleolithic (∼27,500 cal BP) Sunghir 1 and the earlier (∼40,000 cal BP) Tianyuan 1 modern humans. Both specimens exhibit relatively gracile middle proximal phalanges in the context of otherwise robust lower limbs. The former specimen reinforces the association of footwear with pedal phalangeal gracility in the Middle Upper Paleolithic. Tianyuan 1 indicates a greater antiquity for the habitual use of footwear than previously inferred, predating the emergence of the Middle Upper Paleolithic.     

Trading Shovels for Controllers: A Brief Exploration of the Portrayal of Archaeology in Video Games

Archaeology has been a persistent theme for video games, from the long-running Indiana Jones and Lara Croft franchises to more recent uses of archaeology in games like Destiny and World of Warcraft. In these games, archaeology is often portrayed as a search for treasure among lost worlds that leads to looting and the destruction of cultural heritage. In this article, we review the current state of archaeological video games, including mainstream and educational games. While this is not an exhaustive discussion, it provides an introduction and overview to the current landscape. We propose that an understanding of current popular archaeological video games is important to archaeologists for three reasons: (1) it is a source of potentially dangerous misconceptions about the discipline that must be addressed; (2) it can be a source of inspiration for funding and a means to recruit new students to the discipline; and (3) games can be leveraged as teaching moments in classrooms and public discussions. It is important that archaeologists recognize the ways the discipline is being portrayed in such public contexts, in order to maximize the potential benefit for archaeology and to prevent further misconceptions about the subject.     

Wissenschaft — Mathematik — Technik: Ihre Wechselwirkung in der Antike

The question whether there exists an interaction between ‘science’ (foreign text ignored) and ‘technology’ (foreign text ignored, esp. foreign text ignored) in Greek and Roman antiquity is discussed controversially until today. Especially representatives of the philologies strictly deny any form of relation, whereas modern scientists tend to take for granted that the current interaction between (exact) natural sciences and technology has always existed, at least since the beginning of real natural science founded by the ancient Greeks. This paper shows that both parties are right — at least in a certain way. Following current terminology and contents of ‘science’ and ‘technology’ there had been such an interaction — particularly with mathematics as linking element in so far as in antiquity especially foreign text ignored (mechanics) was regarded as applied mathematics and not as science. The strong interaction between pure mathematics and such fields of applied mathematics (namely mechanical technology) based on the fact that technological (mechanical) artefacts were properly constructed mathematically. Some of them are mentioned in this paper (astrolabes and sundials, waterclocks, tools and machines — especially lifting gears, bucket elevators, guns, pneumatic tools —, architecture of temples); in so far the supporters of an interaction between science and technology are right. However, the post-Aristotelian Greeks and Romans did not consider mathematics to be part of ‘science (of nature)’ as the post-kantian exact scientists do. Mathematics to them was a mere ‘art’ — consequently, in the mentioned cases there had been an interaction between ‘arts’ and of course not between ‘science’ and ‘art’ (technology); and in so far those are right who deny an interaction between natural science and technology. This shows that the contrariety of the answers to the question depends on the different terminology chosen. Following the current understanding of ‘exact natural science’ the answer is: yes; following the conception of ‘science’ in the self-understanding of Greek and Roman antiquity the answer is: no — and this is right as well! The reason for this apparent contrariety are just the different meanings and contents of ‘science (of nature)’ in antiquity and modern times.