Measuring Root Dentine Translucency in Human Teeth of Varying Antiquity

Many workers have calibrated human root dentine transparency (RDT) as a linear regression on age. It is now regarded as a well-established means of estimating age at death in modern human material. Similar applications in archaeological material have not yet been developed. The aim of this study was to establish a standard protocol for measuring RDT which was derived from previous methods and which could be applied to teeth of unknown and varying antiquity. An initial study on two archaeological populations determined the choice of tooth to study and a second study, using expendable teeth (of unknown age and origin), evaluated various techniques of specimen preparation and examination. Findings from the pilot study indicated that the lower canine was the tooth of choice. From the second study it was observed that archaeological teeth could only be sectioned if they had first been infiltrated and embedded in methyl methacrylate. The optimal section thickness was found to be 150 μm and no benefit was gained by staining. Inter-observer reliability tests showed significant differences in repeated measures of RDT in intact teeth, which were not borne out when sectioned teeth were used. Intra-observer reliability was maintained for measurements in both intact and sectioned teeth. These findings have been used to establish a standard protocol for application to human teeth of any depositional phase to estimate the dental age at death of that individual.     

长江三峡地区远古人类埋葬习俗（墓葬）资料的考古发现与研究

本文根据考古发掘公布的数百座新石器时代墓葬资料,对长江三峡地区距今约6000年至4000年之间的远古人类埋葬习俗作了系统研究,反映了当时人类社会历史发展中的各个方面。     

Cystic Mandibular Lesion in the Antiquity. A Rare Finding

Ameloblastoma is a not uncommon tumour reported in the clinical literature and is characterised by a multilocular cavity with ‘soap bubble’ pattern usually in the posterior body of the mandible. A review of the palaeopathology literature did not reveal any examples of ameloblastoma. In this paper, a probable case of ameloblastoma in a male skeleton, 45 – 55 years at age of death, from Casserres, Barcelona, Spain, (ca ad V‐IX centuries) is presented. This case was identified during the anthropological study of the remains in the laboratory of biological anthropology in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The mandible of this individual (AEC'07‐C2‐139) exhibits unusual features, like cavitated lesions in the posterior side of the right gonion and the expansion of the right ramus of the mandible. All these features are consistent with ameloblastoma. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Late Reverberation of Antiquity in Vernacular Architecture of Moravia

This study examines in detail an extinct building tradition in the territory of central and southern Moravia, where the earthen constructions of the Moravian-Pannonian house type were widespread in the lowlands. The greatest attention has been paid to a specific building technology which utilizes cobs, namely mud-lumps called války. These represent a unique construction solution that goes beyond the central European context of earthen building. Different variations of this building technique were used in the studied area for the construction of barns, some houses, detached storage buildings and fences.     

On the Seclusion of Women in Antiquity

Summary: The study of the feminine in ancient Iran is an area which deserves much greater attention than it has thus far received. By utilizing a number of primary sources, textual and otherwise, a few observations are offered here which concern the rites of women through the centuries. These evolving rites, which are described by the doctors of the then-dominant religion of Zarathustra, deal with the preservation of purity through seclusion of women in a world which is under constant attack from the demonic, polluting forces. Throughout the essay, the different means of fighting this battle are explored and suggestions for further research in the field are made.     

The Politics of Caring for the Poor: Anglican Responses in 1890s Tasmania

Relieving poverty amongst skilled but unemployed workers during the Tasmanian economic collapse in the 1890s challenged both a conservative government's policy of avoiding public debt by initiating minimal relief and the limited financial and human resources of voluntary philanthropic agencies, the Anglican Church amongst them, whom the Tasmanian governments expected to carry the burden of delivering relief to those deemed to deserve it. With labour organisations too weak to lead, and amidst the silence of church leaders, it fell to individuals like the Reverend Archibald Turnbull to articulate a Christian socialist critique of government policies and values and to advocate the desperate plight of the poor. In this context, this study examines how contemporary government and Anglican Church leaders responded to Turnbull's political and pastoral initiatives in Hobart in 1893–96.     

Reconsidering the Antiquity of Trade on Madeline Island: A View from the Cadotte Site in Northern Wisconsin

Abstract

The Cadotte site, excavated in 1961, is often cited in archaeological and ethnohistorical literature as an example of a short term, mid-seventeenth century refugee encampment of the Huron and/or Odawa circa 1660–1670. A closer examination of the site assemblage has resulted in a reassessment of the general assumptions regarding the site and its use by Huron and Odawa during the mid-seventeenth century. The ceramic assemblage indicates that the site was occupied much earlier and for a longer period than previously understood, circa 1620–1670. This is supported by the European trade goods assemblage. It is also argued that the site served a specialized function, as a place of seasonal rendezvous for the Ontario Odawa and their central Algonquin trading partners. Further, the character of the pottery suggests that a portion of the sample may reflect Algonquin mimicry of Ontario Wendat traditions. The revised understanding of the time depth and function of the site, as well as the character of its associated ceramic assemblage, has also prompted the reconsideration of the identity of the Algonquin groups who visited the island, and the antiquity of the Ojibwe presence at this locale.     

Illustrating the Phaenomena: Celestial Cartography in Antiquity and the Middle Ages

Abstract

The Ordnance Survey's Boundary Survey, carried out between 1841 and 1888, was a major undertaking which resulted in the local administrative boundaries of the whole of Great Britain being reliably mapped for the first time. This was not achieved by imposition but by the use of local knowledge of boundaries, thus making permanent a communal memory of administrative geography and rendering it globally accessible through maps. The Boundary Survey aided the reform of local government areas, a process which started during the same period and provided derived data for the burgeoning collection of statistics in the nineteenth century.     

Nothofagus macrofossils from the Tertiary of Tasmania

Leaves assignable to Nothofagus from two fossil deposits in Tasmania represent the first macrofossils of this genus from the Tertiary in southeastern Australia. One fossil species, N. johnstonii, is closely related to the extant Australian species N. cunninghamii while the other fossil species, N. tasmanica, has very close affinites with the extant Australian species N. moorei. All four of these species are closely interrelated. The pollen type produced by the fossil species is unknown, since all three types are present in the microfloras. However, both N. cunninghamii and N. moorei produce N. menziesii-type pollen. The macrofossils confirm the conclusion from pollen studies that evolution in Nothofagus has occurred very slowly.