On Greenfield's Review of The Encyclopedia of African and African American Religions: A Response

Jack M. Potter. Thai Peasant Social Structure. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976.     

Stringing Together Cowrie Shells in the African Archaeological Record with Special Reference to Southern Africa

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory - Archaeological explorations of the meaning of ‘trade objects’, such as glass beads and cowrie shells, remain hampered by theoretical and...     

The Origin of African Sheep: Archaeological and Genetic Perspectives

Indigenous African sheep genetic resources have been classified into two main groups, fat-tailed and thin-tailed sheep. The fat-tailed sheep are the most widely distributed, being found in a large part of North Africa (from Egypt to Algeria) and in Eastern and Southern Africa (from Eritrea to South Africa). The thin-tailed sheep are present mainly in Morocco, Sudan and in West Africa. African sheep were domesticated outside Africa. They share a common ancestry with European and Asian sheep. Archaeological information supports separate introductions and dispersion histories for the African thin-tailed and fat-tailed sheep. The first sheep entered Africa via the Isthmus of Suez and/or the southern Sinai Peninsula, between 7500 and 7000 BP. They were likely of the thin-tailed type. Fat-tailed sheep entered Africa through its northeastern part and the Horn of Africa. Mitochondrial DNA analysis supports a common maternal ancestral origin for all African sheep, while autosomal and Y chromosome DNA analysis indicates a distinct genetic history for African thin-tailed and sub-Saharan fat-tailed sheep. The main ancestral population of southern African fat-tailed sheep likely originated in East Africa. Further work is needed to assess the possible dispersion of sheep from western Africa to the southern African regions.     

Early African America: Archaeological Studies of Significance and Diversity

This article examines archaeological studies of the cultural heritage and social dynamics of African descendant populations in the United States and Canada from AD 1400 through 1865. European colonial enterprises expanded in Africa and the Americas during that time span, effecting an accompanying movement of free and captive Africans into North America. Archaeological investigations of early African America are remarkable for the diversity of analytic scales and research questions pursued. This diversity of research efforts has yielded a highly productive, interdisciplinary expansion of knowledge concerning African diaspora histories.     

West African Perspective of the World Archaeological Congress: Challenges and Aspirations

This paper looks at how the West African region was involved in the early history and formulation of the World Archaeological Congress. In particular, it describes events around the 9th Congress of the Pan-African Association of Prehistory and Related Studies, held in Jos, Nigeria, in 1983. The question of apartheid South Africa came up in the plenary session of that meting. A resolution was adopted condemning apartheid, and calling for the cessation of all contacts with South African institutions, and for the censure of colleagues and institutions maintaining links with South Africa. This later became the core of the WAC approach to South Africa, adopted by the organizers of the Southampton Congress. Looking ahead, formidable obstacles remain for West African archaeology, many of them structural in nature. Punitive visa requirements, currency crises and the scarcity of resources all prevent West African scholars from participating fully in global scholarship.     

Strontium Isotopes from the Earth to the Archaeological Skeleton: A Review

Strontium isotope analysis of archaeological skeletons has provided useful and exciting results in archaeology in the last 20 years, particularly by characterizing past human migration and mobility. This review covers the biogeochemical background, including the origin of strontium isotope compositions in rocks, weathering and hydrologic cycles that transport strontium, and biopurification of strontium from to soils, to plants, to animals and finally into the human skeleton, which is subject to diagenesis after burial. Spatial heterogeneity and mixing relations must often be accounted for, rather than simply ``matching' a measured strontium isotope value to a presumed single-valued geologic source. The successes, limitations and future potential of the strontium isotope technique are illustrated through case studies from geochemistry, biogeochemistry, ecology and archaeology.

年华似水 岁月如歌——简评《河南考古探索》

河南地处中原 ,扼东西南北交通之要冲。境内群山起伏 ,大河纵横 ,平原辽阔 ,深得天时地利之便。河南历史悠久 ,我们的祖先很早就劳动、生息、繁衍在这方神奇的热土上。日月交替 ,沧桑更迭 ,物华天宝 ,人杰地灵 ,孕育了中华民族灿烂的古代文化。由于战争的频仍 ,王朝的兴衰 ,人民的迁徙 ,河南又成为各民族交融汇合的熔炉。漫长的历史岁月过去了 ,留下了丰富的遗迹和遗物 ,在中国古代文明中占有无可替代的历史地位。旧石器时代文化 ,南来北往 ,东播西传 ,都需经过河南沃野 ;新石器时代文化 ,河南名列前矛 ,成为中国古代文明的重要源头 ;夏商周…     

The History of African Village Chickens: an Archaeological and Molecular Perspective

The history of the introduction and dispersal of village chickens across the African continent is a subject of intense debate and speculation among scholars. Here, we synthesize and summarise the current scientific genetic and nongenetic knowledge in relation to the history of the species on the continent. Sociocultural, linguistic, archaeological and historic data all suggest a complex history for the species in Africa, characterized by multiple maritime and/or terrestrial introductions over time and several dispersal routes towards and within Africa. Molecular genetics information supports these observations and in addition suggests possible Asian centers of origin for African domestic chickens, including South Asia and Island Southeast Asia. However, both sets of data were until now too limited in their geographic scope, both within Africa and in comparison with chickens from Asia, to unravel the history of the species in detail. We anticipate that further continent-wide studies combining archaeological, ancient and/or modern genetic information may shed new insights on the history of the species. These will contribute to a deeper understanding of the history of trading networks and human interactions within Africa and between African and Asian societies, at the root of the development and expansion of African civilizations.     

读《考古学理论·方法·技术》

20世纪 80年代以来 ,随着对外开放的发展 ,国外新的考古学理论与方法渐次传入中国 ,国内考古学者对考古学理论和方法进行了相应的反思并就相关问题开展了一场讨论。在讨论过程中 ,许多学者发表了自己的看法 ,有力地推动了中国考古学理论研究的深入。栾丰实、方辉、靳桂云先生的《考古学理论·方法·技术》 (文物出版社 2 0 0 2年1 0月版 )一书正是对中国考古学理论、方法与技术的系统化总结。作为国内第一部系统论述考古学理论、方法与技术的著作 ,《考古学理论·方法·技术》一书具有重要的理论、方法与实践意义。一《考古学理论·方法·技…     

Syndactyly in Pigs: A Review of Previous Research and the Presentation of Eight Archaeological Specimens

This paper reviews evidence for the rare condition of porcine syndactyly. It describes eight archaeological examples from Britain, Northern Ireland and France. Syndactyly refers to the partial or complete fusion of two or more adjacent phalanges on the medio‐lateral border. The degree and character of fusion are variable, but phalanges frequently unite to create a single skeletal element. This condition has been identified by veterinarians, zoologists and naturalists in individuals and populations in a range of species, but in spite of substantial research on the condition in humans and to a lesser extent cattle, it remains relatively poorly understood in other mammals. Syndactyly is generally agreed to be primarily congenital in origin, although factors affecting its incidence remain far from fully understood. In light of the general paucity of discussion of specific conditions of animal palaeopathology, this paper presents an analysis of these newly discovered syndactyle pig specimens, offers a review of research with particular reference to pigs and discusses the etiology of the condition. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diffusion in the Studies of the African Past: Reflections From New Archaeological Findings

Diffusionist theories have often been invoked to explain how ancient African cultures were formed and developed. Explanations were either in terms of waves of migrations or by infiltration by people of less African origin or people alleged to have had a high culture. This article provides new evidence for a Neolithic cultural sequence on the islands and coast of East Africa. It proposes that archaeological cultural horizons such as these should be re-examined using a revised diffusionist theory. On this basis, it can be shown that the people who were smelting iron in Sub-Saharan Africa around the first century a.d. were not marauding communities of Bantu peoples with no inclination to settle and build up empires, but of people who were well settled, and had a long history of building stable settlements and trading from Neolithic times.     

Review of Archaeological Research in Angola

This article examines the historical processes that shaped the development of archaeological practice in Angola during the Portuguese colonial period and the aftermath of political independence. Using published works, unpublished reports, and photographic records, we examine the research themes, actors, scholars, and institutions that influenced archaeological research in the country. We also used documents and museum collections in Angola and Portugal to create a GIS database of Angola’s archaeological findings. This study highlights the events, personalities, and priorities that motivated earlier investigations, and the geographical distribution of prehistoric sites. We hope this study will be a resource for guiding future archaeological research in Angola.

     

A Review of African Eve Effect

I find this an intriguing paper. However I am not sure whether I agree with its main tenets, or whether I consider them to be as important as its author pretends them to be. It makes for interesting reading in the way in which it covers known terrain in new shoes, and starts from unusual perspectives.     

Review - Matthew Johnson: Archaeological Theory: An Introduction

Hans Ame Jensen: Seeds and Other Diaspores in Soil Samples from Danish Town and Monastery Excavations, dated 700–1536 AD. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab. Biologiske Skrifter 26, Copenhagen 1986. 107 pp, 11 Tables, 10 Figs. 5 Pl.

R. Haaland &; P. Shinnie (eds.): African Ironworking: Ancient and Traditional. Norwegian University Press 1985. 212 pp.     

An Archaeological Review of Western New Guinea

Western New Guinea constitutes a frontier zone physically, politically, culturally and conceptually between Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Despite this pivotal position, archaeological information for the region is scarce due to limited investigations, limited publication and the multilingual nature of publications. Consequently, little archaeological information about western New Guinea has percolated into the mainstream literature. This paper aims to fill this gap and provides a detailed review of archaeological research, including rock art, published in Dutch, English, French, German and Indonesian. The resultant findings are discussed in terms of continuities and discontinuities with Papua New Guinea and Island Southeast Asia.