The Antiquities Market

Abstract

Excavations in 1988 at Neolithic 'Ain Ghazal in central Jordan have recovered a well-preserved specimen of a plastered human cranium. This conforms to other examples known from Levantine Neolithic sites, notably Jericho. The 'Ain Ghazal skull adds to a very limited assemblage of comparanda, and allows rare insight into both ritual and artistic behaviors.     

古物

古物指与考古学、历史学、古生物学及其他文化有关之物,其范围广、种类多,其保存价值以其时代、数量及其所具备的科学、历史和艺术价值为标准。我国的古物收藏,起自殷商,历经各代,在宋清两朝尤其兴盛,至西方学说传入后,古物被视为公有而供公众观赏。收藏古物,要重视其科学价值,不可收藏的古物应就地保存,可收藏的古物要遵循科学的方法。要认识古物的价值,用近代的方法研究、保存。     

The Antiquities Market

Abstract

The computer has not been widely used for the study and analysis of Greek and Roman pottery. Recently at Stobi in Yugoslavian Macedonia a considerable quantity of pottery has been coded according to a system devised specifically for the rather complex situation presented by the wide-reaching market for ceramics in the Greek and Roman periods. The system and coding procedures, as well as the preliminary results of the analysis, are published here in the hope that they will serve as an aid to others working with similar material.     

The Antiquities Market

Abstract

The fluting of Early Paleo-Indian bifaces and associated failure rates have received considerable archaeological attention—perhaps at a scale exceeding its comparative importance. Nonetheless, if we are to properly evaluate explanations of the origins and purpose of fluting and the function of particular sites in Paleo-Indian settlement systems, estimates of failure rates are required. To date, such estimates have been based largely on experimental replication and rarely on a1Achaeological data, and it is suggested the experimental estimates are inaccurate. In order to overcome these problems, three interrelated, yet independent, methods of estimating fluting failure rates from archaeological data are developed and applied to data from the Parkhill site in Ontario and the Windy City site in Maine. The consistency in the results obtained by these methods inspires faith in their relative accuracy. The results suggest failure rates, at least at these sites, were not on the scale often assumed by previous investigators, being on the order of only 10–15% or less.     

On the Primeval Antiquities of the Channel Islands

Bishop's Waltham Palace, one of the most important residences of the bishopric of Winchester, was transformed by two of the most powerful of its later medieval bishops, Wykeham and Beaufort (1367–1447). The exceptional quality of the bishopric records enables us to trace the chronology of the progress of work with considerable accuracy and requires revision of the conventional dating of the buildings. The records also provide a great deal of information about the craftsmen and architects involved and about the building materials and their sources. Beaufort's new lodgings range still possesses much of the original timber framing of its eastern chambers, and this together with its accurate dating has warranted separate treatment.

Note on dating The accounting year ran from Michaelmas to Michaelmas (29 September), and I have dated work by the year in which this closed. Most of the building season would therefore be recorded in the account for the same calendar year, but any late autumn work would be found in the following year's account.     

Berkshire Antiquities

Cellars and sunken rooms are rare on Romano-British sites and their presence marks a deliberate and unusual architectural preference. This paper attempts to demonstrate that a series of common characteristics in cellar location and design make it probable that they shared a common inspiration, and that the likeliest such inspiration was cult practice. Consideration is also given to the water and fertility cults which might account for the archaeological evidence.