The Iron Age in Western Spain (800 BC–AD 50): An Overview

Vettonia was one of the most important Celtic regions in Iberia which emerged in the Iron Age. It corresponds largely to western Spain, between the Duero and Tagus valleys. The archaeological evidence indicates that the formation of this ethnic group lay in an historical process whose roots went back to the Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age, when we begin to find a regular association between the first fortified sites and stable populations. These groups did not consolidate before the second half of the first millennium BC, in parallel with the development of other peoples of the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. This period can be recognized in particular through the spread of the ritual of cremation, ironworking, the adoption of the potter's wheel and the expansion of some settlements oppida which were ultimately to disappear with the Roman conquest. This paper sets out to examine the evolution of the area from an indigenous perspective, examining the process of change before and after the evidence referred to by Greek and Roman writers.     

THE BROCH CULTURES OF ATLANTIC SCOTLAND. PART 2. THE MIDDLE IRON AGE: HIGH NOON AND DECLINE c.200 BC–AD 550

The basic features of broch architecture are discussed. There were probably a large number of classic, hollow-walled, dry-stone towers, as opposed to lower, less architecturally sophisticated 'Atlantic roundhouses'. Various kinds of dating imply that most were built – probably by professionals – in the Middle Iron Age, from c.100 BC to AD 200, although a few emerged earlier in Shetland, perhaps from 400–300 BC. Wheelhouses seem to have emerged from these early Shetland brochs. The MIA material culture includes many new items found all over the province, though much of the pottery is regional. Everted Rim ware was clearly connected somehow with the spread of the brochs from Shetland. The details of the MIA mixed farming economy are reviewed, as is the varied if indirect evidence for the social organization of the broch families; a hierarchical clan society is implied. The MIA now seems to have lasted until the sixth century AD and in the west at least its end may have been precipitated by a drastic climatic downturn.     

公元4-5世纪龟兹佛教的繁荣及其原因探析

公元4-5世纪是龟兹佛教的一个兴盛时期,具体表现在有很多著名的地面寺院的修建以及石窟的开凿,而且有些寺院在此之前就已经存在。石窟方面,尤其是大像窟的开凿,更使龟兹佛教艺术达到了一个高峰。另外,这一时期方形窟和中心柱窟都有开凿,而且在绘画上一开始就呈现出相当成熟的绘画技法,出现两种画风并存的局面。龟兹佛教的兴盛与末法思想在当地流行有关,由于贵霜王朝境内佛教的衰落,导致东来的高僧在龟兹停留并传播佛法。佛教得到龟兹王室的大力支持,国王以转轮王的角色出现,护持佛法。     

POLITIES AND PRINCES AD 400–800: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUNERARY LANDSCAPE OF THE SOUTH SAXON KINGDOM

Burials, borders and boundaries are themes much pursued in early medieval research. Barrow burials, in particular, have been suggested as markers or ‘sentinel graves’; funerary monuments used to define territorial boundaries and entrance points to kingdoms. This paper assesses the burial evidence of the fifth to eighth centuries from West Sussex, England, taking a topographic perspective and examining the uses made of ancient remains and natural topography. Certain distinctive topographic traits in cemetery and burial placement are argued to exist and, when considered alongside the written accounts of the kingdom, are suggested here as evidence for putative early micro‐kingdom structures, centred around the major river valleys, surviving into and perhaps even beyond the seventh century AD.     

Marine trophic levels targeted between AD 300 and 1500 on the Georgia coast,USA

The marine trophic levels targeted during Swift Creek (AD 300–700) and Savannah (AD 1200–1500) occupations at the Cathead Creek site (9Mc360) and at two sites from the Kings Bay Locality (9CAM171a, 9CAM177), coastal Georgia, USA, differ in a consistent temporal and spatial pattern. Vertebrate and invertebrate remains from these three coastal sites contain similar suites of estuarine animals. However, Swift Creek peoples at these distinct hydrological settings obtained more biomass from fishes and less from molluscs compared to the subsequent Savannah occupants. The two Swift Creek faunal collections are less rich, more diverse, and more equitable than the two subsequent Savannah collections regardless of location. Furthermore, the mean trophic level is higher in the Swift Creek collections compared to the Savannah ones at both locations. These observations apply to both biomass and Minimum Number of Individuals. These differences likely are defining characteristics distinguishing the Swift Creek and the Savannah economies. More research is needed to determine the extent to which these temporal and spatial patterns are attributable to environmental and cultural variables.     

Comparative Study of Perimortem Weapon Trauma in Two Early Medieval Skeletal Populations (AD 400–1200) from Ireland

Violence was a reality of life in early medieval Ireland (AD 400–1200). Its omnipresence is indicated from numerous narratives of regicide, mortal conflicts, battles and warfare that survive in ancient myths, legends and annalistic accounts. The archaeological evidence of violence and conflict is mainly identified in the osteoarchaeological record, and approximately 13% of all skeletal populations from excavated early medieval cemeteries in Ireland have shown evidence of weapon trauma. This study considers the osteological representation of violent deaths in two contemporaneous Irish skeletal populations dating to this period: Mount Gamble in County Dublin and Owenbristy in County Galway. This analysis involves assessing the different anatomical regions of the body for evidence of lesions that can be attributed to weapon trauma. The results indicate that these populations are likely to have been exposed to violence under differing circumstances; the evidence suggests that the individuals from Mount Gamble may have been well equipped or skilled at interpersonal battle, in contrast to the majority of individuals from Owenbristy who may have been unprotected and unprepared. The presence of two adolescents and two adult females amongst the victims from the latter population gives insight into a wider social dimension of weapon trauma in early medieval Ireland. There is also evidence of postmortem mutilations and decapitations, which reflect ritualistic aspects of violence. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tibetan Buddhism in the Tubo Period

After Buddhism entered Tibet,its special form of Tibet,called as "Tibetan Buddhism".Prior to the advent of Buddhism,the native religion of Tibet was Bon.The Bon religion had similarities to the witchcraft practiced in the hinterland of China.In dealing with any sort of mystery and to avoid misfortune,the Bonists performed rituals involving prayer,the consultation of oracles,and exorcism.Bonists also relied on such rituals to cure illness while performing funeral rites.     

想像他者：西方文化视野中的非西方

西方是在与非西方社会的比较中得到更为明确的界定的。在西方的文化视野中,对非西方固然有着某种程度的理性认知,但也不乏充满错觉的想像,即以一种与“自我”不同的“他者”形象不断建构非西方的历史身份,从而创造出一个与真实存在不尽相同的非西方。西方的非西方想像体现了西方对他者的控制与重构,是西方表达自我优越意识的一种霸权话语。文章考察了古典时代至18世纪西方表述他者的话语体系,分析了产生这种想像的文化和社会原因,由此说明西方是怎样逐步形成与非西方对立,并最终取得对后者的优势地位。     

佛教哲理

本文把佛哲理概括为如下几个要点:一、佛教对人生的基本判断是“苦”;二、“觉悟”是佛教立教之本;三、“因缘和合”是佛教哲理的基石;四、“三法印”集中体现了佛家思想;五、佛教对社会人生的态度。