Strict solar alignment of Bronze Age rock carvings in SE Sweden

The Järrestad rock carving site in SE Sweden from the Bronze Age is examined as to the orientation of the individual carvings. A very strict orientation with respect to the main stages in the annual rhythm of the Sun is recorded; 60 feet, 61 shoes and a leading dancer all face the sunrise at Winter solstice, 20 ships face the sunset at Winter solstice, 12 feet point to the sunset at Summer solstice, and one serpent wiggles towards the sunrise at Summer solstice. Obviously, the Bronze Age people kept a strict control of the Sun's annual motions. The sunrise at Winter solstice seems to have been especially important.     

Rock surface luminescence dating of prehistoric rock art from central Iberia

Rock art paintings are notoriously difficult to date numerically. Recently, luminescence dating has been shown to provide reliable rock surface burial ages in various archaeological settings. Here we use the cross-cutting relationship between a fallen rock and two paintings of the Iberian Levantine (older) and Schematic (younger) styles to constrain the age of the paintings by dating the rockfall event using rock surface luminescence dating. Infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals as a function of depth into the buried face of the talus border indicate that the IRSL signal measured at 50°C (IR₅₀) was sufficiently reset to a depth of about 1.6 mm prior to burial. An uncorrected IR₅₀ age of 1.6 ± 0.2 ka was calculated for the rockfall event by dividing the surface equivalent dose (D_e) by the total dose rate. This age was corrected using both conventional and field-to-laboratory saturation approaches to yield indistinguishable ages of 2.7 ± 0.5 and 2.9 ± 0.3 ka, respectively. Since the panel with Schematic art was first available to the artist after the rockfall, we conclude the Schematic rock art at Villar del Humo is younger than ~2.9 ka. The Levantine rock art was painted on a panel constrained by the talus boulder before detachment, and so it is likely to be older than ~2.9 ka.     

大足石刻千手观音造像三维展示系统设计与实现

为了更好地发挥采集的千手观音造像海量数据在保护工程及后续研究中的作用,需要进一步对这些数据进行有效的管理、查询及展示。本研究基于Open GL设计并实现了大足石刻千手观音造像的文物三维展示系统。该系统通过多分辨率模型构建、三维模型数据简化及轨迹球旋转等关键技术的应用,实现了主要针对文物保护修复过程中所需的三维数据、工程图件、虚拟修复模型及相关资料等多源海量数据的显示浏览、交互量测及检索查询等功能。该系统不仅满足了文物保护修复工程的需求,而且为研究人员及游客详细了解文物现状提供了可能,具有较好的应用价值。     

A review of rock art dating in the Kimberley, Western Australia

This paper critically reviews the various approaches used to estimate the age of the rock art in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. They include: (i) the relative superimposition of styles; (ii) the use of diagnostic subject matter (depictions of extinct animals, stone tool technology, introduced European and Asian objects and animals); (iii) the recovery of a ‘painted’ slab from a dated archaeological unit; (iv) radiocarbon dating of beeswax figures, charcoal pigments, organic matter in overlying mineral deposits and ‘accreted paint layers’ (oxalate rich crusts and amorphous silica skin), pollen grains from an overlaying mud-wasp nest; and (v) optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz grains from overlying mud-wasp nests. Future directions for rock art dating in the Kimberley include uranium-series dating of overlying and underlying mineral deposits.     

First absolute dating of Andean hunter-gatherer rock art paintings from North Central Chile

We report the first absolute dating for rock paintings by Andean hunter-gatherer groups. Analysis by Raman spectrometry of remains of black paintings from the center-north of Chile (30° lat. S) allows for the identification of carbon as the raw material. Radiocarbon dating situates these paintings between 1623–1431 BCE and 80–240 ACE, dates that are supported by other lines of independent evidence. These results are consistent with proposals that suggest the appearance and popularization of rock art in various places in the Andes for the temporal transect of 3000–1000 BCE. Finally, these new datings are added to the scant corpus of absolute dates for rock art that exist in South America.     

重庆大足大佛湾彩绘绿色和蓝绿色颜料的分析研究

为了确定重庆大足大佛湾彩绘含铜、砷元素的绿色及蓝绿色颜料显色成分,应用便携式X射线荧光光谱仪(XRF)、便携式显微镜等无损调查方法,结合X射线衍射分析仪(XRD)、扫描电镜-能谱仪(SEM-EDX)、X射线光电子能谱分析仪(XPS)、显微拉曼光谱仪(RM)等分析方法,对取自大佛湾塑像的绿色及蓝绿色颜料进行调查和分析。结果表明绿色颜料显色成分为为巴黎绿,蓝绿色颜料显色成分为氯砷钠铜石[NaCaCu₅(AsO₄)₄Cl·5H₂O]。根据研究结论推断,氯砷钠铜石可能为巴黎绿的变色产物。该结果为探讨近代人工合成颜料变色机理提供了新的线索和方法。     

石质文物表面墨迹的保护作用

在许多不可移动石质文物,尤其是石刻文字表面,因历代文人墨客的拓片留下了大量墨迹。这些墨迹是否对文物本体岩石有害?一直是保护工作者希望了解的问题之一。为此本研究开展了一系列调研和实验研究。通过对各地保存较完好的石刻表面的观察,可以发现石刻表面残留的墨迹具有某种保护作用;对模拟样块的SO2腐蚀实验结果表明,岩石表面的墨迹具有一定的阻止空气中腐蚀性气体侵蚀岩石的作用;盐迁移破坏实验也发现墨迹在某种程度上具有减小可溶盐结晶破坏岩石的作用。吸水率实验和电镜观察等结果显示,墨迹缓解岩石风化的机理主要是墨迹对岩石微裂隙具有填充和加固作用,使岩石的吸水系数降低,部分阻挡了可溶盐的入侵和聚集结晶。     

运用计算机技术测定古代岩画年代的实验报告

岩画是古代先民刻绘在岩石表面上的图画,具有"时间跨度长、分布范围广、信息载量大"①的特点.它从多方面揭示了古人的生产生活、社会形态、哲学思想、宗教信仰、民族心理和审美观念等丰富的内容,是人类用绘画形式记录自己发展历程的生动图解.被史学界喻为"形象的语言、艺术的史诗"②.     

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating investigations of rock and underlying soil from three case studies

Three rock samples and associated underlying surface (floor) soils of geoarchaeological significance from Greece, Sweden and a modern surface stone-sample from a Danish site were investigated using OSL dating. Thin slice, sub-samples, from drilled core surfaces were prepared. A single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol was used on whole rock slices to estimate the laboratory equivalent dose. Laboratory tests showed that the SAR protocol successfully corrected for sensitivity changes and that a known laboratory dose could be measured accurately.     

大理岩石刻文物黑色结壳清洗研究

大理岩是古代石刻和建筑的主要石材之一。随着近现代工业发展,很多大理岩石刻文物表面出现了大量黑色结壳——不仅严重影响了文物外观审美,而且会不断吸附各种污染物,吸收更多的辐射热量,造成文物的进一步劣化,因此亟需清洗。在前期对北京地区石刻文物本体及黑色结壳科技分析的基础上,选用碳酸铵法、乙二胺四乙酸法、物理法进行清洗试验用于对比,并于北京不同区域的6处典型石刻上进行现场试验,根据实际情况做出优化改良。采用便携式X射线荧光光谱仪、分光测色仪、显微镜和离子色谱仪对清洗前后状态及可溶盐含量进行评估,结果表明碳酸铵法对大理岩石刻文物表面黑色结壳具有较好的清洗效果,清洗方案比较高效合理,有助于相关石质文物病害的清洗和保护。     

A note from the editors of JGHE

Abstract

Employers were involved in assessing students’ presentations, giving feedback and in the development of staff skills for providing feedback. The curriculum context to the oral presentations is described and the problems and benefits of employer involvement are considered. It is argued that it is possible to develop an effective small‐scale approach to employer involvement as an alternative to major schemes.     

A discussion of rock carvings in Ra’s al Khaimah Emirate,UAE, and Musandam province,Sultanate of Oman,using local considerations

Conversations about various examples of rock carvings with interested local tribespeople across the study region revealed information about the different loci of carvings; subject matter and techniques; and the identities of possible carvers. It was possible to place sorts of rock carvings in specific cultural contexts and in long‐standing traditions across the peninsula. Rock carvers, in most cases, were either immature tribal members or male adults from outside Arab tribal society.     

A possible account of synaesthesia dating from the seventeenth century

An account of a blind man able to detect colors by touch, dating from the mid-seventeenth century, is presented. The details come to us through the physician John Finch, the scientist Robert Boyle, and the author Jonathan Swift. The details in the account suggest the possibility that this may be an early report of colored-touch synaesthesia.