A case of metastatic carcinoma from 18th century London

In 1999 the AOC Archaeology Group excavated the cemetery of All Hallows by the Tower, London, UK, prior to redevelopment. The majority of the burials are post‐medieval, dating from circa 1776 to 1835. Skeleton (4105) was buried with a lead coffin plate. The data on the coffin plate revealed that the skeleton was that of Ann Sumpter, who died aged 31 years on the 25 May 1794. The skeleton displays pathology that is indicative of a metastatic carcinoma. A precise diagnosis is not possible, but given the individual is female it is statistically most likely the secondaries have originated from a breast or lung tumour. Breast tumours are thought to have been more common than lung tumours in the past, and therefore the most probable diagnosis is a breast carcinoma. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

THE ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION OF BENIN MEMORIAL HEADS*

Among the Nigerian cast copper‐alloy artefacts, the chronology of the Benin memorial heads has been the most fully worked out. Therefore, a study focused upon their elemental compositions is particularly likely to be interpretable in terms of development of the alloys used in their making. The elemental analyses, both published and unpublished, of 66 Benin heads, supplemented with seven analyses of some artefacts excavated from a well‐dated, very early Benin site, have been collected, analysed statistically and computed to the elemental analyses of 11 heads and figures from Udo. All but a very few of the Benin heads and artefacts separate into five compositional groups, indicating a chronological sequence of different alloying traditions. All but one of the Udo objects fall into a distinctly separate compositional group, together with two Medicine heads. The compositional groups correlate remarkably well with the stylistic types proposed by Dark.     

Continent-wide or region-specific? A geometric morphometrics-based assessment of variation in Clovis point shape

Researchers have debated the existence of regional variation in Clovis points for over 60 years. Here, we report an attempt to resolve this argument using a large sample of Clovis points from dated assemblages and a suite of shape analysis methods known as geometric morphometrics. The study tested the two main hypotheses that have been put forward in the debate: the continent-wide adaptation hypothesis, which holds that Clovis points do not vary regionally, and the regional environmental adaptation hypothesis, which holds that there is regional variation as a consequence of Clovis groups adjusting their food-getting toolkits to local conditions. We used discriminant function analysis and a multivariate extension of the t test to assess whether differences in shape exist at two scales. The first set of analyses compared points from the most obvious environmental regions in North America, the East and the West. The second set of analyses investigated differences among points from subregions within the East and West. The analyses revealed significant differences between points from the East and the West and among points from some subregions. Follow-up analyses demonstrated that these differences are not the result of the most common confounding factors, raw material quality and resharpening. As such, the analyses support the regional environmental adaptation hypothesis rather than the continent-wide adaptation hypothesis. We conclude from this that Clovis people modified their points to suit the characteristics of local prey and/or the habitats in which they hunted.     

Possible neurofibromatosis in a Scythian period individual from the cemetery of Aymyrlyg,Tuva, South Siberia

The article presents evidence of possible neurofibromatosis in a female cranium discovered in a Scythian period (7th–2nd century BC ) context from the cemetery complex of Aymyrlyg, Tuva, south Siberia. The diagnosis of neurofibromatosis has been suggested on the basis of enlarged orbits, signs for the presence of a soft tissue tumour in the left orbit, facial abnormalities and the survival age of the individual. Neurofibromatosis is a congenital condition which, to the best of the authors' knowledge, has previously been described in only one other instance in the palaeopathological literature. Differential diagnoses includes angiomata, dermoid cysts and developmental glaucoma. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic Assessment of the Lima Cathedral Bell Towers via Kinematic and Nonlinear Static Pushover Analyses

ABSTRACT

The protection of cultural heritage against earthquake induced actions is one of the main challenges the earthquake engineering science and practice are facing. This article presents a seismic assessment study on one of the most ancient colonial buildings present in Peru, the Cathedral of Lima, focusing on its towers. A historical review highlighted how these structures, together with the whole Cathedral, suffered intense damage and partial collapse during previous earthquakes. In order to identify the structure main deficiencies, both linear kinematic analyses and nonlinear static analyses have been performed. Different nonlinear finite element models have been created to evaluate the influence of the adjacent walls. Different load distributions have been compared to evaluate how simplified patterns could provide results close to load distributions taken from a modal analysis of the complex. A simple retrofit strategy, consisting on the introduction of steel ties, has also been studied as a reference. Results show good correlation between kinematic and pushover analyses. The construction, when compared to the requirements of the national code for new buildings, results significantly vulnerable, pointing out the need to accept some structural damage even after seismic retrofit.     

Black Gloss Pottery: Production Sites and Technology in Northern Etruria,Part I: Provenance Studies

The object of the present study is an assemblage of 149 black gloss pottery samples found in northern Etruria (Tuscany, Italy), at Arezzo, Volterra, Chiusi and Populonia. Complete chemical analyses have been performed for the whole set of samples, whereas mineralogical characterization has been provided for most of the Volterra, Chiusi and Populonia samples. The Chiusi‐Marcianella production site has been the further object of a detailed study aimed at the creation of a complete reference group. Moreover, several trade routes have been reconstructed, shedding light on the import and export of these ceramics from inland Etruria to the coast and vice versa.     

Geochemical composition of source obsidians from Kenya

Here we provide a reference resource to archaeologists interested in the sources of obsidian in Kenya, through electron microprobe analyses of 194 obsidian samples from 90 localities. Averaged analyses of each sample and eleven published analyses are categorized into 84 compositional groups of which only about 21 are known to have been used to produce artifacts, possibly because studies of artifactual material in the region are lacking. We also provide trace element analyses determined by XRF and LA-ICP-MS for these same obsidians. In northern Kenya 27 distinct compositions of obsidian have been found, including some of Miocene age, but the source of the most abundant obsidian found in archaeological sites in this part of Kenya remains obscure. The Baringo region contains at least 13 varieties of low-silica obsidian. The Naivasha–Nakuru region contains an abundance of obsidian with 38 compositional types recognized, and is the only region in Kenya apart from the Suregei (northern Kenya) that contains rhyolitic obsidian. Nine compositionally distinct types of obsidian are known from southern Kenya. Although Kenyan obsidians span the compositional range from phonolite to rhyolite, low-silica, nepheline-normative obsidians occur only south of 1°N latitude. One obsidian type, the Lukenya Hill Group, appears to have been derived from a regionally extensive ash flow tuff with a distribution of over 8000 km². From previous studies it is known that obsidians of lowest (Mundui) and highest iron content were used for tool manufacture, as were some obsidians (e.g., Kisanana) with the highest alkali content, and obsidians with both high (Njorowa) and low (Kisanana) silica content.     

UNRETOUCHED BLADES IN THE LATE MESOLITHIC OF SOUTH SCANDINAVIA. A FUNCTIONAL STUDY

Summary. While most microwear analyses of flint artefacts have involved formal retouched tools, this paper concentrates on unretouched blades from 4 South Scandinavian Mesolithic sites, seeking to establish how frequently and on what materials such pieces were used and whether they were selected for identifiable morphological reasons. The results are based on a study of 496 specimens, from various archaeological contexts. The materials processed ranged from soft to medium hard and most blades were used once only, as disposable tools. Their role relates more to 'manufacturing'than 'subsistence'activities. Blades seem to have been selected mainly according to their edge angles, with specific tasks in mind (a situation for which ethnographic parallels can be quoted), and they were evidently deliberately struck with a view to use rather than being chosen from random débitage. Various aspects of these conclusions are discussed.     

Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummified cranium claimed to be that of a medieval execution victim

This article presents a multidisciplinary analysis of a human skull with preserved soft tissue curated by a small museum in Boscastle, Cornwall, UK. The skull lacks a mandible and is coated in a black tar-like substance. Records left by a previous museum curator (now deceased) claimed the skull to be the head of a medieval execution victim. The skull was purportedly recovered from a London church that was destroyed during the Second World War where it had been kept in a carved oak box. If these details are correct, the skull would appear to have been venerated as a relic. The skull and box have been analysed using a range of techniques including computerised tomography, laser scanning, microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and radiocarbon dating. These analyses demonstrated the skull in fact to be that of an Egyptian mummy dating from the Ptolemaic period. Other instances have been noted of parts of Egyptian mummies being presented as European saintly relics, and the ‘Boscastle skull’ would appear to be an example of such. A wider point illustrated by the work presented here is that sufficient application of modern analytical techniques may reveal considerable information regarding human remains which otherwise have little or no provenance. This point strengthens arguments for the retention of such remains by curating institutions.     

Archaeomagnetic data from three Punic sites in Tunisia

Archaeomagnetic analyses on bricks and slag fragments from kilns have been undertaken. Four new archaeomagnetic directions and two new archaeomagnetic intensities have been reported for three Punic sites in Tunisia. The SCHA.DIF.3K archaeomagnetic model gives the most consistent age estimates, in agreement with the archaeological ages for three of the four analyzed kilns. The archaeomagnetic models appeared to be surprisingly proficient both using archaeodirections and intensities for El Maklouba. The existence of kilns from different chronological archaeological phases (4th–3th century BC and 2nd–3rd century AD) has been confirmed for this site. The archaeological hypothesis that associates the kiln in El Gaala with the neighboring Punic necropolis is compatible with the archaeomagnetic data obtained from the kiln, though a modern use or remagnetisation of the kiln cannot be excluded.     

The Forest Service Since the National Forest Management Act

There has been considerable recent discussion and debate about change and the need for change in the United States Forest Service. A number of observers have argued that the agency has shifted its emphasis from commodity to non-commodity values of the National Forests, has become more sensitive to environmental and ecological concerns, and has become more responsive to public input. However, to date most articles on the topic of change in the Forest Service have been either theoretical and speculative in nature or have based their conclusions on attitude surveys of agency employees. So far no studies have provided “hard,” empirical evidence of change or have conducted any systematic examination of the presumed causes. This symposium attempts to fill this gap. What follows is the presentation of the analyses of a wide range of important quantitative indicators of agency change. From these analyses, we attempt to answer the following questions: Has the Forest Service indeed been changing? If so, what direction has it taken and how significant has this change been? What are the possible causes of change, and what have been the consequences for National Forest policy? What factors are likely to influence future change in the agency?     

Analytical investigation on Renaissance Venetian enamelled glasses from the Louvre collections

Venetian enamelled glass is one of the most significant subjects of the art and technology of Renaissance glassmaking. These items were made in Venice from the second half of the 15th through the 17th centuries and were imitated in other European glassmaking centers during this period and again in Murano during the 19th century. Only a limited number of analyses of these masterpieces have been published up to now.     

Like You Need a Hole in the Head: Tool Innovation a Possible Cause of Trephination. A Case from Kerma,Nubia

This paper presents one case from Kerma (ind‐14.1.595 or K317) which was initially reported to have a ‘fatal traumatic wound’ in the front of the skull. The individual has a dime sized, circular hole with no radiating or concentric fracture lines associated with it. It also shows clear evidence of healing along the inside edges of the pathology. This was according to the preliminary, and only, analysis performed when excavated at Kerma (1913–1916), which was most likely performed by a crew member not formerly trained in anthropology, or medical science. Differential diagnosis will be discussed with respect to this lesion actually being a form of traumatic injury, possible remnants of a bony tumour, and trephination, among other diagnoses. Trephination has been identified in ancient Egypt and Nubian studies, though it is a rarity. Although trephination is a possible cause for the present lesion, this example does not fit the morphology of any other examples of the practise from this region or time period. Given that there have been similar borings witnessed on architecture from the Egyptian Old Kingdom, this lesion may suggest implementation of an already present architectural tool for medical purposes among the Kerma Nubians. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reconsidering Relocated Buildings: ICOMOS,Authenticity and Mass Relocation 1

ICOMOS charters guide global heritage conservation practices. Fundamental to most is the notion that a ‘monument is inseparable from the history to which it bears witness and from the setting in which it occurs.’ Yet buildings have been moved for centuries. Neither the fabric nor the size of a building, nor planning regulations, nor even heritage listing, have prevented their relocation. This article briefly examines the history of relocation, reviews attitudes to relocation in ICOMOS charters, and analyses two case studies involving the mass relocation of heritage buildings in the UK and in New Zealand to question the assumption that buildings lose their authenticity if moved.     

IDENTIFICATION OF STONE BLOCKS USED FOR THE BUILDING OF THE THYSDRUS AND THAPSUS AMPHITHEATRES IN TUNISIA

In Tunisia, the largest amphitheatre (known as the Coliseum) at Thysdrus (El Djem), with some parts of the second amphitheatre, and the Thapsus amphitheatre have been built with squared stone blocks (opus quadratum). The petrographic and geotechnical analyses of the samples taken from the amphitheatre blocks show that these blocks belong to the Tyrrhenian and to the Mio‐Pliocene age. Ancient quarries have been found on the Tyrrhenian dune line between Hiboun and Al Alya, at a distance of 30 km from Thysdrus, from which the Tyrrhenian blocks have been extracted. Concerning the Mio‐Pliocene blocks, they have most likely been cut from just one ancient quarry found in the hill of Ksour Essaf. The height of almost all of the measured blocks from the Thysdrus Coliseum is equal to the Punic cubit used at Carthage (50 cm), and the height of the measured blocks from the Thapsus amphitheatre is also equal to the Punic cubit (50 cm), or very close to the Roman cubit (45 cm).     

Stable Lead Isotope Studies of Black Sea Anatolian Ore Sources and Related Bronze Age and Phrygian Artefacts from Nearby Archaeological Sites. Appendix: New Central Taurus Ore Data

The accumulated published database of stable lead isotope analyses of ore and slag specimens taken from Anatolian mining sites that parallel the Black Sea coast has been augmented with 22 additional analyses of such specimens carried out at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Multivariate statistical analysis has been used to divide this composite database into five separate ore source groups. Evidence that most of these ore sources were exploited for the production of metal artefacts during the Bronze Age and Phrygian Period has been obtained by statistically comparing to them the isotope ratios of 184 analysed artefacts from nine archaeological sites situated within a few hundred kilometres of these mining sites. Also, Appendix B contains 36 new isotope analyses of ore specimens from Central Taurus mining sites that are compatible with and augment the four Central Taurus Ore Source Groups defined in Yener et al. (1991).     

PROVENANCE DETERMINATION OF NEOLITHIC TO CLASSICAL MEDITERRANEAN MARBLES BY STABLE ISOTOPES*

Two stable isotopic data bases for ?¹³C and ?¹⁸O values of marble have been accumulated: (1) 590 analyses from 42 Classical quarries of Greece, western Turkey, Tunisia, and Carrara, Italy, and (2) potential Early Bronze Age (EBA) marble sources in the central Cyclades, comprising 192 analyses from 16 sites on the islands of Paros, Naxos, Ios, and Keros. The data bases include the most important marble occurrences in the eastern Mediterranean and so can be used to source artefacts of any age. Neolithic artefacts found at Franchthi Cave, where no marble occurs locally, have been attributed to the Peloponnese and the Cyclades, direct evidence for early trade. In the Cycladic EBA, Naxos and Keros were the principal marble sources for the abundant artefacts found at Keros. The commercial marble trade in Archaic Greece began in the central Cyclades where the tradition apparently went back some 5000 years, to the Neolithic. Classical Greece and especially Rome expanded the number and locations of commercial marble sources throughout the Mediterranean.     

Another (mud)brick in the wall: scientific analysis of Bronze Age earthen construction materials from East Crete

Mudbricks appear to have been one of the most common building materials used in domestic architecture in Bronze Age Crete. Well-preserved earthen construction materials from the sites of Vasiliki, Makrygialos and Mochlos in East Crete have been examined with regard to their macromorphological characteristics and their mineralogical and chemical composition in order to investigate the nature of the raw materials used, the technology of manufacture and the potential use of specific recipes. The methods applied include a combination of mineralogical and chemical analytical techniques, namely petrography, neutron activation (NAA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Finally, a range of raw materials from the immediate vicinity of each site were sampled and analyzed in order to compare with the archaeological data and identify potential sources. The analyses suggested that there is a degree of standardization in the recipes and the manufacturing process and that the selection of the raw materials depends on availability.     

CARBON AND OXYGEN ISOTOPIC RATIOS: A DATA BASE FOR CLASSICAL GREEK AND ROMAN MARBLE

An isotopic data base of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O analyses of 528 samples collected from 39 classical Greek and Roman quarries of Turkey, Greece, Italy and Tunisia has been accumulated. The discriminative possibilities of the data base vary from quarry to quarry. Most quarries have a distinctive pattern for either or both variables, but some have more than one grouping. The data also overlap for many quarries preventing a unique provenance assignment. If the alternatives are known so that the total pool of possible sources is reduced, the data base can then discriminate and assign a provenance for most classical marble artifacts.