The Environmental Approach to Prehistoric Studies: Concepts and Theories

This article examines the main approaches to prehistoric environmental studies. The history of theories and concepts used in contemporary prehistory, archaeology, cultural and social anthropology, ecology, sociology, psychology, and demography is discussed. The author concludes with a plea for the concept of “living space” as a way to address certain problems in interdisciplinary studies of prehistoric societies.     

An Approach to Integrated Physical-Geographic Description of an Area

The author proposes an outline for the physical-geographic treatment of an area, emphasizing the integrative aspect of geography instead of the widespread systematic approach. He considers integration a distinctive characteristic of geography and seeks to eliminate the usual enumeration of systematic factual data.     

English Regionalization and Sustainability: Towards the Development of an Integrated Approach to Strategic Environmental Assessment

Central to this article is the suggestion that modern planning and development frameworks in England are currently at a potentially productive, although problematic turning point. Whilst on the one hand the UK is attempting to make the legislative and institutional changes necessary to facilitate the process of regionalization and devolution, it is at the same time facing the challenge of ensuring the necessary levels of inter-agency cohesion and integration required for the delivery of the meta-objectives at the heart of sustainable development. Of particular concern for the English regions is the increasing complexity of organizational relations, the fragmentary nature of provisions, the potential mismatch between the need to preserve environmental welfare and at the same time ensure regional economic competitiveness, and more fundamentally, the failure to provide an appropriate mechanism for the evaluation of sustainable development goals. In the light of these challenges, the authors highlight the value of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as a mechanism for improving the environmental quality of decision-making and make recommendations as to how the regional level of decision-making can provide an effective platform for the development of an SEA system which is capable of reconciling the sustainability conflicts derived from different tiers of decision-making. Within this discussion, suggestions are made as to the manner in which current ideas for introducing sustainability appraisal for Regional Planning Guidance should be amended.     

Measuring the Complexity of Past Social Systems: a Task Analysis Approach to the Study of Late Prehistoric Monumentality in Iberia

In this paper, we explore the heuristic potential of a set of ideas about the structural and functional complexity of systems, proposed in the 1990s by theoretical biologist Daniel McShea. In particular, we focus on the structural aspects of the complexity exhibited by social systems organized into low- and intermediate-level functional units (i.e., groups and teams). To address this subject, we describe a methodology suited for measuring the complexity in the organization of work in such systems, which is primarily based on hierarchical task analysis. With this methodology, we approach a concrete case study: the construction of megalithic monuments in late prehistoric Iberia (ca. 3800–1800 BC). On the basis of the analysis of the three best documented, most structurally, and functionally complex monuments built within each of the three periods under study (Late Neolithic, Copper Age, and Early Bronze Age), we found that there was a trend towards less complexity in work organization related to monument building from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. We discuss the importance of these results in light of the existing models of social complexity in European Later Prehistory, concluding that a more balanced view of social processes would be obtained if we look at complexity as a property of every different social system integrated into the whole society, and not as an exclusive property of the latter.

     

Improving Coastal Vulnerability Assessment Methodologies for Integrated Coastal Zone Management: an Approach from South Australia

The global concern about human-induced climatic change and its potential effect on sea-level has dominated the debate on coastal vulnerability, particularly since a common assessment methodology was developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1991. There have been numerous attempts to use or adapt this methodology but the focus has remained on sea-level rise as the single most important issue for coastal vulnerability. This paper presents a revised and more holistic coastal vulnerability assessment methodology which incorporates spatial and temporal scales relevant to the predicted impacts of climatic change and current human-induced hazards. Three studies in contrasting coastal environments of South Australia demonstrate that there are significant regional variations in sea-level response, human-induced hazards and local planning issues and that these may present a greater immediate threat than the possibility of sea-level rise.     

试论中国古代海界问题

本文从不同角度对中国古代海界的形态进行了论述,对学术界关于古代海界的某些观点提出了不同意见。     

Mesoamerican Obsidian Blades: an Experimental Approach to Function

Abstract

The experimental replication and utilization of a sample of 165 obsidian blades is discussed in terms of research design. methodology, and results. Use-wear observed on the blades provides the basis for 1) the identification of wear-pattern “signatures” corresponding to particular modes of use and contact materials, 2) the evaluation of general propositions concerning edge damage on utilized tools, and 3) the determination of the probable function of a sample of prismatic obsidian blades recovered from Patarata 52, a Classic Period residential site located in an estuarine zone of coastal Veracruz, Mexico.

Two levels of functional analysis are discussed: the low-intensity or in-the field study, and the high-intensity analysis, which involves tool replication and use. high-power microscopy , and statistical manipulation with computers. Both approaches are advocated: the choice of one method over the other must be made on the basis of availability of time. money, special skills, and equipment.     

研究五帝历史必须改变思路--《五帝时代研究》读后感

中国素称有五千年文明,但这五千年文明史迄今并没有落实."夏商周断代工程"也只证明夏代为信史,说明中国有四千年文明,距五千年文明尚有一千年的差距,许顺湛先生著<五帝时代研究>,就是要解决中国有五千年文明这个大问题.     

世界水族馆 科尔特斯海

正世界水族馆大约500万年前,频繁的地震和火山活动撕裂了墨西哥大陆的西部,形成了加利福尼亚半岛和本土间的巨大鸿沟,太平洋海水灌入,从而产生了如今的科尔特斯海(Sea of Cortez),又叫加利福尼亚湾(Gulf of California);持续的火山喷发形成了科尔特斯海中诸多的小岛。墨西哥征服者埃尔南·科尔特斯听闻这座海域的岛上遍地黄金,海里到处是珍珠,于是派遣了弗朗西斯科·乌略亚前去勘探,结果自然是没有找到珍宝,不过乌略亚还是用他上司的名字——科尔特斯命名了这片海域。     

Manganese Black Pigments in Prehistoric Paintings: the Case of the Black Frieze of Pech Merle (France)

Different black pigments of natural origin (mineral or organic) have been examined by means of several analytical methods (colour measurements, elemental analysis and structural analysis). The results, after being compared with each other, then served as reference points in the study of the ‘Black Frieze’ of the cave of Pech Merle (Lot). After that, colour measurement was investigated in situ on the paintings as a means of displaying small differences (in hue or chroma) between the black colours. The aim of this study was to verify several hypotheses concerning the techniques used by the painters of Pech Merle, and specifically by the one(s) of the Black Frieze. A first objective was that of identifying the nature and, if possible, the origin of the black pigments used in these figures. A second objective was that of determining in which parts of the frieze one or the other (or one and the other) had been used; and the final objective was to provide new technical information that might help us better to understand how the Pech Merle frieze was produced, whether by a single painter and in one episode, for the most part, or, on the contrary, in several episodes and by a succession of different painters.     

Prehistoric farming in the mfolozi and hluhluwe valleys of Southeast Africa: an archaeo-botanical survey

The Mfolozi and Hluhluwe Valleys of southeastern Africa are representative of a sub-tropical biome and have archaeological evidence for farming settlement spanning more than 1500 years. By collecting information on soils and plant communities within the same sample frame as archaeological data, the relative importance of environmental and anthropomorphic influences can be assessed. It is argued that, although climate and soils have determined the overall distribution of plant communities, human land use has had a considerable effect on the composition of both woodland and grassland. The nature of this interaction between man and environment provides inferential data on prehistoric economies and also aids the formulation of conservation policies in protected areas.     

从图像文字到甲骨文--史前东夷文字史略

古东夷族文字的出现经历了一个漫长的历史发展过程从北辛文化的刻划符号开始,经过大汶口文化的图像文字、龙山文化文字,到岳石文化的甲骨文字.我国商代甲骨文的主要源头当来自古东夷族.     

History of Tibet (I): Ancient Sea, Monkey and King

The Tibetan Plateau, known as the Roof of the World, is the place where people of the Tibetan ethnic group live and multiply. Here Was a Stretch of Ancient Sea Originally The plateau used to be a part of the ancient sea, but became land when the waters receded during the late Eocene Epoch about 10 million years ago. The nse of the Himalayas, and behind the towering mountain ranges the Tibetan Plateau, was one of the greatest events in world geological history. Although this occurred some…     

An Information-Theory Approach to the Partitioning of an Area

The problem of partitioning a territory can be formulated as the problem of constructing a hierarchy out of a set of subsets of a given system of objects. In terms of graph theory, a hierarchy may be defined as a connected directed graph that is both antisymmetric and nonreflexive. The hierarchy represents the result of the partitioning process. The actual process of partitioning can be treated as one in which information is gained about the system as a whole, but is also lost about individual objects as a result of aggregation. This enables us to apply the criteria of information theory to evaluate the quality of various partition schemes and to solve problems of functional and homogeneous regionalization.     

基于SD法的公园景观综合感知研究——以福州市为例

本文以福州市主要的几个城市公园为研究样本,运用SD法,将声、味环境因素纳入公园景观的感知研究中,就声、味环境因素对评价者公园景观视觉感知的影响进行定量分析,揭示影响规律;并结合因子分析法,进行主要影响因子提取,为人性化的公园景观研究与设计提供参考。结果表明：声、味环境对评价者公园景观的视觉感知产生了明显的影响,且负面因素产生的影响比正面因素更为显著;声、味环境因素对于不同的公园景观视觉效果评价要素和因子的影响有所不同,心理要素和整体要素受影响程度最为显著,其次为环境要素;声、味环境因素影响下的公园景观视觉效果由形式因子、协调因子、空间因子、生态因子、污染因子、特色因子、认同因子和安全因子等8个评价轴构成。     

State Archaeology and the Private Museum: An Integrated Approach to Archaeological Site Management for Local People in China

During the emergence of Chinese archaeology, the legislative system of cultural heritage in China included archaeological excavations and investigations as being the ‘exclusive right of state’. This mode of state archaeology has proved its worth by increasing the authority and quality of archaeological research and excavations, as well as enhancing the social values and benefits at the state level. The local communities, however, have hardly been embedded into the archaeological projects, nor have the archaeological projects been employed to improve local and regional economic development. This paper considers private museums as embodying regional values and beneficial to projects under the mode of state archaeology. With a case study outlining collaborations between archaeologists and local agents under the excavation and conservation of ancient kiln sites at the town of Zichuan, I argue that private museums could be relatively prominent platforms for public engagement in activities of state archaeology. It might contribute to a reconsideration of the following: indirect archaeological concerns, local economic benefits, identities and alternative interpretations of locality.     

On the challenges and benefits of indoor archaeology: 15 years at the Archeodome (Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village,South Dakota)

Abstract

Field archaeology is normally associated with outdoor excavation and exposure to the natural environment. Archaeological excavations have adapted to a wide spectrum of these conditions, but the recent prominence of archaeological sites as tourist attractions and educational facilities has occasionally led to dramatically different environments for the archaeological recovery, interpretation, and preservation of evidence, including facilities that permit indoor excavation. This article explores 15 years of experience at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village in South Dakota. An “Archeodome” covering part of the site represents a non-traditional excavation and preservation environment that presents considerable benefits and challenges for archaeologists. The structure provides the basis for evaluating the nature of indoor excavation within its archaeological and educational context and provides a cautionary note for archaeologists, heritage groups, tourist boards, and others interested in the preservation of archaeological sites. Though this article focuses on the Mitchell site, the information reported has broad implications for sites where structures cover archaeological deposits.     

The Natural Environment of the Shipwreck Vrouw Maria (1771) in the Northern Baltic Sea: an assessment of her state of preservation

Vrouw Maria, a merchant vessel sailing from Amsterdam to St Petersburg in 1771, ran aground in the northern Baltic Sea. Her cargo included Dutch works of art bought by Catherine the Great. The wreck was located in 1999, 41 m deep. This study aims to understand environmental factors and physical stresses affecting the wreck, using three different approaches—studying the wreck as an artificial reef; describing the conditions inside the wreck; and measuring the physical stresses caused by currents. The methods applied were biological, archaeological, hydrological, geological and physical. The data will be a basis for further monitoring. © 2010 The Authors