COMPOSITION OF THE LA GRAUFESENQUE,BANASSAC AND MONTANS TERRA SIGILLATA

The composition diagrams of the La Graufesenque, Banassac and Montans Terra Sigillata are given as well as a calculation method to improve the separation between the workshops with compositions which are very similar. This method can then be generalized.     

PAUL VIDAL DE LA BLACHE and THE CONCOURS D'AGREGATION OF 1866

Agrégation played a key role in the operation of the Université de France of the nineteenth century but is poorly understood in the English-speaking world. Characteristics of the French Université are outlined, and the agrégation competition of 1866 in which Vidal de la Blache participated is described in detail, as further illustration of the early training and intellectual orientation of the future founder of the French school of human geography. Characteristics of the successful candidates in the agrégation examinations are then examined, and possible reasons for the perennial shortage of agrégés teaching in the Université are suggested .
Alors que l'agrégation était une force majeure pour le fonctionnement de l'Université de France au xixmesiècte elte n'est que faiblement comprise au delà du monde français. Dans cet article, j'expose quelques traits principaux de l'Université française et j'explique en détail le concours d'agrégation de 1866, dans lequel Vidal de la Blache a concouru, pour illustrer cette étape importante dans la formation intellectuelle et professionnelle du future fondateur de I'Ecole française de la Géographic humaine. Puts, j'examine les caratéristiques des concurrents reçus à l'agrégation et j'avance quelques raisons possibles pour expliquer le deficit continuel d'agrégés dans les postes enseignants de l'Université, durant le XIXme siècle .     

WEALTH AND POWER IN THE BRONZE AGE OF THE SOUTH-EAST OF THE IBERIAN PENINSULA: THE FUNERARY RECORD OF CERRO DE LA ENCINA

Summary.   As a result of recent fieldwork undertaken at the archaeological site of Cerro de la Encina, our knowledge of the funerary ritual has increased considerably. The funerary record shows a significant concentration of wealth in burials corresponding to the family groups of the highest social status. Dramatic social differences can also be found in the internal organization of the settlement. The locations of burials within the settlement area, under the floors of dwellings, allow us to establish that the settlement space was closely related to the social identity of the families. The high number of burials with double and triple inhumations, in contrast to other Argaric necropolis, also stands out as an important feature of Cerro de la Encina, suggesting that familial relationships seem to be more marked here than at other Argaric sites. All these data are discussed in relation to the funerary ritual of the Argaric Culture.     

NATURE AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF GALLIC IMITATIONS OF SIGILLATA SLIPS FROM THE LA GRAUFESENQUE WORKSHOP*

The red glaze (slip) that characterizes the Terra Sigillata potteries greatly contributed to their success during the Roman period. The colour of the slip can in fact be partially explained by the microstructure (crystalline phases, grain sizes) and the physico‐chemistry (composition) of the ceramics. However, the precise process and the diffusion of this technique are still not fully known. In particular, we do not know yet how the production of sigillata took place in the south of Gaul, and the role that was played by the production under Italian influence (pre‐sigillata) preceding the first local sigillata. In this work, a combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X‐ray synchrotron diffraction techniques was used to study the microstructure of pre‐sigillata slips from the main southern Gaul workshop (La Graufesenque), in order to compare their characteristics with those of high‐quality sigillata. These first results seem to indicate that the antique potters chose clays adapted to their firing conditions and to the type of coating that they wanted to make. These productions cannot be described as an initial phase for the later sigillata production and, rather, seem to correspond to the intention of developing a specific type of pottery only inspired by the famous Italian sigillata forms.     

稀见的“白蜡岁”银锭

2004年11月,四川省巴中中学一名教师携来一只银锭,据称为外地征集品,求为释读铭文。笔者经初步鉴定和研究,认为这是一只比较稀见的明代岁贡官银,因见识疏浅,特就教于方家。一、银锭的特征此锭造型为船形元宝状,通体罩一层薄薄的灰黑色包浆,重1850克,含银95%以上。银锭面大底小,束腰,两端外弧上翘,通高65mm。锭面连双翅通长132mm、宽72mm、束腰处63mm,锭面可见水波纹由外侧有序向内收缩,中央形成一小块不规则的收口凹陷。双翅可见浇铸过程中银液层层堆积而自然形成的麻布纹,状若等高线,翅沿因银渣堆积而凹凸不平。银锭从锭面到锭底厚36mm,底…     

ROCK ART AND RITUAL LANDSCAPE IN CENTRAL SPAIN: THE ROCK CARVINGS OF LA HINOJOSA (CUENCA)

Summary. In this article the rock art carvings of La Hinojosa in central Spain are examined. Their connection to a major transit route recorded at least from the medieval period is explored, as well as their location in a valley located at the confluence of two primary river basins in the Iberian Peninsula separated by less than five kilometres. It is argued that this singularity of the landscape seems to have been perceived by the people who marked the stones. From the 17 decorated rocks recorded in La Hinojosa valley, three were exceptionally elaborately decorated. They were situated at regular intervals in the valley. The site with the greatest number of motifs, the large rock of San Bernardino, occupies a central location. This site is also exceptional because of the transformations which the rock shows throughout the day, pointing to a narrative in which cups and anthropomorphs seem to have a primary role. It is suggested that gender may have constituted one of the main guidelines of the narrative, given the apparent replacement of feminine by masculine human representations throughout the day.     

LES VERRES ANCIENS: LA QUESTION DE LA DATABILITÉ PAR THERMOLUMINESCENCE

La plupart des échantillons de verres archéologiques ne sont pas datables par thermoluminescence. Une analyse des causes limitant l'extension de la datation par thermoluminescence aux verres anciens montre que celles-ci sont directement issues de caracteristiques de l'etat vitreux. Toutefois. dans certains cas particuliers, la datation est possible. Most archaeological glass samples cannot be dated using thermoluminescence (TL). An analysis of the causes which limit the extension of the TL dating method to ancient glass shows that these causes come from the vitreous state characteristics. Nevertheless in some cases, dating is still possible.     

WATER CONTROL AND CEREAL MANAGEMENT ON THE BRONZE AGE IBERIAN PENINSULA: LA MOTILLA DEL AZUER

Summary.   Archaeological research conducted in the La Mancha region (central area of the Iberian Peninsula) has made it possible to identify motillas . This specific type of archaeological site consists of a central fortification surrounded by an inhabited area. They appear in high densities throughout the plains of this area, distributed at regular intervals and located in places where the phreatic level is closest to the surface and the water has low salinity. The strong relationship between sites and water has subsequently been supported by fieldwork, especially in the Motilla del Azuer settlement, where a complex well that was cut into the natural terrace to reach the phreatic level has been documented. Research has also demonstrated that the large-scale storage of cereals was another significant function. The quantity and capacity of the different storage systems documented in two large enclosures suggest that these sites were engaged in the control and management of cereals.     

CONTINUING THE RESEARCH: ARCHAEOGEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE BATTLE MOUND SITE (3LA1) IN LAFAYETTE COUNTY,ARKANSAS

Abstract

The continuing use of archaeogeophysical methods at the Battle Mound site (3LA1) exemplifies the power of geophysics as a non-invasive, preservation-oriented, and economically feasible way to pursue the exploration of settlement patterning at the Middle and Late Caddo (ca. A.D. 1200–1680) mound site. Using these methods, a 1-ha (2.47 acres) area directly east of the large mound was surveyed using magnetic gradiometry and concatenated to the existing survey area. Results from the 1-ha survey provide further elucidation of the spatial structure and internal organization of the Caddo Indian occupation at the Battle Mound site.     

IMAGES DE LA CHASSE AU PALEOLITHIQUE

Résumé. Nous savons, grâce aux données archéologiques, que les humains se sont livrés à la chasse depuis très longtemps. Au Paléolithique supérieur, avec l'apparition de l'Art figuratif, nous en avons de nouvelles preuves, ces mêmes humains s'étant représentés physiquement et, parfois, mis en scène dans des actions cynégétiques. C'est au Magdalénien essentiellement que de telles scènes existent; elles montrent des humains affrontés, le plus souvent, au bison, à l'aurochs, ou à l'ours, avec un choix manifeste dans les animaux associés. Si les humains sont parfois seuls, d'autres fois ils sont en groupe. Dans la société magdalénienne, il semble que l'usage des armes était réservé aux hommes, seuls àêtre engagés dans des confrontations dramatiques avec les animaux, alors que le rôle des femmes était beaucoup plus pacifique. Cela permet de parler de dichotomie sociale sexuelle au Magdalénien.