Genetic sexing to determine the optimal discriminant functions for the analysis of archaeological remains from El Hierro (Canary Islands)

A correct sex assignment of a given bone or bone fragment is of paramount importance for the archaeologist, anthropologist and in forensic medicine. Discriminant functions, combining several anthropometric measurements obtained from individuals with known sex are useful tools for this purpose, but it is essential to know exactly the sex from which the measures are obtained. This is an easy task in modern populations, but it is problematic in ancient ones, since even when the entire skeleton is available, diagnosis of sex is not 100% accurate. Sexing by genetic methods by amplifying the first intron of the amelogenin gene constitutes a much more accurate method for sexing bones and may be the gold standard for further elaboration of discriminant functions which may serve for sexing new bones dug up in future excavations. With this aim we have genetically sexed 52 (out of 59) tibiae belonging to the prehispanic population of El Hierro, in the Canary Islands, identifying 18 women and 34 men, and then, performed discriminant functions combining several anthropometric variables. These functions show a high accuracy in sex diagnosis (94.2%; area under ROC curve = 0.954 with the best of the functions), so that they allow correct sexing of tibiae or tibiae fragments (only proximal third, distal third or midshaft). Thus, genetic sexing obviates the problem of finding an accurate gold standard for the elaboration of discriminant functions for ancient bones. This method could be applied to other populations of different antiquity and different ethnicity.     

百年来甲骨文材料统计

甲骨文自1899年发现以来已有百余年,那么甲骨文材料究竟有多少?以往统计主要有两种说法:一种认为有10万片,另一种认为有15万片。统计数字的不同源于统计方法和认识上的不同,因此必须采取较科学的统计方法,才能得出较科学的统计结果。本文以国内外公私机构现藏甲骨实际数量为统计对象,在胡厚宣先生的统计基础上,结合最近发表的各种著作文章,最后统计出百年来甲骨文材料有13万片左右。     

甲骨新缀四组

殷墟甲骨新缀四组,它们是:《合集》34572+《屯南》1295、《合集》33064+《屯南》2915、《屯南》880+989+1010、《屯南》2181+4301.其中第三组的前两版系萧楠先生所缀,我们加缀的是末一版.     

Deciphering bone depositional sequences in caves through the study of manganese coatings

The presence of black-coloured bones in caves has been sometimes associated to the use of fire by humans, but more frequently the agent responsible for black colour is the natural deposition of manganese oxides. Manganese coatings were not usually studied once human action was discarded. However, they can provide valuable information about the origin and the sequence of formation of a palaeontological or archaeological deposit. In this paper, we present a quantitative and qualitative study of the manganese coatings that affect most of the bones recovered in the palaeontological site of Liñares cave (NW of Iberian Peninsula) together with other taphonomic marks. The manganese coatings are superimposed on other features previously existing on the surface of the bones. In turn, the coatings can be affected by other agents that modified them totally or partially. The combined interpretation of the different taphonomic marks provides us with valuable information on the sequence where the different taphonomic processes were produced, as for example the intervention of carnivores in the disarticulation of some elements before the burial, the preservation of anatomic connections until after the burial of the carcasses, and the existence of reworking processes in some parts of the infill.     

‘Old wood’ effect in radiocarbon dating of prehistoric cremated bones?

Numerous reports of successful radiocarbon dating of cremated bones have emerged during the last decade. The success of radiocarbon dating cremated bones depends on the temperature during burning and the degree of recrystallisation of the inorganic bone matrix. During cremation bones undergo major morphological and mineralogical changes which have raised some interesting questions and discussion on the origin of the carbon source in archaeologically cremated bones. Recent laboratory experiments reveal that the properties of the combustion atmosphere play a significant role regarding the source carbon in cremated bones. Thus radiocarbon dating cremated bones is potentially dating the wood used for the cremation fire. Here we compare a high precision radiocarbon dated human bone with an associated dendrochronological age from an oak coffin. We find that the age discrepancy between the dendrochronological age and the cremated bone of 73 ± 26 ¹⁴C yr is best accounted for by the so called ‘old wood’ effect.     

二十世纪以来宋代古籍整理述评

回顾20世纪以来现存宋代古籍的整理概况,在统计分析的基础上,对其特征与规律加以总结,旨在把握宋代古籍的整理现状。为今后的整理规划提供参考。     

古代书法文献释读疏误简评

本从近年出版的几种有代表性的古代书法理论古籍译注本中,出训诂释读谬误数十例加以剖析,旨在说明书法古籍的整理研究亟待提高质量,切忌急功近利。     

古代世界的共和主义

古代世界的共和主义首先是一种政体实践,以罗马共和国为典型。发端于希腊的古典政治思想把它归结为混合政体,和君主制以及民主制严格区分开来。因此,它不仅是对君主制的反对,也是对民主制的反对。以此来看,古代共和主义和现代共和主义具有十分不同的意味。     

东北古史分期探赜

本文认为东北地区是中华文明重要的起源地之一 ,从东北古史自身的发展阶段和特点出发 ,可将东北古史分为五期 ,即蒙昧至文明开端时期 ;东北各民族及地方政权分立迭起时期 ;隋唐王朝羁縻统治时期 ;辽金北方王朝统治时期 ;元明清中央王朝统治时期     

《小屯南地甲骨》缀合拾遗

本文试缀了三例《屯南》甲骨,并作了释文。     

Canary islands aborigin sex determination based on mandible parameters contrasted by amelogenin analysis

Sex determination using mandible parameters is population dependent. In order to assess which measurements better characterize sex in prehispanic individuals from the Canary Islands, we blindly contrasted the results obtained by visual inspection and osteometric measurements with those obtained by molecular sexing using amelogenin ancient DNA analysis on teeth from the same material. Unambiguous sex classification was achieved by amplification of sex specific amelogenin alleles in 56 out of 76 mandibles (73.78% of the cases). Visual inspection led to a correct diagnosis in 66.04% of cases, with a greater proportion of errors for female (54.17%) than male (17.24%) mandibles. Osteometric measurements were able to assign sex correctly in 72.2% in the best of cases (mandibular height), a proportion similar to that obtained using a discriminant function (71.2%). By logistic regression analysis, ramus breadth, index ramus breadth/ramus height and mandibular length were the parameters independently related with a mistaken diagnosis of female sex, whereas bigonial width, ramus height and mandibular length were the parameters more closely and independently related to a mistaken diagnosis of male sex. In conclusion, diagnosis based on visual examination of the mandible or on its metric measurement only serves to roughly estimate sex with an accuracy of around 70% or less, at least among the prehispanic population from Gran Canaria. Amplification of amelogenin alleles leads to unambiguous identification of male and female alleles in 73.68% of cases, at least among the prehispanic population from Gran Canaria.     

结合热力学对古建筑墙体砖(雕)风化侵蚀机理探究

为了揭示古砖的风化侵蚀机理,采用X射线衍射法(XRD)、X射线荧光光谱法(XRF)、扫描电子显微镜观察(SEM)进行微观结构分析,结合压汞仪测试孔的性质,并使用热力学软件(HSC)对砖内的化学反应进行验证。研究结果表明:对于靠近地面一定高度内的古建筑墙体砖,地下水及离子通过砖内的毛细管网络不断向上部和表面进行迁移,在砖内可溶性盐类的结晶以及水结冰时产生的压力是造成墙体砖风化破坏的主要因素;对于NO X、SO 2浓度较高、酸雨较多的地区,酸性物质进入砖体并与钾长石,钠长石等发生反应形成新的盐类,盐的结晶、溶解、流失也是导致古砖破坏的一个不可忽略的因素,尤其是对于地下水无法渗透到的墙体砖,这些可能成为主要的物理化学损毁因素。本研究为古砖以后的保护提供了一种新的研究思路以及科学的理论基础。     

The identification of extant european bird remains: a review of the literature

This paper reviews the literature on the identification of bird bones found in European sites. Such a review is useful both to Quaternary palaeontologists and to zooarchaeologists attempting to identify bird bones. The publications are considered systematically. We stress that the published works should not be used for identification in isolation, but that a comparative collection is essential. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new calibration of the XRD technique for the study of archaeological burned human remains

A new calibration of human bones as a function of programmed temperature (200–1000 °C) and time (0, 18 and 60 min) is presented and discussed in order to investigate the issues related to the study of cremated bone remains by using the powder X-ray diffraction approach. The experimental results confirm the growth of hydroxylapatite crystallites as a function of the applied temperature, with a sigmoid behaviour that has been parameterized to the experimental data points. Particularly, it was observed that the thermal treatments for 60 min anticipate of about 100 °C the effects that are otherwise observed after the treatments for 0 min. The developed procedure was subsequently applied to cremated remains of various archaeological sites of Spain and supplied precise information not only about the temperature reached during the funerary rites, but also on the presumed duration for the cremation.     

甲骨缀合拾遗(十一组)

甲骨缀合是甲骨学中的基础工作。学者们已做了很多缀合的工作,但仍有甲骨需要缀合。本文即是对作者新缀十一组甲骨的介绍。     

几种防腐剂在古坑木中的吸收量固化率及抗流失性研究

不同类型的防腐剂由于化学性质不同,造成在古坑木中的吸收量、固化率及抗流失性有较大差别。为了筛选出适合于古铜矿遗址内古坑木的防腐剂,对木宝等几种防腐剂在古坑木中的吸收量、固化率、抗流失性进行了试验。     

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。