The structure of the pomor settlement complex on the Schønningholmane site (Hornsund,West Spitsbergen) archaeological data

This article is an attempt to develop a discussion within the archaeological world, with reference to a particular aspect of Russian hunting on Svalbard.

In general, such a discussion is vital, because the written sources concerning the Russian activity on Svalbard are rather weak (as is frequently the case with areas on the periphery of cultural centers).

Archaeology must therefore play an important role in the reconstruction of the archipelago's cultural history, even as recently as the 17th ‐19th centuries.     

Space-time structure of the morning aurora inferred from coincident DMSP-F6, -F8, and Søndrestrøm incoherent scatter radar observations

On rare occasions, observations from the DMSP-F6 and -F8 spacecraft and the Søndrestrøm incoherent scatter radar coincide in space. Such coincidence offers a unique opportunity to study temporal vs spatial variations on a small scale. We discuss data from one of those occasions, with observations made in the dawn sector in the presence of moderate auroral precipitation during a magnetically quiet period. The DMSP satellites measured vertical electron and ion flux and cross-track plasma drift while the radar measured the ionospheric electron density distribution and line-of-sight plasma velocities. We combine these data sets to construct a two-dimensional map of a possible auroral pattern above Søndrestrøm. It is characterized by the following properties. No difference is seen between the gross precipitation patterns measured along the DMSP-F6 and -F8 trajectories (separated by 32 km in magnetic east-west direction and some 4 s in travel time in magnetic north-south direction), except that they are not exactly aligned with the L shells. However, F6 and F8 observed minor differences in the small-scale structures. More significant differences are found between small-scale features in the DMSP precipitation measurements and in radar observations of the E-region plasma density distribution. These measurements are separated by 74 km, equivalent to 2.4°, in magnetic longitude, and 0–40 s in time along the spacecraft trajectories (varying with magnetic latitude). Large-scale magnetospheric-ionospheric surfaces such as plasma flow reversal, poleward boundary of the keV ion and electron precipitation, and poleward boundary of E-region ionization, coincide. The combined data suggest that the plasma flow reversal delineates the polar cap boundary, that is, the boundary between precipitation characteristic for the plasma mantle and for the plasma sheet boundary layer.     

Asbjørn Følling and the discovery of phenylketonuria

In 1934, the Norwegian biochemist and physician Asbj?rn F?lling described an inherited metabolic disorder characterized by severe intellectual impairment, motor problems, and skin abnormalities. He found that affected individuals could be identified by the abnormal excretion of phenylpyruvic acid in their urine. The disorder, which F?lling initially termed imbecillitas phenylpyrouvica, would later come to be known as phenylketonuria or PKU. The present paper focuses on the story of F?lling's discovery and his subsequent contributions to the area of study. In the years that have followed, research on PKU has continued to play a major role in the neurosciences, shaping our understanding of genetic disorders, human metabolism, and brain development.     

Apartheid on Trial: South West Africa and the International Court of Justice, 1960–66

The deputation of Basuto chiefs to England in 1907 provides an example of close co-operation between traditional African chiefs, educated black activists, and white humanitarians in pursuing to the heart of empire the claims of Africans seeking remedy for injustices suffered under colonial rule. The deputation arrived at a time when the Colonial Office felt severely constrained in its ability to fulfil its responsibility of trusteeship towards its African subjects in colonies which were ‘on the eve of responsible government’. This article highlights the support provided in England by Frank Colenso, the son of Bishop Colenso of Natal, in partnership with his sisters in Natal, and argues that, though failing in its immediate aim, this black-led initiative led to a strengthening of relationships between black South African activists and white British-based humanitarians. It also provided an impetus for the development in England of a loosely knit informal organisational framework able to provide material, moral, and political support for South African political activists who were to visit England in deputations from the newly formed South African Native National Congress (forerunner of the ANC) to pursue their grievances against the South African government in the second and third decades of the twentieth century.     

The idea of peace in the West, 500–1150

Most of the numerous peace traditions of the early middle ages developed within a framework of three dimensions: monastic, ecclesiastical, imperial. But after 1150 the equilibrium among these three views of peace became upset. The pax ecclesiae and the imperial peace were channeled into papal jurisdiction and the public peace of the lay powers. The monastic peace began to lose its influence upon society at large.     

Anton Dumitriu,the ‘Axiomatic Culture’ and the ‘Crisis of the West’

Anton Dumitriu (1905–92) was a Romanian philosopher and logician who attempted to develop the more or less consistent theory of an ‘axiomatic’ tradition, referring to culture and civilisation in the ‘East’ (defined actually as Far East) vs. the ‘West’ (mainly Europe, both Western and East-Central) especially in the inter-war and post-war periods. Dumitriu's essays on Romanian culture or on Eastern vs. Western culture as published in his book Eleatic and Heraclitic Cultures (1987) will make the object of this study. This work is a revised version of his East and West (1943). It should be noted that most of the material discussed here is actually still available only in Romanian since Dumitriu's work on Logic is already translated into English, but his musings on culture and civilisation are available only in Romanian and are, consequently, almost unknown outside the country. This study attempts to make up for that and also to connect Dumitriu's views on culture and civilisation or East and West both to earlier Romanian views and currents in defining culture as well as to contemporary general European trends, while also taking into account the context of the Communist regime in which the second edition of his book was issued.     

Remembering the “Queen City of the West”: The Untapped Archaeological Resources of Indianola, Texas

Though its life was quite brief (1844–1886), the now-forgotten Gulf Coast port of Indianola, Texas, played a pivotal role in the settlement of the Southwest. This flourishing metropolis was ravaged by an 1875 hurricane, then completely destroyed by an even fiercer storm in 1886. Initial investigations have revealed vestiges of the wharves, a substantial debris field, and two important shipwrecks, proving the site's tremendous archaeological potential. Because of its unique place in Texas and U.S. maritime history, the former Queen City of the West merits further study.     

The Eighteenth-Century ‘Restoration’ of the West Portals of Saint-Denis and the Problem of the Lintels

Abstract

The west portals of Saint-Denis are believed to have incorporated lintels which would have been engaged with the doorposts below impost level. The lintels are presumed to have been removed in 1771 when various damaging work was carried out on the doorways. Irregularities in the upper courses of the doorposts appear to confirm this theory and many scholars have speculated upon the form of the lost lintels. It can be demonstrated, however, that the narrow nineteenth-century lintels in situ above impost level follow the original twelfth-century design: substantial lintels were at no time engaged with the doorposts. The disorder of the upper doorposts can nevertheless be attributed to the 1771 campaign. At that time the doorposts were dismantled and reassembled carelessly, without leaving enough room for the reinsertion of the upper courses: those of the central portal were merely trimmed while those of the lateral portals were replaced.     

Communities and archaeology under the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat,West Indies

Abstract

The volcanically devastated landscape of Montserrat and its social fabric comprise what Maria calls a “traumascape”—a site of tragedy and catastrophe that is also a place of coping and resilience. How Montserratians engage with trauma is evident in how they remember their recent and historical pasts, and in how they are reinventing aspects of their heritage in order to sustain a distinctly Montserratian identity for the future. Such a process of coping presents challenges for conducting archaeology in collaboration with the community. In this article, we describe the experiences of a recently established project on the island (Survey and Landscape Archaeology on Montserrat) and discuss the potential for, and the obstacles involved in, developing longer-term, sustainable forms of collaboration between archaeologists and local Montserratian communities when facing the unusual circumstances of volcanic disaster and hazard.