铜桥形饰的性质和用途再考

铜桥形饰 ,实际上就是一种形状似桥的铜质饰物。据不完全统计 ,我国经科学发掘出土的铜桥形饰已达 1 0 0 0余件 ,采集品、博物馆收藏的传世品以及各种钱币图录中收录的铜桥形饰资料也颇为丰富。从其形态变化和纹饰特点看 ,大约有五种类型。 (图一 )铜桥形饰的分布地域相当广泛 ,在河南、河北、四川、湖北、山东、陕西、山西、湖南、甘肃以及内蒙古十多个省、自治区都有出土 ,尤以河南、河北和四川三省最为集中。铜桥形饰被使用和流行的时间跨度较大 ,自春秋晚期至西汉初年 ,约 30 0年 ,是春秋战国及西汉初期较为重要的一类铜质饰物① 。一、…     

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a review of its causes and its diagnosis in skeletal material

Smoky fires in small, poorly ventilated structures have been cited as a risk factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) since the 1920s (Dobson, 1924 ). Furthermore, based on five cited cases of ancient NPC, it has been proposed that NPC was a common condition with a wide geographical distribution in ancient populations (Wells, 1964a , b ). Both interpretations have continued to appear in the literature (Ortner, 2003 ), but recently, Aufderheide & Rodríguez‐Martín ( 1998 ) have argued that the number of cases of NPC is inflated due to ‘diagnostic imprecision’. This paper reviews medical advances that in the last few decades have shed considerable light on risk factors for NPC, and also reviews criteria for diagnosing NPC. Based on these data, a reexamination of the five cited cases of ancient NPC suggests that only one case may be NPC, and the prevalence and distribution of this disease may have been more variable than originally thought. Furthermore, a better understanding of the aetiology of NPC and criteria for diagnosis may allow for more precise research designs for studying ancient populations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rock Art: A Potential Source of Information about Past Maritime Technology in the South-East Asia-Pacific Region

It is possible that most or all boats and rig-types used in prehistoric times in the South-East Asia-Pacific region have completely disappeared from the record, and that those recorded by Europeans in the 17th century may have been relatively recent innovations. The purpose of this paper is to introduce to the literature a new source of information on ancient boat and rig designs. This source is the information encoded in rock-art depictions of watercraft. This paper provides a technical appraisal of 18 images of watercraft from the Tutuala region of East Timor.
© 2007 The Authors     

Publications

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a fabric study of the late Roman coarse wares (3rd century–6th century A.D.) from the Roman coastal town of Potentia (Porto Recanati) Marche, Italy). The petrographic analysis established the presence of several imported coarse ware classes, originating from the eastern Mediterranean to northern Africa. Of particular interest are the Adriatic common wares, which allow us to examine and define the extent, scale, and configuration of ancient trade within Adriatic Italy. While it is difficult to trace trade routes, items transported as a secondary commodity, like regional coarse wares, can help in reconstructing ancient economic interaction. The burnished coarse ware discussed here documents the ancient N-S trade routes from the Po region to the central Adriatic. Moreover, the identification of a northern Italian ware in central Adriatic Italy shows that this burnished coarse pottery had economic value and was part of a wider distribution network within the Adriatic.     

Using finite element methods to analyze ancient architecture: an example from the North American Arctic

Developing theories of vernacular architecture in archaeology has been hindered by the lack of a defined methodology for studying ancient buildings, and the absence of information on the mechanical properties of construction materials uncommon in today's building practices. In this paper we use Finite Element Methods and recent research on the structural properties of whalebone to analyze the architecture of Thule semi-subterranean houses. These unique dwellings were constructed and used by the ancestors of Inuit/Eskimo peoples in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. Little is known about how they were designed and constructed because few have ever been discovered intact. The substantial weight of whalebone roof frames suggests that some designs would have performed better than others. Poorly planned houses, or the use of whalebone in a symbolic rather than strictly utilitarian capacity, may have resulted in higher maintenance costs, thereby shortening their anticipated use life. In extreme cases, errors in design, or the failure of materials may have caused dwellings to collapse, resulting in injuries or possibly even death. We demonstrate through this case study that Finite Element Methods constitutes an effective methodology for studying ancient buildings, with the proviso that more research is needed on the mechanical properties of building materials used in the past.     

Caracol,Belize, and Changing Perceptions of Ancient Maya Society

Archaeological research at Caracol, an ancient Maya site that was rediscovered in 1937, has become a major resource in the interpretation and understanding of the ancient Maya. Caracol, in west-central Belize, is situated in a subtropical region once characterized as being unsuitable for the development or maintenance of complex societies, yet it is one of the largest, if not the largest Classic period Maya site in the southern Maya Lowlands, home to over 100,000 people at its height between AD 600 and 700. The investigations at Caracol underscore the utility of long-term archaeological projects incorporating large-scale settlement study that combine excavation with varied research designs and the use of a contextual approach. By employing Maya epigraphic history, traditional archaeology, and modern technology like LiDAR, research at Caracol details the rise, maintenance, and fall of an ancient Maya city, affording a large window into ancient Maya lifeways. Archaeological work provides evidence of sustainable agriculture, a market economy, city planning that included a road system, the impact of warfare on the site’s inhabitants, the sociopolitical status of women, the role that archaeology can play in refining written history, and the significance of commemorating the cyclical passage of time to the ancient Maya. This article summarizes archaeological research efforts at the site by the Caracol Archaeological Project over the last three decades.     

两件战国谷纹玉器真伪考述

北京故宫博物院藏有一件战国玉镂雕螭龙合璧,著录于《玉器精萃》、《故宫博物院藏文物珍品全集》、《中国文物精华大辞典》等（图二）;上海文物商店藏有一件战国谷纹玉圭,著录于《中国文物精华１９９３》、《中国玉器鉴赏》等（图一）。二件玉器,一件作为传世的玉圭荣...     

PROGRESS REVIEW OF THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF CHINESE ANCIENT JADE

The interdisciplinary study of cultural heritage has become a scholarly hotspot in archaeology. Ancient jade serves as an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture, so the study of it is a critical part of this trend. The past 30 years have witnessed great progress in research on ancient jade, with the involvement of basic theory and the technological application of many science subjects. This paper summarizes the research status, methodology and prospects in the research on raw material (jade texture), provenance and secondary change of Chinese ancient jade, in the hope of benefiting future studies of ancient jade.     

Archaeological Observation on the Layout of the Three Courts and Five Gates of the Daming Palace of the Tang Dynasty

The system of Three Courts and Five Gates is an essential content of the designs of the capitals and palaces of ancient China. The Three Courts and Five Gates planning of the Daming Palace is the adoption of this rule and the application to the spatial designing of the palace city. The archaeological fieldwork revealed that within the Daming Palace, the Three Courts pattern with three walls as the borders, and Hanyuan Hall, Xuanzheng Hall, and Zichen Hall as the centers formed the outer court, middle court, and inner court plan, which was the embodiment of the new interpretation of the Tang Dynasty to the traditional Three Courts and Five Gates ritual system. Through the trimming of the archaeological data fetched in the past 60 years about the southern part, which is the official affair zone, of the Daming Palace, this paper discusses the spatial structure of the Three Courts and Five Gates pattern of the Daming Palace, and analyzes the substantial relationship between this pattern and the political demands of the ruling class.     

Identification of ancient textiles from Yingpan,Xinjiang, by multiple analytical techniques

Various extraordinary textiles were excavated from a graveyard at Yingpan, Xinjiang, on the middle route of the ancient Silk Road. Applications of western motifs and designs to traditional Chinese textiles led to the emergence of compound woven textiles with central Asian characters. For a better understanding of the cultural exchanges and textile trade between the West and the East in ancient times, identifications of archaeological fibres and dyes were carried out for various funerary textile objects by using multiple analytical techniques, such as high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode detection, optical microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Fibre identifications were performed for 35 archaeological textile samples, and the results showed that the ancient textiles were mostly made from Bombyx mori silk and wool. The SEM and FT-IR experimental results revealed that these ancient textiles remained morphologically intact due to the special (very dry) climate in Xinjiang, but noticeably degraded at the molecular level due to long time thermo-ageing and/or biodegradation. The principal colouring matters, such as alizarin, purpurin, indigotin and luteolin, were respectively characterised for nine archaeological textile samples. The yellow dyestuffs derived from luteolin-based plants were assumed to have been imported to China from the Middle East and Western Asia through the Silk Road.     

Ancient DNA investigation of prehistoric salmon resource utilization at Keatley Creek,British Columbia,Canada

This study applied ancient DNA techniques to achieve accurate species identifications for the archaeological salmon remains recovered from the prehistoric pithouse village of Keatley Creek in British Columbia, Canada. Previous archaeological studies indicate that economic stratification within the community might have resulted in differential access to some preferred salmon species, such as sockeye and chinook. Unambiguous ancient DNA species identification now makes it possible to more accurately address the issue of early salmon resource utilization in the region. This study analyzed 60 salmon remains from two specialized structures and two residential structures in order to identify any species differences among bony salmon remains found within the structure. Although high success rates (over 90%) were obtained for ancient DNA tests, only three species (chinook, sockeye and coho salmon) were identified from the remains. Pink salmon was not identified among the tested sample, despite the fact that it was originally assumed to be a staple species for the site's native inhabitants. The absence of pink salmon in our sample significantly altered the picture of early salmon fishing activities in the region. As a result, the effects of economic stratification on differential access to the remaining so-called preferred species of sockeye and chinook within the four structures studied were not as dramatic as previously thought, although differences among the structures could still be observed.     

The Social and Economic Complexity of Ancient Jerusalem as Seen Through Choices in Lighting Oils

This paper presents and discusses the results of residue analysis conducted on 78 ceramic lamps found in archaeological excavations in ancient Jerusalem, in an attempt to identify the types of oils used and the reasons for their preferential choice. The oil lamps chosen for the study were taken from a variety of contexts, which represent the different periods during which Jerusalem was settled and the different sectors of the city. The results of the study show that even the most mundane activity of lighting using oil held within it social and economic choices, as mirrored in the different excavation areas.     

Beyond the buildings: Formation processes of ancient Maya houselots and methods for the study of non-architectural space

The success of activity areas research in domestic contexts has highlighted the need for archaeologists working in the tropics to explore both indoor and outdoor spaces. The preservation of houselot boundaries at ancient Chunchucmil, Yucatán, Mexico, provides an ideal environment to explore methods for the investigation of broad spaces beyond buildings, to test ethnoarchaeological models of activity areas and refuse disposal, and to demonstrate the importance of open spaces to understanding ancient economic organization. The results of methodological experiments reported in this paper favor the use of systematic subsurface sampling (as opposed to surface collections) for characterizing specific uses of space around houses. Formation processes dictate that soil chemistry, paleoethnobotany, and other laboratory techniques should supplement excavations. Our explorations of three houselots suggest that ethnoarchaeological models of the use of space in contemporary houselots serve as successful templates for interpreting the use of space in ancient times. Post-abandonment deposition within houselots, however, can confuse these interpretations. This paper therefore reports a new ethnoarchaeological study that helps illuminate the nature of post-abandonment discard. After resolving critical issues of methodology and formation processes, this paper assesses the economic contribution of houselot activities. Given Chunchucmil’s agricultural marginality, such home economics played an important role in the subsistence needs of this urban center.     

Elemental analysis and characterization of ochre sources from Southern Arizona

Iron oxides and other associated minerals (ochre) were widely used in ancient times, however, the use and procurement of these materials is not well understood and there has been little research on the elemental characterization of the material compared to other artifact classes. To assess the possibility of identifying ochre differences between locations, the original potential geological sources should be thoroughly characterized. This paper describes the collection of potential geologic sources of ochre in the Tucson basin of Arizona, sampling of those sources, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), and subsequent multivariate analysis of the data. This paper has several goals, including characterizing geochemical trends within and between ochre sources, identifying the important elements in geochemical characterization of ochre, and establishing a database for further investigations. This preliminary study indicates that the inter- and intra-source variations in geological sources of ochre in the Tucson basin region can be differentiated. Future analysis of iron oxide artifacts will be performed to examine correlations between artifacts and sources and provide a basis for further deductions concerning ancient ochre procurement.     

Chaining and shaming: images of defeat, from Llyn Cerrig Bach to Sarmitzegetusa

Summary.  This paper seeks to address issues relating to physical restraint, disempowerment and the symbolisms of humiliation, particularly within the contexts of warfare and conquest in Iron Age and Roman Britain and Europe, although the enormous topic of ancient slavery per se is beyond the scope of the present study. The enquiry is based upon evidence from iconography, human remains, the physical paraphernalia of restraint and, for the latest Iron Age onwards, the testimony of such ancient authors as Tacitus. The subject is approached from the perspective not only of empirical material but also from that of social and symbolic theory. Furthermore, in seeking to interpret the relevant material culture, I have deemed it useful to draw broad analogies with other periods and contexts, including the iconography of the ancient Nile Valley and aspects of the nineteenth century French penal system. The material under discussion is scrutinized within contexts of ritual practice and performance, together with presentations of degradation and attitudes to foreignness, subjugation, supremacy and inferiority. Accordingly, questions are raised concerning the symbolic meaning of gang-chains and chain-gangs, grammars of victory-imagery (including somatic position, dimorphism and hair-grasping) and issues associated with shaming the body, whether by means of binding and shackling, violence, head-shaving or sensory deprivation.     

元明清瓷器纹饰“番莲花”研究

本文通过对中国古代文献中"西番莲"记载的梳理,释义了纹饰上"西番莲"和"番莲花"的异同,指出元明清瓷器上的番莲花图案是一种非具象的"文化寓意型"纹饰,具有兼及外来与本土两种文化的特征。在中国其与植物学意义上的西番莲的结合要晚至清代初期之后。     

Social memory and ethnic identity: Ancient Greek drama performances as commemorative ceremonies

This paper is an ethnographic account of ancient Greek drama performances that take place in contemporary Greece. The material presented here is part of the data that were collected, mainly through participant observation, interviews and newspapers, during 1997 and 1998 in Athens. The paper illuminates an aspect of modern ancient drama performances that has not been taken into account until today: it treats them as commemorative ceremonies that produce, reproduce, and transmit social memory. The interrelation and interdependence between social memory and ethnic identity construction processes are analyzed and is shown that ancient drama performances, due to specific characteristics, constitute something more than mere theatrical events (as they are defined within the Western tradition). These performances, which convey, sustain, and transmit perceptions of a glorious culture of the past, become, for their creators and spectators, as members of an ethnic group, occasions for consciously remembering their ethnic past, and coming, in a way, to a "mythical identification" with it.     

Determining the Firing Temperature of Low‐Fired Ancient Pottery: An Example from the Donghulin Site,Beijing, China

The traditional thermal expansion method using a dilatometer fails to accurately determine the original firing temperatures of low‐fired ancient pottery. For this reason, we have developed an improved method of determining firing temperatures for low‐fired pottery. This paper explains the theory of the improved method and presents the reasonably satisfactory results obtained on ancient pottery from the Donghulin site (c. 10 000 bp ). The method and the results are very important for the study of ancient pottery culture and clay moulds used for bronze casting.     

Swift Creek paddle designs and the imperative to be unique

ABSTRACT

The emergence of the Swift Creek style tradition represents a shift from two or three simple carved paddle designs to many thousands of unique paddle designs by middle Swift Creek then back to merely a few in late and post Swift Creek times. This explosion in designs is a striking phenomenon, in need of consideration. Increased design diversity implicates a rise in creativity, verging on an imperative to be unique, where none previously existed in this medium. In this paper, we offer a revised model of Swift Creek social dynamics by reference to the new-found creativity of paddle makers situated within the context of ethnographic case studies.