Human remains in marine archaeology

Abstract

This paper deals with human remains in marine contexts, both from the intertidal zone and from below low water mark. Some of the legal and ethical aspects pertaining to human remains are discussed, with an emphasis on the English experience. Survival of human remains in marine environments is considered, and recovery procedures in fieldwork projects are discussed. Finally, drawing upon work from Britain and from other parts of Europe, particularly on remains from wreck sites, attempts are made to discern some of the more important directions for research on human remains from marine archaeological contexts.     

Single carcass of Mammuthus primigenius with lithic artifacts in the Upper Pleistocene of northern Italy

This paper presents the find of a Mammuthus primigenius carcass and associated Mousterian implements from the Last Glacial site of Asolo, in north-eastern Italy. We review the exploitation of proboscidean carcasses at Lower and Middle Paleolithic sites of Africa, Europe and the Levant, including evidence of elephant killing, and summarize recent research on hafting and use of Mousterian points as spearheads already before the end of the Middle Pleistocene. The bones and implements from Asolo are described in detail; we provide information on other Italian sites with mammoth remains and on the Mousterian record of the north-eastern quadrant of the peninsula. A possible impact fracture has been detected on a Levallois point from Asolo; its interpretation is based on comparisons to similar scars found on spear points of verified function from archaeological sites of later age, and on experimental material. We conclude that the evidence of Asolo is consistent with information from a number of Western European sites supporting a picture of Neanderthals as capable hunters of large game, such as woolly mammoth.     

博物馆文物的防震保护研究（一）——传统抗震措施与现代隔震技术

通过对博物馆内物浮放物体的地震危害性分析,指出了物防震的一些主要问题。归纳总结了馆藏物的传统抗震措施。阐述了现代隔震技术的发展、研究现状以及隔震装置在物防震工作中的应用情况。同时给出了博物馆物防震保护的设计方案。     

A dental study comparing age estimations of the human remains from the Swedish warship Vasa

The great Swedish warship Vasa capsized and sank in Stockholm harbour on her maiden voyage in 1628. The ship was raised from the seabed in 1961 and skeletal remains were recovered from at least 25 individuals, with teeth and jaws from 17 of them. The skeletal material was odontologically examined, including dental radiographs. Teeth lost both ante‐mortem and post‐mortem were recorded and variations in tooth anatomy noted. Acquired changes were recorded including enamel hypoplasia, attrition, dental caries and periodontal recession. Age estimations based on a separate odontological study, osteological changes and tooth attrition had been made in 1989. Ages were estimated additionally by three non‐destructive dental methods based on (a) the length of the apical translucent zone, (b) selected measurements both on intact teeth and from ratios on dental radiographs and (c) ratios of the length and width measurements on dental radiographs from selected teeth. Several sources of post‐mortem changes had been observed, among them vivianite in 33 teeth from four individuals. The results of the dental examination showed that few teeth had been lost ante‐mortem, there was a low caries rate and little loss of periodontal attachments. With few exceptions, there is fairly good agreement between the different methods of estimating age. Age estimates based on dental attrition were, however, significantly different from the other dental methods and age estimates calculated from apical translucency ought to be regarded with scepticism due to post‐mortem changes. The chronological ages of the victims will never be known, but age estimates based on all the age‐markers available will probably reach a fairly close approximation. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Germans from Russia in Saskatchewan: An Oral History

The Germans from Russia are a prominent settlement group in the rural landscape of Saskatchewan. Perhaps because they came incrementally, by chain migration, rather than by organized group colonization, they compose an ethnic group little noticed by historians. Also, their immediate origins are divided, inasmuch as earlier German-Russian immigrants came directly from Russia, whereas many twentieth-century German-Russian immigrants came to Canada from the United States, mainly from North Dakota and South Dakota. This article offers the first focused, scholarly historical treatment of German-Russian immigration and life in Saskatchewan. Drawing on oral histories collected with the support of the Faculty Research Program of the Canadian Embassy, it focuses particularly on growing up German-Russian on the prairies, positing a German-Russian ethnic identity distinct both from neighbor immigrant groups in Saskatchewan and from origin communities in the United States.     

Avian taphonomy: observations at two Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) breeding colonies and their implications for the fossil record

Actualistic studies on vertebrate taphonomy have centred on mammals, and to a much lesser extent on flying birds. Members of the Spheniscidae are anatomically specialized making it problematic to make direct inferences from previous taphonomic work. Modern bone assemblages from two Spheniscus magellanicus breeding colonies on the southern Atlantic coast of continental Patagonia, Argentina, were surveyed on foot along linear transects, and features were determined that are useful in interpreting the fossil record. Present day bone accumulations have specific properties resulting from penguin anatomy and osteology as well as from the composition of the vertebrate community and regional environmental conditions. Most salient are the high spatial density of bones, the dominance of Spheniscidae remains over those of other vertebrates, the high percentage of disarticulated bones, the predominance of limb bones, the low frequencies of carnivore bone modifications, and the abundance of fractured bones. Many of these features observed in the modern assemblages can be identified in fossil avian bone deposits.     

京郊四村80年:乡民社会的历史图景与现实处境

20世纪20年代李景汉调查的京郊四村长期以来一直得到学术界的关注,2006～2008年,我们又对京郊四村进行了田野调查和文献研究,目的意在秉承前辈学者的研究理路,以村民的收入和消费为主线,呈现其从乡土社会到城市街区的转换历程,以及失地农民在适应城市生活中所面临的诸多问题。作为城乡关系的"连接点",大城市边缘村落既是乡土社会转型的前沿地带,也是都市化引发社会矛盾和冲突的焦点。因此,对京郊四村的再研究,不仅续写了村庄的历史,更突显了认识和记录中国社会变迁的价值所在。     

Post-medieval sheep (Ovis aries) metapodia from southern Britain

The ‘improvement’ of sheep (Ovis aries) in southern Britain during the post-medieval period is examined using measurements taken on the metacarpals and metatarsals from the late 18th to 19th centuries AD site of Tumbling Fields, Tiverton, Devon. This data set is a rare and important metric archive from which is derived information on the conformation (size and shape) of sheep. Comparisons are presented from other medieval and post-medieval sites, which demonstrate that Tumbling Fields is comparable to other sites of a similar period. The comparisons presented also reveal temporal variation with bones from later sites being taller and more robust on average than those from earlier sites. In addition, the abnormalities of sheep (O. aries) metapodia are examined. In particular, two different conditions are discussed: small, oval cavities in the proximal articulation of the metacarpals, and a ridge of bone on the proximal anterior shaft of the metatarsals. Comparisons are presented from other medieval and post-medieval sites, and potential aetiologies are discussed.     

西方地理学界关于信息产业与城市发展研究述评

80年代以来,西方城市地理学者从技术和现代经济的角度入手,在占有一定统计资料和实地调查的基础上,开展了信息产业与城市发展的研究。本文对西方地理学界关于信息产业与城市发展研究进行了评述。     

新中国农村基层政权初创时期的历史考察

1949～1957年,新中国农村基层政权的建设经历了四个阶段:1949～1950年,在新解放区进行了以废除保甲制为中心的接管建政;1950～1953年,以土地改革为中心进行群众建政; 1953～1954年,以普选为中心进行民主建政;1954～1957年,在农业合作化运动中实现了农村基层政权的调整与发展。经过这几个阶段,新中国的农村基层政权逐步建立起来。其中蕴含的历史启示是:农村基层政权建设的基石是中国农村社会的现代化转型;农村基层政权建设的核心是农村基层民主的发展;农村基层政权建设的关键是加强中国共产党执政能力建设。     

Chemical,elemental, and isotopic effects of acid concentration and treatment duration on ancient bone collagen: an exploratory study

Demineralization of bone for collagen extraction is most commonly performed using dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl) despite the fact that little data exists on the effects of differing acid concentration or treatment time on the quantity and quality of collagen extracts and that hydrochloric acid is extremely effective at hydrolyzing peptide bonds. Data on yield, elemental composition, and isotopic signature from bone collagen obtained from multiple extractions performed on two large ancient human bone samples from prehistoric Puerto Rico indicate that there is no meaningful difference between acid treatments ranging from 0.05 to 0.2 M concentration and 24–120 h of treatment. As such, a shorter course of demineralization using more concentrated acid would appear to produce quality results in a shorter time.     

A Comparative Study on the Compressive Strength of Bricks from Different Historical Periods

The aim of this article is to present the results of compressive strength tests for bricks from different historical periods. The studies were conducted on hand-molded and mechanically formed bricks. The bricks that were used for the studies came from historical structures from the center of the royal city of Crakow. Compressive strength was determined on rectangular prisms and on cylinders cut out from bricks in various directions—anisotropy and shape effects were then analyzed.

?The basic aim of the conducted studies was to estimate the possibility of carrying out the strength tests on relatively small samples and re-calculating these results on normalized brick strength determined according to EN772–1. Based on the tests results, a range of correlation coefficient values for cylinder samples with diameters of 30 mm and 50 mm was given. It was indicated that for the tested historical bricks characterized by significant material non-homogeneity within the element and sensitivity to damages while cutting out the samples, correlation coefficients are higher than for bricks used contemporarily.

?The results of these studies are presented alongside the findings from existing studies on the compressive strength of bricks.     

Feminist Perspectives on the Internationalization of The State

Abstract: The state is often described in transition: public spaces are rearranged by private companies, national social welfare is being privatized to some extent, and supranational institutions have more influence on national policies. “A view from the kitchen” (Diane Elson) is helpful for understanding the changing dynamics of states and societies because different women are affected by these policies in different and often ambiguous ways: women of the globalized South migrate to the North, creating global care chains, while women in Western industrialized countries are confronted with changing welfare regimes, leaving mainly highly educated women to profit from this situation. This article contributes to feminist debates on economic globalization and state internationalization. Our feminist materialist perspective allows a critical view on dominance and power in “governance”. Thus, the article adds to feminist debates on globalization from the perspective of state transformation and to debates on governance from the perspective of state transformation grounded in gendered social relations.     

The Economics of Rural Households in Russia: Impact of Village Location

An American specialist on Russia's agrarian sector and two collaborators explore the effects of distance to nearby urban markets on the agricultural output and income of Russian rural households. Unlike previous studies that have largely tested such effects on the basis of household distance from relatively large oblast administrative centers, the authors adopt a micro-level scale of analysis, focusing on distance from smaller rayon centers. Comparison of two sample populations (near vs. remote from rayon center) from a larger survey population of 900 households in nine representative regions of Russia reveals marked differences in household incomes, commodity output, and real holdings of land that are statistically verified by a linear regression model. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O18, P32, Q15, Q18. 4 tables, 46 references.     

13～18世纪云贵川交界地区政区设置变化趋势研究

13-18世纪金沙江以东的云、贵、川交界地区在政区设置上产生了一系列变化,主要变化趋势表现在:在政区层级上,由繁而简;在基层政区设置的空间过程上,由外而内;在政区的实际控制上,由虚到实。这一时期本地区地方部族力量的不断减弱与中央权力的逐渐加强是导致这些变化趋势的主要原因。     

高速铁路的社会经济影响与空间效应的研究进展——基于国际SCI和SSCI期刊论文的分析

高速铁路正在重塑区域空间格局,并对社会经济发展产生深刻影响。本文以检索获得的347篇高速铁路社会经济影响与空间效应研究相关的国际SCI和SSCI期刊论文为研究对象,从文献来源、发文量年际变化、作者和机构、载文期刊、研究主题等方面对全球高速铁路社会经济效益研究的趋势和特征进行了系统分析;并从高速铁路的空间效益、经济影响以及社会影响等三个方面对研究内容和主题开展了系统综述;最后从研究趋势和研究内容等方面归纳了主要结论,提出未来研究的趋势与方向。结果表明,在高速铁路快速发展推动下,全球高速铁路效应研究呈现快速增长的态势,并在高速铁路的空间效应、社会经济效应等方面取得了较为丰硕的成果。中国大陆学者在高速铁路效应研究上异军突起,成为近年来国际发表论文最多的国家,但在研究深度和广度以及研究成果影响力上与西班牙等欧美国家仍有较大的差距。     

The Huldremose Iron Age textiles,Denmark: an attempt to define their provenance applying the strontium isotope system

Archaeological textiles recovered on two occasions from the Huldremose bog, Denmark, represent some of the best preserved and complete garments from the Danish Iron Age (500 BC–AD 800). In order to address the question regarding the provenance of the textile's raw material, we applied a recently developed method based on strontium isotopes to wool and plant fibres from these ancient garments. Textile plant fibres from Huldremose I find are of non-local provenance, whereas the wool from which the garment was made stemmed from sheep grazing on glaciomoraine soils developed on Cretaceous–Tertiary carbonate platform sediments widely found in Denmark. The Huldremose II find consists of an unusually large and well preserved garment, which is composed of wool from at least three different provenances. One source is again local, whereas the other two sources, characterized by elevated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, are compatible with geologically older (Precambrian) terrains which are typical for Northern Scandinavia, e.g. Norway or Sweden. Our study suggests that wool and plant fibres were either traded or brought as raw materials for textiles more commonly and over longer distances than previously assumed.     

Subadult Age‐at‐Death Estimation From the Human Calcaneus

The estimation of age from subadult skeletal remains relies on the measurement of bones, which when unavailable or damaged hampers the ability to generate a reliable age estimate. The goal of this project was to demonstrate two methods for estimating age at death from the developing human calcaneus. These methods are generated from a sample of 32 European American and African American males and females with ages ranging from 1 to 19 years from the Hamann–Todd Collection. The first method was based on linear regression from two standard measurements of the calcaneus (maximum length and middle breadth); the second was based on transition analysis of fusion states of the calcaneal epiphysis. Results suggest that both methods perform well in estimating subadult age at death. Additional testing with larger contemporary samples would likely increase the accuracy of both methods. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Pirate's Life for me: The Maritime Culture of the Sea Peoples

An anthropological approach to a culture extrapolates social structures, traditions, and general organizing principles of that culture from the careful observation of patterns of behaviour as described in case studies. In the absence of a living culture to record, archaeologists extrapolate this information from behaviour reconstructed from spatially determined patterns in the deposition of material remains and from patterns found in the general organizing principles of historically documented cultures, using arguments based on analogy. This contribution builds on our previous research on the “Sea Peoples” as a piratical culture in order to apply an anthropological approach to understanding the cultural identities of the various tribal groups involved in maritime activities at the end of the Bronze Age who are popularly known as the “Sea Peoples”, and place this within the broader context of the current discussions on the transition between the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age in the Mediterranean.     

高风险家庭之青少年休闲阻碍研究——以台湾花莲县秀林国中慈辉班学生为例

青少年时期的休闲经验与阻碍,对于个体的休闲态度与行为有着极大的影响。本研究以台湾花莲县秀林国中慈辉班110位学生为对象,经由休闲阻碍量表的测量,得知高风险家庭之青少年休闲阻碍相当显著,首推为人际间阻碍,其次为结构性阻碍,显示家庭压力与环境成为了影响休闲的关键因素。故政府应提供更多元的家庭辅助,建构良好且安全的休闲环境,以帮助高风险家庭青少年建立正确的休闲观念。