The woman of Pritschoena: an example of the German neolithic neurosurgery in Saxony-Anhalt

We present an outstanding example of successful prehistoric double trephination dating between 2700 and 2200 BC, most likely to the Corded Ware culture, at the end of the Neolithic Age. The particularity of this case is the presence of a double trephination, one frontal over the sinus sagittal superior and one parietal right. There is evidence that the patient survived months to years after the operations. The purpose of the procedure is not known. The case confirms the astonishing degree of technical skills reached in Saxony-Anhalt over 4500 years ago without anesthetic, antiseptic, or technologic aids.     

Morphological study of the ancient dogs from three neolithic sites in China

Ancient Chinese dogs excavated at three archaeological sites and stored in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Academia Sinica, were the object of this study (Xiawanggang site, 5000–6000 years BP; Keshengzhuang site, 3000–4000 years BP; Shangsunjia site, Bronze age). During these periods, there were large morphological variations in Chinese dogs beyond a single dog class, as with Jomon dogs. Dogs with a large ‘stop’ were already present in China but not in Japan. At the Keshengzhuang site, middle to large class dogs were also excavated. At least three types were confirmed within these dogs. In the aged dog in Xiawanggang, antemortem loss of many teeth was observed suggesting active use of the teeth and it is possible that this dog was used for hunting as were the Japanese Jomon dogs. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using provenance data to assess archaeological landscapes: an example from Calabria, Italy

Ceramic provenance studies have helped archaeologists examine trade and exchange in multiple scales, the organization of production, and even vessel function. Yet, they may go even further, to provide a venue for the examination of past people’s perception of their landscape. To do so, a methodology is needed that links the choices prehistoric potters made, as reflected in their ceramics, with the choices their landscape could afford them, as reflected in the extent and distribution of local clays, and the physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of these clays. Using the region of Bova Marina in southwestern Calabria as a case study, we have combined a raw materials survey with field and laboratory experiments, along with chemical and mineralogical analyses of the collected sediments to understand the distribution and the physical, chemical and mineralogical variability of locally available clays and provide baseline data against which prehistoric ceramic materials from the region may be compared. We show that the local sediments can be divided into three major units, based on their macroscopic, mineralogical and chemical characteristics, that correspond well with the major geological units outcropping in the study area. While two of these units have internally consistent properties, the third is variable.     

Age constraints and denudation rate of a multistage fault line scarp: an example from Southern Italy

The morphological evolution of a carbonate fault line scarp from southern Italy, generated by transpressional faulting and evolved by slope replacement, has been reconstructed. ¹⁴C dating of faulted slope deposits (ages included between 18 ka and ～8 ka BP) have been performed to constrain the Late Pleistocene — Holocene evolution of that scarp. Long-to short-term denudation rates have been also evaluated for the understanding of the mountain front origin. The slope shows well-defined triangular facets combined with the presence of N-S-striking mountainward-dipping fault planes. The envelope of the slope foot appears slightly curved in a planimetric view and shows an E-W-trending offset in its southern part, making such a feature quite different from the recurrent rectilinear fault scarps, often related to normal faulting. Morphostructural analysis showed that: i) the oldest displacement was generated by a fault with a reverse component of movement; ii) the slope represents an inherited feature, only recently exhumed, and developed starting from a high-angle curved surface; iii) the upper Pleistocene — Holocene extensional faulting has only affected the slope foot and associated waste deposits, causing a series of collateral morphological effects, as fluvial cut of preexisting valleys and the genesis of conspicuous mass movements.     

Reconstructing “total” paleo-landscapes for archaeological investigation: an example from the central Netherlands

It is common procedure today to use geographic datasets to supplement archaeological investigation; however, static and modern-day data are often used rather than more accurate paleo-data. This article underscores the importance of employing such dynamic paleo-landscapes, and describes a new approach for developing richly-furnished and detailed spatial surfaces, referred to as “total” landscapes. GIS and computer simulation programs are critical to the generation of such surfaces, along with geospatial data of sufficient quality and quantity. The approach is articulated vis-à-vis a case study from the central Netherlands.     

Embalming methods and plants in Renaissance Italy: two artificial mummies from Siena (central Italy)

Knowledge of the embalming methods used in Renaissance Italy comes not only from the literary texts of physicians and surgeons of that period, but also from artificial mummies which have been found. In 1999 two mummified bodies, dated back to the end of 15^th and beginning of the 16^th century, were recovered in a crypt of the hospital chapel of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena (central Italy). The individuals were identified as Salimbene Capacci (1433–1497), Rector of the hospital, and his wife, Margherita Sozzini (?-1511). The mummies were submitted to autopsy and paleopathological examination, which included Computed Tomography. Palaeobotanical and palynological analyses were performed on the vegetable materials and plants used to fill the body cavities. This study was carried out with a multidisciplinary perspective, that allowed us to reconstruct the embalming techniques and substances used for mummification. The results are compared with the evidences provided by other mummies and embalming handbooks of that time.     

Non-invasive archaeological exploration in stratigraphically complex rural settings: an example from Ferento (Viterbo, Italy)

This paper presents the results of a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey conducted in the rural area of the ancient city of Ferento near Viterbo (Northern Latium, Italy), where the visible ruins testify an uninterrupted history from the Etruscan to the Medieval period. The soil covering the ruins has been intensively ploughed, cultivated and used for pasture over the centuries, and is characterised by a high content of clay minerals. In this scenario, the use of GPR is particularly difficult due to both possible ‘false positive anomalies’ and strong signal attenuation. In order to reconstruct the geometrical shape and size of the geophysical anomalies related to a medieval dwelling, multi-profile GPR data were collected in two different areas, using radar equipped with 250-MHz antennas. 2D and pseudo-3D migrated maps were created and signal velocity analysis was performed to estimate the target depths. Despite the clayey-calcareous material, the results show a good signal penetration and allow a clear reconstruction of the shape of the buried ruins, confirming that the anomalies are due to medieval buildings located at a depth in agreement with what was observed on the archaeological stratigraphy. Furthermore, our study suggests that in radar data interpretation, caution should be used if the surveyed area was subjected to prolonged and intensive agriculture.     

Making connections: a fresh analysis of an early neolithic pit and its contents

Outlined here is a new and detailed assessment of two Early Neolithic pits discovered in 1933 by Dr. E.C. Curwen on New Barn Down, Worthing. Newly obtained radiocarbon dates that place the pits between 4000–3800 BC make them amongst the earliest Neolithic features in Sussex and southern England. It is proposed that the pits (collectively known as Pit X) display connections not only to the nearby flint mines, but also to the immediate coastal zone and to wider England. The examination illuminates the practices of an Early Neolithic community, who were not only extracting flint from the nearby mines, but also familiar with new forms of material culture and social customs.     

Some aspects of change in flaked stone industries of the mesolithic and neolithic in Southern Britain

In a recent article, one of the writers suggested that the traditional bipartite division of the British Mesolithic, based on consideration of microlith types, was reflected in the shape of waste flakes (Pitts, 1978a). Four early assemblages were dominated by narrow flakes, in contrast to three later ones with a higher representation of broader flakes. In this paper, the originally tentative conclusions are explored in greater detail, and the next major boundary, the start of the Neolithic, is investigated. Related changes in the tool components are also examined and the outlines of an explanatory framework are proposed.     

Re-inventing Malta's neolithic temples: Contemporary interpretations and agendas

This article suggests that in spite of numerous excellent contributions and promising new developments, the work of European and American students of politics on the southern and eastern areas of the Mediterranean (in particular, the Arab World) continues to exhibit various worrying weaknesses. The shortcomings in question do not necessarily represent a distinctive characteristic of existing scholarship on this part of the world. The aim of this contribution is not to claim or demonstrate that research and writings on the Middle East and North Africa are more inadequate than work done on other parts of the world, but simply to illustrate where and in what respect such work is inadequate. I will attempt to highlight the shortcomings by emphasizing possible improvements, referring to positive rather than to negative examples. Several dimensions of the literature concerned appear particularly relevant to this exercise: perpetual essentialist temptations; the subdivision of the world into “regions” or “areas”, frequently defined in cultural terms, and their reification; the lack of balance between empirical and theoretical ambitions; the degree of methodological and conceptual rigour; and theoretical, empirical and methodological selectivity.     

Development and change in burgage plots: the example of Wells

More attention is now being paid to the analysis of medieval and early modern town plans. Current debates include the usefulness of nineteenth-century plans to recreate earlier patterns and the antiquity and durability of the so-called burgage plot. This piece uses the abundant documents which survive in Wells to illustrate the history of the properties of one town. Several cycles of change are identified giving a complex mixture of continuity and change in plot boundaries. The material is used to suggest a series of processes which can result in boundary changes. The findings are related to recent work elsewhere in England. The need for more research is stressed.     

Genes, language, and culture: an example from the tarim basin

Summary. The Tarim Basin ‘mummies’ of western China continue to fascinate scholars and the general public alike due to their ‘Caucasoid’ features, well‐preserved material culture, and putative ‘European’ origins. However, there have been some uncritical efforts to link these archaeological cultures to those of other ancient Eurasian groups (e.g. the Celts) by applying syllogistic reasoning to multi‐disciplinary evidence. In an attempt to provide a more cautious synthesis of the prehistory of the Tarim Basin, this paper will briefly summarize the archaeological, physical, and linguistic evidence that has been used to model human settlement of this region. These data will then be related to recent molecular anthropology research on modern populations of Central Asia, focusing especially on the Uighur in relation to their neighbours. While the genetic history of the modern peoples of a particular region is not necessarily related to their prehistoric antecedents, it is argued that the Tarim Basin experienced a surprising cultural and biological continuity despite immigration from both east and west into Xinjiang Province. This conclusion has a number of possible political ramifications in the present day that must be addressed in future literature on the subject.     

Disputes and courts in Lombard and Carolingian central Italy

This study examines the relationship between judicial courts and the societies in which they operated as revealed by the documents of the abbey of Farfa in the duchy of Spoleto. In a series of case studies it is shown that disputants and judges could draw on a wide range of norms that enabled them to manipulate the settlement process and to tailor it to their own social advantage. Unlike many studies of disputes in central and northern Italy of the early Middle Ages, here weight is given to those aspects of disputing that took place outside the court. It is an approach that casts fresh light on the transition from Lombard to Carolingian rule in central and northern Italy. It also challenges the binary line between the ‘private’ and the ‘public’ in dispute settlement. This, in turn, has implications for how we view the so‐called ‘feudal transformation’ in which the public was supposedly eclipsed by the private. ¹ 1 The following abbreviations occur throughout: Manaresi =I placiti del regnum Italiae, ed. C. Manaresi, 3 vols (Rome, 1955–60), vol. I; CDL=Codice diplomatico longobardo, vols I and II, ed. L. Schiaparelli (Rome, 1929–33), vol. III, ed. C. Brühl (Rome, 1973), vol. IV/1, ed. C. Brühl (Rome, 1981), vol. V, ed. H. Zielinski (Rome, 1986), cited with document no.; ER = Edictus Rothari, LGrim. = Grimoaldi Leges, LLiut. = Liutprandi Leges, LRat. = Ratchisi Leges, LAist. = Ahistulfi Leges, all in Leges Langobardorum (643–866), ed. F. Beyerle, Die Gesetze der Langobarden, Germanenrechte. Neue Folge, Westgermanisches Recht, 2nd edn (Witzenhausen, 1963); RF= Gregory of Catino, Regestum Farfense, ed. I. Giorgi and U. Balzani, Il Regesto di Farfa, 5 vols (Rome, 1879–1914), cited with vol. and document no.; CF=Il Chronicon Farfense di Gregorio di Catino, ed. U. Balzani, 2 vols (Rome, 1903).
     

Mortality analysis of the Late Pleistocene bears from Grotta Lattaia,central Italy

Reported here are the results of a mortality analysis of an Ursus spelaeus death assemblage from Grotta Lattaia, southern Tuscany (central Italy), excavated in 1939. The Grotta Lattaia cave bears are among the latest representatives of the species. The large amount of cave bear remains indicates that the cavern was a lair for hibernating bears which repeatedly, but not necessarily yearly, occupied it. The mortality evidence indicates that deaths occurred primarily during hibernation from violent predation, and, therefore, that the bears had direct interaction with other carnivores. However, no sign of interrelation with humans could be found, even though Middle Paleolithic human remains and tools had been recovered associated with the bear material. Grotta Lattaia can be thus considered an example of cumulative, non-human-caused violent deaths in a hibernation context.     

Experiential learning through integrated project work: an example from soil science

Abstract

The planning, implementation and evaluation of an integrated soil science project are examined. The project aimed to develop a wide range of student‐centred approaches to learning, whilst promoting the development of a variety of transferable skills and personal qualities. The four project components (fieldwork, laboratory analysis, data interpretation and preparation of a written report) ran in sequence. Only the written report was formally assessed although potential developments of this system were considered. The project was implemented in the light of Kolb's cyclical model of experiential learning, and student evaluation was achieved through questionnaire analysis and group discussion.     

Testing technological practices: neutron activation analysis of neolithic ceramics from Valencia,Spain

Using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of prehistoric pottery, daub, and modern clay samples from Valencia, Spain, we tested expectations on changes in raw material use with socio-economic shifts during the Neolithic (ca. 5600–2800 BC). Elemental analysis identified three distinctive clay source groups used by Neolithic potters. Contrary to expectations, a shift in raw material use was identified between the Early and Middle Neolithic despite general similarities in technological practices. In the Late Neolithic, pottery production became more specialized, but potters used the same range of clay sources documented earlier. This study illustrates the utility of INAA for testing hypotheses of prehistoric craft production.