What goes in does not always come out: The impact of the ruminant digestive system of sheep on plant material,and its importance for the interpretation of dung-derived archaeobotanical assemblages

Abstract

On archaeological sites where livestock dung was a major fuel source, plant material that survives digestion intact may well be preserved in the remnants of dung-fuelled fires. Preserved plant remains which were derived from dung relate to the diet of animals, and thus provide a way of investigating the agro-pastoral economies of the past. In order to improve our understanding of the taphonomic processes to which plant material is exposed to during digestion, we applied archaeobotanical methods to the analysis of dung from sheep fed a known diet of cereal and wild plant material. Two clear patterns emerge from these investigations. First, cereal material (grain or chaff) survives digestion poorly and was rarely found in the dung analysed. Second, large proportions of seeds of various wild species survive digestion in an identifiable form, probably due to their small size and/or protective coating. These findings are crucial for reliable interpretation of dung-derived plant material in archaeological settings.     

Methods for the extraction of archaeological features from very high-resolution Ikonos-2 remote sensing imagery,Hisar (southwest Turkey)

Archaeological research in the territory of Sagalassos is a multidisciplinary project covering scientific disciplines traditionally linked to archaeology and also new technologies such as very high-resolution remote sensing with sufficient radiometric and spatial resolution (<2.5 m). This paper focuses on the evaluation of GIS-, pixel- and object-based techniques for automatic extraction of archaeological features from Ikonos-2 satellite imagery, which are then compared to a visual interpretation of ancient structures. The study was carried out on the unexcavated archaeological site of Hisar (southwest Turkey). Although all techniques are able to detect archaeological structures from Ikonos-2 imagery, none of them succeed in extracting features in a unique spectral class. Various landscape elements, including archaeological remains, can be automatically classified when their spectral characteristics are different. However, major difficulties arise when extracting and classifying archaeological features such as wall remnants, which are composed of the same material as the surrounding substrate. Additionally, archaeological structures do not have unique shape or colour characteristics, which can make the extraction more straightforward. In contrast to automatic extraction methods, a simple visual interpretation performs rather well. The methods presented in this paper can be applied with variable success to archaeological structures composed of the same material as the surrounding substrate, which is often the case.     

The Anchin manuscript of Passio Olavi (Douai 295), William of Jumièges,and Theodoricus Monachus: New evidence for intellectual relations between Norway and France in the 12th century

That Plotinus and Porphyry lie behind Synesius' De insomniis is generally agreed, but it can be shown that two chapters in particular derive directly or perhaps through the intermediary of a commentary from Plotinus. There is in these chapters a certain amount of interpretation on Synesius' part of the material he draws from Plotinus and in addition a great deal of rhetorical embellishment and amplification. Whether in the rest of the De insomniis Synesius is so directly dependent on a single source that he then reworks and embellishes is hard to say.     

考古教学中的中华文明传承与表达

考古学资料表现出明显的直观性和碎片化特征,如何将它们与宏大的历史背景联系起来,并作出合理的历史解释,是每一个考古工作者都面临的任务。不论是在野外发掘还是室内研究、教学中,利用考古资料对中华文明的传承进行科学阐释,是一个不可回避的问题。本文以隋唐考古为中心,从“系统性地看待问题”等七个方面对如何在考古学教学研究中对中华文明的传承与表达进行了初步探讨。     

Contexts for Conflict: Conceptual Tools for Interpreting Archaeological Reflections of Warfare

Abstract

There has been a long history of interest in the material remains of conflict, but in the last two and a half decades archaeologists have made strides in the study of war and warfare. Techniques have been developed, refined, and borrowed to expose the material record of combat. Sites associated with other military undertakings have been discovered and the material culture of conflict has been documented. This growth has expanded an understanding of past conflicts and challenged previously held ideas about warfare. Although archaeologists do not currently have interpretive frameworks to link the diverse sites and objects that form the archaeological record of war, modern military planners have developed such models. This paper uses sites from the North American Great Plains to suggest that military models of conflict analysis can contribute to a synthetic archaeological interpretation of conflict.     

Artists' Impressions of Aberdulais Mill

Abstract

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Aberdulais Falls was occupied by a corn and grist mill, and became a popular subject for topographical artists and painters. Since almost no archaeological evidence for the mill complex can be discovered, these illustrations are an invaluable source for reconstructing that period of the site's history. This article discusses the approaches to, and the problems inherent in, interpreting this kind of material for strictly archaeological purposes, and concludes by suggesting that expertise should be sought from other disciplines before any proper interpretation is attempted.     

A cross-staff from the wreck of the Kronan (1676)

The article deals with a cross-staff discovered inside a wooden chest on the wreck site of the man-of-war Kronan (1676), located off the east coast of the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. It is dated 166[1], and besides now being the earliest known complete cross-staff, it is in several respects unique. A theory that the cross-staff from Kronan , due to its rough graduation and somewhat antiquated design, was used mainly for symbolic reasons, widens the fields of research and interpretation of the material culture.     

A new ‘bone-cracking’ dasyurid (marsupialia), from the Miocene of Riversleigh,northwestern Queensland

Ganbulanyi djadjinguli gen. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of an upper molar and premolar from an early-late Miocene site in Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland. The paucity of material constrains certainty in the determination of it's phylogenetic position. But, among dasyuromorphians, and dependent on the interpretation of tooth homology, this species shows unequivocal synapomorphies only with the derived dasyurine Sarcophilus, and/or Barinya wangala, a possible sister taxon to the modern dasyurid radiation (i.e., Sminthopsinae, Phascogalinae, Dasyurinae). Other apomorphies, evident in G. djadjinguli, are common to both carnivorous thylacinids and dasyurids within the order. Some dental features of Ganbulanyi djadjinguli are treated as adaptations to a ‘bone cracking’ habitus. If this interpretation is correct, then this species represents the only pre-Pliocene Australian taxon known to occupy such a niche and perhaps the smallest specialist ‘bone-cracker’ within Mammalia.     

Out of the Ivy and into the Arctic: Imitation Coral Reconstruction in Cross-Cultural Contexts

This essay discusses imitation coral reconstruction workshops based on a recipe from a sixteenth-century “book of secrets” that took place in three different educational contexts: Columbia University, Nunavut Arctic College, and Universität Hamburg. It reflects on the utility of reconstruction and material literacy as present-day history of science methodologies in which scholarly textual interpretation meets physical research. It also considers the nature of cultural heritage in shaping material practice through an Inuit cultural context, in which the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge is not rooted in textual traditions, but bodily embedded in oral histories, craft technology, and land stewardship. The essay also presents suggestions for new collaborative practices between humanists, artisans, and scientists that can be facilitated by reconstruction methodology.     

Sailboats Used on the St Lawrence River in Quebec City, Canada, in the 18th Century: Tradition and Adaptation

Many years after their discovery, the small boats at the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City still fascinate and hold some of their mysteries. Revisiting these boats has allowed the author to examine shipbuilding practices from a different perspective and to sum up many observations made but never published. The paper also contains previously-unpublished illustrations. This material may help other scholars in their interpretation of future discoveries.
© 2008 The Author     

When a ‘Waterhole’ Is Full of Dung: An Illustration of the Importance of Environmental Evidence for Refining Archaeological Interpretation of Excavated Features

Prehistoric field systems sometimes encompass excavated, pit‐like features which are difficult to classify due to the complex stratigraphies resulting from reuse, infilling and collapse. They are frequently classified as wells and watering holes, but other potential uses for excavated depressions are rarely cited. We argue the need for environmental archaeology in the interpretation of features of this nature, and present a case study from a Bronze Age site at Pode Hole, near Peterborough (UK), where fossil insect material clearly contradicts the archaeological interpretation. We present empirical evidence for a sealed context filled with dung which cannot be interpreted as a water source. This evidence strongly contrasts with other superficially similar features at the site.     

Native Yucatán and Spanish influence: The archaeology and history of chikinchel

Researchers interested in developing long-term social histories are faced with myriad difficulties rising from the biased and fragmentary nature of various available sources of information on the distant past. Understanding the crucial centuries surrounding the Spanish invasion of the northern Maya lowlands is hindered by uncritical mixing of the written and material records. This case study from the Chikinchel region in northeast Yucatán is focused on economic issues. Relevant data from each register first are considered separately in order to preserve the integrity of each source. The resulting synthesis offers a new, well-informed interpretation of late prehispanic economic organization and its alteration under Spanish authority.     

略论陆懋德的史学思想

陆懋德是20世纪前半期在史学理论方面颇有建树的著名学者。他强调治史应以"无所谓中西,取其长而求其是"为宗旨,以考古史料与文献材料并重的史料观审查、检验史料的真实性,用物质和心理的解释"二者当参用而不可偏用"的观点来解释历史变化、发展的过程。他的这种史学思想,是在继承前人成果与反思当时中国史学发展状况的过程中形成的,具有较强的理论价值和现实意义。     

Geology and lithic procurement in Upper Palaeolithic Europe: a weights-of-evidence based GIS model of lithic resource potential

In this paper we examine ways to predict the distribution of siliceous rock in Europe, using a Bayesian technique known as ‘Weights-of-Evidence’. We use the technique to classify bedrock geological formations in terms of their likelihood of yielding tool-quality lithic raw materials, and we use the results to re-examine possible causes of a west–east cline in maximum lithic raw material transfer distances observed when comparing sites in both Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Europe. It is evident from our results that there is a decline in abundance of geological formations highly predictive of tool-quality rock along a west–east cline, predominantly reflecting a decrease in abundance of Jurassic and Cretaceous chert-bearing sedimentaries. Our results are consistent with an interpretation of the Upper Palaeolithic record of transfer distances as indicating special-purpose procurement.     

INVESTIGATING MATERIAL DECAY OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS USING VISUAL ANALYTICS WITH MULTI‐TEMPORAL INFRARED THERMOGRAPHIC DATA

This paper shows how visual analytics methodology can be used to facilitate interpretation of multi‐temporal thermographic imagery for the purpose of restoration of cultural heritage. We explore thermographic data in a visual environment from the unifying spatio‐temporal perspective in an attempt to identify spatial and spatio‐temporal patterns that could provide information about the structure and the level of decay of the material, and the presence of other physical phenomena in the wall. The approach is tested on a thermographic dataset captured on the façade of a Romanesque building from the 13th century—the Cathedral in Matera (Italy).     

Size and shape of the Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa), with a view to the reconstruction of its Holocene history

Abstract

A large assortment of skulls and skeletons of recent wild boar (Sus scrofa) from across the world has been used to collect tooth and bone measurements that can be compared to those from archaeological specimens. The data provide useful information for a reconstruction of the Holocene history of the species. The evidence collected so far highlights the great variability of the species and provides a baseline to be used for the interpretation of ancient material. It is shown that not only the size, but also the shape of teeth and mandibles can help in highlighting patterns of variability in wild boar from different areas. A number of geographic trends are identified in the variation of S. scrofa across its range, mainly concerning the differentiation of insular forms, and the existence of South–North and West–East clines. Other factors such as hybridisation with domestic stock, feralisation and human-induced movement of animals may also play an important role. A comparison with ancient material emphasises the existence of similarities as well as differences between modern and ancient populations. Although some of the geographic trends identified on the basis of the analysis of modern material seem to date back to early Holocene times, the morphological history of the species appears to be complex, and in more than one area fluctuations in body size seem to have occurred.     

New Philadelphia: using augmented reality to interpret slavery and reconstruction era historical sites

Does a historical site lose its significance or become less worthy of interpretation if there are no surviving buildings? Can technology help present the stories of disadvantaged and disenfranchised groups whose heritage lacks well-preserved architecture or material culture? The emerging technology of augmented reality (AR) offers new ways of designing and shaping the public’s experience when visiting landmarks by enabling an unprecedented means to combine 3D historical visualization with historical landmarks. This especially applies to underrepresented groups whose heritages have not been well served by traditional modes of preservation and interpretation due to a variety of factors. These range from disadvantages relating to material culture to a greater emphasis on intangible heritage which have placed them outside the bounds of what archaeologist Laurajane Smith calls authorised heritage discourse. A project at the New Philadelphia National Historic Landmark, located in Pike County Illinois, seeks to address these issues through AR. The technology, while offering opportunities for historical interpretation, poses challenges in terms of designing AR systems that coordinate content presentation with specific locations as well as developing virtual historical content with varying levels of source materials.     

Folk Narrative Research in Wales at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century: The Influence of John Rhŷs (1840–1916)

Although published at the beginning of the twentieth century, John Rh?s's work on folklore remains an important source for the study of Welsh folk narrative. There exists, however, no overall assessment of his contribution, his concept of folk narrative, his sources, or his interpretation of his material either in terms of Welsh culture or in the wider context of folklore theory, then and now. This paper is intended as a platform from which some of those concerns can be addressed by bringing together primary material relating to Rh?s's folklore interests. Some of his letters at The National Library of Wales, plus material in the Archives of The Folklore Society and in the collection of the Bodleian and Taylorian Libraries at Oxford, can help to clarify Rh?s's interest in folk studies. These sources also indicate how his interest in language, archaeology, and folklore overlapped, and how these interests affected his attitudes to folklore and its uses.     

Unstrategic essentialism: material culture and Hawaiian articulations of indigeneity

Often rendered synonymous with deep historical attachments to particular landscapes, indigenous identities are inseparable from questions of geography. The meeting ground of place and nativeness is fecund with politics. All over the world, claims of indigeneity have become indispensable in struggles over territory, natural resources, and basic political rights in place. This article focuses on both a handful of cases from the secondary literature and empirical research on Hawai′i's Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail. It discusses essentialist expressions of indigeneity around the preservation and interpretation of Native Hawaiian material culture. Engaging with the literature on articulation theory and indigeneity, it suggests that these essentialisms emerge unintentionally rather than strategically. Its central claim is that the materiality of heritage objects, artifacts, sites, and landscapes plays an unnoticed role in shaping discourses around indigenous identity. The article concludes by suggesting that such unstrategic essentialisms pose real political risks for Native Hawaiians and offer suggestions for a more intentional engagement with the essentializing properties of indigenous material culture.     

Objects of war: the response of the Imperial War Museum,London, to the First and the Second World Wars

SUMMARY: This paper analyses the interpretation and treatment of material culture by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) following the First and the Second World Wars. It finds that in the inter-war years the IWM presented its collection within a framework of hybrid value based on the material link between the objects of war and the events from which they originated. However, following the Second World War a different system of value was enacted. The authorities in this period steered collecting towards models and dioramas as a means of placing greater emphasis on the institution’s informative role.