New Archaeological Books and Journals

Abstract

As part of a research program aimed at clarifying the date of the Middle Paleolithic in Greece and its relationship with contemporary industries in the Balkans, a survey of the Larisa area of Thessaly for Paleolithic remains was undertaken in 1987. The results of this survey are reported, along with a reinterpretation of the available evidence in Greece for the date of the Middle Paleolithic. The banks and terrace system of the Peneios River were systematically searched along with those parts of Thessaly with deposits old enough to contain prehistoric artifacts. In 1987, we discovered 32 find spots and collected211 lithic artifacts. The lithic artifacts are Middle and Upper Paleolithic types, and are dated by their association with the fluviatile deposits exposed by downcutting of the river. Radiometric dates for the fluviatile deposits indicate an age of 45–27 KYA (thousands of years ago) for the Paleolithic finds. Other dates for the Middle Paleolithic in Greece are on the same order. The Thessalian Paleolithic industry is a Levallois-Mousterian facies with bifacial leafpoints, side Scrapers, Mousterian points, denticulates, andAurignacian-type end scrapers, burins, retouched Blades, and bifacial leafpoints with rounded bases. The Thessalian industry with its mixture of Middle and Upper Paleolithic types, is similar to other assemblages in Greece. The Greek Levallois-Mousterian resembles the Szeletian of Hungary and is of approximately the same age. It was perhaps produced by late Neanderthals in contact with an anatomically-modern human population. Late Upper Paleolithic Epigravettian and Mesolithic industries were not identified in Thessaly and are rare in Greece. Some areas may have been uninhabited or little used until 9 KYA when the first Neolithic settlements appear in Thessaly.     

SPACE,PRESSURES AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE GREEK LANDSCAPE

Landscapes are the result of the interaction of natural and human factors, with many dimensions; they are part of natural and cultural heritage and an important component of the quality of life. Greece has heterogeneous and mixed landscapes issuing from both geomorphology and the impact of complex human systems. Despite the existence of many and early legislative efforts, Greece has a relatively poor history of spatial planning and landscape has been particularly neglected. The adoption of the European Landscape Convention (ELC) in 2010 provides an updated strategic context for integrating landscape in spatial planning. In this article, we seek to contribute to the discussion of landscape policies and the inclusion of the landscape level in the spatial planning national framework. We identify the dominant landscape types by categorizing landscapes at the national scale with reference to the (combined) presence of three different components: geomorphology, land cover and coasts/islands. Then, we investigate the most important processes of change for each type and link these processes with spatial planning policy. The identification of these dynamics sheds light on current and future trajectories of the changes of Greek landscapes, thus providing challenges for its management in the context of the ELC. The case study concerns the regional level; we focus on Attica, Thessaly, Epirus and the Cyclades and identify the principal characteristics according to the proposed landscape typology.     

THE CIRCULAR MATRIX FROM THE ROBINSON COLLECTION

Summary. The bronze matrix, now in the collection of the Fogg Art Museum, is said to have been found in southern Thessaly close to Larissa Kremaste. As comparanda for the Scylla on the matrix the silver gilt plaque from the third century BC necropolis of Dyrrhachion in Illyria is discussed, as well as the matrix in the Antikensammlungen of Berlin and silver plaques decorating a belt from a late-fourth-century BC grave at Laos, Lucania. Discussing the Thetis emblem on the other side of the matrix the author analyses the motive in Classical art of the fifth/fourth century BC, paying special attention to the stamped fourth-century BC gold and silver plaques with similar design coming from the Cimmerian Bosporus, Thessaly and Macedonia. Conclusions are drawn about the authenticity of the matrix in the Fogg Art Museum, and the close interconnections between toreutic centres in the late fourth century BC.     

TUNING OF SEISMIC HAZARD ESTIMATES BY MEANS OF OBSERVED SITE INTENSITIES

Probabilistic seismic hazard is usually assessed by means of computer codes using seis-mogenic sources, parametric catalogues, seismicity rates and attenuation relationships. All these ingredients are conditioned by expert judgement that influences the final results. Even the attenuation relationships, though strictly based on experimental data, are considered a weak point due to the difficulty of modelling the interaction between seismic energy radiation and site response, and because earthquakes do not usually repeat themselves according to one theoretical model. Recently, methods making wide use of site intensity data have been developed in regions such as Italy, where the observed seismic history at selected sites is quite exhaustive. We analyzed these observations to assess seismic hazard at about 600 sites. We used a probabilistic counting technique, integrating the observations (when necessary), with computed shakings obtained from a logistic-type attenuation model. The results were then compared with the estimates provided by the recent seismic hazard map of Italy, compiled according to the traditional probabilistic seismic hazard approach. The match shows significant differences for some sites. A tentative explanation which seems to point to three alternatives is provided: (1) The mismatch between the two methodologies might appear because the stationary assumption has a poor fit with reality (at least in certain areas); (2) Some sites show a response that is systematically different from the average values predicted using attenuation relationships; (3) The definition of seismogenic zones leads to a bias in the seismicity rate estimate.     

PSHA for Broad-Band Strong Ground-Motion Hazards in the Saronikos Gulf,Greece, from Potential Earthquake with Synthetic Ground Motions

We perform a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) for broad-band strong ground motion within the Saronikos Gulf region, Greece, from potential earthquakes along the 30 km long Aigina fault in the northern part of the Gulf. We perform the PSHA utilizing empirical Green’s functions (EGFs) merged with synthetic Green’s functions (SGFs) along with models of finite rupture in place of standard “attenuation relations.” Our approach considers all significant magnitudes for PSHA and full broadband ground motion simulations. Calculations are source and site specific, and could reduce uncertainties in estimating standard engineering parameters. We use a range of rupture scenarios for all significant magnitude earthquakes along the fault. The hazard calculation is for frequencies 0.0– 15.0 Hz. Recordings of small earthquakes from an onshore/offshore local seismic array were used as EGFs for frequencies of 1.5–15.0 Hz, the finite difference code E3D was utilized to synthesize SGFs for frequencies 0.0–1.5 Hz, and an algorithm for merging the EGFs with SGFs was developed. The full-waveform calculations are important for non-linear dynamic analysis of structures in the coastal zone and potential hazard to long period structures. Results of proposed PSHA identify 2%, 10%, and 50% hazard at the selected sites of Saronikos Gulf.

Finally, we compare our PSHA results to those obtained by standard practice which involves prediction equations (GMPEs) recently developed in the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) project and empirical predictive attenuation relations proposed for Greece. We believe that differences with the NGA results are due to site- and source-specific information utilized in this study, and incorporation of this information may significantly reduce the uncertainty in seismic hazard calculations.     

EVALUATION OF THE SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF EXISTING RC BUILDINGS: II. A CASE STUDY FOR REGULAR AND IRREGULAR BUILDINGS

The results of a parametric study are presented, concerned with the evaluation of the structural overstrength, the global ductility and the available behaviour factor of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings designed and constructed according to past generations of earthquake resistant design codes in Greece. For the estimation of these parameters, various failure criteria are incorporated in a methodology established to predict the failure mode of such buildings under planar response, as described in detail in a companion publication. A collection of 85 typical building forms is considered. The influence of various parameters is examined, such as the geometry of the structure (number of storeys, bay width etc.), the vertical irregularity, the contribution of the perimeter frame masonry infill walls, the period of construction, the design code and the seismic zone coefficient. The results from inelastic pushover analyses indicate that existing RC buildings exhibit higher overstrength than their contemporary counterparts, but with much reduced ductility capacity. The presence of perimeter infill walls increases considerably their stiffness and lateral resistance, while further reducing their ductility. Fully infilled frames exhibit generally good behaviour, while structures with an open floor exhibit the worst performance by creating a soft storey. Shear failure becomes critical in the buildings with partial height infills. It is also critical for buildings with isolated shear wall cores at the elevator shaft. Out of five different forms of irregularity considered in this study, buildings with column discontinuities in the ground storey exhibit the worst performance. Furthermore, buildings located in the higher seismicity zone are more vulnerable, since the increase of their lateral resistance and ductility capacity is disproportional to the increase in seismic demand.     

Land Use and Soil Erosion in Prehistoric and Historical Greece

Abstract

Soil erosion resulting from human exploitation of the land has attracted much public and scientific interest. Being regarded mainly as a modern phenomenon, however, its prehistoric and historical extent remain largely unexplored. Here we summarize three regional studies of Holocene erosion and alluviation in Greece, together with information derived from the literature, and conclude that most recorded Holocene soil erosion events are spatially and temporally related to human interference in the landscape. Wherever adequate evidence exists, a major phase of soil erosion appears to follow by 500–1000 years the introduction of farming in Greece, its age depending on when agriculture was introduced and ranging from the later Neolithic to the late Early Bronze Age. Later Bronze Age and historical soil erosion events are more scattered in time and space, but especially the thousand years after the middle of the 1st millennium B.C. saw serious, intermittent soil erosion in many places. With the exception of the earliest Holocene erosion phase, the evidence is compatible with a model of control of the timing and intensity of landscape destabilization by local economic and political conditions. On the whole, however, periods of landscape stability have lasted much longer than the mostly brief episodes of soil erosion and stream aggradation.     

Keeping an eye on your pots: the provenance of Neolithic ceramics from the Cave of the Cyclops,Youra, Greece

Combined petrographic and chemical analysis of MN and LN ceramics from the Cave of the Cyclops on the island of Youra, Greece, has revealed a compositionally diverse assemblage with a range of different local and off-island sources. Ceramics deposited in Neolithic times on this barren, rocky outpost of the Sporades chain may have originated from a surprising number of possible origins, including from the Plain of Thessaly, Euboea and the volcanic northeast Aegean islands. This picture challenges traditional assumptions about Neolithic pottery production and indicates that significant movement of ceramics was already taking place within the northern Aegean as early as the beginning of the sixth millennium BC. The discovery of a persistent local pottery tradition, that is also found on the neighbouring island of Kyra-Panagia, indicates significant continuity in ceramic technology over some 1500 years.     

THE SEISMICITY OF THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION 550-1 BC: A RE-APPRAISAL

A re-appraisal of the seismicity of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East during in 550-1 BC shows that although the historical record is very incomplete, analysis of the original sources, as opposed to reliance on secondary works, can provide valuable insights into the long-term seismicity of that region. Although this method has resulted in the rejection of some events noted in previous catalogues, the end-product should be a more reliable seismic record.     

THE CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF AN ALLUVIAL GEOARCHIVE: COMPARATIVE OSL AND AMS 14C DATING FROM GREECE*

The Basin of Phlious in southern Greece is known for its thick colluvial and alluvial deposits from the Holocene. It offers a good opportunity to reconstruct the history of Holocene soil erosion and its interaction with historical farming activities. In this study, we present new results based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating from the Basin of Phlious. The comparison between OSL and ¹⁴C AMS ages shows good agreement, and demonstrates the need for the detection of insufficiently bleached OSL samples in order to obtain accurate results. The discovery of a Neolithic site, buried under thick alluvial deposits, confirms the hitherto postulated Neolithic human impact on the landscape.     

Seismic uplift of the harbour of ancient Aigeira, Central Greece

The Mavra Litharia cove, between Akrata and Derveni, in the North Peloponnesian coast (Central Greece), has been identified as the site of the harbour of the Hellenistic Aigeira, one of the very few natural harbours along the uplifting, fault-controlled North Peloponnesian coast.
Geomorphological, marine biological and archaeological data as well as radiocarbon dating of marine fossils testify to a 2m relative land uplift since Hellenistic times (around 2000 years bp), part of which (1 m at least) was probably seismic, dated to the Byzantine period (AD 900–1200). This palaeoseismic event, as well as others deduced from archaeological data, are not included in the historical seismology records, but had probably dramatic impacts on the economic and cultural history of ancient Aigeira.
The amplitude of uplift at Mavra Litharia is of the same order of magnitude as submersion dominating the Aegean and, with the exception of the arc, the higher Holocene uplift rate recorded in this area and the surrounding regions. This result is consistent with the Quaternary uplift history of North Peloponnesus.     

Changing regional systems of innovation in Greece: the impact of regional innovation strategy initiatives in peripheral areas of Europe

In the context of convergence and cohesion between the European regions, the promotion of innovation in regions that are in different phases of development has been a central objective of European regional policy. For this purpose, the European Commission has launched many innovation schemes and many European regions have conducted initiatives of this kind. In this article, based on the implementation of successive European regional innovation projects in three Objective 1 regions in Greece, namely Central Macedonia, Western Macedonia and Thessaly, the trajectory and the changes that have occurred in their system of innovation are examined. At the outset, considering the outcomes of the first phase of the RTP/RIS exercise, the obstacles in forming these regions' dynamic innovation systems are identified. Thereafter, upon the outcomes of the follow-up exercise of RIS+projects, an imminent change in these regions is observed, highlighting the marking of an innovation-oriented policy addressed to create a supporting institutional framework and shaping the regional innovation environment. Based on these observations, it is argued that European regional policy, via these innovation schemes, has significantly contributed to the reinforcement of innovation systems of participating regions.     

试析华北地区距今1万年左右的社会复杂现象

中国华北地区的河北阳原于家沟、北京怀柔转年、北京门头沟东胡林、河北徐水南庄头、山西吉县柿子滩、河南新密李家沟6个遗址存在有技术革新、技术复杂化的证据并展示出人类行为和社会关系在这一地区的空前发展。技术的进步和复杂,人口的大幅增长与扩张,以及各种社会关系的建立,促使华北地区在距今1万年左右社会发展进入一个新的复杂的阶段。     

A side-scan sonar and high-resolution Chirp sub-bottom profile study of the natural and anthropogenic sedimentary record of Lower Lough Erne,northwestern Ireland

A geophysical survey (side-scan sonar and high-resolution sub-bottom profiling) combined with established chrono- and bio-stratigraphic markers are used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Lower Lough Erne, northwestern Ireland since the end of the last glacial. Discrete acoustic units define four prominent sedimentation cycles, one Late-glacial and three Holocene, within the seismic stratigraphy. Basin development is predominantly controlled by climate until the Mid Holocene when the effects of cultural activity are related to pronounced signatures in the seismic record. An enhanced reflector marking the termination of the Early Holocene sedimentation cycle is associated with the elm decline and forest clearance during the Neolithic (between approximately 5800 cal. BP and 5300 cal. BP). The associated increase in sediment input, by infilling minor topographic lows and basins, has a smoothing effect on the morphologic expression of the original basin. Onlapping and truncated reflectors in the penultimate acoustic unit define further modification of lake bed relief by removal of sediment from the system during engineered lowering of the lake levels that began in the 1880s. Acoustic anomalies identified on the side-scan sonar data are linked with cultural activity and are identified as having the potential to facilitate the recent establishment and migration of invasive zebra mussels through the Erne system.     

Carneades’ Approval as a Weak Assertion: A Non-Dialectical Interpretation of Academic Skepticism

Academic skepticism is usually interpreted as a type of discourse without an assertion (a dialectical interpretation). I argue against this interpretation. One can interpret Carneades’ notion of approval as our notion of weak assertion and thereby ascribe to him his own views (a non-dialectical interpretation). In Academica Cicero reports the debate about the status of approval as a kind of assent among Carneades’ followers, especially the views of Clitomachus and Philo of Larissa. According to Clitomachus, approving impressions implies acting on them without taking them as true, while according to Philo of Larissa, approval is taking something as true without certainty. In more modern terms, we can say that Philo refers to the notion of weak assertion and Clitomachus to non-assertion. Thus Clitomachus’ reading correlates with a dialectical reading, and Philo’s reading correlates with a non-dialectical reading. Philo’s reading leads to the interpretation of Carneades as a quasi-fallibilist. It is difficult to establish the precise position of the historical Carneades because he was hesitant in his oral teaching. Still, there is some basis in Carneades’ theory for interpreting approval as weak assertion (comprising three degrees of persuasiveness involving rational consideration of what seems to be true). My aim in this essay is thus to argue that a quasi-fallibilist and non-dialectical reading is applicable to the historical Carneades.     

Raptor pellets as zooarchaeological material for paleoparasitological studies in Patagonia

Raptor pellets from Cerro Casa de Piedra archaeological sites, Patagonia, have yielded consistent evidence of parasitism and possible zoonoses in ancient times. Pellet samples analyzed were dated at 2740 ± 100 and 3.990 ± 80 years before present and have produced evidence of three intestinal parasite genera. Eggs of two nematodes Trichuris and Calodium, and one cestode, taeniid, were found. Its significance for rock shelters paleoepidemiology of the Holocene is discussed. This study increases the evidences that raptor pellets can be used as source of paleoparasitological information in archaeological sites.     

SEISMIC RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING REINFORCED CONCRETE BUILDINGS

Structures designed according to earlier codes with inadequate seismic provisions have not performed satisfactorily during recent earthquakes. The seismic performance of an existing three-storey reinforced concrete building designed according to the 1963 ACI 313-63 is evaluated and compared to the performance of a similar frame designed according to current code provisions. Non-linear static and dynamic analyses of the reinforced concrete frames are conducted. In this study, a probabilistic approach is adopted where a large number of artificially generated ground motion records is used as input motion to the structure. The results of the analysis indicated the probability of various degrees of damage to be expected when the existing frame is subjected to different ground motion levels. This information is useful in the design of the required rehabilitation scheme to provide an identified level of protection.     

APPROACHES TO THE USE AND CONTROL OF FORCE THE ART OF POSING STRATEGIC PROBLEMS

There is a risk that the threat of nuclear war will be exaggerated in ways injurious to arms control and will deliver to the Soviet leadership the political returns it may be seeking. This undesirable outcome is the result of logical tricks we play on ourselves in trying to be very precise about factors like the accuracy of missiles. It is also the result of the peculiar assymmetry of the discussion of strategic matters, as all of the publicity work for Soviet weapons accomplishments is done by the press and governments of the West. Proposals for remedy would be to watch our own habits of logic, so that we do not persuade ourselves that our weapons capability or our political resolve are weak, and to force the Soviets to produce more information about their strategic capabilities.     

SEISMIC HAZARD IN GREECE BASED ON DIFFERENT STRONG GROUND MOTION PARAMETERS

The available Greek strong ground motion records to date are used in order to study the duration of strong-motion in Greece, covering magnitudes between 4.5 and 6.9 and distances from 1 km to 128 km. An attenuation relation of strong-motion duration is calculated and compared to earlier existing similar relations proposed for Greece and Japan. Furthermore, the seismic hazard for the area of Greece is assessed, using the strong-motion parameters of duration and peak ground acceleration. The results are presented in the form of a map according to which Greece is classified in four different categories of equal seismic hazard.     

The ancient Greek names “Magnesia” and “Magnetes” and their origin from the magnetite occurrences at the Mavrovouni mountain of Thessaly,central Greece. A mineralogical–geochemical approach

Pliny the Elder (first century A.D.) mentioned that the Thessalian magnetite from Magnesia in ancient Greece was second in quality after the Ethiopic. This magnetite should be related with the origin of the Homeric Magnetes of the eighth century B.C. who lived around Ossa mountain in central Greece. A new euhedral magnetite occurrence derived from the Kampitsios area at the north-western slopes of Mavrovouni mountain in “Amyrikon Pedion”, probably shows that this region should have been connected with the origin of the Homeric Magnetes. The magnetites under study are found as porphyroblasts in the talc schists. They are almost pure with rare inclusions, mainly ilmenite, rutile, pseudorutile and a PbO phase. The alteration of magnetite to hematite is restricted only along the fissures and cracks as well as along the rims, forming very thin films of a few micrometres in thickness. Microprobe analyses showed that the magnetites are almost pure and they contain only traces of Cr₂O₃ (1.01–3.41%). The high-quality magnetites of Kampitsios could be probably related with those mentioned by Pliny, and they should be related with the origin of the Homeric Magnetes of the eighth century B.C. who lived around Ossa mountain in Thessaly.