Palynological and temporal inference in the context of prehistory,with special reference to the evidence from lake and peat deposits

There is an increasing use of palynological data to infer prehistoric agricultural activity. The uncritical acceptance of the technique of pollen analysis by archaeologists and palynologists is questioned. Attention is focussed upon the nature of clearance activity and problems of its inference from pollen spectra; the spatial distribution of palaeoenvironmental sites; and the proximity of such sites to those of prehistoric activity. The resolution apparent in peat and lake sediment pollen profiles together with problems of dating and temporal inference, are examined. In response to a perceived lack of formalization in palynological research, some simple models of clearance activity are presented. The complexity involved in environmental reconstruction is emphasized by reference to the use of supplementary data to augment the orthodox pollen record.     

First records of Givetian and Frasnian (Devonian) Rugosa from the Pamir Mountains,Tadjikistan

Rugose corals are described for the first time from the Givetian and Frasnian of the central Pamir Mountains near the Rabatakbaytal area, Tadjikistan. In addition to Hexagonaria reedi sp. nov., Radiophyllum?, Temnophyllum and Disphyllum are recorded. The occurrence of a new species of Hexagonaria and a probable Radiophyllum suggest a possible faunal affinity with species known from Iran and Australia.

Aus dem Givetium und Frasnium der Umgebung von Rabatakbaytal, Tadjikistan, im Zentral-Pamir werden erstmals rugose Korallen beschrieben. Abgesehen von der neuen Art Hexagonaria reedi werden folgende Gattungen nachgewiesen: Radiophyllum?, Temnophyllum und Disphyllum. Der Nachweis der neuen Art von Hexagonaria und eines fraglichen Radiophyllum verweisen auf eine nahe Verwandtschaft mit Arten, die aus dem Iran und Australien bekannt geworden sind.     

First records of Wuchiapingian (Late Permian) conodonts in the Xainza area,Lhasa Block,Tibet, and their palaeobiogeographic implications

Yuan, D.X., Zhang, Y.C., Zhang, Y.J., Zhu, T.X. & Shen, S.Z., 2014. First records of Wuchiapingian (Late Permian) conodonts in the Xainza area, Lhasa Block, Tibet, and their palaeobiogeographic implications. Alcheringa 38, 546–556. ISSN 0311-5518.

Conodonts are among the best fossil groups to provide high-resolution biostratigraphic correlation and resolve the palaeobiogeographic evolution of the Permian. However, they have been rarely reported from the Lhasa Block in Tibet. Here we report the first discovery of Wuchiapingian (early Lopingian) conodonts from the Xiala Formation in the Lhasa Block, Tibet. This conodont fauna includes two genera and three species (Clarkina liangshanensis, C. orientalis, Iranognathus sp.). The conodont fauna indicates that the Xiala Formation previously assigned to the Guadalupian actually ranges from late Kungurian to late Wuchiapingian. The existence of the late Wuchiapingian conodont species Clarkina orientalis and C. liangshanensis in the Lhasa Block provides additional data to support the viewpoint that this block probably had been in a warm-water regime during the Wuchiapingian (Lopingian).

Dong-Xun Yuan [yuanzi55@163.com], School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, PR China and State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, PR China; Yi-Chun Zhang [yczhang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Shu-Zhong Shen [szshen@nigpas.ac.cn] (corresponding author), State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, PR China; Yu-Jie Zhang [zebiac@163.com] and Tong-Xing Zhu [ztongxing88@yahoo.com.cn], Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, 2 Renming Road North, Chengdu, 610081, PR China. Received 9.1.2014; revised 1.4.2014; accepted 28.4.2014.     

Ordovician trilobite faunas and depositional history of the Taebaeksan Basin,Korea: implications for palaeogeography

The Taebaeksan Basin occupies the central-eastern part of the Korean peninsula and was a low-relief shallow marine carbonate shelf on which the Cambro-Ordovician Choson Supergroup was deposited. In the Taebaeksan Basin trilobites are among the most dominant fossil groups in the Lower Ordovician, but they become less important in Middle Ordovician faunal assemblages. The Early Ordovician trilobite faunas of the Taebaeksan Basin are characterised by the common occurrence of pandemic genera such as Jujuyaspis, Leiostegium, Asaphellus, Protopliomerops, Hystricurus, Apatokephalus, Shumardia, Asaphopsoides, and Kayseraspis. Biogeographically significant trilobite taxa include Yosimuraspis, Dikelokephalina, Koraipsis, and Chosenia. These Ordovician trilobite faunas, which thrived in shallow marine environments, show a remarkable similarity with faunas from North China, implying that the Taebaeksan Basin was connected through contiguous shallow waters to North China. These Sino-Korean faunas exhibit a close biogeographic connection with Australian faunas, with which they share some endemic genera, whereas they are more distantly related to the faunas of South China, South America, and North America. Based on these palaeobiogeographical features, it is suggested that in the early Palaeozoic much of the present Korean peninsula including the Taebaeksan Basin belonged to the Sino-Korean block, while part of the peninsula was derived from the Yangtze block.     

Concentrations of copper,zinc and lead as indicators of hearth usage at the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester,Hampshire, UK)

Although prima facie evidence for non-ferrous metal-working in the form of slag, crucibles, moulds, etc is present at the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum at Silchester Hampshire, UK it has not yet been stratigraphically associated with in situ hearths; this can make the location of metal-working difficult to determine. This in turn raises the further question of the range of function of hearths in this urban context. The present study uses a combination of archaeological and analytical methods to attempt to determine the use of several hearth and hearth-related contexts within the on-going excavation at Insula IX. Using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) we were able to distinguish between probable industrial and domestic hearths based on elemental concentrations; for example locally elevated metal concentrations, in particular of copper, show evidence for the probable working of copper alloys at Silchester. Metals were found to accumulate in the silty layers associated with hearth platforms indicating that the tiles themselves do not appear to absorb metal spatter.     

Characterisation of the raw metal sources used for the production of copper and copper-based objects with copper isotopes

Copper isotopes can be successfully used to determine the origin of copper or bronze artefacts from either primary or supergene sulphide or hydrocarbonate ores. In conjunction with lead isotopes, they provide information on the origin and type of the metal ore. We demonstrate this in this paper from the combination of literature and own data on metal ores and artefacts (coins and ingots). Low-temperature hydrocarbonates (esp. malachite and azurite) do not fractionate the copper isotopes amongst each other and have identical lead isotopes. Substantial fractionation of copper isotopes, however, occurs between copper sulphides and hydrocarbonates (malachite, azurite) such that the ⁶⁵Cu isotope is always enriched in the oxidised relative to the sulphide phase with a clear distinction between the two ore types. Expressed in the δ⁶⁵Cu notation, we assigned supergene sulphides to values less than −0.4‰ down to negative values of −2‰ and more, primary sulphides to a range between −0.4 and +0.3‰ and hydrocarbonates to positive values higher than +0.3‰. We have applied these boundaries to copper coins and ingots from the time of the Roman emperors with known ages from Augustus up to 250 AD. The deposit fields of the metal used for the production of the coins were previously identified from the lead isotope ratios to lie in the Southwest and the Central South of Spain. From the combination of the lead and copper isotopes and the exact time constrains, we could develop a picture of the change in mining activities in Spain involving continued mining sulphide ore deposits and, indicated by positive δ⁶⁵Cu values as proxies for malachite and azurite, the opening of new mines in various time slots. This first application shows that copper isotopes will become the most important tool in archaeometallurgy to distinguish between the exploitation of deeper-seated primary and supergene sulphide ores and shallower, secondary hydrocarbonate ores. This will become especially relevant for archaeometric questions regarding the distinction between occasional and intentionally produced alloys.     

Provenance of Early Bronze Age metal artefacts in Western Switzerland using elemental and lead isotopic compositions and their possible relation with copper minerals of the nearby Valais

Ten Early Bronze Age (BzA1, 2200–2000 BC) copper artefacts from the central Valais region from Switzerland were studied for their elemental composition and lead isotope ratios. In order to answer the archaeological question of a local copper supply, a database for copper minerals across the Valais (Switzerland) has been established. This database contains 69 data on lead isotope ratios as well as additional information on the minerals and geochemical associations for copper minerals from 38 locations in the Valais. Comparisons of the artefacts were also made with data pertaining to minerals from various deposits from Europe and Anatolia taken from the literature. The provenance of the materials is very diverse. Some of the data are compatible with the data from the copper mineral deposits of the Valais region. Moreover, three copper lunulae were identified as possibly Tuscan, which suggests contacts between Italy and the Valais region. This pattern also establishes a multiplicity of provenances for the metal and cultural influences in the Alpine environment of the Rhone Valley of Switzerland at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age.     

A palaeoenvironmental context for Terminal Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic activity in the Colne Valley: Offsite records contemporary with occupation at Three Ways Wharf,Uxbridge

Abstract

Multi-proxy analyses from floodplain deposits in the Colne Valley, southern England, have provided a palaeoenvironmental context for the immediately adjacent Terminal Upper Palaeolithic and Early Mesolithic site of Three Ways Wharf. These deposits show the transition from an open cool environment to fully developed heterogeneous floodplain vegetation during the Early Mesolithic. Several distinct phases of burning are shown to have occurred that are chronologically contemporary with the local archaeological record. The floodplain itself is shown to have supported a number of rare Urwaldrelikt insect species implying human manipulation of the floodplain at this time must have been limited or episodic. By the Late Mesolithic a reed-sedge swamp had developed across much of the floodplain, within which repeated burning of the in situ vegetation took place. This indicates deliberate land management practices utilising fire, comparable with findings from other floodplain sequences in southern Britain. With similar sedimentary sequences known to exist across the Colne Valley, often closely associated with contemporary archaeology, the potential for placing the archaeological record within a spatially explicit palaeoenvironmental context is great.     

北京市石景山区一清代墓葬出土纺织品染料与染色方法综合研究

清代的染色技术无论在染料的选择、染色方法,还是在获得颜色的数量上均达到我国古代天然染料染色的最高峰。文献和传世品研究极大推进了对清代纺织品染色技术的了解,但对清代考古纺织品染料的分析研究尚无结果发表。在此,对北京市石景山区2006年出土清代墓葬中纺织品的染料和染色方法进行了研究。化学分析使用超高效液相色谱法,首次将我国考古染料结合历史文献、传世纺织品颜色及染料组成详细比对,检测出苏木、黄檗、含鞣花酸染料(疑为橡斗)及蓝草四种染料。大多数样品上鉴定出一到两种染料,少数样品可能由三种或更多染料染成。相同的染料组合可以通过不同用量获得深浅不同的颜色。研究第一次对同一墓葬出土不同织物的染色方法进行比较,发现同种染料可以用于染不同类型、质地和用途的织物。这套纺织品所用的染料和染色方法与文献记载和传世样品都相符合。这一研究也是针对清代考古出土纺织品染料展开的首次成功的分析鉴定,补充了传世纺织品和染色历史文献,是清代染色史的重要部分。     

战国镶红铜鸟兽几何纹青铜壶的保护修复

在现代修复理念的指导下,对一件战国镶红铜鸟兽几何纹青铜壶进行保护修复,通过分析检测与研究、制定修复方案、保护修复处理、装饰工艺等步骤,介绍了现代青铜文物保护修复的基本要求和流程,探讨了此件特殊工艺青铜器的修复工艺,对其精美纹饰和装饰工艺进行赏析,同时提出了保护修复后的保存建议.     

Mineral precipitation associated with vertical fault zones: the interaction of solute advection,diffusion and chemical kinetics

This article is concerned with chemical reactions that occur between two interacting parallel fluid flows using mixing in vertical faults as an example. Mineral precipitation associated with fluid flow in permeable fault zones results in mineralization and chemical reaction (alteration) patterns, which in turn are strongly dependent on interactions between solute advection (controlled by fluid flow rates), solute diffusion/dispersion and chemical kinetics. These interactions can be understood by simultaneously considering two dimensionless numbers, the Damköhler number and the Z‐number. The Damköhler number expresses the interaction between solute advection (flow rate) and chemical kinetics, while the Z‐number expresses the interaction between solute diffusion/dispersion and chemical kinetics. Based on the Damköhler and Z‐numbers, two chemical equilibrium length‐scales are defined, dominated by either solute advection or by solute diffusion/dispersion. For a permeable vertical fault zone and for a given solute diffusion/dispersion coefficient, there exist three possible types of chemical reaction patterns, depending on both the flow rate and the chemical reaction rate. These three types are: (i) those dominated by solute diffusion and dispersion resulting in precipitation at the lower tip of a vertical fault and as a thin sliver within the fault, (ii) those dominated by solute advection resulting in precipitation at or above the upper tip of the fault, and (iii) those in which advection and diffusion/dispersion play similar roles resulting in wide mineralization within the fault. Theoretical analysis indicates that there exists both an optimal flow rate and an optimal chemical reaction rate, such that chemical equilibrium following focusing and mixing of two fluids may be attained within the fault zone (i.e. type 3). However, for rapid and parallel flows, such as those resulting from a lithostatic pressure gradient, it is difficult for a chemical reaction to reach equilibrium within the fault zone, if the two fluids are not well mixed before entering the fault zone. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the three possible types of chemical reaction patterns.     

以方志、族谱、金石碑刻为内涵的"地方文献"新概念的提出与运用--评林天蔚教授新著《地方文献论集》

唐宋史、地方献学专家林天蔚教授,继1995年梓行《方志学与地方史研究》之后,今有新作《地方献论集》问世,提出以方志、族谱、金石碑刻为内涵的地方献新概念,并对这三种献资料进行系统地研究,将此学科的研讨推向一个新境界,当然也存在着需要深入探讨的问题。     

Late Holocene human impact on the vegetation around Mizorogaike Pond in northern Kyoto Basin,Japan: a comparison of pollen and charcoal records with archaeological and historical data

Pollen and macroscopic charcoal analyses of AMS radiocarbon-dated sediment from Mizorogaike Pond, located near Japan’s ancient capital established in AD 794, were used along with archaeological and historical data to reconstruct vegetation change in the northern Kyoto Basin since 7300 cal yr B.P. Between ca. 7300 and 3400 cal yr B.P. (Early to Late Jomon period), the site was surrounded by warm-temperate forest composed of Quercus subgenus Lepidobalanus and Q. subgenus Cyclobalanopsis with Celtis/Aphananthe trees. With the occurrence of fire disturbance, Q. subgenus Lepidobalanus increased from ca. 3400 to 1400 cal yr B.P. (Late Jomon to Kofun periods). In the early seventh century (Asuka period), Pinus started to increase, coinciding with a significant charcoal peak, probably related to the operation of roof tile kilns near the site. Pinus continued to increase and Q. subgenus Cyclobalanopsis decreased through the seventh to tenth centuries (Asuka to Heian periods). Further increase of Pinus occurred in the eleventh century, possibly reflecting the establishment of the manor of Kamigamo Shrine. From the eleventh to seventeenth centuries (Heian to medieval periods), no significant vegetational change or fire disturbance took place. In the eighteenth century, the landscape became totally open, with poor vegetation and sparse Pinus woodland. The medieval and early modern landscapes reconstructed from the palaeoecological record are rather similar to those described from studies of ancient artwork and historical documents. This study demonstrates that late Holocene vegetation change in the northern Kyoto Basin was closely tied to anthropogenic activities, such as the pottery industry and fuel wood collection.     

Prospects and problems in the use of hyperspectral imagery for archaeological remote sensing: a case study from the Faynan copper mining district,Jordan

Hyperspectral (multiple, narrow band) satellite imaging provides a useful discovery and analytical tool for archaeologists. The Hyperion instrument, flying on the Earth Observer 1 (EO-1) satellite, was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on November 21, 2000. Unlike 7-band Landsat or 15-band ASTER imagery, Hyperion provides 242 (196 calibrated) narrow bands in the visible (VIS) to shortwave infrared range (SWIR), enabling much more detailed archaeological and geological analyses. It was designed as a spectrometer specifically geared to mineralogical analysis, and the imagery is freely available via data acquisition (targeting) requests from NASA. We requested a Hyperion image swath targeted on Khirbat en-Nahas (KEN), an ancient copper smelting site along the Wadi al-Ghuwayb (WAG), a part of Jordan’s Faynan district, where extensive ore processing occurred from the 3rd millennium BCE to industrial scale production over several centuries in the early 1st millennium BCE (Iron Age) and continued until Medieval Islamic times. We use a combination of Principal Components Analysis (PCA), similarity matrices, and Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA) on a single image swath to help locate additional ore processing sites, distinguish different areas at KEN that drew on different ore deposits, and discern depositional differences that may help illuminate issues related to the organization of production at KEN. Extensive field surveys in the research area provide a unique opportunity to ‘ground-truth’ the results of the hyperspectral research. The results of our study show considerable promise for future work with Hyperion data sets, and illuminate new aspects of the copper smelting industry at Khirbat en-Nahas. However, the low spatial resolution of the imagery and the nature of weakly reflective bands in the near infrared (NIR) limit the utility of the results.     

“Soldiers with stiff bodies”: rumors,stereotypes and the Chinese image of the British army during the First Opium War (1839-1842)

ABSTRACT

A curious aspect of the First Opium War was the circulation among Chinese officials of two claims made about British soldiers, instigated by Commissioner Lin Zexu: their uniforms were so tight that if they were to stumble they would not be able to get up again; and, the men were “like fish,” thus able to function well at sea, but not to fight on land because they had become so used to the pitching and rolling of their ships. This article examines the extent to which these notions took on the quality of wartime rumors, and how they spread beyond generals and officials and into the general population. It considers the way in which the rumors functioned in different ways and at different levels of society, taking on different constructions of meaning in multiple social and political domains.     

Temporality,Dispossession and the Search for the Good: Interpreting the Book of Jeremiah with the Jesuit Refugee Service

ABSTRACT

This article explores potential connections between the experience of contemporary forced migrants subject to destitution and detention policies in the UK and readings of the biblical text, including the Book of Jeremiah. Drawing from fieldwork interviews conducted in London, it notes the significance of Jeremiah 29 to and its interpretation by interviewees. In dialogue with other articles in this volume and based on the insights of those interviewed for this project, the article considers the figure of Jeremiah as a critical figure in debate about forced migration and the Book of Jeremiah. It concludes with a proposal for connecting the narratives of contemporary forced migrants, readings of the text of Jeremiah, and the work of Simone Weil.     

Experimental Study and Numerical Model Calibration for Earthquake-Induced Collapse of RC Frames with Emphasis on Key Columns,Joints, and the Overall Structure

A thorough investigation of earthquake-induced collapse of reinforced concrete frames is presented. The inherent correlation between the nonlinear behavior of key components and the collapse mechanism of overall frame is examined through concurrent collapse tests of both frame and key components. Important issues in the component models are investigated through calibration against experiments, leading to a comprehensive structural system model. Both test and simulation indicate that the seismic performance are predominately governed by the key columns, whereas the energy dissipation capacity is somewhat affected by the joints. This study offers systematic experimental data and numerical models for future collapse assessments.