＂HELEN OF ARGOS＂ AND ＂ARGEIOI＂ IN THE ILIAD - OBSERVATIONS ON THE FORMULAIC LANGUAGE -

In his article ＂Argos andArgives in the Iliad＂ （1979） Robert Drews argued for reviving an idea, first brought forward by William D. Geddes in 18782 and later on fully developed in Paul Cauer＇s ＂Grundfragen der Homerkritik＂, according to which the origins of heroic poetry and of the Iliad in particular are to be sought in the less civilized northern regions of the Mycenaean world, especially in the realms of Thessaly. This area was known to the composer of the Catalog of Ships as the ＂Pelasgic Argos＂; this was the home of the people called Hellenes and Achaians, who set out against Troy with 50 ships led by Achilles （Ⅱ.Ⅱ 681-685）.     

Chen Yao-huang,Integrate and Divide： The Communist Revolution in Hebei Area, 1921-1949 （in Chinese）

For decades, the victory of the Chinese Communist Party （CCP） has been fascinating historians of modem China who work outside of the People＇s Republic of China. After recognizing the complexity of the Chinese Revolution, they have tended to focus on specific regions, applying the approaches of a variety of disciplines including sociology, a trend that gave rise to the field of ＂base area studies,＂ marked by the publishing of Mark Sheldon＇s The Yenan Way in 1971. This new book by Chen Yao-huang is another remarkable contribution to the study of base areas.     

水污染调查报告（英文）

While the world is shocked by China＇s rapid economic growth, the hidden price China had to pay for rushing forward has gradually shown the tip of the iceberg. Since Beijing＇s air pollution became a heated topic on internet, people have realized the problem involved with air pollution and have started to take precaution by downloading applications that monitor the city＇s air quality, staying inside when the degree of contamination is high and wearing masks if necessary. What about water？ Can a country have clean water when its air is severely polluted？ If the water is polluted, how serious is the pollution？ What are some possible ways to mitigate water pollution that is so crucial to the surviving of human being？     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EGYPT AND PALESTINE IN THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE （CA.2000-1550／1500 BCE.）

The relationship between Egypt and Palestine during the Bronze Age has been discussed since the 1940s. For the period of the Middle Bronze Age, the problem is both chronological and interpretative. The end of the Middle Bronze Age is fixed by the initial military activities of Dynasty 18 in Palestine around the end of the 16th century BCE. But the dates for the beginning of this period and the transition from one archaeological phase to another are still debated. Lacking a generally accepted solution, the chronology adopted here is that of Dever --- the transition from MB Ⅰ to MB Ⅱ occurred around 1800 BCE,     

NEW BOOKS

＂Tibetan Encyclopedia＂
This is a regional encyclopedia regarding Tibetan history and the status quo with a full and systematic introduction. Edited by the Editorial Office of Tibetan People＇s Press, the book particularly applies scientific theory and methodology to give readers a tremendous collection and valuable analysis of the available material on Tibet. It is a definitive tool and highly praised by professional experts. It is composed of three parts： TAR （special articles）, main text, and an appendix （tables by year related to substantial events with an index）.     

THE SED-FESTIVAL AND ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CHRONOLOGY

The problem of the periodic character of the sod-festival, as with other aspects of this mysterious ceremony, has long been discussed and is still the subject of debate. This ritual was intended to be celebrated by the king, normally after a reign of thirty years had elapsed -- the so-called ＂thirty-year principle,＂ --which is taken by general consent to be a significant feature of the sed-festival. Yet, there is disagreement as to how to use records relating to the sed-festival in chronological studies on account of the fact that a number of records of the sed-festival are dated prior to the thirtieth regnal year of the king. Due to our hunger and need for datable sources, none the less, historians cannot always resist the temptation to assess the length of a king＇s reign on the basis of the sed-festival records, sometimes even though only scant evidence is available.     

News in Brief

Tibet to Hold ! ITH Mountaineering Assembly The llth Tibet Mountaineering Assembly is going to be held from Sep.26 to Oct.7. It is aimed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Qomolangma by human beings. The organizers will also hold several mountaineering activities for amateurs to learn mountaineering skills. i,hasa Issued China＇s Firstlmrism Law Lhasa issued the offprint of the Tourism Law of the People＇s Republic of China in August, which is the country＇s first tourism law. Deliberated and approved by the 12th Standing Committee of the National People＇s Congress （NPC）, the law will be put into force on October 1, 2013. Overseas Chinese Painters X＇isited Tibet Nearly 20 overseas artists from 11 countries and areas including the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, France and Italy set out for the journey of ＂Famous Chinese Painters to Tibet＂ on August 16. In the next ten days in Tibet, they produced art works and had seminars with local artists. 2013 Tibetan Thangka Industrial Dexelnpment Forum Ileid in Lhasa The forum was held in the Mass Art Gallery in Lhasa on August 15, attracting the relative experts, scholars and painters in Tibet to have an in-depth discussion about Thangka＇s industrial development pattern and path, and the inheritance and protection in the new media age. Grand Tibetan Musical Yarluag Zangbo Premiered Musical Yarlung Zangbo premiered at the Yarlung Theatre in Lhoka Prefecture on August 15, 2013. The musical showed the time-honored history and culture of Lhoka and also highlighted the Yarlung Cultural Festival from August 15 to 21. Tibet Invests 100 Million Yuan to Build Sehool Bathrooms Almost 100 million Yuan has been invested in building bathrooms for primary and middle school students in Tibet since 2012. It is expected that 109 bathrooms, which make use of solar energy by installing solar power water heaters, will be finished until the end of 2013. Nachen Bridge, connecting the North Circular Road and the 318 National Highway after completion, has realized its closure of the main part structure and is expected to open to traffic within the year. The scenic zone Nanyigou, located in Nyingchi Prefecture, has adopted a tourist quota policy to allow a limit of up to 2,000 per day since August in order to support Chinas bid to build ecological shelter. The 2013 Shoton Festival of Tibet has wrapped up on August 12th. During the seven days＇ festival this year, a total number of 1.38 million tourists have visited Tibet, reaching an all-time high. The Xiahe Airport in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province opened on Aug. 19.     

ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY：FROM INSTITUTIONS TO IDEOLOGY

Of all the Greek cities in the classical period, Athens is the one for which we have by far the greatest range and quantity of evidence.Therefore, Athenian history - and in particular Athenian democracy - has been a major subject of twentieth century scholarship. From the vast number of valuable works dedicated to Athenian democracy we should like to name C. Hignett＇s History of the Athenian Constitution （1952）, A. H. M. Jones＇ Athenian democracy （1957）, R. K. Sinclair＇s Democracy and Participation in Athens （1988）, J. Ober＇s Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens （1989）, M.H.Hansen＇s The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes （1991）, which ever since have been indispensable reference books for teachers and students in ancient Greek history. Although study of Athenian democracy has been going on for more than a century, many questions have not been settled yet. At the turn of the new century, Rhodes has brought forward his new book ＇Athenian Democracy＇. In fact, it is a collection of academic theses, but it certainly will necessitate much reconsideration of scholars in the field of ＇Athenian democracy＇. Te work consists of fourteen articles, each illuminating Athenian democracy from different angels and by different kinds of approaches. The articles are organized into four major topics as follows.     

藏传佛教道次第概述(英文)

Tibetan Buddhism is well known for its enormous ideological systems, rich cultural contents, unique religious forms and well-organized structures. It is distinctively characterized by the reincarnation system (e.g. reincarnation of a great lama as a child after his death), the politico-religious administration, anuttara-yoga-tantra, a gigantic system of gods and spirits caused by the fusion of Buddhism and the Bon tradition, rich and colorful religious rituals with innumerable names, and many religious sects each having a system of its own. The gradual path to enlightenment is the most fundamental, inherent principal as well as decisive characteristic of Tibetan Buddhism. This is why Tibetan Buddhism attracts modern believers.