America as a European power: the end of empire by integration?

Is the postwar partnership between Europe and America now a historical artefact? Much depends on whether the notion of America as a ‘European power’ still holds. The US attained this status through a strategy of ‘empire by integration’, extending its postwar ‘empire’ through negotiation and support for European integration, and envisaging a collectively powerful Europe as fundamental to the health of its most important security alliance. The election of George W. Bush, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and the war in Iraq are often seen as producing deep ruptures both in American policy towards Europe and the transatlantic alliance. Yet, the embrace of a new US policy of ‘disaggregation’ of Europe is unproven, and in any event unlikely to mark a permanent shift. The US and Europe are surprisingly close to agreement on ends for the international order. Conflict over Iraq has obscured a significant increase in policy cooperation and convergence of strategy in the war on terrorism.     

Nation‐building policies in the Balkans: an Ottoman or a manufactured legacy?

Are post‐Ottoman nation‐building policies in the Balkans a legacy of the millet system? Some contend that the discriminatory nation‐building policies along religious lines employed by Balkan nations ruling elites are a legacy of the Ottoman era millet system (administration by religious affiliation); others argue that the Ottoman legacy is palpable in the millet‐like features preserved in the minority rights protection system resulting from World War I, and yet other scholars see the millet system as a critical antecedent. Studying closely the policies towards non‐core groups in the post‐Ottoman Balkans, one finds that the ‘Ottoman legacy’ is much more differentiated than is commonly assumed and that effects vary widely from place to place. Moreover, I argue that the persistence of certain features from one period to another may be an actual legacy in some cases, but there is also a possibility that we are dealing with a manufactured legacy, where elites choose to intervene and perpetuate an institution or a particular feature of it. I empirically demonstrate this distinction in a crucial case using archival sources.     

Evidence of Iberian Bronze Age ‘Boquique’ Pottery in the Balearic Islands: Trade,Marriage or Culture?

Summary.   This paper deals with the recent discovery of Iberian 'Boquique' Bronze Age pottery on the Balearic Island of Mallorca. It marks the 'maritime' spread of this distinctive pottery into a geographic area not previously recorded. It should therefore be of particular interest to mainland investigators and others concerned with its geographical distribution as well as those dealing with long-distance trade and possible kinship links during the period. The find is further supported by the 'micaceous' and 'quartz' composition of the pottery clay fabric, since mica is not known on the island as a component of local clays. The presence of Boquique pottery with 'micaceous' clay properties is demonstrated by microphotographic slab and thin sections as well as chemical clay analysis. This suggests that the pottery was imported, either as a trade item or as personal possessions.
Along with recent evidence of earlier trade in exotic 'elephant' ivory and other items during Bell Beaker times, where the Boquique pottery appears to be a late intrusive element into local Beaker contexts ( Waldren 1998 ), this new evidence represents the first material sign of cultural maritime interaction (Boquique in the present case), either as demographic extension or commercial exchange of these cultural items into the area.
Furthermore, contextual radiocarbon dating surveys strongly indicate a date of 1700–1400 BC for the pottery, in accord both with recent Iberian mainland dates as well as the local archaeological sequence in which it was found.     

The long‐haired kings of the Franks: ‘like so many Samsons?’1

As the paradigm of Germanic sacral kingship has lost its appeal, historians have begun to rethink the concept of Merovingian kingship. Most of the arguments once used in support of its alleged Germanic and pagan character have now been refuted. However, the meaning of their long hair has thus far proven difficult to explain. This article will argue that the Merovingian hairstyle took up Christian meaning shortly after their conversion, presenting them in the image of the biblical Samson. Consequently, their use of biblical analogies to legitimize royal power further challenges the once‐held dichotomy between Merovingian and Carolingian kingship.     

Images of the defeated: a good death in late Bronze Age Greece?

Abstract

Warriors engaged in combat are characteristic images of Late Bronze Age Greece, depicting both the victors and the defeated. An examination of Early Mycenaean and Mycenaean images of the defeated, and of the presentation of the deceased by their funerary offerings, suggests that a death in battle was not perceived as a disgrace. Furthermore, a display of respect towards the fallen enemy may have enhanced the victor. The surviving images from Late Bronze Age Greece celebrate skill in warfare, both for the victor and also for the defeated. The images suggest that death in battle was considered to be a good death throughout the Late Bronze Age on the Greek mainland, whether victor or loser.     

Rib fractures in the archaeological record: a useful source of sociocultural information?

Investigation of palaeopathological fractures has been shown to provide important information on past societies. However, despite the fact that rib fractures are amongst the most commonly recorded types of fractures in archaeological bone, little attention has been paid to them. Although there will be sites with badly preserved ribs, making their study difficult, this will not always be the case. Recent clinical investigations have highlighted the potential significance of rib fractures with regard to morbidity and mortality, and their importance in relation to health is now appreciated. This study investigates rib fractures in 352 adults from St. Martin's churchyard, Birmingham, England. The crude prevalence of rib fractures was found to be 15.6% and the true prevalence rate 2.3%. The majority of the fractures occurred in males, and those buried in vaults were less likely to have a fracture than individuals from earth‐cut graves. In 11 individuals the fractures were healing at the time of death, and in these cases death was probably related to one of the complications that are frequently linked to fractured ribs. Certain types of accidents may have been linked to these more serious fractures, as 70% occurred in the same anatomical area. Other rib fractures were associated with pathological conditions, such as osteomalacia and osteoporosis. Overall, the study of the rib fractures in this collection provided valuable information that aided interpretation of the lifeways of individuals investigated. It is argued that where preservation permits, studies of fractures in archaeological bone should include ribs. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Bishop and the Queen; or,why did the Bishop of Carlisle crown Elizabeth I?

Elizabeth I is one of only a small group of English monarchs to not be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury at their coronation: instead, she was crowned by Owen Oglethorpe, the Bishop of Carlisle. The difficulty Elizabeth had finding a bishop to preside at her coronation is often repeated in the scholarship. An assessment of the English episcopacy at the time of the coronation, however, demonstrates that this ‘difficulty’ is overstated: there were at least ten other bishops who could have presided. This article suggests, then, that Elizabeth specifically chose Oglethorpe to preside at her coronation because of their familiarity with each other, and argues that in the absence of evidence to the contrary, Oglethorpe was not ‘coerced’ into presiding, nor was it a mere ‘accident’.     

Branded Axes,Thrown into a Pool? The Hoogeloon Hoard and the Shape‐Based Bronze Economy of the North‐West European Bronze Age

One of the biggest challenges for students of the European Bronze Age is to understand the reason behind the massive deposition of large amounts of recyclable metal in non‐metalliferous regions. Such depositions are particularly puzzling when material was buried in a manner which directly seems to denote trade itself, in so‐called ‘trade hoards’. Based on observations on a recent find of such a hoard, in Hoogeloon (NL), we move to an overview of Bronze Age metalwork economy in general and the deposition of trade stock in particular. We argue that Middle Bronze Age metalwork circulation in North‐west Europe may be understood as an aes formatum system, with the serially produced axes in hoards displaying a koiné having a particular social evaluation: a ‘brand’. We suggest that objects were selected by brands for their deposition in the landscape and that this ‘ritual’ act was integral to the ‘practical’ economy of circulation.     

Unusual burial from an early Neolithic site of the lengyel culture in central Poland: Punishment,violence or mortuary behaviour?

During excavations at the Early Neolithic site of the Brześć Kujawski Group of the Lengyel Culture in Osłonki (central Poland), an atypical burial of an adult male was discovered. The individual's skeleton revealed traces of several perimortem injuries: both broken shins (the right shin with two fractures), a large fracture to the frontal bone and about 25 cut marks made with a flint blade in the parietal‐occipital region of the cranium on the left side. The arrangement of the fractured parts of the lower limbs might suggest that the injuries were intentionally exposed. Due to the relatively rich grave goods, it seems unlikely that the buried person was rejected by the community and thus killed or stigmatized by mutilation of the cadaver. The way the cuts were made is different from the cases of scalping or severing muscles in cannibalistic or mortuary practices known from the literature. This burial probably reflects some special funerary rite, which is now difficult to reconstruct or interpret. It is both possible that the observed injuries resulted from wounds that led to the individual's death (perhaps in circumstances that motivated the other special features of the burial) or that they were inflicted on the dead body. Taking into account the probable practices of dismembering of the dead body or human sacrifice found in the later Neolithic period in Poland, all of these possibilities may be considered with respect to this burial. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Review - H. B. Clarke,M. N Mhaonaigh,R. Ó Floinn (eds.): Ireland and Scandinavia in the Early Viking Age

Magdalena Midgley: The First Farmers of the North European Plain. Edinburgh University Press, 1992. XVI + 550 pp. 132 figs. ISBN 0 7486 0348 4.

Julian Thomas: Rethinking the Neolithic. (New Studies in Archaeology). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1991. xvi + 212 pp. 60 figures. ISBN 0–521–40377–4 (hardback).

Stuart J. Fiedel: Prehistory of the Americas. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992. 400pp. ISBN 0–521–41532–2—ISBN 0–521–42544–1 (pbk.).

Timothy Earle (ed.): Chiefdoms: Power, Economy and Ideology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1991. 34 pp. ISBN 0–521–40190–9.

J?rgen Steen Jensen, Kirsten Bendixen, Niels‐Knud Liebgott and Fritze Lindahl, with the cooperation of Keld Grinder‐Hansen and Gert Posselt: Danmarks middelalderlige skattefund c.1050‐C.1550/Denmark's medieval treasure‐hoards C.1050‐C.1550, I‐II. Det Kongelige Nordiske Oldskriftselskab, Copenhagen, 1992. ISBN 87–87483–23–2.     

Australia’s use of international education as public diplomacy in China: foreign policy or domestic agenda?

This research utilises expert interviews to investigate why the Australian Government funds the New Colombo Plan (NCP) and the Australian Studies Centres (ASCs) as public diplomacy in China. The ASCs have grown with no increase in funding, however, the academics view themselves as facilitators of Australian Studies not an arm of public diplomacy, despite their work contributing toward positive Australia-China relations. Evaluating the efficacy of the ASC’s contribution to public diplomacy is fraught with risk. Some suggest that political activism may backfire when governments explicitly outline their soft power strategies. As the NCP has no longitudinal measurements, this research is an initial review of short-term achievements. However, the external survey with 16% return rate, and just over 50% response rate indicating an intention to act as ambassadors for the program, requires review by the funding department. The opportunity for the Government to send a positive message to China and the strong people-to-people networks fostered by the two programs’ participants have the potential to influence the nexus between Australian foreign policy, international education as public diplomacy and public engagement with foreign policy. This alone, should be sufficient to justify continued funding, or in the case of the ASCs, increased funding.     

Fatal Injuries in a pre‐Hispanic Canary Mummy: Violence,Accident or Ritual Suicide?

Perimortem traumas have been identified in a pre‐Hispanic Canary mummy (fifth–sixth centuries cal AD). The location and nature of the fractures in the cranium, cervical vertebrae, ribs and both legs indicate a fall from a considerable height, which would have been the cause of death. Supported by forensic anthropology criteria and historical information about the population of origin, the circumstances in which the fatal injuries might have occurred are discussed. Given the pattern of the injuries, it is debated whether they were the result of an accident or a ritual suicide, as aggression is thought to be a less likely scenario. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Levanzo I Wreck,Sicily: a 4th‐century AD merchantman in the service of the annona?

Between 2005 and 2009 a deep‐water shipwreck was located, mapped, and partially excavated by a joint team from RPM Nautical Foundation and the office of the Soprintendenza del Mare, Sicily. Located off Levanzo Island, one of the Egadi Islands off north‐west Sicily, this wrecked merchantman revealed a mixed cargo of foodstuffs, coarseware, glass, and construction materials. The nature of the wreck‐site, its cargo, operational date, and find‐location indicate its likely association with the annona service which supplied Rome. © 2012 The Authors     

Unity and Diversity in the European Iron Age: Out of the Mists, Some Clarity?

While some researchers continue to focus fruitfully on traditional issues, in recent years new perspectives, some strongly revisionist, have developed within European Iron Age archaeology, moving it from a long-static state into a rapidly changing milieu. Studies of colonialism, imperialism, and interaction have undergone sequential shifts into new territory, while topics related to sacred activity, political apparatuses, and the ruler-subject relationship have undergone substantial reworking. Perspectives absent from earlier literature have emerged: gender, age, ethnicity, and identity, and interpretations employing theories of practice, agency, landscape, and embodiment have emerged, mirroring broader disciplinary shifts. An overarching trend sees Iron Age Europe as a series of interactive societies with both broad similarities and sharp regional, even local, differences, moving through time and ever-changing relationships, influences, and trajectories. The collision of traditional and revisionist scholarship has produced debate, some heated, but has improved and invigorated the field.