Rminiscences of the 10th Panchen Erdeni

Talkingaboutthesuddendemiseofthe1OthPanchenErdeniinTibet1Oyearsago.everyoneImetexpressedtheirsorrowbysay-ing"Itwasfartooearly".Indeed,the1OthPanchenErdeniwasagreatmasterreveredbyall.MyfirstmeetingwithhimtookplaceinLanzhouinApril1951,whenIwasworkingintheEthnicGroupOfficeoftheCPCGansuProvincialUnitedFrontWorkDepartment.HewasonhiswaytoBeijingtopaytributetotheCentralGovernmentandassistinthenegotiationswiththelocalgov-ernmentofTibetonmattersconcern-ingthepeacefulliberationofTibet.Heimpr…     

Headaches of the 14th Dalai Lama

AIthoughthe14thDalaicliquehasbeenmakingabigfanfareaboutthesocalled"Tibetanissue",thecliqueisbeingtornLapartbyinfightingHEROSBECOMEENEMY.The"fourriversandsixmountainranges"referstoareactionaryrebelorganizationfirstfoundedbysomeheadmen,religiousfiguresandbanditsinearly1956intheTibetanareasinSichuanandYunnan.In1958,asegmentmovedintoTibet,totheappreciationandsupportofthe14thDalaiLamaandTibetanseparatistforces.The"religionprotectionarmyofthefourriversandsixmountainranges"wasformedtoresis…     

New Elements in the Iconography of 9th–10th Century Ural-Siberian Silver

On the basis of its technological and stylistic features, a new find of oriental silverware from the Konda River is identified as a work of the Ural-Siberian circle and dated to the 9th–10th centuries. Its scene of gender violence is interpreted using the parallel text of the “Sabha Parva,” which describes the sufferings of Draupadi, Queen of Pandavas, and the actions of Duhshasana who won her in a game of dice. The urban culture of the pre-Arabian Sogd connects the Indian source with the Turkic environment of the Ural region. Here knowledge of the story from the “Sabha Parva” had not yet been recorded but nonetheless existed judging from scenes from the “Virata Parva” which appears among the monumental paintings of Penjikent.     

Ever Lasting Memory──10th Death Anniversary of the 10th Panchen Erdeni

The10thPanchenErdeniinspectingamountainvillageoftheBaiethnicgroupinDali,The10thPanchenErdeniathome.(1988)The10thPanchenErdeniinspectingalivestockfarminXigaze,Tibet.(January1989)The10thPanchenErdenipresidingovertheabhisedaceremonyinGarze,SichuanProvince.(Seqtember1986)The10thPahchenErdenicarryingoutaninvestigationinaTibetanpas-pastoralarea.De10thPanchenErdenigivingimmunitycapsulestochildrenintheKindergartenoftheCentralInstituteforNationalities[nowtheCentralUniversityforNationalities…     

Reincarnation of the 6th Living Buddha Razheng

Whiletherestoftheworldgreetedtheadventofthenewmillenniumwithfireworks,theTibetanscelebratedwithagrandBuddhisteventofhistoricalsignificance.OnJanuary16,2000,two-yearoldSoinamPuncogwasrecognizedasthereincarnatedsoulboyofthelate6thLivingBuddhaRazheng.BornonOctober13,1997inJialiCountyinnorthernTibet,theboybecamethe7thLivingBuddhaRazhenginfrontofthestatueofSakyamuniintheJokhangMonasteryinLhasawiththeapprovaloftheCentralGovernment.SEARCHINGFORTHESOULBOY.Followingthedeathofthe6thLiv…     

Traditional Perceptions of the Dog Among the Khakas People of the Late 19th–Mid-20th Century

The article describes a body of myths and rituals associated with the dog, one of the most prominent ? gures of Khakas folklore. The analysis covers the functional and symbolic aspects of the dog as well as the relationship between the dog and rituals associated with life cycles.     

In Memory of the 10th Panchen Erdeni

he10thPanchenErdenihasbeengonefromusforeightsharpyears.HissmilesandwhathedidfortheTibetansaresofreshinmymindthatImisshimverymuch.IfirstmettheBuddhistmasterinthelate-197oswhenChina,havingexperi-encedthe1o-yearordealduringthechaotic"culturalrevolution",wasb…     

The public life of the Swahili stonehouse, 14th–15th centuries AD

Houses are an important subject of archaeological research, normally explored through the households they contain. This has established a deliberately social agenda for the archaeology of houses, yet has had the unintended consequence of creating bounded worlds for study. Although household archaeologies explore the ways that households contributed to broader social and economic realms, it is rare to think through the public role of houses for non-residents and the larger population of the settlement. This paper seeks to explore this more public aspect of houses using the data from archaeology at Songo Mnara, a 14th–15th century Swahili town on the southern Tanzanian coast. This was a time when stone-built domestic architecture was first emerging in this region. The archaeology of the houses provides data for a series of ways that the house was at the heart of the economic and political life of the town, as well as demonstrating a spatial continuity between indoor and outdoor spaces. It is therefore suggested that the domestic and residential functions of the house for a particular household should be balanced with an appreciation of the broader world of the house itself.     

Criminalization of Homicide in Early Modern Denmark (16th–17th Centuries)

This article explores the criminalization of homicide in early modern Denmark, 16th–17th centuries. Criminalization is here defined, primarily, as the harshening of penalties for homicide in law and practice. The article shows that a process of criminalization took place that contributed to a pacification of the population (demonstrated by a decrease in homicides) but also engendered practices of resistance and evasion which were reminiscent of a medieval feud culture. The attitude towards homicide was for a long time ambivalent, not just among the lower classes but at all levels of society. Criminalization and pacification were mainly products of state-building through harsher punishment and the formation of a more reliable legal system. This top-down process meshed with the broader population’s demands for justice and security.     

Paleopathology of The Population of Krasnoyarsk,Central Siberia (Pokrovskiy and Voskresensko-Preobrazhenskiy Cemeteries of the 17th– Early 20th Centuries)

Published data on the paleopathology of Siberian populations are scarce. However, two samples of adult and non- adult skeletons taken from excavations at the Pokrovskiy (17th–18th centuries) and Voskresensko-Preobrazhenskiy (17th–early 20th century) cemeteries in Krasnoyarsk (123 and 204; 101 and 81, respectively) revealed cases of rickets, tuberculosis, and congenital syphilis in children, and vertebral tuberculosis and tertiary syphilis in adults. Trauma areas included ribs, hands, forearms, and tibiae. These two samples provide evidence on which to base an assessment of the health of the Krasnoyarsk population from 1628 to the early 1900s.     

Happy 40th Birth Anniversary of Tibet Daily!

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In Memory of the 6th Living Buddha Razheng

OneFebruarynight,acallfromLhasacausedmedistress.Itwasacallfromafriend.WhenIfirstheardhisvoice,Iwaswildwithjoy.Wehadnotspokentoeachotherforalongtime.Buthisnewswasreallysad:The6thLivingBuddha,alsoafriendofmine,passedawayonFebruary13.IcametoknowtheLivingBudd…     

On the Biological Affinities of People of the “Lappish Parishes”: A Craniometric Analysis of the 17th– Early 19th Century Population of Alozero,Karelia

The 17th–early 19th century cranial series, consisting of 23 specimens (15 male and 8 female) from Alozero is the earliest from northern Karelia. The cemetery was evidently left by one of the ?rst groups of Karelians who had permanently settled in this territory. Their crania are generally similar to those of later Karelians. Two distinct morphological trait combinations are present. One is characterized by robustness, a very high vault and a broad face. This combination appears to be the earliest since it links the Alozero people not only with later northwestern Karelians but also with the medieval population of the northwestern Ladoga region and ultimately with the Mesolithic and Neolithic people of the Baltic region. Another trait combination includes a medium high cranial vault, a medium broad face and a convex nasal bridge, linking it with the combination displayed by recent Finns of Finland. The latter component apparently re?ects immigration from central Finland. The predecessors of Karelians in that territory are sometimes said to be related to modern Sami. However, no evidence of Sami admixture has been detected either in the Alozero series or in other Karelian groups     

Composition of white paste inlay on the pottery from sites of the 10th–8th centuries bce in the northern Pontic region

For the first time, the mineralogical–geochemical compositions of the white paste inlay found on vessels from sites (10th–8th centuries bce ) in the northern Pontic region are investigated. Samples of the white paste on vessels from settlements, burials of sedentary groups and graves of early nomads were analysed by means of scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Between the 10th and eighth centuries bce , various innovations occurred in the working area. Iron processing technology and the manufacture of iron products also appeared. Other innovations were changes in the manufacturing technology of ceramics. A high-quality, polished/burnished surface and ornaments with white paste inlay are characteristic of this pottery. When collating white paste mixtures of different European sites, similarities in the preparation of white paste recipes for vessels from the Balkan and northern Pontic regions are evident. During the Early Iron Age, further changes in the manufacture of the white paste were discovered in the northern Pontic region, namely the application of high-temperature firing to obtain more resistant synthesized material such as calcium alumosilicates and silicates (wollastonite). The development of iron metallurgy in this period could provide a basis for the elaboration of new techniques in ceramic manufacture.     

An age of transition? Castles and the Scottish Highland estate in the 16th and 17th centuries

Abstract

In the archaeology of post-medieval rural Scotland, research traditions have inhibited understanding of social change prior to the 18th century as the emphasis has been on the dramatic overturn of 'traditional' society with Improvement and the Clearances. This contrasts with the situation for England and, indeed other parts of Europe, where there is an established concern for the much earlier 'Age of Transition' from medieval to modern. Here I explore the ancestry of Improvement by considering the genesis of the landed estate in the 16th and earlier 17th centuries, and this is primarily achieved through an analysis of the architecture and geography of castles in one area of the Highlands. This case study concerns the castles of the Glenorchy Campbells, a lineage emerging in the earlier 15th century and proceeding to become one of the most significant of Scottish, and British, landed families. In no small part through a changing approach to castle building, their rise was predicated on the transformation of clan territory into landed estate in the period after 1550. The usefulness of the 'Age of Transition' construct, in this specific context and in general, is appraised. In concluding, I argue for the alternative of the dialectical Marxist concept of contradiction. This places the focus on tension, fluidity, and lack of resolution in society, running counter to the idea of transition from one state to another. With contradiction, modern society as a simply definable entity is never established and cannot be delineated in a straightforward way. It is an itinerant process, constantly emerging and changing.