Multi-method (TL and OSL), multi-material (quartz and flint) dating of the Mousterian site of Roc de Marsal (Dordogne,France): correlating Neanderthal occupations with the climatic variability of MIS 5–3

Roc de Marsal has yielded numerous remains of Mousterian occupations, including lithics, fauna and combustion features. It was made famous by the discovery of the skeleton of a Neanderthal child. Given the need to date the sequence, TL and OSL were applied on heated flints and quartz, and OSL on unheated quartz. Chronological results combined with palaeoenvironmental data – faunal remains and micromorphological features in the sediments from the cave, pollen proxies and faunal remains from the region – allowed us to place climate variations in southwest France on a numerical time scale. Denticulate Mousterian occupations were dated to the middle of MIS 4 (65–70 ka) and Quina layers either to the very end of MIS 4 or to MIS 3. Interestingly, a faunal pattern showing a mix of red deer, roe deer and reindeer was found to have occurred during MIS 4, which was shown to be consistent with data from other similar sites in southwest France.     

The significance of Ptolemy’s Almagest for its early readers

The paper explores the historical reasons why Ptolemy's Almagest was cultivated in Antiquity as a legitimate part of ancient culture. It tries to elucidate first the precise nature of Ptolemy's project in the Almagest, its relation to ethics as well as to the particular conception that Ptolemy had of mathematics. It then proposes an explanation for the fact that this treatise, both in Ptolemy's period and afterwards, was studied within the milieu of ancient astrologers.     

The Teaching of Arabic in French Algeria and Contemporary France

This article examines the history of the teaching of Arabicin colonial Algeria as a means of clarifying the contemporarydebate on language policy in the French education system. Untilnow this history has only been explored in the limited contextof post-Independence Algeria and in a rather simplistic fashion,which suggests that the colonial authorities conducted a hostilecampaign against the Arab language. In fact, as will be seen,the situation was far more complex, with a much more sympatheticapproach being adopted than one might expect. However, therewere various forms of Arabic to take into account and attitudeswere in a constant state of flux throughout the colonial period.     

Satellite imagery and archaeology: the example of CORONA in the Altai Mountains

Satellite imagery, and specifically CORONA, is now of common use in archaeology. CORONA, as it produces two images of the same spot (afterward and forward), allows for stereoscopic view and is a perfect tool for the production of maps, especially in remote areas, where maps are not reliable of even absent.     

Spatial Proximity and Intercompany Communication: Myths and Realities

Abstract

Spatial proximity is credited with numerous virtues in the economic literature. In particular, for a company to be located near other companies is seen as conducive to the development of business relations. Spatial proximity is also considered to contribute to the quality and efficiency of these relations by facilitating face-to-face meetings that foster the exchange of complex knowledge and, in particular, the emergence of innovation. This article explores the notion of spatial proximity in intercompany relations, its capacity to facilitate exchange, as well as the link with the methods of communication employed (information and communication technologies and face-to-face). It is based on a distinction between real proximity (the spatial distance between firms), perceived proximity (the spatial distance as evaluated by the firm itself) and active proximity (spatial proximity that facilitates the exchanges). The data come from a survey conducted in 2008 with more than 2000 firms located in the Brittany region (France). The findings emphasize the relative nature of the notion of spatial proximity and the distinction in some cases between real and active proximities, and show that the positive perception of the role of spatial proximity is sustained by the increased face-to-face contact it entails.     

The Jewish diaspora and Israel: belonging at distance?

The involvement of diasporas in the advent of modern nationalism is not a new phenomenon: already in the 19th century some diasporas wanted to ‘normalise’ their national existence by building a state of their own. However, with the growing globalisation trend in the 199'0s , especially in the areas of transportation and communication, Benedict Anderson put forward the idea of long‐distance nationalism (LDN), as a new way of linking diasporas and the national project and thus creating a more intense sense of belonging. LDN has been characterised by him as having two main features: its unaccountability which allows for intense political radicalism, and its instrumental function for strengthening ethnic identity in the diaspora and thus a sense of belonging. I will test those hypotheses in the case of the archetypal Jewish diaspora.     

Emergence of an integrated city-system in France (XVIIth–XIXth centuries): Evidence from toolset in graph theory

In this article, the authors discuss the emergence of an integrated city-system in France one century before the Industrial Revolution, starting from two different databases, the postal roads relays and the cities and towns populations, between 1632 and 1833. They first model historical distances, weighted by elevation and connectivity (measured as a conductance). A major transformation of inter-urban exchange space is then enlightened, with new roads systematically privileged in the northern part of France and the largest cities, but avoiding mountains. They then study territorial integration processes on two different scales: the national, with the diffusion of hubs (characterized by a high betweenness centrality) all over French territory, and the regional, with the emergence of regional city-systems (modeled by a Reilly equation) in the northern part of France. The role of medium-sized cities as necessary links for connecting local and national scales is emphasized in most results.