Women Appear in the Plains

Androcentrism marked archaeology on the American Plains, women excluded from major projects and archaeology focused on lithics supposedly made by men, with sherds used to establish chronologies and regions. In the 1970s, women scholars initiated feminist studies and became more numerous in the profession. On the Canadian Plains, two 1980 books shifted attention to the formation of Métis, which can be seen as contributing to feminist diversity theory. Postcolonialism, incorporating collaboration with First Nations, became important after 2000 and adds to diversity theory as well as pointing the real-world political-economic consequences of traditional archaeological pictures of Plains “prehistory.”     

Folklore Scraps from Several Localities

ENGLISH CUSTOM AND USAGE. By CHRISTINA HOLE. Batsford, Ltd, London, 1941. pp. viii + 152. 10s. 6d. Reviewed by M. M. B..     

Hydrogeological Modelling of Water-Level Changes in an Area of Archaeological Significance: A Case Study from Flag Fen,Cambridgeshire, UK

Concern exists regarding the long-term viability of the internationally important archaeological remains of the Flag Fen site near Peterborough. This paper describes a hydrogeological numerical groundwater model which has been used to understand the groundwater situation with regard to the archaeology, including drainage impacts, and also to explore future scenarios. Observed and modelled groundwater levels have been interpreted using three zones: the ‘dry’ zone 1 above the seasonal maximum water table; zone 2 of seasonal water table fluctuation; and a deeper zone 3 of permanent saturation. Archaeological wood is best preserved in Zone 3. Much of the Bronze Age wooden structure is located within Zone 2 or above. The hydrological conditions are therefore not ideal for the long-term in situ preservation of the material. Groundwater modelling indicates that the main factor controlling groundwater levels in the area is artificial drainage. The approach would be applicable to other wet-preserved archaeological sites.     

And now back to the paleolithic with your host Dwayne Merry

Dwayne Merry, Project Director. Dimensions in Cultures. Video Tape Series. Available from Coast Community College District, 1370 Adams Avenue, Coasta Mesa, California 92626. Price to be negotiated.     

Literature and society in Medieval France: The mirror and the image, 1100–1500

Society has to be understood as a process of fast changes (revolutions) and slow transformations (reformism). This is what has been happening in Central Europe, where the big changes of 1989–1990 were preceded by several small social, political and ideological transformations. When analysing Central European societies, one should also remember that there is an ‘official’ society and a ‘hidden’ society.