The Prevalence and Health Implications of Concha Bullosa in a Population from Mediaeval England

Concha bullosa is hypertrophy of the middle nasal concha attributable to its pneumatisation. It is considered to be the most common anatomical variant of the ostiomeatal complex, but it has been little studied in skeletal populations. It is uncertain whether the prevalence of concha bullosa varies in different world populations. Some have suggested that it predisposes to sinusitis, but this is controversial. The aim of the current work is to assess the prevalence of concha bullosa in a pre‐modern population and to investigate whether it is associated with maxillary sinusitis. Results showed that concha bullosa was present in 17 out of 45 individuals, a prevalence of 38%. There was no evidence of an association with sinusitis. This adds to a growing body of evidence that calls into question concha bullosa as a significant risk factor for sinus disease. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variability of Ceramic Production and Consumption on the Greek Mainland During the Middle Stages of the Late Bronze Age: The Waterpots from the Menelaion,Sparta

The article examines pottery groups manufactured in non‐Mycenaean traditions from the site of the Menelaion in Laconia (southern Peloponnese, Greece) during the middle stages of the Late Bronze Age. Pottery traditions are first defined using macroscopic study of surface and break features. Two distinct handmade traditions, and another one employing the wheel but with some links to traditional handmade pottery manufactured on the island of Aegina, were recognized and subjected to petrographic analysis. Its results confirmed that potters’ choices regarding clay preparation were different in the case of each identified tradition, being most distinct for the largest group of handmade undecorated water jars. The study highlights survival of pottery traditions with roots in the Middle Helladic period well into the Late Bronze Age, a fact that has not received appropriate attention in the scholarly discourse. It captures the very last stage of their existence, as just a few decades later the production and consumption are entirely dominated by Mycenaean pottery.     

Merchants on the margins: fifteenth-century Bruges and the informal market

During the late medieval period, Bruges acted as the prime hub of international trade in north-western Europe, with the town of Sluys as its outport. Trade along the Zwin, the waterway connecting the city to the sea, was subject to a series of tolls and a set of stringent and comprehensive staple restrictions, stipulating that all goods imported had to be sold on the Bruges market. The concentration of commercial activities which resulted from these rules allowed merchants with the necessary capital to trade more cheaply than elsewhere. For those with more modest means and ambitions, the trip along tollbooths to the heavily regulated and institutionalised staple market only jeopardised the profitability of their endeavours. Throughout the fifteenth century, local traders, international shipping crews, commercial staff and professional smugglers cut transaction costs by evading the restrictions of the staple and commercial taxation in Sluys. This article discusses the size of this informal market on the margins of Bruges' jurisdiction, analyses the backgrounds and motivations of its visitors and reconstructs the strategies they used to evade punishment.