Rare Types of Trephination from Hungary Shed New Light on Possible Cross‐cultural Connections in the Carpathian Basin

Symbolic or incomplete trephinations are very common in Hungary in 9^th–11^thcentury AD skeletal series connected to early Hungarians, although they also occur in the preceding Avar Age (6^th–9^th c. AD) material. During the compilation of a database of regional cranial modification data, the authors found rare almond‐shaped symbolic trephinations in both periods, while these had formerly only been reported in Early Hungarian series. In this study, the new almond‐shaped lesions are described along with other symbolic trephinations of 14 newly found skulls from the 8^th–11^thcenturies AD in the Southern Great Plain of Hungary. The authors review the research of the phenomenon. The new findings may strengthen the theory of direct and very close cultural connections of these two ethnic groups, adding a new aspect to the debate over the origin and relationship of Late Avar (late 7^th–early 9^th c. AD) and Early Hungarian (9^th–11^th c. AD) populations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Early Evidence for Pig and Dog Husbandry from the Neolithic Site of An Son,Southern Vietnam

An Son in southern Vietnam is one of a series of Neolithic (food producing) settlement/cemetery sites in Southeast Asia that appear, archaeologically, shortly before and after 2000 cal. bc . Excavations in 2009 produced a small but important assemblage of vertebrate remains that permit relative comparisons with other zooarchaeological assemblages of similar date in Thailand and northern Vietnam. At An Son, domestic dogs are present from the earliest known phases of occupation with butchery evidence and a high proportion of canid remains, suggesting they were possibly used as a food resource. Suid bones were recovered from the earliest phases of the site excavated, and pig husbandry can be identified from at least 1800 to 1600 cal. bc . There is also evidence for the use of a range of other resources including fishing, hunting and the capturing of turtles. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical simulation of mylonitization and structural controls on fluid flow and mineralization of the Hetai gold deposit,west Guangdong,China

The Hetai gold deposit (HGD) is a typical altered mylonite type gold mine in a ductile shear zone in western Guangdong, China. Geomechanical simulations of the HGD were carried out in this paper to examine the importance of the dilation‐driven fluid circulation in gold mineralization. The results show that three evenly‐spaced NNE shear zones of enhanced dilation are produced in the study area. The calculated principal compressive stress in the X direction in these zones ranges between ?420 and ?650 MPa, in line with estimates of ore‐forming pressure (fluid pressure). Ore forming fluid is focused into these features, as observed in the field. The calculated differential stress decreases from 275~350 to 148~225 MPa during the formation of mylonite zones. These, together with geological structural analysis and fluid pressure measurements, indicate that the mylonitization zone can provide a place of fluid focusing and a favorable environment for gold mineralization.     

The Use of Neutron Analysis Techniques for Detecting The Concentration And Distribution of Chloride Ions in Archaeological Iron

Chloride (Cl) ions diffuse into iron objects during burial and drive corrosion after excavation. Located under corrosion layers, Cl is inaccessible to many analytical techniques. Neutron analysis offers non‐destructive avenues for determining Cl content and distribution in objects. A pilot study used prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) and prompt gamma activation imaging (PGAI) to analyse the bulk concentration and longitudinal distribution of Cl in archaeological iron objects. This correlated with the object corrosion rate measured by oxygen consumption, and compared well with Cl measurement using a specific ion meter. High‐Cl areas were linked with visible damage to the corrosion layers and attack of the iron core. Neutron techniques have significant advantages in the analysis of archaeological metals, including penetration depth and low detection limits.     

A permeability‐change model for water‐level changes triggered by teleseismic waves

Although many hydrologic changes induced by teleseismic waves have been reported, the mechanism(s) responsible for the changes are usually not known. Permeability changes induced by seismic strains are often invoked to explain changes in water level. Using water‐level data in Taiwan after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, we show here that the observations cannot be properly explained by previously proposed models of postseismic permeability changes. A new model is required in which the postseismic permeability decreases exponentially as a function of time, with a time constant of <3 min, which is appreciably shorter than inferred from earlier studies. The result may have important implications for pore‐sealing mechanism(s).     

NEW CHRONOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE MIDDLE TO UPPER PALAEOLITHIC TRANSITION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA: NEW OPTICALLY STIMULATED LUMINESCENCE DATING RESULTS

We report new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates from the Central European sites of K?lna, Stránská skála, Bohunice, Vedrovice V, Vedrovice Ia, Moravský Krumlov IV and Dzeravá skala, which date to the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition period. There are important unresolved questions surrounding the timing of archaeological events during this crucial period in European prehistory. Archaeological layers from this time period are at the limits of the ¹⁴C method and most of these sites lack good chronology. The results of this dating project suggest that some parts of the current chronological framework may need to be revised. Although in many cases our OSL results are broadly consistent with previous dates obtained by ¹⁴C, in other cases they reveal unexpected surprises. One OSL result from K?lna opens up the possibility that Neanderthals may have survived in this part of Europe past the 30 ka bp mark as has been argued for several Neanderthal sites in southern Europe. The large Szeletian assemblage recovered from Vedrovice V may be significantly older than previously thought, which undermines the idea that the Szeletian culture is exclusively an Early Upper Palaeolithic industry. More dating research is needed to confirm the more controversial results of this research.     

The Roma of Central and Eastern Europe

Sherzer, Joel. Verbal Art in San Blas: Kuna Culture through Its Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. x + 281 pp. including references and index. $39.50 cloth.

Heider, Karl G. Indonesian Cinema: National Culture on Screen. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1991. x + 154 pp. including bibliography and index. $28.00 cloth, $9.95 paper.     

Gas breakthrough pressure for hydrocarbon reservoir seal rocks: implications for the security of long-term CO2 storage in the Weyburn field

This paper reports a laboratory study of the gas breakthrough pressure for different gas/liquid systems in the Mississippian‐age Midale Evaporite. This low‐permeability rock formation is the seal rock for the Weyburn Field in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, where CO₂ is being injected into an oil reservoir for enhanced recovery and CO₂ storage. A technique for experimentally determining CO₂ breakthrough pressure at reservoir conditions is presented. Breakthrough pressures for N₂, CO₂ and CH₄ were measured with the selected seal‐rock samples. The maximum breakthrough pressure is over 30 MPa for N₂ and approximately 21 MPa for CO₂. The experimental results demonstrate that the Weyburn Midale Evaporite seal rock is of high sealing quality. Therefore, the Weyburn reservoir and Midale Beds can be used as a CO₂ storage site after abandonment. The measured results also show that the breakthrough pressure of a seal rock for a gas is nearly proportional to the interfacial tension of the gas/brine system. The breakthrough pressure of a CO₂/brine system is significantly reduced compared with that of a CH₄/brine system because of the much lower interfacial tension of the former. This implies that a seal rock that seals the original gas in a gas reservoir or an oil reservoir with a gas cap may not be tight enough to seal the injected CO₂ if the pressure during or after CO₂ injection is the same or higher than the original reservoir pressure. Therefore, reevaluation of the breakthrough pressure of seal rocks for a given reservoir is necessary and of highest priority once it is chosen as a CO₂ storage site.     

Atmospheric deterioration of Qin brick in an environmental chamber at Emperor Qin's Terracotta Museum, China

Potential mechanisms for the changing appearance of Qin terracotta was evaluated on simulated bricks with, SO₂, NH₃, O₃, and a NH₃/O₃ mixture for total dosages of 2.2–5.4 ppm-years. Changes in the surface composition and appearance were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM–EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). No observable changes with O₃ exposure were found. Sulfate as sulfur and ammonium as nitrogen increased by 1.2 at% and 0.8 at% of the surface deposit as determined by XPS. O₃ did not have a detectable effect by itself, but when combined with NH₃, NO₃ as nitrogen increased by 1.5 at%, indicating a strong oxidation of NH₃ to nitric acid. The combination of outdoor O₃ infiltration with indoor NH₃, presumably from the visitors, appears to have a greater potential for damage than either pollutant by itself. SEM–EDX mapping of the surface showed sulfur associated with calcium and magnesium compounds after SO₂ exposure, but not before. More detailed microscopic examination showed this primarily in the form of gypsum, especially near cracks and pits in the surface. Both of these mechanisms are probably among the causes of changes in terracotta appearances since they were unearthed in 1974.