A technological crossroads: Exploring diversity in the pressure blade technology of Mesolithic Latvia

A long‐standing debate in archaeology concerns the sources of technological diversification among prehistoric hunter‐gatherers. This includes the study of the emergence and spread of pressure blade technology in Northern Europe during the Early Holocene. Until now, there has been little technological study of lithic collections from the East Baltic region, and our knowledge of the development and spread of this technology in the area is inadequate. This article presents for the first time a technological analysis of lithic assemblages from seven Early and Middle Mesolithic sites in the territory of present‐day Latvia, offering new possibilities for discussing pressure blade technology and research objectives connected with it. Furthermore, variation in elements of this technology is explored in relation to raw‐material characteristics through experimental flint knapping. Finally, the factors influencing diversity in craft traditions, as well as large‐scale communication and shifting spheres of interaction within Northern Europe during the Mesolithic, are discussed.     

Franco’s Fascist Activities in a Nazi Hideout?: Teyú Cuaré, Misiones,Argentina

The discovery of a probable Second World War criminal hideout, located on the border between Argentina and Paraguay, led to a detailed analysis of each construction and to the excavation of the shelter itself and its surroundings. Close to the main house was evidence for a pit that had been filled in and covered with vegetation. When excavated, the pit was found to have been opened and filled in twice, possibly to hide and then retrieve an object about a cubic meter in size. As the object was withdrawn, a kind of offering was left behind, buried in a special place: a Spanish military belt belonging to Franco’s army. Construction of the dwelling was dated about 1945, but unknown is whether pit is contemporary or dates to 1955, when the entire site was possibly abandoned. The second opening of the pit must have taken place before 1975, when such military belts were no longer used. Although the site is attributed to regional Nazi activities, the removal of the belt must be associated to the neo-Nazi events that took place there and as a consequence is probably associated with Franco’s Fascism. The site is still one of its kinds in Latin America.     

Chemical composition and colouring agents of Roman mosaic and millefiori glass, studied by electron microprobe analysis and Raman microspectroscopy

About 100 fragments of Roman mosaic and millefiori glass were stylistically attributed to a Hellenistic type, a Ptolemaic and Romano-Egyptian period type and an early imperial period type. Twelve representative fragments were studied by electron microprobe analysis and Raman microspectroscopy. Eleven of them display a Na-pronounced recipe with low K, Mg and P contents, typical for the Roman period. Minor differences in composition are unsystematic, not reflecting the stylistic classification. Ionic colouring agents are Mn³⁺ for violet, Cu²⁺ for light blue, Co²⁺ for deep blue and Fe³⁺ for brown translucent colours. Calcium antimonates, lead antimonate and cuprite are the colourants responsible for white, yellow and red colours, respectively, and additionally serve as opacifiers. Mixing of ionic colouring agents and opacifying colourants led to a more differentiated palette of colours. Pb was used as yellow colouring agent, as a flux material and as a stabiliser for the colourant crystals. The remaining fragment consisting of a K-pronounced but still Na-bearing glass matrix was most likely produced during the Middle Ages or later.     

Gulliver meets Descartes: early modern concepts of age-related memory loss

Age-related memory loss was a marginal issue in medical discussions during early modern times and until well into the second half of the 17th century. There are many possible explanations: the lack of similar traditions in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, insufficient physiological and morphological knowledge of the brain, and the underlying conflict between idealistic and materialistic perspectives on the functions of the soul and the conditions of these in old age. After these boundaries had been pushed back by the influence of Cartesianism and Iatromechanism, the problem of age-related memory loss was increasingly regarded as a physical illness and began to receive more attention. This trend first occurred in medicine, before spreading to the literary world, where the novel "Gulliver's Travels" is one clear and famous example.