Starch grain characterization of Prosopis chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz and P. flexuosa DC,and the analysis of their archaeological remains in Andean South America

The fruit (pods) of Prosopis (Fabaceae) are frequently recovered from pre-Hispanic Argentinian archaeological sites, suggesting that this genus was of importance in ancient economies in this region. Yet it is only recently that archaeobotanists have begun to carry out systematic research into this genus. Therefore many questions remain to be addressed concerning the food value of Prosopis fruit, and its potential contribution. This paper examines starch from the pods of two species, Prosopis flexuosa and Prosopis chilensis, for the purposes of describing and classifying their morphological features and biometrical parameters. Pods of both species were gathered from two extremes (northern and southern) of the Hualfín Valley, Catamarca, Argentina. Starch abundance is estimated and compared with that of Zea mays, an economically important plant with high concentrations of starch. This paper reveals that Prosopis pods contain very low amounts of starch compared to starch-rich edible species. Despite this, the recovery of Prosopis starch grains can be successfully used to assess archaeological tool uses. Prosopis starch grains were found to be highly variable in shape. Grain size ranged between 10 and 20 μm. Granule irregularity and the high birefringence under polarized light are two of the most important diagnostic features. No significant statistical differences were found in the structure (morphology, size and hilum) of the starch of the same species from both localities. Finally, the implications for the role of this plant in past societies are discussed.     

Garu Kime: A Late Borno Fired-Brick Site at Monguno,NE Nigeria

Abstract  

This paper primarily presents analyses from geophysical data and archaeological remains collected at one of a few known sites to the west of Lake Chad associated with fired-brick structures. It reports on previous fieldwork at the location, considers its alleged relationship with the early history of the Borno kingdom and then turns to present new data that provide fresh insights into the physical appearance, dating, material remains, economy and environment of the site. A brief discussion of the historical purpose of the fired-brick structures and the site itself concludes the paper.     

Tuberculosis on the north coast of Peru: skeletal and molecular paleopathology of late pre-Hispanic and postcontact mycobacterial disease

This paper examines skeletal and ancient DNA evidence in the study of suspected tuberculosis infection in the late pre-Hispanic and Colonial-era Lambayeque Valley Complex, north coast Peru (A.D. 900–1750). We integrate information on macroscopic lesion characteristics and distribution, radiographic and CT scan imagery, and analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex rpoB and IS6110 ancient DNA (aDNA) sequences. Destructive lesions were observed in the vertebral bodies of three precontact indigenous adult males, one colonial adolescent female, and in the cranium of a Colonial-period subadult. Assessment of lesion morphology and distribution led us to consider multiple diseases, but tuberculosis represents the most likely diagnostic option in all individuals. DNA was poorly preserved in all samples, but an IS6110 sequence was amplified in one precontact individual consistent with macroscopic diagnosis. These findings expand the geographic and temporal extent of tuberculosis to the late pre-Hispanic and Colonial north coast of Peru to highlight potential synergisms between diet, settlement patterns, and the evolution of Andean tuberculosis before and after European conquest. Moreover, this study helps focus several key questions in Andean tuberculosis research, including possible reassessment of the presence of the IS6110 sequence in the pre-Columbian Americas. Methodological considerations include differential diagnosis – especially with incomplete skeletons – and limitations of aDNA studies underscoring an approach integrating macroscopic, radiographic, and molecular lines of evidence in the paleopathological investigation of one of humankind’s most devastating and destabilizing diseases.     

On the Performance of the Subtour Elimination Constraints Approach for the p‐Regions Problem: A Computational Study

The p‐regions is a mixed integer programming (MIP) model for the exhaustive clustering of a set of n geographic areas into p spatially contiguous regions while minimizing measures of intraregional heterogeneity. This is an NP‐hard problem that requires a constant research of strategies to increase the size of instances that can be solved using exact optimization techniques. In this article, we explore the benefits of an iterative process that begins by solving the relaxed version of the p‐regions that removes the constraints that guarantee the spatial contiguity of the regions. Then, additional constraints are incorporated iteratively to solve spatial discontinuities in the regions. In particular we explore the relationship between the level of spatial autocorrelation of the aggregation variable and the benefits obtained from this iterative process. The results show that high levels of spatial autocorrelation reduce computational times because the spatial patterns tend to create spatially contiguous regions. However, we found that the greatest benefits are obtained in two situations: (1) when ; and (2) when the parameter p is close to the number of clusters in the spatial pattern of the aggregation variable.     

“Reprende […] onde o merece o vício”: A sátira na poesia do Classicismo e do Maneirismo

If, deluded by general literary history, we only value what is ethical and responsible in classical Portuguese satire, forgetting that it can also contain individual arbitrariness aimed at the destruction of an object, we will miss the moments when, as in medieval satire, the factor of constitution seems to be the ruthless and immoral personalization of criticism of persons, institutions, or entities. The aesthetics of moderation ends up promoting a subtly saturated and concrete language that seems to pursue the annulment of the other rather than a corrective social function. In Mannerism we find the most aesthetically elaborate examples of satire that challenges destiny or God in relation to the evils that fall upon an impotent but insubstantial self before such sensitive questions of metaphysical morality, a satire whose classic style gives it an aesthetic dignity and textual model without exception. In this article, we will see the different paths of classic and Mannerist satire, using the works of poets such as Sá de Miranda, António Ferreira, Pêro de Andrade Caminha, André Falcão de Resende, and Fernão Rodrigues Lobo Soropita.     

Graham Connah: The So Pots of Central Africa: Memories of the Past

African Archaeological Review -     

Beyond Adornment: Cowry Use as Potter's Tool in the First Impressed Wares of the Southwestern Mediterranean Coast (Northern Morocco)

The use of seashells for the decoration of pottery from the sixth millennium cal BC is well known in the western Mediterranean, with the emergence of so-called Cardial Pottery. Actually, the most discussed issue up until now has been the use of bivalves for impressed decoration. However, the experimental approach followed in the present study provides for the first time clear evidence for the utilization of a very specific group of shells as tools for the decoration of some of the early pottery productions in northwest Africa. In particular, we propose the use of cowry, a gastropod family with a well-known ideological and symbolic role in many human cultures around the world. Also, it is suggested that cowry was used for making impressed wares on the opposite European shore. The implications for reconstruction of Neolithic diffusion along both the European and African coasts of the Mediterranean are of great significance.