The potential of chironomid (Insecta: Diptera) larvae in archaeological investigations of floodplain and lake settlements

The head capsules of chironomids (Insecta: Diptera) are well preserved in sediments and can be recognised to a high taxonomic level, usually genus and sometimes species. Work on lake sediments has shown that they can be accurate indicators of water temperature, oxygen regimes, and nutrient status (particularly total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a), as well as heavy metal pollution. No systematic chironomid analyses, however, have previously been undertaken on archaeological deposits. In order to address this we assessed the use of chironomids in three types of archaeological deposit; firstly, a lake core at the edge of a lake settlement (crannog), secondly, a palaeochannel infill adjacent to a multi-period settlement site and lastly, a Roman well deposit from a floodplain environment. The chironomid assemblages are shown to vary significantly both between and within the sites and reflect the immediate environment and the adjacent area. The lake sediment assemblage reflects the construction of the crannog through elevated levels of organic detritus, wood and woody debris. The palaeochannel assemblage reveals changing natural conditions and nutrient enrichment probably associated with settlement during the Saxon period. The well assemblage is taxonomically restricted and indicative of organic debris, dead plant material, animal dung and possibly human effluent deposited after abandonment of the well. Dry storage of the palaeochannel and well sediments for several years did not appear to affect the concentration or state of preservation of the head capsules. The chironomid reconstructions are shown to provide an additional indicator of human activity which has the potential to provide quantitative data on the character of aquatic environments associated with archaeological sites.     

Historia, Antropologia, Y Fuentes Orales

Historia, Antropología y Fuentes Orales (HAYFO) is aSpanish-language journal for the study of oral data across diversedisciplinary traditions, such as history, anthropology, andsociology. The journal is edited by Asociación Historiay Fuente Oral, Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona,and Editorial Universidad de Granada. HAYFO first saw the lightin 1989 and is published biannually in Spain. The thirty-seventh issue of the journal is an exciting mix ofarticles with a variety of theoretical and empirical merits.This issue is divided into four main sections. The first sectionis entitled "Denouncement and opacity." This section     

The Ubiquity of Rhetoric and Hermeneutic Philosophy

This essay examines how hermeneutic philosophy, particularly Gadamer's, recovers rhetoric, less as the art of speaking well than as a statement of a truth of the sensus communis, that which communicates veracious content through argumentation. This is the sense in which Gadamer acknowledges the ubiquity of rhetoric and hermeneutics as components of linguisticity (Sprachlichkeit). Conceived in the context of non-methodical wisdom and phronesis, Gadamer's rehabilitated rhetoric is concerned with pragmatics and ethics. Rhetoric is no longer viewed as a technique of verbal manipulation and becomes relevant for dialogic communication. Gadamer thus joins the Habermasian criticism of formalized reason that is detached from values. Both of them reject instrumental reason, because it has colonized communicational reason. However, since Gadamer's view of rhetoric has also been criticized by Habermas and Ricoeur their objections cannot be overlooked in a discussion of his hermeneutics. The essay concludes with a brief consideration of the implications of the debate on rhetoric, hermeneutics, and communication for the twenty-first century.     

Network Location and Policy‐Oriented Behavior: An Analysis of Two‐Mode Networks of Coauthored Documents Concerning Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region*,†

This study explores how a scientist's location in science‐based policy networks can affect her policy‐oriented behaviors. In particular, we hypothesize that those scientists who fill structural holes in their networks will be more likely than others to engage in policy‐oriented behaviors. The network data are defined by scientists' coauthorship on policy documents regarding climate change in the Great Lakes. We employ a two‐mode network analysis to identify clusters of scientists who coauthored similar documents, and relative to those clusters, we identify those who fill structural holes by bridging between clusters. We find that those scientists who bridged between clusters were more likely to engage in policy‐oriented behaviors of policy advocacy and advising than were others in the network. This is an example of a link between network location and policy‐oriented behavior indicative of the broader phenomenon of how individuals exert agency, given structural constraints.     

The origin of black pigmentation in a sample of Mexican prehispanic human bones

The study of black patches and spots in prehispanic bones of Tlatelolco and Tlapacoya is presented. The chosen characterization techniques, X-ray Fluorescence, X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Infrared Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography are complementary and they all conclude that the bone black pigment is constituted, mainly, by amorphous carbon and some mineral inclusions. Gas Chromatography and Infrared Spectroscopy show that the pigment is constituted by organic compounds as aromatic hydrocarbons, mainly bitumen. An explanation on how the spots were formed is proposed.