Characterization of Glass,Shell, and Fishbone Beads on Ibo Island (Northern Mozambique) in the Context of the Indian Ocean Trade

African Archaeological Review - A set of beads made of glass, gastropod mollusk shell, and fishbone from a Swahili occupation level on Ibo Island (northern Mozambique) is dated to the eleventh and...     

Bronze Age Globalisation and Eurasian Impacts on Later Jōmon Social Change

Journal of World Prehistory - From northern China, millet agriculture spread to Korea and the Maritime Russian Far East by 3500–2700 BC. While the expansion of agricultural societies across...     

王国维抄校《录鬼簿》考

1908至1910年,王国维曾先后抄录、批校过三种版本的《录鬼簿》,所涉底本有明抄本、清尤贞起钞本和清《楝亭十二种》刻本。而自上世纪四十年代以后,由于前两种抄本在大陆已不可获见,故关于王国维抄校《录鬼簿》及《录鬼簿》版本相关的研究均未能细论其详。本文结合前人对王国维校勘《楝亭十二种》本《录鬼簿》的研究成果,另将台湾傅斯年图书馆所藏的明抄本、尤抄本及国家图书馆藏影抄尤本、日本东洋文库藏王国维据明抄本所作的过录本四种纳入综合考察,在对王国维抄校《录鬼簿》的始末进行细致梳理过程中,发现王氏起初措意于抄校的目的乃是为其正在编纂的戏曲著作《曲录》作参考。但王氏在得到影抄尤本后虽收齐了三种版本《录鬼簿》,却最终放弃当初的刊刻打算,乃是因为刘世珩主持的《暖红室汇刻传奇》计划中早已纳入《录鬼簿》。藉此不仅可明晰王国维早年戏曲研究脉路,而且对《录鬼簿》的版本研究亦可提供新的参考。     

The Santa María pottery of El Bolsón valley (Catamarca,Argentina): Compositional characterization and implications on the elaboration processes,ca. 1000–1600 ce

The results obtained from the multi-analytic compositional characterization of ceramic pastes and paints of the Santa María style, from the El Bolsón valley (Belén Department, Catamarca Province, Argentina), are presented here. This pottery style had a wide regional distribution in Northwestern Argentina between ca. 1000 and1600 ce and is characterized by its complex iconography painted in black, cream and red. The analyses show that the containers correspond to the technical tradition of using grog temper and suggest that its manufacture involved a double firing process. This reveals a new practice for the time.     

Variation in human bone bioerosion during the Late Eneolithic/Bronze Age in Moravia (Czech Republic): A novel approach to BSE-SEM image quality and quantity assessment

Human bones from Late Eneolithic graves and Bronze Age settlement pits in Moravia (Czech Republic) were studied to reconstruct their post-mortem histories based on the distribution of their microbial destruction. Backscattered electrons in a scanning electron microscope (BSE-SEM) were used for visual assessment of bioerosion. Visual data from the histological analysis were transformed into quantitative data using the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) toolkit. The results show that the presence of bioerosion is different between the two groups of samples. The bones from settlement pits display extensive bioerosion whereas the bones from graves display no or arrested bioerosion. The absence of bioerosion in graves is most probably linked with tomb burials of Corded Ware Culture. Given the tombs are frequently not preserved archaeologically, the state of bone bioerosion may serve as an indicator of their existence.     

Gastrointestinal parasites in ancient South American camelid feces from the Atacama Desert (Pampa del Tamarugal,Tarapacá, northern Chile)

Faunal remains from archeological sites worldwide, especially feces and regurgitated pellets, are usually subjected to paleoparasitological examination, allowing the identification of past animal parasites. In this study, we analyzed 10 samples of South American camelid dung, which played an important role for the ancient human groups in the South-Central Andes, dated between 341 and 1635 calCE, from the Iluga Túmulos site (Pampa del Tamarugal, Tarapacá region, Atacama Desert, Chile). Microscopy examination revealed parasite remains in seven samples, in which oocysts of Eimeria macusaniensis and eggs of Lamanema chavezi/Nematodirus lamae, Trichuris sp., Moniezia sp., capillariids, strongylids, and unidentified nematodes were found. Although some of these species pose a potential health risk to camelids, most are not considered to be of major zoonotic importance, which could explain the absence of these parasites on human coprolites from this site analyzed previously. This first paleoparasitological study on camelid fecal remains from northern Chile sheds light on the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites and its relationship with Andean ancient human populations and the environment.     

When DNA can't help: The osteobiographical profile and stable isotope analysis as auxiliary tools for refining genealogical relationships,on the example of the Swéerts-Sporck family

Research into the family of the Counts Swéerts-Sporck raised doubts regarding their biographical data, particularly concerning a child who died in 1817, later identified as Philipp Swéerts-Sporck, and his siblings Joseph and Barbara. These were alleged to include a pair of dizygotic twins, but DNA could not be used to clarify their relationships. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes were therefore measured in their first permanent molars, whereas Philipp's biological age was estimated based on his skeleton. Philipp died at an older age than the written sources claim; an isotopic similarity was found between Joseph and Barbara, but Philipp differed.     

Study on the strontium isotope standard in pig teeth excavated from Zaoshugounao site,Shaanxi Province of China

In archaeology, strontium isotope analysis is developing into an efficient scientific technique for tracing the movement of prehistoric humans and animals. Determining the local bioavailable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio range is the key to distinguishing whether the human or animal is indigenous to the local area. It has been shown that the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in the enamel of pigs can be an excellent sample to determine the range of local strontium isotope ratio at the site. However, pigs may not be all local at the site, and there is no special study on whether pigs’ different ages and tooth types impact the local strontium isotope characteristics. In this paper, the tooth enamel of 19 pigs from the Zaoshugounao site for strontium isotope ratio (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) by multicollector–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. There were no significant differences in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of local pigs at different months and different molar types, which did not affect the determination of the local strontium isotope standard. Based on the local strontium isotope ratio range (0.711056–0.711476), we found that five pigs were non-local. The Jing and Wei river basins (in Guanzhong basin) and northern Shaanxi are likely sources of non-pigs.     

A tale of two trails: Lessons from a comparative account of the Trans Canada Trail and the Sendero de Chile

A new generation of greenways has emerged in recent years, the most ambitious of which are nationwide, interconnected networks of multi-use, multi-purpose greenways and trails, clustered under a single national vision. However, because these initiatives have been the focus of so few research studies, opportunities to glean lessons from their planning and implementation have been limited. This paper contributes to addressing this knowledge gap by presenting a comparative account of two networks, the Trans Canada Trail in Canada and Sendero de Chile in Chile. Using document analysis and interviews with officials closely involved in their development, the evolution of both networks is documented over time, emphasizing similarities and differences related to their planning and implementation. Both initiatives have faced significant challenges in reaching their connection goals and have availed themselves of a diverse range of opportunities and strategies to advance their agendas. A simple model of a virtuous cycle is proposed to highlight the positive feedback—between political and public support, sustained funding, partnership development, accessibility for urban residents, and connectivity of the network—generated by sustained network expansion over time. It is hoped that the insights offered from this analysis may offer guidance to inform the development of similar scale projects elsewhere.