Molecular and morphological analyses of avian eggshell excavated from a late thirteenth century earth oven

Using ancient DNA (aDNA) extracted from eggshell of the extinct moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) we determined the species composition and number of eggs found in a late thirteenth century earth oven feature at Wairau Bar (South Island, New Zealand) – one of New Zealand’s most significant archaeological sites. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA signatures confirmed this oven feature contained fragments of at least 31 moa eggs, representing three moa genera: Emeus; Euryapteryx; Dinornis. We demonstrate through the genetic identification of 127 moa eggshell fragments that thickness is an unreliable character for species assignment. We also present a protocol for assessing the preservation likelihood of DNA in burnt eggshell. This is useful because eggshell fragments found in archaeological contexts have often been thermally modified, and heat significantly increases DNA fragmentation. Eggshell is widely used in radiocarbon dating and stable isotope research, this study showcases how aDNA can also add to our knowledge of eggshell in both archaeological and palaeoecological contexts.     

Funding the ‘nation’ in the national theatre of Scotland

The National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) is a an innovative and ground‐breaking, non‐building‐based, commissioning and producing cultural institution, established in the wake of the devolution of the Scottish Parliament. This article sketches the contours of this new model of a national theatre, exploring the complex dialectic between various economic, political, social and artistic choices, forces and factors that have influenced, and continue to influence, the formative years of the NTS. The article charts changes to the company during these early years and, most significantly, notes the potential effect that the change from arm’s length to direct government funding might have on the company’s long‐term development. It is argued that direct funding aligns the arts too closely to political agendas rather than supporting artistic freedom and expression.     

Scraps of English Folklore,IV

Mythes et Légendes D'Australie : Études D'Éthnographie et de Sociologie. Arnold van Gennep. Paris, E. Guilmoto, N.D. [Preface Dated November, 1905.] By. E. Sidney Hartland.

The Cult of the Heavenly Twins. By J. Rendel Harris, M.A., D. Litt. (Dubl). Cambridge University Press. 1906. By R H. Connolly.

The Jâtaka, or Stories of the Buddha's Former Births. Vol V. Translated By H. T. Francis, M.A. Cambridge: 1905. By W. Crooks.

Simla Village Tales, or Folk-Tales from the Himalayas. By A. E. Dracott. London: John Murray, 1906. By W. Crooks.

The Childhood of Fiction. By J. A. MacCulloch. London: John Murray, 1905. By W. Crooks.

Recueil De Memoires et de Textes Publiés en L'honneur du XIV Congrès des Orientalistes. Pierre Fontana, Algiers, 1905. By J. B. Andrews.     

The origins of kingship in early medieval Kent

In this article, it is argued that Bede's famous account of the origin and early development of the people and kings of Kent in Historia ecclesiastica (I.15) does not report historical events, but reflects eighth-century concepts of migration-period kingship with mythical links to the Jutes of Scandinavia. Bracteate evidence shows that the veneration of Woden existed in Kent by the sixth century. Support for a contemporary belief in the Scandinavian origin of Kentish kings is found in locally produced bracteates, which imitate Scandinavian styles, and where several recovered from Kentish cemeteries are found in close proximity to places with royal connections. These include the only known Kentish site linked to the veneration of Woden. Evidence suggests that Kentish genealogy reflects a mythical belief in ancestry from Woden, rather than historical descent from Scandinavian Jutes. Finally, it is argued that Kentish bracteates, usually found in exceptionally rich female graves, were worn by high status women. These women may have played a significant role in legitimizing new royal claims.     

Review

Footprints on Malekula. By Margaret Gardiner. Salamander Press, Edinburgh, 1984. Pp. xviii + 75.