Lead‐Glazed Rustiques Figulines (Rustic Ceramics) of Bernard Palissy (1510–90) and his Followers

The glaze chemistry of a group of rustiques figulines attributed to the renowned French potter Bernard Palissy (1510–90), or to his followers and imitators, has been determined non‐destructively using PIXE and PIGE analyses. The glazes are all lead silicates, the colourants being transition metal oxides—CuO, CoO, MnO and Fe₂O₃—with a small addition of SnO₂ to some of the glazes being common. Some distinction can be made between the various fabricated objects based on details of the overall composition and on the concentrations of the various colourants. The presence of B₂O₃ in any glaze, even in quantities as small as 0.1–0.3%, indicates a post‐16th century production. Additionally, B₂O₃ in larger quantities, a few per cent or greater, very probably indicates an 18th–19th century production. However, at least one object known to be of 19th century production contains no B₂O₃.     

Variety of Black and White Limestone Tesserae Used in Ancient Mosaics in Slovenia

This study concerns the microfacies characterization of white and black limestone tesserae from selected Roman floor mosaics in Slovenia, with the aim of defining their provenance. We investigated 42 tesserae from 15 different mosaics from the archaeological sites of Ljubljana, Izola, Mo?nje, Ptuj, ?rnomelj and ?entpavel, dated from the first century bc to the fifth century ad . Among the studied tesserae, 13 different microfacies were identified: eight black and five white. The most common were mudstones with ostracods (65% of black tesserae) and wacke‐packstones with miliolids (85% of white tesserae). The majority of the identified facies can be found in the Cretaceous successions of the Dinaric Carbonate Platform in south‐western Slovenia, north‐eastern Italy and south‐eastern Croatia, suggesting a regional or imported origin of the tesserae.     

A Better Shade of Black: Effects of Manufacturing Parameters on the Development of Ancient Black Bronzes*

Copper alloys with controlled contents of Sn, Ag and Au were treated with methods and solutions that mimic those used in ancient and traditional procedures for the production of black bronze. Examination of the resulting patinas with colorimetry, SEM–EDS, TEM, Raman spectroscopy and XRD revealed no systematic differences according to the fabrication method, whereas patina homogeneity and colour in those alloys that did not contain precious metal were affected by superficial work. Patina microstructure determines adherence and coverage, and depends upon the solution used irrespective of the alloy composition, but the colour of the patina is mainly related to the alloy composition. Gold promotes the development of cuprite, slowing the oxidation to tenorite in the corrosion process. Gold additions produce a more uniform patina as well as a desirable blue–black tone, which is likely to have been a factor in alloy selection.     

The Resinous Cargo of the Java Sea Wreck

A number of blocks of resinous materials were found in the cargo of a 12th‐ to 13th‐century shipwreck, discovered in the late 1980s in the Java Sea near the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java and excavated in 1996. These well‐preserved blocks presumably were trade materials used for religious, medicinal, cosmetic, decorative or practical purposes. Such materials, derived from plants and termed exudates, generally include frankincense, myrrh, ‘gum benjamin’, liquidambar, dragon's blood, dammar, copal and amber. The source of the cargo resin could not be determined from the site. Investigation by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has revealed that the molecular structure corresponds to that of modern resin from the plant family Dipterocarpaceae, known in trade as dammar and closely resembling Group B copal and amber. Other molecular classes of exudates are excluded. Such materials are not present in the Middle East, which then cannot be their source. The NMR spectra differ from those of Group B samples from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, but resemble those from India or Japan. The spectra indicate that the saline environment had a similar effect on the molecular structure to heating and aging.     

Financing the 450 Year Road: Land Expropriation and Politics ‘All the Way Down’ in Vientiane,Laos

Over the past decade, the Lao government has developed the policy of ‘Turning Land into Capital’ (TLIC), a strategy for generating revenue and economic value from ‘state land’. The 450 Year Road Project built along the periphery of the Laotian capital, Vientiane, linking the national highway with the Thai border, was financed using a TLIC model. Additional land to the side of the road was acquired to be resold at rates significantly higher than the compensation provided to landowners. Prior to construction, however, most of the land had already been purchased by external buyers, who impeded the project's development by refusing to concede their newly purchased plots. This article contributes to the literature on political reactions ‘from below’ to land grabbing by arguing that in order to understand the operational success or failure of land development projects, it is imperative to analyse the politics that pervade such investments ‘all the way down’ — the interrelated roles, interests and relations of involved actors and groups in all positions of power within society. The 450 Year Road project stalled due to its failure to take into account the interests and politics of seemingly compliant actors, particularly landowning farm households and speculative land buyers.     

First Introduction and Early Exploitation of the Persian Fallow Deer on Cyprus (8000–6000 cal. bc)

The Persian fallow deer (Dama dama mesopotamica) is currently a threatened species. However, it played an important role in many Late Glacial and Early Holocene human societies in the Near and Middle East. This is especially true of the island of Cyprus, where it was introduced at the beginning of the Neolithic and held a predominant place in human subsistence throughout Cypriot prehistory until the Bronze Age. The earliest levels of the extensive Cypriot Pre‐Pottery Neolithic B site of Shillourokambos, occupied between 8400 and 7000 cal. bc , provided 3036 identified remains of this deer. It was possible to measure or determine the age‐at‐death for 1361 and 1444 remains, respectively. Analyses allow for discussions on when the fallow deer was introduced to the island of Cyprus, its origin and how populations were managed. These studies also lead to the reconstruction of acquisition and butchery techniques, as well as culinary practices, and the morphological evolution of males and females throughout time. The Persian fallow deer was introduced to Cyprus later than suids, dogs, cats, goats and cattle, and at nearly the same time as sheep, towards ca 8000 cal. bc . Despite the absence of any skeletal changes, this introduction may reflect an attempt to domesticate the fallow deer on the nearby continental mainland. However, after being introduced to the island, deer appear to have been released into the wild and hunted. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Micro‐CT Imaging and Analysis of Enamel Defects on the Early Late Pleistocene Xujiayao Juvenile

Dental pathologies and enamel defects in East Asian hominins have rarely been reported. Here, we systematically document and describe a suite of enamel defects in the Xujiayao juvenile maxilla, an East Asian hominin from the early Late Pleistocene that may represent an unknown hominin lineage. In addition, we determine the chronology of growth disruptions represented by matched linear enamel hypoplasias, evaluate the long‐held hypothesis that the large brownish pit on the I¹ is evidence of dental fluorosis and assess the utility of micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT) techniques in analyzing enamel defects. With the use of binocular microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro‐CT imaging techniques, the Xujiayao teeth were found to exhibit a high number of pit‐form defects seldom seen in the fossil record. By matching the timing of linear enamel hyperplasia across multiple teeth, a minimum of five developmental disruptions were identified, indicating that the Xujiayao juvenile experienced several growth disturbances during its short lifespan. Our SEM and micro‐CT analyses suggest that the large pit on the I¹ is an enamel hypoplasia due to its morphology and pre‐eruptive enamel thinning. It is not a post‐eruptive fluorotic pit, and there is no evidence of chalkiness or opacity associated with dental fluorosis. The micro‐CT technique made it possible to verify the presence of enamel hypoplasia and to more precisely quantify defect dimensions, especially in unerupted teeth and shallow hypoplasias that are difficult to detect by binocular microscopy or SEM. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combining Odontochronology,Tooth Wear Assessment,and Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH) Recording to Assess Pig Domestication in Neolithic Henan,China

Mandibles of Sus scrofa (wild boar/pig) from ritual pits H160 and H208 of Longshangang, a Late Yangshao Neolithic site in Xichuan County, Henan, were analyzed for evidence of domestication. Three methods of dental analysis were applied: odontochronology, tooth wear assessment, and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) recording, which provide age at death, season of kill, and season of birth data. We investigate whether: (i) the LEH height frequencies on the second molars of the mandibles correspond with the possibility of double farrowing and (2) double farrowing is supported by the season of and age at slaughter data. If so, these data suggest a substantial degree of human management of suids at the site. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Probable Case of Thalassemia Intermedia from Tell Masaikh,Syria

In this report, we describe the first potential case of hereditary anaemia from the Middle Euphrates valley (Syria). The skeletal changes identified in the studied specimen were consistent with marrow hyperplasia, and the distribution, especially the involvement of the facial bones, the sternum and ribs, was suggestive of thalassemia. The identified haplotype indicates M4b1 haplogroup suggesting that the analysed specimen was either a newcomer from Asia or a descendent of Asian origin in the maternal line, most likely from the Indian Peninsula where characteristic mutations of mtDNA can be identified today. The genetic data might explain a case of thalassemia in the Syrian lower Euphrates valley. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in the Ancient Peruvian Ceremonial Centre of Huaca Pucllana

New data regarding the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) at the archaeological complex Huaca Pucllana (200–700 ad ) are presented on the basis of the recent discovery of teeth in ritual offering features. Previous information of this species from fossil, archaeological and modern records is reviewed. The use of the white sharks as an El Niño indicator is rejected. Past and present white shark distribution in the South East Pacific is reviewed, and the extermination of pinniped colonies as a factor in the poor modern record is discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.