Dolní V stonice 15: Pathology and Persistence in the Pavlovian

Several lines of archaeological and human palaeontological data from the Moravian earlier Gravettian (or Pavlovian) indicate a high level of mobility among these earlier Upper Palaeolithic human populations. The congenitally abnormal young adult Dolní V stonice 15 human remains support this pattern. Dolní V stonice 15 suffered serious developmental abnormalities, most likely as a result of the X-linked dominant form of chondrodysplasia calcificans punctata, that included pronounced infantile and minor later childhood developmental defects of dental enamel (enamel hypoplasia), asymmetrical curvature and angular deformities of the proximal femora, asymmetrical shortening of the femora, a diaphyseal deformity of the distal right humerus, a probable healed left ulnar fracture with associated deformity of the radial diaphysis, elevated length asymmetries of the forearms, and an unusual pattern of anomalies of tooth position and number. These are combined with trivial intervertebral articular degenerations, plus localized pronounced osteoarthritis of the right glenohumeral joint and right second and fifth ray hand proximal interphalangeal joints. Yet, there is little asymmetry of the lower limbs distal of the mid-femora, and both diaphyseal hypertrophy of the humeri, femora and tibiae and relative arm and leg muscle attachment size and moment arms indicate a level of skeletal hypertrophy average to high for an earlier Upper Palaeolithic human. The severe upper limb osteoarthritis may indicate a pattern of pronounced and repetitive carrying or dragging of heavy loads. These data indicate the ability of the population to keep a severely affected individual alive through development, yet they also emphasize the necessity for all individuals to participate actively in the elevated mobility and overall activity levels of these earlier Upper Palaeolithic human populations.     

Distal cryptotephra found in a Viking boathouse: the potential for tephrochronology in reconstructing the Iron Age in Norway

Distal tephra deposits from Icelandic volcanic eruptions have been found in Norway and can be used to precisely date a variety of sedimentary environments. Tephrochronology has not yet been applied to archaeological investigations in Norway because tephra are generally not found as visible layers, but are present as very low concentrations of glass shards (i.e. cryptotephra). In this study, we present results from the analysis of cryptotephras found in an Iron Age boathouse in northern Norway. The boathouse was associated with the chieftain center at Borg on Vestvågøy in the Lofoten Islands. In 2003, a trench was excavated and the stratigraphy of the boathouse was described. Radiocarbon ages from cultural deposits show that it was constructed in the Early Iron Age c. AD 540–660 and the main period of use was at the end of the Iron Age between c. AD 1030 and AD 1270. Volcanic glass shards were isolated from sediment samples collected above and below the cultural deposit representing the main period of use. Electron microprobe analysis of the glass shards showed that the lower sample resembles the AD 860 Layer B tephra and the upper sample resembles tephra erupted from the Hekla volcanic system between AD 1104 and AD 1300. These tephrochronologic dates agree with the radiocarbon-derived dates and possibly further constrain the boathouse’s main period of use to c. AD 1030–1104. Our results demonstrate the value of using tephrochronology for archaeological studies in Norway and the potential for finding cryptotephra from other large explosive volcanic eruptions during the Iron Age.     

President Versus Congress: The Struggle for Public Attention

Power relationships between the executive and legislative branches in the United States are affected by the nature and shape of public opinion. Both branches actively seek the stamp of popular approval but the President has advantages in the struggle for public attention that are vital in the exercise of his powers. Television, in the coverage it gives to presidential activities and pseudo-activities, provides the President with an opportunity to move and lead the nation. Although we are a nation of shared powers, television projects the message that we are a presidential nation and that message is affecting both popular perceptions and power relationships on the national level.     

REVIEW ESSAY: THE FRAGILITY OF CHILDHOOD: GABRIELLE ROY'S CES ENFANTS DE MA VIE

Both Alice Munro and Margaret Laurence have named L.M. Montgomery’s work— particularly her books about Emily—as childhood readings that are central to their development as writers. This essay explores how Montgomery’s three books about Emily—Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, and Emily’s Quest—provide a persisting imaginary that The Diviners by Laurence and Who Do You Think You Are? by Munro reflect.     

The crisis of the Italian state: then and now

Abstract

The article argues that Patrick McCarthy's Crisis of the Italian State was a book of great value by an author who was a partisan in the struggle to reform the Italian political system. The book's argument that lasting reform of Italian politics is only possible if middle class Italians begin to act as citizens, rather than as clients who regard the state as a source of potential largesse, has proved to be a far-sighted one, although at the time it seemed simplistic. Many of Italy's current troubles stem from the failure of Italy to go beyond the ‘overworked state’.