Slag as evidence for early iron production in arctic Norway

Physical, structural and chemical analyses were made on slag remains obtained from three sites in Iron Age arctic Norway. Scanning electron microscopy and x‐ray microanalysis were employed to confirm that the slag can only be a result of iron production. Although a distinction between slag produced by smithing and smelting proved difficult, consideration of the processes and the resources available support the assumption that both were practiced at the sites. The results provide firm evidence of iron production in the region of Norway north of the 69th parallel, by at least the sixth century AD.     

Poverty Reduction and Good Governance: Examining the Rationale of the Millennium Development Goals

Whilst the deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) looms large, the outcomes so far have been mixed. This article examines the policy logic that ‘good governance’ leads to poverty reduction, which has been adopted by international agencies in pursuit of the MDGs. This causal relationship is examined through an empirical panel‐data estimation using Worldwide Governance Indicators and the poverty headcount ratio in ninety‐eight countries. The empirical evidence does not support the hypothesis that good governance leads to poverty reduction. Good governance alleviates poverty only in middle‐income countries, not in least developed ones. These findings point to the necessity to devise policies that address poverty directly, rather than through indirect instruments, and highlight the urgent need to address structural inequality in developing countries.     

Wheat in ancient Korea: a size comparison of carbonized kernels

Archaeobotanical research over the past decades has revealed that bread wheat of a compact form, called “Ezo wheat” in Japan, was present in the Far East Asian region (Primorye in the Russian Far East, the Korean peninsula, and the Japanese archipelago) during the early stage of wheat cultivation. In response to the previous observations, carbonized wheat grains from the sites in the southern part of the Korean peninsula were measured and their sizes were compared across these sites and with other sites in East Asia. The examination indicates that grains dated over the period of AD 100–600 were considerably smaller than the modern specimens but were plumper than the previously reported Ezo wheat. The new data sets suggest that wheat with plumper kernels was introduced to the region no later than the Three-Kingdoms period (ca. AD 300–668) and continued to be cultivated until the Joseon period (1392–1910).     

Ethnography In/Of/As Open Systems1

Afton, Jean, David Fridtjof Halaas and Andrew E. Masich. Cheyenne Dog Soldiers: A Ledgerbook History of Coups and Combat. Niwot: The University Press of Colorado, 1987. xxxii + 400 pp. including illustrations, appendices, notes, glossary, bibliography and index. $49.95 cloth.

Berlo, Janet C., ed. Plains Indian Drawings, 1865–1935: Pages from a Visual History. New York: Henry N. Abrams, 1997. 240 pp. including illustrations, bibliography and index. $60 cloth.     

Lithic Economy and Specialized Activities Among the Iberomaurusian Populations of Tamar Hat Rockshelter (Northeastern Algeria)

Tamar Hat rockshelter (Béjaïa, northeastern Algeria) has yielded a lithic assemblage showing general characteristics of an Iberomaurusian Early Late Stone Age nature. Specific “becs,” which we shall call “becs of Tamar Hat,” appear as an important component of the assemblage in the upper occupations, which occurred at the end of Late Glacial Maximum. These becs, from a technological point of view and especially by their shaping processes, constitute a reliable reference collection, though showing morphological variability resulting in part to the reduction process. The use-wear analysis conducted, based on a microscopic examination validated by experimentation, testifies the becs would have functioned for engraving hard bone, such as those of deer. Other scars observed on the sharp edge and lower face near the active portion of the tool are caused by hafting. Hence, the results of the technological and functional analyses of the becs from Tamar Hat reveal the presence of specialized activities in the upper occupations, related to the animal bone processing. These results are supported by the archaeozoological study, which confirms that the site functioned as a seasonal habitat, where Megacerin deer was exploited in the upper occupations for utilitarian, non-food purposes. The emergence of the use of the becs of Tamar Hat is synchronous with the end of the Upper Paleolithic, prior to the expansion of bec use in the Upper Magdalenian of Europe, where technical and stylistic convergences were observed. This raises the question of the emergence of these lithic implements in North Africa and the possible spread of similar industries elsewhere.     

Political party support in the Korean fifth republic: An ecological analysis 1981–1985

The absence of surveys detailing the voting intentions and past voting behaviour of Koreans has left obscure important aspects of party development during the Fifth Republic. Ecological analysis of district level voting returns for the 1981 and 1985 National Assembly elections is used to find two distinct patterns of voter continuity. In 1985 the ruling Democratic Justice Party was able to hold its 1981 voters while attracting considerable support from former opposition party voters. The opposition parties, in contrast, showed great turmoil, lost voters being compensated for by gains from other parties. These two patterns are attributed to a pro and anti‐government cleavage in Korean society. The pro‐government voters had a natural home in the ruling party while the anti‐government voters lacked a single focus and, hence, were more volatile.     

SOLVING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL URBAN ACTIVITY MODEL OF LAND USE INTENSITY AND TRANSPORT CONGESTION*

ABSTRACT Recent developments in combining input-output and transportation planning models have made it possible to construct realistic comprehensive urban and regional activity models of land use intensity. These models form the basis for a rigorous approach to studying the interactions among urban activities. However, efficient computational solution methods for implementing such comprehensive models are still not available. In this paper, an efficient solution method for a nonlinear programming urban systems model is developed by combining Evans's partial linearization technique with Powell's hybrid method. The solution algorithm is applied to a small but realistic urban area with a detailed transportation network.