Differential diagnosis of a prehistoric biological object from the Koster (Illinois) Site

This paper details the differential diagnosis of a biological artifact recovered from a burial within the Koster Middle Archaic site in Illinois. The burial was excavated from the Middle Archaic 3, Helton Phase component (∼5800–4900 BP). The artifact was a calcified nodule of unequivocal biological origin recovered from the pelvic region of an adult (50+ years) female. Morphological and radiographic analysis of the object resulted in the consideration of 19 possible diagnoses; all but four could be eliminated. Possible interpretations of the object as a lithopaedion, calcified lymph node, amputated ovary or simple ovarian cyst are examined in detail. Of these, calcified lymph node or amputated ovary remain most probable. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Uneven Geographies of Capital and Labour: The Lessons of European Works Councils

This contribution explores the ways in which trade unions have sought to organise workers in transnational corporations (TNCs) before looking at the pitfalls and possibilities of European Works Councils in more detail. The EWC directive covers an estimated 1400 companies across Europe, employing at least 15 million workers, and there are now more than 500 EWCs in existence. These new institutions are designed to allow employee representatives from across Europe to meet together for the purposes of information exchange and consultation with the senior managers from the TNC concerned. EWCs thus provide new horizontal networks of employee representatives across Europe and create new opportunities for information exchange, the formulation of transnational trade union responses and strategy and even active solidarity across national divides. This contribution draws upon original empirical evidence that highlights the difficulties of making EWCs work in this way. It is argued that there are at least four areas in which trade union intervention would make a difference to the operation of EWCs: (1) building active networks within and beyond any EWC; (2) sharing corporate intelligence; (3) formulating strategy at the level of the EWC; and (4) fostering identification with colleagues in other parts of the corporate network.     

Early Medieval Jet-like Jewellery in Ireland: Production,Distribution and Consumption

JET-LIKE JEWELLERY, encompassing polished black stone arm-rings, bangles and bracelets, has not been subject to detailed study in Ireland for over 50 years. This paper refocuses attention on the archaeological evidence for the indigenous production of this type of jewellery in early medieval Ireland, with the aims of exploring its distribution and consumption, and its relevance to networks of social control and economic expansion. Using geospatial and stratigraphic interrogation of the archaeological record, and contemporary comparison with recent studies from Scotland, this article demonstrates a hitherto unrecognised level of complexity and diversity in the handling of this ubiquitous luxury item. Regional specialised production centres and separate distribution centres are identified, and while a focus on indigenous sources is apparent, this is not exclusive. Degrees of cooperation and exclusivity are suggested for ecclesiastical and secular social hierarchies.     

The Ben Lawers Historic Landscape Project: Simultaneous Multi-element Analysis of Former Settlement and Arable Soils by X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRFS) was used in the analysis of A horizon soil samples collected from a former farming settlement and its associated area of infield (i.e. arable) located in the Central Highlands of Scotland. To date, XRFS has not been extensively used in geoarchaeological research, but in our study the simultaneous multi-element capabilities of this instrumental technique allowed the total concentrations of 25 major, minor, and trace elements to be fully quantified with acceptable levels of accuracy and precision. Included within this group of chemical elements are a number (e.g. Ba, Ca, P, Pb, Sr and Zn) that have proved to be of value to archaeological interpretation in earlier investigations undertaken in Scotland. In our preliminary work documented here, significant differences were found between the A horizon soils of former settlement and infield areas for 18 chemical elements. Subjecting the XRFS data—and three other measured variables: soil organic carbon (SOC), pH and A horizon depth—to discriminant analysis indicates that soils of former settlement and arable farming can be effectively classified according to their pH, SOC content and Ca, Cu, Mg, Rb, and Zn concentrations. The inference is that areas of former infield and settlement elsewhere at this study location in the Central Highlands may be able to be identified according to their soil chemical composition and use of discriminant function, even though the surface remains of pre-eighteenth century settlement sites are not readily evident today because they were constructed of perishable materials.     

Osama or the Georges: Shifting Threats and State Policy towards Civil Society in Uzbekistan

In examining the relationship between the War on Terror and restrictions on civil society, Uzbekistan is an important case, given its emergence as a key player in the operations in Afghanistan, its own terrorist threat, and its particularly stringent policy towards civil society. This article argues that while the ‘crackdown’ on civil society has followed a similar pattern to that of other countries where civil society is perceived as harbouring a threat, there has been a significant shift since the War on Terror began as to the perceived nature of the threat. At the time of 9/11, the government of Uzbekistan took Islamic terrorism to be the main threat; yet within the space of just over two years a new threat was perceived. Western support for civil society, a concession made to the US‐led coalition in return for support against Islamic terrorism, emerged as an even greater threat to the regime. It is this perceived threat that has primarily driven state policy towards civil society, raising important questions about how democracy promotion can be best taken forward in the post‐9/11 world.     

Kings and commoners at Copan: Isotopic evidence for origins and movement in the Classic Maya period

Eight human interments were excavated in the 1990s beneath the Acropolis at the Classic Maya site of Copan in Honduras, which was the capital of a Maya kingdom from ca. AD 400 to 800. These human remains come from both royal tombs and less elaborate burials dating to the early part of this period and lie deep in the accumulated architectural layers of the Acropolis. We present a brief summary of the context, contents, and external links represented by these interments. Several lines of evidence point to connections between early Copan and Teotihuacan in the Central Highlands of Mexico, and Tikal in the central Maya lowlands of the Petén in Guatemala.