The Oldowan and Early Acheulean Mammalian Fauna of Wonderwerk Cave (Northern Cape Province,South Africa)

We describe and discuss the large vertebrates recovered from the basal layers (Strata 12 and 11) of Excavation 1 at Wonderwerk Cave, a site located in the Kuruman Hills, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Stratum 12 is associated with a small core and flake Oldowan assemblage while Stratum 11 contains some Acheulean material. Based on palaeo-magnetism, the time span covered by these Strata is estimated to date to ca.1.8–1.1 million years ago. Taxa identified include late Makapanian forms, such as Procavia transvaalensis, Procavia antiqua, a hipparionine and an unnamed species of large caprine, also found in the Makapan Limeworks deposits, confirming the antiquity of these layers. The bones are highly fragmented due to the action of multiple agencies, both pre- and postdepositional, which prevented diagnosis in many cases to lower levels of taxonomy. In support of other palaeo-environmental proxies from Strata 12 and 11, the large mammal remains reflect a semi-arid ecotone palaeo-environment, consisting of a mix of taxa associated with broken, montane habitat and semi-arid grassland-savanna plains habitat.     

On-site Radioscopic Qualitative Assessment of Historic Timber Structures: Identification and Mapping of Biological Deterioration of Wood

The recent development of portable, battery-charged x-ray tubes and digital detectors has made digital radioscopic examination of wooden buildings a realistic option. Lack of experience with the often very complex radiographs of building structures makes the interpretation of such radiographs difficult. A set of radiographs of wood in different, identified conditions was established for use when interpreting radiographs of wood in unknown condition.

This article presents radiographs of a trestle-framed building. The recordings were done in areas where the condition of the wooden elements was known in advance, either on the basis of dendrochronological drill samples or because the building element had been replaced recently and the wood was sound. The radiographs were compared with NIKU´s collected guideline radiographs and discussed with respect to the information they provide about the wood’s condition. Finally, we discuss radioscopy as a supplement to traditional methods of building surveying.

The authors took all of the photos and radiographs (©NIKU). The radiographs are shown as “shadow” images—materials of higher density are seen lighter than materials of less density, as long as they are of same thickness.     

First record of Carinodens (Squamata,Mosasauridae) from the uppermost Maastrichtian of Stevns Klint,Denmark

Milàn, J., Jagt, J.W.M., Lindgren, J. & Schulp, A.S., November 2017. First record of Carinodens (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the uppermost Maastrichtian of Stevns Klint, Denmark. Alcheringa 42, 597-602. ISSN 0311-5518.

Here we report on an important addition to the Late Cretaceous fossil record of marine reptiles from Denmark: a tooth crown of the rare durophagous mosasaur Carinodens minalmamar found in the uppermost Maastrichtian strata at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Stevns Klint. The tooth was found within the uppermost few metres of the Maastrichtian chalk placing it within the latest 50.000 years prior to the K/Pg boundary. The new find is a shed crown probably representing a tooth from the 11th to 13th position in the jaw. The tooth represents the northernmost occurrence of the genus Carinodens. Previous mosasaur finds from Denmark have all been from the hypercarnivorous mosasaurids Mosasaurus hoffmannii and Plioplatecarpus sp., thus our specimen adds a new trophic niche exploited by marine tetrapods in the food web of the latest Maastrichtian of Denmark.

Jesper Milàn* [jesperm@oesm.dk], Geomuseum Faxe/Østsjællands Museum, Østervej 2, 4640 Faxe, Denmark; John W.M. Jagt [john.jagt@maastricht.nl], Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, De Bosquetplein 6–7, 6211 kJ Maastricht, the Netherlands; Johan Lindgren [johan.lindgren@geol.lu.se], Department of Geology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden. Anne S. Schulp? [anne.schulp@naturalis.nl], Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, De Bosquetplein 6–7, 6211 kJ Maastricht, the Netherlands. *Also affiliated with: Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5–7, 1465 Copenhagen K, Denmark. ?Also affiliated with: Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR Leiden, the Netherlands, and Faculteit Bètawetenschappen, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.     

Western Mediterranean sand deposits as a raw material for Roman glass production

During the Late Roman and Byzantine period, natron glass was made from its raw materials in a limited number of primary production centres in Egypt and Syro-Palestine. For the earlier Hellenistic and Roman period, no primary furnaces have been found and the location of primary production during this era remains unclear. Ancient authors such as Strabo and Pliny the Elder suggest that glassmaking sands were found near the River Belus (Israel), in Egypt, near the mouth of the Volturno River (Italy) and also in Spain and France. However, primary production in the western part of the Mediterranean is not supported by any direct archaeological evidence and possible sand raw materials from these regions have never been evaluated for their suitability to produce glass.     

Heritage Discourse and the Desexualisation of Public Space: The “Historical Restorations” of Bloomsbury's Squares

Abstract: In recent years, the local authorities in London's historic Bloomsbury district have carried out a number of refurbishments of the area's public squares. These landscaping schemes have typically been labelled “historical restorations” in attempts to predetermine the evaluation criteria as “historic” rather than political, social and aesthetic. Focusing on Russell Square and Bloomsbury Square, this paper illustrates how the “restorations” were selective: the introduction of gates and railings and the removal of planting were not primarily designed to restore these historical gardens, but reflect a surveillance‐friendly ideal of urban space, specifically introduced to displace the men who used these squares for cruising. Through a detailed review of archival material from both mainstream and gay media, I illustrate the shifting forms of policing and landscaping in Bloomsbury's squares, while also highlighting how homonormative capital has colluded with the regulation of public space in this part of London.     

The role of abrasives in the formation of lithic use-wear

This paper briefly examines the question of the influence of abrasive particles on the development of use-wear on stone tools. It is argued that grit inclusions may have been a common element of prehistoric tool using conditions, hence the need for archaeological experiments which consider this variable. A series of experiments are described where end-scrapers were used on bone and hide surfaces both with and without a grit inclusion. The resulting wear patterns are discussed and illustrated. It is concluded that the addition of grit to the worked surface causes a dramatic and demonstrable change in use-wear development.