Regional and interregional networks of ancient Eleon during the early 12th century BCE as seen from the petrographic and neutron activation analyses of pottery

In this article, we present the results of application of petrographic and neutron activation analyses to a group of pottery fragments dating to the 12th century BCE deriving from ancient Eleon (Boeotia, Greece) as a means of investigating regional and interregional networks in which the site participated. Production centres in Boeotia and central Euboea provided, as could be expected, the majority of sampled pottery across various shapes. A number of more distant areas, however, such as eastern Attica, the Cyclades, Macedonia, and western Crete, are also documented in the present study, suggesting their products were available to local consumers at ancient Eleon. These results are discussed with reference to consumer preferences and exchange networks operating at that time. Finally, some of the identified petrographic and chemical groups can be securely identified at the macroscopic level, allowing us to arrive at conclusions pertinent to a substantial part of the entire pottery assemblage.     

Vernetztes regionales Engagement – Das Beispiel Heilbronn-Franken

At a regional scale, a variety of actors from all three sectors of private, public and civil society act together in a philanthropic field. This article deals with the question of how cooperation in charitable action unfolds in this field. Using the example of the region of Heilbronn-Franconia, the empirical case unpacks the dominance of local and regional forms of philanthropy and reconstructs two successful examples of intersectoral collaboration. However, the analysis also demonstrates the limits of the external designability that are due to the individuality of charitable actors, their diverse objectives and the contextuality of the regional environment. The realization of synergies through regional governance therefore succeeds only by respecting the dedication and self-determination of philanthropic commitment and by creating legitimate and sensitive structures of moderation and facilitation.     

Regionalökonomische Bedeutung kleiner Wallfahrtsorte

Today pilgrimage is experiencing an increasing interest, although motives are notable changing. Sites along pilgrim routes normally profit in an economically way. But until today regional economic effects of even very small pilgrimage sites are underexplored. Therefore economic impulses of the pilgrimage site in Biberbach (Bavaria) were identified using interviews and calculations. According to that the 10,000 visitors per year generate nearly 30,000 € gross turnover and 0.5 jobs. So even small pilgrimage sites can obviously produce a notable increase of local EVA.     

WEST OF THE BEST: ROCK ART AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN THE DORO !NAWAS REGION OF NORTHWEST NAMIBIA

The Northwest of Namibia bears a concentration of rock art that is among the highest in the world. One of the centres is Twyfelfontein, a cluster of sites surrounding a waterhole at the eastern fringe of the Namib Desert, classified as the prime rock engraving site in southern Africa and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Recent prospections in the desert west of Twyfelfontein have resulted in the discovery of engravings and paintings that exceed those at the UNESCO site, both in quantity and quality. Our contribution to this volume in memory of Klavs Randsborg introduces this newly discovered archaeological landscape and discusses the connection between water ‐ a rare commodity in the desert environment ‐ and the rich array of rock art and other archaeological features found here.     

DERIVATIVES OF FLOWS IN A DOUBLY CONSTRAINED GRAVITY MODEL

For many practical applications it is important to know how the flows in a doubly constrained gravity model react to slight variations in the predetermined marginal totals. The first-order approximation of these variations is a linear function on the set of feasible variations of marginal totals, i.e., the set of variations not violating the consistency constraint of the model. Several methods to find a matrix describing this linear function are developed and compared with former contributions to this issue. Finally, applicability of the methods to sensitivity and error propagation analysis is demonstrated.     

Demography and the intensity of cultural activities: an evaluation of Funnel Beaker Societies (4200–2800 cal BC)

The Early and Middle Neolithic in Northern Central Europe and Southern Scandinavia is characterised by substantial changes in economic technology as well as in material culture in different periods. One of the main drivers for social development, but also for anthropogenic changes in the environment, is surely shifts in population density. To evaluate group sizes and population density we need archaeological proxies. Similar to other studies, we use ¹⁴C dates to reconstruct the intensity of prehistoric activities. A comparison of the human impact from pollen data with a quantification based on ¹⁴C dates proves a correlation which supports our appreciation of the value of sum-calibrated probabilities of radiometric measurements as a proxy for demographic developments. The large amount of usable dates in this study not only enables us to draw general conclusions on a supraregional level, but also makes it possible for us to compare the character of different areas on a regional scale. As a result, we reconstruct a significant rise in population between 4100 and 3500 cal BC and a degression around 3350–3100 cal BC, followed by a reiterated increase for the Funnel Beaker West and North Groups. On the Danish Isles, as well as in the Funnel Beaker North Eastern Group, different tendencies are observable.     

A Hero's Many Faces – Raoul Wallenberg in Contemporary Monuments

Patriarchy and gendered power relations have been the focus of scholars of masculinity, but fatherhood, one of the most intimate aspects of masculine identity and an essential element in men's social roles, has gained relatively little attention among medievalists. Elements of being a father, like emotional ties, caregiving and commitment to one's family, form the core of this article. The focus is on the contestants of the traditional concepts linked with masculinity and patriarchy: domination, competition and aggression. The main question is how gendered identity was constructed within lived religion, or, how fatherhood and masculinity were linked. The author argues that collaboration between spouses, commitment to one's children and devotion were important elements in constructing adult lay masculinity in the depositions of canonization processes carried out in late-medieval Sweden. The most important element in being an adult man was not the separation from women but the separation from immature boys. To invoke a saint for one's offspring, even if it required inversion of traditional modes of manifestation of manliness, was a statement of masculine identity: an assurance of respectability, responsibility and commitment.