Indirect Evidence of Falconry in Medieval Poland as Inferred from Published Zooarchaeological Studies

Although written sources indicate that falconry or hawking was very popular already in early medieval Poland, there is no hard zooarchaeological evidence that would support it. So far, only two studies based on animal remains suggested hawking in medieval Poland. The purpose of this study was to examine all published zooarchaeological reports from all archaeological sites in Poland and check for possible clues of hawking. Altogether, 281 remains of 12 species of diurnal birds of prey were recorded from 38 sites (49 time‐site units) in Poland beginning from the Middle Ages onward. The most frequently found was the goshawk Accipiter gentilis followed by the white‐tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla and the sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus. Clues of possible hawking include high status of sites, occurrence of species used in falconry outside their natural ranges, preponderance of females, the presence of sub‐adult specimens and others. It is suggested that surface damage observed on prey bones done by the hawks' beaks and claws may be an extra evidence of hawking. The present study strongly supports the notion that hawking was a very popular activity in medieval Poland. In the future, medieval bone assemblages should always be checked for clues of hawking. The present study may also be used as a source of raw data for other analyses because it includes detailed information on birds of prey from all zooarchaeological reports published so far in Poland. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial restructuring of old industrial areas: Polish and former East German experiences

>This paper compares and contrasts the policy initiatives and the likely policy fortunes of two older, and heavily polluted, industrial regions — Upper Silesia in Poland and the Leipzig‐Halle district of the former East Germany. The involvement of local communities in the self‐regulation of structural planning is advocated in favour of state‐regulated planning, a version of which degraded these areas.     

Reconstruction of smelting conditions during 16th- to 18th-century copper ore processing in the Kielce region (Old Polish Industrial District) based on slags from Miedziana Góra,Poland

This study presents the first reconstruction of the smelting conditions in 16th- to 18th-century smelters from Miedziana Góra (Holy Cross Mountains, Poland). Based on geochemical (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry/emission spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence) and mineralogical analysis (X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe micro-analysis) of historical slags, their chemical/phase composition and the basic smelting parameters (temperature, melt viscosity, and oxygen fugacity) were determined. Due to the differences in chemical and phase composition, slags from different smelting stages have been distinguished: hypocrystalline slags (MG6) from speiss/matte production and glassy (MG1–MG5) from matte conversion. In glassy slags, pyroxenes, quartz/cristobalite grains, and aggregates composed of metallic Cu and PbO are dispersed in the glass. Hypocrystalline slags are composed of wollastonites, anorthites, and metallic Cu. The temperature range at which the slags were formed was from ~1100°C (solidus temperature) to 1150–1200°C (liquidus temperature). The silicate melt's viscosity was from log η = 1.19 to 4.42 Pa s (at 1100–1200°C). The higher viscosity of MG1–MG5 slags indicates that, unlike MG6 slags, they were not formed during gravity separation. Information about the phase composition made it possible to determine the oxygen fugacity in the range of log fO₂ = −4 to −12 atm. High oxygen fugacity indicates the oxidizing nature of the smelting process.     

LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating and REE patterns of apatite from the Tatra Mountains,Poland as a monitor of the regional tectonomagmatic activity

This study presents apatite LA-ICP-MS U-Pb age and trace elements concentrations data from different granite types from the Tatra Mountains, Poland. Apatite from monazite and xenotime-bearing High Tatra granite was dated at 339 ± 5 Ma. The apatite LREE patterns reflect two types of magmas that contributed to this layered magma series. Apatite from a hybrid allanite-bearing diorite from the Goryczkowa Unit was dated at 340 ± 4 Ma with apatite LREE depletion reflecting the role of allanite and titanite during apatite crystallization. Apatite crystals from a hybrid cumulative rock from the Western Tatra Mountains were dated at 344 ± 3 Ma. Apatite is one of the main REE carriers in this sample and exhibit flat REE patterns. Taking into account the relatively low closure temperature of the U-Pb system in apatite (350–550°C), the c. 340 Ma apatite ages mark the end of high temperature tectonometamorphic activity in the Tatra Mountains.     

Prioritizing Disaster Mapping Tasks for Online Volunteers Based on Information Value Theory

In recent years, online volunteers have played important roles in disaster response. After a major disaster, hundreds of volunteers are often remotely convened by humanitarian organizations to map the affected area based on remote sensing images. Typically, the affected area is divided using a grid‐based tessellation, and each volunteer can select one grid cell to start mapping. While this approach coordinates the efforts of volunteers, it does not differentiate the priorities of different cells. As a result, volunteers may map grid cells in a random order. Due to the spatial heterogeneity, different cells may contain geographic information that is of different value to emergency responders. Ideally, cells that potentially contain more valuable information should be assigned higher priority for mapping. This article presents an analytical framework for prioritizing the mapping of cells based on the values of information contained in these cells. Our objective is to provide guidance for online volunteers so that potentially more important cells are mapped first. We present a method that is based on information value theory and focus on road networks. We apply this method to a number of simulated scenarios and to a real disaster mapping case from the 2015 Nepal earthquake.