Last meals inferred from the possible gut contents of a mummy: A case study from Astana Cemetery,Xinjiang, China*

The gut contents of ancient humans have been proven to be the most direct evidence for palaeodietary study. In the Xinjiang region of north-west China, large numbers of mummies are well preserved owing to the extremely dry environment to be found there. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with multi-archaeobotanical methods, including macrofossil examination, starch grain analysis, phytolith analysis and bran fragments analysis, were applied to investigate the possible gut contents (c.1300 bp by ¹⁴C dating) of a person unearthed at tomb 75TAM601 in Astana Cemetery, which were the public graveyards of the ancient Gaochang people (residents of Turpan, dating from about the third to the ninth centuries ce ), in Turpan, Xinjiang. The result of the FTIR analysis showed that the matrix of the possible gut contents consisted of protein and starch and was characterized as undigested food residue. The white mineral fragments of this sample were from the decomposition products of the skeleton. The microfossil analysis demonstrated that Setaria italica, Panicum miliaceum and Triticum aestivum were the main cereal resources for the last meals eaten by the deceased. Moreover, direct macrofossil evidence also advocates for the importance of the three aforementioned cereal crops and fruits of Cucumis melo and Vitis vinifera in the person's diet.     

Provenance of Qingbai wares from Shabian kiln archaeological site in the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127 ce) using XRF and LA-ICP-MS*

In order to discuss the exact provenance of the Qingbai wares discovered at Shabian archaeological site in Guangzhou, which had a similar appearance to Jingdezhen Qingbai ware, we analysed both the body and glaze of the Qingbai wares from the Shabian kiln site and those from other related kilns, including Hutian in Jingdezhen, Xicun in Guangzhou and Chaozhou of Guangdong, by using micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Based on the analyses, we found that both bodies and glaze of the Qingbai wares in Shabian had the characteristics of a low abundance of rare earth elements (REE), strong negative Eu anomalies, and remarkably low Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios, which was consistent with those from Hutian kiln in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. We also found that the glaze of Qingbai ware from different kilns also had its provenance characteristic in the concentration of the trace elements, and the change of the REE pattern between glaze and its corresponding bodies in Qingbai wares might provide some clue about the types and source of flux. In addition, the lower Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios in both the bodies and glaze of Jingdezhen Qingbai wares were attributed to the chemical characteristics of the local granite.     

关于体育考古学学科体系的理论思考——《南方文物》“体育考古”专栏主持辞

体育,是通过人类活动而产生的一种文化形态,是构成不同时代人类社会生活特征的一种身体运动的表现形式。中国古代体育文化,从其所处的历史环境和文化背景来看,它是与当时的社会政治和经济发展水平相适应的。同时,也是人类在自身发展过程中所产生的一种身体文化产物。当代,随着考古学的发展,与古代体育活动有关的文物资料被大批地发掘出来,从而使我们对古代体育文化形态的研究有了更为充实的依据。     

PRICE UNCERTAINTY AND PRODUCTION-LOCATION DECISIONS UNDER FREE ENTRY OLIGOPOLY*

ABSTRACT. This paper departs from earlier work on location theory under uncertainty by considering an oligopoly case where the symmetric Cournot-Nash equilibrium of imperfectly competitive and identical firms are examined. It will be shown that once a Cournot competitive equilibrium is introduced, the demand function plays a central role in the choice of location, and the effects of changes in fixed costs, mean product price and price variability on the firm's optimum location and output are independent of absolute and/or relative risk aversion. These striking results are in sharp contrast with the well-known results obtained in previous contributions to the location literature.     

左江流域六县(市)支柱工业发展规划

左江流域是广西西南部一块急待开发的南亚热带河谷宝地。利用本区域资源发展起来的蔗糖、水泥、造纸工业有一定规模,应科学规划,合理布局,加快发展,使其成为区域发展的支柱产业。     

"Freedom. Money. Fun. Love.": the warlore of Vietnamese bargirls

Memories of the Vietnam War abound in the minds of those who survived it, be they veterans or civilians, Vietnamese or American. Vietnamese refugees, forced to flee their homeland after the war ended in 1975, tell particularly poignant stories of loss -- of country, of family, of tradition, and of identity. Not so the women featured in this article. During the war, they served as bargirls in Saigon, entertaining American soldiers. The stories they tell of the war paint an entirely different picture: one of good times, and camaraderie, and the exhilaration of being young and free in the city. They were able to break free from tradition and the expectations imposed on their gender because of the war, and because of that, remember the war as the best time of their lives.