The context,form and significance of the MSA engraved ostrich eggshell collection from Diepkloof Rock Shelter,Western Cape,South Africa

Broken ostrich eggshells are commonly found in Middle Stone Age sites of southern Africa, presumably collected for food consumption, and later used as artefacts. At Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Middle Stone Age inhabitants used ostrich eggshells as a medium to convey abstract depictions. Since 1998, excavations at Diepkloof have recovered 408 engraved pieces of ostrich eggshells. The study of these shows that Diepkloof inhabitants applied a restricted set of geometric engraving patterns, with the dominance of 2 main motifs, one using a hatched band and the other sub-parallel to converging lines. These motifs coexisted, but shifted in frequency toward the latter through time. Together with evidence that ostrich eggshells were used as containers, these patterns support the hypothesis that engravings were made with respect to clear but flexible social conventions and were part of a complex system of visual and symbolic communication. Since our last report (Texier et al., 2010), a few engraved pieces have been found in lower stratigraphic units, expanding substantially the time-range of the engraving practice on ostrich eggshells at Diepkloof. The earliest engravings appear at the end of the Early Howiesons Poort phase, but become numerous only during the Intermediate and Late phases of the Howiesons Poort. The collection from Diepkloof is presently unique and likely underlines the existence of regional traditions within the Howiesons Poort. Interestingly, and significantly in our view, the engraving disappears at the same time as the Howiesons Poort technology. We argue that this disappearance may reflect a modification in the way late Middle Stone Age inhabitants interacted with one another.     

Do nationalist parties shape or follow sub‐national identities? A panel analysis on the rise of the nationalist party in the Flemish Region of Belgium, 2006–11

In this article, we examine the steep and unprecedented rise of the New Flemish Alliance (N‐VA), a Flemish nationalist party in Belgium that succeeded in gaining almost thirty per cent of the vote in a couple of years. During this period, a panel survey among 3,025 late adolescents and young adults was conducted. Our analyses suggest that support for a sub‐nationalist ideology is far more successful in explaining a subsequent vote for the nationalist party than vice versa. In terms of supply and demand mechanisms, we find that N‐VA has managed to address a preexisting reservoir of Flemish nationalist voters (demand), rather than attributing to a development of a stronger Flemish identity among its followers (supply). We should therefore not overestimate the constructionist power of (sub‐)nationalist political elites for the development of (sub‐)nationalist identities.     

Uranium-series dating rock art in East Timor

At many sites throughout the world rock art paintings have been covered by naturally deposited calcite laminations, which we demonstrate can be individually dated by recently improved uranium-series methods. Here we report the application of multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to measure the ages for carbonate coatings that bracket red pigment at Lene Hara cave, East Timor, which could be evidence of human painting. These analyses establish the feasibility of dating milligram samples of finely layered calcite deposits associated with archaeological evidence of human occupation. In addition to confirming an age of less then 6300 years for the visible red paintings on the carbonate surface we also report a substantially older age of 24,000 to 29,300 years for a similar, older red pigment lamination providing possible evidence for an earlier painting episode.     

Material evidence for the use of Attic white-ground lekythoi ceramics in cremation burials

White-ground lekythoi ceramics offer important evidence for funeral practices in Ancient Greece (5th century BC). The images painted-on these oil containers provide the best visual narrative for the events surrounding death, including indications that the vessels themselves were used as part of the funerary rites. However, until now, their specific function and treatment within the funeral ceremony was not well understood. We present here material evidence that the vessels were ritually burned, together with the body of the deceased, during cremation, as evidenced by a diffuse purplish-red discolouration found on many white-ground lekythoi. Through EPMA and μXAS studies, we show that: (1) this characteristic purplish-red discolouration is due to the presence of metallic copper nano-particles embedded in a glassy layer; (2) this metal-glass matrix formed as the result of a high temperature reaction between painted-on Cu-based pigments (e.g., Egyptian blue) and the white-ground ceramic slip; and (3) the reaction occurred under a reducing environment. Given the mortuary context for these vessels, we propose the reduction firing to which the vessels were exposed was that associated with the cremation of the body. The observation of discontinuous formation of the purplish-red discolouration along adjoining fragments supports the hypothesis that the vessels were broken prior to being burned. The majority of lekythoi in museum collections lack information on their original archaeological context, and our data suggest the presence of this purplish-red discolouration may serve as a visual marker for cremation. As such, it is expected our findings will provide a new basis for interpreting how this important class of ceramic, and associated iconographic imagery, relates to Athenian funerary practices and the ancient Greek notion of death.     

A Biography of James Ramsay Hunt (1874–1937)

James Ramsay Hunt (1874–1937) was a pre-eminent twentieth-century American neurologist. The name of Ramsay Hunt is known today because several neurological disorders bear his name, including the herpetic geniculate ganglion syndrome and a form of ataxia and myoclonus. Despite his importance in the field of neurology, few biographical details have been recorded about Hunt’s life. One of the authors of this report recently located Hunt’s daughter. This biographical sketch was based on interviews conducted with her and review of documents in her possession, including letters written by Hunt. Details are depicted about Hunt’s family background and childhood, medical education and early professional development, courtship and marriage, wartime experiences, family and social life, daily routine and professional development, as well as illness and death.     

Carnival and Literature in Early Modern England

A FOLKLORE SAMPLER FROM THE MARITIMES: WITH A BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY ON THE FOLKTALE IN ENGLISH. Ed. by HERBERT HALPERT. Mount Allison University and Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1982. 273 pp., appendices and bibliography. Reviewed by Georgina Boyes.

THE DRUNKEN KING, OR, THE ORIGIN OF THE STATE. By LUC DE HEUSCH, translated and annotated by Roy Willis. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982. Pp. xv + 50 (£16.50). Reviewed by Loreto Todd.

RITES AND RELIGIONS OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. By GALE R. OWEN. David and Charles, London, and Barnes and Noble Books, New Jersey, 1981. Pp. 216, 24 plates, 40 figs. £12.50. Reviewed by H. R. Ellis Davidson.

SIJOBANG: SUNG NARRATIVE POETRY OF WESTERN SUMATRA. By NIGEL PHILLIPS. Cambridge Studies in Oral and Literate Culture, Cambridge University Press, 1981. Pp. 255. 2 maps. 8 plates. £22.50. Reviewed by H. R. Ellis Davidson.

THE CULT OF THE SERPENT: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SURVEY OF ITS MANIFESTATIONS AND ORIGINS. By BALAJIMUNDKUR. State University o f New York Press, Albany, 1983 ISBN 0-87395-631-1. 363 pp., 107 ills. Cloth $39.50, paper $12.95. Reviewed by Jacqueline Simpson.

BRÜDER GRIMM KINDER-UND HAUSMÄRCHEN. Textkritisch revidiert und mit einem Nachwort herausgegeben von HEINZ RÖLLEKE. Cologne (Eugen Diederichs Verlag), 1982. 2 volumes, pp. 592; with 4 illustrations by Ludwig Emil Grimm. Reviewed by Ellen Ettlinger.

LEGENDS OF THE WORLD. Ed. by RICHARD CAVENDISH. Orbis Publishing, London, 1982. Pp. 433, ill. £12.50. Reviewed by Alicia C. Percival.

THE RIVER'S IN MY BLOOD: RIVERBOAT PILOTS TELL THEIR STORIES. By JANE CURRY. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 1983. Pp. 288. £10.00. Reviewed by Ruth Glass.

PERFORMED LITERATURE: WORDS AND MUSIC BY BOB DYLAN. By BETSY BOWDEN. Indiana University Press, 1982. Pp. 239. $18.95. 0 253 34347 X. Reviewed by Brian Hinton.

LEYENDAS, TRADICIONES, CUENTOS FABULOSOS, Y OTROS RELATOS FANTASTICOS DE LAS ISLAS CABRERA, FORMENTERA, EIVISSA, MENORCA Y MALLORCA. By GABRIEL SABRAFIN. Archivo de Tradiciones Populares, vol. 35. Apartado 296, Palma. 1982. 8vo. Pp. 237 + 3 folding maps. ISBN 84-85354-87-6. 1100 pesetas. Reviewed by Leslie Grinsell.

MYSTERIOUS WALES. By CHRIS BARBER. David and Charles, Newton Abbot, Devon. Pp. 243, 143 illus. and map. Hardback. 1982. £8.95. Paperback, 1983 (Paladin), £2.50. Reviewed by L. V. Grinsell.

OURS ONCE MORE: FOLKLORE, IDEOLOGY, AND THE MAKING OF MODERN GREECE. By MICHAEL HERZFELD. Austin: University of Texas Press 1982. x, 197 pp. Reviewed by Charles Stewart.