A hypothesis on different technological solutions for outdoor and indoor Roman wall paintings

The determination of the chemical composition of different parts of wall paintings (pigments, mortars and binders) provides information about technology of preparation of an artefact. Herein, we present a multi-methodological characterisation of wall paintings from a Roman archaeological site in Cuma, focusing on differences between an indoor (domus) and outdoor fabrication (a temple, Tempio con Portico (TCP)). Both pigments, binders and mortars were studied via a combination of destructive/μ-destructive (mass spectrometry, ionic chromatography, ICP-based techniques) and non-destructive (Raman microscopy, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and X-ray diffraction) methodologies. Particularly, the systematic presence of dolomite only in mortars from TCP may suggest an intentional use of such limestone for the outdoor fabrication of public interest. Differences between TCP and domus are also related to the composition of the pigment binder. In particular, the detected binders (studied by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS) were proteinaceous in the case of domus (possibly egg and animal glue) and drying oils in the case of TCP. Ultimately, our multi-methodological study provides an overall picture of the material components of paintings from fabrications with different use, proposing a hypothesis on technological choices according to conservative and destination reasons.     

The misadventures of socialist anticommunism from the end of the war to the collapse of the Berlin Wall

Abstract

The article aims to highlight the features of socialist anticommunism in Italy from 1945 to 1991, with particular reference to Giuseppe Saragat and Bettino Craxi, and with regard to the intellectual activity of Ignazio Silone. Anticommunist socialists aimed at delegitimizing the communists, but they themselves were also delegitimized by the communist party of Palmiro Togliatti and Enrico Berlinguer. Naturally, the form of delegitimation changed over the years, from Saragat’s stance in the 1940s and early 1950s to his position later on. The kind of delegitimation carried on by Bettino Craxi’s socialist party was more successful, however, compared to the one implemented by Saragat’s small party. For this reason, it was fiercely opposed by Berlinguer and the communist party.     

Representations of birds in Minoan art

During the second millennium BC , the Minoan civilization was established in the southern Aegean Sea. In Minoan art, especially on Crete, birds occupied a prominent place, and were often represented in wall-paintings and craft objects. Species still occurring on the island, such as cormorants, mallards, cuckoos, owls, hoopoes, and swallows, as well as exotic taxa such as partridges and possible domestic forms such as pigeons, were the subject of artistic inspiration, and they were depicted not only in purely cult contexts, but also in the backgrounds of naturalistic landscapes. The aim of this paper is to reconsider the identification of some of the birds depicted and to discuss them in the context of the environmental conditions and osteological finds from the southern Aegean islands in Minoan times. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bridging the gap between forensic anthropology and osteoarchaeology—a case of vascular pathology

We report on two cases of similar bony lesions and emphasize the importance of cooperative work between forensic anthropology and forensic pathology. A fairly well preserved cadaver of an old woman was autopsied by a forensic team at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Portugal. Although age at death and sex were easily determined, there was insufficient other evidence for personal identification. However, the female revealed severe and extensive lesions in both lower legs and these were useful for determining personal identity. Here we describe the pathological findings, consistent with venous chronic insufficiency. The woman's family subsequently confirmed she suffered from this condition. Furthermore, they informed us of varicose ulcers, which also were suspected by the ties found, in both her legs, during autopsy. A long history of venous chronic insufficiency was subsequently found in her medical records. We compare these forensic findings to the bony pathologies of a male skeleton from the Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection not previously diagnosed. We argue that these two cases represent the same pathological condition. Without the medical forensic work, the skeletal remains of the second case might not have been positively identified. The benefits of cooperative work between medical and anthropological forensic specialists are reinforced leading to resolution of otherwise unidentified skeletal pathological conditions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ushnus of the Inca provincial region: An analysis of two ceremonial platforms from Inca sites in Catamarca (Argentina)

The Inca polity deployed a variety of strategies in the establishment of imperial relations with the local communities of the southern provinces. These strategies included the translation of symbols materialized in architectural structures. In this sense, the ceremonial platforms denominated ushnus were spaces with particular significance and high hierarchy.     

Determinants of Market Extension in Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: Evidence from a Regional Innovation System

Several studies have emphasized the role of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in fostering innovation in metropolitan areas and regional innovation systems. Such areas are capable of expressing a strong demand for KIBS and consequently stimulate the rise and growth of KIBS. Despite an abundance of literature on KIBS emphasizing the relevance of spatial proximity to customers, many KIBS develop relationships on a broader national or even international scale. No studies have focused explicitly on this apparent discrepancy as yet. The aim of this paper is therefore to fill this theoretical and empirical gap by explaining the firm-level factors relating to the market extension of KIBS within the framework of regional innovation systems. Our analysis is based on a quantitative study on more than 150 KIBS supplying design or communication services located in the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy), an area that can be described as a regional innovation system. Five variables were considered, that is, size, experience, service standardization, investments in network technologies and relational intensity. Our results confirm that three of these variables, but not service standardization and relational intensity, correlate positively with the market extension of KIBS. Policy implications are also discussed.     

The decolonial subject and the problem of non-Western authenticity

It is argued in this paper that some decolonising strategies in the study of global politics are precluded by the problem of non-Western authenticity. I question the idea of an identifiable non-Western geo-cultural context that could significantly reconstitute what already is a post-Western subject. I claim that in most cases the asymmetrical encounter between the colonised and the coloniser has fundamentally and extensively redefined human subjectivity in a way that largely negates decolonial emancipatory projects. This is the result of the all-encompassing penetration of Western coloniality (in its political, economic and cultural representations) into the spaces of pre-colonial or uncolonised forms of subjectivity. I draw from Frantz Fanon’s and Jacques Lacan’s theories to argue that attempts to recover non-Western forms of self-identification are useful albeit illusory psychological mechanisms to stabilise hybrid postcolonial subjectivities rather than an actual restoration of non-colonial and purified forms of existing in the world. I suggest that an effective anticolonial politics of resistance will necessarily entail the understanding of post-Western subjectivity in terms of psychological ‘hybridity’ rather than decolonial ‘authenticity’.     

And Now They Are Gone: documenting the last sailing lighter of Nevis,West Indies

The island of Nevis in the eastern Caribbean was until recently home to a unique traditional‐built sailing lighter. The last two working vessels were hauled out for the last time only in 2001. The lighters of Nevis have a rich history and were built without plans, conforming to traditional proportions and practices. One of these vessels was carefully documented by the author in the grounds of the Horatio Nelson Museum in Charlestown before it completely succumbed to the elements. The vessels have since deteriorated and are gone. The maritime legacy of Nevis and the lighters are described. © 2012 The Author