CIRCLE DANCE FESTIVAL “GORKA”: TRADITIONS AND INNOVATIONS*

The circle dance festival “gorka” is one of the oldest Russian rituals of the spring and summer cycle, preserved by the Priestless Old Believers (Pomortsy) living in the Ust-Tsilma Region of the Komi Republic. This ritual activity requires the performance of seven dance fi gures or moves. Particular songs that are called “gorka songs,” correspond to each of the fi gures. In the past, the symbolism of the circle dance was linked to the renewal of life. The transition of adolescents to adulthood was arranged in ritual form; dramatized songs helped young people to fi nd potential marriage partners and to approve couples that had been formed earlier. The modern festival is held as a tribute to the ancestors. A recent innovation can be seen in the children's “gorka” and the inclusion of children into a single circle dance.     

Mitochondrial DNA studies of the Pazyryk people (4th to 3rd centuries BC) from northwestern Mongolia

The discovery and excavations in 2006 by joint Russian–German–Mongolian expeditions of the Pazyryk culture burial sites (4th to 3rd centuries BC, Early Iron Age, the Scythian period) in the Altai mountains of northwestern Mongolia near the Russia border provided new material for studying various aspects of these ancient peoples lives, including human, animal and plant remains. Ice accumulation in the graves preserved the human remains, allowing biological analysis of the samples. We conducted a genetic study based on mitochondrial DNA from remains of three Pazyryk culture representatives to investigate the possible genetic relationships of this Siberian Scythian group with populations of adjacent territories. These data support possible genetic contacts between populations of Altai and other Eurasia regions in the Early Iron Age, and are in good agreement with corresponding archaeological and anthropological data. However, a large-scale study of the Pazyryk population gene pool structure must be performed to further confirm these findings.     

Introduction to the special issue on numerical modeling of hydrothermal fluids

This special issue on the numerical modeling of hydrothermal fluids is an outgrowth of a thematic session convened at the 2007 Geological Society of America meeting in Denver. Here we briefly review some of the previous research into numerical modeling of hydrothermal fluids and summarize the contributions in this special issue. We find that despite decades of progress, there is still great untapped potential for providing insights into the behavior of hydrothermal fluids by numerical modeling.     

Stable isotope palaeodietary study of humans and fauna from the multi-period (Iron Age,Viking and Late Medieval) site of Newark Bay,Orkney

We report here on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements of human and faunal bone collagen from the Iron Age, Viking Age, and Late Medieval site of Newark Bay, Orkney, Scotland. We found a wide range of results for humans in both δ¹³C (−15.4‰ to −20.3‰) and δ¹⁵N (8.6‰–15.6‰) values. The enriched carbon and nitrogen values indicate the consumption of significant amounts of marine protein, which is very unusual for post-Mesolithic (e.g. 4000 cal BC) UK and European populations. Also of interest is a statistically significant difference in δ¹³C (t = −2.48, p = 0.011) and δ¹⁵N (t = −2.44, p = 0.011) values, and therefore diets, between adult males and females at this site, with males (δ¹³C = −17.8 ± 1.2‰, δ¹⁵N = 13.2 ± 1.6‰) having, on average, a higher proportion of marine protein than females (δ¹³C = −18.9 ± 1.1‰, δ¹⁵N = 11.8 ± 1.8‰). The weaning age of the sub-adults was difficult to interpret due to the large isotopic variation in the adult females, but nearly all individuals between birth and 1.25 years have elevated δ¹⁵N values indicating that they were breastfed to some extent.     

SOUTHERN ASIA'S OLDEST INCENDIARY MISSILE?*

A small burnt ball was recovered in 1995 from the basal fills of a ditch surrounding the Bala Hisar, or High Fort, of Charsadda, Pakistan. Associated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler with the siege of the ancient site by Alexander the Great in 327 bce , the ditch forms part of the city's defensive circuit. Using geochemical and microscopic techniques (X‐ray diffraction, micro‐FTIR, SEM and GC–MS) the ball is identified as an artificial composite of mineral (mostly barite) and flammable resinous organic matter originating from conifers from the Podocarpaceae, Araucariaceae and Cupressaceae. The physical and chemical nature of the find suggests that the ball was ignited in a fire, although whether this was a deliberate or accidental occurrence is impossible to establish. The analytical data, combined with the archaeological context of the find, leads us to evaluate whether the find represents southern Asia's earliest incendiary missile.     

Investigation of coupled hydraulic–geomechanical processes at the KTB site: pressure‐dependent characteristics of a long‐term pump test and elastic interpretation using a geomechanical facies model

The German Continental Deep Drilling Program comprising a pilot borehole down to 4000 m and a main borehole down to 9101 m in southeast Germany (KTB) is continuing to provide a unique opportunity for the identification of important factors and processes in deep‐seated fluid and energy transfer. In situ stress conditions significantly impact flow, transport and exchange characteristics of fracture networks that dominate the permeability of crystalline reservoir rocks. In this paper, several scales of information are combined to present a fully three‐dimensional hydraulic finite element model of the principal KTB fault zones, and linked to a geomechanical model describing the alteration of the hydraulic parameters with stress changes caused by fluid extraction. The concept of geomechanical facies is introduced to define and characterize architectural elements in the subsurface system. Evaluation of a long‐term pump test in the KTB pilot hole, June 2002–July 2003, coupled with a geomechanical model gives an insight into some of the elastic and nonelastic processes controlling hydraulic transport in the basement rocks. Trends in the decline of the permeability and the degree of storage in the system could only partially be explained by elastic processes, clearly indicating the importance of nonelastic processes. A number of inelastic processes are suggested as areas for further research.