Determination of the parameters of the Guildhall amphitheatre ellipse in London

The paper presents an algorithm for computing the parameters of an ellipse that fits, in a least-squares sense, the surveyed remains of Roman amphitheatre arena walls. The algorithm is validated using ideal data and the near complete remains of the amphitheatre at Sarmizegetusa in Romania. The technique is then applied to the partial remains of the amphitheatre at the Guildhall in the City of London, in the UK, which cover only the Eastern end of the monument. The underlying mathematical model and method of solution is presented. The method was developed with a view to determining firstly whether or not an ellipse is a feasible model for the actual constructed curve geometry, and secondly, where the Western end of the Guildhall amphitheatre might be located. One single ellipse was found to fit the Guildhall remains, with measurement residuals at the level of 30 mm in the eastings and 26 mm in the northings. The ellipse had a semi-major axis of 28.345 m and a semi-minor axis of 22.775 m. The issues of alternative geometries and the practicalities of their use in construction are considered.     

Mast-Step Coins among the Romans

The archaeological evidence of more than a dozen ancient shipwrecks indicates that the tradition of placing a coin inside the mast-step of a ship's hold probably originated with the Romans. The mast-step coin phenomenon, which persisted through the Middle Ages and continues in various forms today, has often been characterized according to the modern concept of 'luck'. The custom was, however, not one of an exclusively maritime nature; rather, it was ultimately derived from a long-standing religious tradition that can be traced back to the consecration of the earliest Greek temples.
© 2007 The Author     

Are Teeth Better? Histological Characterization of Diagenesis in Archaeological Bone–Tooth Pairs and a Discussion of the Consequences for Archaeometric Sample Selection and Analyses

Teeth are often the preferred source material for isotopic and genetic assay involving ancient biomolecules. The assumption is that dental tissue preserves better due to its anatomically protected location, the enamel cap, and lower porosity compared to bone. However, this assumption has not been widely tested. Some similarities in diagenetic processes are to be expected due to similarities in structure and chemical composition of dentine and bone. This has led to the suggestion that bone can be used as an indicator of dental preservation, as a pre‐screening technique in the selection of suitable samples for biomolecular studies. Thus, direct testing of the correlation between bone and tooth preservation and diagenesis is needed. This paper reports the results of the histological characterization of diagenetic alterations within 25 human femur–tooth pairs, from a Medieval to modern (AD 1850) cemetery in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The results showed that teeth do indeed preserve better overall, but not always, and that this was dependent on the main diagenetic factor(s) at the burial location. Furthermore, good correlations are found between the microstructural preservation of bone and teeth; similar processes of decay were observed within bone and teeth of the same individual. Overall, the study demonstrated that histological analysis of bone is useful for the identification of degradation processes that affect biomolecular preservation in skeletal material. In this way, sample selection and analytical strategies can be optimized. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electron Microprobe Analysis of 9th–12th Century Islamic Glass from Córdoba,Spain

Twenty‐six samples from domestic assemblages of 9th–12th century Córdoba were subjected to electron microprobe analysis. The results reveal two main compositional types. The first, encountered in 13 of the samples, seems to result from the combination of plant ashes with high‐impurity sand, and has some contemporary parallels from Syria and Egypt. The second type is a lead–soda–silica glass, encountered in a relatively high proportion of the glasses (11 of the 26 sampled), possibly formed by the addition of lead metal to existing glasses and with very few known parallels. These are among a very small number of results available to date on the chemical composition of glasses from medieval Spain, and the presence of a high proportion of lead–soda–silica glasses is particularly interesting, possibly indicating a technological practice unique to, or originating in, the western Muslim world.     

Incorporating the effects of spatial structure in discrete choice models of migration

Discrete-choice theory and logit models are evaluated for their usefulness in analyzing migration patterns in a zonal system. The authors "argue that spatial effects and more specifically the relative location of zones are not taken into account in such analyses. We, therefore, introduce a measure of spatial structure and advocate its usage as a predictor of migration in such models. In an example of intrametropolitan migration in Toronto [Canada], we demonstrate that this variable is not only significant but also it improves the performance of all the other variables with the greatest impact on the distance between zones. In addition, inclusion of this variable improves the overall performance of the model in terms of residuals."     

Book reviews

CHINA

RONALD SULESKI. Civil Government in Warlord China: tradition, Modernization and Manchuria. New York: Peter Lang, 2002. 302 pp. Bibliography, index. US$66.95, hardcover.

BØRGE BAKKEN. The Exemplary Society: human Improvement, Social Control, and the Dangers of Modernity in China. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. 516 pp. Notes, bibliography, glossary, index. A$300.00, hardcover.

DU SHANSHAN. "Chopsticks Only Work in Pairs”. Gender Unity and Gender Equality Among the Lahu of Southwest China. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. US$60.00, hardcover; US$25.50, paper.

REBECCA E. KARL. Staging the World: Chinese Nationalism at the Turn of the Twentieth Century. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2002. US$59.95, hardcover; US$19.95, paper.

ELIZABETH J. PERRY. Challenging the Mandate of Heaven: social Protest and State Power in China. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2002. US$73.95, hardcover; US$27.95, paper.

JAPAN AND KOREA

STEVE ODIN. Artistic Detachment in Japan and the West: psychic Distance in Comparative Aesthetics. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2001. 204 pp. Index. US$55.00, hardcover; US$19.95, paper.

VERA MACKIE. Feminism in Modern Japan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. xiv, 293 pp. £50.00, hardcover; £18.95, paper.

KAYE BROADBENT. W omen's Employment in Japan: the Experience of Part‐time Workers. London and New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. 176 pp. US$90.00/£55.00, hardcover.

JAMES R. BRANDON and SAMUEL L. LEITER (eds). Kabuki Plays on Stage: Darkness and Desire, 1804–1864. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2002. xv, 397 pp. 31 colour and 14 b/w plates, glossary, selected bibliography, contributors, index, list of plays by volume, dust jacket. US$50.00, hardcover.

KONGDAN OH (ed). Korea Briefing 1997–1999: challenges and Change at the Turn of the Century. Published in cooperation with the Asia Society. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2000. 243 pp. Preface, map, chronology, glossary, suggestions for further reading and websites, index. US$30.95, paper.

KONGDAN OH and RALPH HASSIG (eds). Korea Briefing 2000–2001: first Steps Toward Reconciliation and Reunification. Published in cooperation with the Asia Society. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 2002. 308 pp. Maps, tables, bibliography, chronology, index. US$24.95, paper.

The Korean Peninsula: peace and Prosperity after the Pyongyang Summit (Proceedings of a Conference 6–7 October 2000). New Zealand Asia Institute: The University of Auckland, 2001. 146 pp. New Zealand domestic price $NZ20.00 or equivalent incl. postage and packing. Overseas price $NZ30.00 or equivalent incl. postage and packing.

YONGHO CH'OE, PETER H. LEE, and W.M. THEODORE DE BARY (eds). Sources of Korean Tradition, Volume 2: from the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. Preface, explanatory note, contributors, bibliography, index. US$54.00, hardcover; US$22.50, paper.

SEIJI M. LIPPIT. Topographies of Japanese Modernism. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. 301 pp. US$22.50/£16.50, paper.

SOUTH, WEST & CENTRAL ASIA

ALF HILTEBEITEL. Rethinking the Mahàbhàrata: a Reader's Guide to the Education of the Dharma King. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001. x, 365 pp. US$50.00, hardcover; US$25.00, paper.

ALI AMJAD. Labour Legislation and Trade Unions in India and Pakistan. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. xix, 190 pp. £15.99, hardcover.

LIONEL CAPLAN. Children of Colonialism: Anglo‐Indians in a Postcolonial World. Oxford and New York: Berg, 2001. x, 261 pp. US$75.00, hardcover; US$25.00, paper.

JACQUES POUCHEPADASS. Land, Power and Market: a Bihar District under Colonial Rule, 1860–1947. New Delhi, Thousand Oaks, London: Sage Publications, 2000. 574 pp. Tables, figures, maps, appendixes, abbreviations, glossary, introduction, sources and bibliography, index. Rs 695, hardcover.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

THOMAS M. McKENNA. Muslim Rulers and Rebels: everyday Politics and Armed Separatism in the Southern Philippines. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. 364 pp. £37.95, hardcover; £16.95, paper.

JEROEN TOUWEN. Shipping and Trade in the Java Sea Region, 1870–1940: a Collection of Statistics on the Major Java Sea Ports. Leiden: KITLV Press, 2001. xi, 172 pp. Tables, figures, bibliography.

DANIEL FITZPATRICK. Land Claims in East Timor. Canberra: Asia‐Pacific Press, 2002. x, 246 pp. A$40.00.

GEORGE McT. KAHIN. Southeast Asia: a Testament. London and New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. xxiv, 350 pp. £75.00, hardcover; £19.99, paper.

BOB HERING. Sukarno: founding Father of Indonesia 1901–1945. Leiden: KITLV [Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal‐, Land‐ en Volkenkunde] Press, 2002. 439 pp. Euro30.00, paper.

POLINE BALA. Changing Borders and Identities in the Kelabit Highlands: anthropological Reflections on Growing Up in a Kelabit Village near the International Border Dayak Studies Contemporary Society Series, no. 1. The Institute of East Asian Studies, Sarawak Malaysia: Unit Penerbitan Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 2002. 142 pp. Bibliography, glossary, index, images. No price given, paper.