A LYONS BRANCH OF THE POTTERY-MAKING FIRM OF ATEIUS OF AREZZO

Fifty-one waster sherds of Terra Sigillata (～20-0 b.c. ) from Arezzo, Italy and Lyons, France have been chemically analysed for twenty-eight elements by neutron activation and seven by X-ray fluorescence. Most of the elemental abundances were measured with high precision and cross-comparisons of the two techniques of measurement (and sample preparation) give added insight as to their relative precision, the calibration differences and the extent to which volatile materials such as carbonate or water influence the results. The sherds from Arezzo formed a homogeneous and distinctive chemical group while all but two of those from Lyons were classified into three such groups. Two of the Lyons groups (MML A and MML B) were from Montée de La Muette and one was from Loyasse. Four additional sherds from houses excavated in Strasbourg and one from Lyons, all of which bore the signature of the famous Anetine pottery-making firm of Ateius, were also analyzed by the same techniques. These signed sherds all had the same composition pattern and it closely matched one of those from Montée de La Muette (MML A) in Lyons. It is therefore suggested that these five sherds bearing the Ateius signature were made in the general vicinity of Lyons and were part of the output of an as yet unknown Gallic branch of the firm of Ateius.     

Evaluation of the Poisson Approximation To Measures of the Random Pattern in the Square

Theoretical values for spacing between points of the Poisson process are frequently used to evaluate the hypothesis that the locations within a region of pointlike objects have a random pattern. These theoretical spacing values are an approximation to spacing values for a uniform process in which the objects are uniformly and independently located in the region. The adequacy of the Poisson approximation to this uniform process for a square region is evaluated by analytic and numeric methods. The approximation is close for a small number of points when spacing between objects is measured by toroidal distance.     

The Conceptual Locus of a Two-dimensional Language: Some Implications for Human Responses to Two-dimensional Displays

It is proposed that two-dimensional displays, such as maps, aerial photographs, polygons, etc., may be generated and/or described by two-dimensional languages. A simple perceptual device is posited which utilizes such a language. The device is comprised of at least two components which represent short-term and long-term memory. It is clear that its conceputal locus is in multisystem memory models. Three such models are characterized which provide the necessary and sufficient conditions for the perceptual model posited. Given this conceptual frame, three illustrative sets of implications and experiments for human responses to two-dimensional displays are suggested.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviews in This Article:
Der Koran. Ed. by Rudi Paret.
Introduction to Classical Arabic Literature. By Ilse Lichtenstadter.
On the Art of Medieval Arabic Literature. By Andras Hamori.
Four Egyptian Literary Critics. By David Semah.
Hispano-Arabic Strophlc Poetry. Studies by Samuel Miklos Stern.
The Hamadsha: A Study in Moroccan Ethnopsychiatry. By Vincent Crapanzano.
Publish it not… The Middle East Cover-up. By Christopher Mayhew and Michael Adams.
From Ottomanism to Arabism: Essays on the Origins of Arab Nationalism. By C. Ernest Dawn.
An Inquiry into the Ethnography of Afghanistan. By Henry W. Bellew.     

The Chemical Composition and Production Area of Early Western Zhou Proto‐Porcelain Unearthed from Yejiashan Cemetery,Suizhou, China

The bodies and glazes of 27 early Western Zhou proto‐porcelain samples from Yejiashan cemetery, Hubei Province, were analysed using LA‐ICP–AES, SEM, XRD, a thermal expansion instrument and other analytical methods. The results indicated that the bodies of all samples were characterized by high silicon and low aluminium, and were made with porcelain stone raw materials found in the south of China. The glazes are typical of high‐temperature calcium glazes of the CaO (MgO) – K₂O (Na₂O) – Al₂O₃ – SiO₂ series, with relatively high Mn and P content, which was probably caused by the addition of plant ashes. The physical properties and phase compositions of Yejiashan proto‐porcelain show that firing processes were still in the early stages of development in ancient China. Multivariate statistical analyses indicated that Yejiashan proto‐porcelain might have come from the Deqing area, in Zhejiang Province. These results provide new archaeological evidence for research on issues related to material flow in the Western Zhou dynasty.