Iberian seventh-born children,werewolves, and the dragon slayer: A case study in the comparative interpretation of symbolic praxis and fairytales

This article examines an obscure custom found in Iberian ethnography: that of having one's eldest children serve as godparents for their own youngest siblings, starting with the seventh. The paper's main working hypothesis is that this custom is to be understood in the context of underlying conceptions that fairytales convey in a symbolical guise. The argument highlights the relationship of examined notions with the “Dragon Slayer” theme, to bring out stable themata concerning ontological complexity and metamorphosis, in the light of which the Iberian custom is interpreted.     

Petrographic thin sections and exotic rocks provenience among hunter–gatherer societies in the eastern Pampa–Patagonia Transition (lower basin of the Colorado River,Argentina)*

Lithic assemblages recovered from sites located in the eastern Pampa–Patagonia transition include a great diversity of raw materials, some from neighbouring regions, such as the Humid and Dry Pampa subregions and Northpatagonia. Lithic raw material assignments to specific procurement areas were preliminarily proposed based on macroscopic characterizations. The aim of the paper is to present the results obtained from the petrographic thin sections of archaeological artefacts from Middle and Late Holocene sites recorded at the study area. The analyses corroborate most of the macroscopic determinations, and more detailed knowledge of the acquisition areas of these raw materials was obtained.     

First evidence of white wine in ancient Egypt from Tutankhamun's tomb

Wine has been considered to be mainly red in ancient Egypt linked with the blood of Osiris, the God of resurrection. No text that refers to white wines from the Dynastic Period (3150–332 BC) exists. The first white wine from ancient Egypt was made near Alexandria during the third century AD. To investigate the presence of white wine in ancient Egypt, dry residue samples from King Tutankhamun's amphorae are studied in this article using the LC/MS/MS method for wine markers. This investigation into the existence of white wines in Tutankhamun's tomb allows us to shed new light on the symbolism of white wine in ancient Egypt.     

GPR and inductive electromagnetic surveys applied in three coastal sambaqui (shell mounds) archaeological sites in Santa Catarina state, South Brazil

In this article, GPR – Ground Penetrating Radar and inductive electromagnetic (EM38 equipment) results are presented for three archaeological sites of shell mounds located between Laguna and Jaguaruna cities, mid-southern coast of Santa Catarina state, Brazil. The Jabuticabeira II, Santa Marta IV, and Encantada III sites were studied. These sites consist of carbonate shell mounds built by societies that inhabited this region during the pre-colonial period (7.5–1.3 ky BP). Geophysical responses obtained in these archaeological sites had allowed the identification of anomalous regions related to archaeological point targets as well as continuous targets, correlated to the shell mound's structure and buried geologic features. GPR numerical modelling studies were done in order to evaluate the performance of the GPR method in relation to materials found in that environment, besides helping interpretations of real results. The synthetic GPR model was a good match with real data obtained in the field. So, the real and synthetic results serve as a reference guide to direct excavation activities in these archaeological and geological structures. In the Jabuticabeira II shell mound, lithic materials and burials were found amidst archaeological layers characterized by sediment rich in organic material, ferruginous concretions, and loose shells. In the Santa Marta IV archaeological site, a concentration of ceramic materials, burials and fireplaces were found. In the Encantada III site, a strong anomaly characterized by a hyperbolic reflection was related to the presence of a silicified tree root; a great example of ambiguity in shallow geophysics interpretation in archaeological applications. Results functioned as a guide to archaeological excavations, allowing cost and time reduction as well as contributing to improve the knowledge of these archaeological sites situated in southern Brazil.     

Reduction of topography effect in inductive electromagnetic profiles: application on coastal sambaqui (shell mound) archaeological site in Santa Catarina state, Brazil

We present results of electrical conductivity profiles obtained with inductive electromagnetic geophysical method in Santa Marta archaeological site, Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. This site is a sambaqui (shell mound), in which several human occupation remains are found during pre-colonial period such as buried lithic and bone artifacts, fire-place, etc. Most of these mounds include as well many human burials, which, in many cases, point to funerary ritual as a main agency for mound building. A set of profiles of apparent electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility was acquired in two sites aiming the identification of geophysical anomalies with potential interest for excavation. To enhance conductivity data, we applied an effective procedure to remove topographical effects in the apparent conductivity measurements, which are rather conditioned by the presence of a variable water table depth or conductive sediment layer. A linear dependence among conductivity values and the site elevation provided a simple linear model to remove the influence of topography. Corrected electric conductivity maps substantially improved the definition of anomalies, many of them rather subtle in raw data images. Corrected maps also show a better adherence with magnetic susceptibility maps, both of them identifying archaeological structures of interest: a well-structured fire-place and a concentration of ceramic fragments.     

Pratiques culturelles et circulation en Europe

In the present study the author examines the migratory practices of movement between France and Portugal of young French of Portuguese ancestry, as well as of young Portuguese living in France. The study of these practices from an ethnological point of view sheds light on the interaction of material resources and the multifaceted symbolic resources associated with them. Besides the economic and political dimension in which these practices are grounded, the identity — forming process of which they are a part raises a number of questions — especially in the context of the European Union. The author shows how, by using elements drawn from the family migratory history, natural history and Portuguese culture, the descendents of Europeans who migrated for economic reasons are now trying to go beyond the dilemma of an identity posed by their «double culture», as well as the social and cultural constraints imposed on them by their elders.     

Detection of archaeological crop marks by using satellite QuickBird multispectral imagery

The capability of satellite QuickBird imagery for the identification of archaeological crop marks is herein presented and discussed for two test sites located in the South of Italy. The selected sites, dating back to Middle Ages, were buried under surfaces covered by herbaceous plants characterized by a different phenological status (dry/green) when the satellite data were acquired.