Gyptis: Sailing Replica of a 6th‐century‐BC Archaic Greek Sewn Boat

A sailing replica based on the archaeological remains and structural analysis of the 6th‐century archaic Greek sewn boat Jules‐Verne 9 was built in Marseille as part of the city's European Capital of Culture 2013 programme. Full‐scale reconstruction allowed investigation of specific aspects of the methods used to build a shell‐first, sewn‐plank, and lashed‐frame vessel, as well as learning the gestures and know‐how of the original shipbuilders. The first two seasons of sailing trials, including short journeys in the Bay of Marseille and longer, coast‐hopping expeditions, reflecting the uses of the original vessel have taken place and are reported here.     

Evaluation of Structural Intervention in the Quartel das Esquadras,Almeida (Portugal)

ABSTRACT

The “Quartel das Esquadras” is an 18th century infantry barrack located within the limits of the bulwarked fortress of Almeida, in Portugal. An ongoing adaptive reuse project of the building aims to recover its full capacity and also its importance, by implementing a variety of new uses. The architectural intervention results in the need of the structure to withstand new and diverse imposed loads. As the current configuration of the structure will be altered, the main objective of this article is to evaluate the suitability of some of the proposed structural interventions. The current condition has been characterized following a multidisciplinary approach comprising historical research, visual inspection, non-destructive testing, and structural analysis to identify the possible sources of major structural problems. A portion of the building particularly affected by the alterations has been selected to carry out structural analysis. A comparative safety assessment of the selected area in both current and altered condition has been done through finite element modelling and nonlinear static analysis, resulting in an identification of the weaker points against the new implemented loads and alterations. Finally, proposals for the implementation of the studied intervention, as well as recommendations for future research and analyses, have been given.     

Characterization of concrete from Roman buildings for public spectacles in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Emerita Augusta</Emphasis> (Mérida,Spain)

The aim of this work is to characterize the original concrete from Roman buildings for public spectacles, theatre and amphitheatre, from Emerita Augusta, Mérida, Spain. An advanced knowledge of the Roman concrete composition is required for a reliable restoration and preservation of these ancient monuments. The concrete was studied through mineralogical (optical polarized microscopy and X-ray diffraction) and petrophysical (bulk and real density, open porosity to water and Hg, mechanical strength and ultrasonic velocity) analyses. With this work, it is possible to fill the gap that exists in this field and the characterization of the materials used in the Roman concrete from these two buildings, never previously studied, despite the significance of this archaeological ensemble, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. The results allowed us to determine the composition of the Roman concrete and to infer the provenance of the aggregates used in these monuments.     

Decentring international and institutional famine relief in late nineteenth-century China: in search of the local

This article uses rural gazetteer biographies to examine village and household-level famine relief during the great North China Famine of 1876–9 to deepen our understanding of past relief methods and dynamics at the most local level. Despite the appearance of major works recently on famine in modern China, particularly on the Great Leap Forward, knowledge of Chinese famine relief remains thin and scattered considering the enormity of the subject. Nineteenth-century China saw intensifying international relief activity as well as the emergence of a vibrant charity-relief sector based in China's major cities, leading to the rise of prominent relief institutions in the twentieth century, such as the Chinese Red Cross. But the increasingly intense disasters of China's modern period also saw a surprising persistence of local humanitarian traditions still barely covered by historians.     

Of Peaceable Kingdoms and Lawless Frontiers: Exploring the Relationship between History,Mythology and Gun Culture in the North American West

The United States is more violent than Canada and it always has been. Even in the face of mass shootings, most Americans remain culturally and politically resistant to the sorts of gun control measures that have long existed in Canada. America’s unique gun culture is embedded in the history, imagery, and especially the mythology of the American frontier. Canada had its own frontier experience and has its own history of gun ownership, but it does not have a parallel gun culture. This article presents a comparative analysis of post-Civil War/post-Confederation frontier history and mythology, and examines the construction of contrasting cultural narratives of America’s “Wild West” and Canada’s “Mild West.” It suggests that US–Canadian differences in gun laws and gun culture—even in the borderlands region of Alberta/Montana—are better explained by the countries’ two different frontier mythologies than by their actual western histories.     

The canopic jars of Rameses II: real use revealed by molecular study of organic residues

Four blue-glazed faience jars, on exhibition in the Louvre Museum, are referred to as the canopic jars of Rameses II. Their recent typological re-examination rendered this original assignment questionable. In order to clearly determine their use, a study of two successive organic residues from the canopic jars, using molecular biomarkers analysed by GC-MS and LC-MS and absolute dating by ¹⁴C, was initiated. The results revealed that these two materials were not contemporary to the reign of Rameses II. The first one, scraped from the interior face of one jar, was identified as an unguent made of coniferous oil and animal fat and dated from the Third Intermediate Period. The second one, originally stored with glued linen inside one jar, is likely an embalming substance, made of pure vegetable resin (Pistacia) and dated from the Ptolemaic Period. These results clarify a controversy which has been lasting over a century. The famous blue-glazed faience jars are not the canopic jars of Rameses II but are confirmed as situlae which were reused at least two times: first to store unguents during the Intermediate Period and later to store embalming packages of an unknown person during the Ptolemaic period.     

巫山乌鸡沟墓地2003年度发掘简报

乌鸡沟墓地位于重庆市巫山县城西南约十余里的乌鸡沟一组,是一处汉代中小型墓地。2003年,武汉市文物考古研究所、巫山县文物管理所对其中8座墓葬进行了清理,出土了一批东汉时期文物,为研究该地区的汉代墓葬提供了一批新材料。     

中国北方干燥地区出土糟朽漆器加固材料及修复方法

为探索一种适合于我国北方干燥地区出土糟朽漆器保护的材料和方法,从而解决这类漆器的保护问题。通过试验比较,以水、乙醇和丙三醇作为中国古代北方干燥地区出土漆器漆皮的回软修复材料;选用乳液型粘合剂与纸、绢、古代木材作为回软漆皮的加固材料;选用聚乙二醇乙醇溶液与Paraloid B72丙酮溶液为渗透加固剂,对三件糟朽漆器加固取得很好的效果。实验表明,本方法为中国北方干燥地区出土糟朽漆器的保护修复,提供了一种科学易行的方法和材料。     

樋口一叶小说《行云》的时空意向

小说《行云》写的是一位上京求学后又返回故里的青年的故事。青年的情感经历揭示出了由甲州大藤村至东京的空间距离。文中衬以路途之险,反映了作者对当时甲州人呼吁中央线铁路建设的关注和声援。同时,作者还以“战争画”等小道具明示了小说时间与创作时间的一致性,进而虚拟了青年归乡后的数年时间,以两者暗喻了狂热一时的甲午战争对于普通民众来说毫无意义。