Fjord fishing in Mesolithic Western Norway

Recent excavations at two rockshelters (Olsteinhelleren and Sævarhelleren) on the Hardanger fjord in Western Norway have provided an unparalleled opportunity to examine the Mesolithic subsistence economy of this region. Thousands of fish remains (as well as numerous mammal and bird bones) have been analysed from these assemblages. Results show that the fishery was dominated by gadids, but labrids and salmonids were also important. Many other fish were present in small quantities, including the first specimen of sturgeon from the Stone Age of Norway. The transition to a more specialised fishery at the younger site, Olsteinhelleren, may be a reflection of a switch to the use of this locality as a logistic camp for the targeting of gadid fish.     

“The stone in the sling”: Frederick Douglass and Belfast abolitionism

Frederick Douglass’s sojourns in Belfast during 1845–1846 coincided with the “Send Back the Money” controversy in the Free Church of Scotland over the receipt of money from and fellowship with slaveholders, the South Carolina minister Thomas Smyth’s exclusion from the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1846, and the aftermath of the debate at the inaugural meeting of the Evangelical Alliance over fellowship with slaveholders. Since Douglass regarded Belfast as the central location of Presbyterian sympathy for the Free Church outside of Scotland, he believed that the town was crucial in the crusade against the Free Church. The attacks on the Free Church, however, cost the Belfast Anti-Slavery Society considerable support in the long term. Belfast also played a role in the personal development of Douglass. His dispute with his Dublin publisher, Richard Davis Webb, over the ministers’ recommendations to his Narrative constituted evidence of growing maturity. Although William Lloyd Garrison united with Douglass in Belfast to denounce the Evangelical Alliance, this essay argues that Douglass displayed evidence of independence from strict Garrisonianism.     

Shoreline Change and Coastal Vulnerability Characterization with Landsat Imagery: A Case Study in the Outer Hebrides,Scotland

Abstract

Observation of cause–effect patterns of change in coastal environments provides insights into vulnerable areas and supports prediction and adaptation to flooding and erosion. Historic and periodic (6–8 year intervals) imagery from the Landsat archive is used to investigate transformations in the Atlantic coast of two Scottish islands over the period 1989–2011. Supervised classification of spectrally normalized images followed by change detection and spatial analysis reveals the patterns of change and the location of the most dynamic coastal areas. Quantitative measures of recent shifts and movement rates of relevant coastal lines, such as the lower limit of land-based vegetation, are assessed with the Digital Shoreline Analysis System. While very low rates are indicated for horizontal changes in the position of the lower limit of land-based vegetation (0.3?m?y^?1), specific areas have been subjected to high rates of coastal progradation as well as erosion (e.g. 2.5?m?y^?1 at Stilligarry). Information derived from satellite data supports the characterization of geomorphologically dynamic coasts at regional scales. With a rich and open access archive of imagery, a commitment to continuity, and compatibility with the Earth observation missions of other space programs, the Landsat mission offers useful and otherwise unavailable data for monitoring of coastal areas.     

The Vertigo Years: Europe, 1900–1914

J. N. LOCKMAN. Scattered Tracks on the Lawrence Trail: Twelve Essays on T. E. Lawrence. Whitmore Lake, Mich.: Falcon Books, 1996. Pp. xxii, 208. $24.00 (us); ANITA ENGLE. The Nili Spies. London: Frank Cass, 1997; dist. Portland, Oreg.: ISBS. Pp. x, 244. $36.00 (us); YOAV GELBER. Jewish-Transjordanian Relations, 1921-48. London: Frank Cass, 1997; dist. Pordand, Oreg.: ISBS. Pp. 320. $37.50 (us); MICHAEL J. COHEN. Fighting World War Three from the Middle East: Allied Contingency Plans, 1945-1954. London: Frank Cass, 1997; dist. Portland, Oreg.: ISBS. Pp. xv, 349. $24.00 (us), paper; P. J. VATIKIOTIS. The Middle East: From the End of Empire to the End of the Cold War. London and New York: Routledge, 1997. Pp. xi, 284. $65.00 (us); YEZID SXYIGK. Armed Struggle and the Search for State: The Palestinian National Movement, 1949-1993. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997. Pp. xliv, 953. £70.00; HAROLD M. CUBERT. ThePFLP's Changing Role in the Middle East. London: Frank Cass, 1997; dist. Pordand, Oreg.: ISBS. Pp. xiii, 235. $47.50 (us); MAJID KHADDURI and EDMUND GHAREEB. War in the Gulf, 1990-91: The Iraq-Kuwait Conflict and Its Implications. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Pp. x, 299. $39-95 (CDN); KEMAL KIRISCI and GARETH M. WINROW. The Kurdish Question and Turkey: An Example of a Trans-state Ethnic Conflict. London: Frank Cass, 1997; dist. Portland, Oreg.: ISBS. Pp. xvi, 237. $45.00 (us); ZEEV MAOZ, ed. Regional Security in the Middle East: Past, Present, and Future. London: Frank Cass, 1997; dist. Portland, Oreg.: ISBS. Pp. 208. $42.50 (us); EFRAIM KARSH, ed. Between War and Peace: Dilemmas of Israeli Security. London: Frank Cass, 1996; dist. Portland, Oreg.: ISBS. Pp. 298. $37.50 (us); AHARON LEVRAN. Israeli Strategy after Desert Storm: Lessons of the Second Gulf War. London: Frank Cass, 1997; dist. Portland, Oreg.: ISBS. Pp. ix, 169. $47.50 (us).