Is It Hop? Identifying Hop Fibres in a European Historical Context

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is an ancient perennial crop plant, native to the Northern Hemisphere. The archaeological evidence dates back to at least the sixth century ad in Europe. Hop has been used for beer brewing, in sleeping draughts, as bedding and for antibacterial purposes. Less known is that hop fibres have also been used for textiles and paper. However, it is difficult to distinguish hop from other bast fibres. Here, we present a set of fibre features, which, when found together in an archaeological/historical material within a European context, provide a strong indication that the fibres are hop.     

FRIDRIK THORDARSON (7.3.1928–2.10.2005) IN MEMORIAM

This article looks at Horace's two Books of Satires, Books I-III of the Odes and the First Book of Epistles in the perspective of the following thesis. One of the most important themes of Horace's poetry is happiness, and measure and moderation are the means to bring about and secure a happy life. In the various poetry books this ethics of measure and moderation undergoes certain variations. The message of the Satires is that you are happy if you are content on the basis of moderation. The Odes of the first edition convey the idea that we are happy if we live in peace and friendliness, founded on the principle of moderation. The First Book of Letters is focussed on the central notion that I am happy if I am free and independent, and again, the precondition for that is moderation. The point of the article is thus, first, that it underscores an aspect of the unity of Horace's poetry: the search for happiness, and, second, that it offers an account of the diversifications of that unifying theme in the different genres of poetry and different phases of the poet's life.     

Numismatica

In § 43 der ciceronischen Rede Pro Rabirio Postumo ist das Kolon nec amicum prudentem corruere patitur schon längst verdächtigt und athetiert worden. Jedoch hat man bisher weder das Einschiebsel eindeutig als bewußte Verfälschung gebrandmarkt noch das Motiv des Fälschers aufgedeckt. Dies will die vorliegende Abhandlung leisten, zumal neuere Editoren die Notwendigkeit dieser Athetese bestreiten und mit dem Instrument der Konjektur auszukommen glauben.     

Dating Ancient Burial Mounds in Denmark – Revealing Problematic Ancient Charcoal

The National Museum of Denmark and the Department of Geography at the University of Copenhagen have collaborated on a project investigating burial mounds near early Medieval churches. The aim was to identify a possible continuity in cult sites across the shift to Christianity in the late Viking Age. Charcoal samples from 18 mounds were radiocarbon dated but the results showed they were far older than expected. Control dating undertaken on burial mounds of known age confirmed that charcoal in the mound fill can at least be up to 3000 years older than the mound itself. As charcoal can survive in the surface soil layer for millennia, in spite of ploughing, bioturbation and frost, it may also dominate the charcoal pool of the grass or heather turfs used in the mound construction. Therefore, the article concludes, charcoal cannot be used to securely date archaeological features built with turfs and it is important to be aware of the possible presence of very old charcoal when selecting material for dating archaeological features, even those which otherwise would be judged unaffected by material from earlier archaeological periods.     

INTEGRATING INDIGENOUS AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE BASES FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

In investigating ways to reduce community vulnerability to environmental hazards it is essential to recognize the interaction between indigenous and scientific knowledge bases. Indigenous and scientific knowledge bases are dynamic entities. Using a Process Framework to identify how indigenous and scientific knowledge bases may be integrated, three communities impacted upon by environmental hazards in Papua New Guinea, a Small Island Developing State, have established how their vulnerability to environmental hazards may be reduced. This article explores the application of the framework within the communities of Kumalu, Singas and Baliau, and how this could impact upon the future management of environmental hazards within indigenous communities in Small Island Developing States.     

Palaeo‐otology of cholesteatoma

A cholesteatoma is a collection of dead epithelial cells in the ear which becomes infected with low‐grade pathogenic microorganisms. The lesion tends to cause resorption of the surrounding bone, which potentially permits its recognition in skeletal remains. Cholesteatoma may occur in the middle or the outer ear. Using two examples of cholesteatoma in skeletal remains from British archaeological sites, the differential diagnosis of cholesteatoma from other aural diseases is demonstrated. Some of the differences in bony lesions caused by middle ear and external ear canal cholesteatoma which may enable the two to be distinguished in palaeopathological specimens are discussed. Attention is drawn towards the importance of making this distinction in ancient skeletal remains; middle ear and external ear canal cholesteatoma have a different array of causes and very different impacts upon health status. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.