COMPOSITIONAL INHOMOGENEITY OF SEDIMENTS AND ITS POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON DOSE RATE ESTIMATION FOR ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE DATING OF TOOTH ENAMEL

We present results of particle size and radioactivity analyses of sediment samples collected from five sites with different burial environments. The uranium, thorium and potassium concentrations in the five sample sets are shown to vary with particle size. The potential effects of the observed size-dependent variations on electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of tooth enamel are assessed using two hypothetical models. Our results show that any bias to relatively fine fractions could result in a significant overestimation of the total environmental dose rate, leading to an underestimation of the calculated ESR age.     

John-Jerome of Prague (1368–1440) and the Errores Graecorum: Anatomy of a Polemic Against Greek Christians

This paper discusses the anti-Greek writings of the Camaldolese John-Jerome of Prague from 1409 to 1433. It demonstrates how his varied experiences in Poland and the Middle East helped shape his views on eastern Christians, and how these views were further affected by the role Greek theology played in the thought of his great opponents, the Hussites. His hostile statements about the Greeks provide some indication of the depth of the antipathy between the two sides, as well as the limited knowledge of many in the Latin West about the details of ecclesiastical history and Greek theology on the eve of the Council of Florence. A discussion of his writings over a quarter century illustrates how John-Jerome's opinions about Greek Christians changed as he experienced different aspects of the relationship between the Latin and Greek churches. It is interesting to compare John-Jerome's views with two contemporaries whom he knew personally, the Camaldolese humanist Ambrogio Traversari and the Greek Dominican theologian Andrew Chrysoberges.     

Protestant Divergence in the Restoration Crisis

Recent studies of the Stuart Restoration have recovered the importance of religion as a factor in the history of the period. One provocative product of this approach is Jonathan Scott's thesis that moves to exclude the Catholic James, Duke of York, from succession to the throne reflected a wider 'Restoration Crisis', characterized by shifting ideas and allegiances, which defies 'party' analysis. Two theological controversies which erupted in 1680 reveal tensions between three divergent and ultimately irreconcilable ecclesiological themes which were a feature of Early Modern English Protestant theology. Whilst in each Christ was acknowledged as head of the church they differed as to whether this authority was mediated through the magistrate or the bishops or whether the individual had immediate conscientious access to divine leading. In the 1680 disputes variants of these three positions were adopted by leading figures within both the Church of England and Dissent. The fissures did not, however, run neatly along expected lines. The analysis provides theological parallels to the political flux identified by Scott. Under the pressure of events, a complex polarization was occurring which suggests that examples of common cause over exclusion did not reflect theological reconciliation.     

The unique decline of mortality in revolutionary France

This article seeks to draw historians' attention to a neglected reconstruction of the French population and its mortality rates developed by the Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques in the 1970s. The reconstruction shows a sharp decline in French mortality rates, beginning in the 1790s and continuing through the 1820s. This conflicts with recent historiography stressing the negative effects of the Revolution. This article contends that the reconstruction is plausible and that the French mortality decline was unique in Europe in this period. In turn, this suggests that the Revolution had a much more favorable impact than many historians would have us believe.     

Current issues in Chinese Neolithic archaeology

Every year archaeologists in China discover numerous rich sites demonstrating significant regional variability in Neolithic cultures, primarily from about 6500 B.C. to 1900 B.C. This paper discusses a topic not covered in detail in current or forthcoming publications, the origins and development of agricultural systems. Recent fieldwork in both northern and southern China suggests that initial steps toward settled agricultural villages began circa 11,000 B.P. I review evidence for the cultivation of millet, rice, and other plants as well as animal husbandry in different regions of China. There are several later Neolithic sites in northern China with evidence for rice cultivation. I suggest how future research projects can investigate regional variation and change over time in subsistence and settlement during the Neolithic Period.