Too little,too late: the geochemistry of a 1773 Philadelphia porcelain openwork basket

A dated (1773) openwork basket labelled “PHILADELFIA” attributed to the Bonnin and Morris factory has a lead-bearing, silicious–aluminous–calcic (S-A-C) composition that contrasts with the phosphatic (bone ash) porcelains known to have previously been made during the mid-1760s to early 1770s in what is now the United States. The basket was underfired and so contains relics of a flint (Pb) glass flux, but kiln temperatures were nonetheless sufficient for subsolidus pseudowollastonite and anorthite to have been resorbed, implying that the duration of firing (soaking) near peak kiln temperatures was insufficient to ensure thorough vitrification. During cooling, liquidus pseudowollastonite and silica polymorphs (but not anorthite) formed, showing that the melt was confined to the tridymite–pseudowollastonite cotectic above the Trd–Wol–An eutectic (1170 °C) in the SiO₂–Al₂O₃–CaO system. Rapid cooling is also indicated by quenched silica polymorphs in the relict glass particles. Although Bonnin and Morris employed some former Bow (London, c. 1743–74) workers, the S-A-C wares initially produced by this factory are compositionally distinct from the 1773 basket, which in this regard more closely resembles the body and glaze of a reputed Chelsea triangle-period (London, c. 1745–49) vessel. Regardless of how they obtained this technology, it is ironic that Bonnin and Morris chose to abandon phosphatic pastes in favour of what in Britain had become an obsolete formula.     

Approximating the Face of ‘Aunty’: A Question of Likeness

This paper describes two approaches to the facial approximation of three individuals from the Wairau Bar burial site (New Zealand). Two individuals were approximated working in direct reference to the remains and incorporated manual drafting. The third individual, ‘Aunty’ (the respectful title given by the iwi Rangitane elders) was approximated from CT scans and using computer graphics. The computer graphic approach enabled a greater level of precision in the application of the research and recommendations that inform a facial approximation, and facilitated collaboration with appropriate expertise. The computer-graphic approach, however, also resulted in a more photographic facial appearance, which can imply a greater level of knowledge about hard/soft tissue relationships than is currently available.     

Social mobility and reproduction among nineteenth-century Colorado silver prospectors

Popular cultural convention holds that, for those with enough gumption, the American frontier was a land of unparalleled opportunity. However, careful research throws doubt on the universality of this convention. Thus, the authors explore factors that increase or decrease opportunities for upward mobility in frontier towns. The authors' longitudinal study of late nineteenth century silver prospectors in Gothic, Colorado, demonstrates that while enthusiastic prospecting in Gothic did not lead to upward social mobility, it did provide enhanced reproductive opportunities.     

Multiple assessments of local properties,production, and performance in metal objects: an experimental case study from Petra,Jordan

This object-specific case study focuses on cupreous artifacts excavated from the Great Temple complex of Petra, Jordan to demonstrate how the use of compositional X-ray analyses alongside two experimental applications (ImageJ software and nanoindentation) have the potential to generate different and otherwise unobtainable information about archaeological metals. The study highlights the value of using multiple techniques as a means of resolving the ambiguities that tend to arise from interpretations of single-sited measurements on objects and from single-instrumental analyses during studies of production processes and consequent material performance. Employing different techniques on multiple localities within a sample permits the gathering of precise information about the behavior of and interrelationships between variables that affect the objects’ fabrication and use, particularly composition, structure, and hardness properties. The resulting data are interpreted in association with contextual archaeological information from Petra to consider the use-life and potential significance of these objects.     

Making screen production work at the margins: path-dependent development in Brisbane and the Gold Coast

While screen production is notoriously centralised, it is still found outside major media cities where the central problem for actors in these subordinate media cities is how to create sustainable levels of screen production capabilities in circumstances of increasing centralisation and globalisation in media production and its design. This article discusses how the screen production sectors of two subordinate media cities, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, are organised. Each city represents a different pathway for the sustainability of a media sector. The Gold Coast is a production location for globally and nationally dispersed high-budget feature film and TV drama production; while Brisbane is mostly a ‘national production’ location for domestically oriented news, documentary, infotainment and sports programming with a focus on lower budgeted feature filmmaking and occasionally, television drama. These different city pathways are the product of the creative resources and infrastructure evident in each city.     

On the Book of Devotions,Deposited by Cardinal Howard in the Library of the Dominican Convent at Bornheim in 1659

This paper reports the results of the excavation of an Early Bronze Age cist cemetery on the mid-Northumberland coast at Howick. The Bronze Age site was discovered during the investigation of a Mesolithic hut site, the latter having been published separately as a monograph. A total of five cists were found with only one being adult-sized, the rest presumably for infants. Due to the acidic conditions on the site, only a few fragments of a small skull were found in Cist 2. Other small finds included a small sherd of Food Vessel urn in an area of disturbance next to Cist 5, smoothed limestone cobbles and some nodules of yellow ochre. Flints were found in most of the feature fills, but these are considered to be residual as they are directly comparable to the narrow blade material found within the Mesolithic hut and its environs. The siting of Early Bronze Age cist burials in coastal locations is thought to reflect contemporary settlement on the coastal margin and its hinterland. With no Bronze Age dwelling sites known from this area, these cemeteries have an added significance as they provide indirect evidence for Bronze Age settlement on the North-East coastal plain.