Ultramicroscopic investigation of the preservation status of hair collected from a full‐term,intrauterine baby mummy of the Joseon Dynasty,Korea

Our previous studies on the ultramicroscopic structure of mummy hair from Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) tombs sealed with a lime‐soil mixture barrier (LSMB) have provided initial, basic information on their preservation status. Numerous additional cases of various conditions are required in order to provide data sufficient for establishing Korean mummy preservation patterns on a firm basis, however, and so we performed electron microscopic studies on hair taken from a full‐term, intrauterine baby mummy found in Paju, Korea. The baby mummy was found within the uterus of a 16th‐century mummified woman aged 20–30 years old. Since the labour and delivery stage for this case was 2, and the uterus was found to be ruptured, the cause of death of both the mother and the baby was likely to have been hypovolemic shock occurring during labour. In scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies, we found that the surface of the hair of the baby mummy was coated with crystalline substances, mainly on the side facing the vaginal orifice. We also observed well‐preserved cuticle, cortex and medullar layers, completely preserved cuticle‐layer scales, as well as macrofibrils and melanin granules evenly spread within the cuticle and cortex layers. Because studies on infant or subadult mummies are very few, and since they have focused mainly on the palaeopathological aspects of those mummies, the preservation pattern of the hair of a full‐term baby mummy could contribute significantly to our knowledge of mummies from around the world. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EVALUATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL LAYERS AIDED BY SPECTROMETRY AND ROBOTICS*

All archaeologists have faced the problem of interpreting stratigraphy. While this task can sometimes be very clear and unambiguous, this is far from always being the case. Because human beings are limited in their appreciation of soil by subjectivity and by the ability of their senses, it can be useful to turn to technology for help. Here, we present our research on the characterization of archaeological soils by spectrometric analyses, and we demonstrate the perspectives offered by robotics to excavate in fieldwork and to record the stiffness of the earth.     

Variability in cementum deposition in springbok from the South African Cape

Over the past two decades, cementum increment analysis has played an important role in determining the season of death of ungulates at archaeological sites in many parts of the world, but its potential to address questions of seasonality in South African prehistory has remained largely unexplored. The ability to determine the seasonality of hunting practices would prove an important asset to understanding the foraging strategies and mobility patterns of Middle and Later Stone Age people in this region. A sample of springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) of known date-of-death was collected from the South African Cape, a region across which three different rainfall regimes are represented. This study documents a very general correspondence between rainfall patterns and cementum development in springbok but also a level of variability that exceeds that observed by studies in other regions. In two sub-samples in which the sex of all individuals is known, cementum deposition among females is more strongly correlated with season of death than it is among males. This difference may reflect the social organization of springbok. The findings for springbok highlight the complexity of applying cementum increment analysis to archaeological studies not only on the Cape but also in regions of similar climatic variability.     

A scientific study of Choson white ware: early porcelain from a royal kiln at Kwangju Usanni

Scientific study of kiln site no. 9 at Usanni, one of the earliest royal Kwangju kiln complexes in operation (from the early 15th to the early 16th century), shows that the technological expertise used to produce white ware was inherited from the celadon technology of the Koryo dynasty. The body material, of low Al₂O₃ and high SiO₂ content, is based on porcelain stone. Such a material, with almost no titanium and a low level of iron, was a rediscovery of the white ware material used earlier at the Sori kiln from the 9th century through to the 11th century. Ash continued to be one of the major ingredients of the glaze, and wares were fired in much the same way as the Koryo celadon, in kilns constructed of mud and rocks and in two steps. The Confucian philosophy and aesthetic of frugality and simplicity adopted from the Ming dynasty onwards by the new government acted as the catalyst for the successful ascent of the new technology.     

A New Methodology for the Provenance of Marble Based on EPR Spectroscopy

Fifteen years of research in investigating the characteristics of the EPR spectra of different types of white marble from several quarries in the Eastern Mediterranean has produced an accumulation of a large number of data, and much experience. Statistical treatment of these EPR data (statistical distributions and parameter correlations), has led to the selection of 10 parameters that are useful for quarry discrimination. Apart from the EPR parameters, the maximum grain size, measured with a stereomicroscope, has been found very useful. Boxplots have been found to be very useful as a first easy visual tool for evaluating the discrimination capacity of each parameter. On the basis of these results, a new methodology for determining the provenance of an archaeological sample was developed in stages, using a different pair or combination of parameters each time. In the first stage, the Penteli, Naxos, Hymettus and Proconnessus quarries are completely separated from each other. However, overlapping occurs between the parameter fields of Paros and Proconnessus, Paros and Hymettus and between the two archaic quarries of Melanes and Apollon on Naxos. If the sample is located in a non‐overlapping area, its provenance is obvious and easily determined. If the sample lies in one of the above three overlapping areas, an additional stage is necessary, in which other parameters are used to eliminate or decrease the overlap. Despite the partial overlapping of Paros with other quarries, the famous Lychnites marble of Paros, which was quarried underground, is clearly distinguished.     

Human mummified brain from a medieval tomb with lime‐soil mixture barrier of the Joseon Dynasty,Korea

Although all of the Korean medieval mummies found up to the present time have shown relatively well‐preserved brains, relevant biomedical information has been difficult to acquire owing to the obstacles to obtaining permission to conduct invasive investigations. However, recently we were able to secure permission to investigate, through various forms of examination including dissection, a well‐preserved brain found in a lime‐soil mixture barrier (LSMB) tomb in Yongin, Korea, because the remains found within the tomb were mostly skeletal. As in the cases of mummified brains from tombs found in other countries, the current Yongin case showed well‐preserved grey and white matter within well demarcated brain lobes, on which sulci and gyri could be identified. On histological examination, we found that the remaining brain tissue was composed mainly of lipids, which seems to correspond to the preserved myelin sheath. The present paper is the first report on the general preservation status of a mummified brain found in Korea. Moreover, because mummified brains are found quite frequently in LSMB medieval tombs, this study could provide a good basis upon which further such palaeo‐neuropathological studies can be progressed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A RE-EVALUATION of the RED and BLACK BOWL FROM PARKER'S EXCAVATIONS IN JERUSALEM

Summary: An unusual red and black bowl was found in Parker's excavations in Jerusalem at the beginning of the century. There has been no agreement as to the provenience of the bowl, the most common opinion being that it was a Cypriot import dating to Middle Bronze I age. an Archaeological re-appraisal and Archaeometric examinations of the bowl and selected additional pottery from the same excavation revealed that the bowl is clearly of local manufacture and has no pertinence to the foreign relations of the Land of Israel during the Middle Bronze I age.     

Feeding the Crusades: Archaeobotany,Animal Husbandry and Livestock Alimentation on the Baltic Frontier

ABSTRACT

The integrated results of micromorphology, plant macrofossil, pollen, phytolith, and non-pollen palynomorph analyses represent an important study of two thirteenth-century Teutonic Order castles at Karksi (Livonia), and Elbl?g (Prussia). The research examines deposits that formed during the period of active crusading. At Karksi, the investigation of a midden and of the organic-rich sediment beneath allows the diachronic use of this area to be understood. Freshwater aquatic indicators are consistent with the occurrence of shallow stagnant water, as also suggested by a waterlaid pond sediment identified in thin-section. Coprophilous spore taxa suggest the use of the pond as a watering hole. Plant macrofossils from the midden represent a range of habitats, mostly from wet/damp areas, as well as pastures and meadows, and also woodlands. Fragments of millet are embedded within herbivore dung in thin-section showing the use of this grain as fodder. At Elbl?g, parasite ova may derive from animal feces as they also occur in the dung observed in thin-section, and a range of coprophilous fungal spore taxa were extracted. The results reveal information about the range of livestock that the Teutonic Knights kept, whereabouts within the castles the animals were stabled, and what fodder was used.