Towards an archaeology and geography of Second World War German munitions storage sites in north-west Europe

This paper reviews the signature characteristics of extant Second World War German army munitions storage landscapes in forested areas of north-west Europe with particular reference to sites in north-west France and the Netherlands. Archaeological survey, aerial photographs and documentary archives show the geography of munitions sites exhibit a regulated pattern of bunker disposition and spacing that is adapted to local road configurations and terrain. Non-hardened bunkers form the predominant feature in munitions depots and conform to a five-/six-fold typology defined by non-invasive survey and excavated examples from the Netherlands. The typology reflects an evolution of storage protocols towards all-round protection from the effects of weather and blast, but also reveals variation in size, structural characteristics and function that poses questions for further study. It is anticipated that these results will be of diagnostic value in future Second World War conflict archaeological survey of German military support structures in formerly occupied territories.     

The Series Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature

A combined review of three volumes in the series Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature. If these volumes intend to give an impression of the discussion among scholars of the Deuteronomistic History, and of the composition of the Pentateuch, the series is a failure, presenting mostly one side of the debate. On the other hand, the articles on the ancient reception history (nothing modern here) are excellent introductions into that discussion.     

Latest developments in rock art recording: towards an integral documentation of Levantine rock art sites combining 2D and 3D recording techniques

This paper presents a further step in the integral documentation of prehistoric rock art, combining 2D and 3D digital recording techniques. Image processing and digital enhancement techniques are an invaluable aid to obtain high quality and accurate 2D recordings, especially when working with faint motifs or complex superimpositions. But what constitutes a real breakthrough is the possibility of combining 2D digital tracings with metric 3D models, providing a whole set of metric outputs that improve our understanding of the motifs in their context and, at the same time, can be used to deliver accurate metric reproductions.     

Experimental study of the effect of variation in in‐situ stress on capillary residual trapping during CO2 geo‐sequestration in sandstone reservoirs

During a geo‐sequestration process, CO₂ injection causes an increase in reservoir pore pressure, which in turn decreases the reservoir net effective stress. Changes in effective stress can change all the reservoir and cap‐rock properties including residual saturations. This article presents the results of an experimental work carried out to understand the potential change in the volumes of residually trapped CO₂, while the porous medium tested underwent change in the net effective stress under in‐situ reservoir conditions of pore pressure and temperature. The experimental results obtained show that an initial 1725 psi (11.9 MPa) decrease in the net effective pressure caused 1.4% reduction in the volumes of residually trapped CO₂, while another 1500 psi (10.3 MPa) reduction caused a further 3.2% drop in the residual saturation of CO₂.     

扬州甘泉山二号墓年代献疑

根据墓葬形制和随葬品特征,可以推定扬州甘泉山二号墓主是东汉晚期而不是东汉早期的广陵王。文献记载也表明,终东汉之世,广陵国的王国地位始终保持,附近发现的"广陵王玺"金印为东汉晚期或使用至东汉晚期的可能性都存在。     

Ceremonial objects or household items? Non‐destructive μ‐XRD2 and μ‐XRF studies on three Neolithic hematite axes from Qatar

Three small stone axes were collected by the joint Qatari‐German South Qatar Survey Project (SQSP) at two places close to the eastern and western coast of Qatar in autumn 2012. Associated with settlement remains, flint artefacts and pieces of ?Ubaid pottery, the implements have been dated to the fifth millennium BCE. Non‐destructive μ‐XRD² and μ‐XRF analyses could, for the first time, prove the use of hematite as the raw material for the manufacture of these tools in Arabia. The absence of major hematite sources in the region and the special characteristics of hematite — a unique metallic shine of polished pieces and the blood‐red colour that appears during the manufacturing process — suggest the highly symbolic character of these objects.     

Acheulean variability and hominin dispersals: a model-bound approach

Understanding the pattern of hominin dispersal is a fundamental component of Palaeolithic archaeology and palaeoanthropology. A widely held assumption is that bifacial handaxe (i.e. Acheulean or ‘Mode 2’) technologies evolved in Africa and dispersed into northern and western Eurasia via subsequent hominin migrations. To date, however, few formal tests of this hypothesis have been presented. Here, we use a combination of morphometrics, cultural transmission theory, and a dispersal model drawn from population genetics in order to test this hypothesis. The iterative founder effect (repeated bottlenecking) model is assumed to be supported if a significant inverse relationship is found between geographic distance from source along an estimated dispersal route and within-assemblage variance. The results of our analyses support the hypothesis that Acheulean technologies evolved in Africa and dispersed with migrating hominin populations into northern and western Eurasia under the assumptions of this iterative founder effect model. Based on our results we suggest that the occurrence of certain Mode 1 technologies such as those east of the Movius Line, and some assemblages assigned to the Clactonian of Britain, plausibly represent instances where effective population sizes in colonising populations dropped below levels where Mode 2 technologies could be maintained.     

A new map of Qâni’ (Yemen)

Qâni’, the main seaport for the export of goods from South Arabia, was founded by the Hadramawt kingdom in the first century BC. A geomorphological survey and a general surface reconnaissance of Qâni’ have revealed a new image of the site. Originally a royal entrepôt in a fortress on an ancient island, separated from the mainland by a silted channel lined with a mangrove forest, Qâni’ gradually grew and spread around the beach fronting the mooring place of the trade ships that arrived by sea. Sacred spaces, cemeteries, dwellings and trade quarters appear to be well‐defined areas forming a real town within the limits imposed by the surrounding sea.     

保存液Ph值和钙离子浓度对古尸骨组织脱钙的影响

为了检测保存液pH值和Ca2 浓度对古尸骨组织脱钙的影响,本实验于2002年检测了古尸保存液的pH值和微量元素含量,然后分两步调整了马王堆古尸保存液的pH值和Ca2 浓度,并分别于2004年、2006年进行了相同检测。结果发现适当上调保存液的pH值和Ca2 浓度能明显延缓古尸保存液中Ca2 浓度的增加:而保持适当的pH值、适当降低Ca2 浓度明显加速了古尸保存液中Ca2 浓度的增加。这些表明保存液pH值和Ca2 浓度的适当提高有利于防止古尸骨组织的脱钙。