"中国世界秩序"观之影响及其与中国古代边疆研究--费正清《中国世界秩序:中国传统的对外关系》读后

本文概述了费正清“中国世界秩序”观及其对西方中国近代史研究的影响,认为费氏的理论在中国边疆史地研究中也有着积极意义,特别是在中华民族共同意识和共同价值观的形成以及历代边疆的治理及中国疆域的确立等方面。     

古埃及人的数学成就

古埃及文明的重要成就之一就是科学技术发明 ,其中数学成就引人注目。从保留下来的纸草文献中 ,我们可以了解到古埃及人的数学知识相当丰富 ,他们的数学知识包括算术、代数和几何三个方面。古埃及人的数学产生于生活和实践 ,并广泛应用于生产实践 ,取得了辉煌的成就 ,对人类文明做出了重要贡献。     

"中国"与"天下"的重合:古代中国疆域形成的历史轨迹——古代中国疆域形成理论研究之六

本文主要从不同时期的疆域分布状况和观念变化等方面对古代中国疆域的形成过程进行了梳理。认为"中国"一词并非单纯的地域或文化观念,也有丰富的政治含义,其中围绕"中国"形成的"中国"为"天下"中心且据之可以成为正统王朝的观念对古代中国疆域的形成产生了重大影响。正是众多民族尤其是汉和北疆民族建立的王朝或政权不断争夺"中国",在导致现实中疆域分布格局不断出现分裂和统一反复交替的同时,直至清代理想中的以"中国"为核心大一统的"天下"和现实中的统一多民族国家终于实现了重合,古代中国的疆域也由此完成了凝聚的过程。     

早期越国都邑初探--关于古城遗址及龙山墓群的思考

越国建都会稽之前的早期越国都邑在何地有说在诸暨,也有说在萧山。根据太湖南岸,尤其是安吉古城遗址及其周围的古墓群等考古调查资料,结合史书关于吴越两国疆界及吴越罸李、夫椒两次战争等相关史料研究分析,早期越国都邑应该在古钱塘江以北的太湖南岸,秦汉时期的鄣郡郡治所在地,今安吉古城。     

中国古代社会保障思想与实践初探

中国几千年所遗留下来的社会保障思想有许多精华值得我们挖掘和继承,特别是其中的大同均平思想、以民为本思想、兼爱交利思想和仓储后备思想及其实践,尤其值得我们学习和借鉴。吸收古代社会保障中这些行之有效的思想和方法,将有助于我们构建中国特色的社会保障制度,保障基本民生。     

日本古代天皇制的形成及其政治结构刍议

日本古代天皇制的形成,启动于圣德太子改革,初步形成（模型化）于孝德天皇与天智天皇的大化改新时期,制度化于大化改新矛盾积累导致的“壬申之乱”后的天武天皇及其继任者持统、文武、元明天皇时期,中间走过了百年左右的曲折历程。圣德太子改革、大化改新、“壬申之乱”是日本古代天皇制形成的三部曲。从政治结构上看,古代天皇制具有明显的日本特色,它是中国式皇帝制与日本祭祀制的统一。古代天皇制特殊的政治结构对后来的日本政治文化传统产生了深远影响。     

贵州省图书馆古籍馆藏形成初详

贵州省图书馆现藏古籍二十多万册,几乎占全省古籍半数。其形成有自民初以来近百年历史,其中二十世纪五十年代是其形成黄金时期。本文结合馆藏档案并参考多种出版物,分阶段回顾其形成大略并作初步评析。     

Neolithic Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) from the Island of Gotland show early contacts with the Swedish mainland

Previous research probing early migrations and contacts in the Baltic Sea area is characterized by the analysis of different chronologies and subsistent strategies on all sides of the Sea. Several studies performed on artifact typology, ceramics, grave rituals and physical anthropology ended with varying results. Although the question of human origins remains inconclusive, in this study, we rely on the phylogeography of an animal associated with humans to elucidate findings regarding prehistoric human migration and contacts.Hedgehogs, along with other fauna on Gotland, were brought over to the island by humans. We examined hedgehog mitochondrial DNA from the Pitted Ware Culture (Middle Neolithic). The genetic signatures of the animals on the island were investigated to determine the animal’s origin.From the 23 bones originally examined, twelve bones from all five locations studied yielded reliable results and resembled published extant Erinaceus europaeus sequences from Sweden, Norway and Denmark. We postulate that a western heritage for the Neolithic hedgehogs on Gotland indicates early human contact with the Swedish mainland.     

Aspects of ancient Greek trade re-evaluated with amphora DNA evidence

Ancient DNA trapped in the matrices of ceramic transport jars from Mediterranean shipwrecks can reveal the goods traded in the earliest markets. Scholars generally assume that the amphora cargoes of 5th-3rd century B.C. Greek shipwrecks contained wine, or to a much lesser extent olive oil. Remnant DNA inside empty amphoras allows us to test that assumption. We show that short ∼100 nucleotides of ancient DNA can be isolated and analyzed from inside the empty jars from either small amounts of physical scrapings or material captured with non-destructive swabs. Our study material is previously inaccessible Classical/Hellenistic Greek shipwreck amphoras archived at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities in Athens, Greece. Collected DNA samples reveal various combinations of olive, grape, Lamiaceae herbs (mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage), juniper, and terebinth/mastic (genus Pistacia). General DNA targeting analyses also reveal the presence of pine (Pinus), and DNA from Fabaceae (Legume family); Zingiberaceae (Ginger family); and Juglandaceae (Walnut family). Our results demonstrate that amphoras were much more than wine containers. DNA shows that these transport jars contained a wide range of goods, bringing into question long-standing assumptions about amphora use in ancient Greece. Ancient DNA investigations open new research avenues, and will allow accurate reconstruction of ancient diet, medicinal compounds, value-added products, goods brought to market, and food preservation methods.     

Cats of the Pharaohs: Genetic Comparison of Egyptian Cat Mummies to their Feline Contemporaries

The ancient Egyptians mummified an abundance of cats during the Late Period (664 - 332 BC). The overlapping morphology and sizes of developing wildcats and domestic cats confounds the identity of mummified cat species. Genetic analyses should support mummy identification and was conducted on two long bones and a mandible of three cats that were mummified by the ancient Egyptians. The mummy DNA was extracted in a dedicated ancient DNA laboratory at the University of California - Davis, then directly sequencing between 246 and 402 bp of the mtDNA control region from each bone. When compared to a dataset of wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris, F. s. tristrami, and F. chaus) as well as a previously published worldwide dataset of modern domestic cat samples, including Egypt, the DNA evidence suggests the three mummies represent common contemporary domestic cat mitotypes prevalent in modern Egypt and the Middle East. Divergence estimates date the origin of the mummies' mitotypes to between two and 7.5 thousand years prior to their mummification, likely prior to or during Egyptian Predyanstic and Early Dynastic Periods. These data are the first genetic evidence supporting that the ancient Egyptians used domesticated cats, F. s. catus, for votive mummies, and likely implies cats were domesticated prior to extensive mummification of cats.