Human–environment interactions in medieval Poland: a perspective from the analysis of faunal stable isotope ratios

Stable isotope analyses of faunal remains provide valuable information about human–environment interactions in the past, including insights into past animal husbandry and land management strategies. Here, we report stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope values of collagen and carbonate from archaeological fauna from Ka?dus, a medieval settlement in North-Central Poland, to better understand human–environment interactions during a period of increasing urbanism and marketization. Wild and domestic animals can be separated on the basis of their isotopic values. The mean δ¹⁵N value for 12 domesticated animals is 7.6 ± 1.2‰ and for 5 wild animals is 4.3 ± 0.5‰ (p = 0.002). The mean collagen δ¹³C value for domesticated animals is −20.6 ± 1.1‰ and for wild animals is −22.0 ± 0.5‰ (p = 0.004). The mean carbonate δ¹³C value for domesticated animals is −13.14 ± 1.3‰ and for wild animals is −14.14 ± 0.9‰ (p = 0.034). The “canopy effect” and anthropogenic effects that alter stable isotope ratios of plants (manuring, swidden agriculture and ploughing) are discussed in relation to these differences. Fish are isotopically variable, which suggests broad-spectrum fishing strategies and/or trade, and increases our awareness of the difficulties in interpreting human paleodiet when freshwater fish were on the menu.     

Examination of some pigments,grounds and media from Egyptian cartonnage fragments in the Petrie Museum,University College London

A number of cartonnage fragments from the collections of the Petrie Museum, UCL, were examined to identify pigments, media and grounds. The different types of cartonnage made in ancient Egypt are reviewed. Special attention was paid to green pigments, which were shown to be of green earth, or a mixture of Egyptian blue and a yellow, usually goethite or orpiment. Green earth was found in one artefact, dated to the 9th century BC: all other examples were from the Graeco-Roman period. No copper-organometallic greens were present in the examples studied, or Egyptian green, or malachite. Binding media was identified both by ELISA and by GC/MS. A pink colourant was identified as madder, while lead white was used as a white in one example, showing the influence of Roman and Greek pigments on Egyptian art in these later periods. Plant gum, egg, and animal glue were found in different fragments, with mixed media in a few cases. Moganite was found associated with quartz in some preparatory layers by X-ray diffraction, which has not been reported previously as a constituent of ground layers in Egyptian artefacts.     

上海地区先秦时期动物考古研究的回顾与展望

该研究梳理和总结了上海地区先秦时期考古遗址的动物考古研究。目前,上海出土动物遗存且经过不同程度研究的遗址共有七处,动物遗存数据的再分析显示,从马家浜文化时期到马桥文化时期,上海地区先民因地制宜地利用当地环境中的野生动物资源,也小规模地饲养家猪、家犬作为肉食资源的补充。其中,在良渚文化时期,家猪饲养业稍有加强,但整体依然以野生动物资源的利用为主。上海动物资源利用的特征和历时性变化反映出了长江下游地区先秦时期先民典型的生计方式。在今后的动物考古研究中,新发现的数据及时公布、联动整个长江下游地区进行区域性讨论、同时引入更多样化的科技分析手段,将为进一步解读上海先民的动物资源利用情况、人地关系变化提供更多视角和见解。     

Hunting,gathering, fishing and herding: Animal exploitation in Sandy Flanders (NW Belgium) during the second half of the fifth millennium BC

Abstract

At Doel, in the lower basin of the river Scheldt, excavations have revealed camp sites of the Swifterbant culture dating back to the second half of the fifth millennium BC. They document the transition period from the Late Mesolithic to the Early Neolithic in Sandy Flanders (NW Belgium). The sites were situated on the top of sandy ridges which were covered with an alluvial hardwood forest vegetation and surrounded by wetlands. Only burnt animal remains survived at the sites, illustrating (seasonal) fishing and hunting. In addition, botanical evidence indicates the herding of domestic mammals. The finds are of importance for the reconstruction of the chronological development of the food economy of the Swifterbant culture.     

Carnem et circenses – consumption of animals and their products in Roman urban and military sites in two regions in the northwestern provinces

This paper investigates the consumption of animals and their products in the northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire. A regional approach was used, comparing two research areas: the northern part of modern Switzerland and the central part of the modern Netherlands. These two regions have different histories, backgrounds and landscapes. Our aim was to find out whether these different histories and backgrounds led to different consumption patterns and to what extent they correspond to Roman-style nutrition. Furthermore, we looked for developments over time in consumption of meat and exploitation of livestock. A data set consisting of over 282,000 fragments of cattle, sheep/goat and pig from 188 samples from military sites, urban centres and vici was collected. Our study identified both differences and similarities in consumption and exploitation patterns. Differences can be explained by the regional character of each research area, while similarities suggest wider economic developments in the Empire and general supply strategies of the Roman army.     

‘Cuteifying’ spaces and staging marine animals for Chinese middle-class consumption

ABSTRACT

In this paper, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai is considered an aestheticised space for the growing Chinese middle class. Located within the booming and fast-urbanising Pearl River Delta, the theme park is a sizeable project consisting of rides, marine mammal enclosures and a well-equipped state-of-the-art circus. Utilising ethnography, including visitor interviews, and discourse analysis of websites, mobile apps and promotional materials, the theme park is found to deploy animal motifs in three key ways: as spectacular backdrops for amusement rides, as objects of biodiversity-based edutainment and as highly personified agents in visitor relations. Building on existing literature on decontextualised animal display – where emphasis on the provision of a natural habitat is replaced by simulated and actual proximity of animals to the visitors – I argue that the ‘out-of-situ’, cuteified and hyperreal stagings of Chimelong's animals have been shaped by two further China-specific processes. The first is the engagement with the theme park space as a sanitised and safe environment for a then one-child policy inspired child-centred visitation. The second refers to the retail-oriented consumerist experiences demonstrated by the new Chinese middle class. Both processes have brought about an aestheticising endeavour in line with the idealisation of other (Chinese) middle-class spaces, and have positioned Chinese theme parks as key nodes in our understanding of leisure and tourism spaces and of middle-class landscapes in contemporary China. Such an examination is made at a juncture where and when abuse of marine mammals is allegedly on the rise, and sheds light on the social processes shaping the popularity of such experiences in contemporary China.     

中国古代石雕论——石兽、石人与石佛

In China, during the Han dynasty, large-scale, three-dimensional stone sculpture appeared. Stone animals and stone human figures were erected in front of tombs and on their approach routes. Chinese art, which had long loathed realistic representation of human body, began to turn towards the human body. However, these stone human figures were cloaked in thick garments, and their expression was nothing more than generalized surface treatments. In the first half of the 5^th century, Chinese stone sculpture met an unprecedented foreign influence in its encounter with Buddhist art, and there was a rapid development of human figural sculpture via Buddhist sculptures. In the Tang dynasty, a Chinese style of Buddhist sculpture, fitted with both bodily expression and decorative qualities, matured. On the other hand, the erection of stone sculptures and steles spread in the general classes and in regional areas, given the undercurrent of China＇ s native preference for, and reverence of, jade. Chinese stone sculpture developed amidst a repetition of being greatly swayed by the ＂foreign＂ and held back by the ＇traditional.＇ In the history of Chinese stone sculpture, it was always foreign cultures that brought the opportunity for the birth of new changes.     

河北省石家庄市石邑城遗址出土动物遗存的初步研究

文章以石邑城遗址2017年出土的动物骨骼遗存为研究对象,应用种属鉴定、量化统计、年龄结构分析等方法讨论了石邑城遗址先民对动物资源的利用模式;并结合发掘区是手工业区的性质探讨了石邑城遗址先民制骨手工业的生产方式及其特征。