Middle Pleistocene bird consumption at Level XI of Bolomor Cave (Valencia, Spain)

The consumption of small prey dates back to the Plio-Pleistocene chronologies in some African sites. However, the systematic acquisition and consumption of small prey in the pre-Upper Palaeolithic times is still a highly debated topic in Europe. Although the utilization of leporids has been recorded in several pre-Late Pleistocene European sites, the evidence of bird consumption is not as common for these periods. Nevertheless, Level XI (MIS 6) of Bolomor Cave has clear diagnostic elements to document the acquisition and use of birds (Aythya sp.) for food in the form of: (1) cutmarks on bones of both the front and hind limb; (2) presence of burning patterns on the extremities of the bones (areas of the skeleton with less meat); and (3) human toothmarks on limb bones. The capture of birds is classified as quick-flying game in the archaeological sites. The acquiring of fast-running (mostly lagomorphs) and quick-flying small prey requires a sophisticated technology and involves obtaining and processing ways different from those used for large- and medium-sized animals. From this perspective, the aim of this paper is to examine possible patterns in the processing sequence of birds from Level XI of Bolomor Cave and to improve the data on their butchery and human consumption in the Middle Pleistocene of Iberian Peninsula.     

Prehistoric hand stencils at Fern Cave, North Queensland (Australia): environmental and chronological implications of Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR imaging results

Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR imaging analyses of cave wall pigment samples from north Queensland (Australia) indicate that some hand stencils were undertaken during a dry environmental phase indicating late Holocene age. Other, earlier painting episodes also took place during dry environmental periods of the terminal Pleistocene and/or early Holocene. These results represent a rare opportunity to attain chronological information for rock art in conditions where insufficient carbon is present for radiocarbon dating.     

Cave sediments,upper pleistocene stratigraphy and mousterian facies in Cantabrian Spain

Archaeological sediments are analysed from karst cave columns in Cantabrian Spain: Cueva Morín, El Pendo, the Castillo cave complex (including La Flecha, Las Chimeneas, La Pasiega, Las Monedas), Hornos de la Peña and Cobalejos. External sediment influx, including loess, is calibrated by an index of cave and slope run-off energy, while other features (slope and roof rubble, chemical precipitates, cryoturbations, fine soil derivatives, and cultural components) are discussed. The key sequences (Morín, El Pendo, Castillo) are each interpreted in local terms and then combined into a regional climatostratigraphy that includes 40 environmental phases within deep-sea isotope stages 2–5. Trends in run-off energy (reflecting slope stability), temperature, and summer-moisture are rarely in phase, indicating complex environmental change. Mid-Pleistocene and older deposits exist but have largely been destroyed, explaining the apparent absence of Acheulian settlement. Mousterian occupation is verified by isotope stage 5b, and two or three Mousterian facies that span 25–50,000 years are coeval in several caves, regardless of the direction of climatic oscillations. This suggests the flexible lithic technology of a single population, maintaining an adaptive steady state despite repeated environmental changes. By contrast, the distinct upper palaeolithic industries each span only a few millennia, but in part overlap temporally within the region between 35,000 and 9500 bp.     

清末民初西布特哈地区教育问题述略——以《档案史料选编·黑龙江少数民族》为中心

光绪三十二年（1906）,清政府以嫩江为界,将原布特哈八旗分为东、西两路,始有“西布特哈”之称。清末民初西布特哈地区的教育问题,实质上就是这一地区达斡尔、鄂温克族的民族教育问题。本文以地方官员对西布特哈教育的关注及西布特哈地区教育的民族因素等主要问题为门径,揭示清末民初东北边疆地区特有的少数民族地区教育的发展规律,分析西布特哈地区文化发展的内涵及其社会发展问题。     

辉县琉璃阁甲乙墓出土铜器的科学分析研究

辉县琉璃阁甲乙二墓出土铜器是研究东周时期铜器文化特征、制作技术以及与周边列国的相互关系等学术问题的重要资料.为进一步揭示甲乙墓出土铜器包涵的科学信息,本文对河南博物院馆藏部分甲乙墓出土铜器进行了科学分析检测.结果显示,甲乙墓出土铜器的材质以铜铅锡三元合金为主,部分兵器、车马器为铜锡二元合金,两类材质的合金化程度均较高.铜器的合金成分与器物类型之间的关系明显,显示制作者已能根据青铜器的用途而选择合适的制作材料,代表了较高的青铜冶铸技术水平.     

一位文武兼备的武昌首义豪杰——席正铭及其《冷冷山人集》

席正铭聪颖好学,胸怀大志,在贵阳陆军小学读书时便阅读革命书刊。立志反清。在武昌陆军第三中学期间,组织学生二百多人加入同盟会。武昌起义枪声打响后,他组织600多人的学生军,自任总队长,参加武装战斗。后又追随孙中山,参加反袁斗争;投身护法军政府,受命为黔军总司令。不幸被奸人诱杀。留有诗集一部,是住文武兼备的将军。     

Low regional diversity of late cave bears mitochondrial DNA at the time of Chauvet Aurignacian paintings

The Chauvet-Pont d'Arc and Deux-Ouvertures caves, located along the Ardèche River (France), contain abundant remains of the extinct cave bear (Ursus spelaeus). Because they also display a variety of Palaeolithic anthropogenic evidences, such as the earliest charcoal drawings recorded to date (Chauvet-Pont d'Arc), and delicate engravings (Deux-Ouvertures), they offer the opportunity of studying the interaction between animals and human beings during a key period for Pleistocene species extinctions. We characterized cave bear specimens from these two sites by radiocarbon dating, stable isotopes, and mitochondrial DNA analysis. In Chauvet-Pont d'Arc, we obtained radiocarbon ages that ranged between 29,000 and 37,300 years before present (BP). The Deux-Ouvertures cave bear specimens clustered to the bottom of this time frame, returning radiocarbon ages of 27,440–30,220 years BP. Cave bear nitrogen isotope values were all compatible with a vegetarian diet. Mitochondrial DNA analysis, carried out on a highly variable domain of the control region, evidenced only two cave bear haplotypes, including a new haplotype, and a common one which largely predominated. We detected both haplotypes in Chauvet-Pont d'Arc, but only recorded the predominant one in the Deux-Ouvertures Cave. Our data put forward the surprising observation that cave bears inhabited Ardèche over a short period of time, from about 37,000 to 27,400 years BP. They were notably present during the first (Aurignacian) phase of human intrusions in Chauvet-Pont d'Arc, 30,000–32,000 years BP. This points to the possible competition for cave sites, presumably on a seasonal scale considering the cave bear habit for hibernation. During this time period, the small number of haplotypes is at variance with the extensive genetic diversity reported elsewhere for much more ancient specimens.     

The taphonomy and palaeoenvironmental implications of the small mammals from Karain Cave,Turkey

The small mammal accumulations in the Pleistocene deposits of Karain Cave are investigated to identify the predators and possible biases in the fossil assemblages. Seven small mammal assemblages are studied in chronological order from two chambers of the cave, the main chamber E and the side chamber B. The lowermost level within the whole sequence is Proto-Charentien, which corresponds to an early stage of the Middle Palaeolithic. The main part of the material belongs to Middle Palaeolithic layers. The most important aspect of the fossil record in the cave is the human occupation without any interruption through the Pleistocene to Holocene. The small mammal fossil evidence in the cave denotes the presence of opportunistic predators throughout the sequence with one exception, and these produce balanced samples of small mammal faunas in the habitat. The lack of bias in the small mammal faunas allow the interpretation of local environments, showing that partial steppe and arid conditions existed during deposition of the lowermost levels of the Middle Palaeolithic in Karain Cave and that these shifted into more temperate and wooded habitat in the upper levels. Evidence from the side chamber indicates some differences, with a more open grassy environment. In the Mediterranean part of Anatolia the temperate and moist conditions in the Middle Palaeolithic were superseded by more arid conditions in the Upper Palaeolithic, followed by a decrease in steppe conditions during the Epi-Palaeolithic period.     

潮湿环境下古象牙的现场提取与保护——以三星堆遗址三号坑出土象牙为例

2020年10月,三星堆遗址新发现祭祀坑正式启动考古发掘工作。随着发掘工作的推进,大量象牙相继出土。由于长期埋藏于潮湿的地下环境,象牙基本处于饱水状态,保存状况较差。为了使象牙保持相对稳定的状态,在考古发掘现场针对不同象牙的发掘情况,采用高分子绷带进行固形处理,然后整体提取回实验室清理。清理完成的象牙,经过保湿杀菌处理后存放至低温高湿专用库房。三星堆遗址三号祭祀坑出土象牙的成功提取与保护,表明医用高分子绷带具有超越石膏提取法的应用优势,对类似出土遗物的现场保护工作有一定的借鉴作用。     

石窟岩体稳定性监测系统应用与研究

石窟岩体不稳定病害是威胁石窟安全的主要问题之一,需实时对石窟类岩体稳定性变化进行监测,获得的大量基础数据,可进一步验证和校核石窟类岩体保护的各种数学模型的有效性、可靠性。本研究以云冈石窟作为研究对象,探索各种监测手段在石窟岩体稳定性分析评价中的应用。成功地引入工程安全监测中的分析方法,研发了石窟岩体稳定性监测数据分析系统,对岩体表面变形、危岩体倾斜及岩体表面温度场分布等与岩体稳定性密切相关的因素进行了探索性应用研究。本研究促进了文物保护与其他专业学科的交叉与融合,加强了我国石窟文物保护的科技支撑能力。