Morphometric identification of bovid metapodials to genus and implications for taxon-free habitat reconstruction

Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of measurements on twelve metacarpal and ten metatarsal dimensions indicates that metapodials differ much more in size than in shape among the twenty-three genera of extant Sub-Saharan bovids. The only conspicuous shape variation is in metapodial length, which sometimes differs significantly among genera that are similar in all other dimensions. It follows that Discriminant Analysis (DA) intended to identify metapodials to genus will depend primarily on size, and except for the occasional like-sized genera that differ in metapodial length, DA will often confuse genera of similar size. DA of the same metapodials subjected to PCA supports this prediction. PCA further shows that bovid species that favor the same habitat often differ in metapodial size, shape, or both, and species that favor different habitats often overlap substantially in their metapodial morphometrics. DA intended to assign metapodials to habitat will thus produce different results depending on the species used to characterize each habitat type and on the number of specimens by which each species is represented. Habitat reconstruction founded in DA is therefore taxon dependent rather than taxon-free, and it cannot supplant reconstruction based on taxonomic identifications below the family level.     

Distinguishing between archaeological sheep and goat bones using a single collagen peptide

We describe a method of isolating and analyzing a single collagen peptide able to distinguish between sheep and goat bone collagen. The 33 amino acid peptide from both sheep and goat collagen was sequenced and shown to differ between the two species at two positions. Analysis of a range of caprines indicated that the sequence changes occurred between the divergence of the Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) and the ibex (Capra ibex) and that the proposed goat marker is diagnostic of all Capra species and breeds. The survival of these markers in archaeological bones was tested using a set of 26 ovicaprid specimens from Domuztepe, a Neolithic site in south central Turkey. These markers were used to test the osteological determination of 24 of the Domuztepe bones, and determine the species for two immature specimens. The collagen-peptide method has advantages over other non-morphological methods of sheep/goat distinction because of the long-term survival of collagen over other biomolecules such as ancient DNA. The results also highlighted the problems in relying upon one morphological criterion, in this case on the distal radius, to distinguish between sheep and goat bones.     

偏光显微粉末法在秦俑、汉阳陵颜料鉴定中的应用

为探索偏光显微粉末法在颜料鉴定中的应用,利用该方法并辅以显微化学法,对采自秦俑和汉阳陵等地颜料的晶体颗粒的大小、形状、颜色、表面形态、折射率、双折射率和消光性等光学性质分别进行了测定。结果表明,鉴定出秦俑样品中有10种颜料,汉阳陵中有5种颜料,且秦俑的紫色颜料中加入的朱砂与汉阳陵相比颗料较大数量也较多。说明了该方法可鉴别古代无机和有机颜料,并可望用于岩石、陶瓷、锈蚀物等方面的分析。     

新疆帕米尔吉尔赞喀勒拜火教墓地出土纺织品分析检测

受中国社会科学院考古所新疆考古队委托,纺织品文物保护国家文物局重点科研基地(中国丝绸博物馆)对新疆帕米尔吉尔赞喀勒拜火教墓地出土纺织品进行分析检测。采用形貌观测、高效液相色谱质谱联用技术、组织结构观测等方法对样本进行了纤维鉴别、染料测试、组织结构分析,从中发现的纤维品种包括桑蚕丝、毛,染料品种包括西茜草、靛青、黄檗等,织物品种包括毛罽、编织物、绢等。结合历史考古资料对上述分析检测结果进行解读,大量的毛纺织品表明在距今2500年前的帕米尔高原,纺织品具有明显的西域当地性,而具有典型汉文化特色的桑蚕丝和黄檗体现了与中原地区的文化和技术交流。     

Use of vegetative remains in the identification of dyeplants from waterlogged 9th–10th century AD deposits at York

Vegetative remains of four dyeplants (Rubia tinctorum L., Genista tinctoria L., Diphasium complanatum (L.) Rothm. and Isatis tinctoria L.) found in 9th–10th century deposits at York, are described in detail. A fifth species (Reseda luteola L.), so far only found as seeds, is also described.     

Fiber-Based Modeling of Circular Reinforced Concrete Bridge Columns

This article presents the application of fiber-based analysis to predict the nonlinear response of reinforced concrete bridge columns. Specifically considered are predictions of overall force-deformation hysteretic response and strain gradients in plastic hinge regions. This article discusses the relative merits of force-based and displacement-based fiber elements, and proposes a technique for prediction of nonlinear strain distribution based on the modified compression field theory. The models are compared with static and dynamic test data and recommendations are made for fiber-based modeling of RC bridge columns.     

Flax look‐alikes: Pitfalls of ancient plant fibre identification

Plant fibres have been used since ancient times in numerous applications ranging from nets and basketry to textiles for clothing. A proper identification of plant fibre remains in archaeological excavations provides important information about resource exploitation and agriculture. In order to identify plant fibres, a series of fibre features—cross‐section diameter, lumen diameter, dislocations (nodes), cross markings, cross‐section shape and lumen shape—have been defined and characteristic traits of these features for different fibre types established. How suitable these traits really are for fibre identification has been a matter of debate. To resolve this issue, we have performed a systematic investigation of typical textile bast fibres: flax, nettle and hemp. We have investigated cross‐section diameter, lumen diameter, dislocations (nodes) and cross markings using standard compound, white light transmission microscopy. Our investigations show that all the traits that are considered characteristic for one type of plant fibre can also, on occasion, be found in other types. This demonstrates that an investigation of the traits listed above is not sufficient to ensure a correct identification of the plant fibre material; in particular, when only a small amount of material is available. This is often the case in archaeological excavations.     

不成熟粟、黍的植物考古学意义——粟的作物加工实验

我们在一个现代村落进行了一次传统方式的粟的早期作物加工实验,结果显示在收割的粟中含有相当比重的不成熟粟,这些不成熟粟经过脱粒和扬场等加工程序后,与其它作物加工的副产品一起被去除(作为燃料或者禽畜饲料)。类似的作物加工副产品也可以推测存在于黍的加工过程中。这一研究为植物考古样品中不成熟粟、黍的鉴定提供了一个参考标准。不成熟粟、黍是中国新石器和青铜时代植物考古样品中常见的组成部分,根据此次实验结果,我们提出了一些可供参考的鉴定标准,并用来自山东和河南的植物考古样品举例说明。我们认为种子形态而不是种子大小在粟的鉴定过程中起决定性作用。那些整体形状呈圆形,胚区呈窄卵形,胚区长约占种子长5/6的种子,即便很小,很扁,甚至像被"挤压"过,都可以鉴定为粟。尽管不成熟粟根据其成熟程度可以区分为不同的类别,但由于他们都集中在早期作物加工废弃物内,因此他们在解释作物加工方面的意义是相同的。另外,这一研究还肯定了在植物考古研究中不成熟粟类作物和成熟粟类作物的比例可以用来探讨作物加工对考古遗址中以粟类作物为主的植物遗存的形成过程的影响。     

袁世凯蓝呢礼服上蓝色染料的分析研究

文中采用拉曼光谱分析法和薄层色谱法,对河南博物院院藏衰世凯蓝呢礼服上蓝色染料的化学成分进行了分析.研究结果显示,衰世凯蓝呢礼服上蓝色染料的化学成分为合成靛蓝,说明了合成靛蓝染色布料在当时中国已经开始出现,这在科技史和考古学上具有重要意义.     

Fish ’n chips: ZooMS peptide mass fingerprinting in a 96 well plate format to identify fish bone fragments

Fish are a large, highly diverse, and anthropologically important group of vertebrates. However, fish bones are underrepresented in the archaeological literature because they are less stable than those of other taxa and identification of bone to species is often difficult or impossible. We explore a new identification system, ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry), which is based upon protein barcoding. As proteins can be cleaved enzymatically and analyzed by mass spectrometry in a repeatable way, protein barcoding is used widely in microbiological contexts for quick and inexpensive protein identification; mass spectra reflect the differences in protein sequence and can therefore be reproducibly linked to a particular protein or protein fragment. ZooMS uses peptide fingerprinting of bone collagen as a method for rapid identification of archaeological bone. This has involved the identification of masses related to peptides of known sequence. For mammals, sufficient sequence information is available for this approach but for groups, such the teleost fish, species are highly diverse and there are few available collagen sequences. Here we report a preliminary investigation into the identification of fish species by peptide mass fingerprinting that does not require sequence information. Collagen mass spectra are used to identify eight species of bony fishes (Osteichthyes) from four orders: Clupeiformes, Salmoniformes, Gadiformes, and Perciformes. The method is applied to both modern and archaeological fish remains and offers the capacity to identify traditionally unidentifiable fish fragments, thus increasing the Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) and providing invaluable information in specialized contexts.