The origins of lithic projectile point technology: evidence from Africa,the Levant,and Europe

Projectile weaponry is a human cultural universal, but its origins and antiquity remain poorly understood. Stone- and bone-tipped projectile weapons have long been treated as emergent features of the "Upper Paleolithic" behavioral revolution. Recently it has been proposed that projectile technology was in widespread use among Homo sapiens populations in Africa during Middle Stone Age (MSA) times. One obstacle to researching the origins of projectile point technology is that the criteria archaeologists employ for recognizing plausible and implausible stone projectile points are largely subjective (overall tool shape, microwear traces). Tip cross-sectional area (TCSA) is a ballistically significant dimension that works well at discriminating North American stone projectile points (spearthrower dart tips and arrowheads) from spear points. This paper compares the TCSA values of ethnographic North American stone projectile points to hypothetical Middle and Upper Paleolithic stone projectile points from Africa, the Levant, and Europe. The results of this comparison do not support the hypothesis of widespread use of stone-tipped projectiles in Africa, the Levant, or Europe prior to 40 Ka. In the New World and in Australia, where we have the richest ethnographic record of stone projectile point use, these implements are largely employed in big-game hunting and in warfare. One or both of these factors may have played a role in the widespread adoption of stone projectile point technology after 40 Ka.     

Pigment analysis in Bronze Age Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean painted plaster by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was used in the examination of Bronze Age painted plaster samples from several sites in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. The elemental content of paint materials was determined in most cases leading to the identification of the pigment used in agreement with data from analyses of the same samples with other established techniques. The analyses demonstrate that a virtually non-destructive technique such as LIBS provides sufficient data for the elemental characterisation of painting materials while in parallel has the capability for routine, rapid analysis of archaeological objects enabling the quick characterisation or screening of different types of artefacts. This certainly shows an important way forward in technological studies of fragile and scarce archaeological material.     

Osteoarthritis and body mass

Osteoarthritis is the second most common pathology found in anthropological collections. Although a great deal is known about osteoarthritis, it is not yet known whether in skeletal populations there is a correlation between osteoarthritis and body mass. In this study, lower limb and spinal osteoarthritis scores were taken to determine whether body mass and femoral length correlate with osteoarthritis on weight bearing joints. Osteoarthritis was measured using a four-point ordinal scale on a sample of 114 adult prehistoric Californian Amerinds. Body mass was calculated from femoral head breadth; femoral length was measured using standard procedures; and age and sex were determined through standard osteological procedures. Using Spearman correlations, body mass and femoral length did not correlate significantly with any of the osteoarthritis variables. Age correlated significantly with nearly all of the osteoarthritis variables (hip, r = 0.507; knee, r = 0.528; cervical, r = 0.513; thoracic, r = 0.647; lumbar, r = 0.507, P-values < 0.001); and body mass and femoral length correlated with sex (r-values = 0.835 and 0.654, P-values < 0.001). With age and sex controls, body mass negatively correlated with the hip osteoarthritis variable (r = −0.202, P < 0.05), but not with any of the other osteoarthritis variables. Results concur with previous findings in the anthropological literature and highlight complexities of osteoarthritis etiology.     

The mineral wealth of ancient Arabia and its use I: Copper mining and smelting at Feinan and Timna – comparison and evaluation of techniques, production, and strategies

Near Eastern fieldwork in mining archaeology and archaeometallurgy began at Timna (Israel) in the 1960s and 1970s and continued in Feinan (Jordan) in the 1980s and 1990s. For the first time, Bronze Age copper mines were excavated and cleared and importance was given to the slag recovered. At both sites copper was produced for over 5000 years, from the Chalcolithic to the Mamluk periods. Although the broad outlines of technical development can be traced, much remains to be learned in future studies.     

关于“夜郎文化”的思考

本文通过对被认为属于"夜郎文化"的威宁中水、赫章可乐、普安铜鼓山等遗址和墓地的出土遗物的对比研究,指出过去所认定的"夜郎文化"实际上是包含了三种不同的青铜时代文化类型,由此得出的"夜郎文化"并非严格上的考古学文化,而仅是一个大杂烩。     

浅析商周时期江南区域文化的独立性——以宁镇地区青铜文化为例

江南地区的商周时期文化与先周青铜文化进行比较,能够发现本地区的青铜文化不仅具有明显的独立性和相当高的水平,且与先周乃至于西周都有着相当大的差别。江南宁镇地区是一个区域文化相对独立与发达的地区,同时与黄河流域的华夏族文化有相当的交流。如这一地区这一时期有政权存在的话,则可将之视为一独立的方国。     

2002年度香港西贡沙下遗址C02区和DⅡ02区考古发掘简报

20 0 2年 ,香港古物古迹办事处和河南省文物考古研究所联合在香港发掘西贡沙下遗址 ,发掘面积达 70 0平方米。发现有新石器时代晚期、青铜时代和宋元代的遗存。遗迹中属新石器时代晚期有房址、灰坑等 ,青铜时代有房址、灰坑、石器制造场、灰沟等 ,宋元代有灰坑。遗物中有不同时代的石器、陶器、硬陶器、瓷器、釉陶器等。     

试论作为长城"原型"的北方早期石城带

在新石器时代和青铜时代早期,长城沿线的内蒙古中南部、陕北、内蒙古东南部、辽西等地分布有若干石城带,这些石城带基本上都位于当时农业、半农业文化区的北缘,受到气候环境变迁的影响而南北略有移动,其重要功能之一是为了防御北方民族的南侵。由于这些特点与长城有可比之处,故可称其为长城的"原型"。     

论马家浜文化之前太湖地区的地理埋藏环境

近年来,地处东部沿海的浙江和山东地区陆续发现了距今11000～7000年间新石器时代中期和早期遗址,因此探讨江苏地区马家浜文化之前的地理埋藏问题也是必要的。本文重点探讨了长江下游太湖地区更新世晚期和早全新世时期的地理埋藏环境,并认为本区也应该存在新石器时代早中期的遗址。     

论黄河流域先秦时期腰坑墓葬俗文化——兼说与长江流域同类墓葬俗的关系

腰坑墓流行于黄河流域中原地区的墓葬中,学者们多把对其研究的焦点集中在对这一葬俗文化起源问题的讨论上,并较一致地认为该葬俗最早起源于河南地区。本文对发现的有关材料进行梳理,围绕中原地区先秦时期腰坑墓的起源、用途、性质、发展演变等进行了分析,以澄清过去研究中存在的一些模糊认识。认为,腰坑墓的葬俗最早可以追溯到新石器时代,而其起源亦非河南地区。