The technology of Stone Age colonization: an empirical,regional-scale examination of Clovis unifacial stone tool reduction,allometry, and edge angle from the North American Lower Great Lakes region

There is now broad consensus that the appearance of Clovis in Northeastern North America (Great Lakes, New England) represents a colonization pulse into recently deglaciated landscapes. Due to the increased resource uncertainty that comes with colonizing unfamiliar landscapes, it was hypothesized that the majority tool component of Clovis assemblages, unifacial stone tools, should have been knapped on tool blanks possessing the design properties of longevity and functional flexibility to facilitate exploration mobility and guard against the absence of toolstone sources in the new landscape. These properties are optimized by large, flat flakes, possessing large surface area relative to flake thickness. Since discarded and, at times, exhausted unifacial stone tools do not preserve the original dimensions of the blank upon which they were created – necessary items for a true test of blank morphology selection – this study presents a set of predictions for inferring whether Clovis unifacial stone tool blanks were selected for the properties of longevity and functional flexibility based on evidence that Clovis people actually capitalized on those properties. Due to the nature of Clovis unifacial stone tools, tool size was of necessity used as a proxy for tool reduction, on the grounds that smaller tools are more likely to have been resharpened than larger tools, at least in the case of unifacial flake tools. The results showed that less resharpened tools possessed flatter, less spherical shapes than the more resharpened tools, which possessed more globular, spherical shapes, suggesting Clovis foragers exploited the retouch potential afforded by the larger, flatter blanks. Edge angles showed no relationship with tool reduction, suggesting that Clovis foragers exploited the functional flexibility afforded by flatter blanks by adjusting the edge angle to be either higher or lower as needed. These results are consistent with the notion that human colonizers, who did not know the abundance or location of stone outcrops prior to settling an unfamiliar territory, not only “geared up” before leaving a stone source, but geared up as efficiently as possible by carefully selecting the blanks they chose to carry. Broader implications for such careful unifacial stone tool blank selection are discussed.     

Stable isotope dietary analysis of prehistoric populations from the Minusinsk Basin,Southern Siberia,Russia: a new chronological framework for the introduction of millet to the eastern Eurasian steppe

We report the results of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of 354 human and faunal samples from five archaeological cultures of the Minusinsk Basin, Southern Siberia – Afanasyevo, Okunevo, Andronovo, Karasuk and Tagar (ca. 2700–1 BC) – a key location in Eurasia due to its position on a northern corridor linking China and central Eurasia. The results indicate that the diet of Eneolithic to Middle Bronze Age (Afanasyevo to Andronovo) populations was primarily C₃-based, with C₄ plants only becoming an important component of the diet in the Late Bronze Age Karasuk and Early Iron Age Tagar cultures. Freshwater fish seems to have been an important constituent of the diets in all groups. The findings constitute the earliest concrete evidence for the substantial use of millet in the eastern Eurasian steppe. We propose that it was probably introduced from Northwestern China during the Karasuk culture at the start of the Late Bronze Age, ca. 1500 BC. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for the nature of pastoralist economies on the steppes.     

Population Distribution and Spatial Structure in Transitional Chinese Cities: A Study of Nanjing

Two geographers use population surface model techniques to analyze the distribution of population in Chinese cities. Focusing on Nanjing, they utilize detailed urban land use and building distribution data to develop a productive alternative method to reveal spatial variations in the distribution of inhabitants. The findings indicate that despite suburbanization, Nanjing remains a compact city with a population density that declines rapidly as distance from its central business district increases. Also, suburbanization has been limited to an inner area where population is densely distributed while commercial and office development is less prominent. Lastly, commercial activities influence the distribution of urban inhabitants and suburbanization more significantly than industrial development in suburbia. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O15, O18, R12, R14. 9 figures, 3 tables, 37 references.     

JGHE Biennial award for promoting excellence in teaching and learning 2003

The ability to use literature effectively is essential to provide context and interpret results for any research project. Undergraduate students in geographical disciplines are regularly required to produce research reports, yet formal training in effective literature use is minimal. In this study students were taught effective literature use methods in a workshop involving group work and class discussion. Comparison was made between current students’ and previous students’ performance to determine any improvement with the new teaching methods. Results demonstrate that a relatively basic approach of explicitly teaching effective literature use can be effective and improve students’ research report writing skills.     

Detecting Cultural Remains in Boreal Forests in Sweden Using Airborne Laser Scanning Data of Different Resolutions

ABSTRACT

Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is increasingly being used to detect cultural remains in forest landscapes. Boreal forests are challenging, however, since most ancient land use was carried out without major permanent ground disturbances. If this challenge can be met, there is a large potential for surveys through existing nation-wide laser-scanning programs, although their resolutions tend to be low. In this study, we compare the performance of low-resolution (LR) and high-resolution (HR) ALS data in the Krycklan catchment in northern Sweden, an area where ancient land use was small-scale and diverse. About three times as many cultural remains were detected in the HR data set, but the LR set was satisfactory for distinct structures. We analyze how LR data sets can be enhanced at ground-point classification and terrain-model generation and conclude that ALS data have a large potential for the detection and protection of cultural remains in the boreal forest.     

Holocene paleoshorelines,water levels and submerged prehistoric site potential of Rice Lake (Ontario,Canada)

Rice Lake, located in the eastern Great Lakes of North America, has a high density of prehistoric (11–0.5 ka BP) terrestrial archaeological sites. It has been speculated that a large number of sites are submerged on the lakebed, as lake levels have risen >9 m since the arrival of Early Paleoindian peoples (∼11 ka BP). In order to better understand the submerged landscape and its archaeological potential, a detailed bathymetric survey and sediment-coring program was conducted across a 30-km² area of northeastern Rice Lake. Changes in Holocene water levels and shoreline positions were reconstructed by integrating core data with a digital elevation and bathymetric model (DEBM) that accounted for differential isostatic uplift and basin sedimentation. The DEBM was used to generate a series of maps showing changes in the lake paleobathmetry and paleogeography and areas of prehistoric archaeological potential.     

On Usage of the Subjunctive Mood in English

Mood is the kind of contrasts which are of-ten shown by the form of the verb and which express the speaker’s or the writer’s attitude to what is said or written. There arethree kinds of mood of the finite verbs in English. The papermainly deals with the use of the subjunctive mood.     

The dry summer on the Upper Nile

EUROPE

Scottish Farming in the Eighteenth Century. By James E. Handley. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp.314. London: Faber and Faber Ltd, 1953. 25s.

The Scottish Islands. By George Scott‐Moncrieff. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 208. 98 illustrations. 4 sketch maps. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1952. 21s.

Skye: The Island and its Legends. By Otta F. Swire. Foreword by Sir William Tarn. 7 1/2 × 5. Pp. xii+244. Sketch map. London: Geoffrey Cumberlege, Oxford University Press, 1952. 15s.

The Central Highlands. Edited by H. Macrobert. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. viii+145. 15 figs. 49 photographs. End‐paper sketch map. [The Scottish Mountaineering Club Guides.] Edinburgh: The Scottish Mountaineering Club. Second edition, 1952. 15s.

Granite City: A Plan for Aberdeen. By W. Dobson Chapman, M.A., P.P.T.P.I., L.R.I.B.A., F.I.L.A., and Charles F. Riley, Dip.Arch., Dip.T.P., A.R.I.B.A., M.T.P.I. Foreword by The Hon. Thomas Johnston, P.C., LL.d., F.E.I.S. 13 × 9 3/4. Pp. xx+168. 22 figs. 73 plates. City Development Plan (4 1/4 in. to 1 mile). [Published on behalf of the Corporation of the City and Royal Burgh of Aberdeen.] London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1952. 42s.

Round and about Spain. By A. F. Tschiffely. 8 3/4 × 5 5/8. Pp.317. Decorations and sketch maps by the Author. End‐paper map by A. Spark. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 20s.

ASIA

The Orphaned Realm: Journeys in Cyprus. By Patrick Balfour (Lord Kinross). 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 221. 17 illustrations. Decorative end‐paper sketch map. London: Percival Marshall and Co. Ltd, 1951. 18s.

Die Türkei. By Karl Krüger. 8 1/2 × 5 1/4. Pp. 392. 13 figs. 68 plates. Berlin: Safari‐Verlag, 1951.

Tirich Mir: The Norwegian Himalaya Expedition. Translated by Sölvi and Richard Bateson. Foreword by Professor Georg Morgenstierne. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 192. 57 illustrations. 3 sketch maps. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 21s.

The Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition, 1951. By Eric Shipton. 10 1/2 × 8 1/2. Pp. 128. Photogravure illustrations. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 25s.

AFRICA

The Zambesi Journal of James Stewart, 1862–1863, with a Selection from his Correspondence. Edited by J. P. F. Wallis. 10 × 6 1/2. Pp. xxvi+276. Portrait. Map of the Shiré River (1867). [Central African Archives: Oppenheimer Series, No. 6.] London: Chatto and Windus, 1952. 35s.

AMERICA

Suwannee River: Strange Green Land. By Cecile Hulse Matschat. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 256. Illustrated by Alexander Key. [Rivers of America.] Edinburgh, Glasgow, London: William Hodge and Co. Ltd, 1951. 15s.

The Rural Land Classification Program of Puerto Rico. Preface by Malcolm J. Proudfoot. 11 × 8 1/2. Pp. vii+261. Illustrated. (Lithoprinted). [Northwestern University Studies in Geography, No. 1.] Evanston, Illinois: Department of Geography, Northwestern University, 1952.

Uruguay: South America's first Welfare State. By George Pendle. 8 × 5 1/4. Pp. viii+100. 2 sketch maps. London and New York: The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1952. 11s 6d.

POLAR REGIONS

The Antarctic To‐day: A Mid‐Century Survey by the New Zealand Antarctic Society. Edited by Frank A. Simpson, M.A., Dip.Jour. 9 3/4 × 7 1/4. Pp. 389. 50 figs. 46 plates. Folding map. Wellington: A. H. and A. W. Reed, in conjunction with the New Zealand Antarctic Society, 1952. 47s 6d.

BIOGEOGRAPHY

Geography of Living Things. By M. S. Anderson, M.A. General Introduction by Frank Debenham. 7 1/4 × 4 3/4. Pp. xiv+202. 5 illustrations. [Teach Yourself Geography.] London: The English Universities Press Ltd, 1951. 8s 6d.

The Origin and History of the British Fauna. By Bryan P. Beirne, M.A., M.Sc, Ph.D., M.R.I.A., F.R.E.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. x+164. 60 figs. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1952. 18s.

EDUCATIONAL

Practical and Experimental Geography. By W. G. V. Balchin, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.G.S., F.R.Met.S., and A. W. Richards, M.A., B.Sc., F.R.Met.S. 8 1/2 × 6 1/2. Pp. viii+136. Frontispiece. 73 figs. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1952. 12s 6d.

Geomorphologie. By Fritz Machatschek. 9 × 6 1/4. Pp. 203. 89 figs. Leipzig: B. G. Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft. Fifth edition, 1952. DM 9.60.

Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Edited by E. D. Laborde, Ph.D., F.R.G.S. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. xii+268. 48 figs. 8 plates. London: William Heinemann Ltd. Second edition, 1952. 12s 6d.     

The countryside (Scotland) act of 1967 revisited

The recent opening‐up of the policy and precedent files relating to the promotion of the Countryside (Scotland) Act of 1967 provides opportunity for re‐assessing the significance and character of the debates leading up to the first explicit provision for what the Preamble to the Act described as ‘the better enjoyment of the Scottish countryside’. More generally, insight may be gained into the procedures and preoccupations of the ‘core executive’ of government, as they effect the ‘networking’ required for securing the support of the relevant user‐interests during the consultative and drafting stages of such legislation.     

The causes and impact of changes in fish stocks in the waters around Fair Isle during the twentieth century

Drawing considerably from records of fish catches made by the fishermen of Fair Isle during the 20th century, this article highlights the dramatic decline in fish stocks in the waters around the Isle. It argues that the major cause has been the continuous intensification of the commercial fishing industry outside Fair Isle. Assessment is also made of the socio‐economic and cultural impact on the community of Fair Isle, and means are proposed to retain and regain links with the sea.