Assessing Ceramic Compositional Data: A Comparison of Total Reflection X‐ray Fluorescence and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis On Late Iron Age Spanish Celtiberian Ceramics

A solid‐phase, non‐chemical processing protocol was recently developed as a means of chemically characterizing archaeological ceramics by total reflection X‐ray fluorescence (TXRF). Following this methodology, TXRF can provide semi‐quantitative determinations for 18 elements with comparable levels of precision and accuracy for the majority of them in comparison with a clay reference material analysed by instrumental neutron activation (INAA). In order critically to assess the analytical capabilities of TXRF, a large sample set of Late Iron Age Spanish Celtiberian ceramics and modern clays was analysed both by TXRF and INAA. Semi‐quantitative chemical data provided by TXRF and quantitative data provided by INAA were subjected to commonly used multivariate statistical methods as a way of evaluating the ability of the new technique to discriminate among different compositional groups. The comparison of the two data sets shows no significant discrepancies, thereby allowing support for the same archaeological interpretation. These results suggest that TXRF has potential applicability for compositional characterization of archaeological ceramics, providing data that are useful for provenance studies.     

楚文化研究又一新成果--《新蔡葛陵楚墓》读后

河南新蔡葛陵楚墓,是近年来淮河流域考古中新发现的一座战国中期大型墓葬。其墓主人为平夜君成,是与楚王关系密切的重要封君。墓葬结构复杂,并有陵寝建筑遗存。出土有包括青铜器、玉器、漆木器和大量竹简在内的各类随葬品,还有人殉现象。在科学发掘和整理的基础上出版了《新蔡葛陵楚墓》一书,详细介绍和分析了考古资料所反映的楚国历史、葬俗、礼制、历法、手工工艺、书法艺术等诸多信息,是我国楚文化研究又一新成果。     

朱熹史学观三题

朱熹提出了以史证理、以理阐史的史学观。一方面 ,他把史学研究作为穷理的一种途径 ,认为史学的价值在于通过对具体史实的了解来把握天理 ;另一方面 ,他又强调史学要以天理为权衡尺度 ,必须要在熟读经书、把握义理之后 ,才能治史。朱熹把史学纳入了理学的轨道。值得注意的是 ,朱熹非常重视史学的社会价值 ,强调治史为当世之用 ,其史学观表现出明显的经世致用的倾向。     

Ochre resources from the Middle Stone Age sequence of Diepkloof Rock Shelter,Western Cape,South Africa

Although no paintings are associated with archaeological contexts before the end of the Middle Stone Age, hundreds of ochre pieces were discovered on numerous southern African sites suggesting a lasting tradition of ochre use. The variability and the significance of ochre exploitation remain however poorly documented. The MSA site of Diepkloof Rock Shelter (Western Cape Province, South Africa) offers an ideal opportunity to discuss questions of ochre procurement, processing, and use over a long sequence. This study develops an original methodology based on observations on one hand, and SEM-EDS, XRD and Raman spectrometry analyses on the other hand. By comparing raw materials with our geological database, we show that some iron-rich raw materials were collected more than 20 km from the site. Such long-distance procurement combined with other elements of the overall context suggests a planning of procurement. One main chaîne opératoire based on grinding was identified at Diepkloof. In comparison with other South African sites, we observed no evidence for use as loading agent in adhesives. We conclude that ochre use may follow regional cultural patterns.     

关于孙中山与辛亥革命几个重要史实的辨析

对于孙中山与海外华侨和辛亥革命的关系,国内外学术界已有很充分的研究。然而,有关孙中山与华侨关系的几个关键问题,如孙中山加入洪门团体的具体情况、武昌起义之时孙中山的行踪、＂华侨为革命之母＂的来源等,学术界却仍然众说纷纭。论文选取相关重要历史文献资料加以解读和评析,以澄清以上相关史实和认识误区。     

国际移民与婚姻挤压——以战后四邑侨乡为例的探讨

论文从战后四邑侨乡社会婚姻挤压的形成、战后四邑侨乡社会婚姻挤压下的社会调适等方面,对战后四邑侨乡社会重建问题进行研究。认为战后四邑侨乡社会的婚姻挤压是特殊历史时期各种社会经济因素相互影响、共同作用的结果;战争时期的兵燹、饥荒、瘟疫疾病、侨汇中断与国际移民网络丧失等一系列突发性的历史事件及其所带来的社会影响,造成了侨乡社会人口性别年龄结构的急剧变动;战后时期,美、加等国移民新政扫除了侨乡社会向海外华人社会跨国婚姻自由迁移的政策障碍;中外交通的恢复、国际移民网络的重建、巨量侨汇的涌入与华侨残破家庭的重建等社会经济因素的叠加,进一步加剧了婚姻市场的挤压程度。面对日益严峻的婚姻挤压问题,四邑侨乡社会在普通民众追求个人生活幸福的理性选择基础之上,形成了一些新的社会文化规范,衍生出一系列应对婚姻挤压效应的社会机制。     

Scaling heritage. The construction of scales in the submission process of alpinism to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list

ABSTRACT

For the last two decades, the polysemous notion of ‘scale’ has drawn an increasing amount of attention among scholars studying heritage policies and practices, often with regard to UNESCO conventions. Significantly, in many of these works, terms such as ‘global’, ‘national’ and ‘local’ are connected to categories of ‘scale’ or ‘level’ that are taken for granted by the scholars who use them to guide their analysis. This paper, in contrast, promotes a different, constructivist understanding of the notion of scale. From our perspective, there is an added value to be found in focusing—without using any preconceived or external conception of scale—on the ways in which stakeholders conceive of and use scale throughout the processes of heritage making. Using the case of alpinism and the creation of its file for submission to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, we show that the interest of this approach lies in its comprehensive ability to highlight how people define, elaborate and use scale in order to qualify their practices or to achieve specific goals.     

Mazzini in Italian historical memory

Abstract

The essay examines the reasons for the difficult ‘reception’ of Mazzini's image in Italy. With particular reference to themes dear to Mazzini, like the role of public monuments and publications, the author explains why Mazzini's image has had a precarious hold on the collective memory of the Italian people. He goes on to offer a brief overview of the revival of Mazzinian scholarship in the last 15 years (1993–2008), underscoring how the renewed interest is related to the ongoing European and global debate on the meaning of democracy. The author concludes with a list of titles appearing since 1993 that suggest new approaches to the study of Mazzini, and that will be of use to scholars and students.     

The City Evita Built. Cinematic Childhood and Peronism in Luis César Amadori’s Soñemos (1951)

This article examines the under-studied film productions known in Peronist Argentina as “docudramas”. Placing documentary elements within a fictional plot, docudramas marked a significant change in the state propaganda machine and were used as a new vehicle to influence social habits. I focus particularly on Soñemos [Let’s Dream], a short film directed in 1951 by Luis César Amadori to showcase urban reforms. Through an analysis of Amadori’s docudrama in regard to its representation of the Children’s City built by the Eva Perón Foundation, I discuss relationships between entertainment, the constitution of a political hegemony, and modernisation. With film techniques such as the dissolve, Soñemos depicts the Children’s City as an enterprise capable of delivering material happiness and amplifies the narrative of a fairy tale come true promised by Evita’s social service programmes. Ultimately, the docudrama affirms the central role played by the state in the definition of the “right to a home” – from supportive benefactor to constitutive replacement.