Archaeological Heritage in Guatemala: Indigenous Perspectives on the Ruins of Iximche’

In Guatemala local perspectives on heritage often remain unheard. In this paper a case study is presented to show the complex relationship between the highland site of Iximche’ and Tecpán, an Indigenous community nearby. Although Iximche’ is of little importance to the local economy, its significance is derived from its role as a field for different kinds of social and religious interactions. Traces of a spiritual relationship to this place can be dated back to the colonial period and today Maya from all over Guatemala go there to perform ceremonies. The place has also become a focal point of identity constructions for locals, Pan Mayan activists and the nation itself. The ruins of Iximche’ play an important role in the construction of collective memory which also includes ideas coming from external players such as Christian churches, the national government, Mayan activists, and archaeologists as well.     

试论夏商城市水利设施及其功能

本文就考古所见夏商城址内的水利遗存进行了分析,对夏商城市水利设施的种类、功能、渊源等相关问题进行了初步探讨。     

河南渑池县仰韶村遗址考古勘探报告

为配合仰韶村国家考古遗址公园建设,2019年3~5月,河南省文物考古研究院等单位对河南渑池仰韶村遗址进行了系统性考古勘探工作。遗址包含仰韶文化和龙山文化时期的聚落,主要遗迹有壕沟、房址等,基本搞清了遗址的范围,仰韶、龙山时期的聚落规模、面积、重要遗迹分布、聚落布局和功能分区等情况,对该遗址的聚落形态及发展演变等有了较全面的认识。     

Power to the people: when culture works as a social catalyst in urban regeneration processes (and when it does not)

This article focuses upon the relationship between culture, urban regeneration schemes, and their impact on socio-cognitive assets – namely, social and human capital. It examines three major urban regeneration projects in the districts of Saint Michel (Montreal, Canada), Auburn (Sydney, Australia) and Bicocca (Milan, Italy), where culture has been invoked as a main transformational driver at the economic and socio-environmental levels, but with different approaches and results. Through comparative analysis, we develop a more general reflection on the social impact of culture-led urban transformation processes, questioning the actual role of cultural initiatives – particularly those related to the creation of new cultural facilities and the programming of big cultural flagship events – and participation as a means to improve the local social milieu. We find that a key role for social efficacy is played by projects’ capacity to elicit the commitment of residents through inclusive cultural participation, as opposed to instrumental top-down initiatives mainly addressing city and neighbourhood branding and real estate marketing purposes.     

A Rock‐Magnetic Quest for Possible Ore Sources for the Ancient Iron‐Smelting Industry in the Olkhon Region (Lake Baikal,Siberia)

Rock‐magnetic techniques were used to examine the topsoil layer of Kurma archaeological site (in the Olkhon region, on the north‐western coast of Lake Baikal, Siberia) in an effort to determine the possible sources of iron ores for iron‐smelting centres (at about the bc /ad boundary). Measurements have shown a magnetic enhancement of the topsoil due to magnetite grains resulting from weathering of strongly magnetic crystalline rocks. They have also revealed a preliminary picture of the distribution of strongly magnetic topsoils around the ancient iron‐smelting centres. Perhaps, in addition to traditional sources of raw materials, the ancient metallurgists used black sand talus as an ore deposit.     

内蒙赤峰巴彦塔拉辽代遗址浮选结果及分析

伴随巴彦塔拉辽代遗址的发掘过程进行了植物浮选工作,获得了包括粟、黍、大麦、荞麦、大麻等农作物籽粒,以及禾本科、藜科、豆科、锦葵科等植物种子。通过植物遗存的分类与鉴定及遗址出土相关考古资料综合分析,该遗址辽代先民的生业经济应属于以种植粟、黍、荞麦、大麻为主的北方典型旱作农业,同时兼营牧业。     

The Rejected Candidate: John III Vasa,the Polish-Lithuanian royal elections (1573/1575) and early-modern political decision-making

This article analyses the candidacy of King John III Vasa in the royal elections of Poland-Lithuania in 1573 and 1575. Although the ‘Polish-minded’ policy of John Vasa is commonly known in earlier historiography, Swedish and Finnish historians have not given much attention to John III’s election campaigns in Poland-Lithuania in the 1570s. This article contemplates John III’s candidacy and rejection from the perspective of Poland-Lithuania. The royal elections are analysed as a political decision-making process by the Polish-Lithuanian estates. Thus the article emphasizes the existence of past alternatives and conditions of decision-making in early-modern history.     

Interpreting pachyderm single carcass sites in the African Lower and Early Middle Pleistocene record: A multidisciplinary approach to the site of Nadung’a 4 (Kenya)

Nadung’a 4 is one of the single carcass pachyderm sites recorded in East Africa during the Lower and Early Middle Pleistocene. The site has yielded an abundant lithic assemblage in close association with the partial carcass of an elephant. Conjoined pedological, geoarchaeological, spatial, technological, and taphonomical analyses have been carried out to address the relationship between hominids and elephant. The resulting data are consistent with a non-fortuitous association between both categories of remains. The lithic artefacts do not match a classical Acheulean tool-kit, as would be expected for the time period ascribed to the site, and the functional patterns inferred from their analysis make this site radically different from other purported butchery sites. The implications of these original features are discussed.     

Two sides of the same coin—rocks, bones and site function of Picareiro Cave, central Portugal

The issue of site function rarely has been a main focus in the study of Portuguese Upper Paleolithic. This fact may be related to a lack of interest in this research area. More likely, however, it is due to the fact that there are relatively few Paleolithic sites with data that allow a serious study of site function. At Picareiro Cave, central Portugal, there are various data sets from level F/G dated to the latter Magdalenian that are adequate for this type of research. These are habitat structures, lithic artifacts, macro- and mesofauna, as well as 3D location of all artifacts and fauna larger than 1 cm. Based on the interpretation of the analytical results of each data set, it is possible to reconstruct site function of this particular level of Picareiro Cave. The morphology of one of the hearths, being very large in size, with the base prepared and a pavement surrounding it, as well as the condition and diversity of fauna, indicates that it was used for processing the meat of rabbits, red deer, and wild boar, probably through smoking and grilling. All of the evidence from the different types of data (lithic artifacts, habitat structures, use of space, and fauna) indicate that Layers F/G of Picareiro Cave are the result of a specific task, that of processing animal carcasses of rabbits, red deer, and wild boar.