Locally diagnostic phytoliths of wild rice (Zizania palustris L.) from Minnesota,USA: comparison to other wetland grasses and usefulness for archaeobotany and paleoecological reconstructions

Wild rice (Zizania spp.) is an important native grain of north-central North America, with spiritual and subsistence significance to many native peoples. Due to lack of suitable proxies, its past distribution and pattern of use are poorly known. This study demonstrates the diagnostic value of silica phytoliths from Z. palustris as a proxy tool to detect its past occurrence in a variety of paleoenvironmental and archaeological contexts. Our main findings are: 1) Dominant wetland grass species in Minnesota produce phytoliths distinct from Zizania phytoliths; 2) Closely related Leersia oryzoides produces a few Zizania-like phytolith morphotypes; however, these potential confusers can be identified based on 2-D and 3-D morphologies; 3) Z. palustris produces a wide variety of phytolith morphotypes, many of which are only found in certain parts of the plant (e.g., Inflorescence Type 1 from the spikelet); 4) Z. palustris produces 23 locally diagnostic phytolith morphotypes that can be used to determine the presence and abundance of wild rice in modern and paleo lake sediments; and 5) Wild rice phytolith Inflorescence Type 1 is the morphotype most likely to be observed in archaeological contexts, and may be unequivocally diagnostic for the genera Zizania.     

“清江四案”“白银案”之前后

锦屏本地苗族木商向政府状告外省木商使用冲铅银两假币的诉讼案件。收集到的两件状词,一是道光七年（1827）由李荣魁带头起诉到贵州布政使司批转黎平府的公文,又由黎平府作出处理公告;另件是光绪十三年（1887）姜名卿等向黎平府递交的状纸。两起案件相隔60年,因为假银泛滥、受害深重后才产生诉讼,政府行文禁止后,仍禁而不止,所以少数民族的木商、林农和从事木材运输的农民工,受假银之害至少在80年以上。但从外省木商之滥用假币,折射出清水江木业之兴旺。     

“赣巨人”考论

赣南的大山长谷、原始森林里生活着一种非人非鬼又非神的“赣巨人”。有人说他们是狒狒,有人说他们是“木客”,有人说他们是“野人”,也有人说他们是尼革利陀族人。但据笔者考证,他们应该是一种没有经过文明进化的古猿。     

Going underground: experimental carbonization of fruiting structures under hearths

We show that carbonized fruits and seeds recovered from Middle Stone Age deposits in rock shelters are likely to have been carbonized as part of post-depositional processes. We buried indigenous South African fruits, nuts and seeds at pre-determined depths and distances from the centers of experimental fires. The cold ashes of the hearths and the sand surrounding them were subsequently excavated, using standard archaeological techniques and dry-screening. The fruiting structures from the oxidizing part of the fire were burnt to ashes, whereas those buried in sand under anoxic conditions survived in varying forms. Those buried 5 cm below the center of the fire were carbonized; those buried 10 cm below the center of the fire were dehydrated; and those 5 cm and 10 cm below the surface at the outer edge of the fire were unaffected. Size, moisture or oil content of the original fruit or seed did not appear to influence whether or not carbonization took place. Temperatures recorded 5 cm below the experimental fires suggest that the carbonization occurred at or before a maximum temperature of 328 °C, and also at lower maximum temperatures (152 °C) that were maintained for long periods. Even when the quantities of a particular wood are controlled, open fires may produce variable underground temperatures and the temperatures below ancient hearths would have been equally variable. We suggest that Cyperaceae (sedge) nutlets, the most numerous fruiting structures in the Sibudu Middle Stone Age archaeobotanical assemblage, occur in the shelter as a result of human activity, subsequent burial, and accidental carbonization when hearths were built directly above the buried nutlets.     

Changing perceptions of West Africa's past: Archaeological research since 1988

Archaeological research since 1988 in West Africa has focused almost exclusively on the period since 10,000 B.P. Significant advances have been made in our understanding of the Late Stone Age in the Sahara and Savanna zones, the advent of metallurgy and subsequent changes in metal technology, and the comparative trajectories of complex societies in different regions. Increasingly, data are being recovered that fail to conform to earlier Eurocentric assumptions emphasizing linear, progressive change through a series of evolutionary ages and stages. The search for new, more appropriate models for interpreting West Africa's past has infused the discipline with great theoretical vitality. Both ethnoarchaeological studies and traditional archaeological research programs in West Africa are contributing substantially to the articulation of new theoretical frameworks for African archaeology and potentially for the discipline as a whole.     

Strontium and calcium distribution in plants: Effect on palaeodietary studies

In palaeodietary studies it is assumed that no discrimination occurs during uptake by plants of calcium and strontium from the soil. Here, a compilation of distribution ratios is presented from which it is apparent that differences in Sr/Ca ratios within and between plants do exist. These differences affect Sr intake by humans and animals and thus should be taken into consideration when interpreting prehistoric human bone Sr levels in a dietary sense, and when selecting a herbivorous baseline species. In agricultural societies, human Sr intake may be diversified by differences in Sr/Ca ratios in various grain species and varieties.