晚清"古学复兴":中国旧学纳入近代新知体系之尝试

章太炎、刘师培等人在清末“保存国粹”、“复兴古学”的过程中,开始对中国古代学术进行初步整理,肇始了对中国学术遗产进行发掘、梳理、研究和整合之工作。以西方新知、新理、新法整理中国传统旧籍,发明中国旧学之新义,是晚清学术演进之必然趋势。以新知阐释旧学,以中学比附西学,以近代学科体系界定中国旧学,是晚清学者整理中国旧学之基本思路。正是在对中国传统学术不断进行整理和整合的过程中,中国传统学术开始转变其固有形态,逐步融入近代西学新知体系之中。     

古通州瓮城遗址的发现、保护及启示

历史遗存是一个城市的脉与个性特点之所在。     

论章太炎的经史观

章太炎作为传统学术现代转型期的代表人物 ,其学术思想富有特色。就经史观而言 ,他的“六经皆史”说与近代启蒙思潮、新史学思想相结合 ,对前人成说有质的突破 ;在此基础上 ,他所形成的“征信”论相对于当时的“疑古”之风 ,他治学的“求真”精神相对于前人的“求实” ,都是对传统学术思想的重要发展 ;他以新史学方法治经 ,运用社会学、逻辑学等方法解经 ,则体现了方法论上的贡献。     

蓬莱两艘古船船材、淤泥及水主要离子的测试研究

为做好蓬莱小海2005年新出土三艘古船的脱水保护工作,采集了2．3号船的船材、两船之间地下水、船下淤泥和近海海水样品,委托山东省分析测试中心检测了样品中主要离子的含量。检测结果表明,木材和淤泥中的主要离子含量远远高于海水和地下水中的;木材腐朽的程度愈严重,其离子量含量也愈大。测试数据和方法对今后古船脱盐和脱水工作有一定的指导意义。     

"中国"与"天下"的重合——古代中国疆域形成的历史轨迹

“The Central Kingdom” is pregnant of political implications as well as of geographical and cultural significance. It was believed that whoever controlled Zhongguo (the Central Kingdom or China) would be the legitimate ruler over Tianxia (the realm under heaven or all under heaven). It was the contention for “the Central Kingdom” among the varieties of dynasties, notably those established by the Han-Chinese and the various ethnic groups in the northern borderland, that lead to the alternation of disintegration and unification of the territory. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that the unified “Central Kingdom” composed of a variety of ethnic groups turned into the ideal “realm under heaven” with “the Central Kingdom” at its core, which naturally put an end to the formation of territory in ancient China. Translated by Chen Dan from Zhongguo Bianjiang Shidi Yanjiu 中国边疆史地研究 (China’s Borderland History and Geography Studies), 2007, (3): 1–15     

上博馆藏楚简文字考释四则

上博简《周易》30号对应今本"说"之字由"又"、"兑"二部件构成,因二者发生合笔而难识,字实为"敚"之异体。《曹沫之阵》16号简原释"繲"之字应分析为从"纟"、"■",读"属",训为"连属",与"纪"为近义连文。《君子为礼》6号简原释"正"之字应释作"■"。读为"俛"。《弟子问》简5原释"连"之字应释"■",读为"略",义为要约:"■"由"■"之省体"■"变形声化而成。     

“伯”、“仲”、“叔”、“季”与西周晋侯世系

近年发掘的北赵晋国墓地为研究西周考古、历史等提供了极其宝贵的资料。该墓地中出土的大量铜器,引起了专家学者的广泛关注,研究成果涵盖很多方面,但仍有若干问题悬而未决,北赵墓地中墓主身份问题     

On the elimination of extraneous DNA in fossil human teeth with hypochlorite

Elimination of extraneous DNA in fossil specimens is of paramount importance for the successful isolation and analysis of authentic DNA; this is especially true when the specimens are of human origin. Bones and teeth are commonly decontaminated with bleach containing the powerful oxidising hypochlorite ion. The procedures involve either submersion in or wiping with the chlorine agent. Using the radioactive isotope Cl³⁶ we showed that submersion of fossil teeth in solutions of small ions such as Cl⁻ or hypochlorite, ClO⁻, cause that they migrate right into the pulp. This may lead to the unwanted destruction of authentic DNA. However, using pairs of teeth from the remains of four ancient Europeans (1000–2000 YBP) as well as tooth and hair from an Inuit skull (>300 YBP) we provide evidence that at least some endogenous human fossil DNA survives in powdered pulp/dentin that has been submersed in 2% hypochlorite. Further, we show that powdered pulp/dentin deliberately contaminated with huge amounts of a 414 bp PCR product is effectively decontaminated by suspension in 2% hypochlorite for 5 min. Decontamination of fossil material from teeth may therefore be accomplished by a short direct action of hypochlorite on the powdered specimen rather than less controllable and less efficient external treatments of the whole specimen.     

A DNA test for sex identification in cattle confirms osteometric results

It is of vital importance to be able to sex identify cattle remains to understand the strategies and importance of cattle husbandry in an ancient society. This is usually done from osteoarchaeological assemblages and often relies on measurements of metapodials. The breadth measurement of the distal trochlea is considered an easy way to identify the sex. Bones from males appears to be easily distinguishable from female counterparts, although it has been complicated to find an external control for the morphological results. Here we investigate the reliability of these particular morphometrics for sex identifying cattle bones with molecular genetics. We use a sex discriminating single nucleotide polymorphism in the ZFXY gene and we apply it to DNA from the bones. To keep the fragment size short and suitable for ancient DNA we base the test on a SNP. The test confirms the osteological sex identification in all cases were DNA could be retrieved. This molecular method can also be used when no fragments suitable for osteological sex identification can be found or when the measurements are non-conclusive.     

Wild or domesticated: DNA analysis of ancient water buffalo remains from north China

Recent zooarchaeological studies on water buffalo (Bubalus sp.) remains from China and south Asia question the traditional view that water buffalo were first domesticated in Neolithic China over 7000 years ago. The results from several recent population genetic studies of modern domesticated buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) are not consistent with each other, placing the original center of buffalo's domestication in south Asia, southeast Asia, or China. This paper reports a study using an ancient DNA approach to analyze water buffalo remains from Neolithic sites in north China to investigate their affinities with modern domesticated water buffalo, and to shed light on the origin of modern domesticated water buffalo in China.A 169 bp fragment of D-loop mitochondrial DNA was successfully amplified and verified for 13 of 24 bone samples obtained from seven archaeological sites along the Wei River valley in Shaanxi Province, China. The bone samples which yielded positive DNA can be dated to 8000–3600 cal. BP. The phylogenetic analysis of the obtained DNA sequences along with modern water buffalo sequences indicated that the ancient water buffalos were not the direct ancestor of modern domesticated water buffalo. However, the phylogenetic analysis, along with BLAST searches of these ancient DNA sequences, did demonstrate their relatedness to water buffalo more so than to any other bovid species, confirming the existence of indigenous wild (but now extinct) water buffalo species (B. mephistopheles) in ancient China.The DNA analysis of these ancient remains failed to establish direct links between modern domesticated water buffalo (B. bubalis) and indigenous water buffalo (B. mephistopheles) from ancient China. If further DNA studies of more ancient remains from other regions of China confirm the observation of solely indigenous water buffalo species in ancient China, it would suggest modern water buffalo might not have been first domesticated in China.