书法之祖 人文瑰宝——从南京博物院藏甲骨文略议甲骨文的书法艺术

甲骨文作为中国文字的鼻祖,在历史上对中国书法的演变产生了深刻的影响。     

考古学所见长江三峡夏商周时期的渔业生产

本通过对考古发现的长江三峡渔具和鱼类遗骸的统计分析,将该区域内夏商周时期的渔业生产分为东、西两大区域,并对两区的鱼具及鱼类进行归纳、分析和比较,指出研究先秦渔业,对认识三峡古代化、中国渔业史和鱼类生态,具有重要的意义。     

Hunting lesions caused by osseous projectile points: experimental results and archaeological implications

The identification of projectile impact traces on archaeological faunal remains is an important issue for understanding prehistoric hunting behavior, especially in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic. From the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe, and earlier in Africa, projectiles tipped with osseous points were of great importance for subsistence; but thus far, no specific experimental reference has been developed to help identify the traces left by these points. In 2003 and 2004 two series of projectile experiments with antler points of Magdalenian design were organized, involving two ox calves and two female fallow deer as targets for bow and spearthrower shooting. The subsequent study demonstrates that positive identifications of impact traces left by osseous points can be made. The observation of 127 impact traces allowed us to distinguish three main types of traces: notches, punctures and perforations. The relationships between the nature of the impact traces and the (i) target species, (ii) characteristics of the impacted bones, and (iii) type of weapon are presented. Synthesized results are then discussed within the context of the European Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic.     

Sub‐micron spongiform porosity is the major ultra‐structural alteration occurring in archaeological bone

Total pore volume and pore size distribution are indicators of the degree of post‐mortem modification of bone. Direct measurements of pore size distribution in archaeological bones using mercury intrusion porosimetry (HgIP) and back scattered scanning electron microscopy (BSE‐SEM) reveal a common pattern in the changes seen in degraded bone as compared to modern samples. The estimates of pore size distribution from HgIP and direct measurement from the BSE‐SEM images show remarkable correspondence. The coupling of these two independent approaches has allowed the diagenetic porosity changes in human archaeological bone in the >0.01 µm range to be directly imaged, and their relationship to pre‐existing physiological pores to be explored. The increase in porosity in the archaeological bones is restricted to two discrete pore ranges. The smaller of these two ranges (0.007–0.1 µm) lies in the range of the collagen fibril (0.1 µm diameter) and is presumably formed by the loss of collagen, whereas the larger pore size distribution is evidence of direct microbial alteration of the bone. HgIP has great potential for the characterization of microbial and chemical alteration of bone. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Compensatory bone remodelling in moose: a study of age,sex, and cross‐sectional cortical bone dimensions in moose at Isle Royale National Park

We studied interrelationships among age, sex, and cross‐sectional cortical bone dimensions using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) scans of metatarsal bones of 180 moose (Alces alces) that died in Isle Royale National Park, Michigan. As a large‐bodied quadruped with demanding ecological constraints on movement and behaviour, a moose experiences different weight‐bearing and mechanical stressors than humans, to whom most existing studies of mechanical adaptations of bone pertain. In moose, both sexes showed significant subperiosteal expansion and an increase in medullary area, with an overall increase in cortical bone area over time. Female moose did not exhibit cortical thinning or reduction in cross‐sectional area with age, rather they showed an increase in cortical bone area with periosteal apposition exceeding endosteal resorption, similar to the males. We also found that moose undergo changes in bone geometry through remodelling of bone similar to humans, suggesting a compensatory mechanism for increasing bone strength under conditions of decline in bone mineral density with age. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bone survival: The effects of sedimentary abrasion and trampling on fresh and cooked bone

It is commonly assumed that, at least when considering similar sized animals, the bones from all taxa stand an equal chance of preservation. This paper summarizes one aspect of a larger study undertaken in order to assess whether this assumption is true, based on the results of experiments and observations into the effects of a range of pre-depositional processes. The rates of bone destruction by sedimentary abrasion and by trampling are determined for small mammal, fish and frog bones. Patterns of bone loss and fragmentation are examined both between species and within the skeleton, for fresh and boiled bone. It is shown that there is considerable interspecies variation in the ability of bones to withstand these physical forces. Frog bone proved particularly resistant, while within the fish, bone from the Gadidae was less resilient than might be expected, given its predominance in British Medieval archaeological sites and coastal sites of all periods. Within the skeleton, bone shape appears to be a very important determinant of relative survival. Boiling dramatically reduces bone's resistence to destruction. The physical properties of fresh, boiled and burnt bone are compared mechanically, and the dramatic loss of strength induced by heating is demonstrated. The often voiced assumption that fish bone is more prone to destruction than mammal bone is shown to have some validity. The results add more evidence to support the view that comparison of species abundance by fragment counts may not always be appropriate, and that interpretation of skeletal element frequencies should be approached with caution.     

Taphonomic evidence for site formation processes at fort Christanna

Fort Christanna was an early eighteenth century Indian trading post on the western frontier of Virginia. This paper describes and interprets the faunal remains recovered during three seasons of excavation at the site. Taxonomic and body part representation are examined to gain insight into diet on the frontier, food provisioning at the fort, and the relationship between the fort's occupants and the neighbouring Indian settlement. These interpretations are limited by the poor preservation apparent in the faunal assemblage. The patterning of a variety of different surface modifications is explored to understand the taphonomic history of the assemblage. These characteristics of the assemblage seem to be related largely to the bone refuse disposal practices of the fort's occupants, and thus give important insight into a crucial aspect of the site formation processes.     

Zooarchaeology and Historical Archaeology: Progress and Prospects

This review assesses the development and current status of zooarchaeological research in historical archaeology. Analytical issues in recovery, identification, quantification and interpretation are discussed with particular reference to assemblages from historical sites. The results section summarizes the substantive contributions zooarchaeological studies of historical assemblages have made to our understanding of past diet, food production systems, social and cultural variation, and archaeological interpretations. The last four decades of research has provided a strong basis for future analyses that draw together diverse strands of zooarchaeological, historical, scientific, and anthropological evidence.     

What's in a bone? Recent advances in archaeological bone chemistry

This paper focuses on advances in archaeological bone chemistry since 1989. At that time studies generally shifted from development and application of techniques in bone chemistry to more experimental approaches. In stable isotope studies, controlled feeding experiments have been carried out to determine the routing of various dietary components into bone tissues. Biological apatite has been added to collagen as a tissue of study for stable carbon isotope analysis, providing the ability to study much older remains. Other elements have been added such as hydrogen for the study of paleoclimate and oxygen and strontium isotopes to study life history. Trace element studies have focused on methods of detecting and controlling for diagenesis, and barium has been added to the list of useful dietary indicators. Attempts to extract DNA from archaeological bone have been successful, however, this field is still in its early stages in terms of applications to understanding prehistoric biological relationships.     

Barbed Bone Points: Tradition and Continuity in Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa

Examination of African barbed bone points recovered from Holocene sites provides a context to interpret three Late Pleistocene occurrences from Katanda and Ishango, Zaire, and White Paintings Shelter, Botswana. In sites dated to ca. 10,000 BP and younger, such artifacts are found widely distributed across the Sahara Desert, the Sahel, the Nile, and the East African Lakes. They are present in both ceramic and aceramic contexts, sometimes associated with domesticates. The almost-universal presence of fish remains indicates a subsistence adaptation which incorporates a riverine/lacustrine component. Typologically these points exhibit sufficient similarity in form and method of manufacture to be subsumed within a single African tradition. They are absent at Fayum, where a distinct Natufian form occurs. Specimens dating to ca. 20,000 BP at Ishango, possibly a similar age at White Paintings Shelter, and up to 90,000 BP at Katanda clearly fall within this same African tradition and thus indicate a very long-term continuity which crosses traditionally conceived sub-Saharan cultural boundaries. L'étude des pointes barbelées en os del' Holocène africaine fournit un contexte à l'interprétation de trois gisements du Pleistocene superieure, notamment, Katanda et Ishango (en République Démocratique du Congo, ex-Zaire), et White Paintings Shelter au Botswana. Cettes pointes ont une distribution étendue à travers le Sahara, le Sahel, le Nil et les grands lacs du rift d'Afrique orientale, notamment sur certains sites datant de 10,000 ans avant notre ère. Ces pointes sont associées avec des types d'industries céramiques ou acéramiques, avec ou sans squelettes de faune domestiques, mais toujours avec des squelettes de poisson, indiquent une subsistence comportant des ressources lacustres ou riveraines. Sur le plan typologique, cettes pointes présentent une telle ressemblance, soit de forme, soit de manufacture, qu'elles constituent une tradition unique africaine. Au Fayum en Egypte, les formes des pointes rappellent, par contre, plutôt les series Natufiennes du Levant. Les pointes barbelées d'Ishango, datant de 20,000 ans environ, celles de White Paintings Shelter, datant probablement de la même époque, et celles de Katanda datant au maximum de 90,000 ans BP, appartiennent à la même tradition africaine, ce qu montre ainsi l'existence d'une continuité de très longue durée àtravers les frontières culturelles traditionelles.