Intensive El Niño and the Iron Age of South-eastern Africa

Burnt daga structures in Iron Age villages serve as proxies for severe drought on the plateau of southern Africa. The distribution of burnt daga remains in two other rainfall areas, KwaZulu-Natal and the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone over Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, establishes a sequence of simultaneous burnings that parallels the severe droughts recorded for the interior plateau. These widespread correspondences suggest a common cause. Another correspondence with natural proxy data from South America indicates that intensive El Niño events most likely caused the droughts.     

Specialization of ceramic production: A sherd assemblage based analytic perspective

One expectation of emergent complexity is that as ceramic craft specialization increases it is reflected by increasingly homogeneous products due to the modified organization of craft production by specialists. This question has most often been addressed by analysis of sub-sets of larger ceramic assemblages consisting of intact vessels from idiosyncratic contexts. However, excavations often do not yield appropriate whole vessel sub-sets. In order to evaluate the changing context of the organization of ceramic production, we engage a robust methodological approach to the analysis of ceramic sherd assemblages, rather than intact vessels, rooted in cluster analysis but which we rigorously evaluate by other means. We successfully employ this method to assess changes in the organization of ceramic production through a 1000 year sequence leading to the emergence of the Tarascan state, and conclude in this case that no significant reorganization of ceramic production occurred with Tarascan state formation.     

Near infrared spectroscopy as a tool for archaeological wood characterization

Archaeological wood, as most of natural materials, is slowly decomposing on the archaeological site due to various biological factors. Rapid and accurate estimation of the degradation level is extremely important for optimal restoration and conservation. The goal of this research was to verify the effectiveness of Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy for archaeometry. The important advantage of the NIR spectroscopy is its accuracy, simplicity and ability to perform very high number of tests without needs of any destruction to the workpiece. Five oak pieces of the archaeological wood collected from waterlogged sites in Poland have been used. Cellulose and lignin contents, as well as crystallinity and the degree of polymerization were measured with standard reference methods and compared to the contemporary wood. The near infrared spectra represent all the physical/chemical changes of the wood due to waterlogging. This technique was successfully validated in rapid estimation of the cellulose and lignin contents. The method explored in this research might be a novel tool assisting experts in evaluation of the degradation state of archaeological and historical wooden materials.     

The plant landscape of the imperial harbour of Rome

The research concerns the Tiber delta area, about 3 km far from the present seacoast, where the remains of the ancient harbour of Rome are located. In 42 AD, Claudius started the construction of the harbour and Nero completed it in 64 AD. Then, the emperor Trajan went on to add a hexagonal basin to the former structure, which had gradually silted up. The imperial harbour was connected to the Tiber River and ultimately to the city of Rome through the Trajan channel. During the imperial period, most of the supplies imported from the Mediterranean provinces reached the city of Rome through Portus.     

略谈宋代官窑瓷器研究中存在的问题

宋代官窑是中国古陶瓷研究中的重要内容之一。长期以来,由于对相关历史文献的理解不同以及考古发掘的局限性,致使在宋代官窑瓷器研究中存在许多悬而未决的问题,诸如何为北宋官窑,北宋朝廷是否在都城汴京设置过官窑,北宋官窑是否就是汝窑,河南汝州张公巷窑是否是北宋官窑,南宋修内司官窑的称谓是否准确,南宋官窑是否只有郊坛下官窑一处,何为文献上所说的内窑,老虎洞窑是修内司官窑还是文献上所说的续窑,等等。本文在对专家学者们对上述问题的看法进行疏理的基础上,指出对宋代官窑瓷器的研究离不开传世宋代官窑瓷器、现代科学技术手段和考古发掘资料,只有将这三者结合起来开展综合研究,才能最终解决上述问题。     

清末民初广州城市的环卫制度与环境整治

清末民初是中国历史上一个重要的转型时期,广州城市环卫制度的构建随着这一时期政治制度的变革而展开,经历了从清末新政以前的缺失,到新政以后至1920年代逐渐形成的过程。与此同时,广州城市环境卫生的整治,在形成中的环卫制度指导下,向制度化、规范化的方向转变。从此以后,广州市的环境整治由民间的无序行为,走向以政府或政府指导下有序的法治化轨道。清末民初广州市的城市环卫制度与环境整治方式的改变,对民国时期乃至新中国初年的广州城市环境卫生的管理均产生了重要的影响。     

国民革命时期长沙市商民协会会所被毁案

1926年12月长沙市商民协会正式成立后,促使湖南商民运动得到了迅速发展。但次年1月因苏广业店员联合会提出改良店员待遇要求,遭店主反对而导致劳资纠纷,商民协会参与仲裁时偏向店主一方,致使店员产生强烈不满而引发捣毁市商民协会会所案发生。在查处该案过程中,国民党湖南省党部虽竭力调解,但市商协对该案未得到迅速处置深为不满,以组织全体商家游行和罢市相威胁。省党部迫不得已,接受了市商协提出的改组店员联合会和惩处为首分子等一系列要求。其最终结果,不仅使总工会和苏广业店员联合会深感受到压抑,而且也并未使商民协会感到完全满意,似乎劳资双方都不无怨言。     

关于中国前近代社会“非封建”的对话

《"封建"考论》引起的学术争论,展现出学界对"封建"名实问题及社会形态学说的不同理解。日本京都学派代表学者谷川道雄与《"封建"考论》作者冯天瑜就此展开对话,取得相近的认识,他们以为,将秦至清中国社会称为"封建社会"的"泛化封建"观是教条主义产物,不能谓之"马克思主义史学成果"。从中国历史的实际出发,而不是从斯大林规定的"五形态"说出发,是论析中国前近代社会性质的健康起点;尊重马克思的封建观,恢复其本来面目,是正确对待马克思历史学说的首要前提,不应将马克思尖锐批评的泛化封建观强加到马克思头上。对"封建"概念的阐释和运用,应取古今演绎、东西涵化的正途。在精准概念与真确史实的相互观照中,显现中国前近代社会的非封建性及其与西欧、日本前近代社会的封建性之间的差异。     

美苏冷战与中国内战的起因和结局——以东北为中心的考察

二战结束后,中国东北成为美苏两国与中国国共双方关注和争夺的焦点地区,并最终形成了以美国和国民党为一方,以共产党和苏联为另一方的对峙格局,导致了中国内战在东北的爆发,东北也成为美苏关系在东亚转冷的起点。在苏联的支持下,中国共产党取得了辽沈战役的胜利,奠定了中国革命胜利的基础,而国民党则逐渐丧失了美国的支持,这在外因上决定了中国内战的结局。