Fragmentation of Bird Bones in Food Remains of Imperial Eagles (Aquila heliaca)

Fragmentation of bird bones in pellets and uneaten food remains of imperial eagles (Aquila heliaca) was studied. The degree of fragmentation was higher than that produced by owls and lower than that in gyrfalcons. There were significant differences between pellets and uneaten remains in the survival of bones and their fragmentation. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Osteoarchaeol., 7 : 165–171 (1997) No. of Figures: 0. No. of Tables: 5. No. of References: 21.     

The bioerosion of bird bones

This study presents a synthesis of the evidence for modern archaeological, and palaeontological bioerosion of vertebrate tissue. It describes the first evidence for the bioerosion of modern, archaeological and fossil bird bones. A new form of bone bioerosion, known as Hackett tunnels, is defined. The bioerosion of vertebrate tissue by cyanobacteria and algae in modern marine and lacustrine environments is also described. Archaeological evidence indicates that the destruction of bone by bioerosion occurs in other terrestrial environments, such as cave deposits and middens. Bone from marine and lacustrine environments that appears to be macroscopically well preserved can have large amounts of microscopic fabric destruction. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterisation and blind testing of radiocarbon dating of cremated bone

The success of radiocarbon dating of burned or cremated bones depends on the exposed temperature during burning and the degree of re-crystallisation of the inorganic bone matrix. We present a method for characterisation of likely cremated bones by employing visual inspection, infrared spectrometry and carbon stable isotope analysis on the bio-apatite fraction. The method of radiocarbon dating of cremated bones was tested by dating paired samples of bone and associated context materials such as pitch, charcoal and a dendrochronologically dated oak coffin. The dating of these paired test samples were largely performed as blind tests and showed excellent agreement between pitch and bone. The weighted mean age difference of all test samples is observed to −9 ± 60 ¹⁴C yr. To test the indicators and the effects of the degree of burning, a Late-Neolithic human individual has been studied, as this individual exhibits the full spectrum from low temperature burning (charred) to high temperature (“cremated”) from one end of a single bone to the other. This is reflected as a marked step in numerous parameters as well as in a significant difference in ¹⁴C age between the charred and the cremated bone samples.     

甲骨卜辞所见的商代献捷献俘礼

古代军礼中的献捷献俘礼,殷墟甲骨文有所记载。就卜辞所见,殷商时期这一礼仪主要包括反主、逆俘、奏恺、献捷杀俘祭祖等仪节。文献中所言的"饮至"、"大赏"等虽因卜辞简练而无法清楚,但根据其他迹象判断也应存在。殷代军礼充满崇祖信鬼的色彩,占卜贯穿于其中,杀俘献祭则保留了明显的原始遗风。     

新疆多岗墓地出土人骨的碳氮稳定同位素分析

拜城多岗墓地是新疆西部发现的墓葬数量较多的墓葬群之一,墓葬情况复杂,葬俗葬式多样,是早期铁器时代的研究资料。本文对于采集到的该墓地41具人骨进行碳氮稳定同位素分析,探讨多岗居民的饮食状况;并结合墓葬类型、随葬品种类,男女性别以及考古学分期等对不同条件人们的食物差别进行考察,为该区域早期铁器时代居民的饮食结构研究提供依据。分析结果显示,多岗居民δ15N平均值为12.56‰,表明食物中有较多的肉类;而δ13C分析平均值为-14.77‰,相应植物类食物中C4类植物为40%左右。参考周边遗址的出土遗存,其C4类植物应为粟或黍。     

Is X-ray diffraction able to distinguish between animal and human bones?

The possibility of determining the human or animal origin of bones from the lattice parameters of their inorganic bioapatite phase, when subjected to a high temperature treatment using the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, has been explored on a wide number of specimens. Forty-two animal bones were treated in a furnace at 1100 °C for 36 min and compared to 53 cremated human bones from a range of ancient necropolises. The X-ray diffraction patterns of bioapatite were simulated using both monoclinic P21/b and hexagonal P63/m structures to verify any occurrence of phase transformation and any difference in the lattice parameters due to the model. It was determined that the differences between the a-axis and c-axis of the monoclinic and hexagonal lattice were unimportant. Some outlying values were revealed to be caused by the presence of chlorine ions diffused into the apatite structure increasing its average unit cell values. Nevertheless, our results clearly show that in terms of lattice parameters the variability of human specimens are completely overlapped by the non-human variability making the use of XRD in order to distinguish animal from human bones questionable.     

论甲骨卜辞中的"稻"字

甲骨文中的“(?)”字旧释为黍是有问题的,从对贞卜辞、成套卜辞、相间卜辞、同期卜辞以及与水的亲密关系、古文献金文习语、种植方式来看,它符合水稻亲水的特征,应是五谷作物中的“稻”字。     

殷墟甲骨文字新缀五十一则

本文研究的是甲骨缀合,共缀合甲骨51组。     

甲骨卜辞田猎地“衣”之地望考——兼论衣、殷、邺之地理纠葛

甲骨卜辞中有一个重要的田猎地"衣"。过去的学者往往将其地望指在今河南沁阳一带。今据殷墟出土的甲骨文材料考证,该"衣"地不在沁阳地区,而在靠近殷墟的漳河流域。而"殷"、"衣"二字在古文献中每每通假,"殷"地之得名,当从"衣"而来。此地既是殷先公王亥或上甲微所居之故地(邺),又是后来盘庚迁都的所在(殷)。后世有"殷"、"邺"不分的情况,是有其历史渊源的。     

宾组卜辞五次月食的先后次序

宾组卜辞中的五次月食是殷商年代学研究极其重要的资料,本文以殷墟甲骨分期研究的最新成果为基础,先对记载五次月食的卜辞材料进行类别的划分,然后再排出五次月食的先后次序,在此基础上,就可根据目前所掌握的历算知识,求出其相应的绝对年代,以作为殷商年代学研究的重要基点。