Archaeology of Guano: Preliminary Results of the Survey Conducted in Caleta Robles (Mejillones,Chile), 1862–83

The exploitation of guano was one of the first important economic activities in Chile and Bolivia during the 19th century. Although its development was brief and less successful than the guano industry in neighbouring Peru, it laid the foundation of a state business system based on the granting of franchises to private companies, regulation of the maritime trade and modernisation of the extractive process to improve the exploitation of mineral resources.

Caleta Robles, a guano production centre between 1862 and 1883, succeeded the exploitation of other guano deposits on the Mejillones peninsula coast from the 1840s. It represents a highly relevant coastal archaeological site illustrating the early development of the mining industry in the north of Chile.

The preliminary results of the investigations conducted on this site have created an understanding of the spatial distribution of the different functional areas relating to the different phases of the production process and their adaptation to suit the peculiar topographical conditions of the site.     

Ordovician stromatoporoids from Tasmania

The Hunter Siltstone near Grenfell, New South Wales, contains a rich Upper Devonian fish fauna including the sinolepid Grenfellaspis and the new antiarchs Bothriolepis grenfellensis sp. nov. and Remigolepis redcliffensis sp. nov. Bothriolepis grenfellensis sp. nov. is the first bothriolepid species described from N.S.W., and R. redcliffensis sp. nov. is the first species of Remigolepis described from Australia. Traditionally, the Hunter Siltstone was considered to be uppermost Famennian or earliest Carboniferous in age based on the presence of Grenfellaspis, and the related taxon Sinolepis, which is known from the Wutung and Sanmentan formations of southeastern China. However, available data indicates the Hunter Siltstone may be early Famennian in age. Ongoing work suggests that all Famennian Bothriolepis from N.S.W., including B. grenfellensis, possess a trifid preorbital recess, but differ in other aspects of headshield morphology. In North China, the Famennian Zhongning Formation contains six species of Remigolepis and a species of Sinolepis. However, R. redcliffensis does not show any similarity to these species beyond those of Remigolepis as a whole.     

DESIRABLE STRENGTH DISTRIBUTION FOR ASYMMETRIC STRUCTURES WITH STRENGTH-STIFFNESS DEPENDENT ELEMENTS

Recent studies have shown that for many reinforced concrete lateral force-resisting elements (LFRE) stiffness is dependent on strength, and as a result strength assign-ment to these elements would affect both the strength and stiffness distributions in a structure. As a consequence, stiffness distribution cannot be considered known prior to strength assignment. This implies that in assigning strength to LFRE, the designer has the ability not only to prescribe the strength distribution, but also indirectly control the stiffness distribution in the structure. In this paper, a study is made on the seis-mic performance of a number of single-story structures to reconfirm that the “balanced CV-CR location” criterion, previously suggested by the writers, constitutes a desirable strength/stiffness distribution for minimising torsional response of asymmetric reinforced concrete structures.     

Social Dynamics and Pottery Distribution in the Faro Department, Northern Cameroon

Ethnoarchaeological studies have constantly emphasized the complexity of pottery distribution and its close ties with other aspects of social life. It is argued here that, among the Dowayo of northern Cameroon, pottery exchange is not regulated by preferential economic relationships between producers and consumers but rather by mechanisms such as fashion or the reputation of the artisans.De récentes études ethnoarchéologiques ont constamment mis en avant la complexité des processus de distribution de la poterie et les liens étroits que ceux-ci entretiennent avec les autres aspects de la vie sociale. Il est démontré dans cet article que, chez les Dowayo du Nord-Cameroun, les échanges de poterie sont structurés par une absence de lien privilégié entre producteurs et consommateurs et sont dès lors régulés par des mécanismes tels que la mode ou la réputation des artisans.     

宋元时期中国与朝鲜半岛的瓷器交流

本文根据近年的考古发现及相关的文献记载讨论了宋元时期中国瓷器对朝鲜半岛瓷器的影响,并主要探讨了中国出土的高丽瓷器、它们输入中国的途径及由此而体现的中国与朝鲜半岛的经济文化交流.     

西方人口史研究新进展述评

20世纪中叶以来 ,西方在人口史研究方面取得了巨大进展 ,还采用了新的研究方法。这些成果不仅提供了对近代人口普查前的各国人口数量和结构等基本状况的描述 ,而且增进了历史学对一些重大问题的理论探讨 ,拓宽了历史学的视野和领域。     

我国西部不发达区域自然资源要素转换的若干思考

西部不发达区域是我国自然资源密集地区,极具开发潜力,其经济成长采取自然资源转换模式具有客观必然性。但是传统的自然资源要素转换模式已严重制约着西部地区经济的持续发展。本通过对西部地区自然资源优势、资源开发中的技术结构和利益分配机制以及资源转换模式等问题的系统思考,提出了提升区域自然资源转换模式的构想。     

The periodontal disease status of the historical population of Assos

The science of anthropology obtains data on health, disease and death from ancient populations. Research on the skeletal remains of human teeth and surrounding tissues provides useful information on the evolutionary perspective of dental and periodontal diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of periodontal diseases in the skeletal remains of 33 Assos inhabitants of the 4th century BC. Three age groups were constituted for the studied population. Periodontal disease status was determined based on the textural and architectural variations of the interdental septum and the extent of bone loss. It was found that the prevalence of periodontal diseases increased with age. The severity of periodontal bone loss also increased with age and the mean alveolar bone loss between age groups was statistically significant (P = 0.004). This analysis of the dental health of ancient populations provides insights into the aetiology, patterns and distribution of periodontitis, which has a very complex disease pathogenesis. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

清代西辽河流域人口增长及其对环境的影响

西辽河流域是国家实施西部大开发战略的重点地区之一,属于典型的生态敏感区和生态脆弱区,研究流域人口变化及其对环境的影响是寻求区域人地关系和谐发展的必由之路。本文考察了清代260余年间西辽河流域蒙古族和汉族人口的变化,并指出正是由于清政府不能从长远的观点制定合理的开发政策,使人口增长过快,增强了人口对资源的压力,造成了植被的破坏、野生动物的锐减和土地退化与水土流失的出现。因此,政府在制定开发政策时,要从长远的观点出发,处理好产业发展与保护环境的关系。