论纸莎草纸的兴衰及其历史影响

纸莎草纸的出现是一种进步,表明了人类利用自然之赐,探索新的书写材料的创造力。但纸莎草纸也具有自身不可克服的诸多局限性,其最终被羊皮纸和纸所代替,更是一种历史的必然和进步。然而,纸莎草纸毕竟曾经是多达六种语言文字符号的载体,记录了包括古埃及、古希腊、古罗马和阿拉伯帝国弥足珍贵的历史信息,从而使其成为人类历史上最早的、应用时间最长的、最重要的纸质传播媒介。因此,无论是研究近东和欧洲古代文明史,还是研究人类传播媒介史,都离不开对纸莎草纸及其所承载的文献进行的研究,它是古代文明留给后人的一笔宝贵的文化遗产。     

试论越窑的衰落

越窑是中国古代著名的青瓷窑,约创建于东汉晚期,中晚唐逐渐进入辉煌时期,北宋中期开始出现衰落的迹象,北宋晚期全面衰落,约公元13世纪早期以后停烧。从其出现衰落迹象到停烧,历时约150多年,其间并非简单、缓慢地直线下滑,而是经历了一个较为复杂、耐人寻味的过程。衰落的前期即北宋晚期,形势急转直下,经营者们显得极度无奈;南宋早期似有所醒悟,之后,开始改革青釉的配方,调整产品,但终因衰落时间太久,行动太晚,奇迹未能出现。其衰落的根本原因是缺乏创新,盲目将生产的重点转向刻、划花青瓷,放弃了自己的特色,刻、划花青瓷又质量平平,使产品逐渐失去了市场竞争力,丧失了生存的基础。     

试析明代宦官内操的兴衰及特点

有明一代,宦官的势力遍及帝国中枢和地方要塞,对明朝政治、经济、军事以及文化等各方面都产生了巨大的影响。就军事上来说,自明中期以来,宦官不仅提督京营、监军统兵、镇守地方,而且还在皇城大内演兵习武,同时也为皇帝举行军事体育娱乐活动,史称"内操"。本文主要根据《明实录》、《明史》以及明清历史笔记等相关史料梳理出明代宦官内操的兴衰历程,并分析其不同时期的阶段性特点,力求对明宦官史、宫廷史研究有所增益。     

Palynological interpretation of the Early Neolithic coastal open-air site at Sa Punta (central-western Sardinia,Italy)

The major goal of the present study has been to assess the ecological context of the Early Neolithic settlement under excavation in the coastal site of Sa Punta-Marceddì (Terralba, Sardinia, Italy) where a trench of Neolithic age has been brought to light. Based on the origins of the site's organic fossiliferous content, the purpose of this work is to achieve an understanding of: 1) the reasons why this location was chosen by EN man and 2) its functions. This research has enabled us to suggest a human paleoecological scenario over the course of the last three centuries of the 6th millennium BC in the inland area of the Oristano Gulf. On the basis of pollen spectra and the phytolith morphologies recognised, it is suggested that herbaceous vegetation covered the alluvial plain. Arable agriculture does not seem to have been practiced on the site, but the record of coprophilous fungi and endoparasites, along with clues that there were burning practices, suggest livestock farming activity. To date, a univocal interpretation of the function of this trench is still lacking. However, it is the oldest and the only evidence in Sardinia of a remarkable transformation of an open-air space due to settlement.     

A Filtered Past: Interpreting Salt Production and Trade Models from Two Remnant Brine-Enrichment Mounds at the Ancient Maya Paynes Creek Salt Works,Belize

The mounds at Witz Naab and Killer Bee are the only known remaining aboveground evidence of a once-thriving salt industry in Punta Ycacos Lagoon, a large saltwater system in Paynes Creek National Park, Belize. Over one hundred ancient Maya salt works dated to the Classic period (a.d. 300–900) have been submerged by sea-level rise in the lagoon. We have hypothesized that mounds were once numerous features on the landscape prior to a sea-level rise that occurred in the area during the Terminal Classic period. Lacking at these underwater sites are earthen mounds formed by discarded soil from the leaching process in which the salinity of seawater was enriched by leaching brine through salty soil. Enriching the salinity of seawater by leaching or by solar evaporation is virtually universal in ethnographic case studies. Data from the excavations are evaluated to interpret the ancient activities that produced the earthen mounds, scales of production, and how the coastal Maya of southern Belize participated in the larger Classic Maya economy.     

《稽古录》的历史兴亡论

司马光的《稽古录》共三十六条“臣光曰” ,论历史兴亡 ,概括出“人君之道有一 ,其德有三 ,其才有五”。历代帝王 ,根据才能的高下 ,可分为创业、守成、陵夷、中兴和乱亡五类。五才论重点在于论述如何守成。帝王守成的主要方面是“仁、明、武”修心三德与用人治国之道。司马光史论和政论相通。他的历史兴亡论是他政论的依据。