ARCHAEOMETRY AT SLOWPOKE‐TORONTO

This paper describes the archaeometric research conducted at the SLOWPOKE Reactor Facility of the University of Toronto (SLOWPOKE‐Toronto) during its existence from 1971 to 1998. The contributions to student teaching and research are described, and the total contribution of the facility to studies of an eclectic assortment of ancient and historic materials is addressed.     

THERMAL ALTERATIONS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL BONES*

Archaeological bones, found close to Mexico City (Tlatelcomila), with alterations due to probable thermal exposure attributed to a possible case of cannibalism, have been characterized by XRD, SAXS and SEM. It is shown how these non‐destructive techniques, which are not conventionally used in archaeological research, may provide useful information. The deterioration degree of the bone structure is quantified through parameters such as gyration radius or fractal dimension. As some of the reported modifications could be attributed to diagenesis, a discussion is presented in terms of bone crystallinity and ionic exchange. Furthermore, the hydroxyapatite crystallite size increased depending on colour: this feature is not explained by diagenesis—it can only be attributed to temperature. We conclude that the samples were thermally treated. Indeed, thermal treatment alters the structure and morphology of bone at a very fine level (microscopic and nanometric), while morphology follows the structural modifications. It is determined that the studied human bones were treated at three different temperatures close to 100, 250 and 600°C. Therefore, they were either boiled (barbacoa) or grilled.     

CALCAREOUS MICROFOSSILS IN BRONZE AGE AEGEAN CERAMICS: ILLUMINATING TECHNOLOGY AND PROVENANCE*

The calcareous skeletal remains of various microscopic organisms such as foraminifera and ostracods are a striking feature of thin sections of many archaeological ceramics from the Aegean Bronze Age. While the presence of these calcareous microfossils in pottery has been noted for some time, attempts to utilize them to further the aims of ceramic compositional analysis have been few in number. In the following paper, we take a first detailed look at the occurrence and utility of calcareous microfossils in archaeological ceramics. By presenting selected case studies from the Bronze Age of Crete, we demonstrate the potential of calcareous microfossils, especially the extremely small ‘nannofossils’ and the highly contextual geological information that they contain, in terms of the characterization and grouping of ceramics, the determination of their provenance and the reconstruction of ancient technology.     

METHODOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LUMINESCENCE DATING OF BRICK FROM ENGLISH LATE‐MEDIEVAL AND POST‐MEDIEVAL BUILDINGS*

Fired clay brick samples, obtained from a group of seven high‐status late‐medieval and post‐medieval buildings in England ranging in age from c. ad 1390 to 1740, were dated by the luminescence method using an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique. The results obtained indicate that, when applied to quartz extracted from brick, the technique is capable of producing dates that are in consistently good agreement with independent dating evidence for the buildings. For six samples taken from a group of four dating ‘control’ buildings the mean difference between the central values of luminescence and assigned ages was 5 ± 10 years (SD, n = 6). The methodology used is appropriate for application to other standing buildings in other temporal and geographic regions, and may be used with confidence where conventional dating methods are less certain. The study also examines the luminescence characteristics of quartz and the characteristics of the lithogenic radionuclides in brick samples and identifies various aspects related to the assessment of experimental uncertainty in testing the reliability of the method.     

The Effectiveness of Voluntary Environmental Programs—A Policy at a Crossroads?

Voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) have been used as a policy tool in the United States since the early 1990s and come in many forms. Early assessments of VEPs targeting changes in production processes showed that industrial participants improved their environmental performance and VEPs were celebrated as a viable alternative to more traditional regulation. Recent analyses using more sophisticated techniques, however, paint a less favorable picture. On the one hand, firms appear willing to sign up to VEPs, and in some cases, participants may be able to create a shield against future losses in shareholder value. On the other hand, these VEPs targeting production processes appear not to generate significant pollution abatement. The latter finding is particularly disturbing and this article discusses various explanations, including institutional failure and participant motivations. Future research needs to focus on understanding the firm motivation to invest in production‐related pollution abatement under a VEP. For policymakers, the research offers a warning on the limited impact to date of VEPs targeting production processes. However, the multitude of other VEPs, such as those which target new product development and changing market demands, merit a closer look to determine the overall potential of VEPs to engender positive environmental change.     

Wissenschaftsstädte – Zur Bedeutung des Topos der ‘kreativen Stadt’ für die Wissensproduktion

Science Cities: What the Concept of the Creative City Means for Knowledge Production. – The article aims to show that the relationship of science and the city has changed since the 1970s in the context of the knowledgeable society. While cities have principally been regarded as the typical space of science, of new ideas and innovation for centuries, since the 1960s and 1970s universities, research institutes as well as industrial research institutes have relocated to the periphery of cities. There, however, these sites of knowledge have been organized in an ‘urban mode’. That means that the concept of the city as a place of science and innovation has determined the architectural, spatial, and social organization of these sites on the periphery of cities. Certain features of the city have been copied, such as social infrastructures, places of communication, restaurants, cafes etc., while others have been left out – housing, cinema, theatre etc. An ‘urban mode of knowledge production’ in the sense of a very stylized model of the city has become a tool to enhance the production of scientific and technological knowledge. – The article exemplifies this by focusing on a case study, namely of the so‐called ‘Science City’ of the Siemens Company in Munich‐Neuperlach.     

清初苏州商船赴日贸易史实辨析

顺治九年(1652),一艘赴日本贸易的苏州商船回国。史学界对该商船的赴日时间及贸易方式存在争议:一说是1644年赴日,在日本进行了八年的海外贸易;一说是1650年或1651年私自出海,交易完毕后即回国。本文根据明清档案及朝鲜史料对该事件的记载,以及当时中国、东南亚、日本之间的贸易状况进行综合考察,可以肯定该商船是于1644年前往日本,并在日本与交趾之间从事贸易活动。     

Development of the Bronze Age landscape in the southeastern Arabian Gulf: new evidence from a buried shell midden in the eastern extremity of the Rub' al-Khali desert, Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, U.A.E.

Recent sand quarrying operations for building and construction work in the eastern extremity of the Rub' al-Khali sand sea has revealed sediment exposures through a number of coastal and inland dunes. In the al-Daith district of Ras al-Khaimah (U.A.E.) a Holocene shell midden was exposed 2.8 m below the present dune surface interstratified between phases of Late Pleistocene and late Holocene dune sands. C¹⁴ and OSL ages constrain the site giving an insight into phases of landscape instability, dune formation, rates of sediment accretion, and a period of stability and human occupation. To date, Hafit period sites (5200–4500 cal BP) have been recorded in large numbers in the mountains and gravel plains of the Oman mountains. Coastal shell middens have not, as yet, been ascribed to the Hafit period from this part of the region and the study presents the first radiocarbon age from such a site. This study indicates the potential that many other sites exist elsewhere buried under late Holocene dune sediments and these provide an important insight into the development of the coastal landscape of this region.     

徽州宗族历史的建构与冲突——以黄墩叙事为中心

徽州宗族迁徙史上普遍存在"始迁黄墩"的记载,而"篁墩"之称则始于程敏政.此类记载更多的是传说,而非史实,其实质是徽州宗族为建构自身历史而作出的叙事.围绕这一叙事,引发了诸多矛盾和冲突,各宗族为消解冲突而不懈努力.对黄墩叙事的研究,具备方法论与历史观的双重价值,可以成为打开徽州宗族世界大门的一把钥匙.     

Rising and Narrowing: 16th-Century Geometric Algorithms used to Design the Bottom of Ships in Portugal

Methods of designing the bottom of ship's hulls were only a small part of the process of building a frame-based ship in Portugal in the 16th and early 17th centuries, but they deserve a careful look. Using a number of geometric algorithms that were already well-known to Italian shipwrights of the 15th century, Portuguese shipwrights obtained the co-ordinates of the turn of the bilge points of the central, pre-designed, frames without the need for making drawings.
© 2006 The Author