Production risk,inter-annual food storage by households and population-level consequences in seasonal prehistoric agrarian societies

Abstract

Using complementary behavioural and population ecological models, we explore the role of production risk, normal surplus and inter-annual food storage in the adaptations of societies dependent on seasonal agriculture. We find that (a) household-level, risk-sensitive adaption to unpredictable environmental variation in annual agricultural yields is a sufficient explanation for the origins of normal agrarian surplus and, consequently, of household-level incentives for inter-annual food storage; and, (b) at the population level, density-dependent Malthusian processes tightly constrain the circumstances under which this same mechanism can be effective in smoothing inter-annual fluctuations in household food availability. Greater environmental variation and higher levels of fixed set-asides such as seed requirements or transfer obligations to political authorities lead to more severe, periodic famines; however, outside of famine events, these same factors improve average population welfare by suppressing population density to levels at which Malthusian constraints have lessened impact. The combination of behavioural and population ecological modelling methods has broad and complementary potential for illustrating the dynamic properties of complex, coupled human–natural systems.     

河南焦作出土的二联仓、三联仓陶仓楼

焦作出土的二联仓、三联仓陶仓楼在焦作地区乃至全国各地出土数量较少,是众多类型陶仓楼中的一个新类型、新品种,在汉代建筑明器中占有重要的地位。此类陶仓楼在焦作的出土仅限于马作墓群和白庄墓群范围,时代应为东汉中期前后。     

Towards an archaeology and geography of Second World War German munitions storage sites in north-west Europe

This paper reviews the signature characteristics of extant Second World War German army munitions storage landscapes in forested areas of north-west Europe with particular reference to sites in north-west France and the Netherlands. Archaeological survey, aerial photographs and documentary archives show the geography of munitions sites exhibit a regulated pattern of bunker disposition and spacing that is adapted to local road configurations and terrain. Non-hardened bunkers form the predominant feature in munitions depots and conform to a five-/six-fold typology defined by non-invasive survey and excavated examples from the Netherlands. The typology reflects an evolution of storage protocols towards all-round protection from the effects of weather and blast, but also reveals variation in size, structural characteristics and function that poses questions for further study. It is anticipated that these results will be of diagnostic value in future Second World War conflict archaeological survey of German military support structures in formerly occupied territories.     

Glass Beads from 15th–17th Century CE Jar Burial Sites in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains

A total of 74 glass beads, included as grave goods in 15th–17th century CE jar burials from Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains, were analysed using laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS). Several glass types were identified, including two subtypes of high‐alumina mineral soda glass, and lead–potash glass. The final glass type represents a newly discovered and previously unidentified type of high‐alumina soda glass, with high magnesia (m‐Na–Al Mg>). This study represents the first glass data from the mid‐second millennium CE from Cambodia and sheds light on the multiple long‐distance maritime exchange networks in which the upland people buried in the jars were participating.     

A STAMPED IMPRESSION ON THE RIM OF A MB II STORAGE JAR

Abstract

The scarab impression on the rim of a Middle Bronze II storage jar is the first of its kind to be discovered in Israel. The pattern on the impression appears on scarabs of the period. The unusual location of the impression may point to a special content of the jar, or alternatively to the owner of this pot. Once the context of the storage jar rim is studied, it may shed some light on the possible association of this jar with the scarab impression on its rim.     

仙人好楼居:襄阳新出相轮陶楼与中国浮图祠类证

湖北襄阳东汉—三国蔡越墓出土的相轮陶楼,在建筑形制上为汉式陶楼和印度式相轮塔刹的结合,在装饰母题上同时兼有汉地神仙瑞兽与印度—犍陀罗式有翼天人的图像,明显带有佛教初传时期汉、印文化杂糅的特点。本文在讨论陶楼形制的过程中,分别联系同期北方墓葬中出土的陶楼明器和汉晋之际江南地区的佛饰堆塑重楼魂瓶进行类比分析,证明这两类墓葬明器都与文献记载的"浮图祠"相关联。在佛教初传汉地时,由"仙人好楼居"的汉式重楼过渡到高层佛塔,浮图祠是初期的标志,襄阳蔡越墓陶楼或可看作是浮图祠的标准器。浮图祠用作明器进入墓葬,反映了汉地民间埋葬方式因佛教传入而起的新变化,并在随后长江中游六朝砖墓的建造中留下了印记。     

Mesolithic plant exploitation at the Roc del Migdia, Catalonia

Charred plant remains from the mesolithic site of Roc del Migdia have been analysed in detail. Hazel shell and endocarp fragments of sloe (Prunus spinosa L.) have been identified by incident light microscopy and an attempt has been made at the identification of quantities of parenchymatous plant remains through the use of the scanning electron microscope. A number of different classes of tissue are described and the implications of the results discussed.     

Geometry‐coupled reactive fluid transport at the fracture scale: application to CO2 geologic storage

Water acidification follows CO₂ injection and leads to reactive fluid transport through pores and rock fractures, with potential implications to reservoirs and wells in CO₂ geologic storage and enhanced oil recovery. Kinetic rate laws for dissolution reactions in calcite and anorthite are combined with the Navier‐Stokes law and advection–diffusion transport to perform geometry‐coupled numerical simulations in order to study the evolution of chemical reactions, species concentration, and fracture morphology. Results are summarized as a function of two dimensionless parameters: the Damköhler number Da which is the ratio between advection and reaction times, and the transverse Peclet number Pe defined as the ratio between the time for diffusion across the fracture and the time for advection along the fracture. Reactant species are readily consumed near the inlet in a carbonate reservoir when the flow velocity is low (low transverse Peclet number and Da > 10^?1). At high flow velocities, diffusion fails to homogenize the concentration field across the fracture (high transverse Peclet number Pe > 10^?1). When the reaction rate is low as in anorthite reservoirs (Da < 10^?1), reactant species are more readily transported toward the outlet. At a given Peclet number, a lower Damköhler number causes the flow channel to experience a more uniform aperture enlargement along the length of the fracture. When the length‐to‐aperture ratio is sufficiently large, say l/d > 30, the system response resembles the solution for 1D reactive fluid transport. A decreased length‐to‐aperture ratio slows the diffusive transport of reactant species to the mineral fracture surface, and analyses of fracture networks must take into consideration both the length and slenderness of individual fractures in addition to Pe and Da numbers.     

Cyclic loading of an idealized clay‐filled fault: comparing hydraulic flow in two clay gouges

The flow of water along discontinuities, such as fractures or faults, is of paramount importance in understanding the hydrogeology of many geological settings. An experimental study was undertaken comprising two experiments on a 30° slip‐plane filled with kaolinite or Ball Clay gouge using a bespoke Angled Shear Rig (ASR). The gouge was initially loaded in equal step changes in vertical stress, followed by unloading of the sample in similar equal steps. This was followed by reloading to a new maximum stress, followed by unloading; the test history was therefore load‐unload‐reload‐unload (LURU). The transmissivity of the kaolinite and Ball Clay gouge showed a power‐law relationship with vertical stress. The LURU history showed considerable hysteresis, with flow effectively unchanged during unloading, even when vertical stress was close to zero. Reloading resulted in flow similar to that seen during unloading suggesting that the unloading‐reloading path is similar to the rebound‐reconsolidation line in classic soil mechanics. These observations show the importance of stress history on fracture flow; consideration of just the current stress acting upon a fracture may result in inaccuracies of predicted hydraulic flow. Once a new stress maximum was achieved the transmissivity of the fracture continued to reduce. No significant variation was seen in the flow response of kaolinite and Ball Clay gouge suggesting that the inclusion of illite and quartz did not have a significant influence on the form of the relationship between stress and flow, i.e. both described by a power‐law.     

秦汉时期岭南联体陶器研究——以五联罐为主

秦汉时期岭南地区的墓葬中大量出土各种类型的联体陶器,被普遍认为是当地考古学文化的特色。这些联体陶器的分布、形制、共出陶器和墓葬背景呈现如下特点:它们在岭南地区呈现以秦汉郡治为中心的多点辐射式分布,数量和类型呈现"故王都—郡治—一般县城"的层级落差,近海较内地数量多、类型丰富;在发展脉络上,从多种类型到比较单一的五联罐再到急骤消失;联体陶器应该是一种南越国时期在外地工艺冲击下出现的本土化产品,与"边地半月形地带"和环地中海地区的kernos/pseudokernos可能存在渊源关系。