The Difficult Place of Deserted Coasts in Archaeology: New Archaeological Research on Cooks Beach (Pukaki), Coromandel Peninsula,New Zealand

Sites which have been occupied semi-continuously in the past present some inherent difficulties for archaeology. Here we present new research from a coastal site on the North Island of New Zealand at Cooks Beach where anthropogenic vegetation changes are seen using microfossil analysis of obsidian tools, sediments and pit fill. The results indicate the initial presence of people in AD 1300–1400 followed by subsequent periods of disuse or abandonment and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivation. Around the time of initial settlement, obsidian from this location is found at sites across the country. After AD 1400 the area appears to be deserted for a century or more, after which we see evidence for the cultivation of sweet potato in AD 1500 as evidenced by extensive soil modification and numerous storage pits. There is no evidence of a permanent settlement at the site. The geographic distribution of Cooks Beach obsidian was constricted while the site was used for sweet potato cultivation, a pattern often attributed to increased warfare. It appears cultivation was abandoned after AD 1650 marking a second secession of use, a fact confirmed in AD 1769 when Captain Cook visited the area. We consider the possible drivers for the late abandonment of cultivation at Cooks Beach.     

读金随札——内史亳同

本文经对内史毫同铭文的考释认为:1.该器属于康王之世;2.作器者亳可能是见于文献的作册度;3.器名为见于同篇的饮酒器——同,而该器器形是以往所称的觚,应当根据此铭改称作同;4.同当来源于竹筒。     

HMQS Mosquito: the rediscovery and identification of Queensland's first warship

In 2009, the remnants of Her Majesty's Queensland Ship Mosquito, a 2nd‐class torpedo‐boat built in 1883, were relocated. Purchased by the colonial government of Australia in response to heightened tensions between Great Britain and Imperial Russia, Mosquito was assigned to Queensland's capital, Brisbane, where it had a largely uneventful career. Following removal from active duty it was stripped and abandoned on the foreshore of a tributary of the Brisbane River. This paper discusses Mosquito's historical background, and chronicles the rediscovery of the vessel, and the archaeological investigation and identification of its remains. © 2010 The Author     

河南南阳市拆迁办秦墓发掘简报

2000年2月-8月,南阳市文物考古研究所为配合基本建设在南阳市拆迁办工地发掘秦基2座,出土秦代铜器数件,为南阳地区秦代埋葬风俗及秦文化的研究提供了宝贵的实物资料。     

Emprise et déprise de l'agriculture sur le territoire de l'est de l'Ontario de 1826 à 2006: la dimension environnementale

Agricultural land‐cover changes in Eastern Ontario from 1826 to 2006: environmental effects. Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) counties, Eastern Ontario, are among the first areas in Ontario to welcome settlers. In 1784, they established themselves in a forested land where wetlands are very important. Today, a large part of the wetlands has disappeared, but the landscape is wooded, masking the radical changes that took place over the course of the last two centuries. Analysis of census data from 1826 to 2006 allows the reconstruction of the history of land‐cover changes. It reveals the nature and rates of change for which a first analysis is presented. Four periods are identified. First, agriculture conquers the land and establishes its dominance. A plateau is reached in 1891 as agriculture maintains its supremacy until 1941. Then, as fast as agriculture invaded land, it fades away until 1986 when agricultural land‐cover stops shrinking. The opening of forest for cultivation was relatively slow in SDG because of biophysical and socio‐economical conditions associated with an absence of growth of agricultural population. Deforestation and wetland drainage led to a degradation of agricultural life but resulted in consideration of the environment in agriculture. Today, wooded and agricultural land covers are more balanced and environmental effects less acute.     

南方青铜繹研究

两周时期,江淮间、长江中下游地区的徐舒蔡楚吴越邗等南方各国流行鼎形繹、缶形繹、鬲形繹、飌形繹、提梁?繹、方繹、双耳兽流繹等,既受中原影响,又承袭土著文化,既具时代特征、又有地域风格。特别是源于江淮地区北部,流行于楚吴徐等国的?繹,代表了东周时期南方系统青铜文化特色,并对中原及百越地区的青铜文化产生了一定影响。     

同盟困境与美日同盟--日本的同盟政策分析

同盟是一个利益的共同体也是一个战争扩散的通道,同盟困境所显现的是同盟国间基于国家理性,围绕着利益、权力、地位等问题进行讨价还价的政策选择行为上的合作与冲突。本文以日美同盟的战后发展过程为主线,以美日政策互动为核心,考察了各个时期日本维系同盟政策行为的根源,并在同盟框架内对不同政策的相关性进行了部分梳理。     

Understanding Abandonments in the North American Southwest

The North American Southwest is renowned for its rich archaeological record. Thousands of prehistoric houses and ceremonial centers remain partially standing or form mounds that mark prehistoric villages that were once actively occupied and remain important to the descendants. The visibility of archaeological remains has sparked interest in questions of abandonment among archaeologists and the lay public. We explore reasons for this interest, how it is manifest in archaeological research, and how perception of that research influences popular views of the past and of native people. Our focus is on explanations for the causes of site and regional abandonment as well as on explications of the processes by which abandonments occur. Essential to our perspective is the view that abandonment is a process that involves decisions to move, which may be promoted by dire circumstances, but which are most often settlement strategies. The process of moving requires economic, social, and political decisions about the places from which people move and to which they move.     

Compositional study of bronze vessels from the Derveni tombs of central Macedonia of the fourth century bce using energy‐dispersive micro‐X‐ray fluorescence (EDμXRF) spectrometry

The chemical composition of 61 copper alloy vessels was studied non‐invasively by energy‐dispersive micro‐X‐ray fluorescence (EDμXRF) spectrometry. The vessels were found in five tombs (A, B, D, Z and H) at Derveni in central Macedonia, Greece, which belong to the cemetery of the ancient city of Lete. The tombs are dated to the last quarter of the fourth century bce . The opulence of the numerous grave offerings denotes the high social status of the deceased within Macedonian society. The material under study was divided into two main groups according to their appearance and use. The first group included 44 vessels with a golden appearance for use in banquets; the second group consisted of 17 dark vessels for domestic use. The aim of this research was to study the vessels' technology according to their chemical composition. Both golden and dark vessels consisted of a binary Cu‐Sn alloy and a slight amount of impurities (Fe, Ni, Zn, Pb, As, Co, Sb, Ag, Ti). It is probable that during construction the ancient metalsmiths were taking into account criteria such as the desired appearance, cost of metals, future use and physical properties such as resistance to corrosion. Banquet vessels had a consistent chemical composition in all their different parts compared with those for domestic use. The only chemical element used systemically for alloying purposes, except Sn, was Pb in order to improve the castability of the bases and handles of the vessels. The study provides additional information about the metalworking of bronzes in central Macedonia in the fourth century bce, as well as about the access Macedonian metalworkers had at the time to the raw materials for such use.     

济南刘家庄商代青铜器

济南刘家庄出土的商代青铜器,时间为段墟化二期至四期,对于了解商王朝晚期的东进提供了新的史料。