Radiocarbon reservoir effects in human bone collagen from northern Iceland

Human bone collagen from a series of Icelandic human pagan graves was radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dated to aid understanding of early settlement (landnám) chronologies in northern Iceland. These individuals potentially consumed marine protein. The ¹⁴C age of samples containing marine carbon requires a correction for the marine ¹⁴C reservoir effect. The proportion of non-terrestrial sample carbon was quantified via measurement of carbon stable isotopes (δ¹³C) using a simple mixing model, based on δ¹³C measurements of archaeofaunal samples. Non-terrestrial carbon was also quantified in six pig bones from the archaeofaunal dataset. Assuming all non-terrestrial carbon in human and pig bone collagen was marine-derived, calibrated age ranges calculated using a mixed IntCal09/Marine09 calibration curve were consistent with an early settlement date close to landnám, but several samples returned pre-landnám age ranges. Measurements of nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N) strongly suggest that many of the human bone collagen samples contain freshwater diet-derived carbon. Icelandic freshwater systems frequently display large freshwater ¹⁴C reservoir effects, of the order of 10,000 ¹⁴C years, and we suggest that the presence of freshwater carbon is responsible for the anomalously early ages within our dataset. In pig samples, the majority of non-terrestrial carbon is freshwater in origin, but in human samples the proportion of freshwater carbon is within the error of the marine component (±10%). This presents a major obstacle to assessing temporal patterns in the ages of human remains from sampled graves, although the majority of grave ages are within the same, broad, calibrated range.     

Zu semonides von amorgos

Die Studie versucht, das Frauenbild der röm. Elegiker (Properz, Tibull, Ovid) als literarisches Phänomen in seiner Distanz und Nähe zur gesellschaftlichen Realität Roms darzulegen. Ausgehend von der Erkenntnis, daß die Rolle der puella als topisches Element literarischer Fiktion keinesfalls unmittelbar auf die röm. Wirklichkeit übertragen werden darf, andererseits aber die intensive Auseinandersetzung mit den Geschlechterrollen auf eine Umbruchszeit schließen läßt, kommt die Verf. zum Ergebnis, daß es den Elegikern ‐ allen voran Properz ‐ primär um eine provokative Neudefinition des männlichen Selbstverständnisses aus vorwiegend politischen Motiven geht. Im Frauenbild zeigt sich vor allem bei Properz und Tibull dagegen ein unter der Oberfläche elegischer Dominanz der Frau unvermutetes Festhalten an den traditionellen Idealen von pudicitia und fides, wenn auch deutlich wird, daß das stilisierte Bild der matrona mit der röm. Realität zunehmend unvereinbar ist. Erst Ovid entlarvt die tatsächliche Entfernung der Gesellschaft von ihren alten Werten, indem er aus der gewählten erotischen Perspektive die casta matrona selbst als puella fallax zu erkennen gibt.     

The British Isles and Great Moravia in the early middle ages

The work of the Irish or Iro-Scottish missioneries on the continent of Europe in the sixth to eighth centuries is well known. An attempt is made here to show how the characteristic design of early Celtic churches found its way partly via Bavaria, where for example the Irishman Virgil became bishop of Salzburg in the mid-eight century, into Moravia, along with other Iro-Scottish cultural influences, a century or so before the well-known Christianizing mission launched into that area from Byzantium by the two brothers SS Cyril and Methodius, in 863.