Tracing the origins of Eastern European enamelling: Chemical composition of glass and enamels from the Bryansk hoard (south‐western Russia)

The chemical composition of a series of Eastern European enamels from the Bryansk hoard from the third century ad and other sites was studied using scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS) and electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) techniques. Red opaque glass is homogeneous compositionally, suggesting not only common manufacturing traditions but also identical types and sources of raw materials and, consequently, a single origin. The glass is made in the Roman tradition of enamelling, which appeared in the mid‐first century ad , as was the case with orange glass. The difference in the lead content in glass of different colours, which determines the melting temperature, allows the reconstruction of polychrome enamelling techniques.     

Fixing a Swamp of Cobras: The Clash between Capital and Water in Shaping Urban Vulnerabilities

This paper addresses how capital can refashion landscapes and patterns of risk and vulnerability. Drawing on the emblematic case of the conversion of Thailand’s Cobra Swamp into Suvarnabhumi International Airport we argue that there is a fundamental clash between the internal logic of capital accumulation and the ecology of water that occurs in places in which land is under water for much of the year. Counterintuitively investment in public infrastructure such as airports targets locations that are exposed to flood risks. While the literature on capital fixes tends to treat “land” writ large, this paper adds a dimension that has been overlooked in the theoretical work, by highlighting the significance of the ecology of the land in which such fixes occur as a means of understanding patterns of investment, land use change and vulnerability. Our analysis draws on three separate but related concepts of capital “fixes”—spatial, technological and high/low road fixes. We argue the importance of recognising the specific ecological characteristics of land that capital “fixes”. This perspective has global significance in providing critical insight into the ways in which capital creates and accommodates the kinds of vulnerabilities and risks associated with climate change.