Laser scanning for conservation and research of African cultural heritage sites: the case study of Wonderwerk Cave,South Africa

The ‘African Cultural Heritage and Landscape Database’ project, initiated and directed by the senior author and administered by Aluka (www.aluka.org), is aimed at the creation of a digital library of spatial and non-spatial materials relating to cultural heritage sites in Africa. The archaeological site of Wonderwerk Cave (South Africa) is one of the 19 sites documented to date using laser scanning, conventional survey, digital photogrammetry and 3D modelling. To date, it is one of the few archaeological caves worldwide to be fully scanned. This paper explores the different uses to which the spatial data derived from this cave have been, or will be, put – for historical and educational purposes, scientific research and site conservation and development.     

Identification of a chrysocolla amulet in an Early Dynastic child mummy

Two pyriform formations were identified within a bundle of linen bandages wrapping a 15–18 months old Early Dynastic mummy. The upper one was taken out of the bandages and examined to ascertain its nature.     

A Comparison of Past and Present Episodes of Gully Erosion at Wangrah Creek,Southern Tablelands,New South Wales

Erosion gullies at Wangrah Creek expose walls of at least two previous episodes of gully erosion. Past gullies were of a similar size to those of today but were not as widespread across the region at any particular time. The causes of past and present erosion are examined by mapping points of gully initiation and comparing the geomorphic history with an independent palaeo-environmental history. Past gullies were the result of intrinsically unstable conditions, possibly caused by the expansion of swampy deposits increasing runoff. In contrast, the present gully erosion is the result of major environmental change caused by European settlement, which had a greater effect on gully erosion than any other environmental change over the last 10,000 years. At Wangrah Creek, sites of gully initiation indicate that the present erosion was caused by localised disturbances to the valley floor.     

Residents' Spatial Knowledge of Neighborhood Continuity and Form

This paper discusses residents' cognition of neighborhood form in terms of linear-based and areal-based knowledge structures. Cognitive and behavioral data are used to create surfaces of residents' familiarity with, and experience of, a neighborhood in San Diego, California. The complexity of the data required the topological and relational sophistication of an ARC / INFO-based geographic information system. Cellular-based data were collected to identify place-specific measures of residents' familiarity and experience within the community. The cellular data facilitated aggregation of residents' cognitive surfaces as absolute spaces, and also relative to their homes. Spatial autocorrelation and directional autoregression techniques are used in association with standard cognitive mapping to establish the continuity and form of residents' familiarity and experience with their neighborhood. The findings suggest that there is a structural difference in the spatial familiarity of residents who perceive their neighborhood as an area and those who perceive it as a network. North-south and east-west street networks played an important part as the basis for both linear-based and areal-based knowledge, but noncardinal directions were more prominent in the familiarity surfaces of those residents who had an areal-based perception of neighborhood form. In terms of theories of spatial knowledge acquisition, the findings suggest that (i) there may not be a direct sequential link between linear-based and areal-based knowledge structures, (ii) knowledge of a complex network may not be sufficient to provide areal-based knowledge, and (iii) an areal-based knowledge structure does not necessarily comprise an understanding of survey procedures.     

The Amsterdam Tapestry Producer Alexander Baert (1660–1719) and his Workshop: New Findings

Drawing on archival material relating to the Amsterdam tapestry producer Alexander Baert, much of it previously unpublished, this research note marks a departure from the prevailing, undersocialised, approach to tapestry production and trade in the Northern Netherlands. Data explored here for the first time show that, before emigrating from Oudenaarde, Baert was an active member of a rich network of tapestry entrepreneurs, but that ‘push factors’ such as legal and commercial problems along with ‘pull factors’ such as certain benefits and freedoms prompted his decision to move to the Republic. While earlier studies describe his activities there as an isolated process, it becomes clear that the entrepreneur and his descendants preserved enduring business ties in the Southern Netherlands. These networks furnished Baert with the infrastructure that enabled him to import tapestries from Antwerp, Brussels and Oudenaarde and to purchase Flemish cartoons cheaply.     

Lobbying and minority government in Australia: The concept of the marginal member

Within Westminster-based majority parliaments, the presence of minority government runs contrary to the conventional wisdom. Over the last 40 years, however, there has been a steady voting trend away from major parties in many of these parliaments. The complex composition of the Australian Senate after July 2014 reinforces that non-ministerial marginal members continue to be a vital part of the political landscape. This article introduces the concept of the marginal member and examines the potential influence of these members for legislative outcomes and lobbying success. In doing so, the article provides a heuristic through which to identify avenues of policy influence and presents a range of strategies for lobbyists working with marginal members within minority-government contexts.

在英式多数制议会内,少数党政府的存不符合传统的智慧。在以往40年里,许多英式议会出现了一种偏离多数党的稳定趋势。澳大利亚参院2014年之后的复杂构成,说明非内阁边缘成员依然是政治格局中有活力的部分。本文提出了边缘成员的概念,考察了他们对立法结果及游说成败的潜在影响力。本文提供了一种关于政策影响渠道的思路,以及在少数党政府的情况下如何游说边缘成员的一系列办法。     

Immunological evidence of Plasmodium falciparum infection in an Egyptian child mummy from the Early Dynastic Period

A 15–18 months old child mummy, presently housed in Turin's Museum of Anthropology, was discovered in Gebelein (Upper Egypt) during excavations carried out by the Missione Archeologica Italiana, most likely in 1914.