THE POSSIBLE FRACTIONATION OF LEAD ISOTOPES IN ANCIENT METALLURGICAL PROCESSES

The possibility of lead isotope fractionation in ancient lead production is examined. Kinetic theory relating to isotopic fractionation in non-equilibrium evaporation is considered and the feasibility of the alteration of lead isotope abundance ratios in ore roasting and smelting is assessed. Previous experimental work is shown to have been inconclusive and conclusions are drawn on the need for further research to quantify the possible extent of fractionation in practice.     

THE ONTARIO COUNTRY ROAD AS A CULTURAL RESOURCE

This paper demonstrates that the morphology of ordinary rural roads tells much about regional development. It uses southern Ontario as a case study, but the principles may be applied widely. It is a plea for recognition of a deep heritage in unspectacular things: ditches, fence-lines, culverts, jogs in the survey, and more. This paper also encourages local and regional planners to conserve signs of change in the roadscape and to celebrate them. Roadside evolution is worth publicizing, and unnecessary destruction of elements that enhance the story must be discouraged.
Cet essai démontre que la morphologie des routes rurales ordinaires en dit beaucoup au sujet du développement regional. On peut employer cet exemple de /'Ontario du sud mais les principes peuvent s'appliquer d'une manière plus large. Dans ce manuscrit on doit reconnaître /'heritage profond des elements communs: des caniveaux, des clotures, des aqueducs, des irrégularity de I'arpentage, etc. Cet essai encourage aussi les planificateurs i conserver ces signes du paysage routier et à les mettre en Évidence. On doit les faire connaître au public, et décourager leur déstruction.     

The governance bank

While the cancellation of a number of high‐profile loans because of corruption concerns has made headline news, the World Bank's principal approach to poorly governed countries is lending in order to support reforms. Although designed to be an apolitical technocratic development financier, increasingly the Bank has focused its attention and resources on promoting good governance in its borrowers. Bank lawyers and presidents have attempted to hive of apolitical aspects of governance by arguing a distinction between the rule of law and the political character of government, but this distinction is illusory. The Bank's inability to address the political embeddedness of poor governance in neo‐patrimonial governments skews risk assessments and impedes the formation of effective strategies. Reform of the charter would not eliminate the Bank's bureaucratic and political constraints.     

Origins of Procellariidae Hunting in the Southwest Pacific

Small procellariids, mainly petrels, prions and shearwaters, were hunted at their rookeries in various parts of the southwest Pacific during the early historical era. The industries, some of which continue, arose from both traditional, indigenous, practices of prehistoric origin and subsistence necessity in early European settlements. The history and main features of the Tasmanian and southern New Zealand ‘muttonbird’ industries are described, together with brief summaries of those on Chatham, Raoul and Norfolk islands. Procellariid hunting occurred in two different situations, on isolated tropical islands, where its impact was often devastating, and on temperate islands associated with the East Australian Current, a western boundary current like the Gulf Stream. In the latter case, procellariid populations were very large and resilient to predation. In Tasmania, muttonbirds were taken for immediate consumption, but in New Zealand and other Polynesian islands there was preservation for storage. However, a common feature seems to have been the late development of systematic procellariid hunting, possibly because of the relative costs of access to the resource, although other explanations cannot be ruled out.     

THE AMBER OF EL DORADO: CLASS IB ARCHAEOLOGICAL AMBERS ASSOCIATED WITH LAGUNA GUATAVITA*

Laguna Guatavita, a crater‐like lake located in central Colombia, was used by pre‐Columbian Muisca people for a variety of socio‐religious ceremonies, many of which involved casting offerings into the lake. Of these, the installation of a new ‘king’ became the basis of the El Dorado myth that was carried back to Europe by 16th century conquistadores. In the present study, beads collected from Laguna Guatavita during a late 19th/early 20th century attempt to recover valuables from the lake bed, have been subjected to geochemical analysis. Results establish that these artefacts have been fabricated from Class Ib amber. Class Ib ambers have not previously been reported in either the geological or archaeological records of Central or South America, and their existence in this context implies that the Muisca people had access to a unique local or regional source of amber, knowledge of which has subsequently been lost.     

The Riddle of Ishtar's Shoes: The Religious Significance of the Footprints at ‘Ain Dara from a Comparative Perspective

This essay analyzes the carved footprints in the Iron Age temple at ‘Ain Dara, Syria from a broadly comparative perspective. This methodology is necessitated by the fact that footprint iconography is very rare in ancient Near Eastern art. The diverse examples utilized in this paper to help explicate the footprints at ‘Ain Dara range from the Footprints of the Buddha (Buddhapadas) to the sullied feet of Jesus. Through analysis of footprint iconography in other religious contexts, I have drawn conclusions concerning the form and function of the temple footprints at ‘Ain Dara that have escaped other scholars of the ancient Near East.