Territorial Keys for Bringing Closer the Territorial Agenda of the EU and Europe 2020

The recent developments of the economic theory suggest that due attention to territorial context increases efficiency and improves delivery of the policies. This in turn calls for better linkages between spatial and socio-economic efforts. The paper analyses the concept of policy territorialization and proposes policy tools for that purpose. The relevant theoretical models are used, mainly evolutionary economics and new economic geography. The key outcome is a set of territorial keys supposed to enhance territorial approach in developmental policies. Also some plausible ways of making use of those keys are proposed and then tested using Polish territory as a case study.     

Dendroarchaeology of the mid-first millennium AD in Constantinople

The 1st millennium AD was a time of great transition in Europe and the Mediterranean. At the heart of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) was a pivotal trade hub for the Aegean region. Establishing a precise and accurate dating framework for the development of this remarkable city and a chronological reference for this critical time period for the Mediterranean region is of great importance to a wide range of scholars. Here we present a new 213 year tree-ring record from 89 oak samples placed in time by dendrochronology and supported by radiocarbon analysis and historical documentation. It represents the middle of the first millennium AD in Constantinople. The tree-ring series are derived from pilings recovered from the extraordinary excavations of the so-called “Theodosian harbor” at Yenikap?, Istanbul, along with timbers from other sites and buildings around the city, including one of the most famous sites on the Istanbul sky-line—Hagia Sophia. They provide potential for new insight into a time period in which earthquakes, the Justinianic plague, and even a possible tsunami struck the city, and during which dramatic changes in climate have been recorded in other paleoenvironmental proxies. The chronology is the first published tree-ring series from the Aegean region to cover the ‘event’ years of AD 536–7 and 542 which are characterized by anomalous growth in other tree-ring series from around the world, but interestingly these event years are not evident in this tree-ring sequence.     

A new ornamented artefact from Poland: final palaeolithic symbolism from an environmental perspective

An ornamented artefact made of antler, found in the environs of ?widwin (Pomerania, NW Poland), was subject to structural and environmental analysis. Radiocarbon dating (10?700 ± 60 BP or 10?910–10?680 cal. BC) places it in the Final Palaeolithic, at the end of Weichselian (boundary of the Allerød and Younger Dryas). The surface of the artefact bears a complex ornament of zigzag lines and an anthropomorphic drawing, representing most probably a woman with spread legs. Palynological analysis of the deposit in which the object was found indicates forest communities (pine-birch forests) with some open areas, in a cool climate. Ultrastructural examination points to the elk Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758) as the source species; the antler was at the stage of intense growth which indicates that the elk was killed or died in the spring-summer period. The antler was large, and the object made of it was used for a long time, playing a role in rituals and symbolic culture of a hunting group. The ornamentation shows an affinity to the early Mesolithic art and makes it possible to better trace the relations between the hunters of the late Pleistocene and those of the early Holocene.     

Language as an instrument of nationalism in Central Europe

This article presents a brief survey and analysis of the most intimate coupling of culture and national projects that occurred in Central Europe following the success of the Italian and German nation‐states established in this manner during the third quarter of the nineteenth century. Language is the very ‘stuff’ of culture as well as the instrument of communicating and reaffirming cultural difference vis‐à‐vis other cultures. As such, language became central to the processes of nation‐ and nation‐state‐building in Central Europe, leading to politicisation of language and also of linguistics and philology, which were expected to fortify the nations and their nation‐states than rather to lend themselves to objective research. It is proposed that this specific Central European interweaving of language and national projects may be better comprehended through the application of Einar Haugen's model of language standardisation and Miroslav Hroch's model of nation‐building. These two models in the Central European case seem to be closely corresponding to each other. The short catalogue of language elements used to produce national differentiation closes this contribution.     

The Cultural Project: Formal Chronological Modelling of the Early and Middle Neolithic Sequence in Lower Alsace

Starting from questions about the nature of cultural diversity, this paper examines the pace and tempo of change and the relative importance of continuity and discontinuity. To unravel the cultural project of the past, we apply chronological modelling of radiocarbon dates within a Bayesian statistical framework, to interrogate the Neolithic cultural sequence in Lower Alsace, in the upper Rhine valley, in broad terms from the later sixth to the end of the fifth millennium cal BC. Detailed formal estimates are provided for the long succession of cultural groups, from the early Neolithic Linear Pottery culture (LBK) to the Bischheim Occidental du Rhin Supérieur (BORS) groups at the end of the Middle Neolithic, using seriation and typology of pottery as the starting point in modelling. The rate of ceramic change, as well as frequent shifts in the nature, location and density of settlements, are documented in detail, down to lifetime and generational timescales. This reveals a Neolithic world in Lower Alsace busy with comings and goings, tinkerings and adjustments, and relocations and realignments. A significant hiatus is identified between the end of the LBK and the start of the Hinkelstein group, in the early part of the fifth millennium cal BC. On the basis of modelling of existing dates for other parts of the Rhineland, this appears to be a wider phenomenon, and possible explanations are discussed; full reoccupation of the landscape is only seen in the Grossgartach phase. Radical shifts are also proposed at the end of the Middle Neolithic.     

The Concept of Urban Hibernation

Today, as a result of fast-paced societal transformations, many small towns face severe developmental challenges and an uncertain future. Departing from the broader theory of developmental disequilibrium, we launch the concept of urban hibernation to explain the process of periodic small-town regress. The concept—along with its key stages and turning points—is presented to the background of urbanization processes encountered in Poland. At the same time, the focus on small towns offers an alternative and more context-sensitive explication to eclectic development models inherent to larger cities. As such, we argue that the concept of urban hibernation is apt to serve as a more precise research and planning tool in the context of small towns, and particularly in the critical moments of rise and recession. By applying a historical perspective, we address the importance of proper identification of the various and ever-changing city-forming factors, including their role for spatial planning at different scales. Urban hibernation should thus be considered as an intrinsic part of the geographic environment, which, due to the volatility of its socio-economic components, transcends the traditional rural–urban divide. Our conceptual contribution may thus serve as a background for a fuller understanding of the variability and dynamics of intra-urban structures.     

Computing the Jacobian in Gaussian Spatial Autoregressive Models: An Illustrated Comparison of Available Methods

When estimating spatial regression models by maximum likelihood using spatial weights matrices to represent spatial processes, computing the Jacobian, ln(|I ? λW|), remains a central problem. In principle, and for smaller data sets, the use of the eigenvalues of the spatial weights matrix provides a very rapid resolution. Analytical eigenvalues are available for large regular grids. For larger problems not on regular grids, including those induced in spatial panel and dyadic (network) problems, solving the eigenproblem may not be feasible, and a number of alternatives have been proposed. This article surveys selected alternatives, and comments on their relative usefulness, covering sparse Cholesky and sparse LU factorizations, and approximations such as Monte Carlo, Chebyshev, and using lower‐order moments with interpolation. The results are presented in terms of component‐wise differences between sets of Jacobians for selected data sets. In conclusion, recommendations are made for a number of analytical settings. Al estimar modelos de regresión espacial con el método del máxima verosimilitud (máximum likelihood) y usando matrices de pesos espaciales para representar procesos espaciales, cálculo del término jacobiano (jabobian)—ln(| I ?λ W |)‐ sigue siendo un problema central. En principio, y para bases de datos más pequeñas, el uso de los valores propios (eigenvalues) de la matriz de pesos espaciales proporciona una solución muy rápida. Los eigenvalues analíticos para retículas o grillas grandes y regulares son ya conocidos. Para problemas más grandes, que no se presentan en mallas regulares ‐incluyendo aquellos que se inducen en problemas de paneles espaciales y en problemas de (redes) diádicas‐, es posible que resolver el eigenproblem no sea posible. Este artículo estudia una selección de alternativas y comenta acerca de su relativa utilidad. Se cubren las facorizaciones de tipo Cholesky disperso (sparse Cholesky) y de tipo LU dispersas (sparse LU), las aproximaciones Monte Carlo, y Chebyshev, así mismo se utiliza momentos de bajo‐orden (lower‐order) con interpolación. Los resultados se presentan en términos de diferencias de componentes entre sets de términos jacobianos para bases de datos seleccionadas. En conclusión, se hacen recomendaciones para una serie de contextos analíticos. 当采用表征空间过程的空间权重矩阵对空间回归模型进行最大似然估计时,雅可比矩阵ln(|I?λW|)的计算仍是核心问题。对于小数据集,原则上可利用空间权重矩阵的特征值提供一种快速的解决方案,对于大型规则格网数据特征值分析同样有效。但对于不规则格网大型问题,包括从空间面板和二元（网络）问题中引伸的问题,利用特征值的解决方案可能不适用,对此学术界提出了多种可选替代方案。本文选取已有的几种替代方案并评论各自的相对有效性,其中包括稀疏Cholesky分解和稀疏LU分解法,Monte Carlo和 Chebyshev近似模拟法以及低阶矩插值法。结果以所选数据集雅可比矩阵间特定组份的差异方式显示。最后,推荐了一些分析设定。     

Dendrochronological Dating and Provenancing of Timbers from the Arade 1 Shipwreck,Portugal

As part of a larger project promoting the development of historical dendrochronology in the Iberian Peninsula, ship‐timbers from the Arade 1 wreck (mostly planking and framing elements), stored at the DANS/IGESPAR in Lisbon, were examined. Of these, 52 samples were identified as deciduous oak (Quercus subg. quercus) and two as chestnut (Castanea sativa). Of 24 timbers selected for dendrochronological research, 23 could be dated, placing the origin of the wood in western France and the felling of trees between AD 1579 and 1583. Their homogeneity suggests they are part of the original construction, which probably took place shortly after AD 1583. © 2012 The Authors     

Interdisciplinary Research into the Legacy of the Medieval Metropolis of Soba in a Modern Khartoum Suburb

Recent research at Soba focuses on the tangible and intangible heritage of the medieval capital of Alwa kingdom, whose remains cover approximately 275 ha. About 222 ha of this area has been built up or transformed into agricultural land in the past 30 years. An ethnographic survey was also carried out in the built-up area to understand how the residents engage with the archaeological heritage and material remains. The undeveloped area of the capital (53 ha) was the focus of interdisciplinary archaeological fieldwork conducted in 2019 and 2020. A large-scale geophysical survey, using a fluxgate gradiometer and ground-penetrating radar, was initiated in the undeveloped area, and excavation trenches were opened to verify distinctive magnetic anomalies. Along with the ethnographic and geophysical data, the study of the pottery, burials, and stratigraphic sequence (supplemented with radiocarbon dates) provides new insights into the spatial organization of the medieval capital.