Middle Bronze Age II Battleaxes from Rishon LeZion,Israel: Archaeology and Metallurgy

Thirteen bronze battleaxes from Middle Bronze Age II graves at Rishon LeZion, Israel were analysed by ED XRF at multiple surface locations in order to determine their metallurgical composition. Six of these were further subjected to neutron diffraction using an ENGIN‐X diffractometer in order to determine bulk phase composition. The results indicate that the previously established geographical and chronological variability in Sn–Cu (with occasional Pb) and As–Cu alloys found using the former method may be an artefact of preservation and conservation. In addition, the varying homogeneity determined by the latter reflects special treatment for improving on the metal cast.     

Methodological aspects of SANS and TOF neutron diffraction measurements on pottery: the case of Miseno and Cuma

Small angle neutron scattering and neutron phase analysis techniques have been for the first time jointly employed to extract microscopic parameters of ceramic samples prepared under controlled conditions, in an attempt to establish a protocol for deriving information on the firing process. Data have also been collected on two series of early medieval samples from the Italian regions of Cuma and Miseno. The variation of the microscopic features observed on these samples could mirror some technological evolution in the period spanning from the 6th to the 12th century AD.     

Abkopplungstendenzen des suburbanen Raums von der Kernstadt – das Beispiel der Filderregion südlich von Stuttgart

In bundesdeutschen Agglomerationen zeichnen sich Tendenzen ab, da? sich der suburbane Raum aus der engen funktionalen Verflechtung mit der Kernstadt abkoppelt und eine zunehmend eigenst?ndige Entwicklung vollzieht. Empirische Belege dafür sind bisher eher selten (u.a. Brake et al. 1997), auch wenn diese Entwicklungen schon Mitte der 90er Jahre beobachtet wurden (Aring 1996, Müller/Rohr-Z?nker 1997, Burdack/Herfert 1998). Die Plausibilit?t der These einer Abkopplung wird nachfolgend für die Filderregion anhand von Daten aus empirischen Untersuchungen der Jahre 1998 bis 2001 untersucht; den Schwerpunkt bilden dabei die Gemeinden der „engeren” Filderregion, die rund um den Flughafen gelegen direkt an die Kernstadt Stuttgart angrenzen: Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Filderstadt und Ostfildern. Die Untersuchungen vereinen Methoden qualitativer und quantitativer Art, neben schriftlichen Befragungen mittels standardisierter Frageb?gen wurde über teilstrukturierte Interviews in Betrieben ein direkter Zugang zu den Einsch?tzungen von unternehmerischer Seite gew?hlt. Eine der Untersuchungen konzentrierte sich auf unternehmensorientierte Dienstleistungsbetriebe ( Eisenreich 2001), eine zweite erfa?te in einer „Wirtschaftsdatenbank” wichtige Strukturdaten von Unternehmen aller Wirtschaftszweige in Leinfelden-Echterdingen verbunden mit Einsch?tzungen der Betriebsleiter ( Schenk u.a. 2000); derzeit l?uft eine dritte Studie zur Dynamik des Einzelhandels in der polyzentrischen Siedlungsstruktur des engeren Filderraums ( Bartenbach u.a. 2002). Correspondence to:Dirk Eisenreich Correspondence to:Winfried Schenk     

The metal compositions of a series of Geistingen-type socketed axes

The bulk metal compositions of twelve socketed axes of the Geistingen type are determined in a fully non-destructive manner by neutron resonance-capture analysis (NRCA). These axes named after a hoard found in Geistingen, a Belgian village along the Dutch-Belgium part of the river Meuse, are considered in the literature to be votive or prestigious objects from the Late Bronze Age. They contain considerable amounts of antimony, arsenic, silver and nickel, adding up to 6–16 wt%. Seven axes have no detectable, or little tin; the other five objects contain 6–12 wt% tin. The compositions of the Geistingen axes are evidence for a further example of the return to the Early Bronze Age practice of smelting fahlore related minerals.     

A CRISIS OF DEFINITION: CULTURE VERSUS INDUSTRY IN ODDA,NORWAY

This article addresses the influence of dominant and traditional ways of grasping the reality in social and economic processes of change. Our point of departure is how the perception of crisis in Odda, a small industrial community in Norway, influences the course of the process of change. The analysis focuses on a heated debate over the exploitation of a large site in the centre of Odda, left after the closure of the key factory. Rather than the economic and social consequences of the closure, the main challenge that arose from the crisis was related to the emergence of ambiguity in the local conceptual framework. Coming to terms with the situation stimulated various attempts to rearticulate the discourse of local development, with the result that industrial and culture‐based perspectives on development came into conflict. The economic crisis became a crisis of definition. In Odda, the industrial discourse finally domesticated the competing cultural discourse, ending years of conflict and inaction. In its explicit focus on the importance of local struggles and the way discourse structures such processes this story about recent developments in Odda complements literature on post‐industrial development.