A mother's gift? Astrology and the pyxis of al-Mughīra

ABSTRACT

This article re-examines the most celebrated, and most controversial, of the Cordoban ivories, the al-Mughīra pyxis, from a perspective of gender and kinship relations within the court hierarchy. It proposes an alternative patron for this object, namely al-Mughīra's mother al-Mushtaq, a consort of the Cordoban Umayyad caliph ?Abd al-Rahmān III (r. 929–61) in the latter years of his life, and a patron of architecture. The article suggests astronomical and astrological possibilities for interpreting the pyxis’ unusual iconography, which arise from considering al-Mushtaq as a potential patron of the al-Mughīra pyxis. Key to the argument is the notion that women in the Cordoban court were ‘makers’ of art and architecture, in that they could and did exercise authority through artistic patronage.     

Connotations of Sanxingdui as a Theocratic Civilization

The discoveries of the Sanxingdui culture, including the magnificent ancient city, the splendid bronze ware clusters, the original characters, the great art, the grand ritual center, and other material civilizational elements, contain the essential and structural characteristics of the institutional civilization and spiritual civilization of the ancient Shu civilization and reflect the theocratic regime of the Sanxingdui civilization. As a symbol to command the ethnic groups from southwestern China, the ivory sacrificial ritual in the Sanxingdui culture played a significant role. The discoveries of silk residues and silk proteins at Sanxingdui provide important evidence for the historical records of the Shushan Clan and Cancong Clan, as well as the splendid clothing of the Large Standing Bronze Figure at Sanxingdui, and even the relationship between the Sanxingdui culture and the Southern Silk Road.     

Trade centres and commercial routes in the Arabian Gulf: Post-Hellenistic discoveries at Dibba, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

The excavation of a tomb of the Roman-Parthian period in Dibba Al Hisn, Sharjah, is discussed. The contents provide evidence of far-ranging trade contacts extending from the Mediterranean to India.     

Recent analyses of the excavated textile find from Grave 35 HTR73, Kerameikos cemetery,Athens, Greece

The following study presents the results of instrumental analyses performed on the excavated textile find HTR73 from the Kerameikos cemetery in Athens. In Greece, preservation of excavated textiles is rare, mainly due to the unfavourable environmental conditions prevailing. The Kerameikos textile find is from the 5th century BC, and has been preserved in association with copper, which is the most common type of preservation in Greece. Past analyses had indicated the presence of silk fibres, of the Bombyx mori silkworm, the use of which was not common in Classical Greece. In the present study, non-destructive instrumental analytical techniques were applied, namely ESEM and FTIR microspectroscopy, for the purpose of material identification. None of the techniques applied confirmed the presence of silk. However, cellulosic bast and possibly cotton fibres were identified. The presence of cotton is an equally rare phenomenon for the Classical period in Greece.     

古栉拾零

我国古代的栉,既是一种重要的首服饰物,又是一种必备的梳理用具。作为人类精神创造和物质创造的结晶,栉以其独特的方式,不仅记录了社会生活状态的变化,同时也记录了人们审美理念的变化,在人类文化发展史上占有相当重要的地位。可是,由于人们对栉的使用习以为常,乃至于忽视了它们的存在价值。本文运用对比分析的方法,辨识出"不为人识"、"不明全貌"、"不辨其形"的三例古栉,并通过对相关遗存的分析,指出了这些古栉不仅在标识使用者身份方面具有重要的作用,而且在反映不同地区、不同人群的精神面貌方面同样具有不可忽视的作用。     

河北定州商墓出土玉器光学无损分析

为充分获取河北定州商墓出土玉器的物质信息,利用X射线荧光光谱分析(XRF)、X射线衍射分析(XRD)、激光拉曼光谱分析(Raman)等无损光学技术手段对玉器进行科学分析。获得玉器成分、矿相和结构等信息,研讨其质地和来源。从而探究先民的玉料来源、制玉技术、文化发展与文明互动交流诸方面问题。进一步探讨当时的生产力、社会发展水平,经济组织形态以及拥有这批玉器的人群在当时背景下的发展程度。研究结果对进一步研究河北地区的商代社会有参考价值。     

The ivory workshop of Valencina de la Concepción (Seville,Spain) and the identification of ivory from Asian elephant on the Iberian Peninsula in the first half of the 3rd millennium BC

During excavations in the huge ditched enclosure of Valencina de la Concepción (Seville, Spain), the main centre from the first hierarchical framework-settlement in the Guadalquivir Valley, a pit with remains of a context for producing ivory artefacts, dating from the first half of the 3rd millennium BC, was discovered in the large metallurgical nucleate workshops. Scientific (Optical Microscopy, FIRT and Raman Spectroscopy, C/N Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry) analyses revealed that the ivory belonged to Asian elephants and the archaeological study, which was made in a specialized workshop context. In this paper we present the archaeological context, the study of the ivory artefacts and the state of research on ivory in the Lower Guadalquivir Basin during the 3rd millennium BC. In a parallel way, this paper discusses the significance of this workshop context in the configuration and function of the long distance circulation of raw material and the specialized craft areas in the first political centres.     

福泉山遗址出土象牙器应急保护研究

2010年福泉山遗址出土具重要考古价值的象牙器,腐朽状况十分严重,为了能妥善保存这批珍贵的文物,采用扫描电镜、X衍射、红外光谱、X荧光分析,对其微观形貌、物相、分子结构、元素组成进行分析.分析结果表明,出土象牙器主要成分为碳羟磷灰石,其内部有机成分已完全流失,微观结构中存在的主要多孔道直径因长期受地下各类盐的侵蚀变大,直径范围0.33 ～ 3.6μm.象牙器组成除了Ca,P外,还含有其它多种元素成分.这些元素成分来源于象牙长期地下埋葬环境中各种盐类的侵蚀所致.它干扰羟磷灰石结晶,使其结晶程度降低、晶格稳定性变差.因此,采用B72乙醇/丙酮(1/1,V/V)溶液,对两件象牙权仗、一件象牙权仗柄进行了脱水加固保护,经加固的象牙器强度明显增加,颜色自然.为了对后续出土象牙器的更好保护,研究在B72加固液中复配分子粒径分布较宽的可逆性树脂聚乙烯醇缩丁醛(PVE),以有利于加固液渗透进入象牙内部细小孔道.经检测复配PVE的B72加固液成膜后透光率、膜强度等性能均无明显变化.     

三星堆出土象牙多层级结构及失水过程研究

由于长期埋藏于潮湿的地下环境,三星堆遗址祭祀区出土的象牙含水率高,且存在本体断裂、表面开裂和剥落等问题,保存状况差。出土后的象牙极易快速失水,而发生开裂和粉化等不可逆的损害。为明确三星堆出土象牙的保存现状,采用光谱、能谱、电镜、纳米压痕等测试手段,深入解析了2021年三星堆遗址3、4、7和8号坑(K3、K4、K7、K8)发掘出土象牙的组成、结构及失水过程。结果表明:三星堆遗址四个坑出土象牙的主要物相为碳羟基磷灰石[Ca₁₀(PO₄)₃(CO₃)₃(OH)₂],有机纤维蛋白成分基本消失殆尽,形成了以介孔为主(孔径分布在3~50 nm)的孔隙结构,且孔隙被大量水分占位,其中,K3出土象牙(K3XY-54)和K4出土象牙(K4YW-289)热重所测含水率分别为43.8%和43.4%;四个坑出土象牙均存在片状和针状晶体结构,其中K3XY-54以针状晶体结构为主,并呈现出明显的取向生长,K4YW-289呈现晶体聚集,其晶体尺寸厚度明显增加;出土象牙表面和内部吸附水的挥发使象牙微观结构产生内应力,从而造成出土象牙干裂、粉化等不可逆损坏;采用纳米压痕技术,初步探索了出土象牙在糟朽状态下表面微观硬度的变化,其中K4YW-289经失水前后的表面微观硬度变化差异最大(饱水状态0.090±0.049 GPa,失水后1.553±0.312 GPa),这可能与其组分结构内吸附水含量较少和高泥化现象有关,结合K3XY-54、K7XY-43和K8XY-11-13研究可发现出土象牙在失水前后微观硬度和弹性模量受组分结构-失水速率关系的影响较大。对三星堆出土象牙多层级结构和失水过程的初步研究结果为其后期实施有效保存和本体加固提供有力的科学依据和参考数据。     

几件西沙华光礁I号沉船遗址出水瓷器的保护研究

为了对8件西沙华光礁I号沉船遗址出水瓷器进行表面凝结物去除、脱盐清洗和残缺补全等保护处理,采用X射线衍射(XRD),对瓷器表面凝结物进行了成分分析;用三维视频显微镜对瓷器进行脱盐前、后的显微照相对比;对瓷器表面微孔内的物质,用扫描电镜分析(SEM)方法进行成分检测;用电导率仪测量瓷器脱盐过程中电导率变化情况。结果表明,出水瓷器表面凝结物,容易机械去除的样品,其成分主要是镁方解石及文石;不容易机械去除的样品,其成分主要是锰白云石及文石。瓷器微孔内的白色物质为含氯盐分。经两周时间的脱盐清洗,出水瓷器的脱盐电导率值降至较低水平。本工作结果可为西沙海域出水瓷器的后续保护提供资料。