扩大中国乡土社会的认知解读范围——《天柱文书》序简

《天柱文书》首辑凡22册68卷,近已由江苏人民出版社出版。透过大量新公布的文书史料,不仅可以更好地了解清水江文明,推劲区域学研究的健康发展,同时也能丰富文书学的成果宝藏,扩大中国乡土社会的资料取用与认知解读范围,从而大有裨于吾国学术文化事业的兴盛与繁荣。     

长江流域“原史时代”概论

自新石器时代末史前文明断裂至秦帝国建立被正式纳入以中原地区为主体的历史体系之前的这一时期,是长江流域历史或文明进程中一个独特的阶段,其特征与西方史学和考古界通行的"原史时代"概念吻合,因而建议将这一时期独立出来作为长江流域史前时代和历史时代之间的过渡阶段——"原史时代",并就长江流域"原史时代"的特征、分期及其对于长江流域自身历史和人类文明进程研究的学术意义进行了阐述。     

21世纪中国考古学的若干特点及发展趋势:从“中华文明探源工程”说起——王巍所长专访

21世纪以来,中国考古学呈现出新的学科特点和发展趋势。中国社会科学院考古研究所王巍所长认为,中国考古学随着自身的发展特别是在以"中华文明探源工程"及其各项阶段性成果的推进与影响下,形成了中国气派和中国特色,正朝着科学化、国际化、社会化、大众化的趋势和方向发展;中国考古学需要与国际考古界加强交流,博采众长,走向世界;作为一级学科的考古学的学科建设应是从文物管理机构到文物考古研究机构所共同担负的责任,需要形成一整套既符合中国实际,又顺应中国考古学发展的二级学科的设置,同时培养能够满足考古学发展需要的人才;公众考古是目前考古学新的发展走向,考古界需要转换意识和机制,培养专业人才,坚持考古的纯洁性和道德规范,以更好地服务社会与遗产保护事业。     

日本学界的《文明论概略》解读

福泽谕吉的《文明论概略》成书于明治八年（1875）,该书言简意赅,极具包容性和思想张力,被视为了解日本近代文化必读的经典。日本学界百余年间见仁见智的评价、研究历史已经形成了一个复杂的知识谱系。综述学界的百年阅读史,探寻争论焦点背后潜藏的种种隐喻,可为我国学界的相关研究提供重要的学术参考。     

Hume's oscillating civilization theory

Hume's repeated mentions of the vicissitudes of civilization have thus far been neglected, overlooked, or misinterpreted by Hume scholars. Although his references to the “death” or “ruin” of a nation are somewhat hyperbolic, his cyclical view of history was neither mere rhetoric nor necessarily pessimistic. This paper aims to show that Hume's notion of historical fluctuations was deeply connected with his understanding of the universality of human nature. It also placed Hume in a strategic position from which he could criticize both those who believed in the possibility of perpetual progress and those who forecast the successive decline of the human world. To explore Hume's position in more detail, we must first examine the reasons his argument was often misunderstood, especially in the context of the “rich country–poor country” debate. We also need to examine how Hume's view of the cyclical nature of history, consistently held, can be reconciled with his status as one of the champions of modern civilization.     

大洪山南麓史前聚落调查——以石家河为中心

大洪山南麓发现的史前遗存不仅数量多、保存好,而且价值高、影响大,是国内外学界广泛关注的探讨中华文明进程的重要热点区域之一.2008年,通过大洪山南麓以石家河为中心的区域进行的系统调查显示,在约150平方公里的区域内集中分布73处史前遗址,我们选择文化堆积单纯的遗址作为基本参数分析聚落规模级差,进一步丰富了我们对于该区域聚落形成发展及变化的认识,并借此加深对大洪山南麓以石家河为中心的史前聚落的数量、规模、年代、文化内涵、分布及其关系等方面的认识,提供分析以石家河古城为核心的聚落形成与发展过程的基础性资料,进而推动该区域文明进程的研究.     

《历史研究》的中国文明观与中国文明起源研究

中国明是汤因比研究比较的非西方明中的重要明形态,他在《历史研究》中多次涉及并作了较为深入的比较研究,提出了自己的看法。汤氏重视研究非西方明重要价值,也有其历史局限。     

Spinal degenerative lesions and spinal ligamentous ossifications in ancient Chinese populations of the Yellow River Civilization

Rheumatological diseases, whether inflammatory or degenerative, are ubiquitous among modern Asian people but very few palaeopathological studies have been performed in Asia on this subject. Since 1996, we have been carrying out a palaeoepidemiological survey of rheumatic diseases in ancient Chinese and Japanese skeletal populations. Findings on the spinal column in ancient Chinese populations (ca. 5000 bc –ad 1644) in Henan Province (centre of the Yellow River Civilization) are reported in this study. The examined number of the people over 20 years old was 365 (185 males, 169 females and 11 unsexed). Of these, 248 were young adults, 98 were middle adults and 19 were old adults. Crude prevalence (number/100) in total population of vertebral osteophytosis/facet osteoarthritis was 17.5/7.7, 17/3.7 and 44.6/21.1 at the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, respectively. That of ossified anterior longitudinal ligament (OALL) or Forestier's disease was around 3 at each of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the cervical spine was observed in five out of 114 skeletons with cervical spine preserved, while it did not exist in any thoracic and lumbar segment. Ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) was predominantly observed in the thoracic spine, the crude prevalence of which was 36.7. Overall spinal degenerative lesions seemed to have been more prevalent and spinal ligament ossifications less prevalent in ancient Chinese populations than in modern people. None of the inflammatory lesions like rheumatoid spondylitis, as well as seronegative spondyloarthropathies, were detected. This is the first palaeopathological study in which the prevalence of OPLL and OLF, the two clinically important spinal ligamentous ossifications causing myelopathy in modern mankind, was surveyed in ancient skeletons. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.