Morphological changes in domestic cattle in Gaul,from the second century BC to the fifth century AD: diversity of herds in the Seine valley (France) and northern Gaul

In Western Europe the transition from the Iron Age to the Roman period is the scene of a rapid economic and agro-pastoral evolution characterized in particular by a modification in the shape of the cattle. Understanding this phenomenon, its implementation mechanisms and development dynamics represents a major challenge in archaeozoology. In our study a local and regional approach of the evolution in cattle morphology is carried out first on the scale of the middle Seine valley, then of the northern Gaul. Its purpose is to observe and compare the evolution rates in domestic cattle between Middle La Tène and the fifth century AD, and with the help of a tight chronological and geographical grid, to estimate to what extent the shape of the cattle has been influenced by the indigenous cultures, the Roman economic pattern or even the environment. This osteometrical study is based on the Log Size Index method and on a measurement corpus of 12,969 bones collected on sites located on 117 communes in France (for most of them), Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The results we obtained show local specificities in terms of breeding methods and animal morphologies, observed on a very fine scale and taking place long before the Conquest. Moreover the growth patterns of the various herds happen to be different and to evolve under the impetus of the developing Roman economic pattern. This work thus points out an essential aspect of the agro-pastoral turmoil that took place in Gaul at the turning point of our era. The Roman pattern is not the cause of the morphological changes of the cattle, nor of the diversity in cattle shapes in Gaul, but it provokes a reshaping of the agricultural systems and a redefining of the breeding strategies which boost and completely change the cattle growth patterns.     

双房文化青铜器的型式学与年代学研究

<正>在辽东地区双房文化的器物群中,除了陶器以外,最为引人注目的便是所谓的"东北系青铜器"。这种具有鲜明地方特色和时代特征的青铜制品,除了见于辽东地区的双房文化以外,还广布于辽西、河北北部、朝鲜半岛和吉林、黑龙江两省的部分地区,长期以来一直为中外学术界所关注。     

An exploration of character traits and linear measurements for sexing mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) skeletons

The skeletal elements of mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) have proven difficult to sex with statistical confidence due to wide overlap in the body size of the two sexes. We studied a sample of 53 modern mountain gazelle skeletons to determine which character traits and metric measurements best predict sex. The success of the character traits was determined using blind tests while the metrics were examined using discriminant function analysis. The most useful elements include the previously identified horn core, pubis and atlas, but also some new bone portions that preserve well in the archaeological record (e.g., distal tibia, distal metacarpal and metatarsal, and second phalanx). Surprisingly, two elements commonly used in sexing analyses (distal humerus and astragalus) were not among the most effective elements. Although cutting points and discriminant functions for sexing gazelle bone portions are presented here, they do not account for potential body size change and thus are not suited for direct application to archaeological assemblages. Instead, we provide guidelines for application to archaeological gazelle assemblages, most importantly a regression analysis that considers the sex ratios obtained from multiple measurements to predict the sex ratio of archaeological gazelle populations.     

城固出土5件商代青铜兽面饰的无损分析及初步研究

为对陕西城固出土的青铜兽面饰的保护修复提供科学依据,同时进一步揭示其所蕴含的制作技术和相关考古学信息,采用X光探伤仪、超景深显微镜、X荧光能谱仪及显微共聚焦激光拉曼光谱仪对5件商代青铜兽面饰进行了无损分析,分析结果显示,2件为锡青铜,3件为铅锡青铜,兽面饰表面铜锈以孔雀石CuCO₃·Cu(OH)₂为主,局部见赤铁矿Fe₂O₃、纤铁矿γ-FeOOH和钙质层CaCO₃。分析结果为这组青铜兽面饰的保护修复提供了科学依据。根据检测结果,对兽面的铸造工艺、补铸痕迹、铜料配比、小孔的制作工艺等方面进行了讨论,并与殷墟及老牛坡出土同类型器物进行了类比,从而得出了这一地区兽面饰的工艺、风格与该地区铜器整体风格一致的结论,为从材料与工艺层面认知“城洋铜器群”提供了坚实的数据基础。     

Variation in North American dart points and arrow points when one or both are present

The appearance of the bow and arrow in North America as a weapon-delivery system is predicted to have prompted an increase in variation among antecedent projectile points that tipped darts propelled by atlatls. Attributes of dart points are expected to display greater variation with the appearance of the bow as prehistoric artisans experimentally sought points that worked effectively as arrow points. Attributes of arrow points are predicted to also initially display much variation. Subsequent to the initial burst of variation, less-effective variants of attributes were winnowed out, causing a reduction in variation of attributes of both dart points and arrow points. Both coefficients of variation for individual attributes and summed coefficients of variation for multiple attributes of three sequences of projectile points from evolutionarily independent areas in North America confirm these predictions.     

Discrimination of Ceramic Types Using Digital Image Processing by Means of Morphological Filters

Digital processing of images can be used to analyse ceramic pastes, contributing in this way to the discrimination of ceramic types. The method involves several stages of analysis: digitization of images of ceramic pastes, pre‐processing of the images, particle segmentation, calculation, quantification and classification of the particle sizes. This procedure uses interactive algorithms of segmentation of images and grain size analysis derived from mathematical morphology theory. To prove the efficiency of the method, we processed digital images of polished thin sections of ceramic samples of Cypriot wares from the Late Bronze Age (1550–1450 bc ) and their Egyptian reproductions. Such groups have been previously analysed by optical microscopy, XRD, XRF, ICP–MS and EPMA. The results of the analysis were able to discriminate between these two different wares.     

New maps

EUROPE.

Sweden for Peace. The Programme of Sioeden in the Union Crisis. By Nils Edén, Professor at the University of Upsala. London : David Nutt. Pp. 40.

La Belgique : Institutions, Industrie, Commerce. Brussels : J. Goemaere, 1905.Pp. 870.

Place‐Names of Boss and Cromarty. By W. J. Watson, M.A., Eector of Inverness Royal Academy. Inverness : The Northern Counties Printing Co. 1904.

ASIA.

The Private Diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai. Translated from the Tamil by order of the Government of Madras, and edited by Sir J. Frederick Price, K.O.S.I., late of the Indian Civil Service. Vol. I. Madras : Printed by the Superintendent, Government Press, 1904.

The Central Tian‐Shan Mountains, 1902–1903. By Dr. Gottfried Merzbacher. Published under authority of the Eoyal Geographical Society. Pp. 294, with Map and 20 Photographic Illustrations. London : John Murray, 1905.

AFRICA.

The World of To‐day.—Vol. III. Africa. By A. R. Hope Moncrieff. London : Gresham Publishing Co., 1905. Pp. vi + 280. Numerous Illustrations and Maps.

AMERICA.

Back to Sunny Seas. By Frank T. Bullen, F.R.G.S. London : Smith, Elder and Co., 1905.

GENERAL.

The Oxford Geographies. Vol. II. : The Junior Geography. By A. J. Herbertson, M.A., Ph.D. Oxford : At the Clarendon Press, 1905.     

A Morphological Classification of Roots and Tubers and its bearing on the Origins of Agriculture in Southwest Asia and Europe

The classification of roots and tubers into morphological categories is often confusing and more of a hindrance than a help to archaeobotanical analysis. As such, a new classification, based on the potential for vegetative propagation, is suggested, and the terms it uses are briefly defined. The different categories of roots and tubers are then discussed with reference to the archaeological record and the origins of agriculture in Southwest Asia and Europe.     

Comparison of 3D Landmark and 3D Dense Cloud Approaches to Hominin Mandible Morphometrics Using Structure‐From‐Motion

The objective of this study is to compare landmark‐based assessment of hominin mandible morphological variation with that from a high‐density point cloud, using 3D models constructed from structure‐from‐motion (SfM) surface capture techniques. Surface models of nine hominin mandible casts were created using SfM photogrammetry. The morphology of these models was described using traditional geometric morphometrics based on identification of landmarks. This was compared to the morphological variation described by the differences between high‐density point clouds, which do not rely on anatomical landmarks, using an iterative closest point algorithm. The landmark‐based approach grouped the anatomically modern human and Neanderthal mandibles with reasonable success. The high‐density point cloud approach also grouped these successfully, but was able to incorporate information from a specimen that was insufficiently preserved to be included in the landmark data set. This improved the accuracy of the grouping. The use of high‐density point clouds from surface capture to analyse hominin mandible morphology allows for greater amounts of information to be included and offers a potential method to identify shape affinity that is as successful as landmark‐based geometric morphometrics.