Auditory Exostoses in Pre‐Hispanic Populations of the Lower Paraná Wetlands,Argentina

Auditory exostosis (AE) has been characterised from the medical and anthropological perspectives as an adaptive biological response to repeated immersion in cold water as well as exposure to cold environmental temperatures and wind chill. At the archaeological level, the highest prevalence has been found in societies living in coastal environments in areas located at 30–45° north or south latitude with a subsistence pattern based on fishing and mollusc gathering. The region of the lower Paraná River wetlands in Argentina is an area dissected by multiple rivers, streams, and lakes, especially in the Paraná delta near Buenos Aires where these features create a landscape composed of many islands. A variety of archaeological analyses performed on faunal remains, stone tools, bone, and ceramic artefacts are consistent with the interpretation that towards the end of the late Holocene (2000–700 BP), this region was inhabited by hunter–gatherer populations with a subsistence pattern based mainly on fishing and hunting along with the gathering of molluscs. In this work, we present an analysis of 176 crania of individuals recovered from 21 archaeological sites in the region. Results indicate the presence of AE in 6.25% of the cases, with all of these corresponding to adult male individuals. This moderate prevalence coincides with the expected levels for populations where contact with water is frequent in regions located at 30–45° latitude. The absence of female individuals showing evidence of AE allows us to suggest a possible sex‐based division of labour. We hope that this work can contribute to ongoing discussion of the economic and social aspects that characterised pre‐Hispanic life in the study area, while also expanding the available information on AE at the worldwide level. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Catching the Yellow Ghost”: A Case Study of Popular Religious Activities and Social Transformation in Rural North China

This article studies the relationship between local society and social change in rural north China from the late Qing dynasty to the People’s Republic of China period through the activity of “Zhuo huanggui” (literally, “Catching the Yellow Ghost”). “Catching the Yellow Ghost” is a ritual activity in Guyi village, Wu’an county, Hebei province. According to villagers there, “Catching the Yellow Ghost” has been celebrated since the late Qing dynasty. However, due to political pressures in the 1950s, it was not until the 1980s that “Catching the Yellow Ghost” began to be revitalized. Since that time, “Catching the Yellow Ghost” has gained rapid popularity and fame in north China. Through the lens of the “Catching the Yellow Ghost” ritual, this article explores social transformation in China from the late 19th to the early 21st century. By analyzing the continuity and discontinuity of “Catching the Yellow Ghost,” this article offers a new understanding of the relationship between local society and social change in rural north China.     

明清以降漓江上游地区的人类活动与环境变迁研究

漓江沙洲的形成,是自然环境和人类活动交互影响的结果。明清以降,外来人口不断进入漓江上游地区从事农业垦殖活动。垦殖活动在改造了上游山区自然环境的同时,其产生的泥沙在雨水作用下进入漓江,促进了桂林段漓江沙洲的发育,并改变了桂林段漓江河床的面貌。岸上居民也开始由岸上洲,这是漓江流域人地关系的重要变化。     

郑国青铜礼乐器祭祀坑相关问题讨论

新郑祭祀遗址出土青铜礼乐器作为祭祀重器,是春秋中期郑国特殊祭祀文化的具体表现.不同遗址出土器物组合的差异,从器物层面体现了当时郑国高等级贵族间的微妙关系,轮流执政的卿大夫已经掌控了包括土地所有权在内的多项国家权力,拥有和国君同等级的礼器、乐器使用权,仅在用鼎数量方面存在着差异.作为祭器的祭祀坑出土青铜礼乐器和同时期墓葬出土器物有着本质上的区别,表明当时祭祀礼仪仍然严格遵循着传统礼制,也正是由于这个原因,不能将遗址出土青铜乐器与"郑卫之声"简单地等同分析.     

汉晋时期河西走廊张掖地区的开发研究——以黑水国汉代墓葬为例

黑水国汉代墓葬出土的农具、动物骨骼、农作物遗存和人骨为人们了解河西走廊张掖地区汉晋时期生业经济和农业发展等问题提供了重要证据。通过动物骨骼、农作物遗存鉴定结果和人骨碳氮同位素检测结果,可以揭示汉晋时期黑水国人群的食物结构和生业模式特点。墓葬出土的农作物有粟、黍、稻,随葬动物有鸡、猪、绵羊、黄牛、狗、马,人骨骨胶原碳稳定同位素主要呈现C₃和C₄混合信号,部分呈现C₃信号和C₄信号,氮稳定同位素值相较牛羊等家养食草动物较高。综合研究说明汉晋时期河西走廊形成麦类、粟黍和豆类的混合农业模式,所以黑水国汉代先民摄取的粮食作物来源呈多样化。同时,河西走廊畜牧业发达,使当时人群摄取了大量的肉食资源,导致蛋白质摄入量较高。     

历史时期射阳湖演变模式研究

射阳湖历史上曾是江苏境内著名的大湖。历史时期,湖区经历了浅水海湾—古泻湖—淡水湖泊—沼泽性湖泊—平原沼泽的演变模式。春秋以前,本区是里下河浅水海湾的一部分;春秋至唐代,本区由古泻湖逐步演变为淡水湖;南宋以来,1128年黄河夺淮以后,大量泥沙进入本区,湖区淤积迅速,成为沼泽性湖泊,加之人类开发活动的深刻影响,射阳湖逐渐演变为里下河平原的一部分。     

乌鲁木齐早期人类活动与城市形态演变

通过文献记载与考古研究成果,分析了乌鲁木齐早期人类活动的空间分布和唐代轮台城的兴废,并探讨了清代以来乌鲁木齐城市形态演变的规律和原因。认为军政职能是清代城池建筑的主要原因,商业贸易发展是城市形态变异的内动力,现代工业发展是形态突变的根本原因。     

抗日战争时期的史家与史学

抗战时期,广大爱国史学工作者紧扣时代脉搏,以抗敌御侮为学术主旨,自觉为抗战提供历史借鉴、精神动力和智力支持,面向大众开展历史知识的普及教育,在抗日民族统一战线的旗帜之下展开思想交锋和学术争鸣;其学术活动在回应时代需求的同时,也使史学自身得到丰富和发展。     

Hunting behavior and Neanderthal adaptability in the Late Pleistocene site of Pech-de-l'Azé I

The late Mousterian of Acheulian tradition (MTA) site of Pech-de-l'Azé 1 shows a very particular stratigraphic sequence characterized by numerous elements not usually found in Mousterian contexts such as avifauna exploitation and the use of hundreds of mineral pigments. Recent zooarchaeological and skeletochronological analyses provide new insights into the evolution of subsistence behaviors and settlement patterns of the Neanderthals that inhabited the shelter. Due to changes in hunting season, Neanderthals adapted their hunting strategies, exploiting various red deer populations which presented very different behavior. The evolution in the seasonal occupation of the shelter may have been the results of major modifications of its (series of roof collapsed) which induced a shrank in inhabitable space., which forced the Mousterians to adjust the way they used the cavity to its characteristics in order to optimize its exploitation. The conclusions underline the excellent adaptability of the Neanderthals to their physical environment.     

Lapita subsistence strategies and food consumption patterns in the community of Teouma (Efate,Vanuatu)

The subsistence strategies of the Lapita populations (3100–2800 BP), the first colonisers of the pristine environments of the islands of Eastern Melanesia and Western Polynesia, have been a matter of ongoing debate for decades. Opinions have ranged between the two extremes of Lapita colonisers being either characterised as highly mobile foragers to fully horticultural communities. To further address the question, this paper presents stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic data obtained from analyses of human and animal collagen samples from the site of Teouma (Efate, Vanuatu) dated to between c. 3000–2500 BP. The isotopic signatures obtained from 28 samples (23 human and 5 animal), interpreted in combination with isotopic information from several coastal and insular environments, suggest a diet primarily made up of terrestrially derived animal protein with lesser contributions from vegetable produce and inshore marine species. Comparisons linking the isotopic data gleaned from the Teouma individuals and Lapita subsistence patterns reconstructed through archaeozoological and archaeobotanical remains support the hypothesis of a mixed economy, that included terrestrial foraging, inshore marine exploitation and a low level of food production for at least some of the earliest Lapita colonists in Vanuatu.