Police–public relations in transition in Antwerp, 1840s–1914

This article examines how police–public relations have evolved during the nineteenth-century expansion of formal policing. Following recent critiques of the ‘state monopolization thesis’, it dismisses the idea of a ‘policeman-state’ progressively assuming dominion over the governance of crime, generating vicious antagonism between police and public, and effectively coercing the latter into obedience. In order to chart changes in police–public relations across the ‘long’ nineteenth century, the analysis draws on Antwerp police statistics from 1842 until 1913. It assumes that movements in different types of offences reflect the initiative of different actors and also constitute a valuable index of conflicts between police and public. The article argues that although police activity in Antwerp did significantly increase towards the end of the nineteenth century, priorities in crime control were not merely dictated from ‘above’ (the police and authorities) but also delivered from ‘below’ (the people). It shows how police interventions were shaped by shifting policy concerns, by the interests of different urban interest groups, and by the practical constraints of police work. Finally, it counters the idea of a repressive police disciplining a hostile public with evidence of growing public use of the police and of complex popular attitudes towards the ‘blue locusts’.     

14C and Maya Long Count Dates: Using Bayesian Modelling to Develop Robust Site Chronologies

Bayesian statistics has now demonstrated its strong utility in archaeology, specifically through software that conditions radiocarbon data. Only recently has this technology been applied within Maya archaeology, however, in part because the Maya calendar provides a much greater resolution in dating archaeological events than is possible with radiocarbon data. The Long Count in particular allows for the assignment of some events relative to each other, accurate to the day. In this paper, a new approach is presented to incorporate robust records of both in the same Bayesian analysis through the OxCal software. The results do call for a reconsideration of the earliest radiocarbon studies in the Maya area from the 1960s, as well as the latest attempts to corroborate the currently popular calendar correlation known as the GMT. This new study demonstrates the value of the approach and corroborates the 1σ accuracy of the GMT, while at the same time opening up the possibility of revision by 20 or more years.     

Quantifying artefacts over time: Interval estimation of a Poisson distribution using the Jeffreys prior

This paper presents a new method for estimating the amount of an artefact class in use at a given moment in the past from a random assemblage of archaeological finds. The method is based on the use of simulation, since an analytical solution is computationally impractical. Estimating the number of artefacts in use at any time t is shown to follow a Poisson distribution, which allows for credible intervals to be established using the Jeffreys prior. This estimator works from minimal assumptions about the dating and duration of finds, as well as the intensity of collection, and is applied to coinage from four Roman‐period sites excavated by the Roman Peasant Project (2009–14). The result provides an estimation of the abundance of material according to an interval of certainty.     

Intra-site Spatial Analysis in Ethnoarchaeology

ABSTRACT

The interpretative power of quantitative intra-site spatial analysis has long been recognised by archaeologists. On the contrary, very few ethnoarchaeological works have engaged with the statistical analysis of intra-site pattern of artefacts and ecofacts. Nonetheless, ethnoarchaeology is uniquely placed to guide and assist in the identification of sound techniques and in the development of the methodology of analysis. The possibility to directly connect the distribution of the proxies under study with the activity that generated such distribution, provide the means of fine-tuning the tools we use for identifying these patterns in the archaeological record. As a consequence, archaeological methodology and interpretation both benefit from the application of improved methodologies. In this paper we review some of the most common techniques used to analyse activity areas and we provide examples of the application of such techniques to ethnoarchaeological contexts. The aim is to assess how archaeology can benefit from the intra-site spatial analysis of ethnoarchaeological contexts.     

The nation‐state in its state‐istics (Belgium, 1846–1947)

Statistics are, as the etymology of the term suggests (state‐istics), intimately connected with the construction or administration of the nation‐state. This paper addresses the genesis and development of the nation‐state by studying one of the main instruments that states use to ‘embrace’ their populations, viz. population statistics. More particularly, the paper presents a critical analysis of the conceptual and ‘scientific’ representations of modes of belonging to the nation‐state as produced in the Belgian (Queteletian) population censuses from the mid‐nineteenth until the mid‐twentieth century. It is shown how the analyses of the statisticians' interests, techniques and classification schemes shed light on the various ways in which inclusion in, or exclusion from, the Belgian nation‐state have been articulated in its population censuses. It is argued that these shifting interests and classification schemes also inform us about the construction and administration of the contemporary nation‐state.     

Exploring trade globalization in the long run: The RICardo project

Initiated in 2004, the RICardo project focuses on bilateral trade data of all the world's countries from the early nineteenth century to the eve of the Second World War. The project includes the construction of a database and the creation of a website. It is a pioneering work in the field of historical trade statistics that aims at providing easy-to-access research material to the scientific community and at attracting a wider public to the history of trade relationships. The article emphasizes the originality of the project and sums up its various aspects by reviewing previous trade databases, clarifying the main features of historical trade statistics, and describing the construction and use of the RICardo website.     

上海大都市区物联网产业集聚与空间演化

新兴技术产业的空间集聚与扩散对大都市区的空间结构有直接的影响,厘清新兴技术产业的空间分布和区位选择规律对新兴产业集群培育和大都市区空间结构调整都具有重要的政策意义。本文分析了上海市物联网企业的空间分布和集聚特征,结果发现初创期物联网企业在郊区集聚,随后向郊区其他区域扩散,并呈现出从单极向多极集聚转变的空间演化进程。通过构建负二项回归探究上海物联网企业的区位选择因素,结果表明制度因素和企业集聚效应对企业区位选择有重要影响。在产业发展初创期,企业区位选择受政府管制和市场机制双重影响,其中制度因素发挥了关键作用;而在随后的兴起期,产业集聚效应对新企业的入驻具有强大的吸引力。     

Variation in health and socioeconomic status within the W. Montague Cobb skeletal collection: Degenerative joint disease,trauma and cause of death

This paper examines health differences between two distinct samples within an African American skeletal population by investigating variation in osteoarthritis (OA) patterns, the presence of enthesopathies, fractures and cause of death. Surveys and statistical treatments tested the hypothesis that two samples within a population that have different socioeconomic contexts will present associated differences in health. Binomial statistics were used to examine differences in OA patterns and prevalence within and between groups, and according to age and sex. These data were paired with information on the presence of enthesopathies at select muscle attachment and insertion sites to add another dimension to the assessment of mechanical strain. Finally causes of death, when available, were recorded to compare leading causes within and between samples, as well as with the larger population. Data reveal significant differences in the prevalence of OA between groups. Significant differences also presented when comparing the prevalence of unilateral and bilateral affect. Although a number of differences in health status observed can be attributed to age, relationships between the presence of OA and enthesopathies in a portion of the sample indicates that degenerative change and hypertrophy in the samples reflect both systemic and non‐systemic change. The presence and pattern of fractures and causes of death are also suggestive of differences in social context between the two samples. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Storm Tide Recurrence Intervals – A Statistical Approach Using Beach Ridge Plains in Northern Australia

The marine inundation generated by Tropical Cyclone Yasi, north Queensland, February 2011, flooded at least 130 beachfront homes and many commercial businesses, becoming the most substantial marine inundation impact in Australia's modern history. As a consequence, guidelines for building in storm tide impact areas have been developed and discussions are beginning on whether Australia needs a national standard for buildings impacted by these events. Central to this will be determining which areas of coastal land need to be subjected to the standard, and this will likely be based upon the magnitude of a particular return interval event. The veracity of the current method for determining these return intervals is difficult to determine as there has been no objective way to assess the accuracy of this approach. One such method is developed here – applying extreme value theory statistics to millennial scale sedimentary records of tropical cyclone marine inundations. The approach is applied to a 5000‐year‐long beach ridge record of tropical cyclone inundations near Tully Heads and the results suggest that the inundation generated by Tropical Cyclone Yasi here had a return interval of approximately 1000 years. This is a substantially lower figure than the approximately 5000‐year return interval suggested by the currently accepted approach. Irrespective of which method is more accurate, the marine inundation generated by Yasi was a very rare event and one that may become more common under a future altered climate.     

Elemental Analysis of Ochre Outcrops in Southern British Columbia,Canada

Ochre is a red mineral pigment that was a key element of social and ceremonial practices among cultures of the Pacific Northwest Coast. It is recovered routinely from archaeological excavations, is visible as pigment for pictographs, and is described in the historical record as a trade item and component of ceremonial practices. Despite its ubiquity in the archaeological record, it is difficult to interpret its significance without first understanding the nature of its procurement and distribution. As a step towards identifying procurement practices, trade and resource use, it is necessary to thoroughly characterize ochre outcrops with regard to their intra‐source and regional variability. We analysed ochre from three outcrops using INAA to determine their elemental chemistry. The purpose of this study is threefold: to provide an example of the range of elemental variability within and between outcrops, to illustrate the effect of scale and geomorphological processes on elemental compositions and statistical interpretation, and to create a database of known deposits in southern British Columbia. The results demonstrate that ochre deposits may be differentiated on the basis of their chemistry, and that conservative statistical interpretation needs to be employed to assess true elemental variability within and between ochre deposits and regions.