Paleopathological and Molecular Study on Two Cases of Ancient Childhood Leprosy from the Roman and Byzantine Empires

This study is based on the paleaopathology of leprosy on human skeletal remains and the detection of ancient Mycobacterium leprae DNA. Two cases of childhood leprosy were recognized. The first case was in a Roman necropolis at Martellona (Rome, Central Italy), dated to the 2nd to 3rd centuries ce . The skeleton of a child aged 4–5 years, from tomb 162, is the youngest individual in Italy from this time period, with the clear rhino‐maxillary syndrome and other bony changes indicative of leprosy. The second case from a burial at Kovuklukaya, in the Sinop region of Northern Turkey, was from the 8th to the 10th centuries, during the Byzantine era. The endocranium of a 4–5‐month‐old infant with new bone formation—an indication of chronic inflammation—was positive for M. leprae DNA. Infant and childhood leprosy is uncommon today, and there is a scarcity of information in the osteoarchaeological literature of leprosy in the past, especially in children. The significance of these cases is that it adds to an understanding of the history of the disease in the former Roman Empire. It is hoped that over time sufficient data can be obtained to understand the epidemiological dynamics and clinical evolution of leprosy from the ancient period until today. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一位明代翰林官员的工作履历——《徐显卿宦迹图》图像简析

收藏在故宫博物院的《徐显卿宦迹图》记录了明万历年间吏部右侍郎徐显卿的宦迹。图册中有关明代宫廷典制的描绘以及徐显卿的题记为历史研究提供了形象生动的资料。此外,本文还以图册为例,对明清时代宦迹图的源流、艺术形式等作了简要分析。     

Archaeometric investigation of pottery from funerary gifts in Kal-e Chendar,Shami (Khuzestan,Iran)

Thirty fragments of red slip, glazed, common and cooking ware from Hellenistic and Parthian tombs at Kal-e Chendar in Shami (Iran) were investigated. Petrographic assemblage and chemometric evaluation of chemical data collected most samples in a large cluster, suggesting a common provenance, even in a quite wide area which includes Izeh plain and lowland Susiana, and underlining the presence of smaller very distinguished groupings. Surface finishing layers (both glazes and red slips) showed a high degree of alteration of their morphological features. Blue glazes are typical plant-ash, with copper as a colouring agent.     

唐武惠妃石椁纹饰初探

陪葬敬陵的唐武惠妃墓石椁规模宏大,内外雕刻着精美的纹饰,其中的人物、乐舞、神兽、动植物纹带有当时中西文化交流盛期的明显特征,也反映出墓主人的佛教信仰倾向,以及安排武惠妃葬式葬仪者的思想与感情,为研究唐代宫廷文化、宗教和文化融合等提供了珍贵材料。