Evidence for local,regional and interregional exchange networks on Failaka: Some remarks on late Islamic pottery from Kharaib al-Dasht

The site of Kharaib al-Dasht, located on the northern coast of Failaka, is a late Islamic settlement with an extensive fishing infrastructure. It has been excavated since 2013 by the Kuwaiti-Polish Archaeological Mission. The ceramic assemblage collected so far exceeds 18,000 fragments. The sherds underwent technological and typological analyses, which demonstrated a wide diversity of local common kitchen wares, consistent with the needs of households specialised in fishing. A considerable percentage of imported vessels was brought to Failaka from the Arabian Gulf and Persia, though Far Eastern luxury tableware was also attested. This paper demonstrates the socioeconomic role of Kharaib al-Dasht in the context of trade exchange on the microregional (Kuwait) and macroregional (the Gulf, South and Eastern Asia) scales in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.     

Building and ornamental stones of the Awam (Mahram Bilqis) Temple in Marib, Yemen

One of the most famous monuments of the ancient Kingdom of Saba is the first-millennium BC Awam Temple in Marib, Yemen. Despite its fame, almost nothing has been published about the building and ornamental stones used in its construction, or the quarries that supplied these stones. This paper presents the results of the first geological study of the Awam Temple and its stone quarries.     

Geochemical Methods for Sourcing Lava Paving Stones from the Roman Roads of Central Italy

This paper documents the results of in situ analysis of 306 lava paving stones and 74 possible source rocks using pXRF. Data were collected from sites both in the city of Rome—on major roads beyond the city (including the Viae Flaminia, Cassia, Clodia, Praenestina and Appia)—and in the city of Ostia. Comparison of the pXRF data with lava compositional data from the geological literature allows broad identification of possible sources. The results point to quite distinctive patterns of exploitation for the city of Rome and Ostia, utilizing the Alban Hills lava flows, and the roads of the middle Tiber Valley, drawing on lava flows associated with the Vico and Sabatini volcanoes. The results show the potential of pXRF to produce data to elucidate the exploitation of lava flows for paving the Roman roads.     

The Dor 2001/1 Byzantine Shipwreck,Israel: final report

Dor 2001/1 was a Byzantine coaster, about 16.9 m long, with an estimated displacement of 50 tonnes, dated to the first third of the 6th century CE, and loaded with building stones. It was excavated over five seasons, recorded under water, and a section of the shipwreck was retrieved and studied on land. The hull construction was based on frames without any type of planking edge‐fasteners. It is thus among the earliest frame‐based shipwrecks found so far in the Mediterranean. The origin of its construction tradition, with flat frames amidships, hard chine and straight sides, might have been related to a riverine tradition.     

巴东店子头遗址发掘简报

店子头遗址位于巴东县北部西南角的长江南岸,化层厚度1.3～4．1米,包含有新石器中晚期、夏代、东周等多个历史时期的化遗存,而以新石器中晚期遗存为主。新石器中晚期遗存中出土的大量打制石器和动物遗骸,为探讨新石器中晚期该地区的自然环境、实物来源、经济类型提供了重要信息。     

The digital restoration of painted patterns on the No. 2 Qin bronze chariot based on hyperspectral imaging

The No. 2 Qin bronze chariot unearthed from Qinshihuang's Mausoleum is world famous for its huge size and colourful painted patterns. However, since it had been buried for a long time and was affected by its harsh environment, its painted patterns have been severely damaged. The traditional restoration methods, which mainly rely on expert experience, are manual, inefficient and lack scientific support. Moreover, to protect the important cultural relics, any invasive operations, such as sampling analysis, are strictly prohibited. This paper presents a method that combines hyperspectral imaging and computer technology for the digital virtual restoration of the bronze chariot's patterns. It is non-destructive, more efficient and more scientific. The method reproduces the damaged patterns with the following approaches: restoring the missing edges of the patterns; and distinguishing the different pigments. The obtained result implies that the method can digitally reproduce some of the damaged patterns, and that it can be used as a reference for recreating the patterns of the other painted bronze.     

河南汉画像石的艺术精神及价值

河南汉画像石题材丰富、分类众多,不仅具有独特的艺术风格和精神内涵,而且具有重要的思想、历史、艺术和考古价值.就其艺术精神来说,它具有豪放乐观、灵动飞扬、勇于开拓的进取精神,宏阔雄浑、豁达博大的开放精神以及气势恢弘、威猛昂扬的尚武精神.     

清雕漆描金宝座材料与工艺研究

为了了解清雕漆描金宝座的材料和工艺,对胎体制作切片进行了显微镜观察,确定了其种属;采用傅里叶红外光谱分析法分析了红漆,图谱与桐油很相近,由此可确定调漆工艺中加入了桐油。另外,结合文献,初步复原了此宝座的髹漆工艺。此研究对宝座以后的保护及清代家具及漆器的制作工艺具有参考价值。     

Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene Plant Movements in Southern Kyushu, Japan

From the late Pleistocene to early Holocene in Japan, subtropical and temperate forest elements moved northwards. This affected human choices and access to food sources. More settled patterns of living spread northwards gradually, and northern hunting-gathering-fishing people began cultivating vegetables and cereal crops. This poster reports the presence of ancient starch residues on stone artefacts in Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Kyushu. The oldest residues recovered are dated by context to about 30,000 ¹⁴C yr BP. If such residues can be identified, it may be possible to detect a hypothesized early phase of tropical plant movement northwards during warmer climate peaks in the late terminal Pleistocene, as well as during the long period of Holocene warming that followed. As an initial step towards identification, the morphological characteristics and condition of the starch granules are described and compared to those of other sites in early Japan.     

徐州狮子山汉楚王陵彩绘陶俑的保护研究

为对徐州狮子山出土的彩绘陶俑进行保护,我们对陶俑本体进行了分析,采用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）对陶俑表面进行微观形貌分析;X射线荧光光谱仪（XRF）分析化学成分;通过岩相分析,并结合XRD分析、热重和差示热分析（TG-DSC）从而推测陶俑的烧成温度;电子能谱仪（EDS）对彩绘表面颜料的进行成分分析。在此基础上,采用7种化学材料进行对比实验,对外观、颜色光泽度变化、固化物形成期、防水接触角、吸湿等温线、吸水率、抗压强度进行了观察和分析,同时,还进行了紫外光耐老化试验。试验表明,氟橡胶不仅有较好的渗透率和膜层外观及相对较强的抗压能力的优点,而且还有较好的耐老化性能。经过对狮子山出土的一尊彩绘陶俑利用氟橡胶进行保护后10多年的观察,陶俑的表面色泽、防水与接触角、颜料表面的固结强度等状态保持良好。因此,在保护彩绘陶俑方面,氟橡胶是值得考虑的一种材料。