Resistant Matters: Tents,Tear Gas and the “Other Media” of Occupy

From tents to tear gas, objects and architectures of resistance speak to us across the transnational Occupy Movement. More than background scenery or mere props for action, these objects have their own stories to tell about how they mediate and communicate political struggle. Informed by the revitalisation of materialism and object-oriented analyses, this paper draws together affect theory, “post-ANT” scholarship and social movement studies to explore particular nonhuman elements of resistance as “other media.” Beyond those practices already seen to be part of the communications ecology of protest (alternative media, demonstrations, speeches, performative actions), I argue that other technological infrastructures and interfaces make and mediate political communication at sites of resistance in ways that are significant but often overlooked in existing scholarship.     

Searching for the remains of an Early Bronze Age city at Tell Qubr Abu al-’Atiq (Syria) through archaeological investigations and GPR imaging

This article presents results of an archaeo-geophysical investigation carried out in a tell site situated in the Syrian Middle-Euphrates valley within the framework of a Syrian-Spanish archaeological project. In the Near East, Tell is a hill formed by accumulation of muddy sedimentary layers mainly due to the decomposition of mud-bricks in ancient towns. First archaeological works (2005–2008) resulted in significant discoveries such as Early Bronze Age (c. 2600–2400 BC) buildings and pottery. In order to map the entire city, an extensive ground-penetrating radar prospection was undertaken in July 2009. GPR images reveal the existence of unknown buildings, streets and the enclosure wall of the city. Such information adds crucial information to understand the importance of the city in the region.     

Characterization of the corrosion layer on iron archaeological artefacts from K2 (825–1220 AD), an archaeological site in South Africa

Abstract

A study of the composition and phase distribution of the corrosion layers on three ferrous objects, excavated at K2 (Bambandyanalo), an archaeological site in South Africa, was conducted. The objective of the study was to obtain information that can contribute to conservation procedures to be performed on the iron artefacts from this site. Examination of cross sections by means of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy coupled to a scanning electron microscope (SEM–EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed the same corrosion composition and structure for all the objects under study, namely an internal layer adjacent to the metal surface with ghost inclusions and an external layer containing quartz grains. The study also revealed that the presence of magnetite (Fe₃O₄), maghemite (γFe₂O₃), and lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) within the internal layer is the only difference between the chemical compositions of iron corrosion products within the two layers. The results also made it possible to retrace the corrosion history during burial and long-term storage.     

《周易》揲扐算法结果数的出现概率及考古应用

对《周易》成卦所用揲?计算结果数的出现概率进行了分折,发现6、7、8、9这四个可能得到的结果数的出现概率分别为0.0517、0.2888、0.4483和0.2112。《左传》和《国语》中十四个筮例的相关数据印证了计算的结果,这个结论可以为揲?算法定型时期的下限为西周晚期提供一个旁证。     

X-ray computed tomography for non-destructive analysis of early Medieval swords

The analysis of early Medieval swords is of great significance due to the eminent position of the find category in the study of the early Medieval period. X-ray computed tomography is a non-destructive analytical method permitting the collection of data that otherwise could only be gathered with considerable effort and much damage to the object. Beyond the usual morphological and dimensional parameters, the method allows for the fast and accurate gathering of knowledge about the construction and manufacturing processes of sword blades and can also be applied to block-lifted swords. Preservation condition and related artifacts caused by beam hardening may be limiting factors; however, in most instances interpretation of the data remains possible.     

长城保护维修工程中考古工作的方法与对策研究

近年来,随着长城保护理念的日益深入,考古工作与长城保护维修工程的结合更加紧密.但在实践过程中,有些长城保护维修工程和项目存在考古参与程度较低、定位不明确等问题.本文对既往长城保护维修工程中的考古工作进行总结和分析,指出考古工作的参与程度越来越受重视,是新时期长城保护理念发展的必然趋势;以箭扣南段长城151-154号敌台...     

知识考古学视域下的图书馆史观

传统的图书馆史观强调时间的连续性以及事件的因果性,将图书馆的发展叙述为简单的线性模式,导致图书馆学者及从业人员在传统的历史观下盲目追赶时代,缺少反思和考证精神,致使在图书馆发展思路上做出不当选择。知识考古学的后现代思想,强调历史的断裂性、事物的复杂性,呼吁图书馆人摒弃权威,以历史的眼光看待图书馆发展问题,以批判的精神审视图书馆职能、图书馆精神等图书馆学基本问题。     

关于古格王国早期佛教遗存的再探讨——兼评则武海源《西部西藏佛教史·佛教文化研究》

位于西藏西部阿里地区的古格王国境内现存有都城札不让以及皮央、东嘎等处以佛教文化为中心的遗址,对于这些佛教遗存的年代国际学术界有不同的观点,其中有意见认为这些遗址内现存的佛教殿堂年代均不会早到15世纪,本文从考古学和文献学两方面的证据提出,上述佛教遗存可分为早、晚两期,不应当轻率地否认其中早期遗存的存在。     

A web information system for the management and the dissemination of Cultural Heritage data

Safeguarding and exploiting Cultural Heritage induce the production of numerous and heterogeneous data. The management of these data is an essential task for the use and the diffusion of the information gathered on the field. Previously, the data handling was a hand-made task done thanks to efficient and experienced methods. Until the growth of computer science, other methods have been carried out for the digital preservation and treatment of Cultural Heritage information. The development of computerized data management systems to store and make use of archaeological datasets is then a significant task nowadays. Especially for sites that have been excavated and worked without computerized means, it is now necessary to put all the data produced onto computer. This allows preservation of the information digitally (in addition with the paper documents) and offers new exploitation possibilities, like the immediate connection of different kinds of data for analyses, or the digital documentation of the site for its improvement. Geographical Information Systems have proved their potentialities in this scope, but they are not always adapted to the management of features at the scale of a particular archaeological site. Therefore this paper aims to present the development of a Virtual Research Environment dedicated to the exploitation of intra-site Cultural Heritage data. The Information System produced is based on open-source software modules dedicated to the Internet, so users can avoid being software driven and can register and consult data from different computers. The system gives the opportunity to do exploratory analyses of the data, especially at spatial and temporal levels. The system is compliant to every kind of Cultural Heritage site and allows management of diverse types of data. Some experimentation has been done on sites managed by the Service of the National Sites and Monuments of Luxembourg.     

Rescuing our neglected heritage: The evolution of the Government's policy on portable antiquities in England and Wales

This paper looks at the evolution of a new approach to an old problem—that of protecting the heritage of moveable archaeological objects—‘portable antiquities’—in England and Wales. It sets out a brief history of attempts to bring forward legislation to protect such finds, charts the rise of metal detecting as an activity and describes the successful process of changing government policy through the Treasure Act 1996. This led to the Portable Antiquities Scheme which has now received full government funding. The paper looks at how this was achieved through the development of what has been described as the largest community archaeology project in the country, which is starting to change public attitudes towards objects from the past. These two initiatives have in fact started to lead to a change in public attitude towards material from the past.