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This paper considers how epistemic analyses (Birkin and Polesie, 2011; Foucault, 1970, 1990a, 1990b) may assist with the development of sustainability economics (Bartelmus, 2010; Baumgärtner and Quaas, 2010a, 2010b; and Söderbaum, 2011) and the capability approach (Ballet et al., 2011; Martins, 2011; Rauschmayer and Leßmann, 2011; Scerri, 2012). It was the French social theorist Michel Foucault (1926–1984) who coined the term “episteme” to refer to the “possibility of knowledge” that determines the development of thought and knowledge in a given period. For Foucault epistemes were the “buried” foundations of knowledge that his epistemic “archaeology” could unearth. In 2007, Foucault was identified as the most cited author of books in the humanities by Thomson Reuters' ISI Web of Science. This paper begins with a brief definition and description of epistemic analyses. A summary analysis of the Modern episteme and neoclassical economics is then provided and this is followed by outline evidence for the emerging episteme. Finally the opportunity is considered for the emerging episteme to reinforce and enhance sustainability economics and the capability approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper deals with application of an originally developed methodology for repair and seismic strengthening of St. Clement’s Church, Plaoshnik, Ohrid. To renovate the structure based on the original foundation dating back to the 9th century, complex multidisciplinary investigations were performed in the field of archaeology, conservation, engineering and construction. Presented in this paper are the investigations related to the design of the structural system based on elaborated architectonic bases that are to preserve the authenticity of the structure, performed geotechnical investigations of the site and defined input seismic parameters. A linear-elastic and nonlinear dynamic analysis of the structure was performed. Based on the obtained results, the concept of repair and seismic strengthening of the church was adopted. It consisted of incorporation of horizontal and vertical steel ties in the bearing walls of the structure. This method, which is based on the philosophy of “minimal intervention–maximal protection”, had originally been developed at IZIIS, Skopje and it has been experimentally and analytically verified. The techniques of consolidation of the authentic foundation of the structure and the existing walls with original fresco-paintings are also presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Methods for mass-grave documentation have changed markedly since the first forensic investigations nearly 70 years ago. Recently, however, there has been little advancement in developing new and better methodology, especially when compared to other forensic disciplines and even within traditional archaeology. This paper proposes a new approach, using 3D modelling for the documentation and eventual analysis of mass-graves. Structure-from-Motion (SfM), which creates digital 3D models from a set of still photographs, was tested on a small, simulated mass grave. The results of this test suggest that the method offers resolution previously unavailable to mass-grave investigators, and facilitates stronger analytical potential than the more traditional methods. Further tests are needed to validate these methods, but these initial findings are promising and their application could enhance our knowledge of mass grave dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nan Kiln and Lantian Kiln site in Jingdezhen were excavated in 2012 by Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other units. According to the archaeological materials, many experts agree that the ceramic industry of Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of the ancient world, can be dated back at least to Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). An in-depth study on the celadon of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties (897–979 AD) unearthed from these two sites is very important for exploring the origin and early development of Jingdezhen ceramic industry. This paper comparatively analyzes the chemical composition and processing characteristics of the celadon aforementioned to shed light on the early celadon of Jingdezhen and its initial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nan Kiln and Lantian Kiln site in Jingdezhen were excavated in 2012 by Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other units. According to the archaeological materials, many experts agree that the ceramic industry of Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of the ancient world, can be dated back at least to Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). An in-depth study on the celadon of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties (897–979 AD) unearthed from these two sites is very important for exploring the origin and early development of Jingdezhen ceramic industry. This paper comparatively analyzes the chemical composition and processing characteristics of the celadon aforementioned to shed light on the early celadon of Jingdezhen and its initial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre Commemorations team (JCCC), part of the British Ministry of Defence, is responsible for managing the identification of human remains from British casualties who fell during WWI and WWII primarily. With this task in mind, the work to identify and rebury the historic battle casualties is at the heart of this team's work. In addition, the team also considers new evidence regarding possible identification of an individual buried as "unknown" and they administer the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. This paper provides an insight into the work undertaken by this Team, identifying and commemorating the remains of WWI and WWII British casualties. The paper also includes several case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Agent-based modelling provides a means for understanding both contemporary and future systems, and also the archaeological past. This article explores the appeal of agent-based modelling for understanding archaeological societies. Taken from the 2011 American Association for the Advancement of Science meetings, this paper and the following papers help advance our understanding of both real and modelled systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a method to assist in the tedious task of reconstructing ceramic vessels from unearthed archeological shards (fragments) using 3D computer vision-enabling technologies. The method exploits the shards surface intrinsic differential geometry information (one of many possible tools) coupled with a series of generic models to produce a virtual reconstruction and rendition of what the original vessel may have looked like. Generic models are constructed based on a host of factors including expert historical knowledge of the period, provenance of the artifact, and site location. The generic models need not to be identical to the original vessel, but they must be within a geometric transformation of it in most of its parts. The method is suited for ceramic vessels with some relief (i.e., surface with molding, carving, or stamping), as this method exploits surface intrinsic features for alignment. The alignment of the shards against the generic model uses a novel set of 3D weighted curve moments. The transformation is computed from corresponding parabolic contours on the shard and the generic model. A distance error metric is used to access the accuracy of alignment of a fragment to a given generic vessel model. The method is also extendable to surface markings. For a vessel that has no relief, color information or surface breaks can be used for the alignment. The method is tested on a subset of 3D scanned Independence National Historical Park (INDE) ceramic artifacts and the generic models created by experts. This work is part of an ongoing research activity in computational archeology that exploits many different tools and features to help in the mending process. Only the use of surface differential geometry information is reported here. This aspect is complementary to various other tools reported elsewhere by us and others, such as surface breaks, texture, color, etc. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Partial matching is a fundamental problem in shape analysis, a field that is recently gaining an increasing importance in computer graphics. This paper proposes a novel approach to performing partial matching of surfaces. Given two surfaces and , our goal is to find the best match to within . The key idea of our approach is to integrate feature-point similarity and segment similarity. Specifically, we introduce a probabilistic framework in which the segmentation and the correspondences of neighboring feature points allow us to enhance or moderate our certainty of a feature-point similarity. The utility of our algorithm is demonstrated in the domain of archaeology, where digital archiving is becoming ever more widespread. In this domain, automatic matching can serve as a worthy alternative to the expensive and time-consuming manual procedure that is used today. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we formalize the digital library (DL) integration problem and propose an overall approach based on the 5S (streams, structures, spaces, scenarios, and societies) framework. We then apply that framework to integrate domain-specific (archeological) DLs, illustrating our solutions for key problems in DL integration. An integrated Archeological DL, ETANA-DL, is used as a case study to justify and evaluate our DL integration approach. More specifically, we develop a minimal metamodel for archeological DLs within the 5S theory. We implement the 5SSuite tool set to cover the process of union DL generation, including requirements gathering, conceptual modeling, rapid prototyping, and code generation. 5SSuite consists of 5SGraph, 5SGen, and SchemaMapper, each of which plays an important role in DL integration. We also propose an approach to integrated DLs based on the 5S formalism, which provides a systematic method to design and implement DL exploring services. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Geoarchaeology is the application of geological and geomorphological techniques to archaeology and the study of the interactions of hominins with the natural environment at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. Geoarchaeology in the UK over the last twenty years has flourished largely because it has gone beyond technological and scientific applications. Over the same period our ability to reconstruct the 3-dimensional stratigraphy of fluvial deposits and the matrix of fluvial sites has increased dramatically because of a number of technological advances. These have included the use of LiDAR (laser imaging) and radar to produce high-resolution digital surface models, the use of geophysics, particularly ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity, to produce sediment depth models, and the use of GIS and data visualisation techniques to manipulate and display the data. These techniques along with more systematic and detailed sedimentological recording of exposed sections have allowed the construction of more precise 3-dimensional (volumetric) models of the matrix of artefacts within fluvial deposits. Additionally a revolution in dating techniques, particularly direct sediment dating by luminescence methods, has enabled the creation of 4-dimensional models of the creation and preservation of these sites. These 4-dimensional models have the ability to provide far more information about the processes of site creation, preservation and even destruction, and also allow the integration of these processes with independent data sources concerning cultural evolution and climatic change. All improvements in the precision of dating fluvial deposits have archaeological importance in our need to translate events from a sequential or geological timeframe to human timescales. This allows geoarchaeology to make a more direct contribution to cultural history through the recognition of agency at the individual or group level. This data can then form a component of biocomplexity or agent-based modelling which is becoming increasingly used in the natural sciences, particularly ecology and geomorphology and which can be used to test scenarios including the impact on, and response of, hominins to abrupt or catastrophic environmental change. Whilst catastrophic events clearly represent the atypical they can be illuminating in revealing cognitive processes resulting in abandonment, coping, mitigation and innovation. These points are exemplified using two in-depth case studies: one from the Holocene geoarchaeological record of the River Trent in Central England and the other from the Palaeolithic record from rivers in South West Britain. In the former the interaction between climate change and human activity is illustrated at the year to century timescale whilst in the other the timescale is millennial. These case studies have deliberately been chosen to be as different as possible in temporal and spatial scale with the aim of examining the applicability of methodological and theoretical aspects of geoarchaeology. Lastly the paper considers the problem of scale in geoarchaeology and concludes it is process-dependency, which ultimately affects the questions we can ask, and that questions of human response to climate change are fundamentally a product of materiality and cognitive processes. This demands an in-depth contextual approach to such questions rather than database-driven assertions of causality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the context of exhumations of individuals who died during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), since the year 2000, over 780 mass graves have been excavated using archaeological methodology and following forensic protocols. Most of the recovered more than 9600 bodies have tended to be from the Republican civil population, the majority having been executed extrajudicially. However, a number of exhumations relate to the remains of soldiers who died in combat. In fact, approximately 100 individual or mass graves have been investigated and exhumed, containing the remains of combatants. These burials tend to be in the same location where they fell, usually in the front line, or close to the field hospitals where they went after being wounded initially. During the recovery of the human remains, a number of artefacts related to the uniform as well as personal effects have been found. An interdisciplinary approach from archaeology, anthropology, genetics, history and other disciplines has enabled the identification of some of these combatants. The aim of this paper is to present the data obtained from these combatants and highlight the work undertaken in Spain, and the efforts by scientists to exhume, identify and return the remains to relatives where possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will discuss the complexity of the investigation of mass graves in today's Serbia (part of ex Yugoslavia), belonging primarily to WWII with an exception of one mass grave from WWI, through the prism of historical events behind it. By interpreting historical and political circumstances, we will show why and on what occasions mass graves, as cultural-historical monuments and symbols of the sufferings of Serbs, Jews, Romani, and other nations or ethnic groups, remained outside the focus of expert teams. Also, through examples of explored sites related to WWII (Višnjica, Topola, Kragujevac, Ada Ciganlija), it will be shown the importance of engaging the forensic expert teams to locate sites, identifing victims and interpretation of historical events from their perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]