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Death is a phenomenon that humans regarded as being part of the cycle of life, contemplated, sought to identify, and defined since the inception of mankind. It has been believed that death does not mark the end of a person's life, and rather the deceased migrate to another world and continue to exist there. Burial rituals among humans within the framework of the belief in the afterlife have been effective in the emergence of various types of tombs. Different types of tombs that arose based on faith are essential documents that reflect the society's artistic taste, beliefs, and cultural level. With the headpieces, inscriptions, figures and object embellishments they display, they indicate the gender of the person buried in the tomb. While male gravestones include headpieces called headgears, female gravestones reflect the female soul with the gentler and decorated compositions of embellishments reflecting the artistic taste of their time. Mardin, which bears the traces of countless civilizations throughout thousands of years of history, was plundered and devastated many times as a result of wars and invasions and the tombs in the city were also affected by this, with no surviving samples apart from more recent ones. Certain examples of decorated female gravestones dated back to the late 19th century and early 20th century in the Muhammed Zırar (Dırar) cemetery in Mardin were evaluated within the framework of the discipline of Art History. The samples evaluated are female gravestones, and these were categorized into three as those displaying shahides, cists and pehle stones.The evaluated samples' similarities and differences with other samples from the region and around the country are discussed in terms of material, form, technical, and decorative aspects. The samples reviewed in the conclusion section have been found to have similar structural and aesthetic qualities to tombstones found in locations such as Cizre, Savur, Nusaybin, and Siirt., Ölüm, insanoğlunun var olduğu andan itibaren yaşam döngüsünden ayırmadığı, kafa yorduğu, tanımaya ve tanımlamaya çalıştığı bir olgudur. Ölümün bir son olmadığı, ölen bireyin bu dünyadan ayrılarak başka bir aleme göç ettiğine, o alemde yaşamaya devam ettiğine inanılmıştır. Öteki dünya anlayışıyla birlikte insanlardaki ölüyü gömme ritüelleri birbirinden farklı mezar çeşitlerinin ortaya çıkmasında etkili olmuştur. İnanca bağlı olarak ortaya çıkan mezar çeşitleri ait oldukları toplumun sanat zevkini, inancını ve kültür düzeyini yansıtan önemli belgelerdir. Üzerlerinde ihtiva ettikleri başlık, yazı, figür ve nesneli bezemeleriyle yatanın cinsiyetini belirtir özelliktedirler. Erkek mezar taşlarında serpuş denilen başlık yer alırken, kadın mezar taşları daha zarif, süslü ve dönemin sanat zevkini yansıtan yoğun süsleme kompozisyonlarıyla kadının ruhunu yansıtır özelliktedirler. Binlerce yıllık geçmişi ve sayısız uygarlığın izini taşıyan Mardin, savaş ve istilalar sonucu birçok kez yakılıp, yıkılmış, mezar taşları da bu olumsuzluklardan nasibini almış ve günümüze yakın tarihli örnekler dışında gelen örnek olmamıştır. Mardin’de Muhammed Zırar (Dırar) mezarlığında 19. yüzyıl sonu ile 20. yüzyılın başına tarihlenen bezemeli kadın mezar taşlarından birkaç örnek Sanat Tarihi disiplini çerçevesinde değerlendirilmiştir. Değerlendirilmeye alınan örnekler kadın mezar taşları olup, şahideli, sandukalı ve pehle taşlı olmak üzere üç grupta tanıtılmıştır. Ele alınan örneklerin malzeme, form, teknik ve süsleme özellikleri bakımından bölge ve yurt genelindeki örneklerle benzer ve ayrılan yönlerine değinilmiştir. Sonuç kısmında ele alınan örneklerin Cizre, Savur, Nusaybin, Siirt gibi merkezlerde yer alan mezar taşlarıyla benzer form ve süsleme özelliklerine sahip oldukları tespit edilmiştir.

Wupatki National Monument archaeologists recently recovered artifacts from an exposed cist that were about to fall into a newly formed wash due to intensified downpours related to climate change. Monument staff worked with traditionally associated tribes to create an emergency excavation plan and a contingency for the reburial of cist contents should human remains be encountered. When no human remains were found, the Wupatki curator accessioned and cataloged the cist contents which included seven intact prehistoric pots. Because intact pottery is seldom found outside of a burial context, the monument and its Friend’s Group sought to place the items on display. However, when the Wupatki curator consulted with Hopi elders about the cist contents for the exhibit, she learned that what archaeologists thought to be a “pot cache” was something else entirely. The article discusses the events that led to the eventual “accession by mistake” process, the reburial of the cist contents, and the resulting lessons learned.

Recent analysis of Early Bronze Age human remains from Staarvey Farm on the Isle of Man has revealed a rare bone knife pommel and 20 other bone objects, offering insight into the importance of bone ornaments and artefact fittings at this time. This article adopts a relational typological approach to analyse the Staarvey burial and comparable assemblages, identifying patterns in the deposition of knife pommels in central and southern Britain. In exploring regional interaction in Early Bronze Age Britain and Ireland, the authors refine and move beyond traditional typologies to trace types of both objects and practice. This approach allows them to consider multiple, overlapping spheres of funerary practice and their relation to identities at different regional scales.

Introduction. The article focuses on the analysis of solar elements in the burial rite of the Kemi Oba culture of the Early Bronze Age. Methods and materials. The material draws attention to the painting of the grave cist from Koyash (Vodnoye) village that presents a set of mythopoetic schemes and plots, their interpretation proceeds from the processes of comprehension of the outside world. Analysis. The paper identifies the ideograms on the basis of the painting of the grave cist under study: the circle with a dot in its center, the concentric circle, the triangle. The burial rite of the Kemi Oba culture focuses on the conceptualization of the afterlife in terms of observations of the solar nature, which is consistent with the prevailing Indo-European concepts of the Bronze Age. The sign of the concentric circle in the Kemi Oba culture appears as a solar symbol based on the analogies in the Indo-European mythology. The ideogram is part of the plot with dynamic character, and participates in the mythopoetic scheme based on the dichotomies: up – down, this life – afterlife in the context of the Axis Mundi idea. Four suns as part of the plot of the painted cist demonstrate the non-static solar nature, its four states, and, consequently, suggests the solar myth that has a spatio-temporal realization. Results. The cosmological picture of the world of the Kemi-Oba people includes the processes of categorization of the environment objectified through the fragmentation of the path of the sun, i.e. duality and quaternary.

Thermo-sensitive genic male-sterile (TGMS) gene tms5 is most widely used in the two-line hybrid breeding system in China. To develop novel rice thermo-sensitive male sterile lines, we knocked out the TMS5 genes of six elite japonica and four indica rice varieties by using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. By analyzing the critical sterility-inducing temperature (CIST) of the newly TGMS lines, it was found that the CIST of japonica TGMS lines ZG75S, CYGS, YG0618S, ZG07S, T0361S, and 7679S were between 28°C and 32°C, the CIST of indica TGMS lines 2537S, 6150S and 6379S were between 24°C and 28°C, and the CIST of indica TGMS line 1109S was lower than 23.5°C. These results indicated that the CIST of tms5 mutant from different genetic background materials was different. The TGMS lines with lower CIST could be obtained by knocking out the TMS5 from different genetic background materials. A hybrid rice combination 1109S / 8048 had high quality and high yield. The yield of 1109S/8048 was 13.1% higher than that of Fengliangyou 4. The creation of the TGMS 1109S and the high-yield cross combination 1109S/8048 provides a new way for high-yield breeding.

The presented study focuses on the role of applied ethics(cist) in managing the quality of life in the post-risk society. Given that, from an ethical point of view, it is appropriate to reflect the quality of life also through other than quantitative, i.e. objective and therefore also measurable indicator, it is important to be also focused on the action of a person that leads to increasing his/her satisfaction, the feeling of happiness as a subjective indicator. The aim of this study is to point out the importance of ethical parameterization of the quality of life as well as the search for suitable concepts in its fulfilment.

This paper reports on the MH II/III Burial Cluster II excavated at the MH acropolis of Aghios Ioannis in Boeotia, Greece. The burial ground comprises various funerary structures (tumulus, rectangular enclosure, cist graves) and provides evidence on primary and secondary mortuary treatment. The analysis is based on the remains of 22 individuals and explores issues of health and mortuary practices. The contextual approach of the human osteological remains reveals variations in the treatment at death of different age groups and evidence of differences in mortuary practices according to biological sex and everyday life; results add further to the discussion on the renegotiated individual and collective identities in the mortuary sphere at this formative period for the subsequent Mycenaean era in Boeotia and Mainland Greece. 1. Introduction 2. Materials and methods 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Taphonomic and mortuary analysis 3.2. Paleopathological analysis 4. Conclusions

Wereport the case of a 59-year-old male with cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis, and biliary obstruction due to enolic chronic pancreatitis. He was treated 7 years previously with cholecystectomy, ERCP, and a fully-coated biliary metal stent for 6 months.

Compressive sensing (CS) has been widely utilized in inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging, since ISAR measured data are generally non-completed in cross-range direction, and CS-based imaging methods can obtain high-quality imaging results using under-sampled data. However, the traditional CS-based methods need to pre-define parameters and sparse transforms, which are tough to be hand-crafted. Besides, these methods usually require heavy computational cost with large matrices operation. In this paper, inspired by the adaptive parameter learning and rapidly reconstruction of convolution neural network (CNN), a novel imaging method, called convolution iterative shrinkage-thresholding (CIST) network, is proposed for ISAR efficient sparse imaging. CIST is capable of learning optimal parameters and sparse transforms throughout the CNN training process, instead of being manually defined. Specifically, CIST replaces the linear sparse transform with non-linear convolution operations. This new transform and essential parameters are learnable end-to-end across the iterations, which increases the flexibility and robustness of CIST. When compared with the traditional state-of-the-art CS imaging methods, both simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed CIST-based ISAR imaging method can obtain imaging results of high quality, while maintaining high computational efficiency. CIST-based ISAR imaging is tens of times faster than other methods.

This contribution describes the discovery and subsequent investigation of a cist in a rock-cut pit at Achavanich, Highland. Discovered and excavated in 1987, the cist was found to contain the tightly contracted skeletal remains of a young woman, accompanied by a Beaker, three flint artefacts and a cattle scapula. Initial post excavation work established a date for the skeleton together with details of her age and sex, and preliminary pollen analysis of sediments attaching to the Beaker was undertaken. The findings were never fully published and, upon the death of the excavator, Robert Gourlay, the documentary archive was left in the Highland Council Archaeology Unit. Fresh research in 2014–17, initiated and co-ordinated by the first-named author and funded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland with assistance from National Museums Scotland, the Natural History Museum and Harvard Medical School, has produced a significant amount of new information on the individual and on some of the items with which she was buried. This new information includes two further radiocarbon dates, a more detailed osteological report, isotopic information pertaining to the place where she had been raised and to her diet, histological information on the decomposition of her body, and genetic information that sheds light on her ancestry, her hair, eye and skin colour and her intolerance of lactose. (This is the first time that an ancient DNA report has been published in the Proceedings.) Moreover, a facial reconstruction adds virtual flesh to her bones. The significance of this discovery within the Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age of this part of Scotland is discussed, along with the many and innovative ways in which information on this individual, dubbed ‘Ava’, has been disseminated around the world.

During a routine archaeological monitoring visit to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) property at the House of the Binns in August 2013, human bone was discovered eroding from a small bedrock quarry face. Following investigation by the NTS Archaeology Team this was identified as the remains of two male skeletons from the first centuries bc/ad. Both were buried within a single stone cist, with the remains of one individual (30–50 years old) clearly disturbed during the placement of the second (a young adult). The second individual was placed in a crouched position on his left side and was wearing a penannular brooch on his left shoulder. A significant element of the site is the survival of some extremely rare Iron Age textile upon the brooch.

Tez çalışmasında, Apollonia ad Rhyndacum antik kentinin nekropol alanında yürütülen kurtarma kazılarıyla açığa çıkarılan mezarlar içerisinden, yapı malzemesi olarak kerpiç kullanılan 16 örnek konu alınmıştır. Gün ışığına çıkarılan kerpiç mezarların Batı Anadolu ve Marmara Bölgesi'nde bilinmemesi oldukça dikkat çekicidir. Ayrıca bu tür mezarlara ilişkin yapım teknikleri, tipoloji ve köken araştırmasını konu alan bir çalışmanın yapılmaması bizi bu alana yöneltmiştir. Öncelikle mezarların kazı raporları ve yerinde incelenmesiyle teknik analizleri yapılmış, sonrasında gerekli olan harita, çizim ve görsel içeriği oluşturulmuştur. Kütüphane ve online veri tabanlarında, karşılaştığımız farklı mezar formlarına ve üst örtü biçimlerine yönelik literatür taraması yapılmıştır. Araştırma sonucu elde edilen veriler doğrultusunda, benzer örnekler ile birlikte değerlendirilmesiyle mezar tipolojisi belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca köken araştırması yapılarak yayılım alanlarının saptanması sağlanmış, mezarlardaki kerpiç kullanım alanları, hammadde temini, yapısal özellikleri ve yapım teknikleri belirlenmiştir. Son olarak ayrı ayrı ele aldığımız mezar formları ve üst örtü biçimleri incelenerek, tespit edilen yeni mezar tiplerine yönelik isimlendirme önerisinde bulunulmuştur. Mezar yapılarını ve üst örtülerini ayrı ayrı değerlendirdiğimizde, mezarlar üzerinde etkili olan belirgin formlar, `Kerpiç Sanduka, Kerpiç Çatkı/ Kiremit Çatma, Cappuccina` mezar olarak belirlenmiştir. `Kerpiç Sanduka` mezarların çıkış noktası Güney Doğu Anadolu olmak üzere Karkamış, Korucutepe, Hanaytepe, Girnevaz, Alişar, Tepecik ve Oylum Höyük'te açığa çıkarılan örneklerle birlikte Geç Kalkolitik Dönem ve sonrasında Anadolu coğrafyasına yayıldığı bilinmektedir. Sonraki süreçte Erken Tunç Çağı'ndan başayarak Kuzey Suriye'de yer alan Tel Ahmar, Hamam et-Turkman, Orta ve Geç Tunç Çağı'nda ise Mısır'da bulunan Tell el-Retaba ve Tell el-Dab'a gibi yerleşmelerde görülmektedir. Mezarlar üzerinde etkili olan diğer belirgin formun kökeni İtalya olarak saptanmıştır. `Cappuccina` olarak adlandırılan mezarların en yaygın dönemi Roma İmparatorluk Dönemi olsa da Avrupa'daki erken örnekleri MÖ 6.-7. yüzyıla kadar gitmektedir. Basit toprak mezar niteliği taşımaları, özellikle bu tür mezarların fakir sosyal sınıflar tarafından kullanıldığına işaret etmektedir. Roma İmparatorluk Dönemi'nde giderek yaygınlaşan Cappuccina mezarların, İtalya üzerinden Anadolu coğrafyası dâhil olmak üzere birçok Roma eyaletine yayıldığı ve bölge halkları tarafından özümsenerek kullanıldığı anlaşılmaktadır. Anadolu'da Klasik Dönem sonrası giderek yaygınlaşan mezar formu genellikle kullanılan malzemeye göre `Kiremit Çatma, Kiremit Çatkı, Plaka Çatkı, Kerpiç Çatkı` olarak bilinmektedir. Açığa çıkardığımız birçok örneğin `Kompozit Mezar` kimliği taşıması farklı ölü gömme geleneklerine ait mezar tiplerinin, taşındığı bölgedeki diğer yaygın mezar formlarıyla birlikte yorumlanarak yeni ve farklı bir anlayışla uygulanabildiğini açıkça göstermektedir. Ayrıca çıkış noktasını ve yayılım alanlarını henüz tespit edemediğimiz bir başka üst örtü biçimi tespit edilmiştir. Bu anlayışa göre sanduka içerisindeki kremasyon bölümü beşik çatı biçiminde değil, doğrudan karşı uzun kenar üzerine uzatılan kerpiç plakalarla mertek çatı biçiminde kapatılmaktadır. Bu sayede mezar zemini ile üst örtüsü arasında üçgen şeklinde bir alan oluşturulmuştur. Form ve kullanılan malzeme göz önünde bulundurularak üst örtü tipi `kerpiç plakalı mertek` mezar olarak isimlendirilmiştir. Sonuç olarak Apollonia Nekropolü'nde kerpiç endüstrisine dayalı altı farklı tipte mezar tespit edilmiş; yapım teknikleri, formları ve üst örtü biçimlerine göre isimlendirme önerileri belirlenmiştir. Mezarlarda isimlendirme, önce tip, sonra üzerinin kapatılma şekli göz önünde bulundurularak yapılmıştır. Açığa çıkarılan mezarlar içerisinde, yalnızca kerpiç malzeme kullanılarak hazırlanan mezarlarda birincil kremasyon uygulanmış ve kronolojik olarak ele alındığında genellikle MÖ 1.-MS 1. yüzyıl aralığında gömü yapıldığı anlaşılmıştır. Basit toprak mezarlarda üst örtü kerpiç malzeme ile beşik çatı biçiminde oluşturulmaktadır. Sanduka mezarlarda ise beşik çatı, mertek çatı, taş kapak veya iki formun birlikte kullanıldığı örnekler karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Yapı malzemesi olarak kerpiç kullanılan örnekleri incelediğimizde kullanım alanlarına ve işlevlerine göre yapım tekniklerinin ve uygulama biçimlerinin değiştiği gözlenmiştir. Mezar yapılarında, üst örtü sistemlerinde ve çevre düzenlemesinde kullanılan kil harç ve kerpiç malzemenin temin ve biçimlendirme yöntemlerinin tespit edilmesine yönelik çalışma yapılmıştır. Bölgede yaptığımız tarama sonucu biri nekropol sınırları içerisinde, diğeri ise Uluabat gölünün kuzeydoğu kıyısında olmak üzere yoğun miktarda rezerve sahip iki kil yatağı saptanmıştır. Kerpiç endüstrisi incelendiğinde kullanılması muhtemel 4 teknik tespit edilmiştir. Kerpiç yapım yöntemleri başlığı altında değerlendirilen yöntemler, pisse tekniği, dövme tekniği, yığma tekniği ve blok tekniği olarak belirlenmiştir. Hazırlanım aşamalarında ise genellikle katkı maddesi olarak kil, su, saman, kum, çakıl, ot, dal gibi malzemeler kullanılmıştır. Son olarak açığa çıkardığımız mezarlar üzerinden, nekropol alanı kerpiç kullanımı bölümünde kerpiç malzemenin uygulama alanları tespit edilmiştir. In this thesis, 16 examples of graves where mudbrick were used as building materials were examined among the graves uncovered by rescue excavations carried out in the necropolis area of the ancient city of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. It is remarkable that the mudbrick graves unearthed in the light of day are not known in Western Anatolia and Marmara Region. In addition, the lack of a study on the construction techniques, typology, and origin research on such graves directed us to this area. First of all, the technical analysis of the tombs was carried out by means of excavation reports and on-site examination, and then the necessary maps, drawings and visual contents were created. In the library and online databases, the literature was searched for the different grave forms and coverings we encountered. In accordance with the data obtained from the research, grave typology was determined by evaluating with similar samples. In addition to this, the distribution areas were determined by using the root research, and the usage areas of mudbrick, supply of raw materials, structural properties and construction techniques were determined. Finally, by examining the grave forms and the top cover types we have discussed separately, a nomenclature was proposed for the new grave types identified. When we evaluate the grave structures and their top covers separately, the distinctive forms that affect the graves are identified as `mudbrick cist` and `Cappuccina` graves.It is known that the `mudbrick cist` graves were spread to the Late Chalcolithic Period and later in Anatolia during the Late Chalcolithic Period, with examples unearthed in Carchemish, Korucutepe, Hanaytepe, Girnevaz, Alişar, Tepecik and Oylum Höyük. Later, on Tel Ahmar in northern Syria, Hamam et-Turkman, in the Middle and Late Bronze Age in Egypt, such as Tell el-Retaba and Tell al-Dab'a settlements these tombs are seen starting from the Early Bronze Age. The origins of other prominent form on the tombs has been determined as Italy. Although the most common period of the tombs called `Cappuccina` was the Roman Imperial Period, the early examples in Europe were dated to the 6th-7th centuries BC. century. Their simple soil burial characteristics indicate that such graves are used by poor social classes. The Cappuccina tombs, which became increasingly widespread during the Roman Imperial Period, were spread to many Roman provinces, including the Anatolian geography, and were used and assimilated by the peoples of the region. Many of the examples we have uncovered bear the `composite grave` identity, which clearly demonstrates that different types of burial traditions can be interpreted together with other common grave forms in the region where they are moved and applied with a new and different understanding. In addition, another form of top cover has been identified in which we cannot determine the exit point and spreading areas. According to this understanding, the cremation section in the coffer is not covered with a barrel roof but rather as a rafter roof with mudbrick plates extending directly on the opposite long edge. Thus, a triangular area was formed between the ground floor and the top cover. Considering the form and material used, the top cover type was named as `single sided mudbrick slab roof grave`.As a result, six different types of tombs based on the mudbrick industry were identified in the Apollonia Necropolis and naming proposals were determined according to the construction techniques, forms and forms of the top cover. The nomenclature in the graves was made by considering first the type and then the way it was covered. Among the uncovered tombs, primary cremation was applied only to the graves prepared using mudbrick material, and when chronologically considered, it was found that burials were generally made in the 1st century AD. ın simple earthen graves, the top cover is formed as a cradle roof with mudbrick material. In the cist graves, there are examples of cradle roof, rafter roof, stone cover or two forms used together. When we examined the examples of mudbrick used as a building material, it was observed that the construction techniques and application methods changed according to their usage areas and functions. The study was carried out to determine the methods of supply and shaping of clay mortar and mudbrick materials used in grave structures, top cover systems and landscaping. As a result of the survey we conducted in the region, two clay beds have high reserves were found, one in the necropolis and the other on the northeastern shore of Lake Uluabat. When the mudbrick industry was examined, four possible techniques were identified. The methods evaluated under the title of mudbrick construction methods were determined as pisse technique, forging technique, masonry technique and block technique. Generally, materials such as clay, water, straw, sand, gravel, grass and twigs were used as additives. Finally, over the graves we uncovered, the application areas of the mudbrick material were determined in the mudbrick usage section of the necropolis area. 166

Se presentan los resultados obtenidos en la excavación arqueológica realizada en la zona norte y al exterior de la iglesia de Santa María del Castillo de Calatañazor (Soria). Comprendidas entre los siglos XI y XVII y con una gran variedad en la tipología de los enterramientos, se identificaron cinco fases: tumbas rupestres antropomorfas (ss. XI-XIII), en cista (ss. XIII-XVI), en fosa (ss. XV-XVI), una capilla lateral con un sarcófago asociado (s. XVI), en fosa (ss. XVI-XVII). En cuanto al ritual, destaca la práctica, sostenida en el tiempo, de colocar monedas en las manos de los difuntos, con el hallazgo de cincuenta y dos piezas. Además, destacan los hallazgos de una reducción ritual de restos, integrada por ocho cráneos superpuestos en dos hiladas y acompañados por dos jarritas de cerámica pintada del siglo XIII, y de un resto humano, enterrado en decúbito prono The results obtained in the archaeological excavation carried out in the northern zone outside the church of Santa María del Castillo de Calatañazor (Soria) are presented. Five phases were identified, between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries, with a great variety of burials: anthropomorphic rock tombs (11th-13th centuries), cist tomb (13th- -16th centuries), pit tomb (15th-16th centuries), side chapel and associated sarcophagus (16th century), pit tomb (16th-17th centuries). As for the ritual, it highlights the practice, sustained over time, of placing coins in the hands of the deceased, with the discovery of fifty-two coins. In addition, the excavation features the discovery of a ritual reduction of remains composed of eight skulls superimposed in two courses and accompanied by two jars of thirteenth century painted pottery and remains buried in prone position

While Marcel Mauss's landmark essay onThe Gifthas been vital in social anthropology, inspiring a vast and influential secondary literature, the gift has been much less prominent in archaeological interpretation. This study considers evidence for an ancient Andean gift economy, a system of reciprocal exchanges focused on making people and ensuring group social relations, rather than accumulating wealth/capital. Excavations at Yayno (north highlands, Ancash, Peru) revealed two features dating to the time of the Inkas: 1) a slab-lined cist burial; and 2) an offering deposit containing abundant long-distance trade and sumptuary items. Besides its mountaintop location, the burial's intrusive character and foreign items indicate that the offerings were made to propitiate the place, ruins and their divine aspect. This essay studies the reciprocal acts that led to the offerings, comparing them to gifting patterns in Inka human sacrifices known ascapac hucha.The key actors in the exchange were children, divinities, Inka bureaucrats, local leaders and state subjects.

AOC Archaeology Group undertook the excavation of a previously unknown Bronze Age cist, located in a field close to Kilkeddan Farm, Argyll & Bute, during September 2005 under the Historic Scotland call-off contract for human remains. The cist was found to contain poorly surviving unburnt human skeletal remains along with a finely decorated tripartite Food Vessel and a flint knife. The incomplete and fragmentary condition of the skeleton suggests that the human remains were disarticulated at the time of deposition. Radiocarbon dates obtained from the human bone and associated charcoal confirms an early Bronze Age date for the burial.

Since the discovery of Megalithic burial by Babington in 1823 in Kerala, hundreds of Megalithic burials were explored and excavated all over India. In the northern part of Tamil Nadu, the Middle Cauvery Basin is very rich in archaeological vestiges dating from various periods. Burial with the superstructure in the form of Cairn-Circle or Dolmen was a common feature dating from Iron Age to the Historical period and are collectively referred to as Megalithic Burial in India. To understand the spatial pattern and the effect of geography and geology of an area on the Megalithic burial practice, the taluk of Pennagaram was selected. This article is mainly related to the finding from 10 newly discovered Megalithic burial sites from Pennagaram taluk, which forms part of the Middle Cauvery Basin. In this article, with the help of Google map and Geological map an understating of the spatial pattern and why Megalithic builders of this region selected the place where the present burials are noticed.

International audience; We investigate the problem of computing Completely Independent Spanning Trees (CIST) under a practical approach. We aim to show that despite CISTs are very challenging to exhibit in some networks, they present a real interest in ad-hoc networks and can be computed to enhance the network robustness. We propose an original ILP formulation for CISTs and we show through simulation results on representative network models that several CISTs can be computed when the network density is sufficiently high. These results tend to reinforce the interest of CISTs for various network operations such as robustness, load-balancing, traffic splitting,. .. As an important point, our results show that both the density and the number of nodes have an impact on the number of CISTs that can be found on ad-hoc networks.

Resumen: Este articulo resume los resultados de los analisis antracologicos efectuados a las muestras del yacimiento de A Devesa de Abaixo (Pontevedra). La relevancia de este estudio arqueobotanico reside por una parte en la excepcionalidad del sitio arqueologico debido a que es el primer caso de un contexto funerario no tumular con una cronologia del V-IV milenio BC, y por otra parte a la diversidad de las estructuras de procedencia de las muestras, la mayor parte datadas por radiocarbono. La mayor parte de los datos antracologicos se corresponden con contextos calcoliticos datados entre el 2900-2475 cal. BC. Finalmente, este estudio antracologico permite valorar los limites y posibilidades de interpretacion de carbones recuperados durante el procesado de muestras edafologicas. Palavras-clave: Antracologia, Fosas, Cista, Dataciones radiocarbonicas, Contexto funerario no megalitico. Abstract: Charcoal analysis from A Devesa de Abaixo (Pontevedra): an atypical funerary context of Prehistory in NW Iberia This paper summarizes charcoal analysis results of the assemblages recovered at A Devesa de Abaixo (Pontevedra). The relevance of this archaeobotanical study resides firstly on the exceptional nature of the archaeological site: the first evidence of a non-tumular funerary context dated to the 5th-4th millennia BC. Besides, the archaeobotanical assemblages were recovered from diverse contexts most of them radiocarbon dated. Charcoal fragments have been mostly collected from Chalcolithic contexts dated to 2900-2475 cal. BC. Finally, this charcoal analysis allows checking the limits and prospects of interpreting charcoal remains recovered by processing samples with the aim of studying soils. Keywords: Charcoal analysis, Pits, Cist, Radiocarbon dates, Non-megalithic funerary context.

Though 70 years of excavation at Kultepe has yielded large quantities of crucial data about commerce and culture during the Anatolian Bronze Age, little knowledge of Kultepe's burial customs, especially in the Early Bronze Age has been obtained. Both stone cist and pithos graves, as well as simple inhumation graves, were recorded beneath the floors of the Early Bronze Age houses. However, no trace of an extramural cemetery in the vicinity had been recorded. In fact, in the area south of the bow of the Kizilirmak, where Kultepe is located, it was previously suggested that extramural burial customs were not practiced. In 2014, illegal excavations revealed a cemetery 2 km southeast of Kultepe in the vicinity of Inler Dagi. Here, many pithos graves were excavated and plundered by looters over an area extending 100 meters along the ridge of Inler Dagi, as can be seen from looting pits and pottery sherds scattered on the surface. After receiving permission from the Ministry, excavations immediately began in November 2014 and continued for 3 seasons. A total of 67 pithos burials were excavated from 2014-2016, most of which had been destroyed or heavily eroded. The discovery of the Inler Dagi cemetery is groundbreaking for the study of burial practices and traditions outside of settlement areas. As seen during the initial survey, the cemetery is probably not limited to Inler Dagi. Approximately 500 meters west, there are signs of looting and pieces of grave jars were found, both of which point towards a cemetery that covers a much larger area.

Overview: Dolmens are usually described as part of a regional megalithic phenomenon that spanned the 5 th -2 nd millennia BC. However, this presentation assumes that most ‘dolmens’ are mis-identified. When strictly defined, dolmens better reflect a local funerary tradition of the 4 th millennium BC. Definitions : The term dolmen includes a variety of features whose only similarity is their use of large stone slabs. This presentation defines a dolmen as a freestanding, rectangular chamber formed by two upright orthostats along each long side, and a single roof slab over the top. Dolmens have often been conflated with cairns. This presentation defines a cairn as a large pile of small stones. Such features may have contained a low, cist burial chamber; others may simply be piles of field clearance. Distribution : Dolmens, as defined above, concentrate within a limited area of the east rift escarpment of the Jordan Valley, consistent with a local funerary tradition. Chronology : Recent dolmen excavations have yielded assemblages that date exclusively to the EB I (c.3700-3000 BC). This talk examines the close spatial relationship between dolmens and EB I settlement sites in a discrete geographical zone.

Buzo Jamarbër. Varre ciste të thjeshta nga nekropoli i qytetit antik Amantia / Simple Cist Graves from the necropolis of the ancient city of Amantia. In: Iliria, vol. 41, 2017. pp. 195-212.

Clinical Image: The case presented here was a 25-year-old man consulted our hospital with a tension-type headache. He had been having this problem for about one year. Also, he had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood, and he was using methylphenidate - immediate release (MPH-IR) daily regularly. Firstly, we stopped the methylphenidate-IR for one month because of its side effects. However, his tension-type headache continued. Secondly, we referred the patient to MRI scanning. MRI of the brain revealed an arachnoid cyst, measuring 10.4 cm by 9.2 cm by 6.3 cm, with massive pressure effect on the right cerebral hemisphere (Figure 1). Lastly, etodolac has been prescribed to prevent headaches. One month later patients had no troubles with headaches. In summary, large arachnoid cist might be a cause of ADHD in childhood because of its mass effect on prefrontal cortex and can cause tension-type headaches with any other neurological complication.

In 2012, in the village Davidovac situated in south Serbia, 9.5 km south-west from Vranje, archaeological investigations were conducted on the site Crkviste. The remains of the smaller bronze-age settlement were discovered, above which a late antique horizon was later formed. Apart from modest remains of a bronze-age house and pits, a late antique necropolis was also excavated, of which two vaulted tombs and nine graves were inspected during this campaign. During the excavation of the northern sector of the site Davidovac-Crkviste the north-eastern periphery of the necropolis is detected. Graves 1-3, 5 and 6 are situated on the north?eastern borderline of necropolis, while the position of the tombs and the remaining four graves (4, 7-9) in their vicinity point that the necropolis was further spreading to the west and to the south?west, occupying the mount on which the church of St. George and modern graveyard are situated nowadays. All graves are oriented in the direction SW-NE, with the deviance between 3? and 17?, in four cases toward the south and in seven cases toward the north, while the largest part of those deviations is between 3? and 8?. Few small finds from the layer above the graves can in some way enable the determination of their dating. Those are two roman coins, one from the reign of emperor Valens (364-378), as well as the fibula of the type Viminacium-Novae which is chronologically tied to a longer period from the middle of the 5th to the middle of the 6th century, although there are some geographically close analogies dated to the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 5th century. Analogies for the tombs from Davidovac can be found on numerous sites, like in Sirmium as well as in Macvanska Mitrovica, where they are dated to the 4th-5th century. Similar situation was detected in Viminacium, former capital of the roman province of Upper Moesia. In ancient Naissus, on the site of Jagodin Mala, simple rectangular tombs were distributed in rows, while the complex painted tombs with Christian motifs were also found and dated by the coins to the period from the 4th to the 6th century. Also, in Kolovrat near Prijepolje simple vaulted tombs with walled dromos were excavated. During the excavations on the nearby site Davidovac-Gradiste, 39 graves of type Mala Kopasnica-Sase dated to the 2nd-3rd century were found, as well as 67 cist graves, which were dated by the coins of Constantius II, jewellery and buckles to the second half of the 4th or the first half of the 5th century. Based on all above mentioned it can be concluded that during the period from the 2nd to the 6th century in this area existed a roman and late antique settlement and several necropolises, formed along an important ancient road Via militaris, traced at the length of over 130 m in the direction NE-SW. Data gained with the anthropological analyses of 10 skeletons from the site Davidovac-Crkviste don't give enough information for a conclusion about the paleo-demographical structure of the population that lived here during late antiquity. Important results about the paleo-pathological changes, which do not occur often on archaeological sites, as well as the clearer picture about this population in total, will be acquired after the osteological material from the site Davidovac-Gradiste is statistically analysed.

The results of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis on bone collagen of the individuals interred in the Bronze Age (II millennium cal. BC) cist burial of Ondarre suggest a mixed diet based on C3 plants and mainly domesticated terrestrial animals. As observed in other contemporary sites in Iberia and the Balearic islands, marine and freshwater resources and C4 plants do not seem to have played an important role in everyday life subsistence. The observed high protein consumption may relate to the status of the people interred and/or to a dominant livestock economy where animal products would have a great importance in diet., Se presentan los resultados del análisis de isótopos estables de carbono y nitrógeno sobre colágeno óseo de los individuos depositados en la cista guipuzcoana de la Edad del Bronce (II milenio cal. BC) de Ondarre. Los datos obtenidos sugieren una dieta mixta de origen terrestre basada en el consumo de plantas C3 y sobre todo de animales domésticos. No existen indicios de que los recursos marinos, lacustre-fluviales o las plantas C4 supusieran una contribución significativa a la subsistencia cotidiana, tal y como parece ocurrir en otros yacimientos coetáneos de la Península Ibérica y el archipiélago balear. La elevada ingesta proteica observada podría vincularse con el estatus de los inhumados y/o con la prevalencia de un modelo económico ganadero en que el consumo de productos animales tendría un gran peso.

Aerial photography and excavations have brought to notice a major prehistoric ceremonial complex in central Scotland comparable to Stonehenge, although largely built in earth and timber. Beginning, like Stonehenge, as a cremation cemetery, it launched its monumentality by means of an immense circle of tree trunks, and developed it with smaller circles of posts and an earth bank (henge). A change of political mood in the Early Bronze Age is marked by one of Scotland's best preserved dagger-burials in a stone cist with an engraved lid. The perishable (or reusable) materials meant that this great centre lay for millennia under ploughed fields, until it was adopted, by design or by chance, as a centre of the Pictish kings.

Background: Cumulative interceptive supportive therapy (CIST) is currently used as a guideline for treating peri-implant diseases. The objectives of this study were to determine the detection rate and measure the number of periodontopathic bacteria in lesions of different CIST levels and thereby characterize peri-implant disease from a bacteriological viewpoint. Methods: This study included 105 patients who had both residual natural teeth and implants with peri-implant disease. A total of 105 implants were divided into levels A, B, C and D according to the CIST classification. Bacterial samples were collected from peri-implant pockets and four periodontopathic bacteria were measured by PCR and PCR-Invader assay. Results: The number of periodontopathic bacteria increased in line with CIST level, and the detection rate was also associated with CIST level. However, no difference was found in the bacterial detection rate of P. gingivalis and T. denticola between CIST-B and CIST-C. There was a higher detection rate of all periodontopathic bacteria for CIST-D. Conclusions: The number of periodontopathic bacteria and detection rate increased as peri-implant disease advanced. However, there were no major differences in the detection rate between CIST-B and CIST-C. On the other hand, a higher detection rate of periodontopathic bacteria was seen for CIST-D.

This paper is dedicated to the 100th birthday an- niversary of academician S. N. Vernov. Academician Sergei Vernov (1910 - 1982), an outstanding Russian space physi- cist, was the first national scientist who initiated the cosmic ray programme and radiation studies onboard the first Soviet artificial satellites. He initiated the holding of All-Union con- ferences, seminars and winter schools on space physics and was the chairman of these events.

Since the pioneering work of P. Du Chatellier (1901a et b), it has generally been recognised that there is a form of art in the Early Bronze Age of Brittany, exemplified by a few stone slabs with cup-marks and other simple motifs. After the Second World War, rescue archaeology provided new data and enabled J. Briard in the 1990s to confirm the reality of these Early Bronze Age cup-marks (Le Roux, 1971 ; Briard, 1984 ; Briard et al., 1995). In a study undertaken on a larger scale, C. Burgess (1990) deduced that the slabs with cup-marks in Early Bronze Age graves were all cases of re-use from earlier periods. In order to obtain a clearer picture, we decided to take a fresh look and reassess the question without any preconceived ideas, limiting our geographical scope to Brittany. First of all, we listed all decorated slabs found in Bronze Age contexts, as well as integrating possible and probable contexts. The corpus is quite small because only thirteen sites have yielded decorated stones in secure Beaker or Early Bronze Age contexts, to which we can add eleven more doubtful sites (fig. 1). Almost all come from graves but there is also one dwelling (Beg ar Loued, Molène Island, Finistère). These decorated slabs include : large slabs with cup-marks only (fig. 4, no. 4 ; fig. 10, nos. 2 and 3 ; fig. 11 ; fig. 12 and fig. 13, no. 4), large slabs with cup-marks and associated patterns (fig. 2 ; fig. 3 ; fig. 4, nos. 1 to 3 ; fig. 5 ; fig. 10, no. 1 ; fig. 13, nos. 1 to 3), small stones with cup-marks (figs. 7 and 8) and more figurative images, i. e. anthropomorphic stelae, hafted axes and nipple (fig. 6 ; fig. 7, no. 1 ; and fig. 9). Four slabs are distinguished by perforations (fig. 4, nos. 2 to 4 ; fig. 12, no. 1). The decorated slabs show a variety of re-employment contexts : slabs reused as capstones, walls or surrounds, rubble stones reused in cairns, walls or paving. The decorated surfaces are generally turned to the outside but can also be hidden in the inside of the tombs. Some are placed with burials under barrows and are thus removed from the eyes of the living. The decorated stones can be used unmodified, broken or reworked with grooves or perforations. Longitudinal and transversal grooves were certainly made by the Early Bronze Age people in order to join the sides of the grave and make it airtight ; this kind of cist is well known for this period in Brittany (Briard, 1984). The nature of the perforations is still puzzling but one might suggest that it was a symbolic hole enabling the soul of the deceased to come and go (Chatellier, 1904 ; Eliade, 1949). In order to assess the originality of decorated slabs found in Early Bronze Age contexts, we have undertaken as comprehensive as possible an inventory of stones with cup-marks in Neolithic megalithic graves in Brittany. This topic has not previously received much attention from researchers (Péquart et al., 1927, p. 74 ; Shee Twohig, 1981, p. 54). Our inventory includes forty megalithic graves, which have yielded a total of seventy-six slabs with cup-marks (table 3 ; fig. 20). Some of these stones are clearly in a re-employment position, as the cup-marks are located on the hidden sides of these megalithic structures. Thus, when cup-marks are associated with classical figures of megalithic art, there is no certainty that all these decorations are contemporaneous. In some other cases, cup-marks form an integral part of certain recurrent depictions, such as the crest motif (fig. 19, no. 9 ; fig. 21, no. 2). More rarely, they are associated with single circles or circles with rays (fig. 19, nos. 3 and 10). Through the Neolithic period, there is little evidence for a specific style in cup-marking, except for a few anecdotal patterns such as a square and circle depicted by cup-marks or a panel of narrowed cup-marks, which most likely date from the Middle Neolithic 2. The most distinctive elements are associated patterns, which are especially common in passage tombs in the Carnac area (Kercado, Le Lizo, Mané-Lud, Petit Mont) but also at Renongar in south-western Finistère (fig. 19). On the contrary, slabs with cup-marks dating from the Middle Neolithic 1 and the Late Neolithic show less originality in cup-mark patterns. This also applies to Early Bronze Age decorated stones. Only the foot-shaped mark from the Saint-Ouarno slab (fig. 10, no. 1) and the pair of pointed cupmarks from the Mezcouez slab (fig. 5, no. 2) appear to be specific to this period. There is however a foot-shaped mark, albeit with a different type of execution (in bas-relief), in the passage tomb of Petit Mont IIIA, Arzon, Morbihan (Shee Twohig, 1981). As regards the pair of pointed cup-marks, a similar pattern is attested as a single element in Neolithic graves. Comparison with the Neolithic corpus of slabs with cup-marks does not enable us to identify types or patterns of cupmarks specific to the Early Bronze Age. It is thus difficult to defend the idea of a development of cup-mark art at this time in Brittany. This is also confirmed by the large numbers of slabs with cup-marks from Neolithic funerary contexts (102), compared with the rare discoveries from Early Bronze Age graves (11 to 17). Many of these decorated stones reused in Early Bronze Age burials could come from outcrops with cup-marks (fig. 16) or from Neolithic monuments, as is also attested by the re-employment of what are clearly Neolithic images (anthropomorphic figures, hafted axes ; fig. 6). Nevertheless, a group of four slabs with cup-marks is distinguished by perforations, previously unknown for Neolithic rock art, and by the interlinked representations of cup-marks and geometrical shapes, in contrast to Neolithic motifs that are usually juxtaposed. We suggest that this small group can be attributed to the Early Bronze Age or even to the Final Neolithic. Furthermore, the small slabs, such as the six found in the Beg ar Loued settlement or the Cruguel barrow example (fig. 8), stand out by their small size and they could also be related to the Early Bronze Age., Il est plus ou moins acquis depuis les travaux de P. Du Chatellier qu’il existe une forme d’art à l’âge du Bronze ancien en Bretagne dont les représentations se limiteraient à quelques dalles ornées de cupules et autres motifs simples, opinion défendue par J. Briard mais combattue par C. Burgess. Afin d’y voir plus clair, nous avons repris cette question sans a priori en nous limitant géographiquement à la Bretagne. En premier lieu, nous avons réuni le corpus des dalles ornées découvertes en contexte campaniforme ou Bronze et avons intégré celles issues de contextes probables et possibles. La moisson est plutôt maigre puisque ce sont seulement douze sépultures et un habitat qui ont livré des dalles en contexte certain du Campaniforme ou de l’âge du Bronze ancien, auxquels s’ajoutent onze cas plus incertains. Ces dalles ornées (à cupules ou à représentations figuratives) sont toutes en situation de réemploi selon des modalités variées. Les surfaces gravées sont généralement tournées vers l’extérieur mais aussi cachées vers l’intérieur des sépultures. Ces pierres décorées peuvent être réutilisées telles quelles, cassées ou réaménagées. En second lieu, la confrontation avec le corpus des dalles à cupules des sépultures néolithiques ne permet pas de dégager des types ou des agencements de cupules propres à l’âge du Bronze. On peut donc difficilement soutenir l’idée d’un développement de l’art des cupules à cette période en Bretagne ; ce qu’infirme d’ailleurs le nombre écrasant de dalles à cupules en contexte néolithique. Une large part de ces pierres ornées réutilisées dans les sépultures de l’âge du Bronze pourrait bien provenir d’affleurement à cupules ou de monuments néolithiques, comme l’attestent par ailleurs le réemploi de certaines représentations clairement néolithiques (figures anthropomorphes, haches emmanchées). Cependant, un lot de quatre dalles à cupules se distingue par leur perforation, inédite dans l’art mégalithique néolithique, et des figurations de cupules et de formes géométriques reliées entre elles, alors que les signes gravés néolithiques sont généralement placés côte à côte. Les auteurs proposent d’attribuer ce petit ensemble à l’âge du Bronze ancien, voire au Néolithique final. À cela s’ajoutent six petites dalles à cupules, découvertes sur l’habitat de Beg ar Loued comme dans le tumulus de Cruguel ; leur support modeste paraît être une originalité de l’âge du Bronze., Pailler Yvan, Nicolas Clément. Des dalles ornées durant le Campaniforme et l’âge du Bronze ancien en Bretagne : mythe ou réalité ?. In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 113, n°2, 2016. pp. 333-371.

Funeral pyres identified at a fourth-century BC cemetery on Thasos have produced a range of plants. The authors show that strongly represented among them are pomegranate, garlic and grape, as well as bread – foodstuffs for funeral feasts and with significance for religious practice.

In May 2001, Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) undertook an archaeological excavation at Swainbost, Isle of Lewis, under the provisions of the Historic Scotland Human Remains Call Off Contract, following the discovery of the partial remains of a coastally-eroded in-situ human burial. The remains were found to be from one individual, probably male, aged between 30 and 34 years at death with a slight deformity of the spine buried in a supine position in a flat-based grave. Several flat slabs present in the vicinity may have been the remains of a cist. An iron artefact, identified as a belt buckle, was recovered adjacent to the right side of the pelvis. A single radiocarbon date suggests the burial dates to 390–170 BC.

Excavations at Kavousi Vronda, Crete, recovered 107 intrusive Early Iron Age burials within the abandoned Late Minoan IIIC town. Of these, three were secondary cremation burials in amphoras deposited in stone cist graves that also contained multiple primary cremation burials. The small quantity of bone in each amphora and the recurrence of skeletal elements (bones from the cranium and right forearm) suggest that these burials represent the deliberate selection of particular skeletal parts that may have been transported to the communal graves at Vronda. The author explores the possible significance of these token burials within the larger context of funerary ritual and the representation of the dead.

This article summarizes the goals, methods, and discoveries of the Kenchreai Cemetery Project (2002-2006), an interdisciplinary study of burial grounds at the eastern port of Corinth during the Roman Empire, from the mid-1st to 7th century A.D. Work has concentrated on the main cemetery of cist graves and chamber tombs immediately north of the harbor on the Koutsongila ridge. The contextual study of the geology, topography, architecture, epitaphs, bones, wall painting, and artifacts has illuminated funerary ritual and its relationship to social structure during the early Empire. These burials attest to a diverse and prosperous community with a distinct elite stratum.

The article presents the results of three burial experiments, carried out in 2005, the aim of which was to attempt to understand what exactly hap- pens to a physical body after death in different environments. The experiments were simulations of an open air burial, a stone cist burial and a cremation, for which the dead bodies of a calf and pigs were used. Next to technical documen- tation, the emotions and impressions of the experiment participants during the observations of body decomposition and the cremation process were recorded. The authors suggest that a cognitive approach to burial experiments could offer us an alternative view to understanding rituals and interpreting prehistoric burials. Bystanders often find it amazing how archaeologists constantly aspire to re- construct societies consisting of complex human relationships and versatile behavioural patterns on the basis of mute artefacts. The nature of funerary practices, ritual systems, Weltanschauung and religion is surmised on the ba- sis of the structure of burial places, extant skeletons and grave goods. In addi- tion to analysing the funerary rituals and religion, burial material has been employed in researching the clothing, weaponry, and other mundane problems of the everyday life. In fact, archaeology has few means of its own for making interpretations. It is impossible to observe objects in the process of creation or use and there is nobody to ask from how, why and for which reason have cer- tain objects been created or used. This is why archaeologists have relied on theories posed by anthropologists, sociologists, theologians, and other schol- ars of various fields which study modern living societies. The ambiguity of selection criteria, however, renders the popularity of certain theories and the adaptation of theories rather arbitrary. In scholarly research of prehistory, authors are increasingly favouring ex- perimental archaeology as a method for defining ways of interpretations. Ex- perimental archaeology enables scholars to arrive at an understanding through

A fragmentary inscription found at Thebes casts new light on the abortive invasion of Athens in 506 by Kleomenes, the Boiotians, and the Chalkidians. On the one hand, it provides valuable confirmation, soon after the event, of the general drift of Herodotos' account of events; on the other, even in its incomplete state, it adds one important detail lacking in Herodotos. And, of course, it tells the story from the Boiotian point of view.The excavation took place in the winter of the year 2001–2 in the property of Evanghelia Madhis at Thebes following her application for the construction of a new house. The plot is situated in the suburb of Pyri, in the north-west periphery of Thebes, about 800 m from the city centre of Thebes, and just beyond the Athens–Thessaloniki railway line (FIG. 1). In it was unearthed a well-built tomb-like cist, made of three rows of large conglomerate stone blocks in regular masonry; similar blocks form its pavement. No traces of covering stones or other relevant materials have so far been discovered. However, since the contents of the cist—including objects such as the bronze inscribed sheets found at the bottom—were probably thrown there when it was abandoned, it may never have been properly covered: no trace of a superstructure or roofing system is preserved on the upper surface of the walls of the cist.

Specimens from human remains exhibiting unusual preservation excavated from a seventh century stone cist burial at Towyn y Capel in Anglesey, UK, have been analysed using Raman spectroscopy with near-infrared laser excitation at 1,064 and 785 nm. Specimens of hair and bone provided evidence for severe degradation and microbial colonisation. The deposits within the stone cist showed that some microbially mediated compounds had been formed. Analysis of crystals found at the interface between the hair and the skeletal neck vertebrae revealed a mixture of newberyite and haematite, associated with decomposition products of the hair and bone. An interesting differential degradation was noted in the specimens analysed which could be related to the air-void and the presence of plant root inclusions into the stone cist. This is the first time that Raman spectroscopy has been used in the forensic archaeological evaluation of burial remains in complex and dynamic environments.

The United Kingdom (UK) has ample experience of terrorism. Over three thousand people were killed during the thirty-year long campaign by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) for a united Ireland. However, the death toll from a single attack never exceeded twenty-nine and the British public developed a certain stoicism in the face of intermittent bombings in London and other British cities. Like other European separatist groups, PIRA sought to establish legitimacy and broaden support by largely restricting its killings to representatives of the British government, members of the security forces and collaborators. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians were generally avoided and warnings were often sent to the British authorities before bomb attacks on civilian or infrastructure targets. When suicide bombers struck the London transport system without warning on 7 July 2005, killing fifty-two people and injuring over seven hundred, it marked a stark departure from PIRA s methods and highlighted the fact that the UK faced a terrorist threat far more ruthless and dangerous than anything that had preceded it. This paper examines the problem of countering ideological support for terrorism (CIST) in the UK. For convenience, the American acronym CIST is used in the paper, although this is not a common term in the UK. Instead, British officials and commentators normally refer to understanding and combating radicalization. The paper is structured into five parts covering: the ideology of Islamist terrorism; the sources of radicalization; the motivation and background of UK terrorists; British government policies to address radicalization; and the barriers to effective implementation of CIST measures.

The site of Kodumanal, named after the village of the same name (11o 6’42” N. & 77o30’51E), is situated 225 km. to the west of Thanjavur town and 40 km. from Erode town on the north bank of Noyyal river, a tributary of the Kaveri river, in the Periyar district of Tamil Nadu. The credit of discovering the site first goes to Pulavar S. Raju and Miss. M. Muthaiah. The site extends over an area of about 50 hectares, 15 of which consist of the habitation part and the rest of burial complex. As many as about 300 megalithic tombs of different types and sizes were observed of which 100 of them are still intact. Big cist circles measuring about 15 metres in diameter constitute the most common type of monument. Many of these circles have menhirs in them and some contain even urn burials. The different types of archaeological evidence, particularly pottery, beads and shell bangles and the Brahmi script on pottery recovered from the habitation deposits and burials suggest that the megalithic communities flourished from about the 2nd century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D., when the post Megalithic folk succeeded them and continued until or the 4th century A.D. The Kodumanal village, historically designated as Kodumanam, is referred to in the Sangam literature as an important industrial centre which had links with the Chola port city of Kaveripoompattinam. Considering the importance of the site and its well preserved nature the Tamil University at Thanjavur carried out large scale excavations on it during two seasons, under the leadership of Prof. Y. Subbarayalu, Professor of Epigraphy. The first season’s excavations of a habitation mound, which included a composite pit burial of post-excarnation type, yielded the skeletal remains of three humans. A craniometric account of these has already been published (Rami Reddy and Chandrasekhar Reddy, 1987). During the second season, a trench called ZJ26 was laid in the northern part of the habitation mound. This represents period II of the site. The second quadrant of the trench yielded two complete adult human skeletons with their skulls intact, the first one from a depth of 45-60 cm. and the second from a depth of 78-90 cm. There was a third specimen of a skull and mandible separated and a few bone fragments found in the III and IV quadrants at a depth of 65 cm. (Fig.1). The first skeleton was in a crouched position with the head placed to the east, the left hand between the legs and the right hand below the right leg. It was devoid of any associated finds. The second skeleton was found in a “padmasana-like” posture in a southeast-northwest orientation with an easterly placed head and up-looking face tending to tilt to the north. The right hand rested on the pelvis while the left hand was bent upwards with the palm placed just below the mandible.

The resurgence of extreme right parties gained its first sudden and dramatic momentum when the Front National (FN), led by Jean Marie LePen, scored 11.2 percent in the 1984 European elections. This took many by surprise, including political and social scientists, most of whom at the time had expected rightist extremism to dissi pate altogether. Indeed, until the mid-1980s, the organized extreme right remained completely marginalized in Europe, enjoyed little political support, and performed poorly in elections, with the noted exception of the sustained, albeit small-scale presence of the neofas cist Movimento Sociale Italiana (MSI), which was mostly viewed as just another peculiarity of postwar Italian politics. Even more surpris ingly, however, LePen's breakthrough reflected not just a single inci dent but rather a more general watershed: a lasting upsurge of the extreme right all over Europe that reached its first peak with some dramatic electoral gains in the early 1990s, accompanied by a wave of anti-immigrant violence. Since then, several political parties have