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This article is a preliminary report of two seasons of excavation at the Bronze Age site of Punta di Zambrone in southern Calabria (Italy). Two main habitation phases could be identified dating to the Early and the Recent Bronze Age respectively. The ashy layers of the Recent Bronze Age phase (13th – 12th centuries BCE) contained an exceptionally high quantity of Aegean-type ceramics, other Aegean-type objects and large amounts of local artefacts as well as charred plant remains. These finds are treated in the present report, and the relationships between Recent Bronze Age Italy and early post-palatial Mycenaean Greece are discussed.

Der Beitrag gibt einen Einblick in die gelebte interdisziplinare Zusammenarbeit im Verein „Frauen beraten Frauen“. Auch der Artikel selbst entstand als Gemeinschaftsprojekt mehrerer Mitarbeiterinnen mit unterschiedlichen Ausbildungen und Schwerpunkten und spiegelt die Differenzen und das Verbindende wider. Nach einem kurzen Uberblick uber die Organisationsstruktur und die Geschichte des Vereins wird die Zusammenarbeit unterschiedlicher Disziplinen erlautert und danach das verbindende Element, die feministische Grundhaltung genauer beschrieben.

Zusammenfassung Die Epiphysis cerebri der untersuchten Hausfleischfresser wird durch eine dreifache Befestigung in ihrer Lage erhalten: eine kraniale (Commissura habenularis), eine dorsokaudale (Leptomeninx und Gefase) und kaudale (Commissura caudalis). Sie ist bei der Katze im Vergleich zum Hund relativ groser und kompakter. Eine Pialamelle last sich bei beiden Tierarten unter dem mit dem Organ verschmolzenen Ependym des Recessus suprapinealis nicht feststellen. Der Recessus pinealis ist beim Hund spitzkegelformig, wahrend er bei der Katze ein hufeisenformiges Hohlraumsystem darstellt. Gemas der bei diesem Tier stark ausgepragten Follikelbildung wie auch die andersgeartete Anordnung der Pinealzellen, ist vor allem bei der Betrachtung der peripheren Bereiche der Zirbel eine Unterscheidung der Epiphyse von Hund und Katze moglich. Das Ependym ist sowohl als Uberzug der Zirbel wie als Auskleidung des Recessus mit Cilien besetzt. Am distalen Pol des Recessus pinealis last die veranderte Anordnung der Zellen und die hier sehr reichliche Vaskularisation eine gesteigerte Zelleistung vermuten. In einem Fall wurden im Cytoplasma des Ependyms der Commissura caudalis gomoripositive Granula beobachtet. Die Pineocyten scheinen einen geringeren Formenreichtum aufzuweisen als beim Menschen. Gemas der Kernstruktur konnte ich vier Zelltypen unterscheiden, namlich solche mit grobgranulierten mittelgrosen Kernen mit dunner Membran, Kerne mit feingranuliertem Zentrum und grober Membran, eine Ubergangsform zwischen beiden, wie auch dunkle kompakte Kerne. Letztere finden sich meist in monopolaren Zellen, wahrend ich sonst bis zu vier Auslaufern an einer Zelle beobachten konnte. In der Epiphyse von Hund und Katze herrschen die Faserastrocyten vor, daneben lassen sich auch Oligodendroglia und ganz vereinzelt Hortegazellen nachweisen. Im Gegensatz zum Hund bleibt das Zentrum des Organs bei der Katze von Gliazellen frei. Glia- und Bindegewebsfasern liegen unmittelbar nebeneinander und lassen so eine Trennung von ekto- und mesodermalem Gewebe vermissen. Muskelzellen konnte ich bei meinem Material nicht nachweisen, Ganglienzellen ebenfalls nicht. Bezuglich der Bindegewebsqualitaten handelt es sich meist um kollagene Fasern, in der Peripherie vereinzelt elastische, besonders um Gefase kommen aber auch zarte argyrophile Faserchen zur Darstellung. Eindeutige Involutionsveranderungen bei alteren Tieren konnte ich nicht feststellen. Bei den nervosen Elementen der Zirbel handelt es sich vor allem um markhaltige und marklose Fasern aus der Commissura habenularis und caudalis. Daneben findet sich an der Spitze des Organs, besonders deutlich bei der Katze, der Nervus conarii, ein dunner Nervenstrang, wahrscheinlich sympathischen Ursprungs. Besondere Beachtung verdienen Fasern, die von den seitlichen Ventrikelwanden in vier bogenformigen Bundeln die frontale Flache der Epiphyse unmittelbar unter der Oberflache uberqueren. Sie zeigen in ihrem Verlauf linsenformige Auftreibungen, die an Perlschnurfasern erinnern. Sie zeigen gomorinegatives Verhalten. Ob in ihnen die morphologische Grundlage fur eine Neurosekretion der Zirbel zu sehen ist, erscheint noch fraglich. Ahnlich geartete Verdickungen im Bereich der Commissura caudalis, die sich jedoch nur im Markscheidenpraparat nach Schroder darstellen lassen, halte ich fur Artefakte. Neben den in ihrer Gesamtheit afferenten Nerven in der Zirbel verfugt diese daruber hinaus noch uber einen ausgedehnten inter-stitiellen Plexus, der meist in Form perivaskularer Geflechte auftritt. Cysten mit und ohne Ependymauskleidung, die nahe unter der Oberflache liegen, finden sich beim Hund haufig. Extranuklear gelagertes Pigment lies sich in den Pinealzellen der Zirbeln von verschieden alten Tieren in reicher Menge beobachten. Abgesehen von einem Fall einer Arterienverkalkung in Gefasen der Pia konnte ich sonst keine Kalkablagerungen in den Epiphysen der untersuchten Tiere auffinden. Eindeutige Zusammenhange zwischen Alter und Morphologie der Zirbel traten daruber hinaus nicht zu Tage. Summary The topography and microscopical anatomy of the pineal gland of the dog and cat The pineal gland is relatively larger and more compact in the cat than in the dog. The pineal recess is conical in shape in the dog, whereas in the cat it has a horseshoe-shaped system of cavities. The author points out the sizes and the formation of follicles and the disposition of the pineal cells in the two species and discusses the relationships between the ependyma and the vascularisation of the organ. The pineal cells are divided according to the structure of their nuclei into four types. In the pineal of the dog and cat, one finds especially fibrous astrocytes, along with oligodendroglia and some isolated Hortega cells. The central part of the organ in the cat is free from glial cells, in contrast to the dog. The features of the connective tissue are described. No evidence of involution was found in old animals. The nervous elements consist essentially of medullated and non-medullated fibres from the habenular and caudal commissures. At the point of the organ there is also the Nervus conarii, a thin nerve, probably of sympathetic origin and particularly prominent in the cat. Special attention is paid to fibres running from the lateral walls of the ventricle in four arcuate bundles with lenticular swellings on them which are Gomori-negative. It is not known whether these are the basis for a neuro-secretory activity of the pineal. Cysts, with or without a covering of ependyma, and lying near the surface are common in the dog. Extra-nuclear pigment is present in abundance in the pineal cells of some older animals. Apart from one case of arterial calcification in the pial vessels no signs of calcium deposition were found, and in general there was no clear relationship between age and the structure of the gland. Resume La topographie et la structure microscopique de l'epiphyse cerebrale du chien et du chat La glande pineale est relativement plus grande et plus compacte chez le chat que chez le chien. Le recessus pinealis qui chez le chien a une forme conique pointue forme chez le chat un systeme creux en fer a cheval. L'auteur signale les differences dans la formation des vesicules et dans la disposition des cellules pineales selon l'espece animale et etudie les rapports entre l'ependyme et la vascularisation de l'organe. Les cellules pineales sont selon leur structure nucleare divisees en quatre types. Des noyaux compacts se trouvent surtout dans les cellules unipolaires. Pour le reste on trouva jusqu'a quatre prolongements par cellule. Dans l'epiphyse des carnivores domestiques on trouve surtout des astro-cytes a fibres, ainsi que des oligodendroglies et des cellules de Hortega. Les particularites du tissu conjonctif sont decrites. Des lesions involutives ne purent pas etre constatees chez les animaux âges. Outre les fibres a myeline et les fibres nues de la commissure de l'habenula et caudale on trouve a la pointe de l'organe, le nerf coronaire. Sur des fibres venues des parois laterales des ventricules cerebraux on voit des renflements lenticulaires ne prenant pas la coloration de Gomori. L'auteur traite egalement des kystes ainsi que de leur structure et des depots de pigment. On ne constata aucun rapport net entre l'âge de l'animal et la morphologie de l'epiphyse. Resumen Topografia y estructura anatomico-microscopica de la epifisis cerebral del perro y gato La epifisis cerebral en el gato es relativamente mayor y mas compacta que en el perro. El receso pineal, que en el perro tiene aspecto de cono agudo, esta representado en la gata por un sistema hueco en forma de herradura. Se indican diferencias de especie de la formacion folicular y de la disposicion de las celulas pineales, analizandose las relaciones ependimales y la vascularizacion del organo. Las celulas penicilares se dividen, segun su estructura nuclear, en cuatro tipos. En celulas monopolares se encuentran casi siempre nucleos obscuros compactos. Por lo demas, en una celula se comprobaron hasta cuatro salientes. En la epifisis de los carniceros domesticos predominan astrocitos fibrilares, encontrandose tambien oligodendroglias y celulas de Hortega. Describense las caracteristicas conjuntivas. En animales adultos no se pudieron observar alteraciones involutivas. Al lado de fibras con y sin medula de las comisuras habenular y caudal, se halla el nevio coronario en el apice del organo. En fibras de las paredes ventriculares laterales se vieron abulta-mientos gomorinegativos lenticulares. Se abordan los quistes, asi como su estructura y depositos pigmentarios. Se echan de menos concreciones calcareas especiales. No se evidenciaron relaciones claras entre la edad y la morfologia de la epifisis.

For the early Iron Age Elymian town on Monte Polizzo, inland western Sicily, hulled barley was the dominant cereal, followed by emmer and free-threshing wheat. The dominant legume was Vicia faba. In the con- temporary Greek harbour town of Selinunte on the southern coast of western Sicily, free-threshing wheat was dominant, while hulled barley and the legume V. ervilia were sub- dominant. For Selinunte, an import of cereals from the Elymians is suggested. The investigated area around the agora (marketplace) yielded a processed cereal product and edible fruit as the predominantly consumed plant- based food in Selinunte. Its hinterland most probably pro- vided space for large-scale maintenance of horses and oxen as well as for stock breeding for consumption. At ''House 1'' on Monte Polizzo, the archaeobotanical record matches well with the archaeological interpretation of different rooms used for ritual consumption, everyday life, crop processing and crop storage. During feasts in the style of Greek symposia, grapes and figs were consumed. The Elymians most probably adopted olive cultivation quite late. The charcoal analyses, mainly of roof beams from Monte Polizzo residential contexts, point to a sufficient availability of undisturbed natural climax woodland for timberwork.

This paper continues the presentation of archaeobotanical remains from Kursakata, northeast Nigeria, with a more detailed discussion on Pennisetum (part 1) and the catalogue of the fruits and seeds (part 2). The settlement mound of Kursakata was introduced in an earlier publication (Klee et al. 2000). An important topic is the morphological criteria for separating domesticated pearl millet grains from those of wild species. Very small naked grains of Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. (pearl millet ) were noticeable among the rich archaeobotanical remains in deposits at least from 800 cal B.C. and younger. The question is raised whether these grains really derived from domesticated Pennisetum glaucum or from wild Pennisetum species. The club-shaped outline and the thickness to breadth (T/B) index which correspond to modern domesticated caryopses are the main features which led to the conclusion that they belong to a domesticated type. The catalogue comprises all identified taxa from this archaeological site. As descriptions are rarely available for most of these West African species, it gives their morphological portraits which are particularly outstanding in African archaeobotany.

A sacred area was discovered in the centre of Mainz, the capital Mogontiacum of the Roman province of Upper Germany, Germania Superior. Recent epigraphical evidence led to the discovery that the temple had been dedicated to the goddesses of Isis and Magna Mater. Sediments rich in archaeobotanical remains were recovered from more than 100 sacrificial pits for the burning of offerings, 15 large round sacrificial areas with stone walls, two favessae (coffers), several deposits under tiles on the floor, others on the floor itself, censers and other bowls, a well and a latrine. The first results focus on the most conspicuous plant offerings, for instance considerable numbers of pine nuts and pine cones, figs and dates. The aim is to establish an overview of the principal plants used as offerings and to determine the characteristic features of typical offerings to Isis and Magna Mater. It was not expected that the assemblages would be so similar, regardless of which site was analysed. Since no other sacred area from the Roman period has been as intensively investigated archaeobotanically, the results are compared with others from the literature.

This paper discusses archaeobotanical remains from the settlement mound of Kursakata, Nigeria, comprising both charred and uncharred seeds and fruits as well as charcoal. In addition, impressions of plant tempering material in potsherds were analysed. The late Stone Age and Iron Age sequence at Kursakata is date from 1000 cal. B.C. to cal. A.D. 100. DomesticatedPennisetum (pearl millet), wild Paniceae and wild rice are the most common taxa. Kernels from tree fruits were regularly found including large numbers ofVitex simplicifolia—a tree which is absent from the area today. A distinct change in plant spectra can be observed between the late Stone Age and the Iron Age. Although domesticated pearl millet was already known at the beginning of the settlement sequence of Kursakata, it only gained greater economic importance during the Iron Age. Besides farming, pastoralism and fishing, gathering of wild plants always played a major role in the subsistence strategy of the inhabitants of Kursakata. The charcoal results show that firewood was mainly collected from woodlands on the clay plains, which must have been more diverse than today. The end of the late Stone Age in the Chad Basin was presumably accompanied by the onset of drier environmental conditions from ca. 800 cal. B.C. onwards.

Late Holocene climatic changes caused a large scale regression of the Lake Chad shoreline followed by an expansion of settlements into previously unexplored territories. Numerous Final Stone Age sites of the Gajiganna Culture (1,800 to 800 b.c.) in the Lake Chad Basin (northeast Nigeria) yielded plant impressions in potsherds. The ceramics of Phase I (1,800–1,400 b.c.) were mineral tempered, and plant impressions, mainly of Paniceae, were caused only by incidental inclusion. In contrast, a considerable number of the sherds from Phase II (1,500–800 b.c.) were intentionally tempered with chaff derived from domesticated pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), wild Paniceae and wild rice species (Oryza cf. barthii and O. cf. longistaminata). This plant spectrum suggests the exploitation of the wet wild areas, and also the cultivation of pearl millet on sandy soils. The evidence suggests that agricultural practices were established late and were introduced from elsewhere. During the time of seasonally occupied sites in Phase I, the subsistence strategy was based on herding, fishing, and gathering, while in Phase II there are signs of permanent settlements and agriculture. The evidence from the plant impressions indicates that in the Final Stone Age Gajiganna Culture around 1,000–800 b.c., pearl millet became well established while the gathering of wild millets and rice was still practised.

Settlement mounds in the Chad basin of north-east Nigeria provide excellent archaeobotanical evidence for the use of wild and domesticated grasses over the last 4000 years. Plant impressions in potsherds were investigated from Gajiganna. Casts of these well-preserved impressions revealed Paniceae and wild rice together with the earliest domesticated Pennisetum americanum in the area, dating to 1200–1000 cal BC. The occupation of Gajiganna ended when the occupation at Kursakata and Mege began, around 1000–800 cal BC. The macroremains of these two mounds indicate two different patterns of plant use. In Kursakata, one of the oldest domesticated Pennisetum americanum in West Africa was found charred together with wild grasses, mostly of the tribe Paniceae. In contrast to this mixed agriculture and hunter-gatherer economy, subsistence at Mege was probably based on wild grasses.