The Holocene occurrence of Acipenser spp. in the southern North Sea: the archaeological record

Archaeological sturgeon remains from the southern North Sea basin used to be automatically attributed to Acipenser sturio, since this was the only acipenserid species believed to occur there. These species identifications, however, were in need of revision after a growing number of indications were found for the historical presence of Acipenser oxyrinchus in western Europe. In this study, morphological and genetic data on sturgeon remains from archaeological sites along the southern North Sea are revised. A large number of Dutch, Belgian, British and some French archaeological sturgeon remains, dating from the Mesolithic up to Late Modern times, are morphologically examined and fish sizes are reconstructed. This study of >7000 acipenserid bones proves the sympatric occurrence of European sturgeon A. sturio and Atlantic sturgeon A. oxyrinchus in the southern North Sea at least since the Neolithic (fourth millennium BC onwards), with A. oxyrinchus remains always outnumbering those of A. sturio. Human influence is documented by the decrease in finds through time, but no clear evidence was found for a diachronic change in fish lengths that could possibly be related to fishing pressure.     

Finger Millet processing in East Africa

Although archaeobotanical sampling and recovery programmes are a relatively recent implementation in East African archaeology, results from sites where they have been carried out follow a similar trend. This is one of abundant recovery of wood charcoal, but very little in the way of other macroscopic plant remains. Restricted archaeological evidence and ethnographic interviews show the importance of grains, in particular finger millet (Eleusine coracana), for the Bunyoro people of Uganda in pre-colonial times. It has been suggested that one of the possible reasons why finger millet is not being recovered in quantity from archaeological contexts is because the processing of this crop does not involve heating and hence there is not the chance of being deposited in charred form in the archaeological record. Recent ethnographic work on finger millet processing in Uganda shows that it is exposed to heat and potential charring during cleaning and preparation of the grain for either storage or cooking, and this regime is discussed in terms of its activities and products. These findings reinforce the need for archaeobotanists and archaeologists working in this region to look for other possible causes of the scarcity of macroscopic plant remains, and also the importance of considering integrated evidence for agricultural activity on prehistoric sites.     

Iberomaurusian funerary behaviour: evidence from Grotte des Pigeons, Taforalt, Morocco

Grotte des Pigeons at Taforalt, north-east Morocco, is well known for a large assemblage of Iberomaurusian (Epipalaeolithic) skeletons, possibly representing the earliest and most extensively used prehistoric cemetery in North Africa. New archaeological excavations carried out in 2005 and 2006 revealed further human remains in a largely undisturbed burial area in an alcove at the back of the cave. This discovery provides the first opportunity to report on Iberomaurusian human mortuary activity at this site. Reported here are a closely spaced and inter-cutting series of four burials. These contained the remains of four adults, of which three were buried in a seated or slightly reclining position facing towards the cave entrance and one was buried in a highly flexed position on its left side. The distribution of articulated and disarticulated bones suggested intensive use of the area, with earlier burials disturbed or truncated by subsequent burials, and displaced skeletal elements deliberately or unwittingly incorporated into later depositions. Through this process, parts of a single skeleton were redistributed among several discrete graves and within the surrounding deposit. Some aspects of the Iberomaurusian funerary tradition that are evident from the human remains excavated in the 1950s are absent in the newly excavated adult burials, suggesting a possible elaboration of funerary activity over time.     

Did ciguatera prompt the late Holocene Polynesian voyages of discovery?

The famous Polynesian voyages characterized an intensive network of cultural exchange and colonization that was particularly active from ad 1000 to 1450. But, why would large groups of people leave their homelands to voyage into the unknown? Oceanic voyages are risky, albeit less so today than in the past. Landfalls were not guaranteed improvements over ports of departure. Taking the Cook Islands as an example, we ask whether harmful algal blooms that result in ciguatera fish poisoning in humans prompted past and present emigration pulses of peoples from within Polynesia. We take a multipronged approach to examine our hypothesis, involving: (1) archaeological evidence, (2) ciguatera fish poisoning reports since the 1940s, and (3) climate and temperature oscillations using palaeodatasets. The archaeological records of fish bones and hooks show abrupt changes in fishing practices in post‐ad 1450 records. Sudden dietary shifts are not linked to overfishing, but may be a sign of ciguatera fish poisoning and adjustment of fishing preference. While fishes form the staple diet of Polynesians, such poisoning renders fishes unusable. We show that ciguatera fish poisoning events coincide with Pacific Decadal Oscillations and suggest that the celebrated Polynesian voyages across the Pacific Ocean may not have been random episodes of discovery to colonize new lands, but rather voyages of necessity. A modern analogue (in the 1990s) was the shift towards processed foods in the Cook Islands during ciguatera fish poisoning events, and mass emigration of islanders to New Zealand and Australia.     

Effects of trawling on the diets of common demersal fish by‐catch of a tropical prawn trawl fishery

The ecological effect of prawn trawling on the benthos of the Gulf of Carpentaria, northern Australia, was investigated by examining stomach contents of common demersal fishes incidentally caught as by‐catch in the fishery. Fishes were collected from high and low fishing intensity sites in three regions based on vessel monitoring system data. The diets of eight species of benthic fish predators were compared between regions and fishing intensities. A regional effect on diet was evident for seven species. Only one generalist species had no significant difference in diet among the three regions. For the comparisons within each region, five predator species had significantly different diet between high and low fishing intensities in at least one region. Across the three regions, high fishing intensity sites had predators that consumed a greater biomass of crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms. At low fishing intensity sites, predators had diets comprising a greater biomass of cnidarians and teleosts, and a different assemblage of molluscs, crustaceans and fishes. These changes in diet suggest that there may have been a shift in the structure of the benthic community following intensive fishing. Analysis of predator diets is a useful tool to help identify changes in the benthic community composition after exposure to fishing. This study also provided valuable diet information on a range of abundant generalist benthic predators to improve the ecosystem modelling tools needed to support ecosystem‐based fisheries management.     

Bioarchaeological research in Croatia--a historical review

The study of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites gives us the opportunity to answer important questions about the lifestyle of past populations. The discipline that studies human skeletal remains is known as bioarchaeology. This paper provides a historical review of bioarchaeological research in Croatia. It is based on the available published material that analyzes human skeletal remains from archaeological sites located on the Croatian territory covering time span from the Neolithic period to the late Middle Ages.     

Evaluation of the weed flora of Egypt from Predynastic to Graeco-Roman times

Macrofossils of weeds retrieved from archaeological sediments in Egypt are discussed in terms of their presence, preservation and representation significance. The study reveals 112 field weeds from 61 archaeological sites dating from Predynastic times (4500 B.C.) up to the Graeco-Roman period (A.D. 395). Most of the remains were preserved by desiccation. The 112 listed species include 24 taxa from Predynastic Hierakonpolis (3800–3500 B.C.) identified for the first time. This study is based on a selection of 97 species from the entire list. Interpretation of field weed finds from the archaeological contexts is discussed. The highest number of species, 63, is recorded from the Pharaonic period. The Predynastic era is represented by 46 species and the Graeco-Roman period by 34. The intensive archaeological excavation of Pharaonic settlements may explain the rich flora of that period compared with the two others. Floristic analysis shows that 57 species were introduced in association with crops from the Middle East and 40 may belong to the native vegetation of the Nile valley.     

Oil for Fish: An Energy Return on Investment Analysis of Selected European Union Fishing Fleets

World food production has increased substantially in the past century, thanks mostly to the increase in the use of oil as input in the production processes. This growing use of fossil fuels has negative effects, both on the environment and the production costs. Fishing is a fuel consuming food production activity, and its energy efficiency performance has worsened over time. World‐wide fisheries are also suffering from overexploitation, which contributes to the poor efficiency performance, adding more pressure and criticism on this economic activity. In this paper we analyzed the energy efficiency performance of more than 20,000 European Union (EU) fishing vessels for the period 2002–2008, using the edible energy return on investment (EROI) indicator. The vessels analyzed, grouped in 49 different fleets, represented 25% of the vessels and 33% of the landings of the EU fishing sector. These EU fishing fleets’ average EROI for 2008 was 0.11, which translates to an energy content of the fuel burned that is 9 times greater than the edible energy content of the catch. Hence, the significance of this study arises from the use of time‐series data on a relevant part of the EU fleet that showed stable or even slight improvements on the EROI over time. Moreover, results showed that the energy efficiency of the different fleets varied significantly (from 0.02 to 1.12), mainly depending on the fishing gear and the vessel length. The performance of the most efficient fleets, such as large pelagic trawlers and seiners, was comparable to many agricultural production activities. The plausible drivers behind these trends are further considered.     

新石器时代关中地区人类生业模式演变的生物考古学证据

农业的起源与发展,改变了人类食物资源的获取方式。作为史前文化发展的中心,关中地区史前人类生业模式演变规律与影响因素的探索,将为北方地区农业的起源、发展与传播,文化交流对农业发展的影响,人类对环境变迁的适应等热点问题研究提供重要依据。本文对关中地区史前不同文化、不同遗址人与动物骨骼的稳定同位素以及动植物遗存进行了综合分析。结果显示,受文化的发展与交流、区域地理环境的差异、气候的演变等因素影响,关中地区史前先民生业模式呈现时空差异。老官台文化先民的生业模式中旱作农业与狩猎采集并重。仰韶文化早期,旱作农业成为先民生业模式的主体,但不同区域发展水平不同;另外,家畜饲养的发展速度要滞后于农作物。仰韶文化中、晚期至龙山文化早期,水稻与小麦先后传入,形成以粟、黍旱作农业为主,兼营水稻、大豆等的多元化农业结构;水稻对仰韶文化中期先民的食谱产生影响,而同时期家畜饲养主要依赖于粟黍类农作物。龙山文化,黍、粟农业比重下降,水稻含量相对增加,并对先民与家畜的食谱产生影响;肉食获取方式以饲养活动为主,渔猎活动为辅。     

蔚县盆地吉家庄旧石器遗址的形成过程

泥河湾盆地发育着我国北方第四纪典型的河湖相沉积体系,因其间富集众多早-中更新世旧石器时代遗址为学术界所关注。本文对泥河湾盆地蔚县吉家庄遗址（JJZ-B和JJZ-E地点）的遗址成因进行分析。地貌和沉积物特点表明,JJZ-B地点埋藏于湖滨相环境的湿地或沼泽环境,JJZ-E地点则属于湖滨相环境下的沙坝沉积体系。遗物的多项指标（遗物空间分布特点、石制品风化磨蚀状况、石制品技术组合与空间产状特征等）分析显示,JJZ-B地点属于近原地埋藏,形成过程中受到微弱的入湖片流改造,遗址完整性较高;JJZ-E地点的遗物连同砾石被湖滨片流搬运至遗址堆积区,后期受到了湖水的淘洗作用,显示异地埋藏的特点。研究表明,泥河湾古湖在中更新世仍保留有丰富的古人类活动信息,湖滨不同部位对遗址成因产生重要影响;该研究对正确解读古人类对吉家庄遗址不同地点的利用方式具有重要意义。     

Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis in a British skeletal population

The potential role of dental function in TMJ osteoarthritis is examined in an ancient British population. Human skeletal remains from five archaeological sites in England (n = 369) were studied to assess the associations between the presence of osteoarthritis and dental function variables, in particular antemortem tooth loss and dental attrition. Individuals aged over 17 years with at least a portion of either the left or right TMJ were included in the study. Each individual was scored for the occurrence of arthritic lesions on the mandibular condyle and glenoid fossa, the level of dental attrition, and antemortem tooth loss. A loglinear analysis was performed with osteoarthritis as the dependent variable and tooth loss, attrition, sex, and age as the independent variables. Tooth loss and sex are not significantly associated with TMJ osteoarthritis when attrition and age are included in the analysis. Attrition is significantly associated with osteoarthritis even when the analysis corrects for age. The significant association of attrition with osteoarthritis suggests that dental functions may have an influence, separate from ageing, on the development of TMJ osteoarthritis.     

鲤鱼墩遗址出土人牙的牙齿磨耗和龋齿

距今约6000年以前, 华南先民以渔猎采集经济为主, 并辅之以块茎植物种植的观点已为学界所共识。这种类型的生业方式与长江中下游、华北及其以北地区有着较大的区别。这不仅反映在遗址出土的动植物遗存和生产工具的不同, 也体现在出土人骨体质特征的差异上。后者已初步为C、N稳定同位素的比较研究所证实。本文则利用鲤鱼墩遗址出土的人牙,从牙齿磨耗和龋齿两方面考察上述差异。     

Man and vegetation in northern Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), during the prehispanic period based on charcoal analyses

Changes in wood taxa used as fuel on the island of Tenerife from 250 B.C. to 1500 A.D. were studied, using charcoal analyses from three archaeological sites. These sites were occupied by “guanche” prehistoric peoples up to the conquest of the island by the king of Castille in 1496. It appears that the collection of wood by prehistoric people had not significantly altered the woody vegetation around the vicinity of the sites. The arrival of European settlers, however, brought new economic and cultural practices which were radically different from those of the prehistoric society.     

Weak Compliance Undermines the Success of No-Take Zones in a Large Government-Controlled Marine Protected Area

The effectiveness of marine protected areas depends largely on whether people comply with the rules. We quantified temporal changes in benthic composition, reef fish biomass, and fishing effort among marine park zones (including no-take areas) to assess levels of compliance following the 2005 rezoning of the government-controlled Karimunjawa National Park (KNP), Indonesia. Four years after the rezoning awareness of fishing regulations was high amongst local fishers, ranging from 79.5±7.9 (SE) % for spatial restrictions to 97.7±1.2% for bans on the use of poisons. Despite this high awareness and strong compliance with gear restrictions, compliance with spatial restrictions was weak. In the four years following the rezoning reef fish biomass declined across all zones within KNP, with >50% reduction within the no-take Core and Protection Zones. These declines were primarily driven by decreases in the biomass of groups targeted by local fishers; planktivores, herbivores, piscivores, and invertivores. These declines in fish biomass were not driven by changes in habitat quality; coral cover increased in all zones, possibly as a result of a shift in fishing gears from those which can damage reefs (i.e., nets) to those which cause little direct damage (i.e., handlines and spears). Direct observations of fishing activities in 2009 revealed there was limited variation in fishing effort between zones in which fishing was allowed or prohibited. The apparent willingness of the KNP communities to comply with gear restrictions, but not spatial restrictions is difficult to explain and highlights the complexities of the social and economic dynamics that influence the ecological success of marine protected areas. Clearly the increased and high awareness of fishery restrictions following the rezoning is a positive step. The challenge now is to understand and foster the conditions that may facilitate compliance with spatial restrictions within KNP and marine parks worldwide.     

An Overview of Fishing Rights

Coastal state management of marine harvests within 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zones was a new and innovative process during the period from the late 1970s through the 1980s. The spread of conservation-focused harvest management was a key step in the evolution of fishing rights, followed in some nations by a second step of creating more exclusive, individual or group fishing rights. The three main forms of more exclusive fishing rights – limited entry permits, individual fishing quotas (IFQs), and local community-based or co-operative harvesting – vary widely in content and detail. But, when successful, they all increase the economic efficiency of fisheries, and they reshape the economic and political landscape of fisheries. All three types, but particularly IFQs, may initiate radical changes in the economic organization of the fishery, ultimately changing who fishes, where and when they fish, the products sold, the balance of power among industry sectors, incentives to support conservation, the size of incomes from fishing, and the location of shore-side economic activity. Changes of this sort are bound to provoke controversy. The controversies over fishing rights take three forms: disagreements over the meaning and intent of fishing rights, disputes over the distribution of rights and associated economic gain, and concern for disruptions imposed on people who are dependent on the “old order”. This paper provides a short review of the underlying concepts, rights systems, and current controversies concerning fishing rights.     

湖北郧县青龙泉新石器时代居民牙齿磨耗及健康状况

位于湖北省郧县境内的青龙泉遗址出土有仰韶、屈家岭和石家河等不同文化类型遗存, 被认为是中国新石器时代南、北文化交流的过渡地带。有关学者通过考古发现和同位素测试分析认为, 生活在青龙泉遗址的新石器时代居民已经具有发达的农业、家畜饲养业和渔猎,稻粟农业和肉类对居民的食物构成都有贡献, 但并不确定农业或渔猎是否占主导地位。本文通过对87例个体1075枚青龙泉新石器时代居民牙齿的磨耗、龋齿病、牙齿生前脱落、颌骨粗壮程度的观察、分析和对比, 试图从另一个侧面提供当时居民食物构成和经济模式的信息。本研究发现, 相比于其他中国新石器时代人类, 青龙泉居民的牙齿磨耗程度总体偏轻、臼齿磨耗角度多呈倾斜状、龋齿病出现率高、与生活状态相关的牙齿生前脱落出现率低、颌骨粗壮程度不明显。这些发现提示居民的食物较精细,加工程度高, 富含碳水化合物。基于本文发现, 作者认为农业经济在距今5000年左右的长江中游地区已经比较发达, 在居民食物构成中居主导地位,居民可能已经具有较高的食物制作加工技术。     

Paleoethnobotany of the Early Initial Period of Gramalote in Northern Peru

The Gramalote site is an early Initial Period (1500–1200 B.C.E.) fishing village located in the Moche valley in northern Peru. Previous research assessed the social dynamics and economic interactions within that fishing settlement. The well-preserved animal and plant record facilitates the archeological study of diet and subsistence strategies through time. The examinations of faunal remains of seabirds, sea mammals, and mollusk shells support the expected marine-oriented subsistence strategy. However, the site also contains a long record of botanical remains suggesting that people had access to plant resources. For this reason, a paleoethnobotanical study was conducted with the focus on reconstructing the pollen record of Gramalote. Previously identified botanical remains were also considered. The analysis of diverse botanical proxies helped to study the relationships between humans and plants in this region of northern Peru during the second millennium B.C.E. Grasses; reeds; food, woody, and wild plants were identified suggesting an environment that allowed small-scale agriculture and a trading network during the Initial Period of Gramalote.     

垩质年轮法在旧石器时代动物考古学中的应用

在旧石器时代考古遗址研究中,动物的死亡年龄往往能够反映古人类的生存能力及猎物选择趋向;死亡季节则是研究古人类人口数量变化、聚居模式等生存适应问题的重要途径。牙齿垩质切片研究表明,垩质的沉积与树木年轮的生长相似,具有较强的季节规律性和终生生长的特点,可被用于同时推断动物的死亡年龄与季节。垩质年轮法在国外已经有不少较为成功的应用范例,但由于其自身局限及我国旧石器时代动物考古学的发展状况,这一方法至今并未得到较好的应用。本文主要介绍垩质年轮法原理及其在旧石器时代考古学研究中的应用实例,并对该方法在国内遗址相关研究中的应用前景做出展望。     

Wood usage and its influence on the environment from the Neolithic until the Iron Age: a case study of the graves at Flintbek (Schleswig–Holstein, Northern Germany)

The investigated area near Flintbek (Schleswig–Holstein, Northern Germany) was used as a burial ground from the Neolithic until the Iron Age. Due to modern agriculture, the above-ground funerary monuments have been destroyed. Rescue excavations from 1976 to 1996 recovered the archaeological remains. In addition to the archaeological reassessment of the findings, further scientific analyses were carried out. The results of the charcoal analyses are presented in this paper. The overall spectrum of wood species represents the typical species composition of mixed oak forests. Over the whole investigated time span (Neolithic–Iron Age) these species alternate with a second group of taxa: species benefiting from better light conditions. In times of intensive human impact, these light-demanding taxa gained considerable importance, showing the opening of the wooded landscape. In phases with less human impact, a regeneration of mixed oak forest is detectable. For the Neolithic it was possible to develop a more detailed picture of wood usage based on 162 radiocarbon dates of 106 samples. These illustrate considerable changes during the Neolithic, which resulted in a varied pattern of open land and closed forest influenced by human presence and land use. Another important aspect of the Flintbek area is the handling of samples deriving from different contexts. While charcoal samples related to fire usage or grave constructions contain only slight contamination, samples from fillings (pits, burial layers) are characterized by charcoal dating being either too old or even too young for the archaeological context.     

Consequences of a Government-Controlled Agricultural Price Increase on Fishing and the Coral Reef Ecosystem in the Republic of Kiribati

Background

Economic development policies may have important economic and ecological consequences beyond the sector they target. Understanding these consequences is important to improving these policies and finding opportunities to align economic development with natural resource conservation. These issues are of particular interest to governments and non-governmental organizations that have new mandates to pursue multiple benefits. In this case study, we examined the direct and indirect economic and ecological effects of an increase in the government-controlled price for the primary agricultural product in the Republic of Kiribati, Central Pacific.

Methods/Principal Findings

We conducted household surveys and underwater visual surveys of the coral reef to examine how the government increase in the price of copra directly affected copra labor and indirectly affected fishing and the coral reef ecosystem. The islands of Kiribati are coral reef atolls and the majority of households participate in copra agriculture and fishing on the coral reefs. Our household survey data suggest that the 30% increase in the price of copra resulted in a 32% increase in copra labor and a 38% increase in fishing labor. Households with the largest amount of land in coconut production increased copra labor the most and households with the smallest amount of land in coconut production increased fishing the most. Our ecological data suggests that increased fishing labor may result in a 20% decrease in fish stocks and 4% decrease in coral reef-builders.

Conclusions/Significance

We provide empirical evidence to suggest that the government increase in the copra price in Kiribati had unexpected and indirect economic and ecological consequences. In this case, the economic development policy was not in alignment with conservation. These results emphasize the importance of accounting for differences in household capital and taking a systems approach to policy design and evaluation, as advocated by sustainable livelihood and ecosystem-based management frameworks.