Reworking the idea of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) cultivation in Roman times: New data from ancient Campania

Abstract

Charcoal analysis was carried out in two archaeological sites on the north slope of the Somma-Vesuvius volcano, not far from Naples. Both sites were inhabited between the 2nd century AD and AD 472, when a great Vesuvius eruption (so called Pollena eruption) buried them. In both sites, Castanea sativa wood was largely used for architectural structures as well as firewood. Ten ¹⁴C dates, spanning between the 1st and the 5th century AD, testify to a continuative use of this wood throughout the life of the sites. The comparison between archaeobotanical and pollen data from other sites in southern Italy suggests that chestnut woods were close to the sites studied and had a restricted spreading, possibly in a refugium area on Vesuvius' foothills. The match between archaeological charcoals and pollen data suggests that the Romans did not spread chestnut cultivation in the entire Campania region and that chestnut probably became a common timber in Campania starting from the 5th–6th century AD.     

L'Azilien ancien de Cueva Oscura de Ania (Las Regueras, Asturias, Espagne)

Recent definition of the Cantabrian Lower Azilian has turned the Late Upper Magdalenian/Azilian transition into one of the most interesting archaeological ages in the area. This period is considered representing the earliest Azilian groups in Asturias. Critic review of Cueva Oscura de Ania record, in the center of Asturias, has allowed us to give full details of the Lower Azilian archaeological characteristics. Cueva Oscura de Ania archaeological collection shows archaic traits, close to those from Cueva de Los Azules and Cueva de La Riera, two eastern asturian sites. These likenesses suggest a high stylistic and technical uniformity in distant areas during a critical period, when Palaeolithic groups changed their subsistence strategies. Cueva Oscura de Ania archaeological and polinic records suggest that this deposit was built at the beginning of the paleoclimatic phase known as Alleröd/Cantabrian VIII (12 000-10?800 BP), when numerous cantabrian sites suffered high erosion processes. All these circumstances convert Cueva Oscura de Ania in a fundamental site to get a best knowledge of the origin and development of the Cantabrian Azilian. The study of its bone collection allows us outline new hypothesis about this archaeological period.     

Biogeographical kinetics on mainland and island volcanoes

Aim To compare post‐eruption biotic recolonization times on mainland and island volcanoes. Location The research involved the study of the recolonization kinetics of Mt Vesuvius (a mainland volcano in southern Italy) and the Island of Vulcano (southern Italy). Comparisons were also made with Jorullo Volcano (Mexico) and Mount St Helens (USA) (two mainland volcanoes) and with Krakatau (Indonesia) (an island volcano). Methods Island volcanoes are expected to possess inherently impoverished faunas and floras, and recolonization after eruption is expected to occur to a low level. In comparison, the recolonization kinetics for a mainland volcano should be characterized by a higher plateau of species, and by species with low dispersal ability. To test this model, recolonization times after the small‐scale Plinian eruption of 1631 were calculated for various insect groups of Mt Vesuvius and compared with recolonization times calculated for the Island of Vulcano, which erupted dramatically in 1888. For this purpose, thorough insect checklists, based on exhaustive samplings, were extracted from the literature. Results obtained from Mt Vesuvius and Vulcano were also compared with recolonization times calculated for biotas of other mainland and island volcanoes. Results Insect recolonization times from the 1631 Vesuvius eruption varied according to the ecology of the animal group considered and appeared very long when compared with those obtained for the island volcano of Vulcano. Results obtained from Vulcano also suggest the possibility that this island hosts more species than expected at equilibrium, a state of affairs also found for the butterflies of Krakatau. Main conclusions In keeping with the predictions of multi‐phase models developed in island biogeography theory, island volcanoes have a lower species richness at equilibrium than do mainland volcanoes, but might host, in a first phase of recolonization, more species than expected at equilibrium, because ecological space is unsaturated and inter‐specific interactions are limited. The lower isolation of mainland volcanoes (allowing higher immigration rates) leads to higher rates and longer periods of recolonization and hence to higher species richness at equilibrium.     

Aerobiological monitoring applications in the Etnean volcanic plume evaluation (Mt. Etna, Sicily) and correlation with allergopathies

This paper describes the study of the application of a Hirst-type impact volumetric sampler (IVS) in the sampling of volcanic ash continuously emitted by Mt. Etna. This methodology is commonly used for measuring the atmospheric concentration of airborne pollen grains and fungal spores. This study was undertaken between April 2003 and January 2005, when a series of ash emissions occurred; moreover, during this period, namely on 7 September 2004, there was an eruption from various fractures located in the higher eastern flank of the volcano. The airborne volcanic ashes involving the lower south-eastern flank of Mt. Etna were monitored by means of an IVS stationed in the town of Acireale. In some people volcanic ash can trigger predisposing factors linked with allergens, and an allergic response may occur. After exposure, immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies are produced and released into the bloodstream and they can, therefore, be identified by haematological analysis. In this study we compared the number of ash events recorded by our IVS and the number of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) values found in the population living on or near this volcano sector. A correlation was established between air pollution from volcanic ash and IgE values over a period of 22 months.     

Buried Pleistocene human remains of Weissenthurm, Mayen-Koblenz district: new and old information]

The landscape at central Rhine and Mosel is one of the most famous archaeological sites in middle Europe. A layer of pumicetufa from the eruption of the lake Laacher volcano 13,000 years B.P. is an important mark which approximately divides the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic period. Although numerous excavations in this area have been carried out, quaternary hominid remains are quite rare. A few short notes from the early 1920s reports of human bones "below the pumice, in Weissenthurm, District Mayen-Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate". However, these remains were probably destroyed in the Second World War in Munich on April 25, 1944. Recently, some new information has appeared on the discovery and the whereabouts of these fragments. The chronological classification of the Weissenthurm-hominid into the Pleistocene based on this information remains uncertain.     

El Niño,volcanism, and global climate

The June 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines produced one of the greatest volcanic aerosols in the last hundred years. The estimated net decrease of radiation may have peaked at 10% in the tropics. What was the impact of the Pinatubo aerosol on regional and global climate? Besides the expected net cooling of the average global surface temperature, correlation studies indicate that other types of climate anomalies may also be expected. These include the appearance of an El Niño event, decreased Indian monsoon rainfall, fewer tropical storms in the north Atlantic Ocean in 1991–1993, and normal to above normal winter rainfall in California in 1991/92, all of which were observed. A proposed physical mechanism for the almost-simultaneous occurrence of this constellation of climate anomalies is presented. The results of correlation studies between low-latitude volcanic aerosols and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation are presented in some detail as one example. The correlation between Indian monsoon rainfall and tropical storms in the north Atlantic Ocean is also shown and is updated for the most recent 5 years.     

Deep-sea benthic foraminiferal recolonization of the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo ash layer in the South China Sea

A census count of Rose Bengal stained benthic foraminifera from the surface area on top of a 2 to 6 cm thick ashfall layer at three deep water stations along the western margin of the Philippines exhibits a unique assemblage composition of benthic foraminifera. The total number of benthic foraminifera is low and the ratio of living individuals to empty tests is high. Specific diversity is low, with a significant dominance of infaunal morphotypes including species of the genus Reophax (R. scorpiurus, R. bilocularis and R. dentaliniformis), which are regarded as successful recolonizers. Assemblages below the ash layers are diverse and contain many epifaunal suspension-feeding agglutinated and calcareous foraminifera. The 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption caused mass mortality of benthic foraminifera in a vast area of the eastern South China Sea followed by step-wise recolonization of the ash substrate. Three years after the eruption, the benthic foraminiferal community structure is still far from recovery to background levels.     

On the direct effect of clouds and atmospheric particles on the productivity and structure of vegetation

The volume of shade within vegetation canopies is reduced by more than an order of magnitude on cloudy and/or very hazy days compared to clear sunny days because of an increase in the diffuse fraction of the solar radiance. Here we show that vegetation is directly sensitive to changes in the diffuse fraction and we conclude that the productivity and structure of vegetation is strongly influenced by clouds and other atmospheric particles. We also propose that the unexpected decline in atmospheric [CO₂] which was observed following the Mt. Pinatubo eruption was in part caused by increased vegetation uptake following an anomalous enhancement of the diffuse fraction by volcanic aerosols that would have reduced the volume of shade within vegetation canopies. These results have important implications for both understanding and modelling the productivity and structure of terrestrial vegetation as well as the global carbon cycle and the climate system.     

The effects of the Taupo Tephra eruption of c. 1718 bp on the vegetation of Mt Hauhungatahi, central North Island, New Zealand

Abstract. An altitudinal series of eleven fine resolution pollen diagrams were used to examine the role of volcanism in forest dynamics on Mt Hauhungatahi. Partial pollen diagrams from four of these sites, chosen to illustrate the major effects of the 1718 bp Taupo eruption, are presented. Following the eruption Libocedrus bidwillii expanded in all sites. Open sites created by the eruption may have facilitated an expansion already underway as a result of more variable climatic conditions since c. 3000 bp . Weinmannia racemosa invaded upper montane forest c. 650 bp . The current altitudinal sequence of forest types, with Libocedrus dominating the subalpine and Weinmannia the upper montane forests, has thus been synthesized only within the last 1800 years. This is interpreted as a consequence of individualistic species' responses to major disturbance by the eruption. The results support nonequilibrium theories of community composition.     

Entre le Nord et le Sud—un site à pointes à dos de la fin de l’Allerød : Bad Breisig, district de Ahrweiler (vallée moyenne du Rhin, RFA)

Due to unparalleled conditions of preservation below volcanic ashes of the late glacial Laacher-See volcano, the Central Rhineland region, located at the geographic hinge between the North German Lowlands and the Highland zone, permits detailed insights into the environmental and vegetational history of the Allerød-Interstadial and has produced fundamental data for the reconstruction of the way of life of hunter-gatherer groups of that time. The recently investigated site of Bad Breisig, dating to the final part of the Allerød, is the first record of a Late Glacial human settlement of the Central Rhineland after the disastrous environmental destruction caused by the eruption of the Laacher-See volcano. The site is an important chronostratigraphic and typological key in the understanding of the development of the Final Palaeolithic technocomplex with backed points in Central Europe.     

Effect of volcanic ash deposition on length and radial growths of a deciduous montane tree (Nothofagus pumilio)

Extreme environmental events such as volcanic eruptions can trigger plant responses that largely exceed those recorded for moderate‐intensity disturbances. We assessed the effects of the June 2011 eruption of the Puyehue – Cordón Caulle volcano on the length and radial growths of juvenile Nothofagus pumilio trees at two sites located 20 (with >40 cm ash accretion) and 75 (without ash) km from the volcano. Variations in length and radial growth were evaluated for the periods 1999–2013 and 1993–2013 respectively; pre‐ and post‐eruption growth rates were computed. The length growth of the N. pumilio trees located close to the volcano increased significantly after the eruption: shoot extensions during the growing season after the eruption were, on average, two to three times longer than average according to ontogenetic growth trends. Variations in radial growth after the eruption were comparatively less noticeable than those in length growth. No significant effects of the eruption were observed in those trees located 75 km from the volcano. In order to explain the exceptionally positive response of N. pumilio's length growth to the volcanic eruption, three non‐exclusive explanations were proposed: (i) thick ash layers increase water retention in the soil; (ii) volcanic ash facilitates the access of plants to nutrients; and (iii) volcanic ashes decrease herbivory and competition. The comparatively lower sensitivity of radial growth to this extreme volcanic event is also noteworthy. These findings highlight the need to further examine how large‐scale volcanic events influence structure and/or functioning of ecosystem in the Patagonian forest.     

The Middle Stone Age of the northern Kenyan Rift: age and context of new archaeological sites from the Kapedo Tuffs

Rift Valley sites in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya preserve the oldest fossil remains attributed to Homo sapiens and the earliest archaeological sites attributed to the Middle Stone Age (MSA). New localities from the Kapedo Tuffs augment the sparse sample of MSA sites from the northern Kenya Rift. Tephrostratigraphic correlation with dated pyroclastic deposits from the adjacent volcano Silali suggests an age range of 135-123 ka for archaeological sites of the Kapedo Tuffs. Comparisons of the Kapedo Tuffs archaeological assemblages with those from the adjacent Turkana and Baringo basins show broad lithic technological similarity but reveal that stone raw material availability is a key factor in explaining typologically defined archaeological variability within this region. Spatially and temporally resolved comparisons such as this provide the best means to link the biological and behavioral variation manifest in the record of early Homo sapiens.     

圣海伦斯火山和高山植被

 Mt. St. Helens is an active volcano on the western flank of the Cascade: range in the southwestern Washington State, USA. It is located at lat. 46˚00′—46˚30′N, long 121˚52′—122˚40′W.We had investigated the alpine vegetation at Pine Creek, Butte Camp on Mt. St. Helens for three times, totaling ten days during August and eptember of 1983.The volcano had erupted sending out much pyroclastic, pumice and lava, which devdstated the vegetation around the crater. They not only mechanically destroyed plants tissue, but also buried entirely or partly of the plants.The radiant heat from the volcanic eruption caused the melting of ice and snow, creating huge mudflows, which estroyed and buried vegetation. The high temperture from direct radiant heat incinerated and scorched all the plants. On the other hand, the higher the elevation is, the stronger the wind and the lower the temperture; also snow was present on the alpine range, and this provided a lee for plants, and consequently some plants survived, and new ones row out of the ground. The alpine vegetation on Mt. St. Helens bears both the characteristic of alpine plants and the brand of volcanic activities: vegetation is sparse, species composition of plants limited, structure of community simple, production low and vegetation propagation being the main type of vegetative reproduction.The different types of lpine vegetation grow in different habitats: The community of Luekea pectinata grow in places covered by ice and snow; the community of Polygonum newberryi, Eriogonum pyroleafolium in localities covered by mudflow; the community of Phyllodace empetriformis on slopes of steep rocks and the community of grasses and sedges on low hills and plains. Hese are the four main communities on Mt. St. Helens. The recovery and succession of the alpine vegetation has been discussed. There are two types of succession, the primary and the secodary, with the secondary being the main one.Finally, the paper has analysed the reason why no forest occurs, on Mt. St. Helens. We think that it is a result of the ctive period of the volcano and that the climate conditions are favouable for forest. Also, we have suggested that some herbaceous plants be sown as soon as possible for they can accelerate the recovery of vegetation, and prevent the runoff of soil and water.     

Os fossiles humains des grottes Muierii et Cioclovina, Roumanie

This paper presents the cultural and archaeological context of the human fossil bones from Muierii Cave, dated by us to the age of 30 150 ± 800 ¹⁴C years BP (Before Present) or 34 810 ± 927 cal years BP (calibrated years Before Present), and from Cioclovina Cave, dated to the age of 29 000 ± 700 ¹⁴C years BP or 33 540 ± 832 cal years BP, in the Southern Carpathians. These are among the most ancient dated human fossil remains from Central and South-Eastern Europe and are described in conjunction with other sites with Mousterian assemblages of the recent Neanderthal population, and sites with Aurignacian assemblage of early modern humans, from Romanian region, for the interval of time 34,000-26,000, the transitional period from the Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic.     

Synthèse des données archéologiques récentes sur le peuplement à l’Holocène de la réserve de faune de la Lopé, Gabon

This article summarizes the results of archaeological research led from 1995 to 1998 in the fauna reserve of Lopé (Gabon). The excavated sites were dated from the Upper Pleistocene to the Post-colonial period. It is the longest and the most complete archaeological sequence presently known in Central Africa. These results show evidence of human presence in the reserve for over 40?000 years and that this greatly contributed to the preservation of the ecotone landscape of Lopé. In addition, these results offer the first systematic analysis of the sites and the ceramic artefacts produced and used in the centre of Gabon during the last three millennia. Supported by chronological, linguistic and palaeoenvironmental data, these results allow us to refine the ceramic typology and to prove the antiquity of husbandry, agricultural practices and iron production in this part of Africa. Finally, they allow us to clarify the various phases of settlement in the reserve and to reveal an important historic phenomena in connection with the expansion of the bantu languages and/or the bantu speaking peoples, who populate a third of the African continent.     

Impacts of the Toba eruption and montane forest expansion on diversification in Sumatran parachuting frogs (Rhacophorus)

Catastrophic events, such as volcanic eruptions, can have profound impacts on the demographic histories of resident taxa. Due to its presumed effect on biodiversity, the Pleistocene eruption of super‐volcano Toba has received abundant attention. We test the effects of the Toba eruption on the diversification, genetic diversity, and demography of three co‐distributed species of parachuting frogs (Genus Rhacophorus) on Sumatra. We generate target‐capture data (~950 loci and ~440,000 bp) for three species of parachuting frogs and use these data paired with previously generated double digest restriction‐site associated DNA (ddRADseq) data to estimate population structure and genetic diversity, to test for population size changes using demographic modelling, and to estimate the temporal clustering of size change events using a full‐likelihood Bayesian method. We find that populations around Toba exhibit reduced genetic diversity compared with southern populations, and that northern populations exhibit a shift in effective population size around the time of the eruption (~80 kya). However, we infer a stronger signal of expansion in southern populations around ~400 kya, and at least two of the northern populations may have also expanded at this time. Taken together, these findings suggest that the Toba eruption precipitated population declines in northern populations, but that the demographic history of these three species was also strongly impacted by mid‐Pleistocene forest expansion during glacial periods. We propose local rather than regional effects of the Toba eruption, and emphasize the dynamic nature of diversification on the Sunda Shelf.     

A new light on the evolution and propagation of prehistoric grain pests: the world's oldest maize weevils found in Jomon Potteries, Japan

Three Sitophilus species (S. granarius L., S. oryzae L., and S. zeamais Mots.) are closely related based on DNA analysis of their endosymbionts. All are seed parasites of cereal crops and important economic pest species in stored grain. The Sitophilus species that currently exist, including these three species, are generally believed to be endemic to Asia's forested areas, suggesting that the first infestations of stored grain must have taken place near the forested mountains of southwestern Asia. Previous archaeological data and historical records suggest that the three species may have been diffused by the spread of Neolithic agriculture, but this hypothesis has only been established for granary weevils in European and southwestern Asian archaeological records. There was little archeological evidence for grain pests in East Asia before the discovery of maize weevil impressions in Jomon pottery in 2004 using the "impression replica" method. Our research on Jomon agriculture based on seed and insect impressions in pottery continued to seek additional evidence. In 2010, we discovered older weevil impressions in Jomon pottery dating to ca. 10 500 BP. These specimens are the oldest harmful insects in the world discovered at archaeological sites. Our results provide evidence of harmful insects living in the villages from the Earliest Jomon, when no cereals were cultivated. This suggests we must reconsider previous scenarios for the evolution and propagation of grain pest weevils, especially in eastern Asia. Although details of their biology or the foods they infested remain unclear, we hope future interdisciplinary collaborations among geneticists, entomologists, and archaeologists will provide the missing details.     

Prehistoric settlement developments in the multi-period sites of south India,Brahmagiri Hill

This paper is focused on the multi-period sites in the core southern Neolithic region of south India to highlight their potential archaeological features and resources to assess land use and settlement patterns adopted by the mid-Holocene societies. Systematic archaeological reworks at the multi-period sites require particular attention to identify the resource locations and non-occupation sites for developing a comprehensive picture of the demographic and social models for explaining how people managed and shared resources within the site environs that continued to exist and operated for more than three thousand years spanning from Neolithic (3000-1200 BCE), Iron Age (1200-300 BCE) and Early History (300 BCE- 500 CE). Published archaeological data on major multi-period sites of south India is reviewed, compiled and attested with exploration findings from the Brahmagiri Hill. Here a fresh approach is made to assess the impact of Ashokan rock edicts on the social fabric and any landscape changes it brought to Isila (Isila is believed to be an early historic townsite at Brahmagiri ).     

New record of moss and thermophilic bacteria species and physico-chemical properties of geothermal soils on the northwest slope of Mt. Melbourne (Antarctica)

Four samples of surface soils, one with shoots of an unidentified moss species, were collected from a geothermal site on the northwest slope of volcanic Mt. Melbourne (northern Victoria Land, continental Antarctica) to determine physico-chemical properties, isolate existing strains of heterotrophic microorganisms, and identify the moss species through molecular genetic techniques. Surface soil features such as temperature, grain-size, pH, moisture content, and isolated genera of bacteria, generally corresponded to those previously reported for other geothermal sites in Victoria Land. However, when compared with chemical characteristics of warm substrata from these sites, soils from the northwest slope of Mt. Melbourne showed lower contents of total N and water-extractable PO₄^3– and K⁺, and relatively higher concentrations of Na, Fe, Mn, and of potentially toxic elements such as Cd and Pb. Preliminary results indicate that a new species of thermophilic bacteria growing in Fe-enriched medium was isolated. Although the study area lay only about 1.5 km from Cryptogam Ridge, a geothermal site in the rim of the Mt. Melbourne summit crater with a well-developed population of the moss Campylopus pyriformis, molecular genetic analyses showed that the moss on the volcano slope is Pohlia nutans, a species closely related to populations some 110 km to the north in the Mt. Rittmann fumaroles. It was concluded that physico-chemical features of geothermal grounds may affect the colonisation history and dispersal of microorganisms and mosses.