A Multi-Phase Anglo-Saxon Site in Ewelme

New evidence is presented for a middle Anglo-Saxon ‘productive’ site on hilly ground north-west of Ewelme in south Oxfordshire. Coins and other finds from metal-detecting activity suggest the existence of an eighth- to ninth-century meeting or trading point located close to the Icknield Way. Th is place takes on an added significance because of its proximity to an early Anglo-Saxon cemetery and probably a late Anglo-Saxon meeting place. Th e authors provide an initial assessment of the site, its likely chronological development and its relationship with wider Anglo-Saxon activity in the upper Thames region and beyond. Some suggestions are made about the implications of the existence of such a long-lasting or recurring centre of activity for early medieval inhabitants’ perceptions of landscape

Scale change – Kingstons and royal power in the middle Anglo-Saxon England, c. AD 650–850

Several questions surrounding the origin and function of Husebyer are familiar to students of Anglo-Saxon England. Here too, there is evidence that the power of kings became, over the course of the early medieval period, increasingly territorial in character. Controls over movement, the diversification and extension of royal institutions, the tightening of systems of taxation and administration – all facets addressed by Huseby research – find parallels in England, particularly during the period c. AD 650-850. Some of these developments appear to be driven by kings, or the church; many others would seem to have emerged from the class of lesser nobles. Several recent works have addressed aspects of these processes at great length (e.g. Astill 2000; Hanson & Wickham 2000; Wickham 2005; Rippon 2010; Loveluck 2013), so they need not be given more than cursory treatment here. Instead, I would like to use this paper to discuss an interesting category of site in Anglo-Saxon England, places named Kingston that – though not identical to Husebyer – would seem similarly to encapsulate some of the broader processes of territorialisation

Signalling Intent: Beacons, Lookouts and Military Communications

Beacons and lookouts played a key role in the networks of local and regional communications of Anglo-Saxon England during the Viking Age (ninth to eleventh centuries). While the large fortified centres of the period are well known, the nature of interconnections between them and smaller-scale local arrangements have only recently received attention. Written evidence, place-names and landscape archaeology together allow for the reconstruction of elements of signalling and sighting systems. This contribution presents the historical evidence for beacons, discusses the context within which beacons and lookouts developed and draws upon a series of case studies to reveal local systems of communication in the landscape of Anglo-Saxon England

Interpreting Rock-Cut Grave Cemeteries: the early medieval necropolis and enclosure of São Gens, Portugal

EXCAVATION AT SÃO GENS (Guarda district) in central Portugal has revealed an early medieval rock-cut grave cemetery and settlement, along with Roman and prehistoric evidence. The site presents an exceptionally rich palimpsest of archaeological monuments. This paper reviews the findings and seeks to address the problem of interpreting rock-cut grave cemeteries, by describing a spatial analytical methodology that draws on comparisons with early medieval cemeteries in England, as a means of enhancing the information deficit of such necropolises. In the light of these analyses, an interpretation of the São Gens site is offered in conclusion

Stowford: an early medieval hundred meeting place

In the summer of 2015 archaeological excavation sought to examine the location of an early medieval hundred meeting place (‘moot’) in southern Wiltshire. The investigation was planned in the context of recent work to characterise hundred meeting places and to explore the survival of local Roman roads into the medieval period (Baker and Brookes 2015; Langlands forthcoming a; Brookes et al. forthcoming). Stowford provided an opportunity to bring these different concerns together. The site lies 2km west of Broad Chalke and 200m southwest of the hamlet of Fifield Bavant in the extreme east of Ebbesbourne Wake parish. Excavations centred on NGR SU 016 248 in fields immediately south of the River Ebble which flows west to east from Ebbesbourne Wake to Broad Chalke before joining the River Avon at Bodenham. The valley floor is generally flat at around 92m above Ordnance Datum but rises sharply to the south and to the north of the Ebble. The underlying solid geology is Lewes Nodular Chalk Formation overlain by Alluvium and Head Deposits (Geology Digimap, accessed Feb 2017). Funding for the fieldwork was generously provided by the Leverhulme Trust as part of the UCL project ‘Travel and Communication in Anglo-Saxon England’, and was carried out by a team from UCL, Swansea University and the University of Nottingham

The Importance of Serine Phosphorylation of Ameloblastin on Enamel Formation

FAM20C is a newly identified kinase on the secretory pathway responsible for the phosphorylation of serine residues in the Ser-x-Glu/pSer motifs in several enamel matrix proteins. Fam20C-knockout mice showed severe enamel defects very similar to those in the ameloblastin (Ambn)–knockout mice, implying that phosphoserines may have a critical role in AMBN function. To test this hypothesis, we generated amelogenin (Amel) promoter-driven Ambn-transgenic mice, in which Ser⁴⁸, Ser²²⁶, and Ser²²⁷ were replaced by aspartic acid (designated as D-Tg) or alanines (designated as A-Tg). The negative charge of aspartic acid is believed to be able to mimic the phosphorylation state of serine, while alanine is a commonly used residue to substitute serine due to their similar structure. Using Western immunoblotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, the authors identified transgenic lines expressing transgenes somewhat higher (Tg+) or much higher (Tg++) than endogenous Ambn. The lower incisors collected from 7-d-old and 7-wk-old mice were analyzed by histology, scanning electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and Western immunoblotting to examine the morphology and microstructure changes in enamel, as well as the expression pattern of enamel matrix proteins. The A-Tg+ and A-Tg++ mice displayed severe enamel defects in spite of the expression level of transgenes, while the D-Tg+ and D-Tg++ mice showed minor to mild enamel defects, indicating that the D-Tg transgenes disturbed enamel formation less than the A-Tg transgenes did. Our results suggest that the phosphorylation state of serines is likely an essential component for the integrity of AMBN function

Subfractions of enamel matrix derivative differentially influence cytokine secretion from human oral fibroblasts.

Enamel matrix derivative is used to promote periodontal regeneration during the corrective phase of the treatment of periodontal defects. Our main goal was to analyze the bioactivity of different molecular weight fractions of enamel matrix derivative. Enamel matrix derivative, a complex mixture of proteins, was separated into 13 fractions using size-exclusion chromatography and characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Human periodontal ligament fibroblasts were treated with either enamel matrix derivative or the different fractions. Proliferation and cytokine secretion to the cell culture medium were measured and compared to untreated cells. The liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry analyses revealed that the most abundant peptides were amelogenin and leucine-rich amelogenin peptide related. The fractions containing proteins above 20 kDa induced an increase in vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-6 secretion, whereas lower molecular weight fractions enhanced proliferation and secretion of interleukin-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and reduced interleukin-4 release. The various molecular components in the enamel matrix derivative formulation might contribute to reported effects on tissue regeneration through their influence on vascularization, the immune response, and chemotaxis

Prolonged sitting and physical inactivity are associated with limited hip extension : a cross-sectional study

Background: It is possible that physical inactivity and prolonged sitting could lead to changes in muscle properties or bony limitations which may reduce passive hip extension. Objectives: This study explored the association between passive hip extension and sitting/physical activity patterns. Design: Cross sectional study Method: The modified Thomas Test is a clinical test used to characterize hip flexion contracture. This test was used to measure passive hip extension across 144 individuals. In addition, sitting behaviours and physical activity patterns were quantified using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Cut off points were defined for low/high physical activity (150 min per week), prolonged sitting (>7 hours per day) and minimal sitting (<4 hours per day). ANOVA testing was then used to compare passive hip extension between three groups, defined using the specified thresholds: low activity & prolonged sitting, high activity & minimal sitting and high activity & prolonged sitting. Results: A total of 98 participants were allocated to one of the three groups which were shown to differ significantly in passive hip extension (P<0.001). Importantly, there was 6.1° more passive hip extension in the high activity & minimal sitting group when compared to the low activity & prolonged sitting group Conclusion: This study is the first to demonstrate an association between passive hip extension and prolonged sitting/physical inactivity. It is possible that these findings indicate a physiological adaptation in passive muscle stiffness. Further research is required to understand whether such adaptation may play a role in the aetiology of musculoskeletal pain linked to prolonged sitting