The archaeology of rock art in Northern Africa

The first reports on the rock art of north Africa were written in the mid-nineteenth century. Since then, rock art has become a key area of African archaeological research. Commencing with a short background on the environmental setting, this chapter reviews past research and major theoretical perspectives through to the present, highlighting contributions to wider debates. The main geographical, temporal, and archaeological frameworks of north African rock art are summarized in broad chronological order, beginning with late Pleistocene engravings up to ‘Camel art’ of more recent, historical age. Despite current hurdles faced in today’s research environment, rock art studies are of great importance in north Africa, especially when undertaken by African scholars. This precious, irreplaceable, nonrenewable cultural resource is of great educational value, and its preservation, teaching, and dissemination may contribute to a renewed awareness of the cultural value of rock art for future generations

The Deep Veins of the Sons of Gwalia Litigation

This paper engages in a doctrinal analysis of historical precedent on aggrieved shareholder claims in the UK. It does so in order to expose the basis for the judgment of the House of Lords in the foundational case of Houldsworth v City of Glasgow Bank (1880) 5 App Cas 317, which held in cases involving fraudulent or misleading behaviour inducing share purchase that it would be inconsistent with a shareholder’s membership contract to ‘claim back’ amounts originally committed to the company for the pursuit of its business objects and the payment of its liabilities. This analysis will demonstrate that the judgments in Houldsworth (which have prevented shareholders ranking on par with unsecured creditors up until the determination of the High Court in Sons of Gwalia Ltd (admin apptd) v Margaretic (2007) HCA 1) ignored relevant legislation in the form of s 38(7) of the Companies Act 1862 UK which was specifically applicable to cases involving aggrieved shareholder claims, instead relying on principles drawn from the law of partnerships to decide the case. While it is submitted that the High Court was justified in choosing not to apply Houldsworth, the rule may still prove good law in certain circumstances. Having been the subject of a recent Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee review the issue of aggrieved shareholder claims is current as ever, though the veins of the problem run rather deep in the history of Australian and UK corporations law. This paper seeks to illustrate the value of a deeper understanding of the history of such claims to making informed policy decisions going forward. The paper argues that the rule in Houldsworth’s case should be abrogated by legislation in order to provide certainty in this technical area of the law.The symposium is organised on behalf of AAHANZBS by the Business and Labour History Group, The University of Sydney, with the financial support of the University’s Faculty of Economics and Business

A History of the Infringement Notice Mechanism and its Use in the Enforcement of Australia’s Continuous Disclosure Regime

In modern markets the need for the timely disclosure of detailed, accurate financial information is born of the radical separation of management and control apparent in the majority of large modern organisations. Inadequate disclosure of material information concerning the future and fortunes of listed companies can detract from the integrity of the market and its ability to provide a fair and efficient mechanism for participation in securities markets, while also impacting upon the perceived credibility of financial markets and the corporations constituting them. Reduced confidence in financial markets can in turn have longer-term flow on effects which can be felt throughout the economy. It follows that the effective operation of Australia's continuous disclosure regime is of great consequence in the Australian economic, political and social landscape. This paper details the history of the regime, the reasons for its introduction, and features of its recent enforcement by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). It uses this history to assess whether the most recently created and most often employed enforcement tool, the infringement notice mechanism, is achieving the goals set for it at its inception.The symposium is organised on behalf of AAHANZBS by the Business and Labour History Group, The University of Sydney, with the financial support of the University’s Faculty of Economics and Business

Book review, From Lake to Sand — The Archaeology of Farafra Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt, edited by Barbara E. Barich, Giulio Lucarini, Mohamed A. Hamdan and Fekri A. Hassan. Sapienza University of Rome, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità; Ministry of Antiquities, Egypt; Firenze, All’Insegna del Giglio, 2014, 503 pp., ISBN 978-88-7814-520-7.

Book revie

A History of the Infringement Notice Mechanism and its Use in the Enforcement of Australia’s Continuous Disclosure Regime

In modern markets the need for the timely disclosure of detailed, accurate financial information is born of the radical separation of management and control apparent in the majority of large modern organisations. Inadequate disclosure of material information concerning the future and fortunes of listed companies can detract from the integrity of the market and its ability to provide a fair and efficient mechanism for participation in securities markets, while also impacting upon the perceived credibility of financial markets and the corporations constituting them. Reduced confidence in financial markets can in turn have longer-term flow on effects which can be felt throughout the economy. It follows that the effective operation of Australia's continuous disclosure regime is of great consequence in the Australian economic, political and social landscape. This paper details the history of the regime, the reasons for its introduction, and features of its recent enforcement by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). It uses this history to assess whether the most recently created and most often employed enforcement tool, the infringement notice mechanism, is achieving the goals set for it at its inception.The symposium is organised on behalf of AAHANZBS by the Business and Labour History Group, The University of Sydney, with the financial support of the University’s Faculty of Economics and Business

Three-dimensional advanced numerical approaches to the seismic soil and structural response analyses

A 3D non-linear finite element approach is developed to study the free-field seismic ground response and the soil-structure interaction (SSI) phenomena at the Lotung site (Taiwan) during the earthquake event occurred on May 20 1986. The site was extensively instrumented with down-hole and surface ac- celerometers, these latter located also on a 1/4–scale nuclear power plant containment structure. An advanced constitutive model is adopt- ed for simulating the soil behaviour, while a linear visco-elastic be- haviour is assumed for the structural model. The free-field and SSI analyses are carried out applying both the NS and EW horizontal components of the acceleration time history as recorded at the depth of 47 m b.g.l. The predicted ground response re- sults are in fair agreement with the recorded motion at depth and at the surface. The dynamic response of structure is well captured for this specific seismic event, thus confirming the validity of the numerical approach

Faith/less? Market integrity and the enforcement of Australia’s continuous disclosure provisions

The very idea of ‘continuous disclosure’ and all it carries with it – corporate transparency, equal access to information, a level playing field amongst market participants for trade in an entity’s securities – is of serious value to the effective and efficient functioning of the Australian market for capital. The extent to which the structures supporting faith in this ideal are actually effecting it in reality is therefore an important issue for consideration. To what extent then do enforcement efforts surrounding the regime justify any faith placed in the integrity of the market by lay investors? Put differently, should investors feel confident that the immediate release of material information relevant to their trading decisions is well policed, with the effect that there are likely to be few deviations from this ideal standard, and that the market can be trusted to provide information necessary to maintain a level playing field? An important question on par with this preliminary is whether there is anything that might be learnt from enforcement activity of various kinds to improve the type of corporate reporting which has been subjected to it. Inquiry into these questions will serve to temper corporate and investor expectations as to just what the practical requirements and limits of a system of continuous disclosure might be. The purpose of this dissertation is to offer a deeper understanding of the enforcement of Australia’s continuous disclosure regime, from high profile court cases and the imposition of administrative sanctions to ‘everyday’ enforcement activity through ASX price queries and aware letters, and offer an analysis of what might be learnt from them with a view to improving the daily function of continuous disclosure in Australian markets. Such an understanding might at the very least ensure the development of a realistic set of expectations around this interesting, if unusual, set of rules

Alle origini del pastoralismo africano: riflessioni su alcune forme di gestione animale nell’antico Olocene.

Pastoralism is a well-adapted form of African economic organization. Climatic fluctuations, droughts and even famine seem to affect agricultural yields much more than animal by-products. The phenomenon seems to testify a long-lasting tradition, probably rooted in the continent's prehistory. In this paper I discuss some of cultural traits (experimentation, innovation, reorganisation) at the basis of the emergence of such a strategy and examine the theoretical and methodological assumptions surrounding the concept of domestication. The study is a first attempt to integrate environmental data, archaeological features, linguistic evidence and ethological information on the Early Holocene hunter-gatherers of North Africa. In particular, I stress here the in-depth knowledge of the animal universe shown by hunter-gatherers in such marginal environments, which provides the basis for the full affirmation of a food-producing economy in this part of the world