A hoard of astragals discovered in the Copper Age settlement at Iepureşti, Giurgiu County, Romania

This article presents the discovery of 25 abraded and perforated ovicaprid astragals in a burned house at the Gumelnita Copper Age settlement at Iepuresti in Southern Romania. They were analysed in terms of their processing, of the taphonomic processes that affected them (burning), and of their spatial distribution. These astragals were also analysed in the wider context of more or less similar discoveries made mainly south and east of the Carpathian Mountains, in Romania, but also south of the Danube, in Bulgaria.V članku predstavljamo odkritje 25 odrgnjenih in preluknjanih gležnjic/astragalov ovce/ koze v požgani hiši na bakrenodobni naselbini kulture Gumelnita pri kraju Lepuresti v južni Romuniji. Preučili smo obdelavo, tafonomske procese (žganje) in prostorsko razporeditev teh najdb. Gležnjice/astragale smo preučevali tudi v širšem kontekstu bolj ali manj podobnih najdb, ki so jih izdelovali v glavnem južno in vzhodno od Karpatov v Romuniji, a tudi južno od Donave v Bolgariji

Corrosion Behaviour and Biocompatibility of 316 Stainless Steel as Biomaterial in Physiological Environment

Although stainless steel is a material widely used for biomedical applications, its surface properties for long term application are still a serious concern. 316L stainless steel (SS 316L) is a material commonly used in dentistry for orthodontic braces, wires and in some cases as dental crowns. The pH value of natural saliva from the oral cavity can undergo sudden modification due to food products which are rich in citric acid. The electrochemical corrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel was evaluated in two simulated body fluid solutions, Fusayama-Mayer artificial saliva with pH=5 and Fusayama-Mayer artificial saliva adjusted with citric acid to a pH=1.58 which simulates the environmental conditions of the oral cavity. The surface of SS316L was investigated by optical microscope before and after corrosion assays. The electrochemical corrosion behavior was studied by open circuit potential, potenitodynamic polarization and linear polarization. Optical microscopy was used to characterize the corrosion damage after the electrochemical assays

Corrosion Resistance of Zinc Coated Steel in Sea Water Environment

The life time of metallic materials used in naval transport industry is influenced by their corrosion resistance. For utilization in shipbuilding and offshore construction, metallic materials need to be covered with protective coatings, especially, or different anti-corrosion protection methods need to be used. During the last decades a series of inorganic and organic coatings was developed. Among inorganic coatings, the most used ones are the galvanizing treatments. This paper presents a comparative investigation regarding the corrosion resistance of uncoated low alloy steel and galvanizing steel. Both samples have been subjected to corrosion in sea water harvested from the Black Sea, Mangalia harbor. The electrochemical assays were: open circuit potential (OCP), linear polarization resistance (Rp), potentiodynamic polarization (PD) and cyclic voltammetry. The results obtained by in situ determination were confirmed by optical microscopy. The results revealed an improved corrosion resistance of galvanized steel in natural sea water in comparison with low alloy steel

The emergence of extramural cemeteries in Neolithic southeast Europe: a formally modeled chronology for Cernica, Romania

The emergence of separate cemeteries for disposal of the dead represents a profound shift in mortuary practice in the Late Neolithic of southeast Europe, with a new emphasis on the repeated use of a specific space distinct from, though still often close to, settlements. To help to time this shift more precisely, this paper presents 25 dates from 21 burials in the large cemetery at Cernica, in the Lower Danube valley in southern Romania, which are used to formally model the start, duration of use and end of the cemetery. A further six dates were obtained from four contexts for the nearby settlement. Careful consideration is given to the possibility of environmental and dietary offsets. The preferred model, without freshwater reservoir offsets, suggests that use of the Cernica cemetery probably began in 5355–5220 cal BC (95% probability) and ended in 5190–5080 cal BC (28% probability) or 5070–4940 (67% probability). The implications of this result are discussed, including with reference to other cemeteries of similar age in the region, the nature of social relations being projected through mortuary ritual, and the incorporation of older, Mesolithic, ways of doing things into Late Neolithic mortuary practice

Ancient pigs reveal a near-complete genomic turnover following their introduction to Europe

Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ~10,500 y before the present (BP) in the Near East, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) suggests that pigs arrived in Europe alongside farmers ~8,500 y BP. A few thousand years after the introduction of Near Eastern pigs into Europe, however, their characteristic mtDNA signature disappeared and was replaced by haplotypes associated with European wild boars. This turnover could be accounted for by substantial gene flow from local Euro-pean wild boars, although it is also possible that European wild boars were domesticated independently without any genetic con-tribution from the Near East. To test these hypotheses, we obtained mtDNA sequences from 2,099 modern and ancient pig samples and 63 nuclear ancient genomes from Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses revealed that European domestic pigs dating from 7,100 to 6,000 y BP possessed both Near Eastern and European nuclear ancestry, while later pigs possessed no more than 4% Near Eastern ancestry, indicating that gene flow from European wild boars resulted in a near-complete disappearance of Near East ancestry. In addition, we demonstrate that a variant at a locus encoding black coat color likely originated in the Near East and persisted in European pigs. Altogether, our results indicate that while pigs were not independently domesticated in Europe, the vast majority of human-mediated selection over the past 5,000 y focused on the genomic fraction derived from the European wild boars, and not on the fraction that was selected by early Neolithic farmers over the first 2,500 y of the domestication process

Resturile faunistice de la Murfatlar-Basarabi / Animal Bones Found at Murfatlar-Basarabi

Species diversity, bone taphonomy and skeletal elements representation indicates a natural accumulation, posterior to the abandonment of the site.Oasele studiate provin de la o diversitate mare de specii sălbatice. Animalele prezente, starea de conservare a oaselor, reprezentarea scheletică şi urmele care apar pe ele indică o acumulare naturală, rezultată în urma ocupării sitului de către o parte din aceste specii, după ce a fost abandonat de oameni.Dumitraşcu Valentin. Resturile faunistice de la Murfatlar-Basarabi / Animal Bones Found at Murfatlar-Basarabi. In: Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã), N°5 2009. pp. 189-192

Marie Balasse, Philippe Dillman (eds.), Regards Croisés. Quand les sciences archéologiques rencontrent l’innovation, Editions des Archives Contemporaines – Collection Sciences archéologiques, Paris, 2017, 178 pagini

Dumitraşcu Valentin. Marie Balasse, Philippe Dillman (eds.), Regards Croisés. Quand les sciences archéologiques rencontrent l’innovation, Editions des Archives Contemporaines – Collection Sciences archéologiques, Paris, 2017, 178 pagini. In: Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã), N°13 2017. pp. 269-270

Reindeer exploitation in the Upper Palaeolithic site of Buda, Eastern Romania. Evidence from older and newer excavations

The Upper Palaeolithic site from Buda (Bacău County) has been known since 1952 for the large amount of animal bones discovered alongside Gravettian tools. The revision of the osteological material from the old excavations (1958– 1960), as well as the study of newly discovered specimens excavated in the 2012– 2014 field seasons was carried out. The faunal material is dominated by long bone epiphyses and elements of the distal limbs, suggesting that the site functioned, for a short period, as a butchery site where the steppe bison and reindeer carcasses were dismembered, long bones were cracked for marrow extraction and then the skeletal elements that presented no interest were abandoned. Based on the population structure and reindeer antler development, we estimate that the hunting expeditions took place at the beginning of the cold season.Situl de la Buda, jud. Bacău, a fost cunoscut încă din 1952, însă primele săpături arheologice au avut loc între anii 1958– 1960, când au fost prelevate, alături de materialul litic gravetian, numeroase resturi osoase. O mică parte dintre acestea au fost studiate și publicate în acea vreme. După 60 de ani, noi săpături au fost efectuate în perioada 2012– 2014, fiind descoperite noi materiale în contexte similare celor din vechile cercetări. Vom prezenta o imagine de ansamblu a modului de exploatare a renului, specie secundară ca abundență, dominant fiind bizonul de stepă. Studiul arheozoologic al resturilor osoase de ren prelevate din săpăturile vechi și recente, arată, ca și în cazul bizonului, predominanța elementelor scheletului apendicular. Toate indiciile sugerează că situl a funcționat ca loc pentru tranșarea primară a animalelor, acțiune urmată de abandonarea părților scheletice care nu mai prezentau interes pentru vânătorii paleolitici. Pe baza structurii populației și a ciclului de dezvoltare a coarnelor de ren, estimăm că vânătoarea a avut loc în sezonului rece, foarte probabil la începutul acestuia.Dumitraşcu Valentin, Vasile Ştefan. Reindeer exploitation in the Upper Palaeolithic site of Buda, Eastern Romania. Evidence from older and newer excavations. In: Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã), N°15 2019. pp. 5-13

Zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains from the Palaeolithic site of La Adam Cave (Dobrogea, SE Romania) – new data from recent excavations

Recent (2006– 2009) excavations at the Palaeolithic site from La Adam Cave (central Dobrogea, south-eastern Romania) yielded numerous fossil remains, that were analysed in order to obtain more information on the Late Pleistocene faunal assemblage from the area of the cave, on the animal and anthropic contributions to bone accumulation in the cave, and on the taphonomic processes present at the site. The faunal remains analysed were highly fragmented, which prevented the precise taxonomic assessment for most of them. However, numerous specimens bear signs of chemical corrosion and carnivore bite marks, only a few showing signs of anthropic activity. The cave seems to have functioned as shelter for the carnivores, with cave bear remains dominating numerically. Other large carnivores, such as cave hyenas, most probably also contributed to bone accumulation, with large and middle-sized ruminants being their most common prey.Săpăturile arheologice efectuate recent (2006– 2009) în situl paleolitic din Peștera La Adam (Dobrogea Centrală, sud-estul României) au furnizat numeroase resturi fosile, care au fost analizate în scopul obținerii mai multor informații asupra asociației faunistice din Pleistocenul târziu în zona peșterii, asupra contribuțiilor animalelor și omului la acumularea oaselor în interiorul peșterii, și asupra proceselor tafonomice prezente în sit. Resturile faunistice analizate au fost foarte fragmentare, fapt care nu a permis, în cazul celor mai multe, o determinare taxonomică mai precisă. Totuși, numeroase specimene prezintă urme de coroziune chimică și semne ale mușcăturilor unor carnivore, doar câteva prezentând semne de activitate antropică. Peștera pare să fi funcționat în special ca adăpost pentru carnivore, resturile ursului de peșteră dominând numeric. Alte carnivore mari, cum ar fi hienele de peșteră, au contribuit de asemenea, cel mai probabil, la acumularea oaselor, rumegătoarele de dimensiuni mari și medii reprezentând cel mai frecvent prada acestora.Vasile Ştefan, Dumitraşcu Valentin. Zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains from the Palaeolithic site of La Adam Cave (Dobrogea, SE Romania) – new data from recent excavations. In: Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã), H-S 2021. pp. 361-372

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYMERIC FILMS USED IN OPHTHALMOLOGY

The aim of the present work was to characterize the surface properties of (poly)methylmethacrylate (PMMA) foils used in ophathalmological applications. Thus, the morphology, chemical composition and surface energy of these PMMA foils are analyzed, by specific measurements, at the interface with different test liquids of interest in ophthalmology, i.e. distilled H2 O, physiological serum and ophthalmic solution of ReNu Multiplus, used for contact lens cleaning, hydration and disinfection. Also, a solution of Nostamine, known as a drug used in eye irritation and conjunctival inflammation, was tested