Discerning geological and geographical sources of Belgian Upper Paleolithic fluorites by rare earth elements and Sr-isotopic geochemistry

Fragments of fluorite (CaF2) have been found at five Belgian Upper Paleolithic sites (Spy, Chaleux, Trou Magritte, Trou du Frontal and Verlaine caves), primarily of Magdalenian age. These sites are located in a large geographical area. The aim of this study is to isolate one or more primary sources where the mineral could have been quarried prehistorically, and hence try to deduce if time and effort were put into obtaining it, or if it was simply a useful nearby raw material. In order to achieve this objective, isotopic 87Sr/86Sr and REE ratios are used. A total of four archaeological samples from the Chaleux, Spy and Trou Magritte sites along with geological samples were analyzed (new results and data from the literature), obtained from two distinct stratigraphical units in Belgium: the Givetian limestones (mainly from the Calestian Band), and the Dinantian limestones. Results show a single geological and geographical origin for the archaeological material: the silicified Givetian limestones of the Calestian Band near Givet (France). When looking at the 440 g of fluorite recovered at Chaleux cave, Chaleux could perhaps have had a central role in the distribution of fluorite in the region. Chaleux and Givet are both situated on the banks of the Meuse river, relatively proximal to one another, while the Spy cave is more distant from Givet and do not share the same river trajectory.We propose as possible that fluorite was quarried at Givet and taken to Chaleux via the Meuse river to be further distributed from there. The second scenario assumes that fluorite is transported directly from Givet to all the other studied sites.status: publishe

Western Mediterranean sand deposits as a raw material for Roman glass production

During the Late Roman and Byzantine period, natron glass was made from its raw materials in a limited number of primary production centres in Egypt and Syro-Palestine. For the earlier Hellenistic and Roman period, no primary furnaces have been found and the location of primary production during this era remains unclear. Ancient authors such as Strabo and Pliny the Elder suggest that glassmaking sands were found near the River Belus (Israel), in Egypt, near the mouth of the Volturno River (Italy) and also in Spain and France. However, primary production in the western part of the Mediterranean is not supported by any direct archaeological evidence and possible sand raw materials from these regions have never been evaluated for their suitability to produce glass. In this study 178 modern beach sands from Spain, France and Italy were analysed for their major and minor elemental compositions. By calculating the composition of the glasses that can be produced with these sediments after the addition of pure natron, and comparison with the composition of typical Roman natron glass, we were able to judge whether or not these sands are suitable for Roman glass production. The results indicate that good glassmaking sands are rather rare. Only a very limited number of the 178 analysed beach sands would produce a glass with major and minor elemental compositions within the ranges of Roman imperial natron glass. The rest of the analysed sands are unsuitable for glass production in their present form due to their insufficient SiO2, high Al2O3 and Fe2O3 and either too low or too high CaO contents. If the sand raw material was too low in CaO, extra lime could be added to the glass batch in the form of shell or limestone. This was taken into account in a second calculation. Overall we were able to define six limited areas where suitable sand raw materials would have been available to the Roman glassmaker. Good glassmaking sands occur in the Basilicata and Puglia regions (SE Italy), and Tuscany (W Italy). After the addition of an extra source of lime also sands from the Huelva province (SW Spain), the Murcia region (SE Spain) and from the Provence (SE France) would produce glasses with a typical Roman composition

Undertreatment of tracheal carcinoma: multidisciplinary audit of epidemiologic data.

Contains fulltext : 81051.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)National epidemiologic data were examined to determine the eligibility for curative therapy in tracheal carcinoma. An expert audit of primary tracheal carcinomas registered from 2000 to 2005 with the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) included blinded patient data and radiographic review to assess diagnosis and resectability. Actual treatment was compared with the opinions of a multidisciplinary panel (Radboud panel) and a second reviewer. Of 101 NCR-registered primary tracheal carcinomas, the Radboud panel diagnosis was metastatic disease or local extension of adjacent tumors in 34. Seventeen cases were excluded for missing data. In 50 cases confirmed by panel and a second reviewer, actual treatment consisted of surgery in 12 (24%), radiotherapy in 29 (58%), endobronchial treatment in 6 (12%), and observation in 3 (6%). Both panel and second reviewer identified 16 additional surgical candidates, a total of 28 (56%) of 50. Treatment recommendations of panel and second reviewer disagreed in four cases (8%). One-third of NCR-registered primary tracheal carcinomas were misclassified nontracheal primary tumors involving the trachea. A majority of cases meeting audit criteria for diagnosis and surgical resection was treated with other modalities. Interreviewer disagreement was small. The audit of a national cancer registry suggests that incorrect diagnosis and undertreatment are common in rare airway tumors