Overlooked Imports: Carnelian Beads in the Korean Peninsula

Analyses of a sample of 68 carnelian and agate beads from Korea's late Proto-Three Kingdoms and Three Kingdoms period (c.e. 100–668) provide evidence for long-distance exchange with South Asia. Three Kingdoms period elites were rejecting locally made stone beads made of local materials for stone beads obtained from long distance trade and made of non-local materials. Some of these beads may also be derived from South, Central, or Southeast Asia as well as from regions of modern China or Mongolia. The beads were recovered from burials at sites associated with the Paekche (RR: Baekje), Kaya (RR: Gaya), and Silla cultural traditions. There have been no local bead workshops found during the Three Kingdoms period and the carnelian beads were manufactured using different drilling technologies compared to earlier Korean drilling. Faceted hexagonal, spherical, and irregularly shaped carnelian beads were perforated using diamond drills, a technology originally developed in South Asia ca. 600 b.c.e. Quantitative analyses of drill hole size and overall size and shape of the beads points to multiple workshops supplying the imported beads. The distribution patterns of the beads in different polities may reflect changes in trade networks over time as well as stylistic choices of bead shapes used as a means of differentiating specific groups or individuals. Evidence for string wear and external weathering indicate that some beads were used for long periods of time enroute to Korea or in Korea itself before burial in mortuary contexts

Indus potters in central Oman in the second half of the third millennium BC. First results of a technological and archaeometric study

International audienceThe nature of cultural interactions between the Indus Civilization and Magan is explored in this paper. The presence of Indus potters in eastern Arabia can now be demonstrated based on a combined technological and petrographical study of a range of pottery types found at the site of Salūt ST1 (Sultanate of Oman). Similar discoveries from other Umm an-Nar sites in the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE supports the hypothesis that Indus communities were living alongside the Magan people at Umm an-Nar sites more extensively than previously thought

Indus potters in central Oman in the second half of the third millennium BC. First results of a technological and archaeometric study

International audienceThe nature of cultural interactions between the Indus Civilization and Magan is explored in this paper. The presence of Indus potters in eastern Arabia can now be demonstrated based on a combined technological and petrographical study of a range of pottery types found at the site of Salūt ST1 (Sultanate of Oman). Similar discoveries from other Umm an-Nar sites in the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE supports the hypothesis that Indus communities were living alongside the Magan people at Umm an-Nar sites more extensively than previously thought

Performance specifications for health physics instrumentation: portable instrumentation for use in normal work environments. Part 2. Test results

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory evaluated a draft American National Standards Institute Standard N42.17 (ANSI N42.17) on performance specifications for health physics instrumentation through a project jointly funded by the US Department of Energy and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The evaluation involved testing a representative cross section of instruments against criteria in the standard. This report presents results of the testing program. A brief history of the project is included in the introduction. The instrumentation tested is described in general terms (i.e., types, ranges); however, no direct relationship between the results and a specific instrument model is made in this report. Testing requirements in ANSI N42.17D4, Revision 1 (May 1985) are summarized and the methods by which the tests are performed are discussed. Brief descriptions of the testing equipment are included in the methods section of the report. More detailed information about the draft standard, testing requirements and procedures, and the test equipment is included in ''Performance Specifications for Health Physics Instrumentation - Portable Instrumentation for Use in Normal Work Environments, Part 1: Manual of Testing Procedures.'' Results of testing are given in two formats: test-by-test and instrument-by-instrument. Discussion is included on significant and interesting findings, on comparisons of results from the same type of instruments from same and different manufacturers, and on data grouped by manufacturer. Conclusions are made on the applicability and practicality of the proposed standard and on instrument performance. Changes that have been made to the proposed standard based on findings of the testing program are listed and discussed. 22 refs., 11 figs., 77 tabs

Bead Production in the Late Neolithic Communities of Coastal Oman

The development and elaboration of softstone and marine shell bead production is one of the major questions that need to be addressed in the ongoing research of early human coastal adaptations in the Oman Peninsula. This research aimed first at testing the archaeological significance of beads as an indicator of cultural variability among the Late Neolithic coastal communities of Oman based on a series of specific stylistic, technological and morphometric features. Around 600 softstone and marine shell beads were documented from eight Late Neolithic sites located along the coast of the Sultanate of Oman, including both settlements and necropolises. From North to South the sites are, Ras Al-Hamra RH- 5, RH-6 and RH-10 in Muscat; Wadi Shab GAS-1 near Tiwi; Ras Al-Hadd HD-5, Ras Al-Khabbah KHB-1 and Suwayh SWY-1 and SWY-2 along the Ja\u2019alan coas

Variation in groundwater composition and decalcification depth in a dune slack: effects on basiphilous vegetation

Basiphilous, open, species-rich vegetation types of young dune slacks have declined throughout Europe in recent years, and have largely been replaced by often acidophilous, tall marsh and scrub vegetation. This succession appears to be accelerated by a decrease in the discharge of calcareous groundwater from sandy ridges or small dune hummocks. The present study deals with spatial and temporal variation in the chemical composition of the groundwater in the upper metres of the soil of a degraded dune slack complex on the Dutch barrier island of Schiermonnikoog, with emphasis on (1) groundwater composition, (2) water level and (3) decalcification patterns. The main aim was to assess perspectives for restoring basiphilous vegetation types which had been abundant in this slack from 1954 to 1977. The depth of decalcification was related to former hydrological conditions along a transect of 200 m. Acidifying effects of rainfall were reflected in the chemical composition of the groundwater below small dune hummocks within the slack. Distinct precipitation water lenses, poor in dissolved ions, were formed under the dune hummocks during a wet period. This microtopography did not contribute to the discharge of calcareous groundwater to lowlying parts of the slack. Here, groundwater showed decreasing concentrations of the dissolved ions after a rain shower. Except for the peripheral sections of the slack – where upward seepage of groundwater (exfiltration) still occurs – infiltration conditions are now dominant in the slack. The consequences of the present hydrological conditions for restoration are briefly discussed.