Risultati preliminari delle indagini archeologiche ed etnografiche presso il sito di Togolok 1

Modern Turkmenistan is mainly constituted by a desert landscape, yet despite its harsh climate, cultures have been able to construct networks of water channels since the Bronze Age. This has resulted in a man-made landscape that integrates towns and villages. Extensive surveys and recent archaeological excavations have highlighted that between 2400 and 2100 BC (Namazga V period), the region of the Murghab alluvial fan was characterised by the development of complex urban societies. However, starting from the Late Bronze Age, a new group of mobile pastoralists appeared in the Murghab region and settled along the edges of the sedentary sites. Although their presence is well-attested both by survey and excavation data, their degree of interaction with the sedentary farmers is still debated. In modern Turkmenistan, semi-mobile shepherds continue to drive their cattle across the Murghab, using mobile camps for different months. This paper presents the preliminary results of the excavation of the sedentary site of Togolok 1, as well as the first ethnographic study of the mobile communities of the Murghab region

Ali Hakemi

Lamberg Karlovsky Carl C. Ali Hakemi . In: Paléorient, 1997, vol. 23, n°1. p. 128

Ali Hakemi

Lamberg Karlovsky Carl C. Ali Hakemi . In: Paléorient, 1997, vol. 23, n°1. p. 128

Regional and long-distance exchange of an emblematic ‘prestige’ ceramic in the Indo-Iranian Borderlands. Results of Neutron Activation Analysis

This article investigates the production and distribution of a high quality ceramic typical of the Indo-Iranian Borderlands ca 3000 BC, a ceramic we term here Late Shahi-Tump ware, often included under the generic label Emir Grey ware. Recorded at sites located hundreds of kilometers distant on the Southeastern Iranian Plateau, including Shahr-i Sokhta, Tepe Yahya, and Shahi-Tump, this ceramic is one of the few data points we have to approach the various communities settled in this area during the Early Bronze Age and to clarify the nature of their relationships. Through chemical composition analysis of the most relevant assemblages, using Instrumental Neutron Activation, we hoped to gain insights as to whether and how these ceramics circulated across the Southeastern Iranian Plateau. In the end, this analysis reveals patterns of distribution at the intraregional level in Southwestern Pakistan and a vast sphere of ceramic exchange at the interregional level. These results reinforce the picture of the Indo-Iranian Borderlands as a dynamic place for production and trade of high quality ceramics, a characteristic that continued and intensified during the 3rd millennium BC.Cet article traite de la production et de la distribution d’une céramique de haute qualité caractéristique des confins indoiraniens autour de 3000 av. J.-C. Cette céramique que nous nommons Late Shahi-Tump ware est souvent incluse sous l’appellation plus générale de Emir Grey ware. Elle a été collectée sur des sites du sud-est du Plateau iranien distants de plusieurs centaines de kilomètres, en particulier Shahr-i Sokhta, Tepe Yahya et Shahi-Tump. La céramique Late Shahi-Tump ware est l’une des rares sources de données permettant d’étudier les communautés vivant dans ce secteur et leurs relations au tout début de l’âge du Bronze. À travers des analyses par activation neutronique des assemblages les plus représentatifs, nous avons tenté de savoir si et comment cette céramique était distribuée. Ces analyses ont permis de fournir une première étude de sa distribution à l’échelle régionale dans le Kech-Makran (sud-ouest du Pakistan) et de mettre en évidence une vaste sphère de distribution interrégionale dans le sud-est du Plateau iranien. Ces résultats confirment l’image que l’on a des confins indo-iraniens autour de 3000 av. J.-C., à savoir une région particulièrement dynamique en ce qui concerne la production et l’échange de céramiques de haute qualité, une caractéristique qui continuera et ira en s’intensifiant au cours du 3e millénaire av. J.-C.Mutin Benjamin, Minc Leah D., Lamberg Karlovsky Carl C., Tosi Maurizio. Regional and long-distance exchange of an emblematic ‘prestige’ ceramic in the Indo-Iranian Borderlands. Results of Neutron Activation Analysis. In: Paléorient, 2017, vol. 43, n°1. pp. 141-162

Is Poverty in our Genes?: A Reply to Ashraf and Galor

The extent to which a paper written by economists Quamrul Ashraf and Oded Galor, which is forthcoming in the American Economic Review, is flawed on both factual and methodological grounds is presented. Aside from claiming that there is a causal effect of genetic diversity on economic success, the paper also heavily suggests that too much or too little genetic diversity hampers development

Is Poverty in Our Genes?

We present a critique of a paper written by two economists, Quamrul Ashraf and Oded Galor, which is forthcoming in the American Economic Review and which was uncritically highlighted in Science magazine. Their paper claims there is a causal effect of genetic diversity on economic success, positing that too much or too little genetic diversity constrains development. In particular, they argue that “the high degree of diversity among African populations and the low degree of diversity among Native American populations have been a detrimental force in the development of these regions.” We demonstrate that their argument is seriously flawed on both factual and methodological grounds. As economists and other social scientists begin exploring newly available genetic data, it is crucial to remember that nonexperts broadcasting bold claims on the basis of weak data and methods can have profoundly detrimental social and political effects.Anthropolog