Cultural and Demic Diffusion of First Farmers, Herders, and their Innovations Across Eurasia

Was the spread of agropastoralism from the Eurasian founder regions dominated by demic or by cultural diffusion? This study employs a mathematical model of regional sociocultural development that includes different diffusion processes, local innovation and societal adaptation. Simulations hindcast the emergence and expansion of agropastoral life style in 294 regions of Eurasia and North Africa. Different scenarios for demic and diffusive exchange processes between adjacent regions are contrasted and the spatiotemporal pattern of diffusive events is evaluated. This study supports from a modeling perspective the hypothesis that there is no simple or exclusive demic or cultural diffusion, but that in most regions of Eurasia a combination of demic and cultural processes were important. Furthermore, we demonstrate the strong spatial and temporal variability in the balance of spread processes. Each region shows sometimes more demic, and at other times more cultural diffusion. Only few, possibly environmentally marginal, areas show a dominance of demic diffusion. This study affirms that diffusion processes should be investigated in a diachronic fashion and not from a time-integrated perspective.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, revised version submitted to Documenta Prehistori

Bricks and urbanism in the Indus Valley rise and decline

The Indus Civilization, often denoted by its major city Harappa, spanned almost two millennia from 3200 to 1300 BC. Its tradition reaches back to 7000 BC: a 5000 year long expansion of villages and towns, of trading activity, and of technological advancements culminates between 2600 and 1900 BC in the build-up of large cities, writing, and political authority; it emerges as one of the first great civilizations in history. During the ensuing 600 years, however, key technologies fall out of use, urban centers are depopulated, and people emigrate from former core settlement areas. Although many different hypotheses have been put forward to explain this deurbanization, a conclusive causal chain has not yet been established. We here combine literature estimates on brick typology, and on urban area for individual cities. In the context of the existing extensive data on Harappan artifact find sites and put in their chronological context, the combined narratives told by bricks, cities, and spatial extent can provide a new point of departure for discussing the possible reasons for the mysterious "decline".Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, Supplementary Material. Submitted to PLOS On

Absorption and rheological phenomena during foam application on textiles

A simple rheological model has been used to describe foam flow through moving textile assemblies. The validity of this model was tested, and the nature and the relative magnitude of deviations from the model evaluated for several different substrates. Neglecting foam degeneration during transport, the model was found to represent a valuable means of evaluating some rheological and geometrical deviations. The model can be used in a semi-quantitative way to describe absorbency during foam application. Liquid absorption experiments done off-line, absorption during foam application and some earlier results could be described using different theoretical approaches. Some rheological anomalies have been discussed

The degree of financial integration in the European Community

EEC;Monetary Integration;monetary economics

The fundamental determinants of financial integration in the European Union

This paper focuses on the fundamental determinants of the degree of financial integration in the European Union over the period 1973-1993. Using closed interest differentials to measure the intensity of capital controls and applying a panel data approach, we find realized inflation rates, government deficits, current account deficits and credits to the domestic economy to be significantly positively correlated with the intensity of capital export restrictions. In addition, low productivity in the business sector and low availability of sophisticated deposit instruments are positively related to the intensity of capital export controls. Consequently, remaining differences in national economic and financial structures, should be of greater interest to policymakers.Control;EU;Financial Integration;monetary economics

Financial integration in Europe: Evidence from Euler equation tests

This paper applies Obstfeld's Euler equation tests to assess the degree of financial integration in the European Union. In addition, we design a new Euler equation test which is intimately related to Obstfeld's Euler equation tests. Using data from the latest Penn World Table (Mark 6), we arrive at the following ranking of financial integration in the European Union: low integration (Greece and Portugal) intermediate (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Sweden) and high (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom). Furthermore, it appears that there is still significant room for risk diversification among European Union countries.EU;International Financial Markets;euler equations;Financial Integration;finance

The catching up of European money markets: The degree vs. the speed of integration

Financial Markets;EMS;European Integration;430;210;420;Interest