Social landscapes as multicultural spaces: stećci in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Stećci are medieval tombstones. Scattered across the landscapes of the Western Balkans in their thousands, they amalgamate the historical, cultural and religious components of medieval societies in the region, and are expressions of identity, social systems, politics and religious belief. Through these monuments, a diverse spectrum of identities was enunciated, providing us with a rare opportunity to investigate the archaeo-historic development of medieval South-eastern Europe

Late Antique decorative pins of the stylus type in Slovenia

Članek predstavlja poskus natančnejše tipološke razdelitve in časovne uvrstitve poznoantičnih okrasnih igel vrste stilus, najdenih v Sloveniji. Obravnavana vrsta izhaja iz rimskega toaletnega pribora. Pojavljajo se v srednji in jugovzhodni Evropi, a so zgoščene na prostoru jugovzhodne Madžarske, Slovenije in severne Italije. Tovrstne igle z območja Slovenije lahko razvrstimo v pet tipoloških skupin z različicami. Najpogosteje so datirane v 6. st., v uporabi pa so bile vse od konca 4. do začetka 7. st.The article presents a detailed typology and chronology of the Late Antique decorative pins of the stylus type found in Slovenia. This pin type derives from Roman toilet implements. The pins can be divided into five types with variants and appear across central and south-eastern Europe with a concentration in south-eastern Hungary, Slovenia and northern Italy. They were broadly in use from the end of the fourth to the beginning of the seventh century, though the majority dates to the sixth centur

Integrated Remote Sensing to Assess Disease Control: Evidence from Flat Island Quarantine Station, Mauritius

This article presents an integrated approach used in archaeology and heritage studies to examine health and disease management during the colonial period in the Indian Ocean. Long-distance labor migrations had dire health consequences to both immigrants and host populations. Focusing on the quarantine station on Flat Island, Mauritius, this study analyzes a historical social setting and natural environment that were radically altered due to the implementation of health management. Using aerial and satellite imagery, digital elevation models, RTK and total station raw data, 3D modeling, and GIS mapping, we reconstructed the spatial organization and the built landscape of this institution to assess the gap between the benefits claimed by European colonizers and the actual effects on immigrant health conditions through the promotion of public health practice

Tridimenzionalno dokumentiranje stečkov srednjeveške župe Dabar v Bosni in Hercegovini

Stećci are medieval tombstones that can be found in situ in the landscapes of the Western Balkans. Only approx. 8% of stećci have various decorations in the form of low relief, while less than 400 tombstones also bear inscriptions. Climate influences often cause erosion of these engravings, which makes them increasingly difficult to detect and identify. As part of the archaeological research on the stećci phenomenon in the area of the medieval župa Dabar (modern municipalities of Berkovići and Bileća), a pilot study of 3D scanning of these monuments with a hand-held scanner was performed. Eight tombstones, two with an inscription and six with decorations, were thus scanned in their entirety, in order to evaluate the visibility and recognition of the engravings, and to assess the technique for detailed documentation of material culture itself. The article presents the process of scanning and analyzes the results

Integrated remote sensing to assess disease control: evidence from Flat Island quarantine station, Mauritius

This article presents an integrated approach used in archaeology and heritage studies to examine health and disease management during the colonial period in the Indian Ocean. Longdistance labor migrations had dire health consequences to both immigrants and host populations. Focusing on the quarantine station on Flat Island, Mauritius, this study analyzes a historical social setting and natural environment that were radically altered due to the implementation of health management. Using aerial and satellite imagery, digital elevation models, RTK and total station raw data, 3D modeling, and GIS mapping, we reconstructed the spatial organization and the built landscape of this institution to assess the gap between the benefits claimed by European colonizers and the actual effects on immigrant health conditions through the promotion of public health practices

Multiple ethnic origins of mitochondrial DNA lineages for the population of Mauritius

This article reports on the first genetic assessment of the contemporary Mauritian population. Small island nodes such as Mauritius played a critical role in historic globalization processes and revealing high-resolution details of labour sourcing is crucial in order to better understand early-modern diaspora events. Mauritius is a particularly interesting case given detailed historic accounts attesting to European (Dutch, French and British), African and Asian points of origin. Ninety-seven samples were analysed for mitochondrial DNA to begin unravelling the complex dynamics of the island’s modern population. In corroboration with general demographic information, the majority of maternal lineages were derived from South Asia (58.76%), with Malagasy (16.60%), East/Southeast Asian (11.34%) and Sub-Saharan African (10.21%) also making significant contributions. This study pinpoints specific regional origins for the South Asian genetic contribution, showing a greater influence on the contemporary population from northern and southeast India. Moreover, the analysis of lineages related to the slave trade demonstrated that Madagascar and East Asia were the main centres of origin, with less influence from West Africa

Locating the festival, positioning the feast: natural and calendar festivals in medieval Slovenia

The astronomical cycles and occurrences of the Sun, Moon, planets and certain star constellations were well known to prehistoric, Roman and medieval communities. Archaeoastronomy studies how ancient societies incorporated this knowledge into various aspects of past cultures. The discipline draws on modern astronomy, geodesy, physics, statistics, anthropology, ethnology and archaeology to study and interpret a wide range of source materials, from structural alignments to art, artefacts and inscriptions. This paper presents archaeoastronomical research on the orientation of Romanesque churches across the territory of modern-day Slovenia, focusing on an array of medieval festivals associated with the solstices and equinoxes. It demonstrates a profound connection between these festivals and the alignment of churches