Archaeometrical study of Khmer stoneware from the Angkorian period: Results from the Cerangkor Project

In the area around Angkor, Cambodia, several ceramics kilns dating from the ninth to 15th centuries ce have been discovered since 1995. The technical, typological and compositional characterization of their production has been one of the main goals of the Cerangkor Project. Samples of green‐glazed ‘Kulen‐type' stoneware and non‐ glazed stoneware produced in five kiln sites in the Angkor region were analysed chemically by wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (WDS‐XRF) and also petrographically. The data indicate that some workshops used similar raw materials for the same types of ceramics, suggesting the exploitation of the same geological formations in the whole region. Several references groups were established for each type of stoneware offering an important database for future provenance studies of sherds from consumption sites

Thaïlande. La Mission « Sites urbains anciens de la région de Pattani »

Perret Daniel, Srisuchat Amara, Sombatyanuchit Amnat. Thaïlande. La Mission « Sites urbains anciens de la région de Pattani ». In: Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient. Tome 86, 1999. pp. 387-393

New engraving finds in Alor Island, Indonesia extend known distribution of engravings in Oceania

Engraving sites are rare in mainland and Island Southeast Asia and few examples have been identified in the Indonesian islands. Here we report three new engraving locales in Alor Island, Indonesia. The engravings are executed on boulders and in shelters and include figurative and geometric motifs, some combining cupules. Motifs incorporating cupules occur widely in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Near Oceania but have not previously been reported to the west in Indonesia. The Alor engraving sites thus extend the known distribution of cupule-based motifs to the west. These recent finds also indicate that the paucity of engravings found in the islands of eastern Indonesia is likely due to the comparatively few archaeological surveys conducted in this region.</p

Haplorchis taichui as a Possible Etiologic Agent of Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Like Symptoms

The aim of this study is to clarify the clinical features of Haplorchis taichui infection in humans in Nan Province, Thailand, and to correlate the clinical features with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms. In this study area, only H. taichui, but neither other minute intestinal flukes nor small liver flukes were endemic. The degree of infection was determined by fecal egg counts and also by collecting adult worms after deworming. The signs and symptoms of individual patients together with their hematological and biochemical laboratory data were gathered to evaluate the relationship between the clinical features and the severity of infection. Special emphasis was made to elucidate the possible similarities of the clinical features of H. taichui infection and IBS-like symptoms. The results showed useful clinical information and the significant (> 50%) proportion of haplorchiasis patients complained of abdominal pain, lassitude, and flatulence, which were the important diagnostic symptoms of IBS. This study has reported a possible link between H. taichui and IBS, and H. taichui might probably play a role in the etiology of these IBS-like symptoms