Artefact versus architecture: the use of space in Irish passage tombs

This paper examines interpretation and material culture in the Irish passage tomb tradition. Specifically, it asks whether the finds of human bone and associated artefacts or the built space should take precedence when interpreting the role of these monuments. It is proposed that just as finds have the potential to illuminate the past, they have an equal capacity to deflect us from past realities – a point that is sometimes insufficiently considered by archaeologists. Though the deposition of human remains may have been central to the construction of passage tombs, it is equally possible it had a partial or secondary role at some monuments. If we consider space as the primary arbiter in the interpretation of these sites, then it becomes possible to envisage alternative roles that passage tombs may have fulfilled.Cet article aborde la question de l’interprétation et de la culture matérielle dans la tradition des tombes à couloir d’Irlande. Lorsque nous interprétons le rôle de ces monuments, faut-il nous baser prioritairement sur les ossements humains et les mobiliers associés, ou plutôt sur l’espace construit ? Si les dépôts funéraires ont la capacité de nous éclairer sur le passé, on avance ici qu’ils ont également la capacité de nous détourner des réalités du passé – un point qui n’est pas suffisamment pris en considération par les archéologues. Bien que le dépôt de restes humains fut certainement un aspect central pour la construction des tombes à couloir, il est également possible que cette pratique n’ait eu qu’un rôle partiel ou secondaire dans certains monuments. En prenant l’espace comme référence principale pour l’interprétation de ces sites, il devient alors possible d’envisager d’autres rôles que les tombes à couloir ont pu remplir

More than meets the eye: new recordings of megalithic art in north-west Ireland

In this paper new and previously known passage tomb art in north-west Ireland is recorded using an innovative recording technique. The use of this method, which involves vector drawing from digital photographs taken with oblique lighting (VeDPOL), has clarified and increased the instances of megalithic carving in the north-west of Ireland. At two monuments – Listoghil and Heapstown Cairn – the new recordings have allowed us to contextualize the art within the broader corpus of passage tomb motifs. Additionally, it is proposed that one of the carvings from Listoghil is of later prehistoric origin and not Neolithic as previously believed. Finally, and most importantly, this paper highlights a group of motifs recently found at Cairn B in the Carrowkeel-Keashcorran complex. This discovery demonstrates for the first time that megalithic art was a feature of all four major passage tomb complexes in Ireland

Corporations and National Security: Is the Private Sector the New Battleground?

The panelists discuss the changing role of private corporations in national security. Overview: Prof. Tom C.W. Lin, Jack E. Feinberg Chair Professor of Law at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law Panel: Moderator: Prof. Elisabeth de Fontenay, Professor of Law, Duke Law School Panelists: Ms. Caroline E. Brown, Partner, Crowell & Moring Mr. Robert J. DeNault, Associate, Gibson Dunn, Duke Law \u2721 Mr. Hensey Fenton III, Associate, Covington & Burling, Duke Law \u271

Corporations and National Security: Is the Private Sector the New Battleground?

The panelists discuss the changing role of private corporations in national security. Overview: Prof. Tom C.W. Lin, Jack E. Feinberg Chair Professor of Law at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law Panel: Moderator: Prof. Elisabeth de Fontenay, Professor of Law, Duke Law School Panelists: Ms. Caroline E. Brown, Partner, Crowell & Moring Mr. Robert J. DeNault, Associate, Gibson Dunn, Duke Law \u2721 Mr. Hensey Fenton III, Associate, Covington & Burling, Duke Law \u271

Long-Term Outcomes of the FORMA Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair System for the Treatment of Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation: Insights From the First-in-Human Experience.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the long-term (≥2 years) outcomes following transcatheter tricuspid valve repair (TTVr) with the FORMA Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair System (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California). BACKGROUND Scarce data exist on long-term outcomes following TTVr. METHODS This multicenter experience included patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) who underwent TTVr with the FORMA system at 4 centers under a compassionate clinical use program. Data were collected at baseline, 30 days, and 1 year, and yearly thereafter. RESULTS Nineteen patients (76 ± 9 years of age, 74% women, mean EuroSCORE II [European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation] 9.2 ± 5.6%) with functional TR were included. Procedural success was achieved in 17 (89%) patients and there were no cases of 30-day mortality. At a median follow-up of 32 (interquartile range: 24 to 36) months, 4 (24%) patients had died (3 from terminal heart failure, 1 from sepsis) and 3 (18%) patients required rehospitalization for heart failure. There was 1 device-related thrombosis and 1 pulmonary embolism, both in the setting of subtherapeutic oral anticoagulation. Less than severe TR was observed at echocardiography in 67% of patients at the 2- to 3-year follow-up. Among 15 successfully implanted patients with at least 24-month follow-up, significant improvements in New York Heart Association functional class (p < 0.001), 6-min walk test (+54 m; p = 0.016) and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score (+16 points; p = 0.016) were observed, compared with baseline. CONCLUSIONS TTVr using the FORMA system showed favorable long-term safety profile in high-surgical-risk patients, with sustained functional improvement and acceptable TR reduction up to 3 years

Fonctions, utilisations et représentations de l’espace dans les sépultures monumentales du Néolithique européen

De Newgrange en Irlande à Hal Saflieni à Malte ou Gavrinis en Bretagne, les tombeaux néolithiques sont connus pour leur caractère monumental. Loin d’être de simples “contenants” mortuaires, destinés uniquement à recueillir les restes corporels des défunts, ces tombes sont des architectures complexes et multiples, conçues pour accueillir des rites funéraires élaborés, impliquant plusieurs acteurs, plusieurs temps et plusieurs espaces cérémoniels. Pour l’archéologue, l’organisation spatiale de ces architectures et de leurs contenants constitue un véritable fil conducteur permettant de comprendre les pratiques funéraires et les croyances des sociétés néolithiques. Cet ouvrage résulte d’une rencontre scientifique organisée du 8 au 10 juin 2011 à la Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme, à Aix-en-Provence, et rassemble les contributions d’une trentenaire de spécialistes européens (France, Grande-Bretagne, Irlande, Espagne, Italie, Pologne). Combinant études récentes et des synthèses régionales, il explore la configuration de l’architecture de ces tombes (chambres mégalithiques, hypogées, coffres sous tumulus ou cairns, tertres, etc.), l’organisation spatiale des dépôts funéraires et des décors pariétaux, et les relations entre les tombes et leur espace topographique naturel (le paysage). Ce tour d’horizon européen expose ainsi les différentes manières dont les sociétés néolithiques concevaient, construisaient et utilisaient l’espace des morts en Europe de 5000 à 2000 avant J.-C. Mais il offre également des pistes permettant d’interpréter ces choix. Quelles sont les fonctions des différents espaces architecturaux ? Quel est le rôle de l’espace naturel autour des tombes ? En quoi ces rapports particuliers à l’espace nous renseignent-ils sur les structures et pratiques sociales des populations néolithiques européennes, sur leurs conceptions symboliques et leurs représentations de l’espace funéraire ? From Newgrange in Ireland to Hal Saflieni in Malta or Gavrinis in Brittany, Neolithic tombs are well known for their monumental nature. Far from being simple mortuary “containers”, only aimed at receiving dead bodies, these tombs are complex and multiple architectures that were designed to host elaborate burial rituals involving several actors and several ceremonial times and spaces. For archaeologists, the spatial organisation of these architectures and their contents is a thread to investigate and understand the burial practices and beliefs of Neolithic communities. This volume results from a conference held at the Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme in Aix-en-Provence on June 8th–10th 2011, and brings together contributions from 30 European specialists from France, UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Poland. Combining recent fieldworks and regional surveys, it explores the configuration of tombs architecture (megalithic chambered tombs, rock-cut tombs, cists under tumulus or cairns, barrows, etc.), the spatial organisation of bodies, grave goods and imagery, and the relationships between the tombs and their landscape setting. This European overview shows the different ways Neolithic societies thought, built and used the space of the dead in Europe from 5000 to 2000 BC. But it also offers and discusses ideas about the meaning of these spatial choices. What are the functions of the different architectural spaces within tombs? What was the role of natural landscape features around the monuments? What spatial patterns in tomb construction and use can tell us about social structures and practices during the Neolithic, and about the symbolic conceptions of Neolithic societies and their representations of the space of the dead