Petrographic and geochemical characterization of Archaic‐Hellenistic tableware production at Solunto,Sicily

A selected assortment of Archaic‐Hellenistic tableware samples from Solunto, a Phoenician‐Punic site located 20 km east of Palermo (Sicily), has been subjected to thin‐section petrography and chemical analysis (XRF). In this settlement several ceramic kilns remained operative over a long time period (7th to 3rd century B.C.). The main goal of this analytical study is to distinguish the ceramics manufactured locally from regional and off‐island imports. Analytical results were matched to similar data concerning local natural clay sources and to coeval tableware productions from other sites in the same area. The ceramic pastes used by the ancient craftsmen of Solunto in the case of this class of pottery could be differentiated clearly by their petrochemical characteristics. We conclude that ceramics were locally produced far beyond satisfying just internal consumption needs, indicating interaction of Solunto with neighboring Greek colonies, indigenous people, and Phoenician‐Punic colonies of Sicily. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cervid remains from the middle Siwaliks of Hasnot (Late Miocene), Pakistan

The late Miocene-early Pliocene fossil deposits of Hasnot in northern Pakistan have yielded a very rich vertebrate fauna. In this paper we describe the remains of Cervidae from six of these localities. By dental remains, at least four species of cervids are documented. These remains significantly widen the time distribution of the cervids and draw back the first appearance of cervids in the Dhok Pathan Formation of the Siwaliks. The data indicate a diverse set of coexisting ungulates in the area, subsisting within a mosaic of habitats.     

Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction of a Lower Pleistocene Stratigraphic Section in Sousaki Basin,Greece, Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps

Mathematical Geosciences - This work aims to test and introduce a newly developed methodological approach for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions using advanced intelligent controls, namely fuzzy...