Lidový knoflík ve Sbírce Waldes-Knoflíky

The study focuses on the set of folk costume buttons from the preserved part of the Waldes Museum collection. The aim of the paper is to present the button set and its ongoing research potentional, both in the further study of the collection itself and in comparison to other similar objects in the Czech Republic and abroad. The study includes the results of the long-term research of the Waldes Museum button subcollection that is provided with an institutional support of Museum of Glass and Jewellery Jablonec nad Nisou.

NEW DATA ABOUT THE HOARDS OF ROMAN COINS FROM THE HRODNA REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

The article provides information on five new locations of Roman coins from the Hrodna region of the Republic of Belarus: three hoards, as well as two collective finds that can be interpreted as parts of hoards. All of them are represented by denarii of the Roman Empire. Only in one of the deposits – from the village of Bačancy – there is a hybrid barbarian imitation of the imperial denarius. Another of the hoards, found near the village of Varanki, contains, in addition to denarii, fragments of cut silver items, which dates to the beginning of the Migration Period, which makes it possible to determine the date of hiding of this complex in the 5th century. All these finds were made in the course of illegal searches and, unfortunately, only one hoard (Bačancy) almost entirely ended up in the museum collection. The rest of the deposits went to private collections, which hinders their detailed study. Along with new finds in the Hrodna region, there are from 9 to 13 hoards of antique coins. Most of them consist of denarii of the Roman Empire (sometimes along with barbarian imitations). Of the other deposits, the most interesting are the hoard of Roman Republican denarii from under the village of Luckaŭliany, a complex of bronze Alexandrian tetradrachms from under the village of Turec and a hoard (?) of perforated aurei from under the village of Ambileŭcy. Most of the hoards of Roman coins from the Hrodna region can be associated with the East Germans (Pszeworsk and Wielbark archaeological cultures), who penetrated into the Neman River basin inhabited by Baltic tribes in the first half of the 1st millennium AD. It is with the Germans that the vast majority of the hoards of Roman Imperial denarii found on the territory of Barbaricum are associated. It is also possible that some of the hoards could have been deposited by the Balts, which are under powerful East German influence.

New data on some Russian herpetologists. Communication 3

Unknown biographic data about I. S. Darevsky, D. B. Krasovsky, and S. A. Chernov are presented. This information was obtained during work with the museum collection of the Gorsky State Agrarian University (Vladikavkaz), that of E. N. Pavlovsky’s Chair of Biology at S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy, and the archive of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Tabanidae (Diptera) holotypes in the KwaZulu-Natal Museum collection: Part 1. Haematopota Meigen, 1803

All primary (name-bearing) types of Haematopota Meigen, 1803, deposited in the KwaZulu-Natal Museum (NMSA) are documented - Haematopota anomala Travassos Dias, 1956 (Mpumalanga, South Africa); Haematopota diasi Travassos Dias, 1956 (Gauteng, South Africa); Haematopota megaera Usher, 1965 (Eastern Cape, South Africa); Haematopota mephista Usher, 1965 (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa); Haematopota montisdraconis Usher, 1965 (Eastern Cape, South Africa); Haematopota ovazzai Travassos Dias, 1956 (Eastern Cape, South Africa); Haematopota quathlambia Usher, 1965 (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa); Haematopota spectabilis Oldroyd, 1952 (Northern Cape, South Africa); Haematopota tropai Travassos Dias, 1956 (Reunion). The reference to the original publication, including the original name, the type locality and the collector, is provided for each species. In addition, brief remarks and colour photographs are provided. This is the first in a series of publications on the primary types of the Tabanidae of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum.

Exploring Dental Modification from Coastal Ecuador from an Unprovenienced Museum Collection

In South America, most examples of dental modification come from Ecuador; however, none have been directly radiocarbon dated and few have associated cultural materials or context. In fact, many modified teeth and crania are housed in museum collections, divorced from their cultural and temporal milieus, and because of this it is generally assumed that this limits the interpretive possibility of these individuals. We used multiple methods to investigate temporal and geographic origins of seven crania with dental modification housed in the Museo Antropológico y Arte Contemporáneo in Guayaquil, Ecuador. We identified diverse forms of dental modification, including dental inlays and appliques, incised lines, and anterior dental avulsion. Additionally, teeth from four modified individuals were sampled for radiocarbon dating and isotopic analyses (Sr, Pb, O). The dates indicate that dental modification persisted for at least 600 years (cal. A.D. 990–1646). The relatively heavy oxygen isotopes in the sampled teeth are consistent with Ecuador as a place of origin for the four individuals assayed, but strontium isotopes are quite varied, from 0.70462 to 0.70777 indicating that they did not reside in the same geographical area. Interestingly, the observed variations in strontium isotopes in the four individuals are lower than the modeled 87Sr/86Sr for the region. The values suggest the individuals resided in terrains with volcanic bedrock, which are abundant in Ecuador, yet their influence on the strontium isoscapes is not well represented by the published regional models. This analysis highlights the utility of multiple methods in bioarchaeology and biogeochemistry to investigate “orphaned” museum collections. En Sudamérica, la mayor parte de los ejemplos de modificación dental surgen de Ecuador; sin embargo, ninguno de estos casos ha sido fechados utilizando análisis de radiocarbono y pocos están asociados con contextos o materiales culturales. De hecho, varios dientes y cráneos modificados están localizados en colecciones museísticas y han sido divorciados de sus entornos culturales y temporales originales, generalmente con la suposición que limitan la posibilidad interpretativa de estos individuos. Nosotros utilizamos varios métodos bioarqueológicos y biogeoquímicos para investigar los orígenes temporales y geográficos de siete cráneos con modificaciones dentales ubicados en el Museo Antropológico y Arte Contemporáneo en Guayaquil, Ecuador. Nosotros identificamos varias formas de modificaciones dentales, incluyendo incrustaciones y aplicaciones dentales, incisiones de líneas y avulsión dental anterior. Adicionalmente, los dientes modificados de cuatro individuos fueron muestreados para fechar con análisis de radiocarbono y análisis isotópico (Sr, Pb, O). Las fechas indican que la modificación dental persistió durante por lo menos 600 años (990–1646 DC). Los isótopos de oxígeno relativamente pesados en los dientes muestreados son consistentes con Ecuador como lugar de origen para los cuatro individuos analizados, pero los isótopos de estroncio son bastante variados, de 0.70462 a 0.70777, lo que indica que no residían en la misma área geográfica. Las variaciones observadas en los isotopos de estroncio son más bajes de los 87Sr/86Sr modeladas para la región e indican que estos individuaos residían en regiones con la roca de fondo volcánica. Las rocas volcánicas son abundadas en Ecuador y aparentemente no está bien representadas en los modelos. Aún más, esta es la primera evidencia bioarqueológica sugerente de avulsión dental en Ecuador prehispánico. Finalmente, este análisis resalta la utilidad de métodos mixtos en bioarqueología y biogeoquímica para investigar colecciones museísticas que han “quedado huérfanas”.

Production and Experience

The chapter assesses the tools used for spinning fibre that survive in the Petrie Museum collection and how these artefacts shaped the daily experiences of their users. It first discusses spinning whorls, with data on the materials, diameters, and weights of these artefacts. The chapter identifies a correlation between different decorative designs and different weights, which would have helped spinners to select the most appropriate tool. There is also discussion of the apotropaic functions of whorl decoration. The chapter goes on to discuss pendants in the shape of weaving combs, which appear to be a distinct artefact type from Roman and late antique Egypt. This leads onto discussion of the cultural and religious function of spinning, through its association with the Virgin Mary and her cult in Egypt. A newly identified finger distaff in the Petrie Museum is presented in terms of its social and functional value, with reference to examples found elsewhere in the empire. Analysis of wear on the object suggests that it was a functional tool, rather than symbolic possession. The chapter also assesses the daily reality of spinning compared to that represented by cultural traditions, the role of women in spinning, and the complicated relationship between professional and domestic labour.