Burial of a Hunnic Period Noblewoman at Karakabak, Mangystau, Kazakhstan

This study continues a series of publications describing the fi ndings of excavations at the Karakabak cemetery on the Mangyshlak Peninsula, dating to the Hunnic period. Burial 11 was that of a girl dressed in an outfi t imitating a royal vestment. The reconstructed headdress consisted of a cape decorated with round, gold plaques and a diadem-type headband of red cloth with mask-shaped plaques. The central forehead plaque is a replica of Hellenistic gorgoneia. Similar masks were found in the Volga basin and the Northern Black Sea region. Temporal mask-plaques, carved of wood and covered with gold foil, have no parallels but follow the archaic Scythian tradition. Belt and shoe buckles were not attached to belts and were not used in everyday life. In terms of style and technique, the gold casing with an embossed geometric design on a wooden base belongs to a series of artifacts of the so-called Shipovo horizon. The buckle frames are shaped as stylized birds of prey with spread wings. The forehead plaque and details of the shoe straps are paralleled by those from Altynkazgan. The Karakabak artifacts are unique for the Aral-Caspian region, providing yet another indication of close cultural ties with the Hunnic world. All details of the outfi t were likely manufactured at a nearby workshop (the Karakabak settlement) in the second half of the 5th or fi rst half of the 6th century for the burial of a nomadic noblewoman.

Investigation of the Internal Structure and Gold-thin Layer of the Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva at Anseong Cheonryong Temple through the Non-destructive Analysis

Anseong Cheonryongsa, a temple located in Anseong Seoun Mountain, is a part of the second Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, under the Yongju Temple, and enshrines a gilt-bronze seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. In this study, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis revealed that this statue is composed of Cu-27.2 wt%, Sn-12.6 wt% and Pb-48 wt%. A gamma (γ) ray (Ir-192) image confirmed damage on the backside of the statue, which was later repaired with wood. The XRF analysis and visual observation determined the boundary between the metal and wood in the statue. In addition, results of standard X-ray peak intensity of gold foil and correlation with thickness helped to derive an equation for calculating the thickness of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s gold foil. It was determined that the gilded chest (21 µm) and face (20.7 µm) of the statue were the thickest sections, the wooden substratum (11.9 µm) was the next-most thick, and the bronze (7.4 µm) was the thinnest layer.

Engendering Performance in the Late Iron Age

This paper deals with humanoid figures on gold foils from the Late Iron Age in Scandinavia. Interpreted as figures wearing masks, an effort is made to show the complexity, importance and significance of masking practices. The single Bornholm figures from the 6th century are interpreted as shamans performing rituals. Further, it is proposed that a restriction of masked appearances and performances to certain people (shamans) and places in the long run created stricter and more rigid gender roles in everyday life. The later gold-foil couples are seen as signs of divine communication, cosmological movement and seasonality, making up a mythology that legitimised political domination —the sacred lineage of rulers pivoting around an apical, ancestral cross-sex pair.

Measurement of Neutron Flux at Thermal Column Using Gold Foil Activation Analysis and TLD Detector: Technical Review

The thermal column at the TRIGA PUSPATI (RTP) research reactor can produce thermal neutron. However, the optimization on the thermal neutron flux produced should be performed to gain a sufficient thermal neutron for boron neutron capture therapy purpose. Thus, the objective of this review is to optimize the thermal neutron flux by designing the collimator with different materials at the thermal column. In order to fulfil the requirement, set by the IAEA standard, the study of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) around the world was being reviewed to study the suitable measurement, material, design, and modification for BNCT at the thermal column of TRIGA MARK-II, Malaysia. Initially, the BNCT mechanisms and history was review. Then, this paper review on the design and modifications for BNCT purpose around the world. Based on this review, suitable material and design can be used for the BNCT in Malaysia. Moreover, this paper also reviews the current status of BNCT at the RTP with the measurement of the thermal neutron flux was conducted along the thermal column at 250 kW. The thermal column of RTP was divided into 3 phases (Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3) so that an accurate measurement can be obtained by using gold foil activation method. This value was used as a benchmark for the neutron flux produced from the thermal column. The reviewed demonstrated that the final thermal neutron flux produced was significantly for BNCT purpose.

Efficient graphene oxide coating improves cryo-EM sample preparation and data collection from tilted grids

Recent technical developments have made single particle cryo-EM a major structural biology technique, especially in the characterization of challenging samples that resist crystallization, can only be obtained in small amounts, or suffer from compositional or conformational heterogeneity. However, a number of hurdles that often challenge sample preparation still need to be overcome in order to increase the applicability and throughput of cryo-EM. These technical hurdles include obtaining enough particles per image, with close to random orientation, and without damage from interaction with the air-water interface. While coating EM grids with graphene oxide is a promising procedure for the improvement of sample preparation, it suffers from some technical problems that limit its applicability. We have modified the established drop cast method for adhering graphene oxide onto holey patterned grids to increase graphene coverage. Our method relies on the use of a polycationic polymer to coat the surface of the grid prior to graphene oxide application, thereby preventing the repulsion of the negatively charged graphene oxide sheets from the negatively charged grid surface. With this improved preparation method, we show that graphene oxide supports can increase the number of particles in the field of view by an order of magnitude with respect to open holes, while keeping them away from the damaging air-water interface. We also show how graphene oxide coated gold foil grids can be used to collect tilted cryo-EM data in order to overcome preferred orientation issues, without experiencing the large amount of drift observed with conventional amorphous carbon supports, thus allowing data collection that can lead to high-resolution reconstructions.

Gold in a Woman’s Burial Costume of the Late Ancient Bosporan Elite: New Materials from Phanagoreia

This paper publishes a unique woman’s costume with gold ornaments from the Hunnic Period. This find originates from a burial vault in Phanagoreia dated back to the late fourth or early fifth century AD. There are numerous gold foil badges uncovered in situ on a woman’s neck and chest. They were sewn on the collar of a robe and an outer garment. Gold ornaments appeared only on the front side of the cloths to be seen by the funeral ceremony participants. The find of the ornaments in Phanagoreia contributes to the suggestion that there was a universal set of gold ornaments for cloth in the Hunnic Period. It has been inferred that the costume decorated with fine gold ornaments played ceremonial role. It was made especially for funerals of noble and rich women belonging to the Bosporan elite. However, the culture of the barbarians living in the vicinity of the Bosporan Kingdom in the Migration Period possibly developed alternative perception of the costume in question

NEW RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH ONTO THE EARLY IRON AGE BURIAL MOUNDS AT THE KHANKAISKY DOL BURIAL GROUND

The article presents the results of the study of mounds N26 and N33 at the Khankarinsky Dol burial ground, located in the Krasnoshchekovsky district ofthe Altai Territory. The excavations were carried out by the Krasnoshchekovskaya archaeological expedition of Altai State University with the participation of students of the Barnaul State Pedagogical University. As a result of the excavations, it was revealed that both mounds had been robbed, which makes their chronological attribution difficult. At the same time, the inventory in the form of fragments of gold foil was found only in mound No. 33. Recorded during the excavation of mound No. 33 features of the burial rite is the position of the deceased on his right side, facing to the East, accompanying burial of the horse along the Northern wall of the grave, ritual food, have certain analogies to previously explored objects of the Pazyryk culture on the necropolis Khankarinsky Dol and the nearby burial grounds Inskoy Dol and Chineta-II. In addition, such signs of the funeral rite find parallels with similar indicators for the sites of the Pazyryk period excavated in the Central and South-Eastern Altai. Mound No. 26, taking into account the analysis of the burial structure, the eastern orientation of the deceased, the presence of ritual meat food, the location next to the chain of mounds of the Pazyryk culture, gives reason to tentatively attribute it to the Scythian-Saka period. Keywords: funeral ceremony, Scythian-Saka period, burial mound, altai, artifacts