Degradation of Arable Soils in Central Yakutia: Negative Consequences of Global Warming for Yedoma Landscapes

Global warming, which is especially intensive (up to 0.08°C yr−1) in permafrost area of Central Yakutia, has dramatic consequences for scarce arable land resources in this region. In Yedoma landscapes, intense permafrost thawing on arable fields unprotected by forest vegetation transforms the surface microtopography with the formation of residual thermokarst mounds (byllars) of 6–10 m in diameter surrounded by a polygonal network of hollows of 0.3–1.5 m in depth above melting ice wedges. This process also takes place on former croplands abandoned in the recent decades because of socioeconomic reasons. It is accompanied by a significant transformation of the previously highly likely homogeneous soil cover composed of Cambic Turbic Cryosols (Sodic) into differentiated complexes of permafrost-affected Stagnic Cambisols or Calcic Solonetzes (Turbic) on the mounds and Calcic Stagnic Solonetzes (Turbic) in the microlows. Surface soil horizons on the mounds have a strongly to very strongly alkaline reaction (pH 8.5–9.5) and low (<2%) organic carbon content; a wavy line of effervescence is found at a depth of 15–30 cm. Soils in the microlows have a close to neutral reaction in the upper horizons (pH 6.2–7.5); higher organic carbon content (2–3%); more pronounced textural differentiation of the profile with the formation of typical natric Btn and, in some cases, overlying eluvial E horizons; deeper (50–60 cm) line of effervescence; and clear stagnic features in the lower part of the profile. In the case of shallow embedding by ice wedge, the lowermost part of the soil in the microlow is characterized by the low bulk density (1.04 g cm−3) because of the appearance of hollows after thawing of the ice-rich transient layer and melting of the top of ice wedges. This may be indicative of the further soil subsidence in the future and the appearance of initial thermokarst lakes (dyuedya) within the Yedoma terrain with its transformation into the alas type of landscape. Rapid thermokarst-driven development of microtopography followed by differentiation of the soil cover with increasing soil alkalinity on the microhighs and soil textural differentiation and overmoistening of deep layers in the microlows prevents the return of abandoned arable land to agriculture in Yedoma landscapes.

Semantics of images of funeral vessels from Rovantsi cemetery of the Final Bronze Age

The study of the semantics of images on archaeological artifacts is a matter of great interest, because the content of ornamental compositions, ideograms, symbolic signs can be interpreted in the context of the sphere of contemporary religious doctrines. This also applies to the ornamentation of ceramic ware found in burials. During the research of bi-ritual cemetery of Ulvivets-Rovantsi cultural group in Rovantsi (Volhyn region), dated back to the second half of IX–VIII centuries B.C., cinerary vase-urn with the remains of cremation was found. The vessel is decorated by images of four «trees» that stand on a wavy line and have raised branches and round tops. One of them differs by presence of broken branches. Comparative analysis of archaeological materials with using of ethnographic and folklore sources and examples from mythology allows us to explain the semantics of these symbolic signs, which form a holistic ideogram with figurative and symbolic meaning. It is confirmed that such an ideogram, which also occurs in the burial vessels of Corded Ware culture, Komarivska, Bilozerska, Pomeranian and especially Vysotska and Lusatian cultures, can be considered a universal sign system aimed at the figurative expression of one of the oldest religious doctrines. Image of a tree on a funerary vessel can be associated with image of the «world tree (tree of life)», a universal mythological archetype, a symbolic embodiment of the idea of rebirth, although it can also be a «tree of death» or a «tree of the underworld». It is also noted that it is possible to anthropomorphically interpret the image of a tree as a symbol of souls of the dead who stand on the banks of the river – boundaries of the worlds or float by the «river of death» to the afterlife, as evidenced by the image of water (river) under the tree. It is claimed that the images on the cinerary urn from Rovantsi represent magical signs-symbols used by ancient people, applied to the burial vessels to ensure «transition» of the dead to the afterlife and subsequent revival, possibly an encoded story about dead whose remains were buried in this vessel. After all, at the base of such beliefs is the ancient cult of ancestors known in wide areas in many cultures, which belong to different historical periods and ethnic groups. Key words: Late Bronze Age, Rovantsi cemetery, cremation, funerary vessels, semantics of images, magical signs-symbols, cult of ancestors, idea of revival.

TRIBAL ART & THEIR RITUALISTIC, UTILITARIAN,INDIVIDUALISTIC IMPORTANCE: A GLIMPSE OF TRIBAL ART

Bhil tribes have a long history of their existence. Bhil love arrow and bow and it is believed that their name emerged from Dravid language word "billu" means bow and arrow. Their reference is in old literature Ramayana (in context of Shabri) and Mahabharata in context of Eklavya. In Sanskrit literature Bhil tribe occurs in Katha Sarit Sagar (600 A.D.). The traditional abodes of the tribes are hills and forests, and their popular names, meaning either the people of forest and hill or original inhabitants, are: Vanyajati (castes of the forests), vanvasi (inhabitants of forests), pahari (hill dwellers), adimjati (original communities), adivasi (first settlers), janjati (folk people), anusuchit janjati (schedules tribe). Amongst all these terms adivasi is known most extensively. Generally, the uppermost section of the enclosure, above a wavy line with geometric motifs.

The style of ‘regular irregularities’ – rococo gardens and their reception in Polish garden art of the 18th century

The stylish difference of the Rococo in the garden art is still the topic of the researchers’ discussion. The Rococo, which was in opposition to the formal and rhetorical art of the Baroque, brought a new value to the eighteenth-century gardens. This value was expressed primarily in the elements of the composition, asymmetry, irregularity, wavy line, fragmentation of form and ornamentation, as well as in relation to nature and specific mood.France is considered to be the fatherland of the Rococo style, from where this new, light style has spread to other European countries. The dissemination of new ideas was favored by print theoretical dissertations and collections of projects. The works by authors such as L. Liger, J-F. Blondel, J-B-A. le Blond, F. de Cuvilliés, M-A. Laugier, G-L. Le Rouge, W. Chambers, S. Switzer and B. Langley enjoyed particular popularity.Many impressive gardens with Rococo features were created especially in Germany and Poland. Their special flourishing in Poland fell on the times of the Polish-Saxon Union, and especially during the reign of Augusts III in the years 1733-1763.Special attention should be paid to the projects related to the patronage of the first minister H. Brühl. Rococo features can be found in several of his gardens, such as garden at Nowy Świat in Warsaw, garden in Wola, the unfinished garden project for the former Sanguszko palace or a garden in Brody (Pförten). Rococo compositions were also created in the gardens of Prince Adam Poniński at Żyzna street in Warsaw and in Górce. In 1966, the concept of a magnificent royal garden at the Ujazdów Castle was created. Noteworthy is also the arrangement of gardens in Puławy from the times of Zofia and August Czartoryski as well as Flemming in Terespol. The designers of many Polish gardens of that period were Saxon architects, such as: J.D. von Jauch, J.F. Knöbel, C.F. Pöppelmann, E. Schröger or J.Ch. Knöffel. From the 1770s, Rococo creations in Poland began to give way to landscape concepts.

Immobilization of carbonyl rhenium tripods on the surface of a trinickel-substituted Dawson-type polyoxotungstate

A monomeric trinickel(ii)-substituted phosphotungstate [H9P2W15O62Ni3]9− ion is stabilized by grafting three {Re(CO)3} organometallic groups on the surface of a trinickel cluster for the first time. The resulting polyanions [P2W15O56Ni3(H2O)3(μ3-OH)3(Re(CO)3)3]6− stacked along the a-axis to form a wavy line.

Middle Holocene Fisher-Hunter-Gatherers of Lake Turkana in Kenya and Their Cultural Connections with the North: The Pottery

During the Early and Middle Holocene, large areas of today’s arid regions in North and East Africa were populated by fisher-hunter-gatherer communities who heavily relied on aquatic resources. In North Africa, Wavy Line pottery and harpoons are their most salient diagnostic features. Similar finds have also been made at sites in Kenya’s Lake Turkana region in East Africa but a clear classification of the pottery was previously not available. In order to elucidate the cultural connections between Lake Turkana’s first potters and North African groups, the pottery of the Koobi Fora region that was excavated by John Barthelme in the 1970/80s was re-assessed in detail. It was compared and contrasted – on a regional scale – with pottery from Lowasera and sites near Lothagam (Zu4, Zu6) and – on a supra-regional scale – with the pottery of the Central Nile Valley and eastern Sahara. The analyses reveal some significant points: Firstly, the early fisher pottery of Lake Turkana is clearly typologically affiliated with the Early Khartoum pottery and was thus part of the Wavy Line complex. Secondly, certain typological features of the Turkana assemblages, which include only a few Dotted Wavy Line patterns, tentatively hint to a date at least in the 7th millennium bp or earlier. Thirdly, the pottery features suggest that the East African fisher-hunter-gatherers adopted pottery from Northeast Africa.

Settlement Duration and Materiality: Formal Chronological Models for the Development of Barnhouse, a Grooved Ware Settlement in Orkney

Radiocarbon dating and Bayesian chronological modelling, undertaken as part of the investigation by theTimes of Their Livesproject into the development of Late Neolithic settlement and pottery in Orkney, has provided precise new dating for the Grooved Ware settlement of Barnhouse, excavated in 1985–91. Previous understandings of the site and its pottery are presented. A Bayesian model based on 70 measurements on 62 samples (of which 50 samples are thought to date accurately the deposits from which they were recovered) suggests that the settlement probably began in the later 32nd century calbc(with Houses 2, 9, 3 and perhaps 5a), possibly as a planned foundation. Structure 8 – a large, monumental structure that differs in character from the houses – was probably built just after the turn of the millennium. Varied house durations and replacements are estimated. House 2 went out of use before the end of the settlement, and Structure 8 was probably the last element to be abandoned, probably during the earlier 29th century calbc. The Grooved Ware pottery from the site is characterised by small, medium-sized, and large vessels with incised and impressed decoration, including a distinctive, false-relief, wavy-line cordon motif. A considerable degree of consistency is apparent in many aspects of ceramic design and manufacture over the use-life of the settlement, the principal change being the appearance, from c. 3025–2975 calbc, of large coarse ware vessels with uneven surfaces and thick applied cordons, and of the use of applied dimpled circular pellets. The circumstances of new foundation of settlement in the western part of Mainland are discussed, as well as the maintenance and character of the site. The pottery from the site is among the earliest Grooved Ware so far dated. Its wider connections are noted, as well as the significant implications for our understanding of the timing and circumstances of the emergence of Grooved Ware, and the role of material culture in social strategies.

Fabrication of Computer Generated Hologram for Aspheric Surface Measurement

High-precision aspheric surfaces are generally measured using interferometer with a computer-generated holograms (CGH), which has a wavy line pattern fabricated onto a glass substrate. CGH patterns are generally made using lithographic techniques that was developed for semiconductor industry. Patterns can be subsequently etched into glass substrate using reactive ion or chemical etching. The accuracy of the drawn pattern on a CGH decides the accuracy of the measurement. Draw pattern error mainly includes the line-width deviation and its position error. In this paper, the influences of defocus of drawing laser and the wet-etching processes on the line-width were firstly investigated. On the other hand, the position error under different line-width was obtained by analyzing the relationship of line-width error and the position error. Based on the above-obtained results, a CGH having a diameter of 80 mm and the minimum line-width of 1.8 μm was successfully fabricated. Testing results showed that the wavefront error was only 3.79 nm, significantly higher than the commercial-available ones. The fabricated CGH is expected to use in the high-precision measurement of asphercal surfaces.