Identifying Wheel-Thrown Vases in Middle Minoan Crete? Preliminary Analysis of Experimental Replicas of Plain Handleless Conical Cups from Protopalatial Phaistos

Recent work in Middle Bronze Age Crete has revealed that most Protopalatial or First Palace period pottery is produced through the use of a combination of coil-building and the wheel, i.e., wheelcoiling. Experimental work conducted on pottery from Minoan sites of Northern and Eastern Crete (e.g., Knossos, Myrtos Pyrgos, Palaikastro) has indeed determined that Minoan potters did not develop the skills required to adopt the wheel-throwing technique. However, my recent technological study of Protopalatial ceramic material from Middle Minoan IIA (19th century BC) deposits from the First Palace at Phaistos, in Southern Crete, has revealed that though pottery was produced by the wheelcoiling techniques, yet other forming techniques were practised too. In this paper I present a preliminary analysis of experimental replicas of MM IIA Phaistian plain handleless conical cups, manufactured on the potter’s wheel using three different forming techniques: wheel-pinching, wheel-coiling, and throwing-off-the-hump. This analysis will proffer answers to several questions on the use of the potter’s wheel in Middle Bronze Age Crete and opens the possibility that at MM IIA Phaistos there co-existed potters who had developed skills to employ different forming techniques on the wheel, including possibly that of throwing-off-the-hump.

Contextualising Artisanal Interplay and Technological Changes on Iron Age Naxos (Cyclades). Some Preliminary Observations

Iron Age Naxos in the Cyclades offers a nuanced insight into potting traditions of fine and coarse wares. Geometric Naxian coarse-ware pots belong to a hand-building tradition that was practised alongside Naxian wheel-made fine wares. Although hand-built, certain Naxian coarse vessels, i.e., storage amphorae and cooking jugs, from the second half of the 8th century BC onwards, show the use of rotational devices in roughouts and shaping to varying degrees, as preserved in the Tsikalario cemetery in inland Naxos. This thematic review, which serves as an introduction to on-going research, sets out the goals and approaches of a technological study which is also investigating the use of rotational devices on Iron Age Naxian vessels alongside other co-existing (hand-made) potting traditions. It is argued that such technological phenomena/changes observed are part of a wider picture that includes interactions and cross-fertilisation between ceramic artisans in the Iron Age settlements of the island.

GRAPEVINE VARIETY AUGUSTA BRED BY ARRIV&W – BRANCH OF FRARC FOR HIGH QUALITY WINE

The paper presents the technological study of red wine variety Augusta bred in Ya.I. Potapenko Institute for Viticulture and Winemaking. The research was carried out in the laboratory of winemaking technology in the conditions of micro-winemaking and semi-reproduction. The mass of one batch of grapes was 50–350 kg. Samples of natural dry, semi-sweet and liqueur wines were pre-pared. The main physical and chemical pa-rameters of wort and wine are determined. All of them corresponded to the Standard indicators. The organoleptic evaluation of wine materials showed that all the samples (dry, semi-sweet and liqueur) were distin-guished by a dark ruby color, had a bright, complex aroma, with tones of berries, and light shades of tea rose, and the high organo-leptic properties of the wines were increased when using bottle holding. According to the results of the research, conclusions were made about the feasibility of using the technical grade Augusta for the preparation of various types of wines (dry, semi-sweet and liqueur).

The studies on the Sungir Upper Paleolithic site in 2014–2015

The article is devoted to the results of archaeological excavations carried out on the Sungir in 2014-2015. The main purpose of these works was to obtain new data on the spatial structure of the cultural layer of the Sungir site. The relevance of these studies is caused by still unsolved question of whether Sungir can be considered as a site with a complex archaeological stratigraphy or the features of its spatial structure are only the result of natural postdepositional processes. Descriptions and characteristics of the stratigraphy of sediments, the spatial organization of the cultural layer, the species’ attribution and taphonomy of the faunal collection, the typology and technology of the stone industry, as well as new radiocarbon dating are given. It is noted that the excavations of 2015 were conducted on the peripheral part of the accumulations which were opened in the excavation unit III by O.N. Bader. Most of the animal bones found during excavations can be considered as belonging to species that the settlers hunted. The analysis of the stone inventory allowed us to identify the following production chains of manufacture: the production of large flakes, the production of blades, and the production of thin bifaces. The data obtained during the typological and technological study of blades and bladelets make it possible to suggest the existence of the fundamental differences between the Sungir industry and the industries of the Aurignacian technocomplex. Predominance of large flakes in the Sungir stone industry, as well as the characteristic techniques in bifaces production, which were recorded in the collection, allow us to consider so-called Streletskian culture as a more reasonable analogy to it. The stratigraphic position both of artifacts and accumulations of archaeological material, as well as the spatial context of the dated bone samples from reconnaissance trench No. 4 (2014), support the conclusion that the cultural layer of the Sungir site was formed in several stages. The results of archaeological work carried out on Sungir in 2014–2015 indicate the real perspectives for its further study. One of the urgent tasks facing the researchers of this outstanding site is the reconstruction of the spatial structure, including its archaeological stratigraphy.

Technological and socio-economic study of akandji, a neglected traditional foodstuff made from corn (Zea mays L.) in Benin

Foodcrafts, active in Benin, offer a variety of products including akandji. It is a traditional bread made of corn consumed in South Benin. This work aimed to achieving a technological and socio-economic study related to akandji production and marketing activities in Benin. To do this, the methodology adopted was to conduct a pre-survey and a survey in the form of semi-structured interviews based on a questionnaire in the communes of Abomey, Bohicon and Ouidah (Pahou). After that, production monitoring was carried out with the three oldest akandji producers. The results showed that the production and sale of akandji were secular, exclusively female activities practised by women from Fon socio-cultural and sociolinguistic group. The profit per kg received by akandji producers in Abomey (266 XOF) was similar to that received by akandji producers in Pahou (256 XOF). The daily receipts for weekends and holidays were higher than those for working days in the survey localities. Furthermore, the results of the technological study showed that akandji manufacturing process in Abomey differs from that of Pahou. This process in Abomey involved the malting operation unlike that of Pahou. Fermentation times (12h), cooking times (1h) and production times (6 days) in Abomey exceeded fermentation times (1h30min), cooking times (45min) and production times (6h) in Pahou. In contrast, the fermentation (27oC) and cooking (100 oC) temperatures of akandji at Abomey were lower than those of fermentation (31oC) and cooking (178oC) in Pahou. The production of akandji is a profitable activity that strengthens the social status of the producer and ensures important socio-community functions by providing an appropriate local food for traditional rites and festivals and maintains sales markets firmly rooted in society.

STUDY OF GRAPEVINE VARIETIES OF MOLDOVAN BREEDING IN THE LOWER DON REGION

The article presents the results of the study of grapevine genetic resources at Don Ampelo-graphic Collection named after Ya.I. Potapenko (Novocherkassk, Rostov re-gion). In 2016–2020, agrobiological, uvologi-cal, chemical and technological study of 9 ta-ble varieties and 2 technical varieties of the Moldovan breeding was carried out. The pur-pose of the research was to determine the adaptive potential of varieties in the condi-tions of the Lower Don region and to accu-mulate material for the database. According to the complex of economically valuable signs (a high percentage of blooming eyes, fruit-bearing shoots, yield, sugar and acid content, organoleptic assessment), the following varie-ties stand out: Skorenskiy krasnyy, Moldova, Zvezdnyy, Vierul–59, Marshalskiy. The tech-nical variety of Norok was distinguished by the productivity and high quality of the wine, the wine tasting score was 8.7 points. The Pyfos variety can be recommended for selec-tion for winter hardiness (the safety of the eyes is 97.6 %) and productivity (the percent-age of fruitful shoots is 90.7, and the coeffi-cient of fruitfulness of shoots is 1.6).

AGROBIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL STUDY OF PAMID GRAPEVINE VARIETY

An agrobiological and techno-logical study of the Pamid grape variety was carried out during the realization of different variants of loading with winter eyes during pruning. An agrobio-logical and technological study of the Pamid grape variety was carried out during the realiza-tion of different loading variants with winter eyes during pruning. It has been established that the phenophases of development during the vegetation period occur and take place al-most simultaneously in the same time periods, and the grapes ripen during the first ten days of September. With the increase in the number of knots of a vine and with their lengthening, there is a well-defined tendency of reducing the percentage of developed winter eyes, fruit-ing shoots, weight per 1 cluster, less of reduc-ing the fertility rate. The vines grow well under the pruning loads of the four variants and the grapes manage to ripen. The best combination of sugar and titratable acid content for wine production is in the grapes from the variants with a load of 6 and 7 knots of a vine. The number of knots has a proven strong or moder-ate negative effect on the percentage of devel-oped eyes, fruiting shoots, bunches, fertility rate, weight of one cluster and 100 grains, dur-ing both years of the study. The increase in the number of knots is in a moderate, positive cor-relation with the yield of one vine.

Technological features of the method of liquid-phase epitaxy when growing InP/GaInAsP heterostructures

Semiconductor devices of quantum electronics based on InP/GaInAsP heterostructures require the creation of non-defective chips for emitting devices and photodetectors. The production of such chips is impossible without a thorough technological study of the growth processes of epitaxial structures. One of the important problems in relation to the growth of such structures is the growth defects associated with the process of dissociation of indium phosphide on the surface during their growth. The aim of the work was the investigation of the process and mechanism of destruction (dissociation) of the surface of indium phosphide substrates in the range of growth temperatures of structures, as well as the study of methods andtechniques that allow minimize the process of dissociation of surface of indium phosphide.The work provides studies of the growth processes of InP/GaInAsP heterostructures, from the liquid phase, taking into account the degradation processes of the growth surface and the mechanisms for the formation of dissociation defects.The schemes of the dissociation process of the InP on the surface of the substrate and the formation of the defective surface of the substrate were analysed. At the same time, technological methods allowing to minimize the dissociation of the surface compound during the process of liquid-phase epitaxy were shown. The original design of a graphite cassette allowing to minimize the dissociation of the indium phosphide substrate in the process of liquid-phase epitaxy was proposed

The Noise of Silent Machines: A Case Study of LinkNYC

In early 2016, the city of New York and the Google-backed consortium CityBridge launched LinkNYC, a communication network that enables residents and visitors to access Wi-Fi, charge their phones, and make domestic calls—all for free. The ten-feet tall kiosks scattered around the city are also equipped with screens, cameras, a tablet, speakers, and a microphone. Almost immediately after its launch, many raised concerns about LinkNYC: noise complaints concerning users listening to loud music, homeless people gathering around the kiosks, outrage regarding users watching pornography, as well as the potential threat to privacy the kiosks present. In this paper, I argue that LinkNYC functions as a neoliberal apparatus of listening and silencing in the public sphere through data collection and restrictions of usage of the kiosk in the name of accessibility. As Google’s first attempt at occupying the public space, LinkNYC reveals the aspirations for the neoliberal city. Through an ethnographic socio-technological study of LinkNYC, I engage sound studies in current discussions about surveillance. I theorize the modalities of listening in the neoliberal city and discuss competing notions of the public space in smart/responsive cities. I investigate the ideological difference between the smart city and the responsive city and trace the movement from a listening entity to a responsive one, analyzing the implications for privacy. I theorize unsilencing and its politics, discussing examples of re-appropriation of the kiosks. I conducted fieldwork by observing interactions with the kiosks and by doing interviews with citizens, homeless advocacy groups, CityBridge employees, and experts. In addition, I analyze the discourses of CityBridge, local politicians, activists, journalists, and citizens surrounding LinkNYC. This paper is at the theoretical intersection of sound studies, urban studies, science and technology studies, and surveillance studies. Through this case study, I open a theorization of the listening practices of surveillance to look at how power circulates through sound.