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As part of the introduction to the ARC volume 35.2 on ���knowledge-scapes���, this paper introduces the concept, its components and its application in archaeology. The origins, development and use of knowledge-scapes in the fields of cognitive theory and archaeology are explored and contextualized within current archaeological thinking. Practical approaches to the study of knowledge-scapes are also presented by using the papers published in this volume as case studies. These papers offer a variety of methods, datasets and approaches to identify, explore and interpret past landscapes of knowledge. We argue that the study of the dynamic transmission and transformation of knowledge in the past, including the related socio-cultural and material aspects, should be a core aspect of archaeological research.

Questo numero monografico degli Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century è composto da dieci contributi divisi in tre sezioni tematiche, completate da un saggio introduttivo del curatore, Paschalis M. Kitromilides (Reappraisals of Enlightenment political thought, pp. 1-16), professore di scienze politiche all’Università di Atene noto soprattutto per le sue ricerche sui processi culturali che hanno legato tra loro Europa occidentale e sud-orientale. L’arricchimento della storia delle ide...

This article introduces the Seshat: Global History Databank, its potential, and its methodology. Seshat is a databank containing vast amounts of quantitative data buttressed by qualitative nuance for a large sample of historical and archaeological polities. The sample is global in scope and covers the period from the Neolithic Revolution to the Industrial Revolution. Seshat allows scholars to capture dynamic processes and to test theories about the co-evolution (or not) of social scale and complexity, agriculture, warfare, religion, and any number of such Big Questions. Seshat is rapidly becoming a massive resource for innovative cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary research. Seshat is part of a growing trend to use comparative historical data on a large scale and contributes as such to a growing consilience between the humanities and social sciences. Seshat is underpinned by a robust and transparent workflow to ensure the ever growing dataset is of high quality.

Studies of Indus ceramics, especially considerations of raw materials, manufacturing tools and techniques, have tended to argue for a) local technological developments within South Asia and b) linear evolutionary trajectories that played out across thousands of years. The concept of a linear evolution of ceramic technologies in particular has had a significant impact on research at several levels, and in a previous paper we addressed issues concerning the theoretical frameworks adopted for the interpretation of archaeological data in South Asia.1 We noted that culture historic paradigms remain prevalent, and that there has been a tendency to focus on certain styles and types of artefacts to build seriations and identify archaeological ���cultures���, which are often equated to ethnic groups or major phases of socio-political transformation. This paper aims to take the theoretical debate one step further, by looking at studies of technological transmission and transformation and considering the underlying tendency among researchers to adopt demic diffusion-based interpretations. The first part of this paper reviews the development of ceramic technologies from the Ceramic Neolithic up to the Indus urban period to understand how certain themes have developed. It will particularly discuss how more ���evolved��� technologies are typically seen to have been adopted, homogenously replacing older and less sophisticated manufacturing methods, mostly in view of possible functional or economic gains. The second part will focus on ceramics from northwest India, and will explore evidence for variable regional technologies and resistance to innovation. Our broader aim is to strengthen theoretical mindfulness in this field of research and thus to stimulate dialogue, rather than provide solutions.

Peach is one of the most appreciated temperate fruit worldwide with high potential value on the market. However, consumers are not satisfied with the quality attributes of peach and nectarine at consumption and are not stimulated in repurchasing the fruit. This induced a strong decrease in sales in both local and export markets with the consequent drop of revenues for producers. In addition to fresh consumption, the offer of fresh-cut peaches and nectarines is increasing and represent a valid alternative for stone fruit commercialization to match the increasing demand of ready-to-eat product on the market. The aim of this work was to explore the interaction between the maturity at harvest and the development of the fruit flavour during postharvest, including the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) responsible for the aroma. Different peach and nectarine cultivars were used as well as different technologies such as SPME-GC-MS and PTR-ToF-MS to characterize the aroma profile of the fruit. Diverse cold storage lengths were applied to simulate short and long-distance export in which fruit are generally submitted to fulfil market demands. Furthermore, VOCs were also investigated on different cultivars of nectarines submitted to fresh-cut processing. When fruit were submitted to cold storage the volatile profile of the fruit was generally enhanced, weakening the differences present at harvest between maturity classes. Fresh-cut processing, induced a major variation in the volatile profile of the fruit such as the immediate release of VOCs associated with positive sensations, and the production of off-flavour volatiles over time in cold storage. A quality-oriented storage, processing and packaging should include the aroma volatiles to ensure the success of the peach and nectarine industry.

Cromohs - Cyber Review of Modern Historiography, Vol 9 (2004)

The invention of rotational devices contributed to a range of developments in craft production technology, perhaps most visibly in the various forms of potter's wheels. These technological innovations, and the adoption or non-adoption of those innovations, carry economic and social implications, which are significant for understanding past human behaviour. There has been debate around the introduction and use of the potter’s wheel in South Asia's Indus Civilisation for almost a century, and opinions remain divided. This paper considers the emerging ceramic traditions identified at two Indus settlements in modern Haryana, northwest India. It presents evidence demonstrating that Indus Civilisation potters utilised multiple forming techniques for producing ceramic vessels and explores the evidence for the use of rotational gestures and rotational devices in regional ceramic production industries. Two dominant technological traditions are outlined, along with the implications of this discovery and future research opportunities.

Peach market is facing a constant decrease due to the poor fruit quality perceived at consumption that might be greatly affected by fruit ripening stage at harvest and by the post-harvest management. The present work aimed at clarifying the influence of maturity at harvest on the evolution of peach aroma and quality during shelf-life after prolonged cold storage. &ldquo, August Flame&rdquo, peaches were harvested at three maturity stages, determined based on IAD (index of absorption difference) and ethylene emission. Fruit quality traits (firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity), ethylene and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission were monitored during for four weeks of cold storage (0 &deg, C). Every week of cold storage was followed by 6 days of shelf-life (18 &deg, C). Ripening segregation at harvest based on IAD was successful since each maturity classes significantly differed based on all quality traits. Cold storage enhanced the aroma development of &lsquo, August Flame&rsquo, peach, primarily by increasing the emission of esters and lactones associated with pleasant aroma. Moreover, cold storage also reduced the differences in aroma between the maturity classes. The role of ethylene, which was also influenced by cold storage, in regulating the VOCs emission is discussed.

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer has a long history of work with the ceramic vessels of the Indus Civilization and co-authored the most comprehensive assessments of the pottery from Mohenjo-daro yet attempted (Dales and Kenoyer 1986). For archaeologists, pottery is one of the most significant sources of data, not only for the durability and abundance of ceramic artefacts in the archaeological record, but also for the vast range of information on ancient societies that can be inferred from its study. Amongst various approaches to ceramic analysis, two main methods have dominated the field: the morphological approach, where pottery assemblages are grouped according to macroscopic attributes; and scientific analysis, where ceramics are understood in terms of composition and technologies. Even though the latter approach has been tentatively used in the study of ceramic industries in South Asia since the 1930s, it has become significant only in the past three decades. This contribution reviews the use and development of geochemical and petrographic methods for the study of South Asian ceramic traditions, with special emphasis on assemblages produced and used during the Urban and Post-Urban phases of the Indus Civilization (2500-1600 BC).