Prehistoric Period Research Articles

Environmental evolution and anthropogenic forcing in the Garigliano coastal plain (Italy) during the Holocene

The Garigliano alluvial-coastal plain, at the Latium-Campania border (Italy), witnessed a long-lasting history of human-environment interactions, as demonstrated by the rich archaeological knowledge. With the aim of reconstructing the evolution of the landscape and its interaction with human activity during the last millennia, new pollen results from the coastal sector of the Garigliano Plain were compared with the available pollen data from other nearby sites. The use of pollen data from both the coastal and marine environment allowed integrating the local vegetation dynamics within a wider regional context spanning the last 8000 years. The new pollen data presented in this study derive from the analysis of a core, drilled in the coastal sector, which intercepted the lagoon-marshy environments that occurred in the plain as a response to the Holocene transgression and subsequent coastal progradation. Three radiocarbon ages indicate that the chronology of the analyzed core interval ranges from c. 7200 to c. 2000 cal yr BP. The whole data indicate that a dense forest cover characterized the landscape all along the Prehistoric period, when a few signs of human activity are recorded in the spectra, such as cereal crops, pasture activity and fires. The main environmental changes, forced by natural processes (coastal progradation) but probably enhanced by reclamation works, started from the Graeco-Roman period and led to the reduction of swampy areas that favoured the colonisation of the outer plain.

ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF TEACHING METHODS TOWARDS STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS IN MATHEMATICS AT SECONDARY LEVEL


 
 Mathematics is a vital subject and it considered as the key to development in society. In the development and enhancement of society Mathematics has play a forthright act from pre-historic period to the present. It is essential to provide clear concepts of Mathematics to Students because at secondary school level every single subject has a connection with Mathematics and support students to grasp the concepts of supplementary subjects too. The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching methods and the relationship between students’ attitude and their achievement in Mathematics at Secondary School Level. The data was collected from the questionnaire to be filled by the Mathematics teachers of class 9th. Secondly, a survey (Fennema Sharman attitude scale) of students’ attitude towards Mathematics was carried out and an achievement test was conducted to assess the achievement level of students in the subject of Mathematics. The data was analyzed statistically. Findings show that teachers are using traditional methods of teaching Mathematics which are not that much useful for students to change their attitude in Mathematics and increase their achievement also.
 
 
 
 

Prerequisites for the formation of the human health paradigm

On the historical side, valeology consciously or, more often, unconsciously was a separate area of social activity and personal activity. Thus, unconscious valeological activity was characteristic of the prehistoric period in connection with the needs of survival, nurturance, protection, as well as a component of animistic ritual activity. Then the first valeological laws, traditions and rituals were born during the heyday of the first European and Asian civilizations, syncretism of medical and spiritual principles was observed (Antiquity, Eastern tradition). Subsequently, humanitarian activities separated from practical, which slowed down the development of protovaleology, especially in the Middle Ages. The beginning of the Renaissance marked the emergence of a holistic spiritual and natural paradigm of a man with the opportunity to comprehensively develop his spiritual and physical beginning, and the development of cities contributed to a significant increase in hygienic living conditions. The classical period of culture and philosophical thought gave rise to several approaches of moralizing, utopian, educational and idealistic nature. Man is the center of the world and his self-education at the end of the 19th century, with the advent of the positivist paradigm and the era of modernism in culture. However, on the territory of our state, as well as several others, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the socialist-realistic paradigm of human health reigned, attracting a citizen as an element of a totalitarian state of pre-mass ways of valeological activity - physical culture, mass sports, pre- conscription training, and labor activity. Valeology became a separate discipline and form of social consciousness only in the last decades of the twentieth century, after the final fall of colonial politics in the world.

Human Subsistence Strategies and Adaptations in the Lower Yangtze River Region During the Prehistoric Era

Understanding the human subsistence strategies and adaptations in the Lower Yangtze River Region during the prehistoric period is vital to reveal the human-environment interactions, the origin and development of rice agriculture, cultural development, and social complexity. No systematic analysis of isotopic data of human bones in the region has been undertaken within the environmental (sea level), spatiotemporal (site distribution), and economic (animal and plant resources) contexts yet, in order to provide the direct evidence of human diets and trajectory of human subsistence strategies and adaptations. In this paper, I collected the isotopic data in the region as many as possible and incorporated within the environmental, spatiotemporal, and economic information. The results show that humans rarely made use of marine resources when facing the situation of rising sea levels and having good accesses to marine environment during the eastward movement. Alternatively, humans consumed large amount of terrestrial resources and supplementary freshwater or wetland resources. Rice agriculture was still of low-level production and contributed less to human diets. The unique human subsistence strategies enhanced human adaptations to the fluctuation of sea level in the Holocene in eastern China and facilitated the increases of archaeological cultures and human population, challenging the traditional opinion that the developed agriculture is the necessary pathway to develop cultures and grow human population.

The earliest evidence for crop cultivation during the Early Bronze Age in the southeastern Baltic

The Early Bronze Age (1800–1100 cal BC) is among one of the most poorly understood prehistoric periods in the southeastern Baltic region. Here, we present the multidisciplinary results obtained from the recent excavations undertaken at the site of Kvietiniai in western Lithuania, including radiocarbon (14C) measurements and the stable isotope analysis of charred barley (Hordeum vulgare) grains. Our results provide the earliest direct evidence for crop cultivation in the southeastern Baltic region (ca. 1300–1250 cal BC), and link it to an as yet poorly known cord-impressed coarse pottery tradition. Moreover, the Freshwater Reservoir Effect (FRE) of the nearby Minija River was calculated, ca. 2000 years today with a terminus ad quem of 780 ± 57 years during prehistory. Consequently, our findings have implications for understanding the cultural and economic development of the Bronze Age in the region, and demonstrate that crop cultivation was adopted ca. 1500 years after the initial integration of animal husbandry in the Early Neolithic.

Comparative GC-MS Analysis of Methanolic Extracts from Different Parts of Bitter Gourd (<i>Momordica charantia</i> L.) Fruit

Medicinal plants are used in traditional medicine since the prehistoric period. They are considered a rich resource for developing single drugs and formulations due to a wide variety of bioactive phytochemicals present. Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is an important tropical and subtropical medicinal plant commonly cultivated in Asian and African countries for its health and nutritional properties. The bitter gourd fruits possess antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-obesity, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-helminthic, and anti-HIV properties. In this study, we extracted the phytochemicals from the rind, pulp, and seeds of the two botanical varieties of bitter gourd, Momordica charantia var. charantia and Momordica charantia var. muricata in methanol, and subjected them to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Phytochemical analysis revealed several important bioactive compounds such as n-Hexadecanoic acid, Linolenic acid, Vitamin E, Sitosterol, Stigmasterol, and Phytol. Biological activities were reported for some of these compounds. Identification of these compounds validates the medicinal value of bitter gourd. Further studies are to be carried out to isolate, characterize, and study the individual compound's mechanism of action.

Bronze Metallurgy in Southeast Asia with Particular Reference to Northeast Thailand

The long-awaited definitive chronology for the period from the initial use of bronze metallurgy to the end of the Iron Age on the Khorat Plateau of Northeast Thailand has received near universal acceptance. In this review, we trace how bronze was deployed, and assess its social impact from the late Neolithic communities that first encountered metal to the civilization of Angkor. We identify eight phases that, for the prehistoric period, centred on the anchor site of Ban Non Wat, beginning in the eleventh century BC with imported copper axes and the opening of the first mines and associated smelting sites. This was followed in the second and third phases of the Bronze Age by a dramatic increase in mortuary wealth in the graves of social aggrandizers. After about eight generations, bronzes were locally cast in bivalve moulds. However, no further elite burials were found and bronze mortuary offerings were very rare. From about 400 BC, the opening of seaborne exchange networks, the establishment of dynastic China and climatic change then stimulated marked regionality. On the Khorat Plateau, many more bronzes were interred with the dead, but casting activity in the consumer sites declined. In the early centuries AD, increased aridity stimulated an agricultural revolution as sites were ringed by reservoirs and wet rice was grown in ploughed fields. This was accompanied by a surge in the range and number of bronzes with the new social elite that within a century led to the formation of early states. The new royalty now sponsored bronze statues, leading directly on to the dynastic foundries of Angkor, when massive bronzes reflected royal divinity.

Multi-proxy analyses of a minerotrophic fen to reconstruct prehistoric periods of human activity associated with salt mining in the Hallstatt region (Austria)

In this study, periods of prehistoric anthropogenic activity in the Hallstatt salt mining area (Upper Austria) are reconstructed from elemental (XRF-scanning, Q-ICP-MS) and Pb isotopic analyses (206Pb,207Pb,208Pb) of a radiocarbon-dated, 137-cm-long peat core covering the past ~7,000 years. The peat core was retrieved from a minerotrophic fen in the Hallstatt High Valley. Distinct metal enrichments attributed to low anthropogenic impact in Hallstatt can be traced back to a time around 2350 cal BCE and to another period around 1800 cal BCE. The period from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age (~1300 cal BCE to ~500 cal BCE) is characterised by increased anthropogenic activity. Relatively high Sn concentrations between ~1210 cal BCE and ~540 cal BCE) point towards intensive bronze casting processes, probably associated with the production of bronze picks that were used for local salt mining during this time. Intense human impact was also determined for the early Roman imperial period (1st century BCE – 2nd century CE). Increasing Pb and Sb concentrations and a marked decrease of 206Pb/207Pb ratios in the uppermost fen layers are attributed to rising industrialization processes in the modern period. Even though peaks of the trace elements Pb, Sb, Cu and Sn do not always correspond directly to anthropogenic activity, a combination with erosional, archaeological and palaeovegetational records enables a relatively accurate and reliable interpretation of prehistoric human impact at Hallstatt.

KERAMIČKI NALAZI S LOKALITETA GLAVICE – STARA POVLJANA U KONTEKSTU PRAPOVIJESNIH NASELJA NA OTOKU PAGU

Brojni ostatci keramičkih posuda otkriveni su tijekom arheoloških istraživanja provedenih 2012. godine na lokalitetu Glavice blizu Stare Povljane na otoku Pagu. Neki od tih nalaza mogu se pripisati kasnom srednjem vijeku ili ranom novom vijeku (na što ukazuju i nalazi mletačkog novca), a drugi se datiraju u prapovijest, većinom u željezno doba. Nadalje, spomenuti ostatci nađeni su oko ili čak unutar vrlo oštećenih suhozidnih struktura koje, iako ne mogu biti precizno datirane u prapovijesno ili neko kasnije doba, ukazuju na dugotrajno korištenje tog lokaliteta kao naselja. Zahvaljujući kontekstu tih nalaza moguće je da je prapovijesno naselje bilo organizirano na platou ispod obližnjeg brežuljka i blizu plodnog polja, što nije tipično za to područje i ukazuje na moguću promjenu u praksi smještanja naselja. Sukladno tome, u ovom radu analizirat će se ulomci prapovijesnog posuđa, njihova konzistencija, tipologija i dekoracija te će oni biti smješteni u kontekst prapovijesnih nalaza šireg područja. Isto tako, važnost ovog lokaliteta razmotrit će se kroz sveukupni raspored prapovijesnih naselja na otoku Pagu.

An Eastern type bronze needle discovered at Șimleu Silvaniei, Sălaj County

The author publishes a bronze needle with a globular head and four conical knobs placed 3 cm below the head of the piece. The needle stem is made of round section. Dimensions: length – 18.60 cm; globular head diameter – 1.12 cm; the diameter of the bar between the head and the protuberances – 0.60 cm. The needle was accidentally discovered on the high plateaus of “Măgurii Șimleului”, north of the “Observator” point, most likely in the area of the site found at this place. Long-term, systematic and preventive archaeological research has shown that the site has been inhabited for several periods of prehistory, including the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. V. Dergačev attributes these needles to the Văleni type, stating that they are found both in the composition of some deposits and in the archaeological inventory of some settlements east of the Carpathians area, including the Upper Dniester. In Transylvania, such needles appear in late Bronze Age contexts in areas where the presence of Noua culture communities is attested archaeologically. These contexts are attributed by Dergačev to the Bz D stage. As far as we are concerned, we relate this discovery to the Late Bronze Age settlement attributed to the cultural group Cehăluț – Hajdúbagos, well attested in this site after archaeological research. In this context, the author resumes and completes with new discoveries the list of “Eastern type” artifacts that appeared in the contexts of the Late Bronze Age in the Upper Tisza area and presents the theories issued about the meaning and relationships through which they penetrate. A recent discovery, from the summer of 2021 in Sutor (Sălaj County) brings new data, important for this discussion. Preventive archeological research has allowed the investigation of an archeological sitet inhabited during several periods of prehistory and ancient history. A series of complexes with an inventory characteristic to the Noua Late Bronze Age ceramic style were researched. Among the archeological complexes attributed to it, there is a structure (Cpx. 2) with an oval-elongated surface, of about 180 m2, consisting of overlapping, randomly arranged, red-burnt earth, strongly pigmented layers with coal and layers of clay soil, gray-purple color, often with crushed limestone, with a maximum deposit thickness of about 0.45 m. the “structural frame” of the vault made of stone slabs, placed vertically or slightly inclined. We believe that this structure is an “ashmound”. A very rich and varied archaeological inventory was collected from this ashmound: fragmentary pottery, animal bones, tools made of bones and horns, pieces of hearth splice, fragments of house walls, including pieces with embossed decoration. Quite a few pieces of metal have been discovered, all in the upper part of the deposition that make up the ashmound. The settlement from Sutor is so far the westernmost in Transylvania of a predominantly Noua culture community or formed on a predominantly Noua background, located in the immediate vicinity of the area inhabited by the communities of the Cehăluț – Hajdúbagos cultural group west of the Meseș massif. The close proximity of the two Late Bronze Age cultural events favored contacts between the two populations and obviously the dissemination of Eastern elements in the area inhabited by the communities of the Cehăluț – Hajdúbagos group and through them, further to the central area of the Upper Tisza region.

Antiquity of painted grey ware in Ganga plain: A note

The history of ceramic tradition in India is an interesting aspect in Indian archaeology, with the antiquity of manufacturing earthen pots going back as far as the prehistoric period. Generally in the community, it is said that pottery is the grammar of archaeology, or pottery is the alphabet of archaeology. Periodical and regional variations appear in the history of making pottery. The earliest remains of potsherds were handmade, associated with the late phase of the Mesolithic culture. Thereafter, technical and periodical advancements and transformations show up in their manufacturing and fabrication techniques until the time they were begun to be made on the fast driven turned wheel.

The Far East in the Prehistoric Period

This chapter describes the events and the records of the era of prehistory of the Far East of Russia, dating back as far as periods between 300 thousand years ago to the midst of the 1st millennium AD. The main subjects of the chapter are such as the sites of the early hominids on the territory of the Far East, the role of climate in the early history of mankind and the problems of adaptation of the genus Homo to the harsh conditions of the Ice Age. The development of the early human societies in the continental and the insular parts of the Far East and the related processes were discussed. The movement of the Far Eastern tribes of the Late Paleolithic to North America is one of the important subjects of the discussion. The chapter also deals with the changes in the economy and the everyday life of people of the Neolithic and the of the Paleo Metal (Bronze and Early Iron) age. The main results of the development of ancient societies from the emergence of the first people to the development of political relations between the tribes of the Far East were described here.

Roadmap to Neurosurgery - from Student to Resident.

Neurosurgery is a medical speciality that diagnoses and treats brain and spine pathologies of infants, children, and adults, having 2 components: clinical and surgical activities. The history of neurosurgery dates back to the Prehistoric Period when first trepanations took place. However, the extensive amount of information we use today was discovered and invented thanks to Joseph Lister (1827-1912), William T.G. Morton (1819-1868) and Pierre Paul Broca (1823-1880) who implemented systematic antisepsis rules, anaesthesia and, respectively, the localization of different areas of the brain. Nevertheless, professors such as Harvey Cushing (1869-1939) and Gazi Yasargil (n.1925) are responsible for the definition of neurosurgery as a stand-alone surgical specialty and the significant improvement of the surgical techniques. Moreover, Professor Dumitru Bagdasar (1893-1946) is the one responsible for the introduction of neurosurgery in Romania, training a "golden neurosurgeon team" who are remarked as the first neurosurgeons of Romania. Even though it is such a new medical field, a vast amount of theoretical and practical study is necessary. Therefore, a student needs dedication and lots of effort to achieve perfection in one of the most complex medical speciality, requiring more than 100 exams and over 14,900 hours of practice during the 6 years of medical school and 6 years of neurosurgical residency. Still, even if it seems a lot at first, the moral rewards stand out in the end due to the significant contrast between the preoperative and postoperative condition of the patient. Nevertheless, some of the students might be negatively influenced by family and friends through different myths that neurosurgery is a goal that is almost impossible to be achieved since the amount of practice and sacrifices it requires are a lot bigger than other medical specialities. In conclusion, neurosurgery accomplished to overcome the mystery of the human brain and developed at a fast pace. Today, neurosurgeons around the world treat more and more pathologies that seemed incurable and inoperable 100 years ago.

Bałtyckie nazewnictwo Mazowsza

As one could expect, the greatest number of the Baltic hydronyms and toponyms are featured in the northeastern part of the Mazovia region in the area of the confluence of the entire Narew and lower Bug. These are mainly names of rivers (35), less numerous are place names (24). The majority of these names is motivated by names featured in the area of historical Prussia and Yatvingia. Moreover, some of them even have direct equivalents in that region; references to the Lithuanian language are less common. This enables us to surmise that the prehistorical Mazovia region was inhabited by West Baltic people, and the Slavic colonizers reached this area in the late prehistorical period.

Andrographis paniculata: A Review of its Anti-Cancer Potential

Since the prehistoric period medicinal plants have been manoeuvred for disease cure. Cancer is a global problem which is widely affecting the world. Plant derived natural products have gained much importance in the field of cancer chemotherapy during the recent past and the search for new drugs for cancer treatment still continues. Andrographis paniculata (Brum. F) Nees, a highly recognized plant of traditional Chinese and Indian healthcare system has gained the consideration of researchers for cancer cure. A. paniculata has multiple possible pharmacological actions. This review reports detailed information on major phytochemicals, traditional applications, pharmacology, and methodology of phytochemical purification from A. paniculata. Its major active phytochemical Andrographolide have shown significant anticancer properties. These characteristics of A. paniculata make it a strong candidate as a prospective plant derived anticancer drug.

Feminist Movements through the Ages in India: An Empowering Voyage from Prehistoric Age to the Period of Nationalism

The paper makes an effort to trace the status of women from the prehistoric period to the contemporary period to explore how the status of women changed in Indian society over the ages and patriarchy evolved to assume a complex structure. Indian women experienced a severe form of subordination as religious tradition and caste hierarchy shaped social practices. It not only unearths the history but also makes textual analysis of the prominent feminist texts and theories to show how women writers penned down their experiences and resisted the ideology and structure of patriarchal society. The period of the colonial period has been dealt with extra emphasis as in that phase history witnessed the rise of women’s movement and nationalism, and these two movements somehow expressed contradictory core values. In order to comprehend the struggle of women to liberate themselves from the bondage of patriarchy, the pieces of literary works written by female writers are indispensable. It is often blamed that in the Indian feminist movement there is a theoretical paucity. The attempt has been initiated to present the principal ideas of Indian feminist scholars and connect the missing links.

Rotte e vie di comunicazione attraverso i monti sicani durante il neolitico: ipotesi di viabilità di lunga durata tra Campofranco e Milena (CL)

The paper deals with the study of routes developed, starting from the Middle Neolithic, through the Sicani mountains, a fundamental passage of lines of communication that connected the Palermo coast to the Agrigento coast. The study of the location of the settlements and the morphology of the territory made it possible, with the help of the GIS, to reconstruct the development of the road network during historical and prehistoric periods.

Ciri Kepercayaan Zaman Prasejarah Dan Animisme : Penilaian Semula Buku Teks Sejarah Mengikut Perspektif Islam Features Of Beliefs And Animism In Prehistoric Period: Re-Evaluation Of History Textbooks According To Islamic Perspective

Various theories on the characteristics of human beliefs existed in prehistoric period. Among the well-known theories is the theory of animism. One of the prominent scholars in animism is Edward Burnett Tylor, who is also known as the father of anthropology. Animism is a belief that everything in this world possesses soul and spirit. This theory is incorporated in the history books and one of them is the Form One History textbook, published by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. This article purports to provide an assessment and re-elaboration of the characteristics of human beliefs in prehistoric period based on Islamic perspectives. The method used was the library research with the application of descriptive and critical elements. The finding showed that the characteristic of human belief during prehistoric period was tauhid and not animism. Hence, the information in the textbook should be revised, by implementing the Islamic historical data.

Los tobas de Bolivia: resiliencia y adaptación en el Chaco Boreal

Nuestro estudio está centrado en los tobas de Bolivia. Describimos un modelo estacional de uso del ambiente empleado por cazadores-recolectores de las sabanas semiáridas del chaco boreal en el cual grupos demográficamente pequeños pescaban en los ríos y cursos de agua temporarios y plantaban en humedales, desplazándose durante otros períodos del ciclo anual entre campamentos de caza y recolección en los campos y lagunas interiores. Este modelo de apropiación de recursos, si bien adaptado y flexibilizado, mantuvo una probada resiliencia entre cazadores-recolectores históricos. Debido a la relativa escasez de información etnográfica sobre los tobas bolivianos, cuando resulta apropiado utilizamos datos etnográficos equivalentes obtenidos entre sus parientes, los tobas del Oeste de Formosa, Argentina. Presentamos estimados sobre la cantidad de población toba en el siglo XIX y otros elementos que permitirían modelizar: (a) los lugares de campamento y la movilidad estacional, (b) el tamaño de los pequeños grupos familiares, (c) los campamentos, y (d) las relaciones intergrupales. Considerando la poca información disponible en este momento sobre los cazadores-recolectores prehistóricos que habitaban el abanico del Alto Pilcomayo, las descripciones etnográficas que presentamos aquí podrían contribuir al análisis de los modos de vida en la prehistoria reciente de la región.

History of Tamil Nadu People and Culture-A Review

Tamil Nadu have an ancient history. But this history has not been fully revealed. Lack of evidences, unauthorised source materials where the setback for that. But K.K.Pillai’s “History of Tamil Nadu People and Culture” book has been considered as a valuable and authentic work in Tamil Nadu history. This book follows scientific method of research writings. In this book K.K. Pillai try to give full history of Tamil people from pre historic period to modern times. It also proved that Tamil people have an ancient glory and heritage. The author also rejected some false ideas about Tamils past. K.K. Pillai’s this work prevailed as an authentic and reliable work in the history of Tamil Nadu.