Papers in Italian Archaeology IV, Vol 4 Classical and Medieval.:The Cambridge Conference

Malone , C. and S. Stoddart. (eds.). 1985. Cambridge: British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.

Later Pleistocene evolution of the Exe valley: A chronstratigraphic model of terrace formation and its implications for Palaeolithic archaeology

This paper presents the ?rst systematic chronostratigraphic study of the river terraces of the Exe catchment in South West England and a new conceptual model for terrace formation in unglaciated basins with applicability to terrace staircase sequences elsewhere. The Exe catchment lay beyond the maximum extent of Pleistocene ice sheets and the drainage pattern evolved from the Tertiary to the Middle Pleistocene, by which time the major valley systems were in place and downcutting began to create a staircase of strath terraces. The higher terraces (8-6) typically exhibit altitudinal overlap or appear to be draped over the landscape, whilst the middle terraces show greater altitudinal separation and the lowest terraces are of a cut and ?ll form. The terrace deposits investigated in this study were deposited in cold phases of the glacial-interglacial Milankovitch climatic cycles with the lowest four being deposited in the Devensian Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 4-2. A new cascade process-response model is proposed of basin terrace evolution in the Exe valley, which emphasises the role of lateral erosion in the creation of strath terraces and the reworking of inherited resistant lithological components down through the staircase. The resultant emergent valley topography and the reworking of artefacts along with gravel clasts, have important implications for the dating of hominin presence and the local landscapes they inhabited. Whilst the terrace chronology suggested here is still not as detailed as that for the Thames or the Solent System it does indicate a Middle Palaeolithic hominin presence in the region, probably prior to the late Wolstonian Complex or MIS 6. This supports existing data from cave sites in South West England.

Relationship between the magnitude of intraocular pressure during an episode of acute elevation and retinal damage four weeks later in rats

Purpose: To determine relationship between the magnitude of intraocular pressure (IOP) during a fixed-duration episode of acute elevation and the loss of retinal function and structure 4 weeks later in rats.

Methods: Unilateral elevation of IOP (105 minutes) was achieved manometrically in adult Brown Norway rats (9 groups; n = 4 to 8 each, 10–100 mm Hg and sham control). Full-field ERGs were recorded simultaneously from treated and control eyes 4 weeks after IOP elevation. Scotopic ERG stimuli were white flashes (26.04 to 2.72 log cd.s.m^-2). Photopic ERGs were recorded (1.22 to 2.72 log cd.s.m22) after 15 min of light adaptation (150 cd/m2). Relative amplitude (treated/control, %) of ERG components versus IOP was described with a cummulative normal function. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer density was determined post mortem by histology.

Results: All ERG components failed to recover completely normal amplitudes by 4 weeks after the insult if IOP was 70 mmHg or greater during the episode. There was no ERG recovery at all if IOP was 100 mmHg. Outer retinal (photoreceptor) function demonstrated the least sensitivity to prior acute IOP elevation. ERG components reflecting inner retinal function were correlated with post mortem RGC layer density.

Conclusions: Retinal function recovers after IOP normalization, such that it requires a level of acute IOP elevation approximately 10 mmHg higher to cause a pattern of permanent dysfunction similar to that observed during the acute event. There is a ‘threshold’ for permanent retinal functional loss in the rat at an IOP between 60 and 70 mmHg if sustained for 105 minutes or more.

An archaeological approach to the development of the late medieval peasant house

Archaeological excavation has provided an alternative source of evidence for the development of the late medieval peasant house. It is argued that whilst there was a significant change in building techniques in the decades around 1200 with the adoption of ground-set timbers, the most important factor which led to the survival of houses was a fall in real wages during the thirteenth century. This encouraged peasants to repair existing buildings, rather than replace them with new ones. Alternative traditions of building are also investigated. Stone construction was adopted in a number of areas of England, but in spite of the durability of the material, few medieval peasant buildings of this type have survived in use because of the failure to use lime mortar. Decisions about whether to invest in a building’s renovation will depend on the capital initially expended upon it. This interpretation is considered against the data from the fifteenth century and found to conform satisfactorily. Its implications are considered for the period between 1200 and 1350. Data collected from archaeological excavations combined with the results of dendrochronology on a growing number of closely dated standing buildings suggest that there was a significant ‘cull’ of houses in the period after 1350 as new dwellings were constructed.

"...and they won land among the Picts by friendly treaty or the sword": How a re-examination of early historical sources and an analysis of early medieval settlement in north Co. Antrim confirms the validity of traditional accounts of Dál Riatic migration to Scotland from Ulster

Much recent scholarship has been critical of the concept of a Dál Riatic migration to, or colonisation of, Argyll. Scepticism of the accuracy of the early medieval accounts of this population movement, arguing that these are late amendments to early sources, coupled with an apparent lack of archaeological evidence for such a migration have led to its rejection. It is argued here, however, that this rejection has been based on too narrow a reading of historical sources and that there are several early accounts which, while differing in detail, agree on one point of substance, that the origin of Scottish Dál Riata lies in Ireland. Also, the use of archaeological evidence to suggest no migration to Argyll by the Dál Riata is flawed, misunderstanding the nature of early migrations and how they might be archaeologically identified, and it's proposed that there is actually quite a lot of evidence for migration to Argyll by the Dál Riata, in the form of settlement and artefactural evidence, but that it is to be found in Ireland through the mechanism of counterstream migration, rather than in Scotland.