Winckelmann in the perspective of Altertumswissenschaft: Christian Gottlob Heyne and Friedrich August Wolf

Winckelmann's writings hold an interest for modern classical studies which is not restricted to the subfield of classical archaeology. Considered in terms of methodology, his writings dramatise problems and questions which attend any attempt to provide a comprehensive account of ancient culture and society. The Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums provided an influential model of what such a reconstruction might look like in a period when classical philology was undergoing a significant reconfiguration as „Alterthums-Wissenschaft" at the hands of scholars such as Christian Gottlob Heyne and Friedrich August Wolf. Investigation of their critical responses to Winckelmann’s works aims to contribute to understanding both of the early reception of his works and of questions which are still relevant today. Im Rahmen der modernen Altertumswissenschaften kommt den Werken Winckelmanns eine Bedeutung zu, die nicht auf den Bereich der Klassischen Archäologie beschränkt ist. Methodologisch betrachtet, dramatisieren seine Schriften Probleme und Fragen, die jedem Versuch einer umfassenden, erklärenden Rekonstruktion der antiken Kultur und Gesellschaft zugrunde liegen. Die Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums hat ein einflussreiches Modell dafür geliefert, was eine solche Rekonstruktion in einer Zeit leisten konnte, in der die klassische Philologie einer erheblichen Umstrukturierung als „Alterthums-Wissenschaft“ durch Gelehrte wie Christian Gottlob Heyne und Friedrich August Wolf unterzogen wurde. Die vorliegende Untersuchung ihrer kritischen Reaktionen auf Winckelmanns Schriften soll dazu beitragen, sowohl die frühe Rezeption seines Werkes als auch Fragestellungen, die heute noch aktuell sind, besser zu verstehen.

A new species of lizard genus Gymnodactylus Spix, 1825 (Squamata: Gekkota: Phyllodactylidae) from Serra do Sincora, northeastern Brazil, and the status of G. carvalhoi Vanzolini, 2005

A new species of gekkonid lizard genus Gymnodactylus Spix, 1825 is described on the basis of material collected in the ""campos rupestres"" (open rocky communities) of Mucuge municipality, northeastern Brazil. G. vanzolinii sp. nov. differs from its congeners in the number of transverse and longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles and color pattern. It is thought to be closer to G. guttulatus which also occurs and is restricted to the rocky communities from highland open areas in the Espinhaco mountain range. The discovery leads to a reevaluation of the taxonomic status of G. carvalhoi Vanzolini, 2005, which is here considered a synonym of G. amarali Barbour, 1925.

Scale architecture of the palmar and plantar epidermis of Polychrus acutirostris Spix, 1825 (Iguania, Polychrotidae) and its relationship to arboreal locomotion

In tetrapod squamates, the diversity of micro-ornamentations of the epidermis of the contact areas of hands and feet is generally associated with constraints and modalities related to locomotion. Polychrus acutirostris is a medium-sized lizard that occurs in open heterogeneous habitats in South America, such as the cerrados, caatingas, and fallow lands. It progresses slowly on branches of various diameters in its arboreal environment. It can also move more rapidly on the ground. The hands and feet are prehensile and may be considered an adaptation for grasping and climbing. Epidermal surfaces from the palmar and plantar areas of the hands and feet of P. acutirostris were prepared for SEM examination, and studied at various magnifications. They show three major levels of complexity: (1) scale types, organized in gradients of size and imbrication, (2) scalar ornamentations, organized by increasing complexity and polarity, and (3) presence of Oberhautchen showing typically iguanian honeycomb micro-ornamentations. The shape and surface structure of the scales with their pattern of micro-ornamental peaks, which improve grip, and the grasping hands and feet indicate that P. acutirostris is morpho-functionally specialized for arboreality. (C) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.