The function of the south-Levantine Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age basalt vessels bearing circumferential depressions: Insights from use-wear analyses

One of the most characteristic aspects of the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods in the southern Levant is the appearance of large assemblages of basalt vessels. These vessels, frequently meticulously made, appear sometimes a considerable distance from the raw material sources and are found mainly at habitation sites. While these and their prestigious value have been widely discussed in the past, their function is still obscure. In the current paper, we address their functionality through microscopic use-wear analysis. Emphasis was placed on basalt vessels with a distinct wear pattern–circumferential depressions, which appear along the perimeter of their interior bases. The documented traces were compared to results of an experimental study we conducted to characterize the effects of abrasion, grinding, and lubrication on basalt surfaces. The results of the comparative experimental study suggest that the circumferential depression was formed from a repetitive rotational activity using a narrow-ended tool. Further, it seems that two material types acted in combination as the circling device and processed material. One was hard and abrasive, such as stone, and the other was semi-resilient, such as wood or mineral powder. Water was likely used as a lubricant in the rotational process. While the actual function of the bowls bearing the circumferential depressions is not entirely clear, the use-wear analyses suggest that they may have been devices involved in craft industries, used for processing materials unrelated to food (minerals in particular). Whatever the exact function was, it clear that this use continued from the Chalcolithic through the Early Bronze Age, providing evidence for functional continuity between these two periods.

The oldest Homo erectus buried lithic horizon from the Eastern Saharan Africa. EDAR 7 - an Acheulean assemblage with Kombewa method from the Eastern Desert, Sudan

Although essential for reconstructing hominin behaviour during the Early Palaeolithic, only a handful of Acheulean sites have been dated in the Eastern Sahara region. This is due to the scarcity of sites for this time period and the lack of datable material. However, recent excavations in the Atbara region (Sudan) have provided unique opportunities to analyse and date Acheulean stone tools. We report here on EDAR 7, part of a cluster of Acheulean and Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites that were recently discovered in the Eastern Desert Atbara River (EDAR) region, located in the Eastern Desert (Sudan) far from the Nile valley. At EDAR 7, a 3.5 metre sedimentary sequence was excavated, allowing an Acheulean assemblage to be investigated using a combination of sedimentology, stone tool studies and optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL). The site has delivered a complete Acheulean knapping chaine opératoire, providing new information about the Saharan Acheulean. The EDAR 7 site is interpreted as a remnant of a campsite based on the co-occurrence of two reduction modes: one geared towards the production of Large Cutting Tools (LCTs), and the other based on the flaking of small debitage and production of flake tools. Particularly notable in the EDAR 7 assemblage is the abundance of cleavers, most of which display evidence of flake production. Implementation of giant Kombewa flakes was also observed. A geometric morphometric analysis of hand-axes was conducted to verify a possible Late Acheulean assemblage standardisation in the Nubian Sahara. In addition, the analysis of micro-traces and wear on the artefacts has provided information on the use history of the Acheulean stone tools. Sediment analyses and OSL dating show that the EDAR 7 sequence contains the oldest Acheulean encampment remains in the Eastern Sahara, dated to the MIS 11 or earlier. This confirms that Homo erectus occupied the EDAR region during Middle Pleistocene humid periods, and demonstrates that habitable corridors existed between the Ethiopian Highlands, the Nile and the Red Sea coast, allowing population dispersals across the continent and out of it.

Intractable epilepsy in children who develop epilepsy in the first decade of life--a prospective study

Prospective studies on 347 children under treatment due to seizures which appeared in the first 10 years of life helped to evaluate and define the incidence of epilepsy resistant to treatment. With regard to each patient the following aspects were analysed: the kind of seizures, their etiology, accompanying neurological disorders and a type of epileptic syndrome, kind of treatment applied before admission to the clinical department as well as socioeconomic conditions of the families. Patients under study were divided into four age groups to evaluate the results. Epilepsy, which was completely resistant to treatment, was observed in 10% of the patients, partially resistant in 20%. Resistance is the outcome of the following factors: onset of epilepsy in early childhood, symptomatic etiology coexisting symptoms of CNS damage, occurrence of unfavourable epileptic syndromes such as Lennox-Gastaut, wrong selection and low dosage of drugs, inappropriate polytherapy and adverse social conditions. On the basis of the results obtained, the authors suggested point evaluation as a kind of screening in prediction of failures in treatment.

[Ito's hypomelanosis--a neurocutaneous syndrome]

The authors describe the clinical manifestations of the little known neurodermal syndrome described in 1952 by Ito and called Ito's hypomelanosis. Two own cases are presented.

[Early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis]

Tuberous sclerosis belongs to the diseases diagnosed usually at pre-school or school age. Pringle's naevus ist the basic sing indicating the diagnosis. Genetic determination of the disease makes possibly early diagnosis necessary for correct genetic counselling. In the light of long-term observations of children with tuberous sclerosis the authors discuss the problems connected with early diagnosis of this condition evaluating the diagnostic usefulness of various signs and symptoms of the disease, and the usefulness of radiological examination methods. The importance of computer tomography for early diagnosis, and of family examination in cases of tuberous sclerosis is emphasized.