In European and many African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian populations, lactase persistence (LP) is the most strongly selected monogenic trait to have evolved over the past 10,000 years1. Alth... Show moreIn European and many African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian populations, lactase persistence (LP) is the most strongly selected monogenic trait to have evolved over the past 10,000 years1. Although the selection of LP and the consumption of prehistoric milk must be linked, considerable uncertainty remains concerning their spatiotemporal configuration and specific interactions2,3. Here we provide detailed distributions of milk exploitation across Europe over the past 9,000 years using around 7,000 pottery fat residues from more than 550 archaeological sites. European milk use was widespread from the Neolithic period onwards but varied spatially and temporally in intensity. Notably, LP selection varying with levels of prehistoric milk exploitation is no better at explaining LP allele frequency trajectories than uniform selection since the Neolithic period. In the UK Biobank4,5 cohort of 500,000 contemporary Europeans, LP genotype was only weakly associated with milk consumption and did not show consistent associations with improved fitness or health indicators. This suggests that other reasons for the beneficial effects of LP should be considered for its rapid frequency increase. We propose that lactase non-persistent individuals consumed milk when it became available but, under conditions of famine and/or increased pathogen exposure, this was disadvantageous, driving LP selection in prehistoric Europe. Comparison of model likelihoods indicates that population fluctuations, settlement density and wild animal exploitation—proxies for these drivers—provide better explanations of LP selection than the extent of milk exploitation. These findings offer new perspectives on prehistoric milk exploitation and LP evolution. Show less
The Secret Lives of Art Works is a collection of essays on the phenomenon that viewers treat works of art as living beings: they attribute life, personhood and agency to them, kiss them, beat them,... Show moreThe Secret Lives of Art Works is a collection of essays on the phenomenon that viewers treat works of art as living beings: they attribute life, personhood and agency to them, kiss them, beat them, or claim that portraits look at viewers, and that statues move, breathe and speak. This volume engages in existent theories of these phenomena in art history, psychology, aesthetics and anthropology developed by the members of the Leiden ‘Art, Agency and Living Presence’ group. The Secret Lives of Art Works identifies new areas of research and presents the theoretical and historical account exploring the boundaries between ‘Art and Life’. Show less
Kwakkel, Erik; Brown, Michelle P.; Garrison, Mary; et al. 2013
This book comprises six essays by prominent scholars of medieval Insular manuscripts. The main emphasis is on the physical appearance of books, though writing on and in other objects is also... Show moreThis book comprises six essays by prominent scholars of medieval Insular manuscripts. The main emphasis is on the physical appearance of books, though writing on and in other objects is also discussed. The essays highlight, in different ways, the tight relationship between the palaeographical and codicological features of manuscripts and the culture in which the objects were produced and used. Extending their expertise to a broad audience interested in the medieval book, the contributors discuss various aspects of written culture, including the development of Insular scripts, book culture in Mercia, the layout of Anglo-Saxon charters, and the transition from Anglo-Saxon to Norman-inspired script and book production Show less
Schiermeier, Kris; Smits, Ivo; Cwiertka, Katarzyna; et al. 2012
Wie kent niet het wereldberoemde figuurtje Hello Kitty? ‘Schattigheid’, kawaii, domineert in Japan het straatbeeld evenals openbare ruimtes zoals stations, winkelcentra en kantoren van ‘cool Japan’... Show moreWie kent niet het wereldberoemde figuurtje Hello Kitty? ‘Schattigheid’, kawaii, domineert in Japan het straatbeeld evenals openbare ruimtes zoals stations, winkelcentra en kantoren van ‘cool Japan’ en cool kan heel goed schattig zijn. Schattigheid is niet meer alleen weggelegd voor kinderen met figuurtjes als Hello Kitty of voor schoolmeisjes en jonge vrouwen, met de hippe Gothic Lolita’s. Ook mannen, zelfs politici en politie in Japan omarmen kawaii als onderdeel van sociale interactie. In het Westen stond Japan bekend als het land van kersen – bloesems en geisha’s, en van het economische wonder in de jaren tachtig van de vorige eeuw. Als we de hedendaagse Japanse cultuur met één woord willen beschrijven, dan is het woord kawaii het meest toepasselijk. Ook het kleurrijke werk van kunstenaar Murakami Takashi en de beroemde films van Hayo Miyazaki zijn kawaii te noemen. In Hello Kitty en Gothic Lolita’s lees je waarom kawaii niet meer weg te denken is uit het Japan van nu. Show less
Abujaber, Raouf Sa'd; Kaptijn, Eva; Zeist, Willem van; et al. 2009
The Jordan Valley continues to present many fascinating facets: a barrier as well as a demographic centre, a steppe as well as a fertile agricultural zone, and a region inhabited by a mix of... Show moreThe Jordan Valley continues to present many fascinating facets: a barrier as well as a demographic centre, a steppe as well as a fertile agricultural zone, and a region inhabited by a mix of different ethnic groups, cultures and ideas. This rich volume, written in honour of the Leiden archaeologist Gerrit van der Kooij, presents a wealth of research material from wide range of scholars. Chronologically and thematically diverse, the chapters include material on, among others, historical reports of the Zerqa Triangle; the palaeoecology of the Hula area; Khirbet Kerak Ware found at Jericho; the Jordan Valley during the Early Bronze Age; clay tablets of Tell Deir ‘Alla; a shrine model from Tel Kinrot; an anthropomorphic statue from Tell Damiyah; and sugar production in Jericho during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. Also incuded is an overview of Dutch cultural and archaeological activities in Jordan during the last fifty years. Show less
