This paper provides a preliminary critical review of current academia as it regards contact between the Roman Empire and Han imperial China, during roughly the 3rd century B.C.E. until the 3rd...Show moreThis paper provides a preliminary critical review of current academia as it regards contact between the Roman Empire and Han imperial China, during roughly the 3rd century B.C.E. until the 3rd century C.E., with the purpose of re-evaluating currently accepted facts on the basis of archaeological case studies. Archaeological case studies on the topics of Roman glass, coins, and cloth found in or en route to Han China were examined against a background of ancient written sources and modern academic writing on the topic of the ancient Silk Road network and contact between the Roman Empire and Han China. The results show Roman glass items found together with locally produced glass from coastal sites in southeast China and the Xinjiang area. Quite a few metal pendants imitating Roman coins were found in sites along the coasts of Thailand and Vietnam, particularly the Isthmus of Khra. A genuine Roman coin used as a pendant in a similar fashion was also found in Pangkung Paruk on the island of Bali. Cloth from Xiongnu tombs displaying both Hellenic and Han Chinese style elements was also found in the Xinjiang area. These finds shed light on the nature of interaction between the Roman Empire and Han China, and the objects that made the entire journey in all likelihood more often than people did. Most importantly, they contribute to the larger framework of exchange and interaction along the Silk Road network, and fill in some blanks in an often-neglected region of this topic. The need for further (re-)examination of such finds is evident.Show less
The last two decades, the popularity and accessibility of K-Pop have transcended Korean and Asian borders, reaching new audiences and gaining new fans, with K-Pop groups becoming not solely...Show moreThe last two decades, the popularity and accessibility of K-Pop have transcended Korean and Asian borders, reaching new audiences and gaining new fans, with K-Pop groups becoming not solely dependent on having a fanbase in Korea for their continuation. Not only have the music and visuals gone international, but also fan culture, having been adapted by international fans as well. But what makes Korean fandom culture stand out in comparison to other fan cultures? Regarding K-Pop and fans, what has been mostly covered in scholarship and media is the spread of Korean entertainment products as drama series and music, the phenomenon Hallyu, and fans as consumers of these products. The practice of fans making donations in the name of their idols is placed within the framework of gift exchange practices and parasocial relationships. This research looks at what this phenomenon could tell us of the role and position that fans and fandoms have within the Korean entertainment industry in regard to their favourite idols and the changing approach to and dependencies of their fans.Show less
North Central Nicaragua has long been on the fringes of the researched world and this region is still largely underrepresented in discourses on Central American archaeology. These have...Show moreNorth Central Nicaragua has long been on the fringes of the researched world and this region is still largely underrepresented in discourses on Central American archaeology. These have traditionally put the emphasis on defining ethnic territories and boundaries across the isthmus, often obscuring local diversity. The existing knowledge on the pre-Conquest societies of North Central Nicaragua rely heavily on linguistic sources and biased colonial accounts. An archaeological effort to understand the pre-Conquest past of the region would not only contribute to the writing of local history, but also contribute to archaeological discussions on an interregional scale. Most of the archaeological data available for the Matagalpa and Jinotega departments are found in unpublished survey reports. These have been largely disregarded due to the non-systematic survey strategies used and lacks in a chronological understanding of the archaeological sites and finds. This thesis adopts a visual GIS approach that makes use of these data sources, in order to combine existing survey data and explore the pre-Conquest past in the Matagalpa and Jinotega departments of North Central Nicaragua. A flexible framework is used to analyse the survey data, accounting for its limitations and considering the particularly variable environmental zones that characterise this region. Considering different models of zonal complementarity and interregional exchange, the visual analysis seeks to gain an understanding of pre-Conquest interzonal interaction and exchange in the research area. The analysis reveals different patterns of interzonal interaction. Distributions of movable finds penetrate different environmental zones, indicating exchange between groups occupying different environmental zones. Finds linked to interregional networks are found in differing degrees of diversity in different parts of the research area, suggesting differing degrees of centrality and access to goods from outside regions. The available data supports interregional down-the-line trade models taking place in an environmentally and most likely also socially and culturally heterogeneous landscape. This thesis contributes to closing a knowledge gap on the pre-Conquest past both on a local and interregional scale. Combining existing archaeological data helps archaeology to participate more effectively in current discourses about pre-Conquest North Central Nicaragua. Interregionally, this thesis contributes by presenting a comprehensive data exploration in an underrepresented region through an environmental and geographical perspective. This perspective helps seeking new avenues in Central American archaeology that allow the consideration of local diversity without losing sight on interregional dynamics.Show less
For this project we investigated the effect of different spacing between nanoparticles in arrays on molecular exchange. To study this dependence we synthesized 10nm gold nanoparticles capped by...Show moreFor this project we investigated the effect of different spacing between nanoparticles in arrays on molecular exchange. To study this dependence we synthesized 10nm gold nanoparticles capped by different alkanethiols. By letting these nanoparticles self-assemble into nanoparticle arrays and immersing these arrays in a solution containing conjugated molecules, we formed networks of gold nanoparticles interconnected by these conjugated molecules. By measuring the electrical and optical properties of these networks, as well as imaging them with a SEM, we were able to characterize the spacing of nanoparticles dependence of molecular exchange. We conclude that the molecular exchange is not dependent on the spacing between nanoparticles. This might be due to the network quality.Show less
The Neolithic witnessed the inception of dedicated trade networks which encompassed vast distances, over 3000 years prior to the invention of the wheel and before the domestication of traditional...Show moreThe Neolithic witnessed the inception of dedicated trade networks which encompassed vast distances, over 3000 years prior to the invention of the wheel and before the domestication of traditional beasts of burden such as horses, donkeys and camels. Communities were able to transport large quantities of material by land and water through use of a mixture of purposely created equipment and techniques. Strangely, few attempts have been made to retrace these networks of transport and attempt to postulate how material was moved from one place to another. Theoretical models of exchange are well attested, but this does not extend into practical application. This thesis will attempt to perform this application through the case study of Tell Sabi Abyad, a Late Neolithic settlement in northern Syria. The presence of bitumen and obsidian at the site have been determined to have arrived from over 300km in distance. As such, this body of research will attempt to break down such journeys and establish how they eventually arrived at a site, either by direct acquisition or otherwise. It will attempt to establish – assuming groups were indeed undertaking expeditions directly to the source – how long such a journey would have taken and by what means material was transported. The tracing of such networks of exchange provides an intriguing insight into the interconnectedness of Late Neolithic communities, and what levels of organisation existed in the facilitation of this activity.Show less
This thesis was written with the objective to re-examine the Aegyptiaca on Malta and Gozo during the Phoenician and Punic phases, in order to achieve a better understanding of the cultural exchange...Show moreThis thesis was written with the objective to re-examine the Aegyptiaca on Malta and Gozo during the Phoenician and Punic phases, in order to achieve a better understanding of the cultural exchange processes, which would have occurred during the first millennium BCE. Because of the geographic location of the islands in the middle of the Mediterranean, Malta holds a unique position, where several different cultures meet and merge. Based on previously published material (Hölbl 1989 and Sagona 2005), every object has been critically discussed and analyzed within its archaeological and cultural context. While some of the objects were created in Egypt, others were good copies of Egyptian originals, produced elsewhere. While a number of the objects might have been associated with purely aesthetic values, some of our objects allow for a deeper religious association. On Malta we see a convergence of Egyptian and Levantine influences, merged together in Phoenician art. This is not a strange phenomenon, as the Phoenicians themselves already adopted and changed many aspects of different cultures, which they again distributed across the Mediterranean. Where cultures meet they can merge together to form a new culture, but that is not always the case. People can also resist a new dominating culture by falling back on an older culture. This feat is shown in the numismatics of Malta and Gozo, as even under the new Roman domination coins were minted with Punic and Phoenician deities and motifs displayed on them.Show less
