Chinese Collection at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Sweden

The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Sweden (hereinafter referred to as the Museum)is hidden on the island Skeppsholmen in downtown Stockholm.The Museum mainly collects cultural relics from China, Japan and Southeast Asian countries.It has three permanent exhibitions for Chinese cultural relics.

The Executive and the Environment： An Examination of the Antiquities Act （1929-2000）

An ongoing debate exists amongst scholars studying presidential unilateral powers. Some scholars argue presidents use directives to circumvent Congress （Nathan, 1983; Deering ＆ Maltzman, 1999; Cooper, 2002）, while other scholars argue that presidents use them to enhance their policy in conjunction with Congress in times of strong congressional support （Shull ＆ Gomez, 1997; Krause ＆ Cohen, 1997）. This study applies the same theoretical debate to another presidential unilateral power, monument proclamations. The author argued that presidents strategically issue monument proclamations when they face a hostile political environment and have lost their power of persuasion. The author examined presidential monument proclamations from 1929-2000 using an event-count model. The study shows that presidents are more inclined to use monumental proclamations when they are politically weak especially during their lame duck months when they have the least political power and influence.

Materials,Language,and Definitions:On the Differences and Causes of Opinions Regarding the Dating of Laozi in Chinese and Western Academia

The exact dating of Laozi and his work has long been a topic of scholarly interest.Since the 1920s,traditional views on Laozi’s dating have been widely questioned in both Chinese and Western academia.In the latter half of the 20th century,as the“Trust Antiquity”trend gradually emerged in Chinese academia,the view that“Laozi did not exist”became the most influential mainstream perspective in Western academia.This paper first reviews the process of unification and differentiation of opinions between Chinese and Western academia.Then,by analyzing and comparing representative papers from Chinese and Western scholars,it explores the reasons for the differences in mainstream opinions.Additionally,it briefly discusses the implications of these differences to provide insights for future research.

Primary Study on the Protection and Development Planning of Antiquity Gardens——A Case Study of "Temple of YANG Shengan and Guihu Lake"

Through exploring and studying the rebuilding and protection planning of the Temple of YANG Shengan and Guihu Lake,the design principles and experience of rebuilding and protecting gardens of antiquity were summarized,the effective approaches to integrate the rebuilding design and the protection of relics were explored and the suggestions for the protection and development of antiquity gardens were put forward.

From Grinding Hollows to Information Communication Technology through Media in Selecting Prospective Fiancées: Evidence from Wasukuma Socio-Cultural Practices in Tanzania

This paper presents results from investigation of cultural transformations exhibited by Wasukuma youth in regard to getting fiancées in Ngasamo ward, Busega district, Simiyu region, Tanzania. The Main Objective was to assess the manner former Wasukuma young men used mega-stone objects in selecting prospective fiancées and compare with the current trend of using media in some areas of Bariadi district, Simiyu region. Specific Objectives included the following: to relocate tangible cultural heritage resources (mega-stones) used by Wasukuma young men in former times for getting fiancées in Simiyu region;to identify electronic media used by Wasukuma young men of today to communicate in a bid to get fiancées in Simiyu region;and to provide suggestions for pertinent protection, conservation as well as presentation of cultural heritage resources. Such investigation was carried out through surveys that included field observation, documentation together with records for Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates per surveyed locality and key informant interviews. Results from the study identified granite rock boulders that were used as grinding stones for cereals such that they formed grinding hollows. Besides production of flour for making food like stiff porridge or soft porridge, such grinding hollows were used by youth of former times to identify hard working young ladies who could be useful for becoming life partners. Such cultural heritage assets need sustainable preservation as well as conservation plans in line with Antiqui-ties Act, Antiquities Rules and Monuments of 1980, Cultural Policy of 1997 together with Antiquities Policy of 2008. On the other hand, today’s youth in Bariadi area, Simiyu region and elsewhere in Usukuma areas, for instance, Kwimba district in Mwanza region used such mega-stones with the same purposes. However, currently, youth are using Information Communication Technology (ICT), for example, electronic media through television, mobile phones and the like to communicate with young ladies so as to build a permanent bond that could culminate to marriage.

History of Helicobacter pylori,duodenal ulcer,gastric ulcer and gastric cancer

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection underlies gastric ulcer disease, gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer disease. The disease expression reflects the pattern and extent of gastritis/gastric atrophy (i.e., duodenal ulcer with non-atrophic and gastric ulcer and gastric cancer with atrophic gastritis). Gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastric cancer have been known for thousands of years. Ulcers are generally non-fatal and until the 20th century were difficult to diagnose. However, the presence and pattern of gastritis in past civilizations can be deduced based on the diseases present. It has been suggested that gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer both arose or became more frequent in Europe in the 19th century. Here, we show that gastric cancer and gastric ulcer were present throughout the 17th to 19th centuries consistent with atrophic gastritis being the predominant pattern, as it proved to be when it could be examined directly in the late 19th century. The environment before the 20th century favored acquisition of H. pylori infection and atrophic gastritis (e.g., poor sanitation and standards of living, seasonal diets poor in fresh fruits and vegetables, especially in winter, vitamin deficiencies, and frequent febrile infections in childhood). The latter part of the 19th century saw improvements in standards of living, sanitation, and diets with a corresponding decrease in rate of development of atrophic gastritis allowing duodenal ulcers to become more prominent. In the early 20th century physician’s believed they could diagnose ulcers clinically and that the diagnosis required hospitalization for “surgical disease” or for “Sippy” diets. We show that while H. pylori remained common and virulent in Europe and the United States, environmental changes resulted in changes of the pattern of gastritis producing a change in the manifestations of H. pylori infections and subsequently to a rapid decline in transmission and a rapid decline in all H. pylori-related diseases.

Study on the Brocades of Han Dynasty in Philadelphia Museum of Art

The brocades (jin 锦) in Han Dynasty is very precious for the study of the history of ancient Chinese textiles. This paper introduces the study on the brocades of Han Dynasty, which excavated from the tumuli of the ancient nomadic tribe “Xiong-nu” (Hun 匈 奴) in the Noin-Ula Mountains in Mongolia. The detailed analyses of the brocades in the collection of Philadelphia Museum of Art are given in this paper and a logical, reasonable conjecture for ancient weaving technology is proposed.

Milk in Medical Theory Extant in Celsus＇ De medicina

The research concerns Roman medical galactology, galaktologia iatrike （γαλακτσλσγια ιατρικη）, i.e. the ancient knowledge of milk and its by-products in medical procedures as described by Celsus in his treatise entitled De medicina. The authors elaborate on the sources of Celsus＇ medical theory of milk, comment on the place of the Roman author＇s theory against the doctrinal background of other medical writers of the period, demonstrate pharmacological characteristics attributed to milk and milk-obtained products by Celsus, specify main cures in which milk and its by-products were made use of as either simple or compound medicines, give examples of the latter, delineate the progress of the theory on milk＇s medicinal use, and finally comment on the role of milk and milk-obtained products in the diet of the Mediterranean.

Georgia and Europe in the Early Middle Ages

The article deals with relations of Georgia to Europe in the late antique period and the early Middle Ages.The analyses rests on the Byzantium and the Western European,as well as on Georgian written sources:historical chronicles,hagiographic texts and other information,reflecting political relations of the Iberia and Lazika—those-days kingdoms,located on the territory of Georgia—to the Western European and Byzantine space.The offered analysis will concentrate on the shared characteristics of European space in the Middle Ages and will compare them to the general tendencies of development of Georgia in the same period.This enables to draw conclusion that Georgia was the part of the unified Christian space of the early Middle Ages.

Botticelli’s Minerva and the Centaur:Artistic and Metaphysical Conceits

Botticelli’s Minerva and the Centaur of 1482-1483,along with his other mythological paintings,the Primavera,the Birth of Venus,and Mars and Venus,remains an iconographical mystery.As such,it is particularly interesting to analyze them.Now at the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence and National Gallery in London,these paintings,executed between 1480 and 1490,were commissioned with specific aesthetic and intellectual aims and were intended to be hung in private rooms for personal viewing.Botticelli’s mythological paintings reflect the Renaissance humanistic body of thought:the study of antiquity and Neoplatonic philosophy.This essay focuses on one aspect:an interpretation of the influence of antiquity and humanism in Botticelli’s Minerva and the Centaur,a conflation of Minerva pacifica and Minerva pudica.

Searching for Chinese Medicinal Plants in Greek Classical Medicine: A First Approach

This article examines the presence and uses of plants attested in the Chinese medical tradition in the materia medica literature of classical antiquity.It is based on the consultation of the major ancient compilations on materia medica of Chinese medicine and classical antiquity,specifically Bencao Gangmu by Li Shizhen(16th cent.)and De materia medica by Dioscorides(1st cent.A.D.).The article is divided in three major parts:the identification of plants used in the Chinese medical tradition in the medicine of the Mediterranean World in Antiquity;the analysis of the knowledge of these plants and their origin in classical antiquity;a comparison of the uses of these plants in the Bencao Gangmu and De materia medica.It traces the presence of plants of the Chinese medical tradition in Classical antiquity.Although their exact origin was not known,they were reputed at that time to be native to either India or the Black Sea,two areas that correspond to the ending points of the Silk Road.As for their uses in both traditions,they correspond for some plants,whereas they do not for others because either the uses attested in the Chinese tradition were not preserved on the Mediterranean or different uses appeared in the Mediterranean tradition.These differentiated uses hint at both continuities and ruptures,with the latter resulting from the long journey of the plants from the Chinese World to the Mediterranean and,at the same time,attempts aimed to diversify and optimize the applications of non-native medicinal substances.

Assessment of Physical Characteristics of Bugang River Watershed in Pandan, Antique, Philippines

Sustainable and appropriate watershed management strategies require the determination of biophysical information which includes the floral characteristics of the watershed. This study was conducted to characterize the floral composition of the Bugang River watershed. Data gathering was done by conducting an inventory for trees, palms, and bamboos with Quadrant Sampling using a stratified random sampling method in the forested area of the watershed with 50 m × 20 m sampling plots. Floral species were identified and classified through local experts, published books, journals, the internet, and available references. A total of 60 species belonging to 31 families and 52 genera were found using this method. Gogo (Entada phaseoloides) had the highest number of species with 222 or 14% of the total species. Trees with dbh 10 cm and above have a total estimated volume of 102.31 m3. The average diameter and average height of species decrease as the elevation increases. The result showed that the Bugang River watershed has a diverse floral composition, with vertical stratification and a dense canopy. The advocacy and awareness campaign should be done and strengthen the protection and conservation efforts of concerned agencies for the sustainability of the watershed.