Šiame darbe panaudojant zolis-gelis technologiją, susintetinti vanadžio junginių oksidinio kserogelio ir bronzos bei molekulinio oksidinio kserogelio ir bronzos plonieji sluoksniai. Visų minėtų medžiagų cheminė sudėtis ištirta Rentgeno fotoelektronų spektroskopijos metodu, siekiant nustatyti metalų jonų valentines būsenas. Panaudojant zolis-gelis technologiją, galima gana paprastais metodais, nenaudojant sudėtingos technologinės įrangos, gaminti vanadžio oksidinių bronzų plonuosius sluoksnius. Vanadžio amonio hidratuoti oksidiniai junginiai gali būti naudojami kaip medžiagos amoniako dujų jutikliams gaminti. / The thin films of molecular oxide xerogels and bronzes as well as oxide xerogels and bronzes of vanadium compounds were synthesized by sol-gel technology method. The chemical composition of mentioned compounds was investigated using XPS method in order to determine the valence of metal ions. It is shown that it is possible to produce the thin films of vanadium oxide bronzes using simple methods. The possibility to use vanadium-ammonium oxide hydrated compounds as materials for producing the ammonium sensors is shown in the dissertation.

Utilising previously unpublished ceramic evidence from the important Late Cypriot settlement of Enkomi, this thesis focuses on the impact on Cypriot social organisation of increased involvement with the complex societies of the eastern Mediterranean at the beginning of the Late Cypriot period, c. 1650 BCE. The main focus is on one aspect of the material culture: the first appearances of wheelmade pottery and the relationship of the wheelmade ceramics to the remainder of the assemblage. The introduction of wheelmade pottery has long been seen as a component of the 'social complexity package' and considered to be indicative of highly complex societies, along with full-time specialisation and mass production. The ceramic and settlement evidence from Enkomi is addressed in detail to evaluate the degree of social complexity present for the initial stages of settlement transformation on Cyprus from MCIII-LCIIB, prior to the appearance of urban centres during LCIIC. The extent of excavation at Enkomi, compared to other sites of the period, and the wealth of finds from both mortuary and settlement contexts has led to assumptions about the site's relative importance to the processes of change occurring on Cyprus. The notion of Enkomi as a pre-eminent town or as an archaic state is questioned in relation to the evidence from other settlements. The thesis is divided into four parts. Part 1 discusses the theoretical background for social complexity and outlines the explanatory models which have been developed for the Late Cypriot. I address the importance of trade, and briefly outline the modes of contact and social organisation in the eastern Mediterranean region in order to provide a framework for the interaction of Cyprus within this sphere. I also discuss the significance that has been placed on the appearance of wheel made ceramics in archaeological assemblages. The identification of wheel made ceramics is more complex than is often assumed and an important distinction should be made between pottery with the superficial appearance of being wheelmade and pottery that is actually wheelmade. Part 2 assesses the evidence of ceramics and settlement from other early LC sites in order to investigate whether Enkomi may be considered to have played a dominant role on the island in terms of site hierarchy or control over resources. A brief summary of the evidence of the ceramic and settlement evidence for the EC-MC and the LCllC-lllA periods is provided for comparative purposes. In Part 3 the Enkomi settlement and ceramic evidence is considered in detail. The combined evidence indicates a more complex sequence of construction, occupation and abandonment than has been assumed. Additionally, the adoption of wheelmade pottery is found to be a sporadic and gradual process, with the handmade and wheelmade versions of the ceramic wares manufactured concurrently from LCl-LCIIB. The conclusions reached are presented in Part 4. The processes by which Cyprus came to play an important role within the trading networks of the Late Bronze Age are more complex and gradual than generally acknowledged. A combination of settlement and ceramic evidence indicates that social organisation during LCI remained small-scale with regional traditions persisting and limited influence between the emergent polities on the island. During LCllA-B, the degree of intra-island contacts increased and a uniform material culture is adopted, developing into a series of highly structured urban polities by LCIIC. It does not appear likely that any site or region exercised islandwide control during LCI and the autonomous polities of LCIIC therefore represent a continuation of the social organisation from the preceding periods, rather than a devolution of centralised control.

Cast nickel-aluminum bronze (NAB) alloy is specified for many marine applications, including ship propellers, due to its excellent corrosion-resistance combined with acceptable mechanical properties. Friction stir processing (FSP) can be used to improve the alloyâ s mechanical properties by localized microstructure modification in the cast material. FSP converts an as-cast microstructure to a wrought condition in the absence of macroscopic shape change, closes porosity, and provides a means to surface harden the castings. The closure of porosity near the surface of the material may shorten the manufacturing and processing time for ship propellers. The surface hardening of cast NAB alloy can be used to increase the wear life of ship propellers. Rockwell Scientific Corporation (now Teledyne Scientific Corporation) supplied three Nickel Aluminum Bronze alloy plates which have been friction stir processed in a raster pattern under a Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) project. Each plate had been processed using a different tool RPM and IPM (inches per minute of transverse) combination. Miniature tensile samples were sectioned from the FSP zone and surrounding base metal and mechanical property distributions were determined in these regions. The material within the FSP zone exhibited consistently higher yield strengths, ultimate tensile strengths, and ductilities than the as-cast base metal.

The first image depicted of sail are in Egypt and dated to the late fourth millennium BC. Around the third millennium BC the introduction of sail began in the eastern Mediterranean.Some researchers do not believe that sail have existed in Scandinavia until about 8th century AD. The reason for this is because of the lack of archaeological evidence. The question that may be asked is whether it is reasonable that it took about 3000-3500 years for the sail to getto Scandinavia from the eastern Mediterranean? The purpose of this essay is to examine and describe which indications that are available to support the occurrence of the sail in Scandinavia during the Bronze Age. Indications will be studied in trade contacts, rock art boats, and boat constructions.The study is relevant to gain a greater understanding of the Scandinavia´s movements on the open water, trade contacts and boat construction during the Bronze Age.The result reveals that Scandinavia probably had an indirect contact with areas that used sails. Indications for contact with areas in Europe are shown by imports and exports of amber,metals, artefacts and similarities between rock carvings depicting ships. Some of Scandinavia´s rock art boats seem to show attributes such as mast and sails, but it is difficult to get an understanding by looking at the pictures only. One idea is that a change is required in the keel of the boats for sailing. The result reveals that an alternative to keel may have been double steering oars. From an experimental archaeological survey of Bengtsson & Bengtsson (2011), it seems that Scandinavian Bronze Age boats have managed to get sailed. / Den första avbilden av segel finns i Egypten och dateras till ca år 4000 f.Kr. Runt ca år 3000f.Kr. uppkommer segel i östra Medelhavsområdet, Persiska viken och möjligen Indien. I Skandinavien anser en del forskare att segel inte har existerat förrän ca 700 år e.Kr., då inga arkeologiska bevis för mast eller segel förekommer. Frågan som kan ställas är om det är rimligt att seglet har tagit omkring 3000-3500 år att nå Skandinavien från östra Medelhavsområdet? Syftet med studien är att undersöka och redogöra för vilka indikationer som finns för att seglet kan ha förekommit i Skandinavien under bronsåldern. Frågeställningarna har varit: Var Skandinavien i kontakt med områden som nyttjade segel eller hade kunskap om dem under bronsåldern? Vilka belägg finns för att kontakter med områden i Europa harförekommit? Kan hällbilderna från bronsåldern i Skandinavien tolkas ha mast och segel? Vad krävs i en båtkonstruktion för att den skall kunna segla? Har skandinaviska bronsåldersbåtar haft en båtkonstruktion som klarat av segling? Teorin som antagits i föreliggande uppsats har varit Bengtsson & Bengtssons (2011) som antar att segel kan ha uppkommit tidigare i Skandinavien, möjligtvis redan under bronsåldern. Studien utfördes genom en litteraturöversikt och metoden var empirisk och komperativ då forskares åsikter, antaganden och resultat från deras undersökningar jämfördes och presenterades utifrån frågeställningarnai analysen. En avgränsning har funnits genom att undersökningen främst berört områden därmast och segel kan tolkas ha förekommit samt på platser där tidigare forskning behandlat Skandinaviens hällristningar. Ytterligare avgränsning har funnits genom att en ingåendebeskrivning av hur båtkonstruktionen hos bronsåldersbåtarna såg ut, ej har angivits i detalj, utan i stället har de funktioner som ansetts viktiga för en möjlig introduktion av segel i Skandinavien främst undersökts. Resultatet visar utifrån analysen och diskussionen kring frågeställningarna att indikationerframkommer för att möjligheten finns för att segel förekom i Skandinavien under bronsåldern.

Heaps of fire cracked stones is an apparent feature of the Scandinavian Bronze Age. The heaps are built of stones cracked by fire and then placed in different constructions. The heaps are placed in different contexts in the Bronze Age landscape and for a long time, research neglected this site category owing to that the heaps were not considered important enough to dig. During the 1980s-90s the interest for the heaps of fire cracked stones increased and it became a wellresearched although debated site category. Earlier research has interpreted the heaps to be on the hillslopes in the landscape. This study’s research aims to understand the relation between shorelines and the placement of fire cracked stone heaps. This will be done through a landscape study of Uppland. The study indicates that the pattern in the distribution of heaps of fire cracked stones creates a correlation with the shoreline of the time the heaps were built, through their placement in the landscape. By creating a dynamic shoreline displacement, the essay will be able to look at the landscape in a more detailed way and will be able to investigate the relation between the heaps and the water edge. Through excluding the heaps that are under the waterline it is possible to in general determine the earliest possible production date. The fire cracked stone heaps have earlier been categorised to the Scandinavian Bronze Age but this research argues that some of the heaps should belong to the Neolithic Age as well.

It is generally considered that cairns and stone constructions of different shapes and sizes make up the grave monuments of the Late Bronze Age (1000–300 BC) in the province of Södermanland in Sweden. However, these “monuments” often contain only small amounts of burnt bone, and often no human remains at all. At the same time, human bones are found in settlement sites and other "non-grave" contexts. The materiality of human remains thus appears to be far more complex than a modern definition of "burial" or "grave" would allow.  This thesis investigates practices beyond the common terminology of burial archaeology, and focuses on the practices of collecting, enclosing and scattering stones, human remains, pottery and metal objects in stone constructions traditionally labeled "graves".  The study is conducted through a detailed micro-level analysis combining constructions, depositions of artefacts and human remains in a perspective of perception, formation processes and temporality. Based on the results from studies of two Late Bronze Age burial grounds in Eastern Sweden, it is argued that there is a need to differentiate the meaning content of cremated bone within in what we refer to as burial grounds. Results indicate that the passage rituals in connection with death and disposal of remains do not end when the cremated bone is deposited in the stone constructions. The constructions and deposits are subject to further attention and actions, altering the meaning of the cremated bones while the individual undergoes transformation to a fully transformed substance. The stone constructions themselves do not appear to have been built for eternity, but rather as functional nodes of transformation, constructed to facilitate the passage rituals.

L’objet de la présente étude est le développement, l’application et la diffusion de la technologie associée à divers types d’alliages de cuivre, en particulier l’alliage du plomb-bronze, en Grèce ancienne, dans ses colonies, ainsi qu’en Étrurie. Le plomb-bronze est un mélange de diverses proportions d’étain, de cuivre et de plomb. Le consensus général chez les archéométallurgistes est que le plomb-bronze n’était pas communément utilisé en Grèce avant la période hellénistique; par conséquent, cet alliage a reçu très peu d’attention dans les documents d’archéologie. Cependant, les analyses métallographiques ont prouvé que les objets composés de plomb ajouté au bronze ont connu une distribution étendue. Ces analyses ont aussi permis de différencier la composition des alliages utilisés dans la fabrication de divers types de bronzes, une preuve tangible que les métallurgistes faisaient la distinction entre les propriétés du bronze d’étain et celles du plomb-bronze. La connaissance de leurs différentes caractéristiques de travail permettait aux travailleurs du bronze de choisir, dans bien des cas, l’alliage approprié pour une utilisation particulière. L’influence des pratiques métallurgiques du Proche-Orient a produit des variations tant dans les formes artistiques que dans les compositions des alliages de bronze grecs durant les périodes géométrique tardive et orientalisante. L’utilisation du plomb-bronze dans des types particuliers d’objets coulés montre une tendance à la hausse à partir de la période orientalisante, culminant dans la période hellénistique tardive, lorsque le bronze à teneur élevée en plomb est devenu un alliage commun. La présente étude analyse les données métallographiques de la catégorie des objets coulés en bronze et en plomb-bronze. Elle démontre que, bien que l’utilisation du plomb-bronze n’était pas aussi commune que celle du bronze d’étain, il s’agissait néanmoins d’un mélange important d’anciennes pratiques métallurgiques. Les ères couvertes sont comprises entre les périodes géométrique et hellénistique. / The subject of this study is the development, application and diffusion of the technology of various types of copper alloys, particularly that of leaded bronze, in ancient Greece, its colonies, and in Etruria. Leaded bronze is a mixture of tin, copper and lead in various proportions. The general consensus among archaeometallurgists is that leaded bronze was not commonly used in Greece until the Hellenistic period, and thus this alloy has not received very much attention in archaeological literature. However, metallographic analyses demonstrate that objects composed of leaded bronze had a wide distribution. The analyses also show differentiation in the composition of alloys that were used in the manufacture of various types of bronzes, a tangible indication that metalworkers distinguished between the properties of both tin bronze and leaded bronze. The knowledge of their different working characteristics is what enabled a bronzeworker to choose, in many cases, the appropriate alloy for a specific application. The influence of Near Eastern metallurgical practices produced variations in both the artistic forms as well as alloy compositions of Greek bronzes during the Late Geometric and Orientalizing periods. The use of leaded bronze for particular types of cast objects shows an increasing tendency from the Orientalizing period onwards, culminating in the late Hellenistic period when high-lead bronze became a common alloy. This study analyzes the metallographic data of specific categories of bronze and leaded bronze cast objects, and it will demonstrate that although the use of leaded bronze was not as prevalent as that of tin bronze, it was nevertheless a significant adjunct of ancient metallurgical practices. The periods surveyed range from the Geometric to the Hellenistic periods.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

The works contained in "Raubeaux Scientician" are about a triadic relationship between people, science, and art. The obsessions, of individuals and the apparent change brought about by their physical presence guide my artistic research. I am awestruck at the capabilities of the individual to overcome conventional thought and through creative action yield a new vision. Some of the people I am fascinated by put forth theories and inventions that continue to affect myriad aspects of our world today. Among those at the forefront are, Robert Oppenheimer, and Edward Teller. Their contributions to science and mathematics remain almost unmatched. These and many others on the Manhattan Project team were employing cutting edge physics in their atomic research. The decisions to go through with the testing and the resulting construction of atomic weapons quite simply changed the face of humanity forever. With the knowledge of how to obliterate mankind, however, came a closer understanding of nature and the universe. But was it all worth it? And what about the not so famous men and women on this project, those such as Stanislaw Ulam who felt the calculations for atomic testing were all wrong and traveled the scientific community to try and stop the making of the bomb. What if he had been successful in ending the use of these postulates?

Judith Butler’s theory of performativity can be productively used to analyse how identity at burial would have been created, sustained and rendered coherent through extended periods of time. Moreover, Heideggerean phenomenology offers us insights into the mechanism underlying the process of performing an identity. Using mortuary data from Shang and Zhou burials, I offer (a) an analysis of how the identity of the deceased might have been (re)constructed and (re)produced through structured burial deposits as well as (b) a Heideggerean account of the heritage inherent in the sets of bronze objects interred in graves. These sets of bronze objects would have been used in a performance within the mortuary sphere as part of an elaborate but recognisable process of producing an identity for a tomb occupant. Furthermore, a gendered identity would have also been reified and materialised through burial assemblages. These post-processual analyses might be taken as examples that can be generalised to a method for further investigating other identities, and the processes underlying their production and reproduction, that Chinese archaeologists theorising burials and identity may use to advance the field.