Journal articles on the topic 'Relic-object'

The object of the inscription has a feature that is difficult to recognize because it is generally eroded and faded. This study analyzed the performance of CNN using LeNet model to recognize the object of year digit found on the relic inscriptions of Majapahit Kingdom. Object recognition with LeNet model had a maximum accuracy of 85.08% at 10 epoch in 6069 seconds. This LeNet's performance was better than the VGG as the comparison model with a maximum accuracy of 11.39% at 10 epoch in 40223 seconds.

Abstract In 1599 Valencia celebrated the arrival of an ancient Christian martyr whose remains were the latest addition to the collection of the city’s archbishop, Juan de Ribera (1532-1611). Through an examination of some of Archbishop Ribera’s relic acquisitions, I explore the inner workings of the early modern sacred economy of relics. Ribera’s collection strategies blended distinct modes of exchange and linked him to a clandestine economy of relic theft. These transactions reflected the relic’s own uncertain ontological status as both person and object. This ambivalence became a factor that fostered an atmosphere of anxiety around the early modern relic economy, as did Protestant reformers’ critiques and their upending of the traditional Christian symbolic order. The reaffirmations of the cult of relics by the Tridentine Church stabilized the value of the sacred commodities. The economy of relics illustrates how the sacred constitutes a heretofore underexamined area of inquiry for commodity studies.

The registration of ground laser point cloud and close-range image is the key content of high-precision 3D reconstruction of cultural relic object. In view of the requirement of high texture resolution in the field of cultural relic at present, The registration of point cloud and image data in object reconstruction will result in the problem of point cloud to multiple images. In the current commercial software, the two pairs of registration of the two kinds of data are realized by manually dividing point cloud data, manual matching point cloud and image data, manually selecting a two – dimensional point of the same name of the image and the point cloud, and the process not only greatly reduces the working efficiency, but also affects the precision of the registration of the two, and causes the problem of the color point cloud texture joint. In order to solve the above problems, this paper takes the whole object image as the intermediate data, and uses the matching technology to realize the automatic one-to-one correspondence between the point cloud and multiple images. The matching of point cloud center projection reflection intensity image and optical image is applied to realize the automatic matching of the same name feature points, and the Rodrigo matrix spatial similarity transformation model and weight selection iteration are used to realize the automatic registration of the two kinds of data with high accuracy. This method is expected to serve for the high precision and high efficiency automatic 3D reconstruction of cultural relic objects, which has certain scientific research value and practical significance.

On the purpose of presenting the old appearance of the relics through digitalization, and overlapping the virtual scenes with the actual scenes at the relic site, in this paper, we introduced the positioning technology, posture sensing technology and system development technology, put forward constructing cultural relic tourism platform based on integration positioning and posture sensing technology, we conducted detailed research and analysis on the users’ experienced process of cultural tourism, designed a relic augmented reality system of integration positioning and posture sensing technology. This augmented reality system mainly utilizes positioning technology to guide the users to the correct location of the relic on the corresponding map, and then overlaps the virtual object with the real relic, achieveing a 360-degree view of the overlapping effect, and the presentation effect of near-small, far-big. The system mainly employs Unity to develop the system and realize the above system on mobile terminal. It is no longer limited to a fixed point experience environment, and is suitable for outdoor natural scenes, it makes a breakthrough on the traditional overlapping of virtual scenes and real scenes, realizes the precise overlap of virtual 3D scenes with actual images, and enables the users to feel the vicissitudes of history along the movement of the mobile device in outdoor natural scenes, so as to inherit the history and culture, enrich the information and add some fun to the displayed scene, it has the advantages of bringing people more immersive feelings compared with the traditional virtual display platform.

We describe the highest-resolution radio observations yet made of relic radio sources. These relics have extremely steep (α ≤ −2.5) spectra and are located in four southern Abell clusters (A 13, A 85, A133, A 4038). VLA images at 1.4 GHz and ∼4″ resolution show a remarkable variety of fine structure like arcs, wisps, plumes, and loops. Integrated polarization fractions range from 2.3% to 16.8%. Deep red CCD images do not reveal any optical object with a brightness and/or position typical of a radio host galaxy. The X-ray centroids in ROSAT images tend to be displaced from the cluster potential wells in the direction of the relics in A85, A133 and A4038, suggesting that some of the X-rays may be inverse Compton or excess thermal emission from the relic itself.

AbstractSt Margaret of Scotland owned a reliquary containing a relic of the True Cross known as crux nigra. Both Turgot, Margaret’s biographer, and Aelred of Rievaulx, who spent some years at the court of Margaret’s son, King David, mention the reliquary without offering sufficient information on its origin. The Black Rood was probably lost or destroyed in the sixteenth century. Some lines written on the margins of a twelfth-century manuscript containing Aelred’s Genealogia regum Anglorum can now shed a new light on this sacred object. The mysterious lines, originally written on the Black Rood or more probably on the casket in which it was contained, claim that the relic once belonged to an Anglo-Saxon king, and at the same time they seem to convey a significant political message.

This paper takes the origin of Fengyang phoenix painting as the object of study, and analyzes from the event itself, place, genealogy and cultural relic. It proves that phoenix painting originated from the historical “immigration” in which Zhu Yuanzhang, the Emperor of Hongwu during Ming dynasty in China, mobilized a large number of artisans from the south of the Yangtze River of China to build the imperial city of Zhongdu.

The problem of religious syncretism and household syncretised religiosity are two aspects of the analysis of religion. The main object and subject of our study is the second aspect - the functioning of Orthodoxy at the household level.Objectively, there was no form of religion that would act "in its pure form", that is, at its orthodox-canonical level. Thus, even world religions are the heirs of relic beliefs, the product of their further transformation in specific socio-economic and historical conditions.

NenuFAR, the New Extension in Nancay Upgrading LOFAR, is currently in its early science phase. It is in this context that the Cosmic Filaments and Magnetism Pilot Survey is observing sources with the array as it is still under construction—with 57 (56 core, 1 distant) out of a total planned 102 (96 core, 6 distant) mini-arrays online at the time of observation—to get a first look at the low-frequency sky with NenuFAR. One of its targets is the Coma galaxy cluster: a well-known object, host of the prototype radio halo. It also hosts other features of scientific import, including a radio relic, along with a bridge of emission connecting it with the halo. It is thus a well-studied object.In this paper, we show the first confirmed NenuFAR detection of the radio halo and radio relic of the Coma cluster at 34.4 MHz, with associated intrinsic flux density estimates: we find an integrated flux value of 106.3 ± 3.5 Jy for the radio halo, and 102.0 ± 7.4 Jy for the radio relic. These are upper bound values, as they do not include point-source subtraction. We also give an explanation of the technical difficulties encountered in reducing the data, along with steps taken to resolve them. This will be helpful for other scientific projects which will aim to make use of standalone NenuFAR imaging observations in the future.

The purpose of the article is to present the history and the analysis of the Russian wooden sculpture “Nikola Мtsenskiy” results of the examination from Peter and Paul Cathedral in Mtsensk. For the first time, the author conducted a historical and cultural examination of this object for religious purposes. The article defines the historical and cultural context of this object existence, its veneration as a relic, the problem of comparing the “The Legend of the appearance of the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas Wonderworker in the city of Mtsensk” and the preserved sculpture. The author also examines the historical and artistic sources of origin of similar items in the culture of the medieval Moscow state. The author dates the preserved fragment of the sculpture from Mtsensk Peter and Paul Cathedral to the late 1600s.

ABSTRACT The origin of radio relics is usually explained via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) or re-acceleration of electrons at/from merger shocks in galaxy clusters. The case of acceleration is challenged by the low predicted efficiency of low Mach number merger shocks, unable to explain the power observed in most radio relics. In this letter, we present the discovery of a new giant radio relic around the galaxy cluster Abell 2249 ($z$ = 0.0838) using Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR). It is special since it has the lowest surface brightness of all known radio relics. We study its radio and X-ray properties combining LOFAR data with uGMRT, JVLA, and XMM. This object has a total power of $L_{1.4\rm\, GHz}=4.1\pm 0.8 \times 10^{23}$ W Hz−1 and integrated spectral index α = 1.15 ± 0.23. We infer for this radio relic a lower bound on the magnetization of $B\ge 0.4\, \mu$G, a shock Mach number of $\mathcal {M}\approx 3.79$, and a low acceleration efficiency consistent with DSA. This result suggests that a missing population of relics may become visible, thanks to the unprecedented sensitivity of the new generation of radio telescopes.

This paper does not discuss the authenticity or antiquity of the Holy Shroud. It addresses the problem of its historical appearance in the 1350s and its antecedents, if any, before that date. It is suggested that the object owed its creation (if a replica) or its transmission into Europe (if genuinely a relic) to the efforts of members of the Franciscan order. It speculates particularly on the role of Spirituals of that order aligned with Fra Angelo Clareno and his associates. The conclusions do not assert but suggest the thesis, and advance it as a line of inquiry meriting further pursuit.

In the now almost fifteen years since the rush to German unity, East Germany's remembering of its lost cultural objects and social practices has already established a rich history of its own. The first product to become a prominent symbol of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was the Trabant (Trabi). An unattractive, inefficient, obnoxiously loud car manufactured in the GDR, it went overnight from being an object for which many East Germans waited expectantly for several years to be able to purchase to an antiquated, undesired relic. The brunt of some of the first Ossie jokes, it also quickly became a symbol for East German resistance to an arrogant West German dismissal of all that was the GDR.

Abstract The forthcoming transfer of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg being a UNESCO World Heritage Site to the Russian Orthodox Church ignites a heated debate within the Russian society. The cathedral being part of the State Museum Complex stands out as a pearl of the world’s iconic architecture. Furthermore, it is the second most visited museum after the Hermitage, boasts an outstanding exhibition potential, and it regularly hosts church services and ritual events. Museum collections exceed twenty-four thousand items of storage, and they continue to be replenished with found rarities and newly restored objects with the status of a relic to be protected. The aim of the article is to measure the value of the assets of the monument building, assessing the insured value of the object. Uncertainty of the future use of the disputed object, however, allows us to consider the calculation capabilities and methodical tools of valuation activities to measure the market and insurance value of such a real estate object and land plot, for example, in order to practice damage compensation and transfer the object from the balance sheet of one owner to balance of another owner. The latter circumstance determines the main discourse of this study. The present article is devoted to questions of an expert estimation of the insured value of the object of research in the form of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The article is a continuation of a series of previously published works by the author.

In January 2016, the University of Memphis Libraries (UML) announced that the “human skin book” held in the Preservation and Special Collections Department for 30 years did not have an anthropodermic binding after all.1 The results of new scientific testing were a disappointment to some library staff because the book had become an object of fascination for many students and its fame had spread far beyond the campus. The story of how one book came to symbolize the archives and the library of the University of Memphis is an interesting one. However, there are also important questions about the way a relic is used and exploited to attract more patrons to libraries and archives, and the ethical considerations that accompany such use.

After his death in 1623, the Flemish Jesuit Leonard Lessius (Lenaert Leys, 1554–1623) became the object of public veneration—never approved by the Roman church—that aimed at promoting his beatification. The cult of this theologian, based on many supposed miraculous healings, increased in the seventeenth century but began to fade thereafter. The cult was revitalized in the nineteenth century, when some Flemish Jesuits began a “relic rush” in order to find Lessius’s remains, with the hope of reopening the process of beatification; the cause was, however, definitively abandoned in the twentieth century. The records relating to Lessius’s cause shed light on the policy of sainthood adopted by the new Society of Jesus and its connection with that of the old Society.

The generic term ‘museum objects’ suggests that a uniform category is involved. But museums in various disciplines have exhibited objects according to quite different rules and have assigned values to them that depend on the standards of the field of inquiry concerned: aesthetic quality, value as a historical source, as a relic or as a representative item. Over time, various display conventions have become established, which appear to us today to be natural and that assign the objects to specific stimulus values. The aim of this essay is to achieve a better understanding of these exhibition practices and discipline-specific value standards. The study aims to discover why we have become accustomed to using objects in exhibitions in different ways, and it distinguishes between three types of object: work, specimen and witness. The hypothesis here is that each of these follows its own display conventions, forms of perception and standards of value. The present essay aims to situate these three types of object – work, specimen and witness – historically and in this way to articulate the differences in status that exist between them.

AbstractAcross the eastern Mediterranean, the personnel of late antique pilgrimage sites distributed terracotta tokens stamped with depictions of saints, scenes from the life of Christ, and related imagery. Using primarily hagiographical sources, scholars associate tokens with healing practices, the veneration of icons, and the worship of relics. Certainly, hagiographies offer valuable representations of ritual processes, but they also make claims on the proper distribution, meaning, and use of tokens amidst a diversity of intercessory activities. How, in practice, was a token produced and distributed? How did pilgrims use tokens at and away from pilgrimage complexes beyond the assertions made by hagiographers? This article answers these questions by tracing the “cultural biography” of a token. It analyzes the archaeological contexts of tokens in order to clarify select statuses that a token might occupy during its lifetime, including commodity, gift, domestic object, funerary object, relic, rubbish, and art object. This approach lays the foundation for examining hagiographical claims regarding the use of tokens as one among many assertions in the contested process of harnessing the power of saints. It illustrates the capacity of devotees to exhibit diverse practices as well as the efforts of personnel at pilgrimage sites to shape those practices.

In the Catholic areas of Europe, the human remains (both their bones and the fabrics they touched) of persons considered to have been exceptional are usually stored for transformation into relics. The production and the reproduction of the object-relic takes place within monasteries and is carried out firstly on the material level. In this article I intend to present in detail, from an anthropological standpoint, the practices used to process such remains, the role of the social actors involved and the political-ecclesiastical dynamics connected with them. Owing to obvious difficulties in accessing enclosed communities, such practices are usually overlooked in historiographical and ethno-anthropological analyses, while they should instead be considered the most important moment in the lengthy process intended to give form and meaning to remains, with a view to their exhibition and use in ritual.

In this paper, we proposed a target aware image to model registration method using silhouette as the matching clues. The target sculpture object in natural environment can be automatically detected from image with complex background with assistant of 3D geometric data. Then the silhouette can be automatically extracted and applied in image to model matching. Due to the user don’t need to deliberately draw target area, the time consumption for precisely image to model matching operation can be greatly reduced. To enhance the function of this method, we also improved the silhouette matching algorithm to support conditional silhouette matching. Two experiments using a stone lion sculpture of Ming Dynasty and a potable relic in museum are given to evaluate the method we proposed. The method we proposed in this paper is extended and developed into a mature software applied in many culture heritage documentation projects.

It was in 1531 that, according to the apparition legend first recorded over a hundred years later in 1648, Juan Diego’s visionary experience of the Virgin of Guadalupe was miraculously mapped onto his tilma (tilmatli in Nahuatl) or woven cloak. This painted cloth, hereafter referred to as the tilma image, is said to be the same relic venerated today in the basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City (fig. 1). However, no sacred image is invented from whole cloth, to use a highly appropriate metaphor here, and the Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe is no exception. Moreover, its very materiality makes it vulnerable to the passage of time, the laws of physics and human intervention. As an object of human craft produced post-Conquest, it has a traceable genealogy within the combustible mix of art modes, mixed media and theological tracts found circulating in early colonial New Spain.

It was in 1531 that, according to the apparition legend first recorded over a hundred years later in 1648, Juan Diego’s visionary experience of the Virgin of Guadalupe was miraculously mapped onto his tilma (tilmatli in Nahuatl) or woven cloak. This painted cloth, hereafter referred to as the tilma image, is said to be the same relic venerated today in the basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City (fig. 1). However, no sacred image is invented from whole cloth, to use a highly appropriate metaphor here, and the Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe is no exception. Moreover, its very materiality makes it vulnerable to the passage of time, the laws of physics and human intervention. As an object of human craft produced post-Conquest, it has a traceable genealogy within the combustible mix of art modes, mixed media and theological tracts found circulating in early colonial New Spain.

Abstract Bulgaria is one of the European countries with the greatest biodiversity, including biodiversity of medicinal plants. The object of this study is Chepan Mountain. It is located in Western Bulgaria and it is part of Balkan Mountain. On the territory of the Chepan Mountain (only 80 km2) we found 344 species of medicinal plants from 237 genera and 83 families. The floristic analysis indicates, that the most of the families and the genera are represented by a small number of inferior taxa. The hemicryptophytes dominate among the life forms with 49.71%. The biological types are represented mainly by perennial herbaceous plants (60.47%). There are 7 types of floristic elements divided in 27 groups. The largest percentage of species are of the European type (58.43%). Among the medicinal plants, there are two Balkan endemic species and 18 relic species. We described 23 species with protection statute. The anthropophytes among the medicinal plants are 220 species (63.95%).

 Candi Tebing is one of the architectural object, that can be reviewed and researched by design principal of its architecture is with doing reseach how to calculate its proportion. Candi Tebing Gunung Kawi as one of the architecture temple relic in Pakerisan watershed can be used as an architectural reseacrh object with review how yo calculate the proportion of ten candi that we can find at that area. The purpose of the research is to analyze its element and proportion calculation of the Candi Tebing Gunung Kawi design. The research design using mixed methods between qualitative and quantitative approaches, and also used field research method.Proportion forming elements of Candi Tebing Gunung Kawi generally can be divided into three main parts; pedestal, body, and head. Each proportion forming elements detail on pedestal, body and crown, consist of a lower framed, body and upper framed. The result on the proportion calculation showed the proportion of temple’s height twice the width of the pedestals (Lk) or it could be twice of the crown width (the scene). Manasara-silpasastra theory explained the proportion between width and height calculation can be divided into five parts, those are; santika, paushtika, parshnika / jayada, adbhuta, and sarvakamika (Acharya, 1927:41). The conclusion based on that theory, Candi Tebing Gunung Kawi proportion between width and height classified into paushtika.Keywords: candi tebing, forming elements, proportion

Out of many weapons possessed by myriad inhabitant tribes of southeast Asia, Keris is probably the most unique and well known. The dagger is a common weapon along the Malayan Peninsula, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Keris can be classified into two types based on its shape, namely straight Keris and Luk (wavy) Keris, which always odd in number. Empu, the name given to the Keris maker, hardened iron as the core material in making the knife with particular techniques passed from their predecessor. An object can be classified as a Keris if it has fulfilled the strict prerequisite of Keris. Today’s society put Keris as heritage that should be preserved. Its function progressed from the weapon into antiques, part of the traditional ceremony or even considered as a sacred relic by in Balinese communities. In addition, Keris is also hunted by collectors who put interest on it. The weapon was made throughout a long and challenging process. To keep its durability from the natural oxidation process, therefore, the Keris owner is compulsory to do regular cleaning to preserve its shine and durability.

The 1786 estate settlement of Stanisław Rakowski, a castle court official of Radom Stanisław Rakowski (d. post-1786), was one of the many anonymous representatives of the Polish judicature of the 18th c. Politically uninvolved, he spent a few decades in Radom, where he worked and lived as a member of the town’s elite (he never owned any land). In 1785 he transmitted his several-thousand property, gathered over the years, to his children: a son (rev. Ignacy) and two daughters (married to noblemen from lawyers families). The document, being an effect of the agreement between Rakowski’s successors, is the object of the present study. The estate settlement, preserved in the 19th-century mortgage book, belongs to the sparse descriptive sources on the pre-partition Radom and the material culture of its elite, as the basic sources on the Old-Polish Sandomierz Voivodeship had been destroyed during WWII. Above all, the act is a valuable relic of the Old-Polish law, presenting the manner of dividing property among the landless nobility (impossessionati): a problem slightly examined in Polish historiography.

In order to explore the traditional and superb craftsmanship as well as unique characteristics of artistic expression in ancient China, in this paper Zhuanghua silk fabric was selected as the research object, and the research methods of expert interview, cultural relic investigation, field investigation and others were adopted. The craft, pattern, colour and other artistic characteristics of Zhuanghua silk fabric were analysed and studied. First of all, the historical background and classification of Zhuanghua silk fabric are introduced, focusing on a comparison with other processes such as Chinese Silk Tapestry, Secondly, taking Zhuanghua Satin as an example, the technological process of Zhuanghua Satin is analysed in detail. Based on this, the artistic characteristics of Zhuanghua silk fabric are analysed from a micro perspective. The problem of vagueness with regard to the skills and artistic features of traditional Zhuanghua silk fabric was solved in the study, and an important reference for modern innovative practice is put forward so as to inherit and carry forward the technique of Zhuanghua silk fabric.

Aim. In this paper, we set out to analyse the problem of preservation of old‐growth relic pine forests under in the context of oil field development.Discussion. The Buzuluk pine forest is the largest natural island forest in the steppe zone of European Russia. Presenting a landscape isolate of old‐growth natural pine and pine‐broadleaved forests, this unique natural object received the status of a national natural park in 2007. In this territory, former oil and gas fields are currently being prepared for operation and maintenance. The Buzuluk pine forest has been a subject of intense scientific interest due to a number of preserved standards of old‐ growth pine forests. These standards were originally identified and described by G.V. Morozov and V.N. Sukachev, thus forming a basis for modern forest biogeocenosis classifications. The paper discusses the current problems of the Buzuluk pine forest associated with the need to preserve old‐growth pine trees serving as standards. The consequences of oil production are assessed, with environmental restrictions in the zones of oil field exploitation being formulated. Industrial development of oil and gas fields inevitably leads to negative consequences, includ‐ ing the loss of ecosystem stability, a decrease in biological diversity and landscape degradation.Conclusion. The preservation of old‐growth pine trees is a necessary condition for the existence, restoration and sustainable development of the Buzuluk pine forest as a single ecosystem.

Dieser Essay betrachtet mittelalterliches Nähen im Licht von Austins Sprechakttheorie. Indem er Manuskripte, Reliquien, Ablässe und sogar die Mitra eines Bischofs analysiert, argumentiert der Artikel, dass Nähen eine Weise war, den rituellen Gebrauch der Objekte einzusetzen oder zu intensivieren – ob es sich nun um zeremonielle, devotionale, oder autoritative Zwecke handelte. Während ein Sprechakt durch seine Äußerung agiert, handeln Nähstiche, indem sie sichtbare und oft feierliche Verbindungen zwischen Materialien schaffen, um Autorität zu steigern, zu verschönern, zu behaupten und zu schichten – oder um einen Gegenstand in Textilien zu hüllen, als handelte es sich um eine Reliquie. </br></br>This essay considers medieval sewing in light of Austin's speechact theory. Analysing manuscripts, relics, indulgences, and even a bishop's mitre, the article argues that stitching was a way to enact, or intensify, the ritual purpose of objects, whether that was ceremonial, devotional, or authoritative. Whereas a speech act functions by its utterance, stitches act by forming visible and often ceremonious attachments between materials in order to aggrandise, embellish, assert and layer author ity, or swathe an object in textiles as if it were a relic.

On the territory of the Ulyanovsk region upland sphagnum bogs are rare plant communities. For the first time a description of the flora upland sphagnum bogs Mokhovoe 1.5 km south of the r.p. Glotovka Inza district of the Ulyanovsk region. This is valuable in the Ulyanovsk region mount, oligotrophic bogs with birch and shrub-cotton grass-sphagnum phytocenoses not previously been studied by experts. For the first time we present data on the flora of the object. Found 20 species of plants, of which 4 (Utricularia vulgaris L., Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench., Охусоссus palustris Pers., Drosera rotundifolia L.) are included in the Red book of the Ulyanovsk region, and 3 types (Chamaedaphne calyculata, Охусоссus palustris и Drosera rotundifolia) are relic. Of particular interest is the vegetation quagmire, which is located in the center of the marshes and the water is separated from the main beach. It is here preserved valuable boreal complexes having great scientific interest. Total flora quagmire are 11 species of vascular plants, including rare and medicinal species Eriophorum vaginatum L., Сarex lasiocarpa Ehrh., Menyanthes trifoliata L. and Comarum palustre L. Dominated by two associations: Betula pubescens +Chamaedaphne calyculata +Eriophorum vaginatum + Sphagnum and Сarex lasiocarpa + Eriophorum vaginatum + Охусоссus palustris + Sphagnum. To preserve this unique natural site with rare plant species and communities needs careful protection at the regional level. Swamp Mokhovoe recommended to us for inclusion in the protected areas of the Ulyanovsk region.

The close encounters of the Pluto–Charon system and the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth (formerly 2014 MU69) by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 and 2019, respectively, have given new perspectives on the most distant planetary bodies yet explored. These bodies are key indicators of the composition, chemistry, and dynamics of the outer regions of the Solar System’s nascent environment. Pluto and Charon reveal characteristics of the largest Kuiper Belt objects formed in the dynamically evolving solar nebula inward of ~30 AU, while the much smaller Arrokoth is a largely undisturbed relic of accretion at ~45 AU. The surfaces of Pluto and Charon are covered with volatile and refractory ices and organic components, and have been shaped by geological activity. On Pluto, N2, CO and CH4 are exchanged between the atmosphere and surface as gaseous and condensed phases on diurnal, seasonal and longer timescales, while Charon’s surface is primarily inert H2O ice with an ammoniated component and a polar region colored with a macromolecular organic deposit. Arrokoth is revealed as a fused binary body in a relatively benign space environment where it originated and has remained for the age of the Solar System. Its surface is a mix of CH3OH ice, a red-orange pigment of presumed complex organic material, and possibly other undetected components.

As the precious cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, traditional costumes are in urgent need of scientific research and protection. In particular, there are scanty studies on costume silhouettes, due to the reasons of the need for cultural relic protection, and the strong subjectivity of manual measurement, which limit the accuracy of quantitative research. This paper presents an automatic measurement method for traditional Chinese costume dimensions based on fuzzy C-means clustering and silhouette feature point location. The method is consisted of six steps: (1) costume image acquisition; (2) costume image preprocessing; (3) color space transformation; (4) object clustering segmentation; (5) costume silhouette feature point location; and (6) costume measurement. First, the relative total variation model was used to obtain the environmental robustness and costume color adaptability. Second, the FCM clustering algorithm was used to implement image segmentation to extract the outer silhouette of the costume. Finally, automatic measurement of costume silhouette was achieved by locating its feature points. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method could effectively segment the outer silhouette of a costume image and locate the feature points of the silhouette. The measurement accuracy could meet the requirements of industrial application, thus providing the dual value of costume culture research and industrial application.

On both sides of the Veil of Manoppello, made with very thin linen, translucent linen threads, probably starched, a Holy Face of Jesus Christ is visible. During the centuries, the yellowing of the linen threads has changed the aspect of the original face, in particular producing unnatural colours of the eyes. Indeed, as inferred by some experimental evidences, both on a microscopic and a macroscopic scale, the eyes were probably originally blue. Blue was the colour mainly affected by the yellowing of the linen threads, leading to greenish shades not compatible with human irises’ colours. Thus, we think that this finding compelled an artist to retouch the eyes’ irises with brown colour. The theoretical analysis of degradation times of the cellulose contained in starched linen indicates that, at ambient temperature, the yellowing takes about ten centuries to reach 95% of its maximum. Due to its peculiar optical characteristics and historical vicissitudes, the Veil of Manoppello likely coincides with the Veronica’s Veil, the alleged relic of the face of Christ impressed during his Passion, just before his crucifixion. If the Manoppello and Veronica’s Veils are the same object, any hypothesized colour retouch was done just before its first known public procession and exhibition in Rome, i.e., before the year 1200, after ten centuries of yellowing. Therefore, the Veil of Manoppello could be very ancient, even of the Roman epoch.

We present an analysis of archival Chandra data of the merging galaxy cluster ClG 0217+70. The Fe XXV Heα X-ray emission line is clearly visible in the 25 ks observation, allowing a precise determination of the redshift of the cluster as z = 0.180 ± 0.006. We measure kT500 = 8.3 ± 0.4 keV and estimate M500 = (1.06 ± 0.11) × 1015 M⊙ based on existing scaling relations. Correcting both the radio and X-ray luminosities with the revised redshift reported here, which is much larger than previously inferred based on sparse optical data, this object is no longer an X-ray underluminous outlier in the LX − Pradio scaling relation. The new redshift also means that, in terms of physical scale, ClG 0217+70 hosts one of the largest radio halos and one of the largest radio relics known to date. Most of the relic candidates lie in projection beyond r200. The X-ray morphological parameters suggest that the intracluster medium is still dynamically disturbed. Two X-ray surface brightness discontinuities are confirmed in the northern and southern parts of the cluster, with density jumps of 1.40 ± 0.16 and 3.0 ± 0.6, respectively. We also find a 700 × 200 kpc X-ray faint channel in the western part of the cluster, which may correspond to compressed heated gas or increased non-thermal pressure due to turbulence or magnetic fields.

The H.E.S.S. Collaboration has discovered a new very high energy (VHE, E > 0.1 TeV) γ-ray source, HESS J1741−302, located in the Galactic plane. Despite several attempts to constrain its nature, no plausible counterpart has been found so far at X-ray and MeV/GeV γ-ray energies, and the source remains unidentified. An analysis of 145-h of observations of HESS J1741−302 at VHEs has revealed a steady and relatively weak TeV source (~1% of the Crab Nebula flux), with a spectral index of Γ = 2.3 ± 0.2stat ± 0.2sys, extending to energies up to 10 TeV without any clear signature of a cut-off. In a hadronic scenario, such a spectrum implies an object with particle acceleration up to energies of several hundred TeV. Contrary to most H.E.S.S. unidentified sources, the angular size of HESS J1741−302 is compatible with the H.E.S.S. point spread function at VHEs, with an extension constrained to be below 0.068° at a 99% confidence level. The γ-ray emission detected by H.E.S.S. can be explained both within a hadronic scenario, due to collisions of protons with energies of hundreds of TeV with dense molecular clouds, and in a leptonic scenario, as a relic pulsar wind nebula, possibly powered by the middle-aged (20 kyr) pulsar PSR B1737−30. A binary scenario, related to the compact radio source 1LC 358.266+0.038 found to be spatially coincident with the best fit position of HESS J1741−302, is also envisaged.

Abstract Since the day of its explosion, supernova (SN) 1987A has been closely monitored to study its evolution and to detect its central compact relic. In fact, the formation of a neutron star is strongly supported by the detection of neutrinos from the SN. However, besides the detection in the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) data of a feature that is compatible with the emission arising from a protopulsar wind nebula (PWN), the only hint of the existence of such an elusive compact object is provided by the detection of hard emission in NuSTAR data up to ∼20 keV. We report on the simultaneous analysis of multiepoch observations of SN 1987A performed with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR. We also compare the observations with a state-of-the-art three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of SN 1987A. A heavily absorbed power law, consistent with the emission from a PWN embedded in the heart of SN 1987A, is needed to properly describe the high-energy part of the observed spectra. The spectral parameters of the best-fit power law are in agreement with the previous estimate, and exclude diffusive shock acceleration as a possible mechanism responsible for the observed nonthermal emission. The information extracted from our analysis is used to infer the physical characteristics of the pulsar and the broadband emission from its nebula, in agreement with the ALMA data. Analysis of the synthetic spectra also shows that, in the near future, the main contribution to the Fe K emission line will originate in the outermost shocked ejecta of SN 1987A.

For the case of interaction of polarized light with an analyzer (a polarizing device), an experimental scheme based on the Feynman idea of path integrals is proposed. Real and virtual photons are considered in the context of the Lenz rule (in terms of constructive and destructive induction). The Planck formula for the photon energy in the format of a verbal description is considered. The complexity of identifying the wave description of the photon with the ideas of the Ancient Greeks about elementary particles is shown. From the point of view of chronogeometry, it is shown that the stationary observer does not exist at the point of intersection of the cone of the past and the future, but in the time interval separating these regions. It is proposed to consider the fluctuations of the physical vacuum as a relic of the process of permanent inflation according to Linde. Based on the assumption of the self-measurement of the Universe, the quantum Zeno effect, and Hawking’s idea of the Universe being a quantum object with the Nth sum of Feynman stories, it is assumed that the history of the Universe is deterministic. From the perspective of the orthogonality of the electromagnetic field vectors E and B, the Heisenberg equation of the form Δp × Δx = ħ/2 is considered. A thought experiment is considered showing the complexity in describing the interaction of a photon with an electron of an atom from the point of view of the classical interaction of an electromagnetic wave with an antenna device. It is proposed to consider the absorption of a photon by an electron as its inertial collapse on an atom.

Abstract Tight binary or multiple-star systems can interact through mass transfer and follow vastly different evolutionary pathways than single stars. The star TYC 2597-735-1 is a candidate for a recent stellar merger remnant resulting from a coalescence of a low-mass companion with a primary star a few thousand years ago. This violent event is evident in a conical outflow (“Blue Ring Nebula”) emitting in UV light and surrounded by leading shock filaments observed in Hα and UV emission. From Chandra data, we report the detection of X-ray emission from the location of TYC 2597-735-1 with a luminosity log ( L X / L bol ) = − 5.5 . Together with a previously reported period of ~14 days, this indicates ongoing stellar activity and the presence of strong magnetic fields on TYC 2597-735-1. Supported by stellar evolution models of merger remnants, we interpret the inferred stellar magnetic field as dynamo action associated with a newly formed convection zone in the atmosphere of TYC 2597-735-1, though internal shocks at the base of an accretion-powered jet cannot be ruled out. We speculate that this object will evolve into an FK Com–type source, i.e., a class of rapidly spinning magnetically active stars for which a merger origin has been proposed but for which no relic accretion or large-scale nebula remains visible. We also detect likely X-ray emission from two small regions close to the outer shock fronts in the Blue Ring Nebula, which may arise from inhomogeneities either in the circumstellar medium or in the mass and velocity distribution in the merger-driven outflow.

Islamic inheritance, Farâ'idh or Islamic inheritance regulates various matters in the distribution of inheritance to those entitled to receive it on the basis of the provisions stipulated in the Qur'an, the sunnah of the Holy Prophet. and scholars agreement. The maker of farâ'idh or Islamic inheritance is Allah. The object is a relic. the goal can be to give heir rights to inheritance in accordance with the guidelines of Islamic law based on the Al-Qur'an, Al-Hadit, Al-?Ijmâ and Al-Qiyâs. Inheritance in Islam contains the rule of law regarding the transfer of corpses property definitively and contains a pure package from Allah SWT (tauqifi), that is why the verses of the Qur’an that explain about inheritance are not many, only three places regulate in detail, detail, and clear. Even so al-Qur'an still provides ijtihâd space in understanding the Qur'anic texts related to the explanation of inheritance law. KHI article 192 " Apabila dalam pembagian warisan di antara para ahli warisnya Dzawil furud menunjukkan bahwa angka pembilang lebih besar dari angka penyebut, maka angka penyebut dinaikkan sesuai dengan pembilang, dan baru sesudah itu harta warisnya dibagi secara aul menurut angka pembilang ". The heirs in KHI article 192 are heirs only consisting of Dzawil furud, the heirs who receive a definite share. The portion received by Dzawil furud is a definite part, namely: 1 / 2,14.1 / 8, and 2/3, 1 / 3.1 / 6), the part must be given by Dzawil furud in full, meaning that it should not be added let alone reduced, but the other side of inheritance is not sufficient to be given to the heirs in full, therefore, done in Aul. The Aul case in article 192 KHI only applies to the heirs of Dzawil furud, the heirs who received the definite portion that has been explained by Allah. in the Qur'an definitively In Aul's case the gains of each of Dzawil furud were reduced and decreased according to their share, even though the reduction was different but the fact of the reduction was the same. Because both are reduced and the same reduction is still a fair category. The Aul case in article 192 KHI was included in the domain of fiqh so that it was included in the category of ijtihad problems but there was still a chance of a difference

Determined by its biblical origins, the birth of specifically Christian visual culture had to be given through overcoming the inevitable resistance of early church towards images. In order to find its stable place on late antique cultural scene, early byzantine art, thus, had to rely on support of religious and cultural patterns remote of magisterial artistic trends. Among those, contemporary theory recognizes as especially important: 1) cult of relics and 2) sealing practices. Crossing the possibility of theoretical definition of unique semiotic model standing behind those two cultural- religious practices with the fact that after iconoclasm byzantine art will be systematically distanced from both of them, this research attempts to explore the relation between iconophile theory and byzantine artistic production from a yet unexplored interpretative position. Hypothesis that category of indexical sign, as it is proposed by contemporary semiotics (based on Peircean legacy), can be used for extraction of this unique semiotic model is used here as a specific methodological tool for re-approach to both - 1) the pre-iconoclastic need for accentuating the indexical aspects of iconic images and 2) the mystery of post-iconoclastic radical distancing towards such a semiotic need. On the basis of such an integrated approach it is possible not only to search for more precise explanation of co-relations between artistic practices and contemporaneous (iconophile) theory, but to explain curious historical delay in application of this theoretic knowledge in artistic and liturgical realms, together with a late outburst of iconoclastic behaviour provoked by this very delay. Namely, one of the most prominent incarnations of pre-iconoclastic need for ?indexicalisation? of iconic medium, the mysterious Mandylion from Edessa, had very curious role in historical development of post-iconoclastic plastic arts in Byzantium. This specific object was miraculously and undividedly uniting both key indexical aspects of pre-iconoclastic cognitive settings in one icon - causally connected with the archetypehimself. However, exactly this kind of synthetic, relic-seal-image status turned out to be the specific semiotic stumbling stone in the process of application of iconophile theory in liturgical arts. This is why in XI century byzantine church decided to refrain Mandylion from public life for good and lock it in court chapel, under the protection of the emperor himself. As one of the most curious theological decisions of medieval Christianity, this extraordinary semiotic conversion was, actually, the final step in application of the most advanced achievements of the late iconophile theory, which was, at the same time, the first step in development of artistic system relaxed from the pressure of need for legalistic, causal validation of pictorial language.

Early in George Eliot'sDaniel Deronda, Daniel's life is set on a decisive new path by his fleeting attraction to an object in a shop window. He is turning into a side street off Holburn Road when:his attention was caught by some fine old clasps in chased silver displayed in the window at his right hand. His first thought was that [his aunt] Lady Mallinger, who had a strictly Protestant taste for such Catholic spoils, might like to have these missal-clasps turned into a bracelet; then his eyes travelled over the other contents of the window, and he saw that the shop was that kind of pawnbroker's where the lead is given to jewellery, lace, and all equivocal objects introduced asbric-a-brac. A placard in one corner announced –Watches and Jewellery exchanged and repaired. (344; bk. 4, ch. 6)Daniel then moves across the street to avoid the shopkeeper, and it is only from this new vantage point that he notices the name “Ezra Cohen” above the window – the name he's been seeking while wandering Jewish neighborhoods in London in the hopes of reuniting his protégée Mirah with her family. He will return to the pawnshop later and become acquainted with the Cohens, eventually finding through them his mentor and Mirah's actual brother, Mordecai. Although some discussion of the silver clasps ensues, they are neither purchased nor used in the space of the novel. Still, this seemingly inconsequential trinket proves to have a long history, one that raises questions about the lingering remains of the past, the equivocality of the object, and the dispossessions that hauntDaniel Deronda.

Context. The object ESO 456-SC38 (Djorgovski 2) is one of the globular clusters that is closest to the Galactic center. It is on the blue horizontal branch and has a moderate metallicity of [Fe/H] ∼ −1.0. It is thus similar to the very old inner bulge globular clusters NGC 6522, NGC 6558, and HP 1, and therefore appears to be part of the primeval formation stages of the Milky Way. Aims. The aim of this work is to determine an accurate distance and metallicity for ESO 456-SC38, as well as orbital parameters, in order to check similarities with other clusters in the inner bulge that have previously been well studied in terms of spectroscopy and photometry. This is a considerably fainter cluster that is contaminated by a rich stellar field; it is also quite absorbed by the dusty foreground. Methods. We analyzed ESO 456-SC38 based on HST photometry, with the filters F606W from ACS, F110W and F160W from WFC3, and photometry in V and I from FORS2 at the VLT. We combined this with identified stars that are covered by Gaia Data Release 2. Results. The isochrone fitting was carried out with the statistical Markov chain Monte Carlo method. We derive an accurate distance of d⊙ = 8.75 ± 0.12 kpc and a reddening of E(B−V) = 0.81+0.02−0.02. The best-fitting BaSTI isochrones correspond to an age of 12.70+0.72−0.69 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = −1.11+0.03−0.03. Conclusions. ESO 456-SC38 adds to the list of moderately metal-poor globular clusters located in the inner bulge. It has a blue horizontal branch and is very old. The cluster is confined to the bulge and bar region, but it does not support the Galactic bar structure. The old stellar population represented by clusters like this has to be taken into account in models of Galactic bulge formation. Studying them also provides indications on the formation times of the globular clusters themselves.

The area around Heunghae -- where the ancient tombs of Namseong-ri are located -- had been a strategic point for Silla (57 BCE ~ 935) in advancing into the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. This armor, together with other related objects unearthed at the site, serves as important sources of knowledge on the armor-related tradition developed in the area during the 4th and 5th centuries. Some characteristic elements of the armor, particularly the unique manufacturing technique and rareness, suggest that the relic was produced for use as an object of prestige. The armor is considered archaeologically significant since it contains a wealth of clues to increase knowledge of the Silla armors made in the 4th century, which was characterized by the lack of source materials. For a more comprehensive understanding of the Silla armors, it is essential to examine the system of supply and demand of the armors linking the capital and regional areas. Unfortunately, however, comparatively less attention has been paid to the difference between Silla and Gaya armors and their characteristics by region. In this study, the main discussion deals with the mechanism of supply and demand of Silla armors by focusing on the armor discovered at the ancient tomb site in Namseong-ri. The study found a significant difference in the supply and demand of armors between Gyeongju, the capital of Silla, and the regions outside it in the 5th century. The study also concludes -- based on the evidence given by the Namseong-ri armor, that there was little difference between the armors supplied to Gyeongju and to regional areas in the 4th-century Silla. It was in the following century, with the arrival of scale armor, that a difference began to emerge -- not in style but in structure. The difference between the armors found in Gyeongju and those in the regions outside is clearly shown by, among others, the accessories buried at the grave together with the main parts of the armor. It was surely a new development compared with the 4th century when there was little difference between the capital and regional areas in terms of the supply and demand of armors. The development provides evidence of the significant change in the relationship between the ruling class in the capital of Silla and regional clan leaders. Evidences of such change are given by the discoveries made at the Namseong-ri tomb site in Pohang, Jungsan-ri tomb site in Ulsan, and Hwanam-ri tomb site in Yeongcheon. There have been two different views proposed on the control of the regional areas by the central government of Silla in the 4th century: one is that the rulers in Gyeongju controlled the regions indirectly, and the other is that the regions were under the direct control of the central government. As suggested by the characteristic features of the Namseong-ri armor as discussed in this paper, the relationship between the capital and regions of Silla in the 4th century can hardly be said to be that of the rulers and the ruled.

Here, we report the data on modern state and protection prospects of plant species Anemone altaica Fisch. ex C.A.Mey., Anemone nemorosa L., Anemone ranunculoides L., Ficaria verna Huds. (Ranunculaceae), Corydalis solida (L.) Clairv. (Papaveraceae) and Gagea samojedorum Grossh. (Liliaceae) in the taiga zone of the Komi Republic. These ephemeroid species require a special research due to their biological features (short periods of vegetation in the spring and subtle presence in communities at later dates) and geographic localization. One of the species, Gagea samojedorum is an endemic of the Urals, other species are presented by populations on the border of their distribution areas. Until recently, studies of early-flowering ephemeroids in the north-east Russia have not been performed. However, such studies become more and more important due to an active industrial development of the North. To assess the prospects for the conservation of rare early-flowering ephemeroids, we carried out work to clarify the number of locations of species on the territory of the Komi Republic, compiled maps of their distribution (See Fig. 1), collected and summarized information about the area, the number and the structure of 44 coenopopulations (See Tables 1 and 2), as well as identified limiting factors. It is shown that at the edge of the distribution area, ephemeroid species often have fragmented habitat range due to ecological and phytocoenotical preferences. They occur sporadically in the river and stream floodplains (sometimes at limestones) where soils are moist and fertile. In the floodplain meadows and forests, ephemeroids can form one-two species ecotopical assemblages. The populations of ephemeroids are linear, often with a high number of individuals. Self-recovering of short-root Anemone altaica, A. nemorosa, A. ranunculoides and root-tuber Ficaria verna is made, mainly, by vegetative reproduction. Tuber species Corydalis solida is propagated only by seeds. The ontogenetic structure of populations indicates a decline in seed and vegetative reproduction rate in these species at the edges of distribution areas (See Fig. 2 and 3). The Ural endemic Gagea samojedorum occurs in herbal habitats and sparse forests in foothill and mountain areas of the Ural Mountains, where it forms abundant populations with the prevalence of young individuals. A high reproduction rate of Gagea samojedorum is due to the variability of vegetative reproduction. In the Komi Republic, the anthropogenic impact on the ephemeroid species is low due to a low level of industrial development and population. Natural abiotic and biotic factors are more significant here and may weaken species positions in plant communities, as well as limit the growth, development and self-recovering of the populations. By now, Anemone altaica, A. nemorosa, A. ranunculoides, Corydalis solida, Ficaria verna and Gagea samojedorum have been included in regional Red Books of plants with the protection category 3 (rare). The main reasons for their inclusion are the edge location, small number, isolation of the local populations and often relic origin. Gagea samojedorum is also an endemic species. The object of the UNESCO World Heritage List “Virgin Komi Forests” and the number of regional reserves are important for the preservation of ephemeroid plants in the North.

Viking Age burial practices in DenmarkTraces of burial rituals in inhumation gravesThe hypothesis examined in this article is that the broad impression of grave forms and burial traditions gained from a comparison of contemporaneous inhumation cemeteries of the Viking Age also includes coincidences in the actions and rituals that can be deduced from the remains present in the graves. A mapping of the traces left by these actions is based on evidence from a number of Viking Age cemeteries in present-day Denmark, Scania and Southern Schleswig, excavated between 1895 and 2007. The resulting record reveals some regional differences but also includes some clear traits that are found repeated at numerous cemetery sites. In the present context, attention is focussed on a number of elements seen in the graves which are then presented, exemplified and discussed. In an attempt to interpret these traces, use is made of Nordic mythology, written sources from the Viking Age and Middle Ages and comparative religious studies relating to the mentality and cosmology of the Viking Age.As a starting point, two recently excavated cemeteries on Zealand are presented, namely Kirke Hyllinge Kirkebakke and Trekroner-Grydehøj near Roskilde (fig. 1). Both contain significant information with respect to burial rituals in the Viking Age.Kirke Hyllinge KirkebakkeKirke Hyllinge Church stands on the highest point in the area, c. 43 m above sea level (fig. 2). The cemetery here had at its core an older barrow and from here the graves extended out over an area measuring 80 m E-W and about 35 m N-S (fig. 3). In all, 28 burials were investigated, of which two were double graves, one contained the remains of three people and yet another the remains of four individuals. Further to these were three presumed inhumation graves and a cremation burial. About 80% of the graves were oriented N-W or NW-SE. Analysis of the human bones revealed that these represented the remains of two males, two females and 13 individuals of indeterminable gender. Of the skeletal remains for which it was possible to determine age, two were of children between the ages of seven and ten, three individuals were less than 20 years old, ten were between 20 and 35 and one person was 35-45 years old (fig. 4). There were artefacts in 17 of the graves and it became apparent that the equipment had been placed in two different locations in the grave (fig. 5). Accompanying the deceased on the floor of the grave lay artefacts such as knife, distaff whorl, whetstone, belt buckle or glass beads. Similar artefacts could also be found distributed through the grave fill above the deceased, often in a more or less damaged state. A particular phenomenon which emerged was the presence of skeletal parts that had been placed in the grave fill. An example of this is grave A590, which was 70 cm deep. On the base of this grave lay the remains of a woman with her equipment. Distributed through the fill above her were teeth from two different adult individuals and three further molars from a c. 8-year-old child. There was also burnt human bone. Another example is grave A569 which, in addition to the deceased at the base of the grave, contained parts of an adult and a c. 10-year-old child.Small pieces of burnt bone were found in 16 of the 31 definite or presumed inhumation graves. The quantity of bone varied from just a few grams to more than 200. Burnt human bone only occurred in two inhumation graves, A590 and A594, and in cremation grave A629.Stones of varying size were found in the fill or at the base of eight graves. The quantity – in terms of both number and weight – varied greatly. Most striking was their presence in A590 and A608. In a couple of cases the stones showed the effects of fire.The distribution of graves across the excavated area showed a tendency towards clustering but no systematic pattern emerged with regard to gender or grave orientation within these groups.Immediately to the south of inhumation grave A583 there were two identical constructions, each comprised of four posts (fig. 6). The two four-poster constructions are so similar, and are situated in such a way, that it seems very likely that one replaced the other. Four-poster constructions can represent a light building, a tent or a frame in, or on, which the deceased was placed for a shorter or longer period prior to actual burial.Trekroner-Grydehøj, RoskildeGrydehøj is a small hill on the eastern periphery of Roskilde. At the beginning of the Viking Age, the west-facing slope of the hill in particular was used as a burial ground (fig. 7). The cemetery had as its core a cluster of earlier burial monuments from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age located on the top of the hill (fig. 8). Of the 27 inhumation graves detected, 25 lay within an area measuring c. 50 x 33 m running down the west-facing hillside. Most of the graves, c. 80%, were oriented N-S or NW-SE.In addition to single graves there were also double graves in which one body had been placed on top of the other. However, there was also an example where they lay in continuation of one another (fig. 9). Three inhumation graves, of which one was a double grave, had burnt human bone in the grave fill (fig. 10). The results of the analyses of human bone are shown in figures 11 and 12.There were artefacts in 21 graves; these were partly associated with the deceased on the base of the grave and partly found distributed through the overlying fill.A505 differed from the other graves. At the top there were many fieldstones and flint nodules and along its eastern side were three large boulders. The upper part of the grave was found to contain most of the skeleton of a female and parts of a skeleton of a male (fig. 13). At the base of the grave was the skeleton of a female (fig. 14). By her right thigh was an iron point fitted into a solid cast bronze socket which originally had a wooden shaft (fig. 15). This presumably represents a ceremonial object, perhaps a symbol of Odin, master of sorcery. In other words, the artefact could be a völva’s staff. At the foot of the grave, a menhir had been erected over the rear half of a medium-sized dog which had been severed in the middle (fig. 16). Along the eastern side of the grave lay the remains of an old stallion; these partially covered the woman’s left side from the waist downwards.Stones were found in eight graves: in the fill, at the base of the grave or over the skeleton (fig. 18). The most striking of these were the large boulders and the many smaller stones seen in the fill of grave A505. A total of 18 of the 27 inhumation graves were found to contain burnt bone fragments; in the great majority of cases these could not be identified to species. It was, however, possible to establish that there were burnt human remains in graves A2036, A2047 and A2059.The distribution of the graves showed a weak tendency towards grouping. There was no systematic pattern with respect to gender or grave orientation within these groups (see fig. 8).There was a four-poster construction by grave group C and inhumation graves A2030 and A2079, but it is unclear to what degree this was associated with the Viking Age cemetery.Traces of rituals in the Viking Age inhumation gravesThe grave pitThe orientation of the grave pit relative to the points of the compass shows some regional differences. In Northern Zealand and Scania graves orientated N-S are dominant, whereas in Southern and Western Zealand they are more mixed with E-W oriented graves (figs. 20 and 21). The tendency to orientate graves in an E-W direction is more pronounced on Funen (fig. 22), and in Jutland E-W orientated burials are clearly dominant. The orientation of the grave pit appears not to be founded on very fixed perceptions of a religious character. It seems rather to be an expression of local or regional tradition.CoffinsExtensive use was made of the ‘available box’ principle when a coffin was needed for a burial. In general, there appears not to have been any immediate status-related link between coffin form and grave content with respect to simple coffins.Double graves, secondary burials and bone depositionsMost of the graves in which there was a secondary burial above a primary interment reveal clear evidence of the care taken to ensure that the new grave lay within the limits of the original grave pit. We can only speculate as to the background for the double and secondary burials. There could have been a ritual killing, but this is unlikely to have been the case in all instances. The reason for human body parts having been included as grave goods could be an expression of ancestor worship; the graves of particularly important people within or outside the family could have been dug up and the bones and artefacts removed in order for them subsequently to be included in the graves of other deceased members of the family.Burnt bone in the grave fillSmall pieces of white calcined bone are a familiar phenomenon in Viking Age inhumation graves. It seems obvious that the burnt bone represents a ritual. The bones have been crushed before being scattered into the grave as it was back-filled. In fortunate cases the bone can be identified to species and both humans and animals are represented. The unburnt corpse at the base of the grave should be considered as the actual primary occupant of grave, whereas the cremated bone constitutes part of the burial fittings. In ‘Odin’s Law’, which is reproduced in the Ynglinga Saga, cremation is prescribed, but inhumation burial increased in dominance during the course of the Late Germanic Iron Age and Viking Age. The burnt bone in the inhumation graves could, however, be a relic of an older tradition and use – a tribute to Odin.Unburnt animal boneThe unburnt animal bones in the inhumation graves represent a broad spectrum of domestic animals such as pigs, cattle, poultry and sheep/goats. It seems obvious to perceive these bones as representing offerings of food, but the animals could have had further symbolic meaning than food alone. The pig has a role in Nordic mythology, including in the form of the hog Gyldenbørste, Frey’s attribute. Similarly, a hog is sacrificed to Frey. Cattle also had a role as offering in the sacrifice (blot), which is reflected in the term blótnaut, i.e. cattle intended for blot.Dogs do not occupy a prominent role in Nordic mythology but occur commonly in Viking Age graves, both in a cremated and an unburnt state. It is possible that the dog performed the role of spiritual guardian on the journey to the Kingdom of the Dead, or that it symbolised the transition from life to death.The horse encompasses symbolic elements which it is important to note. Sleipner was Odin’s eight-legged horse, and it carried him to and from the Underworld. The horse is, accordingly, perceived as an important auxiliary spirit for those skilled in sorcery in their contacts with the afterlife. The horse was also an important animal in the blot and formed part of ritual meals in connection with this.The presence of animals in the graves is equivocal. There is an explanation which immediately springs to the mind of a modern person but the significance can be accentuated and expanded both mythologi­cally and ritually. It seems clear that there is an embedded symbolism in at least some of the animals placed in the graves and in the treatment of these animals prior to burial. An example of a grave containing several animal offerings is A505 at Trekroner-Grydehøj (see figs. 13, 14 and 16).Stones in the grave pitThe purpose of covering or filling graves with stone packings and the placing of boulders of various sizes in the fill, on the base of the grave or directly on the corpse, does not appear immediately evident on the basis of the archaeological evidence. There are descriptions from the saga litera­ture in which burials and stones belong together, for example in Gisli Sursson’s Saga. It seems obvious that the stones are intended to prevent the corpse returning from the dead.In grave A505 at Trekroner-Grydehøj a small square ‘menhir’ had been set on edge on top of the dog’s corpse (see fig. 16). Similarly, a stone was placed on top of the animal bones at the foot of grave A590 at Kirke Hyllinge Kirkebakke. On the face of it, the menhir on the floor of the grave makes most sense if the grave had stood open, or was only partially back-filled, for a period during which the stone was, as a consequence, fully visible.Artefacts in the grave fillThe deposition of artefacts, whether intact, damaged or unfinished, in the grave fill, reflects burial rituals in which the actual back-filling process was important. The significance of the damaged artefacts is not immediately clear. A situation worthy of note is that, in several instances, damaged distaff whorls and brooches, i.e. female-related artefacts, are found in graves where the deceased interred on the base of the grave was a man. It seems entirely possible that the destruction of feminine artefacts and their deposition high up in the grave fill should be seen in a gender-related context. Spinning and weaving were very strongly linked to the female sphere and the tools associated with these activities can be perceived as a metaphor for performance of magic. Accordingly, the fact that the artefacts are damaged could have been linked with the perception of magic as being strongly effeminate and, in reality, a taboo for men.ConclusionAn interesting aspect of Viking Age burial practices is that it can be shown that rituals and ceremonies took place over longer periods – days, weeks, months and years. This is apparent partly from the presence of artefacts, evenly distributed burnt bone fragments and remains of animals and humans in the grave fill, and partly from the traces of the careful re-opening of a grave in order to inter a further corpse precisely within the limits of the original grave pit. Another thought-provoking aspect relates to the human and animal body parts, both burnt and unburnt, which were added to the grave fill during the back-filling pro­cess. It is obvious that there must have been a well-defined difference between whether bones were cremated or unburnt.Another practice, for which the background does not seem immediately clear, is that stones in various amounts and of various sizes were added to some graves. It must be presumed that the purpose of a packing of fist- to head-sized stones differed from that of a heavy boulder placed directly on the body.Stones erected on the base of a grave did not arrive there by chance. They apparently occur particularly at the head and feet of the deceased and, in some instances, in association with animal bones.Artefacts do not occur exclusively on the base of the grave together with the deceased, but can also be present up in the grave fill. Often the artefacts are fragmented and all the evidence suggests that this destruction took place intentionally prior to deposition. It is difficult to say anything about the powers which may have been ­ascribed to these everyday artefacts, and perhaps it is not the object in its usual surroundings which constitutes a problem. It could, to a greater degree, be the object in association with something unusual which constituted a potential risk. Examples include artefacts such as ornaments and distaff whorls which are associated with women and, as such, could have been more or less taboo for men.Despite these variations, the perception of behaviour and customs was uniform over great distances, both in time and space. The common denominator is not always the most conspicuous aspect but can be deduced from the details which are revealed by archaeological excavations of the cemeteries of the period. What these traces as a consequence actually represent with respect to this world and the next is something, as children of the 20th century, we can only attempt to understand and argue the case for. But it could very well turn out that it all remains a question of belief.Jens UlriksenNæstved

Abstract We propose a scenario that the Electroweak-Skyrmion, a solitonic object made of the Higgs field and the electroweak gauge fields, is identified as an asymmetric dark matter. In this scenario, the relic abundance of the dark matter is related to the baryon asymmetry of the Universe through a sphaleron-like process. We show that the observed ratio of dark matter abundance to the baryon asymmetry can be explained by this scenario with an appropriate choice of model parameters that is allowed by currently available experimental constraints.