The Ancient Practice of Bloodletting in Archaeology

Bloodletting--purposefully cutting the human body to release blood--is an ancient ritual, associated with both healing and sacrifice. Bloodletting was a regular form of medical treatment for ancient Greeks, with its benefits debated by scholars such as Hippocrates and Galen. Bloodletting in Central America Bloodletting or auto-sacrifice was a cultural trait of most of the societies in Mesoamerica, beginning with the Olmec perhaps as early as 1200 AD. This type of religious sacrifice involved a person using a sharp instrument such as an agave spine or sharks tooth to pierce a fleshy part of his own body. The resulting blood would drip onto a lump of copal incense or piece of cloth or bark paper, and then those materials would be burned. According to historical records of the Zapotec , Mixtec, and Maya, burning blood was one way to communicate with the sky gods. Artifacts associated with bloodletting include sharks teeth, maguey thorns, stingray spines, and obsidian blades. Specialized elite materials--obsidian eccentrics, greenstone picks, and spoons--are thought to have been used for elite bloodletting sacrifices in the  Formative period and later cultures. Bloodletting Spoons A so-called bloodletting spoon is a type of artifact discovered on many Olmec archaeological sites. Although there is some variety, the spoons generally have a flattened tail or blade, with a thickened end. The thick part has a shallow off-center bowl on one side and a second, smaller bowl on the other side. Spoons usually have a small hole pierced through them, and in Olmec art are often depicted as hanging from peoples clothing or ears. Bloodletting spoons have been recovered from Chalcatzingo, Chacsinkin, and Chichà ©n Itzà ¡; the images are found carved in murals and on stone sculptures at San Lorenzo, Cascajal, and Loma del Zapote. Olmec Spoon Functions The real function of the Olmec spoon has long been debated. Theyre called bloodletting spoons because originally scholars believed them to have been for holding blood from auto-sacrifice, the ritual of personal bloodletting. Some scholars still prefer that interpretation, but others have suggested spoons were for holding paints, or for use as snuffing platforms for taking hallucinogens, or even that they were effigies of the Big Dipper constellation. In a recent article in Ancient Mesoamerica, Billie J. A. Follensbee suggests Olmec spoons were part of a hitherto unrecognized toolkit for textile production. Her argument is in part based on the shape of the tool, which approximates bone weaving battens recognized in several Central American cultures, including some from Olmec sites. Follansbee also identifies several other tools made of elite greenstone or obsidian, such as spindle whorls, picks, and plaques, that could have been used in weaving or cord-making techniques. Sources Follensbee, Billie J. A. 2008. Fiber technology and weaving in formative-period Gulf Coast cultures. Ancient Mesoamerica 19:87-110. Marcus, Joyce. 2002. Blood and Bloodletting. Pp 81-82 in Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia, Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster, eds. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York. Fitzsimmons, James L., Andrew Scherer, Stephen D. Houston, and Hector L. Escobedo 2003 Guardian of the Acropolis: The Sacred Space of a Royal Burial at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Latin American Antiquity 14(4):449-468.

Scientific Sessions Free Essays

Name: Ornella Hayles ID Number: 816008392 Tutor: Sheldon Pilgrim Session: Tuesdays 2-3pm3700030000 Name: Ornella Hayles ID Number: 816008392 Tutor: Sheldon Pilgrim Session: Tuesdays 2-3pm44000341947525002514604000070000455003536315690006939915370000455003536315350003520440Sci, Med TechReflective Journal3600028000Sci, Med TechReflective JournalSession Date: 22/01/18 Session No: 1Session Title: Introduction to Science TechnologyIn the first session, the lecturer did an introduction of Science Technology and an overall view of the course outline. After the introduction, I got a perspective of what Science Technology was. At first, I thought the course was going to be essentially, about science since it was mainly being mentioned, but I was wrong. We will write a custom essay sample on Scientific Sessions or any similar topic only for you Order Now The lecturer took her time to clearly distinguished between science and technology and its importance to society or the world in general. She ensured that we all understood what she was lecturing by engaging us to respond to her questions, it appeared that she really wanted us to understand what was being taught so she went over what she said twice, two different ways which I appreciated. It helped me a lot to understand and grasp the concepts effectively. The use of visual cues seemed to work well with the class as it captured our attention and made us receptive. Through research I’ve come to realise scientists all have different perceptions of the word science. â€Å"Science does not purvey absolute truth, science is a mechanism. It’s a way of trying to improve your knowledge of nature, it’s a system for testing your thoughts against the universe and seeing whether they match† Isaac Asimov 1988. Science is important because it can solve some of our problems such as global warming and world hunger. I believe that science is still evolving and there’s trial and error with science which means we learn new information and we advance as humans but, it can all take years for such research or technology to be developed. â€Å"Technology can be thought of as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes†. I’ve always considered technology and science to be separate now, through critical analysis I know that science and technology are closely associated with each other. Which means technology is a part of science, it has been in existence since the prehistoric human culture (stone age). In my opinion technology is everywhere although we might not realise it our note books are a form of technology whereby we use our knowledge to document for practical purposes like computers. Overall for my first time doing this course it was challenging but, I’ve come to appreciate science and technology more, subsequently I can’t imagine having to sleep without a roof above my head or having to cook using sticks and rocks. Through this experience I’ve got a spark of curiosity that makes me more enthusiastic to know more about science and technology. Scientists have reached so far in the field of technology whereby people can afford to do scientific research and make scientific break throughs from their own houses. The society we all know and accustomed to would be non-existent if it wasn’t for the advancement in technology. We’re so dependent on science and technology without realising it. 23 MORE WORDS Session Date: 29/01/18 Session No: 2 Session Title: Scientific Methods The Nature of ScienceFor the second session, the lecturer started class with a recap of science. â€Å"All of science is uncertain and subject to revision. The glory of science is to imagine more than we could prove† Freeman Dyson. To follow up with the course outline, she started the second topic. To my understanding science is like a puzzle, to see the full image you need to put the pieces together. This can be distinguished through the scientific process. â€Å"The scientific method is a series of steps followed by scientific investigators to answer specific questions about the natural world† Regina Bailey 2017. What surprised me the most about this process is the fifth step experimentation, which is the most important step in this process. This is so because it can cause major breakthroughs in the world of science or a reversal. Through science we can make technological advancements and end some of the world major problems. â€Å"Fields of engineering are closely related to applied science. Applied science is important for technology development† Wikipedia 2018. It is understood that through scientific knowledge scientists have been able to provide services for the wellbeing of humans. Through many experiments people have been saying technology is good because it helps people medically and physically, it connects us as human beings and gives us entertainment. On the plus side technology is causing us to become less social. With this experiment, it shows how technology is applicated through private and public knowledge orientation. â€Å"Scientific objectivity is a characteristic of scientific claims, methods and results. It expresses the idea that the claims, methods and results of science are not, or should not be influenced by particular perspective value commitments, community bias or personal interests, to name a few relevant factors. Objectivity is often considered as an ideal for scientific inquiry, as a good reason for valuing scientific knowledge, and as the basis of the authority of science in society† Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy 2014. To my knowledge there are three methods that scientists use inductive approach, deductive approach and hypothetico -deductive approach. The inductive approach and deductive approach are opposite, where the inductive approach is based off fact then there’s a conclusion whilst deductive approach is a valid type of reasoning. Induction starts with observation, then a pattern, tentative, hypothesis and finally a theory. â€Å"In induction inference, we go from the specific to the general. We make many observations, discern a pattern, make a generalisation, and infer an explanation or a theory† Wassertheil Smoller 2017. Deduction has four stages theory, hypothesis, observation and confirmation. â€Å"Deductive reasoning is a logical process in which a conclusion is based on the concordance of multiple premises that are generally assumed to be true† Tech Target. Lastly hypothetico- deductive method which is seen as the only true method. What I understand is that the only way to truly test this is through experimentation which you either accept or reject the hypothesis and finally have an example. This week’s session journal was manageable enough for me. Session Date: 05/02/18 Session No: 3 Session Title: Scientific Methods, Theories and ModelsIn this week’s session, the lecturer started with the scientific method, then followed with theories and lastly models. Science is empirical, which means that it is based on observation over theory or logic. In class, we briefly discussed the history of scientific methods. It is understood that Plato 429-347 BC did not believe in empiricism but reasoning. â€Å"All knowledge could be obtained through pure reasoning (inductive), no need to actually go out and measure anything,† Plato 427-347 BC. â€Å"Contributions have been more influential, particularly when it comes to science and logical reasoning (deductive)† Aristotle 384-322 BC. Aristotle believed in empiricism. Personally, I agree with both Plato and Aristotle, for me science can be based on observation and reasoning also through empiricism where there’s a logical way to test such observations. A major point in this week’s session was observation. Observation is knowledge or data we acquire through experimentation. An example of observation from what I understand is the writing up of labs (biology or chemistry) for labs you have to observe then write what you understand. Through my research in observation I came across this question which intrigued me â€Å"Is creative concentration contagious?† Lynda Barry 2011. This brings me into another key example in topic three. When a baby sees his mother drinking in a cup, he tries to do the same with his cup, he holds it up and tries to take a sip from his cup. The baby first observes, then experiments. There are two types of observations, qualitative observations which uses your senses to observe the results and quantitative observations are made with instruments such as ruler, cylinders and thermometers which are tangible. These results are measurable. They could be used together or separately to measure data. Quantitative observation only gives statistical analysis after all the data has been gathered. What I understand from scientific theory is that it’s a repetition of a process of the natural to ensure the accuracy or legitimacy using a form of observation and experiment. An example of this would be no new evidence would show water is wet, or that you can see without your glasses. Experimentation is the process of performing a scientific procedure, especially in a laboratory, to determine something† Oxford dictionaries 2018. From the information, I gathered from the session so far is that observation and experimentation are relate and there are two types of observation. â€Å"A statement based on repeated experimental observations that describes some aspects of the universe is called a scientific law’ Wikipedia 2017. A scientific law doesn’t explain the why or what of this observed phenomenon. The explanation of this phenomenon is the scientific theory, this is why or how they are related. â€Å"In science, laws are a starting place† Peter Coppinger 2017. The description of such phenomenon is called a model. These models can be physical, conceptual or mathematical it is often used in scientific theories. How to cite Scientific Sessions, Papers

Role of a Leader for Good Communication Skills -myassignmenthelp

Question: Write about theRole of a Leader for Good Communication Skills. Answer: A good leader should have some qualities like honesty, confidence, good communication skills, creativity, inspiring others and several other factors (Cashman 2017). It is said that the best quality of a leader is honesty. The leader should always be honest so that the followers also get inspiration from him to be honest which would improve the team work. He should have the confidence to make his own decisions and show some boldness to achieve respect from his subordinates. The leader should have the ability to inspire others by setting positive examples. There are also bad qualities of a leader that I have known through my experiences. Some leaders are there who has lack of focus. Leadership is more about priority and less about balance (Amanchukwu, Stanley and Ololube 2015). It is important to be disciplined so that he can encourage his followers to be disciplined. There are some leaders who are not aware of their lack of information. Some leaders are even there who does not care about the opinion of his followers which is considered as a negative quality. I have come across with several leaders in my education life as well as professional life who have both positive and negative qualities. One of the instances that I want to give regarding a leader is that in my MBA class we were given a project to do in a team. The leader of that team was chosen by me and my team mates because we thought that he would lead our group in a well coordinated manner but later on we realized that he has some bad qualities like over confidence and he used o think that he knows everything and did not even bother to take opinion from others which led our project to downfall. References Amanchukwu, R.N., Stanley, G.J. and Ololube, N.P., 2015. A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management,5(1), pp.6-14. Cashman, K., 2017.Leadership from the inside out: Becoming a leader for life. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Beaux Stratagem And Divorce Essays - Restoration Comedy,

Beaux Stratagem And Divorce The Beaux Stratagem is a play that places a pair of presentable yet impoverished London gentlemen, named Aimwell and Archer, in the English country inn at Lichfield. Due to the laws of this time Aimwell, as the younger son, has been denied his opportunity to share in the family fortune. His plan at the inn is to assume his older brother's identity and improve his chances of marrying a wealthy woman her fortune. His friend, Archer, has agreed to act as his servant on the condition that he would get half of what Aimwell gains from his venture. After some dalliance with the innkeeper, Bonniface, and his daughter Cherry, Aimwell sets his sights on Dorinda, the wealthy daughter of Lady Bonntiful, a local widow of high reputation. Her son, Squire Sullen, has been wrongly matched in a prearranged marriage to a beautiful woman with no inclination to share his hunting and drinking lifestyle. Mrs. Sullen is fed up with the marriage and has prepared a trap to make Sullen jealous by flirting with French Count. The flirtation is solely for her husband's benefit, but as Aimwell woos the young Dorinda, Archer makes advances to the cautiously receptive Mrs. Sullen, who is quite taken by Archer. One evening at the inn where Sullen is in search of drinking companions, a band of thieves plot with Bonniface to rob Lady Bonntiful's home on the assumption that the women are alone and unprotected. Cherry, who has overheard the their discussion, has Aimwell vanquish the thieves. He, along Archer, stops the robbery and locks up the thieves. All the while this is happening, Sir Charles Freeman arrives at the inn and is escorted by a drunken Sullen to the house where Aimwell and Archer continue their advances on Dorinda and Mrs. Sullen. Freeman brings news that Aimwell's brother has died making him a lord. Aimwell can now legitimize a marriage to Dorinda, with his new stature and a love that has grown to be real rather than fake. Sir Charles persuades Sullen into a divorce by mutual consent and to return the dowry that was more important than his wife. Aimwell and Dorinda marry, and Mrs. Sullen is free to accept the advances of Archer. Farquhar's views on divorce were ahead of their time. The subject of divorce was controversial and strictly forbidden in polite company. Laws were such that in the rare event that a couple was granted a divorce , a woman was neither allowed to remarry or make claim to her husband's finances. The Beaux Stratagem ends with the divorce of Squire Sullen and his wife through mutual consent. Mrs. Sullen's indignation at her treatment by Sullen seems very rebellious for its time and prescient of the modern woman's assertion of her rights. In fact, Fraquhar wrote The Beaux Stratagem not as an early woman's liberties but as a call for the liberalization of the divorce laws, this may be due to his own unhappy marriage.

How to Calculate Acceleration The 3 Formulas You Need

How to Calculate Acceleration The 3 Formulas You Need SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips "Whoa, you really went from zero to sixty there!" Have you ever heard someone use the idiom "zero to sixty" like I did in the above example? When someone says something went from "zero to sixty," they’re really saying that things accelerated very quickly. Acceleration is the amount by which the velocity of something changes over a set period of time. In this article, we’ll be talking all about acceleration: what it is and how to calculate it. Buckle up! What Is Acceleration? Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity over a set period of time. You need to have both velocity and time to calculate acceleration. Many people confuse acceleration with velocity (or speed). First of all, velocity is simply speed with a direction, so the two are often used interchangeably, even though they have slight differences. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity, meaning something is getting faster or slower. What Is the Acceleration Formula? You can use the acceleration equation to calculate acceleration. Here is the most common acceleration formula: $$a = {Δv}/{Δt}$$ where $Δv$ is the change in velocity and $Δt$ is the change in time. You can also write the acceleration equation like this: $$a = {v(f) - v(i)}/{t(f) - t(i)}$$ In this acceleration equation, $v(f)$ is the final velocity while is the $v(i)$ initial velocity. $T(f)$ is the final time and $t(i)$ is the initial time. Some other things to keep in mind when using the acceleration equation: You need to subtract the initial velocity from the final velocity. If you reverse them, you will get the direction of your acceleration wrong. If you don’t have a starting time, you can use â€Å"0†. If the final velocity is less than the initial velocity, the acceleration will be negative, meaning that the object slowed down. Now let’s breakdown the acceleration equation step-by-step in a real example. How to Calculate Acceleration: Step-by-Step Breakdown Now we’ll breakdown the acceleration formula step-by-step using a real example. A race car accelerates from 15 m/s to 35 m/s in 3 seconds. What is its average acceleration? First, write the acceleration equation. $$a = {v(f) - v(i)}/{t(f) - t(i)}$$ Next, define your variables. $a$ = what we are solving for $$V(f) = 35 m/s$$ $$V(i) = 15 m/s$$ $$T(f) = 3 s$$ $$T(i) = 0 s$$ Now, plug your variables into the equation and solve: $$A = {{(35 - 15)m}/{s}/{(3 - 0)s}$$ $$A = {(35 - 15)}/{(3 - 0)} m/s^2$$ $$A = {20/3} m/s^2$$ $$A = 6.66 m/s^2$$ Let’s try another example. A cyclist traveling at 23.2 m/s comes to a complete stop in 1.5 $s$. What was her deceleration? First, write the acceleration equation. $$a = (v(f) - v(i)) à · (t(f) - t(i))$$ Next, define your variables. a = what we are solving for $$V(f) = 0 m/s$$ $$V(i) = 23.2 m/s$$ $$T(f) = 1.4 s$$ $$T(i) = 0 s$$ Now, plug your variables into the equation and solve: $$A ={{(0 - 23.2)m}/s}/{(1.4 - 0)s}$$ $$A = {0 - 23.2}/{1.4 - 0} m/s^2$$ $$A = -23.2/1.4 m/s^2$$ $$A = -16.57 m/{s^2}$$ 2 Other Common Acceleration Formulas Wondering how to calculate acceleration using a different formula? There are several other common acceleration formulas. Angular Acceleration Formula Angular acceleration is the rate at which the angular acceleration of a rotating object changes with respect to time. Here is the angular acceleration equation: $$a = {\change \in \angular \velocity}/{\change \in \time}$$ Centripetal Acceleration Formula Centripetal acceleration is the rate of motion of an object inwards towards the center of a circle. Here is the centripetal acceleration equation: $$a(c) = {v^2}/r$$ $a(c) $= acceleration, centripetal $v$ = velocity $r$ = radius Key Takeaways Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity over a set period of time. You calculate acceleration by dividing the change in velocity by the change in time. What's Next? Are you studying clouds in your science class? Get help identifying the different types of cloudswith our expert guide. Working on a research paper but aren't sure where to start?Then check out our guide, where we've collected tons of high-quality research topics you can use for free. Need help with English class- specifically with identifying literary devices in texts you read? Then you'll definitely want to take a look at our comprehensive explanation of the most important literary devices and how they're used.

Psychology - organization and motivation Assignment

Psychology - organization and motivation - Assignment Example This downward flow of communication is used to let the workers understand their individual functions, to give and clarify instructions, and to give advices on how they can be most effective in their individual roles. It is also used to provide feedbacks on individual performances which can greatly help boost an employee’s determination to strive for perfection. On the other hand, employees also have an upward flow of communication where they can reach their managers, superiors and bosses. Through this communication flow, the workers provide a picture of how well the organization functions. It is where employees channel sentiments to their supervisors and employers. Their higher-ups in return take actions in resolving and improving these needs. Upward communication also shows how well the workforce understood the downward communication. It is a communication where the employee, managers, supervisors, and employers have an exchange of ideas and have a chance to contribute in making decisions. Having these forms of communication produces a more established workforce who is committed in doing their jobs. It is where a great employer- employee relationship is forged. Disregard any part of this two way communication and it will produce disasters. The organization will absolutely fail. It can result to an organization deviating from its goal and purpose, incompetent workers, unemployment, bankruptcy, and even death. In response to my peers’ responses, I would agree with both of them. For Kenneth, limited communication suffocates creative thoughts when the ability of subordinates to express themselves is taken away from them. This is true since it will make an employee feel unimportance and alienated. It is also true that lack of communication takes precious time, money and resources. On the point where bosses usually tells their managers what needs to be done, managers should have the ability to facilitate the ways and means to achieve that goal and

PhD research proposal (Risk of investment of sovereign wealth and

PhD (Risk of investment of sovereign wealth and strategies that can be used mitigate against the risks - Research Proposal Example Reports published by OECD reveal that government-driven mergers and acquisitions reached the peak (almost 20 percent of the total international value) level immediately before the financial crisis struck the Euro zone in 2009. In the subsequent year, this value declined sharply to half. The bulk of this international investment originated in few countries, China, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and few other Asian economies. Recently, SWFs have gained serious attention from the governments of countries around the world on the issue of risk associated with the holding of such wealth and its investment. In this paper, the impact of such risk on the economy is studied and the ways to mitigate risks have been discussed. Background Sovereign wealth funds are funds that are controlled by the government of a country. The government of a nation used this fund to make investments in other economies. Governments make investments in other countries by acquiring the assets located in those countries (Keefe, Fournier and Torys, 2003). The developing nations have also been affected hard by the crisis. However, research shows that due to the fact that these countries are developing, growth rate of these countries are higher than the growth rate of the developed nations (Manganelli and Engle, 2001; Mehta et al., 2012). A gradual but steady shift in power is visible from the West to the Eastern countries. The West is traditionally the centre of economic and financial power and the developed countries of the United States of America and European countries, until now enjoy the maximum economic power and therefore hold the highest political position in the global economy. The ongoing shift in traditional position and power from the western developed countries to the emerging economies in the east, such as China, is associated with higher levels of investment of SWF (Waki, 2010; Saunders and Cornett, 2011). These investments are mostly made in the emerging market eco nomies. Different levels of risks are associated with the SWFs depending on the pattern of investment made with these funds. Economists and policymakers have made different recommendations and suggested divert ways to mitigate such risks (Seagal, 2013). After the Euro zone crisis took place in late 2009, the issue of risks associated with sovereign wealth has been receiving greater importance (Jost, 2009; Saunders, 2013). Through further research it has been identified that the emerging economies are at lower levels of growth but showing higher growth potential than the developed countries (Smith, 2003). Hence investment of SWF is migrating fast towards the emerging economies. Research objective The objective of this research paper is to analyse the risk of investment of sovereign wealth and strategies that can be used mitigate these risks. The researcher aims to check whether risks of investing sovereign wealth adversely affect the economic variables in a country,