Maithili is the traditional writing system for theMaithili language, which is spoken predominantly in the state of Bihar in India and in the Narayani and Janakpur zones of Nepal. The script is also known as Mithilākṣara and Tirahutā, names which refer to Mithila, or Tirhut, as these regions of India and Nepal are historically known. Maithili is a Brahmi-based script derived from Gauḍī, or ‘Prot...

Medieval Black Death is believed to have killed up to one-third of the Western European population during the 14th century. It was identified as plague at this time, but recently the causative organism was debated because no definitive evidence has been obtained to confirm the role of Yersinia pestis as the agent of plague. We obtained the teeth of a child and two adults from a 14th century gra...

Societies frequently generate public infrastructure and institutional arrangements in order to mediate short-term environmental fluctuations. However, the social and ecological consequences of activities directed at dealing with short-term disturbances may increase the vulnerability of the system to infrequent events or to long-term change in patterns of short-term variability. Exploring this p...

Was the mortality associated with the deadliest known epidemic in human history, the Black Death of 1347-1351, selective with respect to preexisting health conditions ("frailty")? Many researchers have assumed that the Black Death was so virulent, and the European population so immunologically naïve, that the epidemic killed indiscriminately, irrespective of age, sex, or frailty. If this were t...

Societies frequently generate public infrastructure and institutional arrangements in order to mediate short-term environmental fluctuations. However, the social and ecological consequences of activities dealing with short-term disturbances may increase the vulnerability of the system to infrequent events or to long-term change in patterns of short-term variability. Exploring this possibility r...

the Northern Adriatic, has always been widely recognized for the beauty of its nature and mild, Mediterranean climate. It was well populated even in Roman times, although the oldest traces of human life date from as early as Paleolithic. Istria was settled by Croats in the 7th century. Its history abounds with battles and legends, especially from the periods of famine and plague. Due to a speci...