City Walls Research Articles

Research on the evolution of urban defense in song dynasty based on shouchenglu 守城录(Record of urban defense)

ABSTRACT Shouchenglu is the first monograph on urban defense in ancient China. Based on Shouchenglu, combined with relevant historical documents and image data, this paper sorts out its content, and chooses to explore the internal logic of the evolution of urban defense in the Song Dynasty from three new perspectives: urban defense structure, city walls and their ancillary facilities, and coping strategies for siege weapons. We have carried out graphic translation of the miscellaneous contents of it, and through drawing analysis charts, we can more intuitively show the evolution of the urban defense system in the Song Dynasty and put forward analysis and conjecture. Through the study of Shouchenglu, we found that the evolution of the urban defense system in the Song Dynasty had a clear evolutionary logic. The evolution of the urban defense system in the Song Dynasty was not only the progress of architectural technology, but also the improvement of adaptability in the face of various complex situations. We believe that our research results have certain reference significance for the future urban excavation and the protection and restoration of historical heritage in the Song Dynasty.

Structure and age of ancient walls from the city of Nan, northern Thailand

The structure and age of remains of two ancient walls located in the city of Nan, a former part of the Lanna Kingdom in modern northern Thailand, were investigated. The remains differ in appearance with a well-preserved brick wall present at Mahawong Road (MHW), while an earthwork with a brick reinforcement core is found at Phaya Wat Temple (PWT). We employed an electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) survey and optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) to determine the buried structure of the earthwork at the PWT site and the production age of bricks from both locations. The ERT results reveal lateral heterogeneous resistivity domains cross-cutting the wall, which presumably relates to the construction of a dam. According to OSL dating, the PWT wall was likely built during the time of the war with Burma that ultimately resulted in a foreign occupation of Nan in the sixteenth century. This structure played a role in both flood mitigation and military defence of the city. The structure at MHW represents a city wall that was built at the end of the nineteenth century after Nan was relocated to its present position and rather reflects representative and social needs.

풍납토성 기초 토목기술 비교연구 —중국의 사례를 중심으로—

This paper analyzes the foundational construction techniques of Pungnap Earthen Fortress in Seoul and compares them with examples of Chinese earthen fortresses, exploring their respective characteristics. Elements such as the position and structure of the fortresses, which had previously been overlooked, were examined, and commonalities were derived from components such as foundational planning, stone or gravel bedding, wooden pilings, use of the earthen mound method, and the use of stone facings on walls. Through this, we inferred the process of the introduction of Pungnap Earthen Fortress's foundational techniques and inspected the progression of foundational engineering. A significant number of foundational construction techniques used in the construction of Pungnap Earthen Fortress were identified as techniques commonly used in China at the time for the construction of earthen fortresses, bridges, and harbor facilities. Especially, the discovery of these techniques in the regions of Liaodong and Xuantu provides clues about the origin and transmission routes of the foundational techniques of Pungnap Earthen Fortress. Furthermore, the construction method using the earth mound method is not found frequently in China as a comparable case, leading to the assessment that it evolved as a unique foundational technique within Baekje. In essence, Baekje adopted foreign techniques and combined them with indigenous methods to complete the large-scale structure known as Pungnap Earthen Fortress. The foundational techniques utilized in the construction of Pungnap Earthen Fortress continued to be applied and developed in the outer city wall, Buyeo and the mountain fortresses of the later periods of Baekje, and were eventually transmitted to Japan.

A Study on the Temporal and Spatial Changes of Nitrogen Oxides in the Southwest Corner of Jingzhou City Wall

With the growth of people's consumption capacity, the production and consumption of energy are rapidly increasing every year, and the emissions of nitrogen oxides are also increasing. Nitrogen oxides include many types of compounds, such as nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), etc. Except for nitrogen dioxide, the properties of other nitrogen oxides are extremely unstable. Therefore, in the actual atmosphere, nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are usually collectively referred to as nitrogen oxides (NOx). This article measured and compared the nitrogen oxide concentration and other meteorological indicators in the public, commercial, and civilian areas at the southwest corner of the city wall in Jingzhou City in March and April 2022. The following conclusions were drawn: the mass concentration of nitrogen oxide pollutants was highest around noon and evening, and the concentration was relatively small before and after sunrise and afternoon, with a "double peak and double valley" distribution. The nitrogen oxide concentration began to decrease at night and reached the first valley in the early morning, then it gradually rises, reaching its peak around 8:00 and then showing a downward trend. A second trough will appear around 13:00, followed by a continuous increase in concentration, and finally a small peak will appear at 18:00.

An Imperial Adventus into a City of Warehouses: History, Modernity, and Urbanity in the Symbolic and Material Construction of Hamburg's Free Port

Abstract The article analyzes the contemporary material, political, and symbolic construction of Hamburg's free port, zooming in on its festive opening in 1888, when Kaiser Wilhelm II visited to perform this ceremonious act. Asking why the “Speicherstadt” (warehouse city) was right away dubbed a “city” even though this was an exclusively commercial space devoid of inhabitants, the article uses this case study to argue that process concepts like “urbanization” frame our perspectives in ways that eclipse how older ideas about urbanity still defined a late-nineteenth-century political imaginary. The article shows how the opening ceremony, staged as an imperial adventus, alongside the “Speicherstadt's” neo-Gothic red-brick architecture, made recourse to established cultural forms that historians and other commentators often deem premodern. To counteract the prospect that port expansion could turn Hamburg into a working-class city, Hamburg's bourgeois merchant elite tried to construct the free port as a global urban bourgeois space embodying the city's history and its longevity as a space of urban trade privilege. The latter had erstwhile been defined by Hamburg's city walls, which, as the article argues, were symbolically rebuilt in the form of the Speicherstadt. The latter was the “city” into which this modern-day imperial adventus led.

Strategies for the Preservation of Historic Areas within Existing Middle Eastern Cities: The Case of Historic Jeddah

During the recent founding of Saudi Arabia in 1932, there was no interest in the urban and architectural heritage that Jeddah possesses. As a result, historic Jeddah was exposed to many problems similar to many historical Middle Eastern cities. For example, the historic city wall and many heritage buildings were demolished. With the economic recovery during the 1970s, the original dwellers abandoned the city altogether. They were soon replaced by a class of ex-patriate workers who would inhabit the area, and the city’s distinct heritage fell into neglect. At the beginning of the 1980s, attempts to preserve that area began with the expert Robert Matthew, who studied the remaining historical buildings and proposed strategies for preservation that were based on three main directions: restoration, replacement, or new construction. The issuance of “Saudi’s 2030 vision” included programs to develop Saudi cities, including Jeddah. This program includes the removal of unplanned and slum areas around historic Jeddah without developing a clear master plan for what will replace them. In addition, it includes the complete expropriation of historic Jeddah, without announcing a specific plan for what the area will be used for. Therefore, this study seeks to review current preservation strategies, with the aim of reaching results related to the challenges facing the area; demonstrating the effectiveness of the preservation strategies used; and deducing what could contribute in the future to the development, preservation, and optimal exploitation of the area, without losing its value as a result of the modernization processes currently taking place.

Municipal Defensive Walls in Western Poland: The Example of Żagań

ABSTRACT Many relics of municipal fortifications are preserved in multiple cities in the Silesian — Lusatian region. Research works are mainly focused on area such a history, architecture or technical state, without correlation between these areas. The correct approach is to identify walls, or sections of them, as part of parallel, interdisciplinary research that covers the history and chronology of transformations, expansion phases, and their state of preservation which was also the primary and main goal of the research in case of Żagań municipal defensive walls. Thanks to architectural and archaeological analysis, it was possible to determine the chronology of the transformations and layers of the walls. Combining the results of the chronological analyses (C-14, dendrochronology) of wood samples from putlog holes with the results of architectural research allows hypotheses regarding the chronology of constructing objects to be confirmed or excluded. During the study it was found, that it is recommended to correlate the results of archaeological research conducted within the area of excavations next to the foundations of city walls with the results of the structural analyses of soil and water conditions. It is then possible to conduct a comparative analysis of the identified soil and anthropogenic layers. The correlation of architectural research in the field of the chronology of the construction of city walls with the results of the analyses of the cross-sectional deformation of their structure (based on 3D laser scanning) enables answers about the causes of the walls’ inclination to be obtained. The proposed algorithm for interdisciplinary cooperation in research of historical municipal walls is presented.

Effects of tree density variations on outdoor heritage conservation: Numerical study of an ancient brick city wall with four orientations

Trees possess the potential to safeguard outdoor cultural heritage through the regulation of microclimates in their surroundings. The Leaf Area Index (LAI), a collective measure of the foliar portion within vegetation structure, reflects the regulatory ability of trees. In this study, numerical simulations were performed to compare the hygrothermal conditions of the Nanjing City Wall facing four orientations under the influence of evergreen trees with four LAI values, while also assessing the potential risks of salt weathering and algal growth. The results were as follows: 1) under the protective canopy of trees with identical LAI, the west and east walls experienced the highest temperature fluctuations, followed by the south and north sides. Wall surface temperature fluctuation was negatively correlated with LAI; 2) except for LAI = 1.5, the north wall had the least water content fluctuation under equivalent LAI levels. Water content fluctuation generally exhibited a decreasing trend with rising LAI; 3) at the same LAI level, the south wall presented the highest risk of salt weathering (including efflorescence and subflorescence), whereas the north wall faced the lowest risk. The risk of salt weathering decreased with an increase in LAI; 4) When shielded by trees with identical LAI, the north wall exhibited the greatest risk of algal growth, while the east wall faced least the risk. Higher LAI values were associated with an increased risk of algal growth on the wall surface. These results could provide a theoretical basis for large outdoor immovable heritage conservation and plant management around heritage sites.

Mapping landscape in Longshan period’s hierarchical society (3000–2000BCE) of North Loess Plateau: from archaeological predictive model to GIS spatial analysis

On the North Loess Plateau of China, city civilization, social complexity, and stratification emerged during the Longshan period (3000-2000BCE). Based on Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis and archaeological predictive model, we conducted a comparative analysis of environmental characteristics between sites and non-sites, ordinary and walled city sites, as well as large and smaller city sites. Initially, we developed a Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) model to predict the locations of archaeological sites from this period. Our findings indicate a high predictive accuracy of the model, demonstrating a clear environmental preference by the people of the Longshan Period. The presence or absence of the site was found to be influenced by various factors, including temperature, elevation, river distance, and precipitation. Furthermore, we discovered that walled cities had higher environmental requirements compared to ordinary sites. Terrain and land use played a more significant role in shaping prehistoric cities than climate. Lastly, the landscape in the Shimao site, which served as a most crucial and largest settlement centers on the North Loess Plateau (NLP), resembled that of other minor walled cities. Due to its abundant grassland, Shimao relied more on animal husbandry rather than agriculture. The combination of agriculture and animal husbandry has promoted the urbanization processes.

Infrastructure for 3D Modeling of Historical Fountains in Istanbul with GIS-Based Procedural Approach

Along with the concepts of “smart city” and “digital twin,” the 3D (threedimensional) city models have started to be used as a basis for many studies that have been carried out in recent years. The most important and basic components of 3D city models are the structures that are located in the cities. However, some small structures of historical importance are within the category of the buildings in a city but are often not as large as a building. Historical fountains are some of these structures. For this reason, modeling with existing3D city model-production methods is a little more complicated and requires local measurements and detailed modeling studies.As a result, this study has designed a database scheme design in which the historical city wall fountains in Istanbul can be stored in a spatial database and modeled in three dimensions (with procedural modeling when necessary). In addition, the conveniences that this infrastructure will provide in the production of 3D structure models and some difficulties that were encountered during these studies are also discussed and examined.

On the Historical Evolution of the Northern League in Italy

In 2018, Italy’s newly formed government, which included the far right League, raised concerns among European political and financial elites. The international press portrayed the parties that won the elections as the (Eurosceptic) barbarians ready to besiege the city walls of Rome. In this article, I argue that hard-line anti-immigration policies were their most visible characteristic. In particular, I demonstrate that the League’s xenophobic approach was not new, as its precursors already promoted discrimination, and that the party moved from regionalism to the far right side of the political spectrum. I also question the party’s recent national(ist) shift, which seems to have been made uncritically and for pragmatic, electoral reasons. The article thus contributes to the history of the far right since the 1980s while demonstrating the usefulness of a historical methodology for scholars from other disciplines who work on right-wing prejudice.

A HBIM pipeline for the conservation of large-scale architectural heritage: the city Walls of Pisa

In the architectural heritage field, a complete and in-depth knowledge of the assets is indispensable for any restoration and conservation strategy. In this context, the Historical Building Information Modelling (HBIM) technique is gaining much interest in supporting the diagnostic phase and the design and management of conservation activities. The HBIM provides opportunities to collect, organize and integrate information coming from different sources, inspections, and diagnosis techniques as well as to use standardized and effective tools for orienting cultural heritage asset management. This study addresses the challenges of developing HBIM for large-scale assets, that require adapting the conventional workflow to deliver results in a reasonable time. To this aim, a novel procedure involving a fit-for-purpose Inventory form and a scan-to-BIM approach is proposed. The data acquisition process is speeded up using multiple surveying techniques, and the modelling and information phases benefit from the interoperability among different tools that are already known by professionals in the field. As such, the main innovation lies in the ability to oversee the entire process through a single software, ensuring centralized and efficient control. This innovative process has been applied to investigate a significant portion of the city walls of Pisa, proving its ability to support the decision-making phase for planned conservation of large-scale architectural heritage. The emphasis is on the all-encompassing, interdisciplinary understanding of the assets across different scales. The suggested approach ensures a swift yet precise and reliable outcome in the diagnostic process and facilitating the critical temporal assessments and the review of information by any actor involved in the conservation.

Archaeometric Investigations on Archaeological Findings from Palazzo Corsini Alla Lungara (Rome)

This study reports the analytical investigations on clayey and ceramic finds, characterised by high variability in terms of prime materials, with the aim to determine the role of this important ceramic production situated close to the city walls, fortuitously found during service excavations developed in the garden of Palazzo Corsini in Rome. The complexity of the finds led to the choices of appropriate methodologies and techniques suitable for defining the diagnostic elements of each find. Optical microscopy (OM) combined with micro-Raman (µ-Raman) spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were used to analyse the nature and microstructure of the ceramic and burned clay that were found. In such a complicated setting, the objective of conducting chemical analyses is to provide clues to describe the various kinds of ceramics produced, the production and processing methods, and, as a result, the typology of the workshop.

Characterization of Historic Lime Mortars from the Arch of San Martin to Identify the Construction Phases of the City Wall of Burgos (Spain)

Historical lime mortars provide valuable information on the construction phases of buildings and allow reconstruction of the chronology of the historical structures. The City Wall of Burgos and the Mudejar Arch of San Martin were declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and have been protected since 1949. Several restorations at the end of the 20th century altered the original appearance of the wall and the current gate, making it difficult to establish stratigraphic relationships between the two structures. Given the scarcity of information on the construction phases of the wall and the uncertainty of the historical dates, a mineralogical and chemical characterization of the mortars was carried out, and the suitability of the binder for radiocarbon dating was assessed. The petrographic, mineralogical and chemical analyses of the lime mortars from the Arc of San Matin show distinctive characteristics, suggesting different construction periods and production processes, where the selection of raw materials and production methods was conducted according to the construction requirements. Moreover, the presence of contaminant phases and microparticles of charcoal in the binder fraction led to discard all the samples for mortar radiocarbon dating.

Outside the City Walls: Remarks on 2 Kgs 23,4-20

ABSTRACT The account of Josiah’s reform has raised the interest of biblical scholars over the years. This paper focuses on the pericope of 2 Kgs 23,4-20 and, based on spatial categories, provides a further argument to date the section in the Persian period. After outlining why 2 Kgs 23,4-20 can be considered separately from the rest of the narrative, this paper will focus on the pericope’s passages that, through Josiah’s actions, highlight a tension between the city’s inner and outer. Such a logic of space, absent in the Chronicler’s report and emphasised in the Antiochian revision of the Greek text, functions as a narrative means to promote a theological idea based on the sharp distinction between pure and impure, sacred and polluted, and charges the king with priestly traits. As a result, 2 Kgs 23,4-20 will be argued to be part of a text revision dated to the Persian period, when the ruling priestly class could be interested in loading the character of Josiah with religious prerogatives.

A comparative analysis of two century‐old historical map and satellite images for assessing land use transformation and preservation of the historical monuments of the Ahmad Shahi old city, Kandahar

AbstractThis study evaluates land use transformation in Kandahar's old city, also known as Ahmad Shahi city, the birthplace and first capital of modern Afghanistan. The city consists of four rectangular quarters and is surrounded by a high strong mud wall, entrance gates, and a moat. In the early 20th century, the city experienced significant and arbitrary expansion, which certainly affected the urban fabric of the area, the streets were widened, and the city wall, towers, and gates were demolished, and the area was added to the construction of new government buildings, commercial establishments, and residential plots. This study aims to evaluate the alterations in the old city's urban morphology, culture, and sociology by conducting a comparative analysis of three maps from different time periods and considering various factors within the target area.

Potencjał dziedzictwa kulturowego Kalisza lokacyjnego

The Potential of the Cultural Heritage of the Kalisz Location The aim of the article is to show the potential of cultural heritage in the founding area of location Kalisz as a factor in the city’s development. It presents concepts related to cultural heritage, its protection and dissemination, as well as the positive impact it has on shaping the identity of local communities, which can derive many benefits, both intangible and material, from contact with monuments. Awareness of these values translates into the economic development of the city, which in turn becomes a premise for the protection of monuments and further education about them. The article will discuss monuments of medieval chronology located in the very center of location Kalisz, once a location city surrounded by walls. The following will be analyzed in terms of the attractiveness and potential of activities related to the dissemination of knowledge about cultural heritage: city walls and Dorotka’s Tower, the first three churches in Kalisz: the Franciscan church of Saint Stanislaus, the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas and the sanctuary of Saint Joseph, and the Town Hall and its multimedia exhibition.

Cultural Heritage Chinese International Education: A Case Study of the Xian City Wall

Cultural Heritage Chinese International Education: A Case Study of the Xian City Wall

Study on the Restoration of the City Wall and Moat of Taiping Prefecture, Anhui Province in the Qing Dynasty

Study on the Restoration of the City Wall and Moat of Taiping Prefecture, Anhui Province in the Qing Dynasty

Preserving the traces of conflict: The role and meaning of memory in the rehabilitation of buildings along walled Nicosia's buffer zone

PurposeThis paper focuses on the topic of memory during and post conflict and considers how it is expressed materially, spatially, and symbolically within the urban context of walled Nicosia in Cyprus. This is done to establish and define the role of memory and how this is manifested alongside the buffer zone, following the permanent division of the city (and of the island of Cyprus) in 1974, between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. Study design/methodologyThis academic piece employs the assessment of quantitative and qualitative data deriving from semi-structured interviews taken from relevant stakeholders living and working in Nicosia, as well as the author's qualitative empirical findings to unveil the role and the meaning of memory in the rehabilitation of buildings along walled Nicosia's buffer zone. FindingsThe empirical findings of this research demonstrate that despite the Nicosia Master Plan's efforts to safeguard the Cypriot capital's historic urban core, the ongoing division materialises as a tangible transmitter of intangible meanings, closely linked to the memories of conflict. These memories affect people's perceptions about the areas close to and across the boundary. More specifically, the interview responses point out that public interaction with the areas closer to the buffer zone is limited, selective and can often result in the decay of buildings alongside the boundary. This finding is paralleled by the empirical data, which illustrates the poor physical condition of building stock near the buffer zone. Originality/valueThis research contributes to the academic discussion about Nicosia's heritage by introducing new topics and novel empirical insights linked to the division of the city. These include issues such as the interruption spatial patterns through the existence of the buffer zone, heritage prioritisation and obsolescence. In doing so, the creation and dissemination of new knowledge on the specific characteristics of the walled city is achieved, aiming at encouraging a more informed heritage protection, and to support the efforts of the – originally bicommunal - Nicosia Master Plan on both sides of the Cypriot divide.