Monumental Sites Research Articles

The palace of Charles V in the Alhambra: graphic analysis of the ‘large plan’ (circa 1532)

Around 1526, Emperor Charles V decided to build a new Renaissance palace in addition to the Nasrid palaces in the Alhambra of Granada, a monumental site currently included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List. In that period, a large floor plan, which is preserved today at the Library of the Royal Palace of Madrid, was drawn to represent the building and its surroundings. Although this anonymous drawing has attracted considerable historiographic interest, a study of the graphical aspects analysed here, namely, paper assemblage, drawing technique, representation system, metrology, graphical scale, dimensioning, and labelling, is lacking. To accomplish this analysis, the original document was carefully examined and digitalised with high definition. This process allowed a comprehensive graphic analysis, utilising other drawings from the same period as a comparative reference and studying for the first time the major characteristics of one of the most relevant architectural drawings of the 16th century.

(단보) 조선왕조의 서북계도(西北界圖) - 청나라 지도·지리지와의 관계

“Seobug gyedo(西北界圖)” is a private map of Korea compiled from 1750 to 1776, which includes both the Map of China and the Map of Korea and belongs to the type of defense map of each other (each refers to Qing Dynasty, other refers to Korea). From the source of the map, we can see the Map of China is based on the “Kangxi FenfuTu(康熙分府圖)”, the brochure version of “HuangYu QuanLanTu(皇輿全覽圖)” of Kangxi Period. But since the “Kangxi FenfuTu” does not contain the map of Heilongjiang, it refers to the “Map of Heilongjiang” in the “Shengjing Tongzhi(盛京通志)” (The first year of Qianlong)”. On the map, it not only marks the boundary of Yalu River and Tumen River by dotted line, but also marks the Baegdusan Jeonggyebi with symbol. However, due to the influence of the “Kangxi FenfuTu” (“Yalu River Map” “Map of Shengjing Province”), the monument site is mistakenly marked in the vicinity of Sobeaksan, which bring about a distance from the actual monument site(the southeast foot of Baegdusan).

Bridlington Boulevard Revisited: New Insights into Pit and Post-hole Cremations in Neolithic Britain

The majority of excavated human remains from Neolithic Britain emanate from monumental sites. However, it is increasingly recognized that multiple funerary practices are often attested within these monuments, and that diverse treatment of the dead is evident contemporaneously at non-monumental sites. In this paper, we highlight such variation in non-monumental funerary practices in Neolithic Britain (c. 4000–2500 bc) through the biographical study of an assemblage from a large post-hole at Bridlington Boulevard, Yorkshire. Through osteological and taphonomic analysis of the human bones and technological and microwear analysis of the accompanying axehead, we infer complex funerary processes, with the expediently manufactured axehead potentially featuring in the funerary rites and subsequent post-raising before being deposited in the feature. Bridlington Boulevard represents one element of a varied funerary complex—cremations in pits and post-holes—at a time when most individuals were not deposited in monuments, or indeed were not deposited at all. Compiling these non-monumental cremations across Britain causes us to look beyond categorizing these assemblages as funerary contexts, and instead suggests important cosmological associations and forces were brought together in pit and post-and-human cremation deposits.

(Un)Settled Monument: Tehran’s Shahyad Square in the Revolutionary Crucible

The Shahyad monument, which has served as a symbol of Tehran—and by extension of modern Iran—since its inauguration in 1971, stands at the center of a huge open space that has been successively appropriated by Pahlavis, revolutionaries, and the Islamic Republic and has been persistently mediated and remediated in its relatively short life. This contested urban monument embodies the complex story of a space in which multiple sets of illusions—a Pahlavi fantasy as well as a revolutionary dream—are undone. In this paper, the space’s story is traced through varied types of media and archival material, including plans and architectural drawings, official reports and correspondences, and especially through journalistic photographs of the Square in 1979 and its representation in various media afterward. I examine shifts in this specific space at particular and historically grounded conjunctures, honing in not just on the site’s meta-narratives and its grand spectacular events, but also on the decentralized and ignored narratives and histories, demonstrating how they have reworked the meaning of this monumental space, turning it into a stage for contrarian politics. Focusing on the monument during the 1978-79 Revolution, I argue that the transformations in the meaning and perception of the site at that particular moment are indeed forces of a fundamental remaking, in that they open up the monumental site to further appropriations, as we are currently witnessing.

A Deformed Muqarnas Dome at the Sala de los Reyes in the Alhambra: Graphic Analysis of Architectural Heritage

The muqarnas are small pieces grouped together, adopting surprising three-dimensional forms. They are a symbol of identity of the 14th century Nasrid architecture at Alhambra in Granada. This research’s aim is to graphically analyze the plaster muqarnas dome located to the south of the Sala de los Reyes, in the Palacio de los Leones. The methodology followed combines historical images analysis and modern digital graphic techniques. First, a compilation of unpublished drawings and photographs documenting architectural transformations and significant alterations in the roof structures since the 16th century is provided. Although these muqarnas were drawn by Jones and Goury in the 19th century, the current research identifies and draws, digitally for the first time, its nearly two thousand pieces of this dome. Additionally, metric data of the current state has been collected using 3D laser scanning, revealing significant deformations. In this way, the knowledge of these fragile architectural elements is achieved to promote their heritage dissemination and to facilitate the conservation of a monumental site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Site Location of the Monument in Modern Guangzhou: A Perspective on Collective Memory

In recent years, more and more scholars have begun to pay attention to the memory content of monuments/memorials or explore collective and cultural memory through monuments/memorials. However, these studies mainly focus on the history and memory of urban public areas or monuments. The objectives of this research were to analyze the distribution characteristics of the site location of the monument in modern Guangzhou and then interpret the collective memory content of the Chinese-style monument site. The whole research is based on constructivist methodology and qualitative phenomenological research strategy, and the final research results can provide a more in-depth discussion on the memory research of monuments. The research procedures consisted of on-site observation, map and literature research data collection, the coding and classification of monument cases and sites, and the comparative analysis of visual data. Finally, the site selection characteristics of the monument in modern Guangzhou are summarized, and its collective memory content is deduced. The research results show that: (1) Chinese traditional culture emphasizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, which profoundly affects people’s collective memory and the site selection of the monument in modern Guangzhou. (2) The mausoleum park-style memorial site is a sublime Chinese-style commemorative place, its eternal symbolic meaning and characteristics conducive to tourists’ visits are its success factors. (3) The selection of monument sites in Chinese-style mausoleum parks is a practical choice in line with the characteristics of Chinese culture, which reflects the collective memory of Chinese people who pursue lofty and eternal meanings.

Revealing the extent of Neolithic rondel enclosures in Lower Silesia using non-invasive prospection

During the early fifth millennium BC, Linearbandkeramik groups along the Danube in Central Europe constructed hundreds of circular enclosures, or ‘rondels’. These monumental sites signalled major social, economic and ideological change among these early farming communities. Their absence north of the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains has been taken to suggest that this area lay on the periphery of this Early Neolithic world. Here, the authors report on a systematic programme of non-invasive prospection, including aerial photography, in Lower Silesia. The survey has identified eight previously undocumented rondels, significantly extending their distribution. Their detection emphasises the importance of combining prospection methods, and calls for a re-evaluation of core-periphery interpretations of Early Neolithic Central Europe.

REASSESSING THE CHRONOLOGY OF TOPARÁ EMERGENCE AND PARACAS DECLINE ON THE PERUVIAN SOUTH COAST: A BAYESIAN APPROACH

ABSTRACTThrough Bayesian analysis of new radiocarbon dates, this paper demonstrates that the Topará tradition did not emerge until after Paracas monumental sites were ritually closed in the Chincha Valley of the Peruvian south coast. These findings controvert a long-held hypothesis of Topará as a foreign tradition which intruded into the Paracas heartland and initiated the period of transformation known as the Paracas-Nasca transition. We present the first radiocarbon dates from Jahuay, the earliest accepted Topará site. These dates are compared with new analyses of published radiocarbon dates from three other sites associated with this transitional period: a Late Paracas politico-ceremonial site in the Chincha Valley, a Late Paracas settlement in the Palpa Valley in the Río Grande de Nasca Drainage, and an Initial Nasca site in the same valley. This work shows Paracas site closures began earlier than has previously been appreciated and demonstrates that the first appearance of the Topará ceramic style post-dates the onset of Paracas decline in the region’s northern valleys. This analysis represents a successful attempt to develop a radiocarbon-based chronology across a calibration plateau by incorporating stratigraphic data into a Bayesian model.

AUGMENTED VIRTUAL ACCESSIBILITY OF CH: THE WEB NAVIGATION MODEL OF INQUISITION PRISONS

Abstract. The latest advances in the architectural survey and 3D reconstruction have produced new technologies and methodologies to enhance cultural assets and improve their accessibility. The possibility of virtually visiting a place of historical and cultural interest is often the only way to have access to it. This can happen for various reasons: users' disabilities, temporary site closure, assets located in remote and inaccessible places, and assets destined to disappear over time. Fortunately, new Geomatics and Computer Science technologies allow the virtual reconstruction of entire archaeological and monumental sites with high levels of accuracy. Considering the technologies related to VR, online virtual fruition techniques were recently adopted, using the open source WebGL JavaScript libraries. These libraries allow users to virtually explore the virtual model employing web browsers without installing any client-side applications. The work presented adopts these technologies. It falls within the VASARI project, whose goal is to create a single digital platform for the enhancement, use, and management of the Italian artistic heritage. In particular, the described work concerns the survey, 3D reconstruction, and web visualization of the archaeological site of the Inquisition Prisons located within the monumental complex of Palazzo Chiaramonte in Palermo, known as the "Steri" and today the headquarters of the Rectorate of the University of Palermo. The adopted workflow and encountered issues during implementation will be described.

The environmental factors affecting the archaeological buildings in Egypt, “IV deterioration by synergistic marine effects”

This paper investigates the marine effects that affect Qait Bey Fortress in Alexandria—Egypt. It presents the results of scientific studies and examinations to evaluate the deterioration conditions that affected archaeological buildings in the marine environment. In Alexandria, many monumental sites and stone buildings have suffered from many aggressive factors of deterioration (mechanical, chemical, and biological), which have caused great harmful appearances and threatened to eradicate them. These effects include the chemical actions resulting from seawater and marine aerosol and the mechanical actions of water waves. (Qait Bey Fortress), as a case study, was periodically investigated by many scientific techniques over five years to check its decay conditions and to define the most suitable conservation approaches and non-destructive methods for preservation. Different techniques and examinations were carried out to evaluate the current deterioration state of the fortress. For example, XRD analysis and PM investigation were used to study the mineralogical compositions, lithotype, and petrographic characteristics of the stone samples. SEM was used to investigate the morphological features of the same samples. AAS was also used for studying the chemical constituents of seawater samples. In addition, microbiological investigations were conducted to evaluate the colored hard crusts that affected the stone surfaces in the fortress. Our results proved that severe deterioration factors influenced the fortress by collaborating with chemical, mechanical, and biological mechanisms. These mechanisms caused several manifestations, such as abrasion and attrition, crystallizing of salt species, mortar desegregation, pitting and minerals’ honeycomb (Alveolar), color changes, in addition to the accumulation of black and colored biogenic hard crusts composed of numerous tightly adjoining pits of several centimeters. Crusts, such as yellow to bluish green, resulted from P. aeruginosa and granular appearance having brownish ting in the center resulted from P. clacis. In addition, other pigmented features resulted from Bacillus firmus and Bacillus atrophaeus. The presence of some black and dark color crusts was attributed to the growth of some fungal species, such as A. niger, A. phoenicis, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Alternaria alternata.

Axis Occupation and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus: Artistic Production under Fascism (1941–1942)

During the first two years of the Occupation of Greece by the Axis powers (1941–1942), the Odeon of Herodes Atticus had a symbolic place within fascist ideology. Legislative reform and a cultural revival of the ancient monument played a crucial role in the artistic expression of the occupying forces. Productions of Greek companies were tightly controlled by the Italian and German authorities, and fascist military personnel attended many of them. At the same time, German and Italian artists collaborated with Greek productions, staged their own events, and broadcast them to their homeland through radio transmission. It was, however, the German film Fronttheater (1942) that epitomized the fascist appropriation of the Roman Odeon as a monumental site of spectacle where war and fiction were inextricably interwoven. The film exhibited how the occupying powers enforced and exercised their cultural authority in Athens. In this regard, the fascist myth of ancestral rebirth transformed civic spaces into sites of spectacular politics.

Fungal involvement in bio- weathering of historical monument with reference to Rumi Darwazaat Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), India

Fungi are complex communities of microorganisms that damage historic monuments. The present study was made to examine the diversity of fungi associated with deteriorated monument sites. In the present investigation, 10 samples were collected from various portions of deteriorating sites of Rumi Darwaza (gate) at Lucknow. Five fungal species isolated from deteriorated monument sites are reported in this paper. The most frequent isolated fungal species from the historic monument sites are Aspergillus niger.

Reconciling the Protection of Nature and Monuments – A Large-scale Nature Conservation Project Between the Siebengebirge and the Sieg

Funded by the Federal Office for Nature Conservation in close cooperation with Nature Conservation (Rhine-Sieg District) and Cultural Heritage Protection (LVR-State Service for Archaeological Heritage in the Rhineland) , the aim of this project was to conduct a major conservation project according to environmental communication protocols, and the first to be carried out in Germany. The occasion was the establishment of a maintenance and development plan in a major conservation project, scanning more than 10,000 hectares, and their subsequent realisation. The project helped create communication, coordination, and working structures, which were not only expandable but coulf also be applied to other nature conservation projects. In many cases, for their protection, the monument sites are transferred into a sustainable nature and heritage-compatible use during the implementation period using the measures suggested in the care and development plan of the conservation project 'chance 7' in the Rhine-Sieg District. Monuments suitable for presentation are preserved and made accessible to the general public.

The process of digital fabrication and 3D printing as a tool in the study of heritage pathologies: Carcabuey Castle (Cordoba)

Highlights: High-definition scanning and 3D printing have been used as tools in the detection of heritage pathologies, as well as in the study of materials. The Carcabuey castle has been digitized and the volumetric data recovered from the study of its materials typology and its stereotomy, obtained with laser scanning. The study of construction and material phases, and the pathologies produced by them, has been carried out from the 3D printing of the heritage structure parts. Abstract: Precise documentation is essential to carry out the restoration and enhancement processes of protected heritage contexts. Data collection has been increasingly perfected, to the point of being able to perform virtual recreations of complex historical sites, in order to carry out in-depth studies and analyses. An example is Carcabuey Castle (Cordoba, Andalusia), a large fortress with important medieval structures. It is a monumental site of the so-called "Frontier Castles", which were located between the Kingdom of Aragon, and the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. With the aim of restoring it and highlighting its value, an in-depth study was developed for its conservation and subsequent intervention. The data collection included terrestrial laser scanning and vectorising all the structures, as well as a complex and complete photogrammetric survey. From these previous data and carrying out a deductive analytical methodology, a model was generated which, after being printed in 3D (different models at different scales of detail), would allow the volumes, materials and textures which make up the castle, to be studied. The multidisciplinary team, composed of architects, archaeologists, historians and engineers, made it possible to provide multifaceted and inclusive character to all the work, both in the study of pathologies based on the models, and in the construction phases, detected by the stereotomy of the ashlars, or chemical composition of mortars. Since then, with all the data obtained in the research, summarised in this article, it has been possible to carry out a correct diagnosis for the restoration and enhancement of the heritage site.

In the footsteps of the pioneers (on the first archaeological discoveries in Semirechye in the 19th - early 20th centuries)

The article describes the history of the discovery and study of two monumental sites of Tibetan Buddhism of the 17th –18th centuries, the study of which began in the 19th century, but continues today. The “Tekeli stele” (Kelinshektas stone) with images and inscriptions engraved on it dates back to the end of the 17th century is one of the earliest cult monuments that appeared in the Semirechye during the existence of the Dzungar state. “Kegensky Arasan” is a healing mineral spring, which originally also served as a place of worship for Oirats-Buddhists in the late 17th – mid-19th centuries, later acquired the significance of a sacred place in the culture of the Kazakhs. The beginning of the scientific study of both sites is associated with the name of the famous orientalist and amateur archaeologist N.N. Pantusov (1847–1909).

Río Chico: A Multicomponent Site Precursor of Té Zulay

AbstractThis report presents survey and excavation results from the site of Río Chico, located near the city of Puyo, Ecuador. Currently, Río Chico is the oldest multicomponent village-type mound site of the Pastaza drainage, one of the great rivers of the Amazon basin. It is part of a series of monumental sites in the Upper Amazon of Ecuador but is unique in the area because of its evidence of consumption of certain plants and interregional trade.

Reversible protective and consolidating coatings for the ancient iron joints at the Acropolis monuments

This work presents a corpus of measurement methodologies utilized during a multidisciplinary project, aiming at the protection and conservation of ancient steel joints (clamps and dowels) of the Acropolis monuments, undertaken by the Acropolis Restoration Service (YSMA). The Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of the National Technical University of Athens collaborated with YSMA in designing and evaluating laboratory scale and field experiments, aiming in testing conservation materials. The first phase involved the application of seven coating systems on uncorroded metal coupons. The application characteristics, physicochemical properties (colour, gloss, hydrophobicity), and the protection performance against accelerated corrosion and polymer photo-oxidation were measured. Poligen CE12 and Paraloid B67 +2% nano-alumina were selected as the two most suitable materials for pilot applications on corroded steel joints and outdoor field exposure at the monument site. The assessment of the two coatings reversibility and of the corroded surfaces chemical alteration was undertaken by Raman spectroscopy analyses and orthophotographic documentation. During the 1-year field exposure, the corrosion development was retarded, but some local events of active corrosion could not be prevented. The joint areas coated with Paraloid B67 enhanced with 2% nano-alumina enabled more uniform application on corroded surfaces and exhibited better corrosion protection. In case of Poligen CE12, the nature of corrosion products indicated local acceleration of corrosion reactions.

Beyond Technology: Pottery Reveals Translocal Social Relations at a Bell Beaker Monumental Site in Central Europe

The Bell Beaker site near Brodek u Prostějova (Czechia) has yielded remains of a large timber construction accompanied by four symmetrical ritual deposits with numerous artefacts, including more than fifty ceramic vessels. Their decoration consists of incised patterns, in nineteen cases with preserved white inlaid incrustations. To investigate the social relations at this extraordinary site, a multi-analytical and micro-destructive approach was employed to determine the provenance and technology of the pottery and the composition of the white incrustations. The results indicate various origins for the pottery within the region and the presence of extra-regional fabrics and graphitic temper. The main raw materials for the white inlays were calcium carbonate (calcite), hydroxyapatite (bone), and bright clay. The mixing of decorative motifs and the variation in the shape and size of the beakers suggest unique manufacturing processes. These results lend support to the monumental site of Brodek serving as a ritual place for several communities from both local and wider areas.

Monumental Sites of Memory in Wartime: Practices of Media Representation

The war has spurred a wide-ranging and intense rethinking of the symbolic meaning of memorial heritage and collective memory. An important role in this process belongs to the mass media, which define focuses of attention by selecting events and actors and take part in constructing the meaning of events related to the reinterpretation of memorial heritage. The article considers the media representation of practices of interaction with monumental sites of memory since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the author’s view, analysis of the informational resonance surrounding the practices of preservation and destruction of monuments will help us, on the one hand, to pin down the characteristic features of the new version of collective memory being formed during the war, and, on the other, to identify the means and substance of the symbolic rethinking of memorial heritage. The study’s object of analysis is online media coverage of events related to the preservation and destruction of monumental sculpture in the largest cities of Ukraine, with a particular focus on the city of Kharkiv, whose frontline situation gives special symbolic significance to any practices of interaction with urban monumental sculpture. Analysis of news reports involves outlining their thematic spectrum and architectonics and considering rhetorical techniques and metaphors used by the authors of publications and authors of direct speech. The article also gives special attention to visual imagery in photographs illustrating online publications. In her conclusions, the author argues that it is as a result of the media coverage of practices of interaction with monuments (both preservation and damage) that the semantic meaning of monuments is recoded and memorial heritage is associated specifically with national identity. At the same time, these practices themselves acquire features of citizens’ heroic struggle for the freedom of their country.

Sociokulturel betydning af tragtbægerkulturens tidligneolitiske flintøkser

Sociokulturel betydning af tragtbægerkulturens tidligneolitiske flintøkser