The role of research and education in site management at the Lemba Experimental Village,Cyprus

Abstract

The project developed at the Lemba Experimental Village in Cyprus seeks to explain some aspects of the workings of archaeology through the medium of an ongoing and dynamic research project. The Lemba Experimental Village was established in 1988 with a view to understanding site formation processes through the construction of full-scale experimental buildings of the Chalcolithic period (3500–2800 BC). Experiments have been carried out with mud construction, lime plaster making and building construction. Monitoring and recording of construction and erosion processes provides a long-term history of events on the site which can be related to the deposits and features encountered when excavation is undertaken. Comparative information has been obtained from the structural analysis and excavation of buildings abandoned 25–30 years ago in the village of Souskiou, where similar deposits are encountered. The results of the work at Lemba and Souskiou are used as a comparative database for understanding deposits on prehistoric archaeological sites. The juxtaposition of the experimental building constructions with completed excavations at Lemba has led to the emergence of a policy of site presentation in which the methods of a particular form of archaeological research – experimental archaeology – constitute the main focus of interest on the site. This has been encouraged in the development of the site as a visitor centre, with an annually changing programme of new buildings being constructed and older ones being destroyed.     

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of the Urban Building Environment in Nablus,Palestine

ABSTRACT

This article describes a specifically developed framework to produce a seismic physical vulnerability model of residential buildings in Nablus (Palestine) within the European project SASPARM2.0. Based on the structural taxonomy of the territory, two different forms were defined to collect geometrical and structural data of buildings by different stakeholders (citizens and practitioners). This data was then employed to produce fragility curves using the mechanics-based procedure SP-BELA. To estimate seismic risk, the developed fragility model was combined with a hazard curve for the corresponding location. The described procedure is implemented in a WebGIS platform that allows to georeference and assess the surveyed buildings and define retrofitting strategies. Finally, the article carries out a comparison between the fragility curves of buildings in Nablus and the ones calculated for similar building typologies within a UNDP Jordan project aiming at the integrated risk assessment in Wadi Musa and surroundings.     

A NOTE ON AN IRON AGE FOUR-HORNED ALTAR FROM TEL DOTHAN

Abstract

In a recent visit to the site of Tel Dothan the top of a four-horned stone altar of Iron Age type was unexpectedly observed among the structural remains exposed by Joseph P. Free in Area L of his excavations of the late 1950s. Owing to the location of this find within a well-dated building complex (labelled ‘House 14 ’) it can be dated with some certainty to the early Iron Age IIa, i.e. to the 9^th century BCE. Dated four-horned stone altars from this period from the northern Kingdom of Israel are extremely rare. ‘House 14 ’ was identified by the excavators as an ‘administrative building,’ but we suggest it probably had a primary cultic function.     

Notes on Pomanders

During 1984–85 an area of over 1,500 square metres was excavated on Hartlepool Headland (NZ 528 336) by Cleveland County Archaeology Section. This is the second part of the report on that work, the first, covering the Anglo-Saxon monastic occupation was published in Archaeol. J., 145, henceforth referred to as Daniels 1988b. Following Anglo-Saxon occupation, cultivation took place on the site, to be succeeded in the late eleventh or early twelfth centuries by the establishment of two properties. An earthfast timber building was sited at the front of the northern property, parallel with and probably on the frontage. Behind the building the area was subdivided by a sequence of fence lines and there were indications of cultivation. This phase of occupation ceased with some evidence that the building had burnt down. In the mid-thirteenth century the boundary between the two properties was re-established with a small house (Building III) being built in the southern property. In the northern property three buildings (II, IV, and V) were constructed gable end on to the street and separated by narrow lanes from which access was gained to suites of rooms which were not interconnecting. Throughout the life of these buildings a number of the ground floor rooms contained sequences of ovens used for food processing some of which were evidently used for domestic and others for commercial purposes. The buildings went out of use at the end of the fifteenth century, from which time the area was cultivated prior to its redevelopment in the nineteenth century.     

GREATER MANCHESTER'S PAST REVEALED

Abstract

A survey of the eighteenth-century quay and nineteenth-century copper mine and arsenic works at Gawton was carried out in 1988 by the Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit. Although ruined, many structures remain from each of the four main uses made of the site, and these are described and discussed below. A study was also made of the available documentary material, and this is integrated with the physical evidence and the history and development of the site discussed. The process of arsenic manufacture is briefly described with reference to the surviving buildings.     

Determining the settlement history of Hellenistic,Roman, and Byzantine sites in the Galilee,Israel: Comparing surface,subsurface, and stratified artifact assemblages

Abstract

Archaeological field survey is the basic method for determining the history of settlement on the regional level. The backbone of survey is locating and surveying individual sites, estimating their size, and uncovering their settlement histories. Various biases place doubt on the reliability of surface data and the conclusions drawn from them. This study presents three methods for investigating multiperiod sites in eastern Galilee, Israel: advanced surface survey, shovel test sampling, and large-scale stratigraphic excavations. Advanced surface survey was carried out at 46 sites settled during the Hellenistic through Byzantine periods (ca. 300 b.c.–a.d. 650). Three of these sites were later sampled using shovel test pits. Large-scale excavations were conducted at two of these sites, Khirbet Wadi ?amam and Nasr ed-Din enabling the comparison of the three methods. Applying these three methods to the same sites allowed us to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each method for determining settlement history. The results indicate that a thorough surface survey of a site in an area where local pottery is well documented can provide a clear picture of its occupation history. However, these data are not sufficient to determine variations in the size of the site over time. Shovel test sampling presents no advantage over surface survey with regard to documenting periods of activity at a given site, but it is preferable for tracing changes in the intensity of occupation during different periods. Excavation is the most informative method, but because it is costly and time consuming, it often sheds light only on small portions of selected sites.     

A Multidisciplinary Study on the Seismic Vulnerability of St. Agostino Church in Amatrice following the 2016 Seismic Sequence

ABSTRACT

The big earthquake of August 24, 2016 and subsequent major shocks severely damaged many historic villages in Central Italy and dramatically showed the intrinsic vulnerability of the diffused architectural heritage. The St. Agostino church is one of the collapsed historical buildings, being inside the epicentre village of Amatrice. During the long seismic earthquake swarm, progressively the church was damaged and monitored. This multidisciplinary study of the damage of the church includes correlations of all the data derived from three steps geomatics surveys (3D aerial and terrestrial models): the archival drawings and images documenting previous events distressing the building, the previous strengthening intervention, and finally the seismic site response analysis (from Amatrice’s accelerometric station). Through a back analysis carried out by a finite elements model, it was possible to understand the seismic vulnerability of this historical building, in relation to the previous interventions and damage events. The proposed methodology, based on the interdisciplinary data analysis, provides useful information for the next strengthening projects of damaged historical monument.     

Site Conservation in Morocco: The Emergence of a Practice at Aghmat

Abstract

It is still uncommon for foreign and national archaeological excavations in Morocco to include architectural or site conservators during the excavation and post-excavation periods. The few existing examples of conservation have all been carried out long after the site or the building had been excavated. The site conservation activities during the Aghmat excavations in summer 2006 illustrate how the presence of archaeological conservators, advising the archaeological team and implementing urgent interventions, has ensured a safe excavation and has contributed to the preservation of the physical integrity of the excavated buildings. The excavation of the imposing archaeological features of the medieval bath of Aghmat provided the first opportunity in Moroccan archaeology for Moroccan archaeological conservators to be involved in condition assessment, planning, and provision of conservation activities to preserve the bath.

The primary aim of this paper is to present the site conservation experience in the Aghmat project, which is the first such project to be initiated during an excavation, and to be conducted mainly by a Moroccan team; it aims also to highlight the conservation procedures adopted and to incite discussion.     

The Industrial Heritage in Japan

Abstract

Although Japan had begun to learn Western technology from the mid-sixteenth century, it was immediately before the Meiji Restoration in 1868 that the imminent necessity of industrialization was realized by a few farsighted leaders of some feudal clans. Thereafter, her industrialization made rapid progress down to the time of World War II, when much industrial equipment was lost in the massive air-raids.

The loss of her pre-war plants was further aggravated by the extensive renewal of old-fashioned buildings and machines, carried out during the period of her economic growth in the 1960s. This paper attemps to describe how the surviving industrial monuments from several representative sections of industry are preserved either on site or in museums, and how their study has recently been taken up in Japan.     

El Castell de Falgars (Beuda,la Garrotxa): a Roman Republican watchtower in north-east Hispania Citerior

Abstract

El Castell de Falgars (Beuda, la Garrotxa) is a circular watchtower built in the late Republic, during the Romanization of Hispania, which controls a wide territory of the current Province of Girona (Catalonia). The present paper analyses the causes that led to its construction, as well as the reasons for its rapid abandonment before the end of the first century BC. It also describes the phases of reoccupation of the building during the second half of the third century AD and in the Middle Ages, detected through archaeological excavations carried out at the site between 2010 and 2012.     

In Situ Preservation of Ancient Floor Mosaics in Turkey

Abstract

As stated in the Burra Charter (1979) ‘A building or work should remain in its historical location. The moving of all or part of a building or work is unacceptable unless it is the sole means of ensuring its survival’. This statement has been neglected many times during rescue excavations in Turkey (e.g. Zeugma), whereas the destruction of ancient floor mosaics caused by lifting, especially when carried out by incompetent or inexperienced personnel at systematic archaeological excavations, has steered the authorities desire to preserve them in situ. However, due to the lack of conservation professionals and insufficient resources for conservation, it becomes a difficult issue to provide an effective preservation scheme for archaeological excavations. This paper aims to discuss this important issue in terms of the national legislation, preventative and interventive conservation approaches at various sites, exhibition and maintenance of mosaics, as well as the training of conservation technicians in Turkey.     

The Concepts of imitatio and translatio: Perceptions of a Viking‐Age Past

The author presents the results of excavations at Mare Church, North Tr?ndelag. Medieval sources indicate that Mære was the religious centre for Inner Tr?ndelag in pre‐Christian times. It was also the place where the first church (shire church) in Sparbyggjafylke was erected. At Mære if anywhere, therefore, it should be possible to test archaeologically the theory about cult continuity from pagan to Christian times.

Under the present church, which dates from the end of the twelfth century, the remains of an early wooden church surrounded by a churchyard were found, together with vestiges of at least two buildings from pre‐Christian times. On the evidence of loose finds, the oldest of these can be dated to the Migration Period (c. A.D. 500). A series of gold plaquettes were found associated with the later of the two buildings. This find is interpreted by the author as indicating that the building may have been a pagan cult building.     

ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF THE SEISMIC RETROFITTING OF LOW-COST APARTMENT BUILDINGS

When structural retrofitting of buildings is required due to seismic safety considerations, building owners or government officials are faced with a crucial decision whether to demolish and rebuild their buildings, or retrofit them. Simple decisions based on fixed proportions, such as demolish and rebuild if retrofit costs exceed 40% of the replacement cost, may be misleading. A financial analysis should be carried out considering all the revenues and costs of the building during its life time. A low-cost residential apartment building that has a construction cost of $140/m² is selected in this study to represent the vulnerable buildings in developing countries under seismic risk. Life-cycle cost analysis approach is employed to value the rebuild or retrofit alternatives to compare economically. Economic assessment has been carried out for various parameters. It has been found that the age of the building and the retrofit ratio are dominant parameters among the others. The critical retrofit ratio (percent of retrofit cost to initial construction cost) varied from 25% for 40 year old buildings to 67% for 10 year old buildings. It is suggested that economical decisons should not be made simply by comparing the retrofit costs to initial construction costs.     

The functional threshold of modern heritage: form versus function and the struggle over Tel Aviv’s concert hall

Abstract

This article examines conflict associated with efforts to conserve modern architecture. The tension between preservation and functional concerns and the cleavage between form and function are brought to the fore by looking at a prominent case study of the concert hall of Tel Aviv, Israel. Between 2005 and 2013, the historic concert hall was the subject of a substantial renovation plan, which became contentious owing to its impact on the interior and exterior features of the building. With the help of interviews, content analysis of proceedings, planning decisions and court rulings, the paper examines the obstacles for attaining a balance between form and function, and particularly: (1) the role of cultural elites in shaping historic places and in determining the ‘functional threshold’ of modern buildings; (2) how emotional attachments to cultural properties impact the course of built heritage conflicts; and (3) the failure of public participation. Overall, the analysis suggests that participatory avenues can be pursued in order to bridge the gap between opponents and proponents of structural modifications. When collaboration fails, however, the opinion of the professionals using the modern building should be given greater consideration, and legal redress should be a last resort.     

Peterborough Abbey and the Peterborough Psalter in Brussels

Abstract

New investigations at Wenlock Priory serve to allow a reinterpretation of the earlier excavations of Cranage (1901) and of Jackson and Fletcher (1962–3). A number of walls exposed in earlier excavations, and thought to be Saxon, seem to have comprised part of a Roman complex, whose abandonment is represented by a layer of collapsed plaster in the latest work.

The abandoned Roman buildings were re-occupied in the seventh century when a double monastery was founded here. The topography of the site, the location of the two churches and the extent of the monastic precinct are examined.

The plan of the Romanesque church, published by Jackson and Fletcher, and by them dated to before the Conquest, is revised and sculptural evidence, radiocarbon determinations from burials and documentary sources are used to suggest rather that Roger de Montgomery was the builder after the Conquest.     

Modeling and Seismic Response Analysis of Italian Code-Conforming Reinforced Concrete Buildings

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the seismic response of reinforced concrete buildings designed according to the current Italian building code. Number of stories, site hazard, presence and distribution of masonry infill panels, and type of lateral resisting system are the key investigated parameters. The main issues related to design and modeling are discussed. Two Limit States are considered, namely Global Collapse and Usability-Preventing Damage. The main aim of the study is a comparison between the seismic response of the buildings, investigated through nonlinear static and dynamic analyses. Irregularity in the distribution of infill panels and site hazard emerge as the most influential parameters.     

Reburial and protective covering of ancient mosaic pavements: The experience of the conservation department of the Israel Antiquities Authority

Abstract

Four case studies are presented illustrating different attempts to protect excavated ancient mosaics by reburial or protective covering, with varying degrees of success, at three archaeological sites in Israel: Tel Itztaba, a site excavated between 1991 and 1994 where planning for reburial at the outset of the excavation could have prevented considerable losses; Khirbet Minya (Horvat Minim), a site excavated in the 1930s, reassessed after four years of reburial; the Promontory Palace at Caesarea Maritima, a site excavated in 1978, partially destroyed by the sea, reburied and regularly monitored since 1994; and an experimental test site at Caesarea Maritima. These examples demonstrate the importance of planning, monitoring and maintenance for successful reburial, and allow an assessment of which materials and methods performed better than others.     

Solar Climate Control An Opportunity for World-wide Use of Solar Energy

Abstract

An investigation covering the United States, Europe and Japan has been carried out since 1973 to determine the use of solar energy for heating and cooling the inside of buildings. This study, supported by and on behalf of more than 100 industrial companies was led by the author who here for the first time reports his findings to the general scientific public. A large interdisciplinary team of engineers, economists, planners and building experts was involved and their methodology their technical considerations, as well as costs, marketing and constraint are reported. Detailed data obtained from the project have only been communicated to the sponsors and are not publicly available.     

Preliminary Examination of Archaeological Remains from Fort Johnson and Cantonment Davis

Abstract

In September 1814, Brevet Major Zachary Taylor established Fort Johnson on the eastern bluffs of the Mississippi to assert American control over the mouth of the Des Moines River and points northward. Completed in a matter of weeks, the fort and its works were razed in late October of the same year when the troops ran out of provisions and retreated downriver to the St. Louis area. The following October, a temporary winter camp called Cantonment Davis was established near the fort ruins as a staging ground for building Fort Edwards, a subsequent military trading post. This article presents highlights from the archaeological search for the fort/cantonment location and recent excavations undertaken at the site, with a special focus on the armaments-related assemblage.     

Management Plans for Archaeological Sites: A World Heritage Template

Abstract

A failed attempt to produce a Management Manual for World Heritage Archaeological Sites and Monuments brought together a body of experts in 2002 at Ma'agan, Israel. This paper aims to make the general recommendations of the Ma'agan meeting more widely known among those concerned with the management of archaeological sites. The paper summarizes the outcomes of the meeting, including ideas on the structure of a management plan, the planning process, team building and public participation, site significance, conservation, monitoring, maintenance, presentation and interpretation, tourism and action plans; and includes a select bibliography.