Agency, Discourses of Power and Collective Representations: Socrates

Conference reviewed:
Socrates Intensive Programme 2003, University Of Vienna, 26 August–4 September 2003     

Early medieval origins of iron mining and settlement in central Sweden: multiproxy analysis of sediment and peat records from the Norberg mining district

The historical Norberg mining district in central Sweden with its shallow, easily accessible iron ores figures prominently in the earliest documents from the 14th century concerning mining or metallurgy. This 1000-km² district is considered to be one of the first areas in Sweden exploited for iron ores and, in fact, Europe’s oldest known blast furnace, Lapphyttan, is located in the Norberg district about 10 km from the mines in the village of Norberg (Norbergsby). Earlier archaeological excavations suggest the furnace was in operation as early as the 11th or 12th century (870 and 930 ¹⁴C yr BP), and a number of other sites in the district have been dated to the 13th–15th centuries. Here, we have analyzed two lake sediment records (Kalven and Noren) from the village of Norberg and a peat record from Lapphyttan. The Lapphyttan peat record was radiocarbon dated, whereas the sediment from Kalven is annually laminated, which provides a fairly precise chronology. Our pollen data indicate that land use in the area began gradually as forest grazing by at least c. AD 1050, with indications of more widespread forest disturbance and cultivation from c. 1180 at Lapphyttan and 1250 at Kalven. Based on ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratios in Kalven’s varved sediment record, there is an indication of mining or metallurgy in the area c. 960, but likely not in immediate connection to our sites. Evidence of mining and metallurgy increases gradually from c. 1180 when there is a decline in ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios and an increase in charcoal particles at Lapphyttan, followed by increasing inputs of lithogenic elements in Noren’s sediment record indicating soil disturbance, which we attribute to the onset of mining the iron ore bodies surrounding Noren. From AD 1295 onwards evidence of mining and metallurgy are ubiquitous, and activities accelerate especially during the late 15th century; the maximum influence of Bergslagen ore lead (i.e., the minimum in ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratios) in both Kalven and Noren occurs c. 1490–1500, when also varve properties change in Kalven and in Noren sharp increases occur in the concentrations of a range of other ore-related metals (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, mercury and zinc). From the 15th century onwards mining and metallurgy are the dominant feature of the sediment records.     

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment and Retrofitting Strategies of Italian Masonry Churches of the Alife-Caiazzo Diocese in Caserta

ABSTRACT

Masonry churches represent the major part of the Italian architectural heritage. Recent earthquakes stressed the high vulnerability of these constructions, provoking heavy structural damage and valuable losses. Different approaches have been developed to assess seismic vulnerability of churches. In particular, the complexity related to more detailed models has induced to define simplified methods, which can be used at territorial scale for a preliminary assessment of structural capabilities of homogeneous assets aiming at providing possible post-earthquake damage scenarios and suggesting general interventions strategies. Therefore, the vulnerability assessment of churches is carried out by subdividing the buildings into separate macro-elements, accounting for different possible collapse mechanisms. In this article, a simplified procedure (M.I.T. 2011) has been applied with reference to churches located in Caserta District, particularly those of the Alife-Caiazzo Diocese, by using the MaChro form compilation, previously developed by the authors. The aim of the study is the application of the above procedure in order to verify the possibility to suggest suitable strategies of intervention for structural retrofitting and seismic risk reduction of the churches located in the area under investigation.     

Entrepreneurship dynamics and economic cycles: an analysis for local systems and industrial districts

ABSTRACT

We propose a research framework that expressly takes into account the moderating and differentiated influence that can be exerted on the dynamics of entrepreneurship capital by both the type of local system and the economic situation. Moreover, we investigate whether industrial districts are a more favourable context for the evolution of the entrepreneurship capital. We apply this framework to data of municipalities, grouped in local labour systems, of three Spanish regions and in two sub-periods of, respectively, crisis (2007–2011) and incipient recovery (2011–2014). Results are consistent with a set of sensible relations that can be extracted from the background literature.     

Marble Pieces in the Romanesque Portal of Glory of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. New Data through a Multi-Analytical Approach

ABSTRACT

Probably the most important Romanesque artwork in Spain, the Portal of Glory of Santiago de Compostela is essentially made in granite, the most abundant stone in the NW of Iberia, with the only exception of five marble pieces. Different hypothesis on the origin of these marbles have previously been proposed based on visual assessment or by directly assuming a local source. To shed light on their quarry provenance, a multi-analytical study was performed combining polarized-light optical microscopy, cathodoluminescence microscopy, XRPD, SEM-EDS and stable C and O isotopes. The comparison of the results with the available databases reveals the use of marbles from the Estremoz Anticline (Portugal) in the three exquisitely carved columns strategically placed in the central arcade, whereas the other two pieces are local marbles, illustrating a more complex consumption of this noble material than that initially expected.     

Revisiting the Natural Resource Curse: Backward Linkages for Export Diversification and Structural Economic Transformation

This article revisits and empirically tests the conjecture that specialization in natural resource industries (NRI) might not necessarily be a ‘curse’ for developing countries if it generates opportunities for export diversification in backward-linked sectors à la Hirschman. The article systematizes the evolution of the debate around the NRI ‘curse’. Then it empirically tests whether NRI might represent a sufficient ‘domestic representative demand’ à la Linder to favour diversification into backward-linked sectors such as knowledge-intensive business services and high-tech manufacturing. It focuses on the former and discusses the new opportunities for export diversification led by virtuous pathways of domestic structural change. It finds novel, quantitative empirical support for this conjecture, which complements extant qualitative literature and discusses implications that revisit the NRI curse debate.     

In-Plane Seismic Response Analyses of a Historical Brick Masonry Building Using Equivalent Frame and 3D FEM Modeling Approaches

ABSTRACT

This article aims at contributing to the seismic performance assessment of a historic brick masonry building by finding a strength reduction coefficient through the use of linear and nonlinear modeling approaches, using Finite Element Method and Equivalent Frame modeling. To reduce the uncertainties, ambient vibration tests (AVT) were implemented. Series of simulations was performed using nonlinear dynamic analyses and incremental dynamic analysis curves were compared with the pushover curves. Results indicate that the mass-proportional pushover curve meets the mean of results obtained from IDA and the strength reduction coefficient falls into the range given in EN 1998–1 for unreinforced masonry.