Restoration Techniques Applied to Tile Dome Conservation in the Western Mediterranean. Valencia,Spain

The domes studied, widespread in a large area of the Mediterranean, constitute an architectural heritage of great value to the history of architecture and construction. They were all built using brick masonry and ceramic tile roofs. Restoration work has made it possible to define their geometry, including the construction layouts of the buildings. In addition, on inspection it can be seen that common construction problems tend to be located at specific critical points. The restoration process of different cases sharing the same methodology, construction criteria, and solutions is accurately described. Following international charters, there is minimal intervention and maximum respect for the original solutions, but also a carefully considered incorporation of new materials and technologies to improve the critical points.     

Strontium isotopic characterization of the Palmottu hydrosystem (Finland): water–rock interaction and geochemistry of groundwaters

The Palmottu hydrosystem is located in a granitic host rock in southern Finland. Along well‐defined pathways in the fractured crystalline rock, strontium isotopes are used to trace the degree of water–rock interaction (WRI) and mixing processes in groundwaters. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range between 0.716910 and 0.735606 in the surface waters and between 0.719991 and 0.750787 in the groundwaters, but are between 0.720 and 0.735 in most of the samples. Moreover, the results show a lack of correlation between the water chemistries determining the classification into different water‐types (Na–Cl, Na–SO₄, etc.) and the results of the strontium (Sr) contents and Sr isotopic ratios. From a WRI standpoint, this implies that the Sr behaviour is independent of the water chemistry; the occurrence of large ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr variations is site specific and mainly dependent on the lithology. A model to determine the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of water after interaction with granite was developed. This model is based on the assumption that Sr was derived from three minerals: plagioclase, K‐feldspar and biotite. The results of the calculation indicate that around half of the water analysed within the Palmottu hydrosystem can be explained by the weathering of the granites. However, clearly lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr are observed in waters when compared to the calculated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and other sources of Sr, with low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, rather than the calculated granite–water interaction, which may be suspected. When comparing the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ion ratios (Ca/Na, Mg/Na, Sr/Na, Cl/Na), the scattering of the data can be explained by the presence of four end‐members: a brine component (low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Ca/Na ratios…), a deep granitic component (high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and low Ca/Na ratios…), a subsurface component (intermediate ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios associated with high Ca/Na ratios…) and a surface end‐member:snow and river drainage (low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and low Ca/Na ratios…). These extreme end‐members define a series of WRI‐mixing line within a rather complex hydrosystem.     

Remote crisis management: Australia's 2006 rescue of citizens trapped in Lebanon

On 12 July 2006, Hezbollah's kidnapping of two young Israeli soldiers was the catalyst for a sudden escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon was host to more citizens and permanent residents from Australia than any other country in the world. This article examines the monumental challenge faced by the Australian authorities in rescuing and repatriating its citizens who were caught up in the conflict. It does so through the conceptual lens of ‘remote crisis management’ i.e. episodes where one country's traditional crisis management challenges of rapid threats, uncertainty and the need for swift decision making are compounded by ‘political remoteness’. In other words, it lacks both political sovereignty and local infrastructure capacity for crisis resolution in a faraway county. The article focuses particularly on the remote crisis management challenges of making sense of the crisis, communication with a range of interests, and the logistical challenges of arranging and installing rescue and evacuation procedures. It also addresses the significance of Australia's prior evacuation experiences, as well as the capacity it had built in local and international networks. The article draws on a range of primary and secondary sources, including interviews with public servants and community representatives.     

Whetstone Typology: Or the First Shipwreck of Turid Fiskarbekk and Marine Archaeologists Who Had to Think Again

Finds from the Viking period, the middle ages and from more recent historical trading places and towns in northern Europe show that the export of whetstones from Eidsborg in the Telemark district of southern Norway has a history of more than 1,000 years. The water-based route from the quarry area, 600 m above sea level, to the nearest shipping port consists of 120 km of lakes, rivers and portages. This article takes up the export history in the light of a recently discovered cargo of whetstones found in Flåvann, Telemark. The history of the recovery of the find shows that the cargo examined most probably leads to an incident in the 1820s and, to a woman named Turid Fiskarbekk. The find leads to a wider perspective, more specific to the life of Turid Fiskarbekk. Therefore the article presents a side-story about her, where the intention is to show how integrating a gender perspective in maritime archaeology makes new knowledge possible.     

Participatory Governance in Urban Management and the Shifting Geometry of Power in Mumbai

This article questions the participatory dimension of urban governance in Mumbai. Based on surveys of a number of participatory projects for urban services, it compares the differentiated impacts of participation in middle‐class colonies with those in slums. Results demonstrate that changing citizen–government relationships have led to the empowerment of the middle and upper middle class who harness the potential of new ‘invited space’ to expand their claims on the city and political space. In contrast, the poor end up on the losing side as NGOs function more as contracted agents of the State than as representatives of the poor. Direct community participation empowers influential community members, small private entrepreneurs and middlemen, and contributes to labour informalization. Ultimately, these processes consolidate a form of ‘governing beyond the State’ that promotes a managerial vision of participation and leads to double standards of citizenship.     

Evolving ecosystems: ecological data from an Iron Age small mammal accumulation at Alorda Park (Catalonia,Spain)

Small mammals are considered to be good indicators of ancient environments. One particular layer in a fortification tower of a Mediterranean Iberian village, Alorda Park (4th century BC), provided a large amount of well-preserved small mammal bones (about 19,200 remains) probably accumulated by barn owls (Tyto alba). Such an accumulation is rarely available from the Iron Age. It provides not only palaeoenvironmental data, but also further information about other studies such as morphometrics, ancient DNA and zoogeography. This article focuses on the ecological data, and attempts to develop an accurate taphonomic study to assess the reliability and statistical significance of this archaeological sample.