Ethnographic reflections on ‘oppositional heritage discourse’ in two post-earthquake Italian cities

This article explores the politicisation of cultural heritage during the aftermath of the 1980 earthquake in Naples and the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila. It begins by critically addressing the positions of Tomaso Montanari and Salvatore Settis, two prominent heritage intellectuals at the forefront of national campaigns to restore the damaged historic centre of L’Aquila. Both have been instrumental in shaping an ‘oppositional heritage discourse’ in Italy that underscores the civic virtues of the nation’s cultural patrimony while simultaneously railing against its marketisation. Reflecting upon observations in L’Aquila, where locals involved in protests at government inaction have been scolded by fellow inhabitants for their lack of obeisance to cultural heritage, and drawing on longstanding ethnographic research in Naples, where heritage campaigns against redevelopment in the historic centre in the 1980s were later incorporated into an ambitious regeneration agenda, the article argues that this oppositional heritage discourse is not only premised upon idealist notions of collective identity but also, as a result of its attempts to legislate the boundaries of heritage citizenship and its disavowal of philologically incorrect relationships with historic centres, it ultimately provides tacit support to the very same neoliberal urban processes against which it claims to take a stand.     

Seismic Retrofitting Techniques for Historic Adobe Buildings

This article presents a comprehensive overview of the techniques available for the seismic retrofitting of adobe buildings. It analyzes these techniques’ viability from a structural engineering standpoint and evaluates their suitability in the context of historic preservation. Analysis was based on an exhaustive review of studies addressing retrofitting techniques of earthen structures, as well as consultation with field experts. The guiding principles of conservation relating to the structural reinforcement of monuments were taken into account. Traditional techniques that enhance the stability of the building, such as wooden ring beams, wooden ties interconnecting parallel walls, corner keys, and the addition of buttresses were found to be effective solutions since they employ compatible and low-cost materials such as earth and wood. When these techniques prove insufficient, minimally invasive measures such as introducing a plywood diaphragm, horizontal steel rods, a geomesh covered with mud rendering or a strapping system can be appropriate.     

Discrete Element Modeling of Stone Masonry Walls With Varying Core Conditions: Prince of Wales Fort Case Study

The Prince of Wales Fort was constructed in the 18th century as a Vauban style stone masonry fortification where the Churchill River flows into Hudson’s Bay, across the river from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Since completion the fort has been exposed to harsh weather conditions, which have led to significant deterioration and deformations in the walls, with some cases of localized collapse. Recently, an increase in the rate of degradation has made preventative conservation an issue of interest. For this conservation to be possible, an understanding of the cause of failure of the walls is first required. Discrete element modeling (DEM) using the non-smooth contact dynamics (NSCD) method utilized in the Program LMGC90 has been used as a first step in understanding the failure mechanism of the wall system. The results of the modeling show that the rubble core of the walls can transition from stability to instability as the cohesion between the stones is altered. Grouting the core will alter the bond between stones, increasing the stability of the core, and is thus one possible conservation method.     

Experimental Characterization of Ancient Metal Tie-Rods in Historic Masonry Buildings

Metal tie-rods play a decisive role in the control of horizontal thrusts in historic masonry buildings. The main goal of the present study is to investigate the relationship between metallurgical and mechanical properties of original tie-rods in order to contribute to a wider study on ancient building stability and their restoration protocols. This article presents the results of an experimental test campaign carried out on 14 historic tie-rods (dating back from 16^th–19^th century) recovered from restoration works or building demolitions. Stress-strain mechanical tests showed that the elastic modulus of the material is comparable to that of modern structural steel, while the strength and the elongation capability are significantly lower, with a large scatter. Further analyses based on metallography allowed us to assess that this mechanical behavior depends on the heterogeneous nature of the material, which can eventually be compared to a composite with vitreous elongated particles in a ferritic or ferrito-pearlitic matrix. The origin of such metallurgical condition is related to the iron making based on direct smelting from ores.     

Inside Tallis: Reconstructing the Interiors of Tallis’s London Street Views

This paper will examine how the physical reality behind Tallis’s illustrations can be illuminated to explore the commercial, domestic and social dimensions of Tallis’s London. It will explore the range of material culture available, and how this can be used to analyse interior space, in particular through English Heritage’s Architectural Study Collection. Two preliminary case studies will investigate the future potential for looking behind the façades of early Victorian London.     

Activity Reconstruction of Post‐Medieval Dutch Rural Villagers from Upper Limb Osteoarthritis and Entheseal Changes

The first objective of this study is to reconstruct levels and types of physical activity and associated sexual and social differences using human skeletal remains from the predominately 19th century Dutch cemetery of Middenbeemster. For most individuals, life in the Beemster centred around dairy farming and was heavily based on manual labor, with a purported higher class of wealthier individuals performing less manual labor. Two skeletal markers of activity are examined in the upper limb of late young adult and middle‐aged adults of both sexes (26–49 years, n = 69): osteoarthritis (OA) and entheseal changes (EC). Results support the hypothesis that the majority of the population engaged in high levels of physical activity; however, a group with a clearly lower or different pattern of activity, possibly representing a higher, less active class, was not discernible. This may be due to a low number of less active individuals in the analysed sample and/or the heterogeneity of occupations and activities. A gendered division of labour was evident in the EC data with males having more pronounced muscle attachments in almost all sites, especially the biceps brachii, used primarily in lifting. Females had more pronounced triceps brachii, which may be due to activities that required pushing or pulling with the elbow in a flexed position. The prevalence and severity of OA did not differ between the sexes. While this could be interpreted to indicate men and women engaged in a similar level of strenuous activity, hormonal and anatomical differences limit the strength of the comparison. The second objective of this study is to evaluate the concordance of OA and EC as activity markers. The correlation between OA and EC is very low, illustrating their variable and complex etiologies. Etiological factors need further research for OA and EC to become more reliable activity markers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Note on the Demographic and Health Pattern of a Historical Sleeping Sickness Cemetery at Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital,Maun, Botswana

A part of a historical cemetery used to bury victims of sleeping sickness in Maun, Botswana, was recently uncovered by a water supply improvement construction project. The cemetery had become obliterated from the surface and from the memories of the people resulting in the use of the land for residential purposes. Twelve skeletons were excavated along the water supply trench and have since been buried at one of the new village cemeteries. There were eight males, two females and two individuals of unknown sex. They were young adults ranging in age from 18 to 35 years at the time of death. Dental modifications were used to estimate the cultural identities of two individuals. Some of the remains had been buried with body clothing such as belts and necklaces. Poor dental health was most probably associated with poor nutrition and poor oral hygiene among the population. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

从顾家坡墓地的发掘看史前时代文化交叉地带的部落冲突

顾家坡墓地是湖北省第一次完整揭露的一处史前时代的墓地 ,共发现墓葬 2 37座 ,时代为大溪文化晚期到屈家岭文化时期 (距今约 5 30 0年～ 4 6 0 0年 )。通过研究作者注意到 :一定数量的多人二次合葬墓 ;6 0 %左右的男性随葬有石钺 ,有的还同时随葬有骨镞 ,却没有见到石质生产工具用于随葬的情形 ;有的人可能是弓箭的受害者 ;可能存在猎头的现象。综合以上现象 ,以及与周围地区大致同时代的墓地的对比 ,作者认为 ,部落冲突的现象在史前时代是确实存在的 ,而文化交叉地带的部落冲突又远远激烈于文化中心地带。     

香港文物保护法浅探

本文对香港文物古迹条例的六部分进行了概括性的阐述,并与《中华人民共和国文物保护法》、台湾地区的《文化资产保存法》及外国等相关法律作了初步的比较研究。     

Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Investigations Along the Southern Fringes of Lake Chad, 1993–1996

Archaeological and ethnohistorical investigations were conducted in the area around the town of Ngala in Borno State, Nigeria, situated immediately south of Lake Chad. Four mounds were excavated. Comparison with data from excavations and ethnohistorical studies provided a fairly complete picture of the settlement and cultural history of that most environmentally peculiar region. It is now evident that Late Neolithic settlers established themselves around 1000 CalBC in permanent hamlets with year-round occupation and a subsistence based not only on gathering, hunting and fishing but also on cattle herding and probably the cultivation of domesticated Pennisteum. Certainly, cultivation is attested after the onset of the Early Iron Age around 500 CalBC. Although from then on we see a steady development toward further complexity with the establishment of compact villages during the middle of the first millennium CalAD and the foundation of local principalities during the fourteenth century AD it was not before the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries AD, that the mode of subsistence and the political and societal structure typical for the area today was fully developed. By then, the wider region came under control of the Borno Empire, a situation which lasted up to the early colonial days at the onset of the twentieth century. Des recherches archéologiques et ethnohistoriques ont été conduites dans les environs de la ville de Ngala (état du Borno, Nigeria) située immédiatement au sud du lac Tchad. Quatre tertres d'habitat ont été fouillés. La comparaison des matériaux excavés avec ceux des fouilles antérieures, complétée par des analyses ethnohistoriques, a permis de reconstituer de manière assez complète l'évolution du peuplement et la succession des cultures dans cette zone qui se distingue par des conditions environnementales particulières. Il est clair aujourd'hui que les colons du Néolithique récent se sont installés, vers 1000 CalBC, dans des hameaux permanents occupés toute l'année, et que leur subsistance n'était pas uniquement basée sur la chasse, la collecte et la pêche, mais probablement aussi sur l'élevage et la culture du Pennisteum domestique. Certainement l'agriculture est attestée au début de l'Age du fer Ancien, vers 500 CalBC. A partir de ce moment, on observe certes une évolution régulière et soutenue vers plus de complexité, avec l'apparition de gros villages dans le courant du premier millénaire CalAD, et la fondation, au quatorzième siècle, de principautés locales, mais ce n'est pas avant les quinzième et seizième siècles que le mode de subsistance et la structure socio-politique qui caractérisent cette région aujourd'hui se sont véritablement mis en place. A partir de ce moment, la zone à laquelle appartient notre domaine d'étude a été intégrée dans l'empire du Bornou, une situation qui s'est maintenue jusqu'au début de la période coloniale, à l'aube du vingtième siècle.