The Transition to History in Southeast Asia: An Introduction

Studies of the transition from prehistory to history in Southeast Asia have traditionally relied primarily on documentary sources, which tend to emphasize foreign influences, rather than on the archaeological record, which suggests a series of indigenous developments. The papers in this journal issue and the next discuss strategies for using both documentary and archaeological evidence to study the transition to history and the emergence of early states in the region. These papers investigate how political units were structured and integrated in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South China, and illustrate how historical and archaeological data can cross-check each other to inform on Southeast Asian sociopolitical and economic developments during the early historic period.     

Fishing settlements in the Pskov region in the 16th century (according to archaeological data and written sources)

Numerous written sources report that an extensive system of special fishing villages called isads existed in the Pskov region in the 16th century. These villages were inhabited by professional fishermen and their fishing grounds were strictly delineated. Due to the analysis of scribes books, cartographic material analysis and exploratory excavations in the area, 314 sites were exposed. More than 60% of the fishing sites mentioned in the scribes books were mapped and the location of 20% more was determined by indirect information. Some of the isads which were located are partially studied by prompt or archaeological excavations. During the excavations of beach debris, some fishing gear dated to the late Medieval–Modern time periods were found. The combination of information obtained from the study of lake coastline changes, hydrological regime of waterways and water bodies of the Pskov region, and data on the economy and economics of the whole area under study give impetus to research into a number of problems related to natural environmental characteristics of the Pskov region for the period of study.     

Introduction: The state and historic buildings: preserving ‘the national past’

Historic buildings are important in nationalism through their roles in building and reinforcing national identity. As part of the expanding ‘heritage industry’, they are also of growing economic and political importance. Despite their physical existence, historic buildings are ‘created’ – they must be constructed as ‘historic’ through processes of choice and the attachment of significance. The state can perform these functions through policies that define and select buildings for protection, by ownership and funding, and by its uses of buildings for nationalistic purposes. Yet state actors can have good reasons – nationalistic and economic – to destroy or fail to preserve historic buildings. The paper examines why, when and how state actors pursue policies to protect historic buildings. It offers arguments about patterns of state action that part of state strategies to promote national identity and cultural nationalism.     

The fort in the doctor’s house: using tree-ring growth patterns to discover historic Fort Wayne,Indiana, USA

Local Fort Wayne, Indiana (USA) lore says that the Dr. Merchant Huxford House contains timbers from Fort Wayne, the US military outpost constructed in 1794 by General Anthony Wayne. The wilderness fort played roles in Native American and British conflicts and was the genesis for a city with a current population of more than 250,000. The doctor’s residence was built on the outskirts of the young city, but within 0.4 km of the fort site. Accounts contemporary to the house’s construction describe timbers being recycled from the fort for use in new building projects. This article describes the use of dendrochronological methods to establish a construction date for the Huxford House and attempts to confirm or dispel accounts that the house contains recycled timbers from the historic fort.     

New Indices for the Existing City-Centers Streets Network Reliability and Availability Assessment in Earthquake Emergency

During earthquake emergencies in existing city-centers, streets network permits inhabitants to reach safe areas, and rescuers to access damaged zones and help population. However, the network can suffer from blocks due to debris of collapsed or heavily damaged buildings. Understanding urban fabric modifications and classifying elements vulnerability are fundamental steps while dealing with risk-assessment and risk-reduction strategies. This article offers a first quick approach for assessing seismic vulnerability of paths network by considering interferences with building heritage damages. Quick data about existing urban fabric (e.g., buildings typology; streets and buildings geometries) are combined for developing new vulnerability indices for streets network. The earthquake macroseismic intensity is introduced for evaluating probable street blockages and summarizing the overall rating of risks in critical network locations, thus intensity that is not included in other current quick methods for streets-building interference is here taken into account. Risk-reduction strategies based on the proposed indices could minimize the interventions on architectural heritage, maximizing the safety of evacuees. These new indices could be combined with traditional assessment of buildings vulnerability, and evaluations on pedestrians’ and vehicles evacuation flows, for evaluating management strategies.     

从“时代特色”看马克思主义当代化

马克思主义当代化就是把马克思主义同当前时代的发展、同当前时代的特征相结合起来。当今世界争中国正在发生前所未有的广泛而深刻的变革。实现马克思主义当代化是坚持和发展马克思主义的内在要求，是历史的经验总结，是当代世界和中国变化的需要。这就要求马克思主义必须要与时代同步，立足当代实践，体现时代精神，积极推进理论创新。     

The Southwest Michigan Historic Landscape Project: Exploring Class, Gender, and Ethnicity from the Ground Up

The Southwest Michigan Historic Landscape Project was initiated in 1994 to examine how the cultural landscapes and associated material culture of the region became transformed since the pioneer settlement of the early 19th century (ca. 1830s). Thus far we have used various methods to investigate four sites in Allegan, Calhoun, and Jackson counties at varying levels of intensity. From these initial efforts we have begun to compile comparative information on the built environment. Here we present the theory and methods used in the project and discuss how class, gender, and ethnic identities are expressed in the material record of the region.     

北京城市社会区的变迁

北京城市社会区的空间结构从近代到现代,受不同的社会制度、历史成因的影响,表现出不同的特征,本文对北京城市社会区在三个时期的变迁进行了比较分析。     

关于西安历史文化名城保护的战略思考

首先将西安的历史文化资源放置在中国和世界性文化保护的背景下进行评价,提出丰富的历史文化遗产是西安城市发展的战略资源。文章从城市个性保持和古都特色塑造的角度,对西安历史文化名城保护工作的定位、存在的矛盾、重点课题、政策环境等提出了战略性的思考。     

从东西方历史建筑的差异看东西方文明

东西方历史建筑在建筑材料、建筑类型、空间布局、发展演变和留存时间等诸多方面存在差异。究其原因,二者在自然环境、经济模式、宗教思想、社会意识和自然观方面的不同特点是造成这些差异产生的主要原因,而这些差异也体现了东西方文明的不同风格。