A royal Maya country house: Archaeology at Bejucal,Guatemala

This article presents three years of archaeological investigations at the minor Maya center of Bejucal, Guatemala. A complete site history is presented relying on data from artifact analysis, architectural study, epigraphy, and bioarchaeology, with a goal towards identifying the site's function within the broader El Zotz polity. The authors argue that Bejucal underwent significant transformation following its establishment as a sacred hilltop site during the Late Preclassic period (400 b.c.–a.d. 250). The El Zotz royal family gradually appropriated the space, converting it into a royal country house and elite burial place. Bejucal's proximity to a large permanent water source suggests that the country house was situated within favorable hunting grounds. The research contributes to a broader discussion about the role of minor centers in regional settlement patterns, highlighting the benefit of textual data in making interpretations. The article also highlights the important role of salvage work in lowland Maya archaeology.     

Seismic vulnerability assessment of historic centers: description of a predictive method and application to the case study of scanno (Abruzzi,Italy)

ABSTRACT

In this article, a predictive model for the seismic vulnerability assessment of old Italian historic centers is presented through its direct application to a meaningful case study, the historic center of Scanno, in Abruzzi, Italy.

The proposed method is calibrated on the basis of the observations carried out on similar historic centers hit by the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake and is applied in order to provide likely damage scenarios by means of fragility curves. The method is based on the evaluation of a limited number of structural and typological parameters that can be obtained by simple and rapid inspections on buildings. In addition, it is conceived in order to provide useful information on the most effective anti-seismic strategies to be implemented on urban scale for pursuing a global mitigation of the seismic risk and for the application of suitable risk reduction policies.

The final aim of the article is to give an applicative vision of the method, by providing instructions on how to judge the features of the buildings that are influential on their seismic behavior, as well as by showing the potentiality of the method itself in providing likely damage scenarios, also with the support of GIS-based representations.     

The Use of a Large-Scale Seismic Vulnerability Assessment Approach for Masonry Façade Walls as an Effective Tool for Evaluating,Managing and Mitigating Seismic Risk in Historical Centers

ABSTRACT

The vulnerability assessment of the building stock in a given territorial area, such as a city or an entire country, is a key prerequisite for evaluating risk, not only because of the potential physical consequences resulting from the occurrence of an event, but also because it is one of the few aspects in which engineering research can intervene. In fact, the rigorous vulnerability assessment of existing buildings followed by the implementation of appropriate retrofitting solutions can help to substantially reduce the levels of physical damage and economic impact of future events. Particularly regarding the seismic vulnerability assessment of historical centers, the amount of knowledge that has been accumulated over the past decades, together with the broad damage data obtained from post-earthquake damage surveys, provides a singular opportunity to develop and calibrate innovative large-scale seismic vulnerability assessment approaches, which can be used to outline and support risk mitigation and management strategies. This article addresses this issue by discussing the use of a large-scale seismic vulnerability assessment methodology for masonry façade walls as a tool for evaluating the potential benefit resulting from the application of different seismic retrofitting strategies, both considering their contribution to reduce post-event urban losses and accessibility.     

中国古代金饰文化板块论

古代金饰记载缺佚,其发展状况实难廓清。经耙梳发掘出土金饰,不难发现金饰晚出,始于夏商,承传至清。各地金饰功能不同,其工艺、形式、风格异彩纷呈,独具一格而又互有联系、取长补短。从宏观层面以板块概全4000余年金饰文化的运动规律,先后出现了北方草原游牧部落金饰文化、黄河长江流域粟稻农作华夏族群金饰文化、西南高原红土带农牧群落金饰文化、中原帝王金饰文化等四大金饰文化板块,始终处于互为碰撞、交流、整合、承传、创新的运动过程之中,创造了金丝片、锤鍱、錾刻至焊金粟珠、编丝、掐丝、累丝、镶嵌以及错金银等金细工艺。这四大板块是由于环境、气候、产业、食物链的多样性等物质的、文化的客观条件决定的,同时又促成其局部范围金饰文化亚板块的形成与发展。4000余年的中国古代金饰文化发展变化无不受其板块运动的制约和推动。     

元英宗谪高丽忠宣王于吐蕃原因探析

元英宗曾谪高丽忠宣王王璋于在蕃,其原因史料中虽有所记载,但语焉不详,本对此进行探析,指出：元英宗谪王璋于吐蕃,具体罪名是王璋执迷于佛教,而深层次的实质性原因则在于英宗与其祖母太皇太后答己之间的宫廷斗争,王璋是答己的亲信,成为了英宗的清除对象;王璋与宦伯颜秃古思的矛盾则是引发英宗处罚王璋的导火线。     

郊区化背景下北京市民城市中心商业区的利用特征

通过微观层面上对北京市居民中心商业中心消费行为的调查,分析郊区化背景下城市中心商业区发展现状,通过市民对城市中心商业区利用特征及其所反映的中心商业区发展问题来认识城市商业空间的变化。虽然城市中心传统商业区仍然在北京市居民消费中保持着重要地位,但是其购物空间已经表现出逐渐向迅速发展的近郊商业区转移的趋势;同时,随着新业态的迅速发展和私家车的普及,中心商业区将面临越发严峻的挑战。     

Investigation Techniques for the Seismic Response Assessment of Buildings Located in Historical Centers

ABSTRACT

It is an acknowledged fact that historical centers, given its significance from the cultural and architectural viewpoint, bring further challenges in terms of maintenance planning, survey, and safety assessment. The preparation of an adequate investigation plan and the extent of data to be collected is highly reliant on many aspects, such as the category of the architectonic asset, the importance of the heritage site, or the resources available, for example. In what regards the seismic response assessment of urban cultural heritage assets located in historical centers, the amount and detail of data also depend on this article, scale of assessment, and current state of conservation and occupation. Within this framework, this article provides an overview of the state of the art of investigation techniques currently used in survey operations, which are currently available for improving the knowledge level of urban cultural heritage assets within historical centers, as a supporting tool for the seismic response assessment of such singular assets. Finally, acknowledging the lack of accuracy when evaluating the seismic response of an asset enclosed in aggregate as an isolated structure, this article also focuses on the identification of the main particularities inherent to buildings enclosed in aggregate.