Search results for: archaeological museums

Authors: Behzad Moeini Sam, Sara Mohammadi Avandi

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One of the reasons for the success of the Achaemenids was the innovation and precise organization used in the administrative and military fields. Of course, these organizations had their roots in the previous governments that had changed in these borrowings. The units of the Achaemenid army are also among the cases that have their origins in the ancient East. In this article, the attempt is to find the sources of the Immortal Army based on the writings of old and current authors and archaeological documents, and the name mentioned by Herodotus and rejected by some authors. Of course, linguistic sources have also been used for better conclusions than the indicated sources. It emphasizes linguistic data to lead to a better deduction. Thus, it was included that ‘anauša’ is more probable than anušiya.

Keywords: army, immortal, ten thousand, Anauša, Anušiya

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Authors: Mariana Durana Pinto, Thierry Aubry, Eduarda Vieira

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The Côa River is one of the tributaries of the Douro River, which in turn connects two Portuguese regions: Beira-Alta (Serra das Mesas, Sabugal) and Trás-os-Montes (Douro River, Vila Nova de Foz Côa). The river, which is approximately 140 kilometres in length, is surrounded by characteristic Northern-Estearn Portugal landscape. The dominant flora in the region includes olive and almond trees and vines, which provide habitat for a diverse range of native species. These include mammals such as the lynx and Iberian wolf, as well as birds of prey such as the Egyptian vulture and the griffon vulture. Additionally, herbivorous species such as red deer and roe deer also inhabit the region. However, the Vale Côa is inextricably linked with the rocky outcrops bearing the emblematic open-air Upper Palaeolithic rock art, indeed, it houses the world's largest collection of prehistoric open-air rock art, inscribed on the World Heritage list by UNESCO in 1998. From the initial discovery of the first engravings in 1991 to the present day, approximally 1,500 panels with rock art, mostly engravings and carving, but also some paintings, have been discovered, inventoried and recorded spanning from earlu Upper Paleolithic to the 20th century. The study and interpretation of the engravings and its geoarchaeological context, allow the construction of a chronological timeline of the human occupation and graphical production in this region. The area has been inhabited since the Early Palaeolithic, with human communities exploiting the diversity of the natural resources of the environment and adapting it to their needs. This led to the creation of an archaeological and historical cultural landscape.The region is currently inhabited by rural communities whose primary source of income is derived from agricultural activities, with a particular focus on olive oil and wine production, including the emblematic Vinho do Porto. Additionally, the region is distinguished by activities such as stone exploration and extraction (e.g. schist and granite quarries) and tourism. The latter has progressively assumed a role in the promotion and development of the region, primarily due to the engravings of the Côa Valley itself, as well as the Alto Douro Wine Region. Furthermore, this cultural landscape has been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. The aforementioned factors give rise to a series of challenges and issues pertaining to the management and safeguarding of rock art on a daily basis. These include: I) the management of conflicts between cultural heritage and economic activity (between Rock art and vineyards, both classified as World Heritage Sites); II) the management of land-use planning in areas where the engravings are located (since the areas with engravings are larger than those identified as buffer zones by UNESCO); III) the absence of the legal figure of an 'archaeological park' and the need to solve this issue; IV) the management of tourist pressure and unauthorised visits; and V) the management of vandalism (as a consequence of misinformation and denial).

Keywords: Douro and Côa Valleys, archaeological cultural landscapes, rock art, Douro wine, conservation challenges

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Authors: Sayed M. Ahmed, Sawsan S. Darwish, Nagib A. Elmarzugi, Mohammad A. Al-Dosari, Mahmoud A. Adam, Nadia A. Al-Mouallimi

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The preservation of cultural heritage is a worldwide problem. Stone monuments represent an important part of this heritage, but due to their prevalently outdoor location, they are generally subject to a complex series of weathering and decay processes, in addition to physical and chemical factors, also biological agents usually play an important role in deterioration phenomena. The aim of this paper is to experimentally verify applicability and feasibility of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles for the preservation of historical (architectural, monumental, archaeological) stone surfaces which enables to reduce the deterioration behaviors mentioned above. TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed in an aqueous colloidal suspension were applied directly on travertine (Marble and limestone often used in historical and monumental buildings) by spray-coating in order to obtain a nanometric film on stone samples. SEM, coupled with EDX microanalysis. (SEM-EDX), in order to obtain information oncoating homogeneity, surface morphology before and after aging and penetration depth of the TiO2 within the samples. Activity of the coated surface was evaluated with UV accelerated aging test. Capillary water absorption, thermal aging and colorimetric measurements have been performed on on coated and uncoated samples to evaluate their properties and estimate change of appearance with colour variation. Results show Tio2 nanoparticles good candidate for coating applications on calcareous stone, good water-repellence was observed on the samples after treatment; analyses were carried out on both untreated and freshly treated samples as well as after artificial aging. Colour change showed negligible variations on the coated or uncoated stone as well as after aging. Results showed that treated stone surfaces seem to be not affected after 1000 hours of exposure to UV radiation, no alteration of the original features.

Keywords: architectural and archaeological heritage, calcareous stone, photocatalysis TiO2, self-cleaning, thermal aging

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Authors: Felipe Aguirre

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In this paper some of the relevant features of the πλῆκτρον within GrecoLatin tradition will be analyzed. Starting from the formal aspects (shape, materials, technical properties) and the archaeological evidence, some of its symbolic implications that emerge in the light of literary and iconographic analysis will be discussed. I shall expose that, in addition to fulfilling a purely physical function within the process of sound production, the πλῆκτρον was the object of a rich imaginery that provided it with an allegorical, metaphorical-poetic and even metaphysical dimension.

Keywords: musicology, ethnomusicology, ancient greek music, plectrum, stringed instruments

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Authors: Tarek Ninouh, Ahmed Rouili

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The Roman paths or roads offer a very interesting archaeological material, because they allow us to understand the history of human settlement and are also factors that increase territorial identity. Roman roads are one of the hallmarks of the Roman empire, which extends to North Africa. The objective of this investigation is to attract the attention of researchers to the importance of Roman roads and paths, which are found in Algeria, according to the quality of the materials and techniques used in this period of our history, and to encourage other decision makers to protect and enhance these routes because the current urbanization, intensive agricultural practices, or simply forgotten, decreases the sustainability of this important historical heritage.

Keywords: Roman paths, quality of materials, property, valuation

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Authors: Elif Doğru, Bülent Kızılduman, Huriye İcil

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Throughout history, Cyprus has been involved in various commercial and cultural relationships with different civilizations, owing to its strategic location. Particularly during the Late Bronze Age, Cyprus emerged as a significant region engaged in interactions with the Mycenaeans and other Mediterranean civilizations. Presently, findings from archaeological excavations provide valuable insights into Cyprus' cultural history and its connections with other civilizations. Painted Mycenaean ceramics discovered during the excavations at Kaleburnu-Kral Tepesi (Galinaporni-Vasili), dated to the Late Bronze Age in Cyprus, are considered significant archaeological findings that carry traces of the art and culture of that era, reflecting the island's commercial and cultural connections. Considering these findings, there is a need for archaeometric studies to aid in the understanding of the commercial and cultural ties at Kaleburnu-Kral Tepesi. In line with this need, analytical studies have been initiated concerning the provenance and production techniques of the Mycenaean ceramics discovered in the excavations at Kaleburnu-Kral Tepesi, dated to the Late Bronze Age. In the context of origin analysis studies, it is advocated that understanding the techniques and materials used for the figures and designs applied on Mycenaean ceramics would significantly contribute to a better comprehension of historical contexts. Hence, the adopted approach involves not only the analysis of the ceramic raw material but also the characterization of the pigments on the ceramics as a whole. In light of this, in addition to the studies aimed at determining the provenance and production techniques of the Mycenaean ceramic bodies, the characterization of the pigments used in the decorations of the relevant ceramics has been included in the research scope. Accordingly, this study aims to characterize the pigments used in the decorations of Mycenaean ceramics discovered at Kaleburnu-Kral Tepesi, dated to the Late Bronze Age. The X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) methods have been employed to determine the surface morphology and chemical properties of the Mycenaean pigments. The characterization has been conducted through the combination of multiple analytical methods. The characterization of the pigments of Mycenaean ceramics aims to enhance the scientific perspective adopted for understanding the contributions of Mycenaean ceramics found in Cyprus to the island's culture, by providing scientific data on the types and origins of pigments used during the Late Bronze Age.

Keywords: mycenaean, ceramic, provenance, pigment

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Authors: Zhiguo Ju

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Both ancient written documents and archaeological studies showed that the ancient Chinese was people who worshiped the Sun God. There is a legend of Dayi in China, however, told a story of Dayi, an ancient hero who sacrificed his life to shoot nine suns out of the ten in the sky, restored the order of the universe, and saved the people’s life. By investigating its oral inheritance and folk customs, we found that the story was originated from Rizhao, the east coralline in east China. This could provide valuable cultural resources and could be used in local tourism. How the Sun-worshipping-people developed such a contradictory legend, how was it be carried by generations, and how to use it as a cultural source to promote the local tourism was discussed.

Keywords: Legend of Dayi, sun worship, ancient Chinese, China

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Authors: Sawsan Domi

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Identifying urban patterns of traditional settlements perfumed in various ways. One of them through the three-dimensional ‘reading’ of the urban web: the density of structures, the construction materials and the colors used. Objectives of this study are to paraphrase and understand the relation between the formation of the traditional settlements and the shape and structure of their structural method. In the beginning, the study considered the components of the historical neighborhood, which reflected the social and economical effects in the urban planning pattern. Then, by analyzing the main components of the old neighborhood which included: analysis of urban patterns & streets systems, analysis of traditional architectural elements and the construction materials and their usage. ‘’Hamasa’’ Neighborhood in ‘’Al Buraimi’’ Governorate is considered as one of the most important archaeological sites in the Sultanate of Oman. The vivid features of this archaeological site are the living witness to the genius of the Omani person and his unique architecture. ‘’Hamasa’’ Neighborhood is also considered as the oldest human settlement at ‘’Al Buraimi’’ Governorate. It used to be the gathering area for Arab and Omani tribes who are coming from other governorates of Oman. In this old settlement, local characters were created to meet the climate problems and the social, religious requirements of the life. Traditional buildings were built of materials that were available in the surround environment and within hand reach. The Historical component was containing four main separate neighborhoods. The morphological structure of ‘’Hamasa’’ was characterized by a continuous and densely built-up pattern, featuring close interdependence between the spatial and functional pattern. The streets linked the plots, the marketplace and the open areas. Consequently, the traditional fabric had narrow streets with one- and two- storey houses. The material used in building facilities at ‘’Hamasa’' historical are from the traditionally used materials. These materials were cleverly used in building of local facilities. Most of these materials are locally made and formed, and used by the locals. ‘’Hamasa’’ neighborhood is an example of analyzing the urban patterns and geometrical features. The old ‘’ Hamasa’’ retains the patterns of its old settlements. Urban patterns were defined by both forms and structure. The traditional architecture of ‘’Hamasa’’ neighborhood has evolved as a direct result of its climatic conditions. The study figures out that the neighborhood characterized by the used construction materials, the scope of the residential structures and by the streets system. All formed the urban pattern of the settlement.

Keywords: urban pattern, construction materials, neighborhood, architectural elements, historical

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Authors: Kevin Wongleedee

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The objective of this research was to study the level of importance of motivation factors from the perspective of international tourist who visited Bangkok, Thailand. The independent variables included gender, age, levels of education, occupation, and income while the dependent variables were ten motivation factors. A simple random sampling method was utilized to get 200 respondents. The majority of respondents were both male and female in almost the same proportion and most were between 21-40 years old. Most were married and had a graduate degree. The average income of the respondents was between $30,000-50,000. The findings revealed the ranking levels of importance by highest mean to lowest mean as follows: Thai food, nature-beaches, spa, tradition markets, shopping places, museums, festivals, night entertainment, conference/expo, and visiting friends. In addition, the overall means is 4.11 with 0.812 SD.

Keywords: international tourist, motivation, revisit, Thailand

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Authors: Peter Robinson, Milka Ivanova

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Despite the growing interest in the Cold War period and heritage, little attention has been paid to the presentation and curatorship of Cold War heritage in eastern or western Europe. In 2021 Leeds Beckett University secured a British Academy Grant to explore visitor experiences, curatorship, emotion, and memory at Cold War-related tourist sites, comparing the perspectives of eastern and western European sites through research carried out in the UK and Bulgaria. The research explores the themes of curatorship, experience, and memory. Many of the sites included in the research in the UK-based part of the project are nuclear bunkers that have been decommissioned and are now open to visitors. The focus of this conference abstract is one of several perspectives drawn from a British Academy Grant-funded project exploring curatorship, visitor experience and nostalgia and memory in former cold war spaces in the UK, bringing together critical comparisons between western and eastern European sites. The project identifies specifically the challenges of ownership, preservation and presentation and discusses the challenges facing those who own, manage, and provide access to cold war museums and sites. The research is underpinned by contested issues of authenticity and ownership, discussing narrative accounts of those involved in caring for and managing these sites. The research project draws from interviews with key stakeholders, site observations, visitor surveys, and content analysis of Trip advisor posts. Key insights from the project include the external challenges owners and managers face from a lack of recognition of and funding for important Cold War sites in the UK that are at odds with interest shown in cold war sites by visitors to Cold War structures and landmarks. The challenges center on the lack of consistent approaches toward cold war heritage conservation, management, and ownership, lack of curatorial expertise and over-reliance on no-expert interpretation and presentation of heritage, the effect of the passage of time on personal connections to cold war heritage sites, the dissipating technological knowledge base, the challenging structure that does not lend themselves easily as visitor attractions or museums, the questionable authenticity of artifacts, the limited archival material, and quite often limited budgets. A particularly interesting insight focusing on nuclear bunkers has been on the difficulties in site reinterpretation because of the impossibility of fully exploring the enormity of nuclear war as a consistent threat of the Cold War. Further insights from the research highlight the secrecy of many of the sites as a key marketing strategy, particularly in relation to the nuclear bunker sites included in the project.

Keywords: cold war, curatorship, heritage, nuclear bunkers.

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Authors: Alberto Abello Moreno-Cid

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Mummification was the process through which immortality was granted to the deceased, so it was of extreme importance to the Egyptians. The techniques of embalming had evolved over the centuries, and specialists created increasingly sophisticated tools. However, due to its eminently religious nature, knowledge about everything related to this practice was jealously preserved, and the testimonies that have survived to our time are scarce. For this reason, embalming instruments found in archaeological excavations are uncommon. The tomb of the Vizier Amenhotep Huy (AT No. -28-), located in the el-Assasif necropolis that is being excavated since 2009 by the team of the Institute of Ancient Egyptian Studies, has been the scene of some discoveries of this type that evidences the existence of mummification practices in this place after the New Kingdom. The clysters or enemas are the fundamental tools in the second type of mummification described by the historian Herodotus to introduce caustic solutions inside the body of the deceased. Nevertheless, such objects only have been found in three locations: the tomb of Ankh-Hor in Luxor, where a copper enema belonged to the prophet of Ammon Uah-ib-Ra came to light; the excavation of the tomb of Menekh-ib-Nekau in Abusir, where was also found one made of copper; and the excavations in the Bucheum, where two more artifacts were discovered, also made of copper but in different shapes and sizes. Both of them were used for the mummification of sacred animals and this is the reason they vary significantly. Therefore, the object found in the tomb No. -28-, is the first known made of faience of all these peculiar tools and the oldest known until now, dated in the Third Intermediate Period (circa 1070-650 B.C.). This paper bases its investigation on the study of those parallelisms, the material, the current archaeological context and the full analysis and reconstruction of the object in question. The key point is the use of faience in the production of this item: creating a device intended to be in constant use seems to be a first illogical compared to other samples made of copper. Faience around the area of Deir el-Bahari had a strong religious component, associated with solar myths and principles of the resurrection, connected to the Osirian that characterises the mummification procedure. The study allows to refute some of the premises which are held unalterable in Egyptology, verifying the utilization of these sort of pieces, understanding its way of use and showing that this type of mummification was also applied to the highest social stratum, in which case the tools were thought out of an exceptional quality and religious symbolism.

Keywords: clyster, el-Assasif, embalming, faience enema mummification, Theban necropolis

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Authors: Hector Valverde Martínez

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In this text, the application possibilities of developments in MR are explored as an element within the museographic space that affects the visitor-museum relationship to satisfy the needs of knowledge and recreation that visitors have to improve the experience. The emphasis points out the way in which it is thinking from the digital to understand the possibilities in the design of museum experiences, and are analyzed the strategies used inside and outside the museum space are exemplified from the use of MR and their impact on the visitors' experience to reach different levels of depth of knowledge in an exhibition; the exploration of limits in the creation of atmospheres that allow visitors to feel immersed in a completely different reality from the one they live to better understand the topics addressed in the exhibition, and strategies that are used to encourage museum audiences to actively participate and extend the experience of the museum beyond its walls.

Keywords: mixed realities, experience, visitor, museums

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Authors: S. Ait Ali Yahia

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One of the main features of the Maghreb is its linguistic richness. The multilingualism is a fact which always marked the Maghreb since the beginning of the history up to know. Since the arrival of the Phoenicians, followed by the Carthaginians, Romans, and Arabs, etc, there was a social group in the Maghreb which controlled two kinds of idioms. The libyc one remained, despite everything, the local language used by the major part of the population. This language had a support of written transmission attested by many inscriptions. Among all the forms of the Maghreb writing, this alphabet, however, continues to cause a certain number of questions about the origin and the date of its appearance. The archaeological, linguistic and historical data remain insufficient to answer these questions. This did not prevent the researchers from giving an opinion. In order to answer these questions we will expose here the various assumptions adopted by various authors who are founded on more or less explicit arguments. We will also speak about the various forms taken by the libyc writing during antiquity.

Keywords: the alphabet libyc, Eastern libyc, Western libyc, multilingualism

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Authors: Bibi Alajmi, Israa Alshammari

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This study investigates diversity strands covered in courses offered by library and information sciences (LIS) graduate programs. It aims to identify the extent to which these programs prepare students to work in diverse communities. Information was collected from 17 ALA-accredited MLIS programs. Diversity-related topics were identified and categorized. The methodology consisted of content analysis of course syllabi. The findings show that coverage of diversity-related content in LIS graduate curricula is increasing at a slow but significant rate, and is often a low priority. Apart from LIS graduate courses for future librarians and information professionals in public libraries, school libraries, and museums providing services to young adults and children, there is not enough interest in the provision of services to diverse communities.

Keywords: diversity, multiculturalism, inclusion, equality, gender

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Authors: Lulu Wang, Yongjun Xu, Xiaoyang Qiao

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The Forbidden City is well known for being full of Chinese cultural and historical relics. However, the Masters in the Forbidden City, a documentary film, doesn’t just dwell on the stories of the past. Instead, it focuses on ordinary people—the restorers of the relics and antiquities, which has caught the sight of Chinese audiences. From this popular documentary film, a new way can be considered, that is to show the relics, antiquities and painting with a character of modern humanities by films and TV programs. Of course, it can’t just like a simple explanation from tour guides in museums. It should be a perfect combination of scenes, heritages, stories, storytellers and background music. All we want to do is trying to dig up the humanity behind the heritages and then create a virtual scene for the audience to have emotional resonance from the humanity. It is believed that there are two problems. One is that compared with the entertainment shows, why people prefer to see the boring restoration work. The other is that what the interaction is between those history documentary films, the heritages, the audiences and collective memory. This paper mainly used the methods of text analysis and data analysis. The audiences’ comment texts were collected from all kinds of popular video sites. Through analyzing those texts, there was a word cloud chart about people preferring to use what kind of words to comment the film. Then the usage rate of all comments words was calculated. After that, there was a Radar Chart to show the rank results. Eventually, each of them was given an emotional value classification according their comment tone and content. Based on the above analysis results, an interaction model among the audience, history films/TV programs and the collective memory can be summarized. According to the word cloud chart, people prefer to use such words to comment, including moving, history, love, family, celebrity, tone... From those emotional words, we can see Chinese audience felt so proud and shared the sense of Collective Identity, so they leave such comments: To our great motherland! Chinese traditional culture is really profound! It is found that in the construction of collective memory symbology, the films formed an imaginary system by organizing a ‘personalized audience’. The audience is not just a recipient of information, but a participant of the documentary films and a cooperator of collective memory. At the same time, it is believed that the traditional background music, the spectacular present scenes and the tone of the storytellers/hosts are also important, so it is suggested that the museums could try to cooperate with the producers of movie and TV program to create a vivid scene for the people. Maybe it’s a more artistic way for heritages to be open to all the world.

Keywords: audience, heritages, history movies, TV programs

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Authors: Andre Luiz Campelo dos Santos, Amanda Owings, Henry Socrates Lavalle Sullasi, Omer Gokcumen, Michael DeGiorgio, John Lindo

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An increasing body of archaeological and genomic evidence have indicated a complex settlement process of the Americas. Here, four newly sequenced ancient genomes from Northeast Brazil and Uruguay are reported to share strong relationships with previously published samples from Panama and Southeast Brazil. Moreover, an unexpected high genomic affinity with present-day Onge is found in ancient individuals unearthed along the northern portion of South America’s Atlantic coast. These results provide genomic evidence for ancient migrations along South America’s Atlantic coast.

Keywords: archaeogenomics, atlantic coast, paleomigrations, South America

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Authors: Audrey Hudson

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In 2020, educational field trips went virtual for all students. At the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Canada, our solution was to create a virtual school program that addressed three pillars of access—economic, geographic and cultural—with art at the center. Now, at the close of three years, we have reached 1.6 million students! Exponentially more than we have ever welcomed for onsite school visits. In 2022, we partnered with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Hong Kong University Museum and the National Gallery of Singapore, which has pushed the boundaries of art education into the expanse of the global community. Looking forward to our fourth year of the program, we are using the platform of technology to expand our program of art, access and learning to a global platform. In 2023/24, we intend to connect across more borders to expand the pedagogical benefits of art education for a global community. We invite you to listen to how you can join this journey.

Keywords: technology, museums, art education, pedagogy

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Authors: Marwa Hanafy

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The objective of linking the museum with school curriculum is to focus on the values and principles of the educational standards of the fourth grade as "equality, cooperation, allegiance, belonging, participation, peace, tolerance, pride and patriotism, etc." through activities, discussion, exhibits, etc., which can help the students to develop their characters and be useful for their society. For example, there is a lesson in Module 3 assess the role of women as mothers and queens, here this research will focus on the value of women and respect them through statues or images of women which support and affect positively on the students who will apply these Morals to themselves and to the community by dependency. It cannot be denied that the students have to be a part of the museum educational programs which have designed for them, by giving them the opportunity to participate, talk, discuss and express their opinions and hear them in the museums, this may be an effective way to confirm that the interests of children are taken into account.

Keywords: museum education, primary school education, school curriculum, informal learning

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Authors: Totok Suhardijanto, Ninie Susanti Tedjowasono

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This paper discusses the relationship between the distribution of Ancient Malay inscriptions and Spice Trade Route, especially in the relation with material cultures that accompany them, to understand how Malay could spread out around the archipelago beyond its original native-speakers’ region. The archipelago was known as the Spice Islands from the very beginning of the first century due to mace, cloves, and nutmeg that were originally exclusively found there. According to the Indian record, since the 2nd century, there has been a contact established between Indian and Indonesian people. A Chinese document from 3rd Century has mentioned Wangka (now widely known as Bangka) an island near Sumatra where some Chinese expeditions had visited. All of these records supported the existence of a maritime trade system and route between the archipelago and other countries during the first millennium. This paper will discuss first the Ancient Malay inscription spread around the archipelago from the perspectives of language variation and writing system style. Analyzing language variations of inscriptions certainly is not as easy as studying current spoken language variations in modern sociolinguistics. A huge amount of data is available for such kind of studies. On the contrary, in language variation research with inscription texts as an object, data is insufficient. Other resources will be needed to support the linguistic analysis. For this reason, this research made use of epigraphical evidence in the surrounding areas of the inscriptions to explain the variation of language and writing style. The research next expands the analysis to figure out the relationship between language variation and inscriptions distribution to the Spice Trade Route that spreads from the Molucca Sea to Mediterranian Sea. Data in this research consists of six different inscriptions: Kedukan Bukit, Koto Kapur, Dapunta Salendra, Sang Hyang Wintang, Ligor, and Laguna from the 7th-9th Century and found in Sumatra, Jawa, and the Philippines. In addition, as a comparative resource, this research also used Hikayat Tanjung Tanah, the first-founded Ancient Malay manuscript. In language analysis, we conduct a sociolinguistic method to explore the language variation and writing style of the inscriptions. For dealing with archaeological data, we conducted a hermeneutic method to analyze the possible meaning and social uses of the data. Language variations and writing system style in this research can be classified into two main groups. The language, epigraphical, and archaeological evidence explain that Ancient Malay had been widely used in the Eastern area of Spice Trade Route because it played an important role in the region as a lingua franca between people from different ethnic groups with different languages.

Keywords: Ancient Malay, Spice trade route, language variation, writing system variation

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Authors: M. Tassi, E. Dotsika, P. Karalis, A. Trantalidou, A. Mazarakis Ainian

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The Kythnos Island in Greece is of particular archaeological interest, as it has been inhabited from the 12th BC until the 7th AD. From island excavations, numerous faunal and human skeletal remains have been recovered. This work is the first attempt at the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the island via stable isotope analysis. Specifically, we perform 13C and 18O isotope analysis in faunal bone apatite in order to investigate the climate conditions that prevailed in the area. Additionally, we conduct 13C and 15N isotope analysis in faunal bone collagen, which will constitute the baseline for the subsequent diet reconstruction of the ancient Kythnos population.

Keywords: stable isotopes analysis, bone collagen stable isotope analysis, bone apatite stable isotope analysis, paleodiet, palaeoclimate

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Authors: Priyanka Tamta, Sukanya Sharma

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The Kamakhya Temple in Assam plays a very important role in the development of Assam as not only a historical place but also as an archaeologically important site. Temple building activity on the site began in 5th century AD when a cave temple dedicated to Lord Balabhadraswami was constructed here by King Maharajadhiraja Sri Surendra Varman. In the history of Assam, the name of this king is not found and neither the name of this form of Vishnu is known in this region. But this inscription sanctified the place as it recorded the first ever temple building activity in this region. The fifteen hundred years habitation history of the Kamakhya temple sites shows a gradual progression of the site from a religious site to an archaeological site and finally as a historical landmark. Here, in this paper, our main objective is to understand the evolution of Kamakhya temple site as a historical landscape and as an important landmark in the history of Assam. The central theme of the paper is the gradual development of the religious site to a historical landmark. From epigraphical records, it is known that the site received patronage from all ruling dynasties of Assam and its adjoining regions. Royal households of Kashmir, Nepal, Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, etc. have left their footprints on the site. According to records they donated wealth, constructed or renovated temples and participated in the overall maintenance of the deity. This made Kamakhya temple a ground of interaction of faiths, communities, and royalties of the region. Since the 5th century AD, there was a continuous struggle between different beliefs, faiths, and power on the site to become the dominant authority of the site. In the process, powerful beliefs system subsumed minor ones into a larger doctrine of beliefs. This can be seen in the case of the evolution of the Kamakhya temple site as one of the important Shakta temples in India. Today, it is cultural identity marker of the state of Assam within which it is located. Its diverse faiths and beliefs have been appropriated by powerful legends to the dominant faith of the land. The temple has evolved from a cave temple to a complex of seventeen temples. The faith has evolved from the worship of water, an element of nature to the worship of the ten different forms of the goddess with their five male consorts or Bhairavas. Today, it represents and symbolizes the relationship of power and control out of which it has emerged. During different periods of occupation certain architectural and iconographical characters developed which indicated diffusion and cultural adaptation. Using this as sources and the epigraphical records this paper will analyze the interactive and dynamic processes which operated in the building of this cultural marker, the archaeological site of Kamakhya.

Keywords: cultural adaptation and diffusion, cultural and historical landscape, Kamakhya, Saktism, temple art and architecture, historiography

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Authors: Vittorio Linfante

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Utopìa is a term that, since its first appearance in 1516, in Tommaso Moro’s work, has taken on different meanings and forms in various fields: social studies, politics, art, creativity, and design. The utopias, although of short duration and in their apparent impossibility, have been able to give a shape to the future, laying the foundations for our present and the future of the next generations. The Twentieth century was the historical period crossed by many changes, and it saw the most significant number of utopias not only social, political, and scientific but also artistic, architectural, in design, communication, and, last but not least, in fashion. Over the years, fashion has been able to interpret various utopistic impulses giving form to the most futuristic visions. From the Manifesto del Vestito by Giacomo Balla, through the functional experiments that led to the Tuta by Thayath and the Varst by Aleksandr Rodčenko and Varvara Stepanova, through the Space Age visions of Rudi Gernreich, Paco Rabanne and Pierre Cardin, and the Archizoom’s political actions and their fashion project Vestirsi è facile. Experiments that have continued to the present days through the (sometimes) excessive visions of Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, and Gareth Pugh or those that are more anchored to the market (but no fewer innovative and visionaries) by Prada, Chanel, and Raf Simmons. If, as Bauman states, it is true that we have entered in a phase of Retrotopia characterized by the inability to think about new forms of the future; it is necessary, more than ever, to redefine the role of history, of its narration and its mise en scène, within the contemporary creative process. A process that increasingly requires an in-depth knowledge of the past for the definition of a renewed discourse about design processes. A discourse in which words like archive, exhibition, curating, revival, vintage, and costume take on new meanings. The paper aims to investigate–through case studies, research, and professional projects–the renewed role of curating and preserving fashion artefacts. A renewed role that–in an era of Retrotopia–museums, exhibitions, and archives can (and must) assume, to contribute to the definition of new design paradigms, capable of overcoming the traditional categories of revival or costume in favour of a more contemporary “mash-up” approach. Mash-up in which past and present, craftsmanship and new technologies, revival and experimentation merge seamlessly. In this perspective, dresses (as well as fashion accessories) should be considered not only as finished products but as artefacts capable of talking about the past and of producing unpublished new stories at the same time. Archives, exhibitions (academic and not), and museums thus become powerful sources of inspiration for fashion: places and projects capable of generating innovation, becoming active protagonists of the contemporary fashion design processes.

Keywords: heritage, history, costume and fashion interface, performance, language, design research

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Authors: Rafael Dias Silva

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The school is a social institution that should promote learning situations that remain throughout life. Based on this, the teaching activities promoted in museum spaces can represent an educational strategy that contributes to the learning process in a more meaningful way. This article systematizes a series of elements that guide the use of these spaces for the scientific literacy of deaf students and as experiences of this nature are favorable for the school development through the concept of the circularity. The methodology for the didactic use of these spaces of non-formal education is one of the reflections developed in this study and how such environments can contribute to the learning in the classroom. To develop in the student the idea of ​​association making him create connections with the curricular proposal and notice how the proposed activity is articulated. It is in our interest that the experience lived in the museum be shared collaborating for the construction of a scientific literacy and cultural identity through the research.

Keywords: accessibility in museums, Brazilian sign language, deaf students, teacher training

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Authors: Olympia Nisiforou

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The cultural heritage of each country represents a unique and irreplaceable witness of the past. Nevertheless, on many occasions, such heritage is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters and reckless behaviors. Even if such exhibits are now located in Museums, they still receive insufficient protection due to improper environmental conditions. These external changes can negatively affect the conditions of the exhibits and contribute to inefficient maintenance in time. Hence, it is imperative to develop an innovative, low-cost system, to monitor indoor air quality systematically, since conventional methods are quite expensive and time-consuming. The present study gives an insight into the indoor air quality of the National Byzantine Museum of Cyprus. In particular, systematic measurements of particulate matter, bio-aerosols, the concentration of targeted chemical pollutants (including Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), temperature, relative humidity, and lighting conditions as well as microbial counts have been performed using conventional techniques. Measurements showed that most of the monitored physiochemical parameters did not vary significantly within the various sampling locations. Seasonal fluctuations of ammonia were observed, showing higher concentrations in the summer and lower in winter. It was found that the outdoor environment does not significantly affect indoor air quality in terms of VOC and Nitrogen oxides (NOX). A cutting-edge portable Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) system (TORION T-9) was used to identify and measure the concentrations of specific Volatile and Semi-volatile Organic Compounds. A large number of different VOCs and SVOCs found such as Benzene, Toluene, Xylene, Ethanol, Hexadecane, and Acetic acid, as well as some more complex compounds such as 3-ethyl-2,4-dimethyl-Isopropyl alcohol, 4,4'-biphenylene-bis-(3-aminobenzoate) and trifluoro-2,2-dimethylpropyl ester. Apart from the permanent indoor/outdoor sources (i.e., wooden frames, painted exhibits, carpets, ventilation system and outdoor air) of the above organic compounds, the concentration of some of them within the areas of the museum were found to increase when large groups of visitors were simultaneously present at a specific place within the museum. The high presence of Particulate Matter (PM), fungi and bacteria were found in the museum’s areas where carpets were present but low colonial counts were found in rooms where artworks are exhibited. Measurements mentioned above were used to validate an innovative low-cost air-quality monitoring system that has been developed within the present work. The developed system is able to monitor the average concentrations (on a bidaily basis) of several pollutants and presents several innovative features, including the prompt alerting in case of increased average concentrations of monitored pollutants, i.e., exceeding the limit values defined by the user.

Keywords: exibitions, indoor air quality , VOCs, pollution

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Authors: Irmak Gunes Yuceil

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This paper outlines interferences and analytical errors which are encountered in the qualification and quantification of archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, by means of handheld x-ray fluorescence. These shortcomings were evaluated through case studies carried out on metallic artifacts related to various periods and cultures around Anatolia. An Innov-X Delta Standard 2000 handheld x-ray fluorescence spectrometer was used to collect data from 1361 artifacts, through 6789 measurements and 70 hours’ tube usage, in between 2013-2017. Spectrum processing was done by Delta Advanced PC Software. Qualitative and quantitative results screened by the device were compared with the spectrum graphs, and major discrepancies associated with physical and analytical interferences were clarified in this paper.

Keywords: hand-held x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, art and archaeology, interferences and analytical errors, pre-diagnosis in conservation

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Authors: Chiara Barone

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In Naples, the visible architecture is only what emerges from the underground. Caves and tunnels cross it in every direction, intertwining with each other. They are not natural caves but spaces built by removing what is superfluous in order to dig a form out of the material. Architects, as sculptors of space, do not determine the exterior, what surrounds the volume and in which the forms live, but an interior underground space, perceptive and sensitive, able to generate new emotions each time. It is an intracorporeal architecture linked to the body, not in its external relationships, but rather with what happens inside. The proposed aims to reflect on the design of underground spaces in the Neapolitan city. The idea is to intend the underground as a spectacular museum of the city, an opportunity to learn in situ the history of the place along an unpredictable itinerary that crosses the caves and, in certain points, emerges, escaping from the world of shadows. Starting form the analysis and the study of the many overlapping elements, the archaeological one, the geological layer and the contemporary city above, it is possible to develop realistic alternatives for underground itineraries. The objective is to define minor paths to ensure the continuity between the touristic flows and entire underground segments already investigated but now disconnected: open-air paths, which abyss in the earth, retracing historical and preserved fragments. The visitor, in this way, passes from real spaces to sensitive spaces, in which the imaginary replaces the real experience, running towards exciting and secret knowledge. To safeguard the complex framework of the historical-artistic values, it is essential to use a multidisciplinary methodology based on a global approach. Moreover, it is essential to refer to similar design projects for the archaeological underground, capable of guide action strategies, looking at similar conditions in other cities, where the project has led to an enhancement of the heritage in the city. The research limits the field of investigation, by choosing the historic center of Naples, applying bibliographic and theoretical research to a real place. First of all, it’s necessary to deepen the places’ knowledge understanding the potentialities of the project as a link between what is below and what is above. Starting from a scientific approach, in which theory and practice are constantly intertwined through the architectural project, the major contribution is to provide possible alternative configurations for the underground space and its relationship with the city above, understanding how the condition of transition, as passage between the below and the above becomes structuring in the design process. Starting from the consideration of the underground as both a real physical place and a sensitive place, which engages the memory, imagination, and sensitivity of a man, the research aims at identifying possible configurations and actions useful for future urban programs to make the underground a central part of the lived city, again.

Keywords: underground paths, invisible ruins, imaginary, sculpted forms, sensitive spaces, Naples

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Authors: Cheng Chieh Hsu, Alfred Chen, Yu-Pin Ma, Meng-Jie Lin, Fu Pai Chiu, Yi-Yan Sie

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In this study, it is attempted to construct an augmented reality display platform (ARDP), and its objectives are two facets, i.e. 1) providing a creative display mode for museums/historical heritages and 2) providing a benchmark for human-computer interaction professionals to build an augmented reality display platform. A general augmented reality theory has been explored in the very beginning and afterwards a systematic process model is proposed. There are three major core tasks to be done for the platform, i.e. 1) constructing the physical interactive table, 2) designing the media, and 3) designing the media carrier. In order to describe how the platform manipulates, the authors have introduced Tainan Confucius Temple, a cultural heritage in Taiwan, as a case study. As a result, a systematic process with thirteen steps has been developed and it aims at providing a rational method for constructing the platform.

Keywords: human-computer interaction, media, media carrier, augmented reality display platform

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Authors: Mohamed Elbehery

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Historical textiles in the burial environment or in museums are exposed to many types of stains and dirt that are associated with historical textiles by multiple chemical bonds that cause damage to historical textiles. The cleaning process must be carried out with great care, with no irreversible damage, and sediments removed without affecting the original material of the surface being cleaned. Science and technology continue to provide innovative systems in the bio-cleaning process (using pure enzymes) of historical textiles and artistic surfaces. Lipase and α-amylase were immobilized on nanoparticles of alginate/κ-carrageenan nanoparticle complex and used in historical textiles cleaning. Preparation of nanoparticles, activation, and enzymes immobilization were characterized. Optimization of loading time and units of the two enzymes were done. It was found that, the optimum time and units of amylase were 4 hrs and 25U, respectively. While, the optimum time and units of lipase were 3 hrs and 15U, respectively. The methods used to examine the fibers using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an X-ray energy dispersal unit: SEM with EDX unit.

Keywords: nanoparticles, enzymes, immobilization, textiles

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Authors: Isah Mohammed Patizhiko

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This paper aimed at discussing the important role learning resources play in enhancing the teaching and learning of science and technology courses in post primary institution in Nigeria. The paper highlighted the importance learning resources contributed to the effective understanding of the learners. The use of learning resources in the teaching of these courses will encourage teachers to be more exploratory and the learners to have more understanding. In this paper, different range of learning resources particularly common learning resources (learning resources not design primarily for education purposes) to enrich their teaching. The paper also highlighted how ordinary resource can be turned into an educational resource. Recommendations were proffered in the sourcing of learning resources ie from the market, library, institutions, museums, and dump refuse and concluded that good demonstration on the use of resources will engage the learner’s interest and will develop higher level of conceptual understanding in the learning area.

Keywords: enhance, learning, resources, science and technology, teaching

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Authors: Cem Ozatalay, Senem Ornek

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The Artprice Contemporary Art Market Annual Report 2014 notices that Istanbul, with its art market volume of $3.6 million has become the first city of the Middle East and North Africa region and the 14th city of the World. Indeed, the period 2004–2014 has been significant in terms of the growth of the art market, during which the majority of contemporary art galleries and museums in Istanbul was inaugurated. This boom means that with the joining of new agents, the structure of the art market has dramatically changed. To use Nathalie Heinich’s terminology, in the current art field, three art genres – namely classical art, modern art and contemporary art – coexist, but in the case of Istanbul, such as many art cities in the world, the latter genre has become increasingly dominant. This presentation aims to show how the power shifts away from the classical art agents to contemporary art agents, and the effects produced by the conflicts between the old and new agents of current art field. Based on the data obtained from an ongoing field research in Istanbul among the art market agents such as art dealers, curators, art critics and artists, it will be shown that even if the agents of different art genres are in conflict with each other, there is, at the same time, a continuum between the three art worlds.

Keywords: contemporary art market, economic sociology of art, Istanbul art market, structure of the art field in Istanbul

Procedia PDF Downloads 255