The aim of this research is the systematic analysis of the wisdom coined by Nahua people of Mexico, based on the historical sources and archaeological evidence, but also in the knowledge developed... Show moreThe aim of this research is the systematic analysis of the wisdom coined by Nahua people of Mexico, based on the historical sources and archaeological evidence, but also in the knowledge developed by contemporary indigenous communities and the contributions of indigenous scholars. The hypothesis of this research pretends to demonstrate, how the cognitive structures embedded in indigenous languages are useful in the development of an intercultural epistemology.The academic relevance of this research not only lies in the fact that address rigorous and systematically an issue –indigenous philosophies-which faces lack of acknowledgment, which is not a minor issue; but also because this effort to analyse Nahuatl philosophy is useful to provide alternatives to understand the world based on a different ontology. The development of an intercultural philosophy will be useful to face and solve some misunderstandings caused by cultural colonization. Show less
This is a decolonial study about Ñuu Savi (Mixtec) pictorial manuscripts (codices), Mexico. The aim is the understanding of their cultural values through a holistic and diachronic way, studying... Show moreThis is a decolonial study about Ñuu Savi (Mixtec) pictorial manuscripts (codices), Mexico. The aim is the understanding of their cultural values through a holistic and diachronic way, studying living and historical-cultural heritage of Mixtec People, based on the re-integration of cultural memory and cultural continuity, linking the past and the present through the Mixtec language (or Sahan Savi) and from its own perspective. The final aim is the re-appropriation of this knowledge by the Ñuu Savi communities themselves. Show less
The creation of new capital cities are watershed moments in the lives of ancient empires. Assyria, arguably the most successful imperial state of the ancient Near East, repeatedly engaged in... Show moreThe creation of new capital cities are watershed moments in the lives of ancient empires. Assyria, arguably the most successful imperial state of the ancient Near East, repeatedly engaged in capital creation. Capital creation denotes the development of a monumental capital, either in a new location or through the profound transformation of a pre-existing settlement. This dissertation focusses on the rationale, construction, and function of the imperial capitals of Assyria: Kār-Tukultī-Ninurta, Kalḫu, Dur-Šarrukēn, and Nineveh.By exploring three key questions – why was a capital created, how was a capital created, and what were the functions of the capital – this study presents a comparative analysis of these four urban centers and presents a new perspective on their creation, as well as an innovative framework for the study of capital creation from antiquity to today. Show less
The work of Fernand Braudel (1949) should have revolutionized the way archaeology conceptualizes temporal scales and builds chronological narratives. Even though Braudel’s general views did impact... Show moreThe work of Fernand Braudel (1949) should have revolutionized the way archaeology conceptualizes temporal scales and builds chronological narratives. Even though Braudel’s general views did impact archaeological theory deeply, his three different time-scales, together with insights into duration as the inner dialectic between different temporalities, remain neglected in archaeological practice.Nowadays, ceramic chronology building in archaeology still relies on two main variables: time-space and pottery styles. This book aims to challenge this paradigm and propose a new way for narrating vital chronologies. The point of departure for this endeavor consists of a longue durée geographical unit, the valley of Juigalpa, in central Nicaragua. Through a view of materials—and especially ceramics—as complex and embodied palimpsests, as the bundling of unfolding traces; a chronology including five different intervals based on ceramic technologies is presented, from the first traces of human practices in 300 CE through to the present. Show less
This work summarizes six years of archaeological research at the site where the first European city was founded on the continental land of America, Santa María de la Antigua del Darién. An... Show moreThis work summarizes six years of archaeological research at the site where the first European city was founded on the continental land of America, Santa María de la Antigua del Darién. An experience in the Colombian northwest that, through a rigorous archaeological investigation conducted with the stratigraphic method, unites extensive work with the community and a multidisciplinary approach.Santa María de la Antigua del Darién was the first city that the Spanish founded in the "Tierra Firme" of America in 1510. It became the capital of the territory of Castilla del Oro until the founding of Panama City. A few years after the transfer of the capital to Panama, Santa María de La Antigua was gradually abandoned until in 1524 it was assaulted and burned by the indigenous people.The archaeological project in the place where Santa María de la Antigua del Darién was located, promoted by the Colombian Ministry of Culture and the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (Icanh), since 2013, has allowed to delimit the space of the city and it has brought to light housing floors, cobbled courtyards, streets, a blacksmith's workshop and fragments of indigenous and European material culture.It has also revealed an important pre-Hispanic phase prior to the founding of the Spanish city. Based on these investigations, Santa María de la Antigua del Darién has been declared a site of cultural interest in 2015 and a National Archaeological Park in 2016. Show less
This book focuses on the practical challenges of managing a World Heritage listed historic city in a South Asian context. The Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka’s Galle Fort, a walled town,... Show moreThis book focuses on the practical challenges of managing a World Heritage listed historic city in a South Asian context. The Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka’s Galle Fort, a walled town, identified as the best-preserved colonial fort in South Asia, is the subject of this study. The book analyses the costs and benefits of the fort’s World Heritage recognition to its local urban community and to the colonial fort itself, as a monument. It shows how thirty years of the World Heritage project at Galle Fort changed a once small seaside walled town with dilapidated colonial buildings into a tourist hot-spot and prime real estate, also changing the lives of its inhabitants. The work addresses the range of impacts of this process such as gentrification, real estate pressures, and urban regeneration in a balanced way. It argues that the best practises of participatory and people-centred approaches of managing urban heritage at the global level are slow to progress at the local level. While seeing the World Heritage listing of Galle Fort optimistically, the book encourages the use of the World Heritage emblem for the well-being of local residents, who bring life to these landscapes. Show less
This study documents and translates the Saa (Zapotec) cultural heritage of the Bene’ Ya’a/En’ne I’ya peoples, the Zapotec inhabitants of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca. This heritage is studied by... Show moreThis study documents and translates the Saa (Zapotec) cultural heritage of the Bene’ Ya’a/En’ne I’ya peoples, the Zapotec inhabitants of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca. This heritage is studied by using two major approaches: the symbols transmitted during rituals and mantic interpretations executed by ritual experts and the meaning of the sacred landscape in cultural memory. Both approaches were considered from a historical perspective and are presented with the analysis of ancient mantic documents and the archaeological record of the sacred landscape. Due to the importance given to symbols and landscape by the Zapotec peoples, the documentation and interpretation of the heritage of the Saa is the result of a tight collaboration with peoples of the communities involved in this work. The ritual experts in mantic, healing and ritualistic activities of the Dilla Xhon variant (Cajonos Zapotec) are called Weneya’a, which means “the one who speaks with the mountains”. The Weneya’a give meaning to the cultural heritage of their communities, to their sacred places, to their religious calendar, to life and death. They also heal the sick, give advice to future married couples and include new-borns as part of the community, all of this according to their sacred landscape. The Weneya’a give continuity to the cosmogonic narratives, sacred words, ceremonial speeches, herbal medicine and fundamental values of their communities. Show less
In this research the authors propose the Great Line of Life, which reframes the cultural link between present and past in the archaeological practice of the Mixteca Alta. Through the different... Show moreIn this research the authors propose the Great Line of Life, which reframes the cultural link between present and past in the archaeological practice of the Mixteca Alta. Through the different examples that are discussed, the importance of the knowledge and perceptions of the contemporary dwellers for the interpretation of the pre-colonial past can be seen. This research is presented as alternative archeology that seeks to decolonize the discipline. This archeology proposes to be flexible, relational, multi vocal and holistic. This way of doing archeology in the Mixteca is relevant because, on the one hand, it allows the parameters in which this practice has been classified to be broadened and, on the other, it reinforces the identification of contemporary societies with the pre-colonial past. Likewise, its importance lies in the fact that it is based on ethics and respect for Indigenous Peoples and shares the search for a better quality of life. Show less
This book presents a useful GIS procedure to study settlement patterns in landscape archaeology. In several Mediterranean regions archaeological sites have been mapped by fieldwalking surveys,... Show moreThis book presents a useful GIS procedure to study settlement patterns in landscape archaeology. In several Mediterranean regions archaeological sites have been mapped by fieldwalking surveys, producing large amounts of data. These legacy site-based survey data represent an important resource to study ancient settlement organization. Methodological procedures are necessary to cope with the limits of these data, and more importantly with the distortions on data patterns caused by biasing factors. This book develops and applies a GIS procedure to use legacy survey data in settlement pattern analysis. It consists of two parts. One part regards the assessment of biases that can affect the spatial patterns exhibited by survey data. The other part aims to shed light on the location preferences and settlement strategy of ancient communities underlying site patterns. In this book, a case-study shows how the method works in practice. As part of the research by the Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization project (NWO, Leiden University, KNIR) site-based datasets produced by survey projects in central-southern Italy are examined in a comparative framework to investigate settlement patterns in the early Roman colonial period (3rd century B.C.). Show less
This work analyzes ritual practices and knowledge related to the Mesoamerican calendar with the aim of contributing to the understanding of the use and conceptualization of this calendar system in... Show moreThis work analyzes ritual practices and knowledge related to the Mesoamerican calendar with the aim of contributing to the understanding of the use and conceptualization of this calendar system in the contemporary K’iche’ community of Momostenango, in the Highlands of Guatemala. The research presented here discusses the indigenous calendar system, forms of synergy between the Christian and the Highland Guatemalan calendar, the indigenous perception of history and continuity in time-related symbolism.Van den Akker argues that the social role of cultural anthropologists and archaeologists is to contribute to the ongoing process of cultural healing and spiritual recovery of the peoples that suffer(ed) from colonization and oppression. This study therefore places an emphasis on cultural continuity and approaches the continuation of Maya calendar practices as a possible tool for restoring breaks in social memory, which are caused by dramatic events such as colonization. Show less
The aim of this book is to offer a fresh approach to the history and archaeology of the Cyclades in Late Antiquity and the Byzantine Early Middle Ages in light of current archaeological... Show moreThe aim of this book is to offer a fresh approach to the history and archaeology of the Cyclades in Late Antiquity and the Byzantine Early Middle Ages in light of current archaeological investigations. It is an attempt to interpret human-environmental interaction in order to “read” the relationship between islands, settlements, landscapes and seascapes in the context of the diverse and highly interactive Mediterranean world.It offers an interdisciplinary approach, which combines archaeological evidence, literary sources, and observations of the sites and microlandscapes as a whole, using the advantages offered by the application of new technologies in archaeological research (Geographic Information Systems). The islands of Paros and Naxos are used as case-studies. The author traces how these neighbouring insular communities reacted under the same general circumstances pertaining in the Aegean and to what extent the landscape played a role in this process. Show less
The present work is the result of the profound teaching and discussions with the late Luis Reyes García, professor of the University of Tlaxcala (Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala), who first... Show moreThe present work is the result of the profound teaching and discussions with the late Luis Reyes García, professor of the University of Tlaxcala (Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala), who first sparked my interest in the study, analysis, transcription, and translation of Nahua texts and documents. Professor Reyes always encouraged his Tlaxcalan students to study and appreciate the rich cultural legacy found in the archives of the state’s local communities. In the present work, several parts are joined together, as pieces of a puzzle. First, the teaching of Professor Reyes García on the oral and archival history of the people of Tlaxcala, the knowledge about the discourses, narratives, and ceremonies that are still carried out in my family, and the worldview of the Naua and Totonac tlamatque (wise people) through their own eyes, hearts, and mouths. Secondly, what was shared with me by Dr. Maarten Jansen and Aurora Pérez at Leiden University: the worldview of the ñuu savi (Mixtecs) and other Mesoamerican peoples, a crucial aspect in order to appreciate the interdependence of our shared heritage. Show less
This study develops and applies a new approach to study Aegyptiaca Romana from a bottom-up, Roman perspective. Current approaches to these objects are often still plagued by top-down... Show moreThis study develops and applies a new approach to study Aegyptiaca Romana from a bottom-up, Roman perspective. Current approaches to these objects are often still plagued by top-down projections of modern definitions and understandings of Egypt and Egyptian material culture onto the Roman world. Egypt beyond representation instead argues that these artefacts should be studied in their own right, without reducing them from the onset to fixed (Egyptian) meanings. Starting from a novel focus on the materials and materiality of a selection of stone Aegyptiaca from Rome, and by combining archaeological and archaeometric perspectives, this study shows that, while Egyptianness may have been among Roman associations, these objects were able to do much more than merely representing notions of Egypt. Show less
This thesis discusses three aspects of Chinese tulou heritage management. Tulou are traditional fortified multifamily dwellings prevalent in southern Fujian. It first examines the tulou... Show moreThis thesis discusses three aspects of Chinese tulou heritage management. Tulou are traditional fortified multifamily dwellings prevalent in southern Fujian. It first examines the tulou interpretation prevailing in southern Fujian. Based on building studies, oral history, genealogies and interviews, it tries to reconstruct a relatively complete landscape biography to describe the essential episodes of built environment evolution in the Hekeng River Valley. This biography highlights the part non-tulou architecture and non-agricultural economic forms have played in the evolution of the settlement environment. It then discusses the regulations and laws which may have direct impact on not only the built heritage but also the life of local lineage society. It criticizes the harsh control of the local government over local people’s built heritage and their environment in the name of heritage preservation. It then moves on to examine the roles of different stakeholders in the heritage framework concerning the use of local people’s built heritage. It explores the possibility of reaching equilibrium among all the heritage players in the form of contracts, and offers some suggestions to the stakeholders getting involved in the tulou management issues. Show less
This thesis focuses on reconstructing the daily lives of Bronze Age farmers as well as the landscape for their subsistence practices. Doing so, Wild West Frisia analyses the separate components... Show moreThis thesis focuses on reconstructing the daily lives of Bronze Age farmers as well as the landscape for their subsistence practices. Doing so, Wild West Frisia analyses the separate components comprising Bronze Age subsistence (i.e. crop and animal husbandry, hunting and gathering) rather innovatively: instead of summarizing the known data for each subsistence strategy and drawing conclusions solely based on these observations, this study first determines what may have been... Show less
This work is focussed on the precolonial Mesoamerican codices. Less than twenty of these rare books still exist today. The main questions are how were these objects made, and for what were... Show more This work is focussed on the precolonial Mesoamerican codices. Less than twenty of these rare books still exist today. The main questions are how were these objects made, and for what were they used. The author also looked at why so few of these books remain today and how they have been reproduced in more recent times. One special aspect of this research was the investigation of one specific book, the codex Añute, held at the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford. This book is a known palimpsest. By understanding its physical composition, new techniques could be developed to investigate this palimpsest and recover new pictographic texts from underneath the surfaces. Show less
Beginning in 1992 when the category of world heritage cultural landscapes was adopted by the World Heritage Committee, scholarly debates have ensued on how they could best be managed. One approach... Show moreBeginning in 1992 when the category of world heritage cultural landscapes was adopted by the World Heritage Committee, scholarly debates have ensued on how they could best be managed. One approach, which appears to have gained significance over the past two decades or so, is to consider the use of traditional conservation practices and the involvement of local indigenous communities in the management of world heritage cultural landscapes. To examine the efficacy of the approach, this book explores the concept of indigenous communities, the nature of the traditional conservation practices in the Matobo Hills Cultural World Heritage Landscape in which the study was conducted as well as the management history of the area. Based on the perspectives of the indigenous people of the Matobo Hills, this study examines the extent to which traditional conservation practices and their involvement can be germane in the management of World Heritage Cultural Landscapes. Show less
De resten van textiel die bij opgravingen gevonden worden zijn de zeldzame overblijfselen van kleding, huishoudelijk textiel, zeilen, verpakkingsmaterialen etc. In het buitenland is het... Show more De resten van textiel die bij opgravingen gevonden worden zijn de zeldzame overblijfselen van kleding, huishoudelijk textiel, zeilen, verpakkingsmaterialen etc. In het buitenland is het onderzoek naar textielresten de afgelopen decennia sterk ontwikkeld en is het een onmisbare specialisatie geworden binnen het archeologisch vakgebied. Een vergelijkbare ontwikkeling is in Nederland nog niet op gang gekomen, waardoor onze kennis van de productie en het gebruik van textiel voornamelijk is afgeleid van wat er uit de ons omringende landen bekend is. Dit is jammer want er zijn naast kleding bijna geen andere objecten te bedenken die nauwer verwant zijn met de mensen wiens verleden archeologen proberen te ontrafelen. Kleding is namelijk niet alleen functioneel, maar geeft vaak uitdrukking aan de identiteit of sociale positie van degene die de kleding draagt. In deze studie is onderzoek gedaan naar het gebruik van textiel en kleding in het gebied dat we nu definiëren als Nederland in de periode van 400 tot 1000 AD. Hiervoor zijn weefselresten geanalyseerd die afkomstig zijn van zowel nederzettingen als grafvelden uit verschillende delen van het land. Dit resulteert in een gevarieerd beeld van het gebruik van textiel in deze periode. Het was mogelijk om in grote lijnen te reconstrueren hoe mensen in de vroege middeleeuwen in het graf gekleed waren. Er blijken regionale verschillen te zijn tussen de grafvelden, maar ook tussen mannen- en vrouwenkleding. De vondsten uit de nederzettingen geven een volkomen ander beeld. Hier zijn andere weefsels populair en de kwaliteit van de weefsels is aanzienlijk lager. Show less
Aegean archaeology has mainly concentrated on Prehistoric and Greco-Roman times and has provided relatively little information on human activity and material culture in the medieval period.... Show moreAegean archaeology has mainly concentrated on Prehistoric and Greco-Roman times and has provided relatively little information on human activity and material culture in the medieval period. Historical research concerning the medieval era is sufficiently developed but archaeological research on the medieval Aegean has mainly focused on matters of art and architecture. In fact, we have an overall picture of the medieval and post-medieval periods for only a few islands of the Aegean. This ASLU volume fills this gap. It uses the ancient past as background for examining the continuity and change that the island of Skyros experienced from the Late Roman period onwards. It brings together two different archaeological __schools__, that of long-term survey research (based mainly on material culture) and that of __traditional__ Byzantine and Post-Byzantine archaeology (focused on art and architecture), offering new perspectives on settlement patterns, art and architecture, and the material culture of Skyros from Late Roman to Early Modern times. The combination of archaeological data and information from historical sources reconstructs the regional history of Skyros during that time span, which is ultimately the main purpose of this study. Show less
