TORE LOMSDALEN.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
A Fresh Look at Ttagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples
A fresh look at ttagar Qim and Mnajdra temples Katya Stroud Our megalithic temples relate many stories. The they appear to have collected from the ground, stories that intrigue us most are those that tell us a clear indication of the curiosity that the large about their beginnings, their construction, use stone blocks attracted at the time. and development in prehistory. However, they The large stones triggered the imagination do provide evidence for a different story, that of visitors to the site leading to various which starts with their discovery by modem theories being proposed in their regard. Abela society. During this part of their lifespan these was the first to document the belief, in the 17t11 monuments are not only studied and analysed century, that the megalithic temples were built by scholars trying to identify their origins, by giants: "Habbiamo d' avvantaggio alcuni but are also restored and reconstructed, thus vestige d'opere de'Giganti [ ... ] nel luogo undergoing physical changes which are not chiamato in Arabic a Hagiar el Kim". 2 always immediately evident. Numerous restoration and conservation interventions have taken place at both Magar Qim and Mnajdra. Records of only a few of these interventions have been kept, and in some cases even this documentation is missing from our archives. It is in fact the actual visual examination of the remains, as well as the examination of photographic and pictorial evidence, that allows for their identification. This factor often makes it difficult to attribute a date to these interventions and to identify the methods and materials that were used. -
Jak Přežít Antropologie Bydlení Pohled Do Minulosti Počátky Lovci
001_052_Strecha 15.8.2006 7:45 Stránka 7 Obsah Předmluva 11 KAPITOLA PRVNÍ Jak přežít Antropologie bydlení 13 Člověk a podnebí 13 Stavební materiál a jeho zpracování 15 Tady zůstaneme. Volba tábořiště 24 Diktát ekonomie 26 Sociální vztahy, nadpřirozený svět 30 KAPITOLA DRUHÁ Pohled do minulosti Počátky 33 Kořeny architektury 33 Nejstarší evropské nálezy 39 Fenomén ohně 47 Stavěli si neandertálci obydlí? 48 Lovci mladého paleolitu 53 Dolní Věstonice, naleziště unikátních objevů a inovací v gravettienu 54 Vigne Brun 59 Rusko a Ukrajina 64 Překvapivé nálezy z Jižní Ameriky 88 Antropologický pohled 90 Magdalénští lovci sobů 97 Poslední lovci, první zemědělci 105 Mezolit 105 Západní Sibiř 105 Lepenski Vir 107 7 001_052_Strecha 15.8.2006 7:45 Stránka 8 Mt. Sandel 110 Příchod neolitu a Sahara 113 Kamenná architektura Sahary 115 Blízký východ 124 Antropologický pohled 131 Nejstarší neolit 134 Mladý mezolit a počátky neolitu v severní Evropě 136 Obydlí konce doby kamenné 141 Dlouhé domy starého neolitu střední Evropy 141 Antropologický pohled 151 Neolitické domy z jihozápadní Francie 156 Staroneolitické sídliště Darian 159 Domy tripolské kultury 160 Iluze „nákolních“ staveb 165 Středoevropský latén a konec pravěku 171 Kultovní a monumentální architektura 177 Rondely 177 Megality 181 Dolmeny 184 Barnenez 191 Newgrange 198 Gavrinis 205 Saharské a kavkazské dolomeny 210 Menhiry 214 Carnac 217 Černovaja 218 Stonehenge 221 Středomoří 226 Odkaz pravěku 243 KAPITOLA TŘETÍ Mizející svět Poslední lovci-sběrači 245 Dobytí severu 245 Paleoeskymáci 245 Fjord -
Astronomy and Intentionality in the Temples of Mnajdra. ______Essay by Tore Lomsdalen ©
Tore Lomsdalen Archaeoastronomy, Summer 2010 Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, The University of Wales, Lampeter, UK Astronomy and Intentionality in the Temples of Mnajdra. ________________________________________________________________________ Essay by Tore Lomsdalen © Introduction The specific aim of this paper is to argue whether the Neolithic Mnajdra Temple was deliberately built as a sacred site for religious worship and to pay respect and obeisance to the power of cosmos. It will particularly investigate solar alignments at the time of the Equinox and the Solstice to establish if it was built intentionally as a temple for estimating time and seasons. In order to include the Mnajdra site into a larger context of a prehistoric temple period, the essay will also look into other relevant megalithic civilizations. The paper shall put emphasis on investigating how and why this culture emerged in Malta, within an historical context of coherent cultures. Research methodology Besides studying relevant literature on Malta and its temple period history, this archaeoastronomical research programme was conducted as a field study at the megalithic site of Mnajdra, located on the south-eastern Maltese coastline. The site was visited on two different occasions – once at the time of the Vernal Equinox (18th - 23rd of March 2010), and the Summer solstice (22nd – 30th of June 2010). On both occasions, naked-eye astronomy and celestial observations were the fundamental research methods. As technical equipment, a hand held GPS (Garmin 12), a compass (Geonaute C500), a 30 metre measuring tape and a Nikon digital photographic camera were used. During the first site survey in March 2010, the following megalithic structures were visited: Ggantija, Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Ta’Hagrat, Skorba, Tarxien and the 200 metre long cave of Ghar Dalam. -
Investigation of the Structural Behaviour of Megalithic Mnajdra Monument
FRONT PAGE INVESTIGATION OF THE STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF MEGALITHIC MNAJDRA MONUMENT by Siphesihle Mpho Motsa Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering School of Civil Engineering, Surveying and Construction University of KwaZulu-Natal Durban November 2018 Examiner’s copy ABSTRACT The Maltese megalithic temples are regarded as one of the oldest structures from early civilization dating back to about the 4th millennium. These megalithic structures provide valuable information due to their complexity of geometry and the way they were constructed, and they also serve as one of the main tourist attraction areas in the Maltese islands. The areas in which these megalithic structures are found have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In this study, the structural behaviour of the middle temple of the Mnajdra megalithic temple is investigated. First, the geometry of the temple was obtained from a cloud of points using radar- laser scanning. The mechanical material properties of the megaliths and soil were obtained from published experimental research on similar monuments. A finite element model was created whereby nonlinear contact mechanics was applied since unilateral contact between parts is the major stress-transfer mechanism. Simulations from eigenmode analysis show various natural frequencies and shape modes of the monument which can be validated from experimental data obtained from an ambient vibration monitor. Results obtained from structural analysis show the major stress transfer points between the megaliths, the response of the structure under selected loading scenarios as well as potential collapse mechanisms. ii DECLARATION- PLAGIARISM Supervisor: As the candidate’s supervisor, I agree to the submission of this dissertation. -
Playing with the Time. Experimental Archaeology and the Study of the Past
PLAYING WITH THE TIME. EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE STUDY OF THE PAST Editors: Rodrigo Alonso, Javier Baena & David Canales 4th. International Experimental Archaeology Conference 8-11 may 2014, Museo de la Evolución Huma. Burgos, Spain. Experimenta (the Spanish Experimental Archaeology Association) is a non-profit association created, among other proposes, to organize international experimental archaeology conferences. Previous conferences were successively held in Santander (2005), Ronda (2008) and Banyoles (2011). Organization Scientific committee Experimenta (Asociación española de Arqueología Experimental) Carlos Díez (Universidad de Burgos) Museo de la Evolución Humana, Junta de Castilla y León Marta Navazo(Universidad de Burgos) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Ángel Carrancho (Universidad de Burgos) EXARC José A. Rodriguez Marcos (Universidad de Burgos) Diego Arceredillo (Fundación Atapuerca) Cooperación institutions Marcos Terradillos (Fundación Atapuerca) Fundación Atapuerca Millán Mozota (Institut Milá i Fontanals, CSIC) Universidad de Burgos Xavier Terradas (Institut Milá i Fontanals, CSIC) Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - IMF, Barcelona Ignacio Clemente (Institut Milá i Fontanals, CSIC) Asociación Española para el Estudio del Cuaternaro (AEQUA) Antonio Morgado (Universidad de Granada) Gema Chacón (Institut de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social) Organizing committee Josep Maria Verges (Institut de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social) Alejandro Sarmiento (Museo de la Evolución Humana, Junta de Castilla -
Annual Report 2016
2016 Annual Report Board of Trustees Contents Message from the director 7 MANAGEMENT 9 About us: Big general data for 2016 11 Staff 14 Scientific Advisory Board 19 RESEARCH 21 Research Groups 23 Research Projects Hosted by IPHES 29 Research Projects not Hosted by IPHES 33 Research Fellowships 37 Publications 40 Activity as Referee 54 Fieldwork activity 58 Congresses, workshops & seminars 63 Short-term stay at other research centers 79 ACADEMY 83 Degrees and Doctoral Programme 85 PhD Thesis supervised and defended 87 Master Thesis supervised and defended 89 Participation in assessment Committees to evaluate PhD 93 OUTREACH 95 Conferences and talks 97 Outreach publications 104 Science education 105 Management of exhibitions 107 Participatory activities 109 Didactic contents and materials 109 Science Communication 110 KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER & SERVICES 117 2016 Message from the director Robert Sala, IPHES director/IPHES theless they still need an increase in st It is for me a pleasure to introduce the number of papers within the 1 the 2016 Annual Report of Activ- quartile. After accomplishing with ities of the Catalan Institute of Hu- good absolute figures is time for our man Palaeoecology and Social institute to gain the relative score in Evolution. IPHES is a mature institute excellence and increase our cur- st hosting very active research teams rent 31.8% of 1 quartile papers. devoted to the creation and social- isation of knowledge on the human The visibility of the research of an in- evolutionary process in all its dimen- stitute can be also measured by its sions and framework. The scientific presence in the main international activity of our institute is currently congresses. -
Establishing a Methodology for Determining Handedness in Lithic Materials As a Proxy for Cognitive Evolution
EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY AND HOMINID EVOLUTION: ESTABLISHING A METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING HANDEDNESS IN LITHIC MATERIALS AS A PROXY FOR COGNITIVE EVOLUTION by Lana Ruck A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL December 2014 Copyright 2014 by Lana Ruck ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my thesis committee members, Dr. Douglas Broadfield, Dr. Clifford Brown, and Dr. Kate Detwiler, for their constant support and help with developing this project, as well as the head of the Department of Anthropology, Dr. Michael Harris, for his insights. This project would not have been possible without the help of my volunteer flintknappers: Ralph Conrad, Mike Cook, Scott Hartsel, Ed Moser, and Owen Sims, and my raw materials suppliers: Curtis Smith and Elliot Collins. I would also like to thank Miki Matrullo and Katherine Sloate for cataloging my handaxes and flakes and aiding me in creating a blind study. Special thanks to Justin Colón and Dr. Clifford Brown for assessing a random sample of my flakes, adding objectivity to this study. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Natalie Uomini for her constant help and support of my project. iv ABSTRACT Author: Lana Ruck Title: Experimental Archaeology and Hominid Evolution: Establishing a Methodology for Determining Handedness in Lithic Materials as a Proxy for Cognitive Evolution Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Douglas Broadfield Degree: Master of Arts Year: 2014 Human handedness is likely related to brain lateralization and major cognitive innovations in human evolution. -
Island Questions: the Chronology of the Brochtorff Circle at Xagħra, Gozo, and Its Significance for the Neolithic Sequence on Malta
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00790-y ORIGINAL PAPER Island questions: the chronology of the Brochtorff Circle at Xagħra, Gozo, and its significance for the Neolithic sequence on Malta Caroline Malone1 & Nathaniel Cutajar2 & T. Rowan McLaughlin1 & Bernardette Mercieca-Spiteri3 & Anthony Pace4 & Ronika K. Power5 & Simon Stoddart6 & Sharon Sultana2 & Christopher Bronk Ramsey7 & Elaine Dunbar8 & Alex Bayliss9,10 & Frances Healy11 & Alasdair Whittle11 Received: 30 July 2018 /Accepted: 22 January 2019 # The Author(s) 2019 Abstract Bayesian chronological modelling of radiocarbon dates from the Brochtorff Circle at Xagħra, Gozo, Malta (achieved through the ToTL and FRAGSUS projects), provides a more precise chronology for the sequence of development and use of a cave complex. Artefacts show that the site was in use from the Żebbuġ period of the late 5th/early 4th millennium cal BC to the Tarxien Cemetery phase of the later 3rd/early 2nd millennia cal BC. Absolutely dated funerary activity, however, starts with a small rock- cut tomb, probably in use in the mid to late fourth millennium cal BC, in the Ġgantija period. After an interval of centuries, burial resumed on a larger scale, probably in the thirtieth century cal BC, associated with Tarxien cultural material, with the use of the cave for collective burial and other depositions, with a series of structures, most notably altar-like settings built from massive stone slabs, which served to monumentalise the space. This process continued at intervals until the deposition of the last burials, probably in the twenty-fourth century cal BC; ceremonial activity may have ended at this time or a little later, to be followed by occupation in the Tarxien Cemetery period. -
Ascher. Experimental Archaeology
Experimental Archeology Author(s): Robert Ascher Source: American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 63, No. 4 (Aug., 1961), pp. 793-816 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/666670 Accessed: 05/02/2010 05:27 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=black. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Blackwell Publishing and American Anthropological Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Anthropologist. http://www.jstor.org Experimental Archeology1 ROBERT ASCHER CornellUniversity INTRODUCTION THE term experiment appears in a number of archeological contexts. -
Megalithic Temples of Malta (Malta) Components of the Inscribed Property (In Hectares)
These minor modifications were proposed to support the following components of the inscribed serial property. Megalithic Temples of Malta (Malta) Components of the inscribed property (in hectares): No 132bis # Name of component of the property Size 1 Ġgantija (132-001) 0.715 ha 2 Ħaġar Qim (132-002) 0.813 ha 3 Mnajdra (132-003) 0.563 ha 4 Ta’ Ħaġrat (132-004): 0.154 ha 1 Basic data 5 Skorba (132-005): 0.103 ha 6 Tarxien (132-006) 0.807 ha State Party Malta Due to the proximity of Ta’ Ħaġrat and Skorba, and of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra, the establishment of the buffer Name of property zones included locating each of the above-mentioned Megalithic Temples of Malta pairs of sites in a single buffer zone. Therefore, the allocation of buffer zone sizes for the components of the Location Megalithic Temples of Malta are provided in the table Islands of Malta and Gozo below. Inscription Areas of the proposed buffer zones (in hectares): 1980 # Name of component of the Size of proposed Brief description Megalithic Temples of Malta buffer zone Seven megalithic temples are found on the islands of 1 Ġgantija (132-001) 33 ha Malta and Gozo, each the result of an individual 2 Ħaġar Qim (132-002) and Mnajdra 63 ha development. The two temples of Ggantija on the island of (132-003) Gozo are notable for their gigantic Bronze Age structures. 3 Ta’ Ħaġrat (132-004) and Skorba 60 ha (132-005) On the island of Malta, the temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra 4 Tarxien (132-006) 11 ha and Tarxien are unique architectural masterpieces, given the limited resources available to their builders. -
The Collapse and Proposed Restoration of a Prehistoric Megalithic Structure A
Transactions on the Built Environment vol 15, © 1995 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509 The collapse and proposed restoration of a prehistoric megalithic structure A. Torpiano Institute for Masonry and Construction Research, University of Malta, Malta Abstract A recent partial collapse of one of the megalithic temples in Malta, dating back to 3000-3500BC, has presented an opportunity to study the structure of one of these temples in greater detail, in order to evaluate the cause of the collapse, as well as to consider the feasible limits of restoration. Since their discovery and excavation, in the middle of the last century, the limestone temple structures have been exposed to a variety of damaging environmental conditions, which have resulted in an alarming rate of deterioration. The paper summarises the structural characteristics of the temples, and the various factors that have a deleterious effect, particularly those that led to the partial collapse. 1 Introduction The complex of prehistoric megalithic temples at Mnajdra, in Malta, consists of three distinct temples, referred to as the Upper, Middle and Lower temples, and is located close to the edge of a promontory on the south-west coast of the island, at approximately 85m above sea-level, at a latitude of 35.83°N. Another major temple complex, known as Hagar Qim, lies around 500m east, at approximately 135m above sea-level; other prehistoric remains can be found within a similar distance to the north of the site. This testifies to the special significance that the site must have had for our ancestors. The remains of the Mnajdra temples were first excavated in 1840 by C.Lenormantl; further excavations were carried out in 1910 by Ashby^, before the site lapsed into obscurity up to the middle of this century. -
Mnajdra Was Not Built in a Day
Tore Lomsdalen: Mnajdra Was Not Built in a Day Mnajdra Was Not Built in a Day Tore Lomsdalen University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Milano, Italy [email protected] Abstract Based on archaeological evidence the Mnajdra complex, which consists of three distinct structures, seems to have been built and used throughout the Ggantija (3,600 – 3,000 BC) and Tarxien (3,000 – 2,500 BC) periods. As chronology is mainly based on typological and not on stratigraphic evidence, the precise dating of the Mnajdra buildings is not free of difficulty. It is generally acknowledged that the small trefoil temple was the first to be built, due to its simplicity, and that the middle temple was the last. The lower temple would have been constructed in a time span between the other two. However, this temple shows signs of more than one building phase and part of it could have been constructed before, or contemporarily to, the small trefoil temple. Based on field observations and ho- rizon astronomy, this paper proposes a redefined building sequence for the lower temple, which was conceived of and built over a thousand year period. Where archaeology alone does not provide any conclusive evidence or indication, archaeoastronomy can provide supplementary data to help establish a possible building chronology. KEYWORDS: archaeoastronomy, Malta, Neolithic, temples, orientation, chronology POVZETEK Na podlagi arheoloških dokazov se zdi, da je bil kompleks Mnajdra, ki ga sestavljajo tri ločene strukture, zgrajen in uporabljan v obdobjih Ggantija (3600 do 3000 pr. n. št.) in Tarxien (3000 do 2500 pr. n. št.). Ker kronologija temelji ne tipoloških in ne na stra- tigrafskih dokazih, je natančno datiranje zgradb v Mnajdri težavno.