BALLCOURT REPRESENTATIONS IN QUIECHAPA, OAXACA, MEXICO: RITUAL OFFERING, FERTILITY, AND LIFE

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Alex Elvis Badillo
Keyword(s):  
Structure From Motion ◽  
Archaeological Survey ◽  
Visual Data ◽  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
San Pedro ◽  
Natural Rock ◽  
Initial Discovery ◽  
Stone Carvings

Abstract During an archaeological survey in the municipality of San Pedro Mártir Quiechapa, Oaxaca, Mexico, archaeologists from the Proyecto Arqueológico de Quiechapa (PAQuie) encountered and documented a number of carved stone elements. Of particular interest are the 30 representations of ballcourts carved into natural rock outcrops at two sites in the region. This is the highest density in which this type of ballcourt representation occurs throughout Mesoamerica. After their initial discovery, members of PAQuie documented the carved stone ballcourts using structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, a quick and affordable technique to collect 3D spatial, quantitative, and visual data of stone carvings. In this article, I report on the carved stone ballcourt representations documented in the Quiechapa region and offer some preliminary interpretations. I first provide some description of the broader archaeological context in which the carvings were found. Then I describe the methods used to record the stone carvings, followed by a presentation of the data. Finally, in dialogue with extant literature, I explore some possibilities as to why these carved stone ballcourt representations were created, how they may have been used, and what they may symbolize.

Lichens of the Dartmoor Rocks

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-396
Author(s):  
V. J. Giavarini
Keyword(s):  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
South West ◽  
Natural Rock ◽  
Derelict Mine ◽  
Mine Workings ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
South West England

AbstractA description of the lichen communities associated with natural rock outcrops and derelict mine workings in the upland region of Dartmoor, south-west England, is presented. An examination of 34 study sites revealed 270 taxa, of which 28 are reported as new to Devon including several national rarities. Notes on 29 tors have been prepared and reasons for the predominance or decline of particular communities or species are discussed.

CROWD-SOURCED VISUAL DATA COLLECTION FOR MONITORING INDOOR CONSTRUCTION IN 3D

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fouad Amer ◽  
Mani Golparvar-Fard
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
3D Reconstruction ◽  
Structure From Motion ◽  
Reconstruction Algorithm ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Visual Data ◽  
Mapping Algorithm ◽  
3D Point Clouds ◽  
Localization And Mapping

Complete and accurate 3D monitoring of indoor construction progress using visual data is challenging. It requires (a) capturing a large number of overlapping images, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive to collect, and (b) processing using Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms, which can be computationally expensive. To address these inefficiencies, this paper proposes a hybrid SfM-SLAM 3D reconstruction algorithm along with a decentralized data collection workflow to map indoor construction work locations in 3D and any desired frequency. The hybrid 3D reconstruction method is composed of a pipeline of Structure from Motion (SfM) coupled with Multi-View Stereo (MVS) to generate 3D point clouds and a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm to register the separately formed models together. Our SfM and SLAM pipelines are built on binary Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF (ORB) descriptors to tightly couple these two separate reconstruction workflows and enable fast computation. To elaborate the data capture workflow and validate the proposed method, a case study was conducted on a real-world construction site. Compared to state-of-the-art methods, our preliminary results show a decrease in both registration error and processing time, demonstrating the potential of using daily images captured by different trades coupled with weekly walkthrough videos captured by a field engineer for complete 3D visual monitoring of indoor construction operations.

The role of the extractive sites in geological education and research

1974 ◽  
Vol 339 (1618) ◽  
pp. 389-394 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Information ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Extractive Industries ◽  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
The North ◽  
Natural Rock ◽  
Mineral Production ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Symbiotic Relation

There has long been a symbiotic relation between geology and industry. Knowledge obtained by geologists is applied to the needs of the extractive industries who, in turn, provide artificial exposures which are used to further the science. The importance of extractive sites is greatest in the south and east where natural exposures are almost wanting, and least in the north and west where natural rock outcrops abound. For the instructor in charge of a field party, large quarries provide the most suitable and accessible demonstration sites in that they show clear and extensive sections, often in three dimensions. To the research worker, mineral workings of all types and ages supplement the information to be gleaned from the frequently small and obscure, natural outcrops. Recent trends towards centralization in the extractive industries have diminished the benefits mineral workings yield to research. The concentration of mineral production in a few large, highly mechanized centres provides less scientific information per unit of production than the smaller, but more numerous, scattered pits, often handworked, of a century ago. Although friction between mineral operators and geologists is remark­ably slight, clashes of interest with geomorphologists are frequent. In limestone country, for instance, caves and pavements are destroyed by mineral workings, while in gravel- and sand-bearing areas many features are liable to bodily removal. For geologists, conservation problems typically arise on extractive sites only when they are worked out; for geomorphologists, on the other hand, they arise in many cases as soon as working starts.

The area of the Nart in the toponymy of Mongolian

2020 ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Mihail E. Mamiev
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Desert Area ◽  
Semantic Meaning ◽  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
Late Middle Ages ◽  
Natural Rock ◽  
Small Story

Despite the fact that the study of Alanian history in Mongolia and China has been going on for a century and a half, it has not been systematic until recently. Moreover, researchers traditionally focus on the Yuan period of the Alans’ presence in this territory. The longer period after the fall of the Yuan Empire in 1368 and up to the twentieth century remains poorly understood. So far, no direct traces of the Alans’ presence in Mongolia, who assimilated after the 17th century, have been found. This article is devoted to a small story related to the first identified traces of the cultural presence of the medieval Alans on the territory of Mongolia, which was the Northern part of the Yuan Empire. We are talking about the toponym Nart, identified on the ground thanks to the consultations of Mongolian researchers, in the area of recorded historical settlement of the Alans-Asas or Asuts, as they were called by the Mongols. The Nart area is located on the territory of the Gov-Sumbar aimag, in a semi-desert area dotted with natural rock outcrops that resemble cyclopean buildings made of huge and carefully fitted stone slabs, as if they were built by heroes. The name Nart does not have any semantic meaning in the Mongolian language, but it is lexically well connected with the heroes of the Scythian-Alanian epic, the bearers of which lived in this area in the late middle ages. This conclusion confirms the Iranian theory of the origin of the term nart, which raises it to the Iranian basis nara -, ‘male, man’, meaning’ warrior, hero, strongman, hero’ and contradicts the long-disputed Mongolian theory of the origin of the word nart from the Mongolian nara, ‘sun’, nar-tæ – ‘children of the sun’. The considered plot shows the prospects for further research that will reveal other traces of the Alans ‘ stay in Mongolia and China.

Sustentabilidad económica del cultivo de maíz (Zea mays L.) en Acambay, México

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Urbano-Castillo ◽  
Noe Flores-Hernández ◽  
Augusto Montiel-Castro ◽  
Rosy G. Cruz-Monterrosa ◽  
Mayra Díaz-Ramírez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Zea Mays L ◽  
San Pedro

Objetivo: evaluar la sustentabilidad económica del cultivo de maíz criollo (Zea mays L.) en Acambay, Estado de México. Diseño/metodología/aproximación: El área de estudio fue el municipio de Acambay, del estado de México. Se aplicó un cuestionario a 50 productores de maíz de los ejidos y comunidades agrarias de la Soledad, Pueblo Nuevo, Loma Linda, Dateje, San Pedro de los Metales, Dongú y Tixmadeje. El cuestionario se basó en el método de Indicadores de Sustentabilidad de Explotaciones Agropecuarias (IDEA). La selección de cada productor encuestado se realizó mediante el muestreo tipo bola de nieve, escogiendo el primer encuestado al azar. Resultados: El valor obtenido para el indicador “viabilidad económica” (C1) fue 1 de 20 puntos, indicando que la ganancia derivada del cultivo de maíz representa un salario mínimo. El indicador “tasa de especialización económica” (C2) obtuvo 0 puntos ya que solo se cultiva maíz, por lo tanto, representa una fuente de ingreso para los productores. En el indicador “autonomía financiera” (C3) el valor promedio obtenido fue 12 explicando que no existe una dependencia marcada en la compra de insumos externos para cultivar maíz. El indicador “sensibilidad a las ayudas del primer pilar de la política agrícola común” (C4) obtuvo 0 en promedio ya que la mayoría de los productores no reciben apoyos gubernamentales para cultivar maíz.  Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: los resultados presentados son avances de un análisis con más encuestados, por lo tanto, se sugiere tomar con cautela los resultados. Los indicadores “transmisión del capital” (C5) y “eficiencia de los procesos productivos” (C6) no se evaluaron adecuadamente ya que durante la aplicación de las encuestas los productores se negaron a proporcionar información detallada para evaluar estos indicadores. Hallazgos/conclusiones: la sustentabilidad económica calculada para los productores encuestados fue de 13% lo cual es muy baja, esto se debe principalmente a que éstos no siempre cuentan con el acceso a apoyos aplicables a la producción de maíz, otro factor que contribuye a la baja sustentabilidad es que el grano de maíz y los subproductos no se venden debido a bajos precios del mercado, por lo tanto, prefieren sembrar para autoconsumo, o para que los terrenos de cultivo heredados no estén ociosos.

O tym, co minęło, lecz nie zostało zapomniane: Badania archeologiczne na terenie byłego obozu zagłady w Treblince

2012 ◽  
pp. 83-118
Author(s):  
Caroline Sturdy Colls
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Archaeological Survey ◽  
Mass Graves ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Analysis ◽  
The Holocaust ◽  
Public Consciousness ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Answering Questions

Public impression of the Holocaust is unquestionably centred on knowledge about, and the image of, Auschwitz-Birkenau – the gas chambers, the crematoria, the systematic and industrialized killing of victims. Conversely, knowledge of the former extermination camp at Treblinka, which stands in stark contrast in terms of the visible evidence that survives pertaining to it, is less embedded in general public consciousness. As this paper argues, the contrasting level of knowledge about Auschwitz- Birkenau and Treblinka is centred upon the belief that physical evidence of the camps only survives when it is visible and above-ground. The perception of Treblinka as having been “destroyed” by the Nazis, and the belief that the bodies of all of the victims were cremated without trace, has resulted in a lack of investigation aimed at answering questions about the extent and nature of the camp, and the locations of mass graves and cremation pits. This paper discusses the evidence that demonstrates that traces of the camp do survive. It outlines how archival research and non-invasive archaeological survey has been used to re-evaluate the physical evidence pertaining to Treblinka in a way that respects Jewish Halacha Law. As well as facilitating spatial and temporal analysis of the former extermination camp, this survey has also revealed information about the cultural memory.

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