scholarly journals Hittite Geographers: Geographical Perceptions and Practices in Hittite Anatolia

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 39-60
Author(s):  
N. İlgi Gerçek
Keyword(s):  
Historical Geography ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Classical Period ◽  
Geographical Knowledge ◽  
Geographical Data ◽  
Essential Component ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Written Sources

AbstractHittite archives are remarkably rich in geographical data. A diverse array of documents has yielded, aside from thousands of geographical names (of towns, territories, mountains, and rivers), detailed descriptions of the Hittite state’s frontiers and depictions of landscape and topography. Historical geography has, as a result, occupied a central place in Hittitological research since the beginnings of the field. The primary aim of scholarship in this area has been to locate (precisely) or localize (approximately) regions, towns, and other geographical features, matching Hittite geographical names with archaeological sites, unexcavated mounds, and—whenever possible—with geographical names from the classical period. At the same time, comparatively little work has been done on geographical thinking in Hittite Anatolia: how and for what purpose(s) was geographical information collected, organized, and presented? How did those who produce the texts imagine their world and their homeland, “the Land of Hatti?” How did they characterize other lands and peoples they came into contact with? Concentrating on these questions, the present paper aims to extract from Hittite written sources their writers’ geographical conceptions and practices. It is argued that the acquisition and management of geographical information was an essential component of the Hittite Empire’s administrative infrastructure and that geographical knowledge was central to the creation of a Hittite homeland.

scholarly journals Uneven geographies in the various language editions of Wikipedia: the case of Ukrainian cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-266
Author(s):  
Oleksiy Gnatiuk ◽  
◽  
Victoria Glybovets ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Historical Geography ◽  
Cultural Influence ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Geographical Knowledge ◽  
The Past ◽  
Central Factor

The paper tackles the issue of uneven geographical representations on Wikipedia, the most visible and powerful user-generated encyclopaedia. In particular, it addresses language imbalances on Wikipedia with regard to geographical information and uneven spatial patterns of territory coverage on the different language versions in an attempt to verify expectations about the cultural factors that influence these imbalances and uneven spatial patterns. Ukraine is a promising case for testing the formulated expectations, as it has a large number of neighbouring countries, and most of them had political and cultural influence on its territory in the past. The volumes (word counts) of articles about the Ukrainian cities were analysed for seven language versions of Wikipedia, including the Ukrainian version and the versions of all bordering countries. The results show that historical geography is the strongest and central factor, and most of the key relic borders (former boundaries) can be traced. Ethnic composition appears to be another important factor, although weaker than the previous one. The role of the border factor is often unclear, but in some cases it definitely makes an impact and therefore cannot be completely ignored. Thus, the geographies of Wikipedia are not indifferent to the issues of ethnicity and geopolitics. The research calls into question the ability of modern Wikipedia to be a reliable and balanced source of geographical knowledge, as the described imbalances may create lopsided and biased geographical representations in people from different countries and nations.

Two Centuries of Excavating Merovingian-Era Cemeteries In France

2020 ◽  
pp. 76-95
Author(s):  
Bonnie Effros
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Central Place ◽  
State Funding ◽  
Formal Training ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Private Funding ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Creation

The excavation of Merovingian-period cemeteries in France began in earnest in the 1830s spurred by industrialization, the creation of many new antiquarian societies across the country, and French nationalism. However, the professionalization of the discipline of archaeology occurred slowly due to the lack of formal training in France, weak legal protections for antiquities, and insufficient state funding for archaeological endeavors. This chapter identifies the implications of the central place occupied by cemeterial excavations up until the mid-twentieth century and its impact on broader discussions in France of national origins and ethnic identity. In more recent years, with the creation of archaeological agencies such as Afan and Inrap, the central place once occupied by grave remains has been diminished. Rescue excavations and private funding for new structures have brought about a shift to other priorities and research questions, with both positive and negative consequences, though cemeteries remain an important source of evidence for our understanding of Merovingian society.

scholarly journals SEA LEVEL CHANGES ALONG THE COASTS OF KEA ISLAND AND PALEOGEOGRAPHICAL COASTAL RECONSTRUCTION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 453 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.D Mourtzas
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Classical Period ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Coastal Morphology ◽  
Sea Levels

Sea level changes during the Upper Holocene submerged the coasts of Kea in three different phases about 5.50m, 3.90m and 1.50m respectively below the contemporary sea level thus causing sea transgression along the shores of Kea, which varied from 8m to 78m depending on the coastal morphology. These changes caused the alteration of the earlier morphology at coastal archaeological sites of the Island, as the prehistoric settlement of Ayia Irini and Classical period port of Karthaia, as well as, submerged under the sea areas of coastal human activity during antiquity, as the ancient schist quarry at Spathi bay. The study of historical, geomorphological and sedimentological data indicative of previous sea levels allow the paleogeographical reconstruction of the coasts during the period of human activities in these areas.

scholarly journals Preliminary Reviews Of The Late Medieval Historical Geography Of Jizzakh (On The Basis Of Written Sources And Archaeological Data)

2020 ◽  
Vol 02 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Pardaev Ahrorqul Hasanovich ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Historical Geography ◽  
Late Medieval ◽  
Modern City ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Late Middle Ages ◽  
Scientific Analysis ◽  
Geographical Locations ◽  
Written Sources

The article examines the historical medieval towns, fortresses and other geographical areas of the Jizzakh oasis based on written sources and data obtained from archeological excavations. As a result of scientific analysis, the geographical locations of the Jizzakh Horde and its environs, which are the location of the modern city of Jizzakh in the late Middle Ages, have been clarified.

scholarly journals The fate of the Russian archaeologist at the era-breaking time

2021 ◽  
pp. 185-193
Author(s):  
Mironenko Maria P. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
The State ◽  
Active Participant ◽  
The North ◽  
Art And Culture ◽  
Russian North ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Breaking Time ◽  
Written Sources

The article is devoted to the fate of an archaeologist, historian, employee of the Rumyantsev Museum, local historian, head of the section for the protection of museums and monuments of art and antiquities in Arkhangelsk, member and active participant of the Arkhangelsk Church Archaeological Committee and the Arkhangelsk Society for the Study of Russian North K.N. Lyubarsky (1886–1920). The Department of Written Sources of the State Historical Museum stores his archive, which sheds light on the history of his struggle to protect churches and other monuments of art and culture dying in the North of Russia during the revolution and civil war, for the creation of the Arkhangelsk Regional Museum.

The creation of humanised landscapes

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Williams
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Human Ecology ◽  
Historical Geography ◽  
The United States ◽  
Human Geography ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Subjective Meaning ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Historical Element

The historical element and human action are implicit in the idea of the landscape. Such combinations, in various guises, often go under the name of historical geography. More latterly, the meaning of ‘history’, in its broadest sense, has been scrutinised closely because of the implicit subjective meaning embedded in any account of the past. Within geography, one of the earliest and most distinctive contributions to humanised landscapes came from the ‘Aberystwyth School’ of historically oriented human geography, which had an emphasis on anthropology and human ecology, and the western parts of Britain. As the l930s wore on, two figures emerged who were to dominate the debate about history in geography — Carl O. Sauer in the United States and H. C. Darby in Britain. There are basically two approaches to understanding past humanised landscapes — the reconstruction of these landscapes from consistent and comprehensive sources, and the mapping of relict features. Increasingly, both approaches combine history, archaeology, palaeobotany, and other disciplines.

scholarly journals Geoarchaeological Characterisation of Sites of Iberian and Roman Cordoba Using LiDAR Data Acquisitions

Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Monterroso-Checa
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Information ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Lidar Data ◽  
National Geographic ◽  
Urban Structures ◽  
Surface Models ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Diachronic Analysis ◽  
The City ◽  
Historic Cities

The National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN) carried out a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) flight for the entire region of Andalusia between 2013 and 2014, which completed the general LiDAR acquisitions obtained for all of Spain since 2010. Recently, successive updates of orthoimages of Spain and Andalusia have also been acquired. This geographic documentation allows several applications for the aerial detection of archaeological sites. In recent years, numerous discoveries have been made in Spain, especially in non-built-up areas located outside urban enclaves. Less attention, however, has been paid to the use of this geographical information in historic cities because, apparently, they do not preserve their historical micro relief. This study analyses the city of Cordoba (southern Spain) by processing LiDAR data of the Plan Nacional de Ortofotografía Aérea (PNOA-LiDAR). Digital Surface Models (DSM) obtained for the entire city, in combination with geological and archaeological records, provide evidence of the geomorphological reconstruction of the city in ancient times. Using Cordoba as an example, the main purpose of this article is to highlight the fact that LiDAR data are also useful for the diachronic analysis of ancient urban structures buried some metres deep in current historic cities.

Methods in the Study of African Historical Geography, Landscapes, and Environmental Change

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Homewood
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Historical Geography ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Micro Particles ◽  
Environmental Narratives ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Types Of Information

Increasingly, methods not traditionally used by historians are becoming available for the study of African historical geography, landscapes, and environmental change. Starting with an outline of the main determinants of vegetation formations across African landscapes, the article goes on to look at a selection of macro, micro, and modeling methods. Remote sensing allows analysis of land cover change over the past few decades but also shows enduring features useful in interpreting sources describing these landscapes at times long past. Google Earth–type software makes it possible to take a virtual walk through landscapes with key informants in the present day, exploring how the land was used and has changed. Geographical information systems make it possible to collate different spatially explicit types of information, including qualitative data, for quantitative and statistical analysis. At the other end of the scale, pollen, diatoms, foraminifera, and other micro-particles (spicules, phytoliths, cuticles, micro-charcoal) from lake or oceanic sediment cores, and the chemical and isotopic composition of organic remains, all convey information about the environmental context of a site and its surroundings. Carbon isotope or thermoluminescence dating techniques can pinpoint the changes they indicate across potentially very long time spans. Genetic, protein, and other molecular materials may allow precise lineages and migrations to be traced back across very long periods and distances. Finally, modeling makes it possible to use sparse historical and more robust recent data to predict possible pasts in exploratory but evidence-based ways. The disequilibrium debate in drylands illustrates how environmental narratives, strategically used, silence place-based knowledge in ways that science, seeing itself as apolitical, is not well placed to detect.

Empiricism in Sixteenth-Century Medical Practice

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 487-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stolberg
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Sensory Experience ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Personal Observation ◽  
Lay Persons ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Key Terms

Based on an analysis of some 4.000 pages of manuscript notes on ordinary medical practice which the little-known Bohemian physician Georg Handsch (1529–1578?) wrote from the late 1540s, this article traces the central place which empiricist attitudes and approaches held in mid-sixteenth-century learned medical practice. While explicit epistemological statements are rare, the very effort which Handsch put into recording thousands of observations he and other physicians around him had made, and the value they attributed to the experiences of ordinary lay persons and even “empirics” reflects a profound belief in the value of sensory experience and personal observation. The paper traces the uses of empiricist key terms like “experientia,” “historia” and “observatio,” it highlights the epistemic effects of personal observation, from confirming and challenging established notions to the creation of new general knowledge from particulars, and it suggests, in conclusion, that such brief notes on ordinary medical practice played an important role in the history of “facts.” 


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