scholarly journals DIGITAL MODELS AND 3D VISUALIZATION IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS. THE SURVEY OF THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS IN THE CITY OF VERGHINA IN MACEDONIA

2020 ◽  
Vol XLIV-4/W3-2020 ◽  
pp. 181-188
Author(s):  
L. Corniello ◽  
A. De Cicco
Keyword(s):  
3D Visualization ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Parametric Modelling ◽  
Philip Ii ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Current State ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
The Hill ◽  
The City

Abstract. The research presents the results of the non-invasive survey campaign conducted at the archaeological site of the city of Verghina in Macedonia. Through the consolidated processes of the disciplines of representation, such as digital surveying, point cloud, flat surface processing, 3D modeling and multi-resolution visualization, it is proposed a path of knowledge of the city and the finds that are the subject of the research. Of great interest is the operational process illustrated both on the basis of the problems that emerged and the solutions adopted in the survey phases. As part of the study, the structures present in the city of Verghina and in the natural area known as the Great Mound, where the Royal Tombs are located, were investigated. The hill of land 13 meters high and 110 meters wide preserves the remains of the ancient city buried in the second century BC to escape the pillage of enemy armies. The research has dealt with the three structures present, namely the Tomb of Philip II, the Tomb of Alexander IV (son of Alexander the Great) and the Tomb of Persephors. The investigations conducted aim to document the current state of the places through digital surveys and parametric modelling, proposing, in addition, the visualization of 3D images through multi-resolution systems derived from the bases of the survey previously carried out.

scholarly journals Defensive system of ancient city Volubilis. State of research and new perspectives

2017 ◽  
pp. 513-528
Author(s):  
Maciej Czapski
Keyword(s):  
Non Invasive ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
First Results ◽  
Field Information ◽  
Southern Border ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
Roman Province ◽  
The City

This contribution presents the first results of two surveys (2014, 2016) in the vicinity of the ancient city of Volubilis, situated in the southern part of the Roman province Mauretania Tingitana. The main purpose was to assess the possibilities of non-invasive research of the forts established by the Romans as part of the defensive system of Volubilis and to investigate the character of the Roman defences on the southern border. Forts were connected with watchtowers which completed the system protecting the territory in question. Many interesting fragments of pottery have been found at those sites, which may confirm Roman presence in many, though not all points. Collected field information as well as the analysis of publications leads to the conclusion that the border defence arrangements at Volubilis might not be considered as a part of a centrally organised limes system, safe guarding the entire province, but as the defensive system of the city and its surroundings.

Ai Khanum Reconstructed

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
GUY LECUYOT
Keyword(s):  
Computer Graphic ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
Reconstruction Project ◽  
The City ◽  
Japanese Television

This chapter discusses the computer graphic (CG) reconstruction of the ancient city of Ai Khanum. The CG reconstruction project was initiated by a Japanese television producer and the completed images showed the picture of Ai Khanum as a town during the middle of the second century BC, which corresponds to the final architectural phase of the city. The chapter explains that Ai Khanum is a key element for understanding the Hellenization of the East.

Thessalonica

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde E. Fant ◽  
Mitchell G. Reddish
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Philip Ii ◽  
The Road ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
The Family ◽  
New City ◽  
The City ◽  
Point Of Departure

In 315 B.C.E. Cassander, king of Macedonia, once a general in the army of Alexander the Great, founded a new city in his kingdom. He named it for his wife, Thessalonike, daughter of Philip II of Macedon and the half sister of Alexander. In the centuries that followed, Thessalonica became the premier city of northern Greece, enduring and flourishing under Hellenistic, Roman, and Greek control. Many famous figures in world history played important roles throughout its lengthy and colorful existence, including Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Cicero, Pompey, and Sulëyman I the Magnificent, among others. But no resident or visitor to Thessalonica had a greater influence on the city than an obscure Christian missionary who visited there in the first century, Paul of Tarsus. The first New Testament writing is believed to be Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. Modern Thessaloniki (biblical Thessalonica), second only to Athens among the cities of Greece, is easily reached by automobile or by frequent flights from Athens. Although its ancient ruins and monuments are overshadowed by those of Athens, this city is well worth visiting for its fine archaeological museum and as a point of departure for the spectacular Royal Tombs at Vergina, home to the amazing riches of the family of Alexander the Great. Increasingly, more of ancient Thessalonica is being unearthed by archaeologists and made available to public view. According to Strabo, Thessalonica was established at the site of ancient Therme and formed from the incorporation of twenty-five smaller villages. The ancient city was laid out according to the Hippodamian plan, that is, in rectangular blocks. Its development was encouraged by its fine port and, during the Roman period, by being made the capital of Macedonia. When the Romans connected the Via Egnatia, the historic road linking east and west, to Thessalonica, the city prospered even more. The Roman orator Cicero was exiled in Thessalonica (58–57 B.C.E.) and wrote to his friend Atticus on July 21, 57 B.C.E., that he had delayed leaving the city “owing to the constant traffic along the road” (the Via Egnatia; M. Tullius Cicero, Letters 69).

Philippi

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde E. Fant ◽  
Mitchell G. Reddish
Keyword(s):  
Gain Control ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Julius Caesar ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Philip Ii ◽  
Gold Mines ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Roman Province ◽  
The City

An important city in the Roman and early Christian period, Philippi exists today only as an archaeological site. The impressive remains of this once flourishing city on the Via Egnatia, the important Roman highway in the area, are frequently visited by modern pilgrims retracing the steps of the Apostle Paul, who started a Christian church in the city. The ruins of ancient Philippi are easy to find. The archaeological site is located in the region of Macedonia, alongside highway 12 between Kavala and Drama, next to the village of Krenides. Settlement in the area occurred as early as the Middle Neolithic period (ca. 5000 B.C.E.). In 360 B.C.E., Greek colonists from the island of Thasos, led by the exiled Athenian politician Kallistratos, founded the colony of Krenides on the site of what later became Philippi. The colony at Krenides (which means “spring,” because of the abundant streams in the area) provided the Thasians with access to the rich resources of the area, particularly its silver and gold mines. Threatened by the Thracian tribes in the area, the colonists at Krenides asked Philip II of Macedonia for military assistance in 356 B.C.E. Eager to gain control of the area, and particularly its rich resources, Philip conquered the city and renamed it Philippi in his honor. Philip fortified the city with new walls, increased the city’s population with Macedonian mercenaries, and extracted large amounts of gold and silver from the mines in the area. Although little is known of the city during the Hellenistic period, this was apparently a prosperous time for Philippi. In the 2nd century B.C.E., the Romans occupied Macedonia and turned the area into a Roman province. During the Roman period, the most i important event associated with Philippi took place. In 42 B.C.E. the forces of Octavian (later known as Augustus) and Mark Antony defeated the armies of Brutus and Cassius (the murderers of Julius Caesar) on the plains just outside the west wall of Philippi. This battle brought to an end the Roman Republic.

scholarly journals The rediscovery of Palmyra and its dissemination in Philosophical Transactions

2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-230
Author(s):  
Gregorio Astengo
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
First Time ◽  
The City

This paper examines the first publicly documented western encounter with the ancient city of Palmyra as an archaeological site. This encounter was achieved in the late seventeenth century by a group of British merchants, who reached Palmyra and made drawings and reports of its ruins. The reports were then published in Philosophical Transactions in the mid 1690s. This paper points to the ways in which such accounts came into being, as well as how the city was described and publicly communicated for the first time in Philosophical Transactions . These articles had a great impact throughout the following centuries as a reference for the study of Palmyra. This paper therefore also stresses the pivotal role of Philosophical Transactions for the production and dissemination of Palmyra's archaeological legacy, as well as for the development of early modern archaeology within the early Royal Society.

How Tribal Consultation and Non-Invasive Techniques Led to a Better Understanding of Vázquez de Coronado’s Expedition of 1540–1542

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew F. Schmader
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Site ◽  
American Southwest ◽  
Site Management ◽  
Geophysical Investigation ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Collaborative Archaeology ◽  
Invasive Techniques ◽  
The City ◽  
Traditional Communities

AbstractArchaeological site management goals, when informed by the input of traditional communities, can result in very different outcomes than standard cultural resource investigation strategies. A case example is presented for a large site in Albuquerque, New Mexico, containing material from the Francisco Vázquez de Coronado expedition. From 1540 to 1542, Coronado led one of the largest and most well-known explorations of the American southwest. The expedition spent much time in the Rio Grande Valley near present-day Albuquerque, including the site of Piedras Marcadas Pueblo. Formal consultations between local tribes and the City of Albuquerque in the 1990s generated a research program using geophysics and non-invasive techniques. Geophysical investigation produced results that would not have been obtained without tribal consultation to guide the research from an early point. By combining architectural data found by resistivity surveys with artifact distributions found by metal detection, details of a battle between Coronado’s expedition and puebloan people have emerged. Ongoing tribal consultation has shed light on the events that occurred at Piedras Marcadas and continues to inform interpretation and site management decisions. Resulting cooperation between traditional communities and the City of Albuquerque is a case study in the ever-important practices of co-creation and collaborative archaeology.

scholarly journals 13th-century fortifications of Kraków

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 181-204
Author(s):  
Dariusz Niemiec
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Current State ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Northern Side ◽  
Southern Border ◽  
The Times ◽  
The University ◽  
The Hill ◽  
The City

The paper recapitulates the current state of knowledge about the fortifications of the three basic settlement units of 13th-century Kraków, namely Wawel, Okół, and the city established under Magdeburg Law. With respect to Wawel, written accounts have survived that clearly point to large-scale construction works on timber-and-earth defences of the stronghold undertaken in 1258 and 1265; these fortifications have partly been uncovered by archaeological research close to the southern edge of the hill. The northern section of the moat protecting the Kraków suburbium known as Okół (by the southern border of Wszystkich Świętych Square and Dominikańska Street) probably ceased to function in 1191 due to its destruction during the struggles among provincial dukes vying for control over Kraków. New archaeological investigations of the moat in the area between Poselska and Senacka Streets suggest that in the second half of the 13th century the area of Okół was constricted, with its northern boundary moved back to the line running between these two streets. The earliest planned attempt at fortifying the city of Kraków did not take place before 1285–1287, and it was undertaken on the initiative of Duke Leszek Czarny. It is worth emphasising that at the initial stage it was connected with incorporation of an older Dominican mill-race (mentioned before 1284) into the new system of defences. The construction of the full defensive perimeter in the form of timber-and-earth ramparts and moats must have been completed before the third Mongol invasion, which reached Kraków in the winter of 1287. The remains of a moat connected with the oldest fortifications of the city of Kraków, presumably created during the reign of Leszek Czarny on the northern side of the Church of St. Mark, were archaeologically identified on a parcel at 26 Sławkowska Street. The western line of a moat of the same age was confirmed in several places in the westernmost part of the University Quarter. The construction of Kraków city walls after 1298, during the reign of Wacław II and Władysław Łokietek, was connected with expanding the area of the city in virtually all directions beyond the line marked by older fortifications from the times of Leszek Czarny.

scholarly journals Art. XXI.—Tagara; Tēr.

1901 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-552
Author(s):  
J. F. Fleet
Keyword(s):  
Second Century ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
The Family ◽  
The City ◽  
The Town

For more than a century, Indian archæologists have been greatly puzzled about the identity of an ancient city named Tagara. The city is referred to in some of the Indian epigraphic records. Thus, a record of a.d. 997 describes the Śilāhāra prince Aparājita, of the Northern Koṅkaṇ, as Tagara-pura-paramēśvara, or “ supreme lord of the town of Tagara,” giving to him a hereditary title commemorative of the place which his family claimed as its original home. Another Śilāhāra record, of a.d. 1058, similarly applies to Mārasiṁha, of the Karhāḍ branch of the family, the title of Tagara-puravar-ādhīśvara, or “ supreme lord Tagara, a best of towns, an excellent town, a chief town;” and it further describes his grandfather Jatiga II. more specifically, but less accurately, as Tagara-nagara-bhūpālaka, or “ king of the city of Tagara.” And a Western Chalukya record of a.d. 612 specifies Tagara as the residence of the person to whom the grant of a village, registered in that charter, was made. The city is further mentioned, as Tagara, by the Greek geographer Ptolemy, who, writing about the middle of the second century a.d., assigned to it a certain latitude and longitude which have the effect of placing it about eighty-seven miles towards the north-east from another place, mentioned by him as Baithana, which his details would locate about 270 miles on the east-north-east of Barygaza.

Amphipolis

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde E. Fant ◽  
Mitchell G. Reddish
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Precious Metals ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
Philip Ii ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
Strategic Location ◽  
The City ◽  
Geographical Feature

The modern, small village of Amphipolis belies the importance of the ancient city whose name it bears. Located strategically along the Strymon River and on the Via Egnatia, Amphipolis was one of the most important cities of Macedonia in antiquity. The site of ancient Amphipolis is located between Thessaloniki and Kavala, about 65 miles east of Thessaloniki. From highway E90 there are signs that point the way to Amphipolis. The ancient city sits on a bend on the east bank of the Strymon River, surrounded by the river on three sides. This geographical feature gave rise to the name of the city, since Amphipolis means “around the city.” The site was originally settled by Thracians, who called their settlement Ennea Hodoi, meaning “Nine Ways” or “Nine Roads,” indicating the importance of the location as a crossroads for travel and trade routes. After several failed attempts the Athenians captured the area and founded the city of Amphipolis on the site of Ennea Hodoi in 437 B.C.E. under the leadership of Hagnon. In 424 B.C.E. the city came under Spartan control. Amphipolis was an important city both because of its strategic location on the Strymon River only 3 miles from the Aegean Sea and because of its rich natural resources of agriculture (wine, oil, and wood) and precious metals (especially gold from the mines on Mt. Pangaion). In spite of repeated attempts by the Athenians to recapture the city, Amphipolis remained a free city until its capture by Philip II of Macedon in 358–357 B.C.E. During the time of Macedonian rule, Amphipolis became one of the leading cities in the region. It was one of six cities chosen by Alexander the Great where large, costly temples were built. The city also played a significant role in Alexander’s military conquests. For example, the city and the surrounding area served as the staging ground for the beginning of Alexander’s conquest of Asia. After Alexander’s death his wife Roxane and their young son, Alexander IV, were exiled to Amphipolis. After the Roman victory at Pydna in 168 B.C.E., which effectively ended Macedonian rule, Amphipolis, along with the rest of Macedonia, became a Roman possession.

The ancient city and the rising sea. Using archaeogeosites to convey climate awareness.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido Stefano Mariani ◽  
Rita Teresa Melis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Archaeological Heritage ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuations ◽  
Geological Processes ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
Surrounding Landscape ◽  
The City

<p>The interaction between human societies and the physical landscape is deep and widespread since the dawn of civilisation. The development of different cultures always had to take into account their physical and geological surrounding, in order to adapt to their features and exploit them in the most efficient fashion. Cultural and geological heritage are therefore often tightly linked in a relationship enhancing the meaning of both to society in many ways. Tapping into these cultural archives can provide a useful way of communicating geoheritage to the wider public through the history of human-landscape interactions. Such landmarks would effectively act as witnesses of Earth history from a human point of view and become beneficial in spreading knowledge about past and current geological processes such as climate change. With the help of archaeogeosites, integrated reconstructions where the geological and geomorphological evidence with the elements of archaeological heritage could provide an effective way of communicating to the larger public sea level dynamics at a longer scale and the effects of climate change in the present and near future.</p><p>As a case study, the late ancient city of Nora is particularly effective. Located in southwestern Sardinia (Italy), it was a seaport of great importance during the Punic and Roman periods. Its surrounding landscape is deeply influenced by the marine transgression happening since the Last Glacial Maximum. Along the coast, many landforms and stratigraphic sequences bear evidence of sea level fluctuations and the related changes in the landscape revealing the larger context in which the city was developed. Beach deposits dated to MIS5 are buried by fluvial deposits and soils indicating a much lower sea level during later stadial periods. Since the passage to the Holocene the area, dominated by fluvial and slope dynamics, is interested by the progressive rise of the coastline and the consequent land loss. The city itself was not spared from this process. While its strategic coastal position was instrumental in its rise to prominence, the exposure to a rising sea level had a great impact on its history, both during its development and later as an abandoned settlement and an archaeological site. Several human structures possibly show the necessity of shielding against a progressively more damaging wave action.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document