The Gebelein Archaeological Project in 2019: Northern necropolis and the temple complex

Continued archaeological surveys at two sites in the Gebelein area, the Northern Necropolis and the temple complex, have contributed new data for a better understanding of the ancient remains. Geophysical anomalies detected in 2015 in the western part of the Northern Necropolis should now be interpreted most probably as tombs with mud-brick walls. Mounds of earth in the central part of the necropolis yielded numerous artifacts dating from between the Naqada I and the early Old Kingdom periods; they are likely to have been dumped from a nearby settlement site, probably the ancient town of Sumenu. Work in the temple complex was aimed at protecting the structure made of inscribed mud-bricks dating from the Twenty-first Dynasty.

The Cult of Sulis-Minerva at Bath: The Religious Ritual of the Patron Goddess at Bath

<p>The Roman City of Bath, also known as Aqua Sulis, lies in the modern British county of Somerset in the south-east of England. During the Roman occupation of ancient Britain, Bath became a significant Roman town centred on a large religious complex. As the Roman city lies underneath the modern city Bath, excavation of both the temple complex has been difficult. To add further problems, Bath was only mentioned in one ancient source, Solinus. Consequently, there is a large gap in the knowledge we have about Roman Bath and its patron goddess. As such a large Romano-Celtic temple complex, Sulis’ cult has important contributions to religion in Roman Britain. Subsequently, studying and understanding Sulis’ cult is important to the study of Roman Britain. This thesis discusses features of Sulis’ cult and what this may tell us about the goddess’s attributes as well as how her cult functioned. The large Romano-Celtic temple was functional from c.65 to c.400 CE. However, there is evidence which would suggest that Sulis was worshipped by the ancient Britons before the Romans had a permanent presence in Britain. This thesis will place Roman Bath within the wider context of Romano-British history, outlining how it functioned through architecture and evidence for the temple’s gradual decline. Scholarship has agreed that Sulis is a Celtic deity who was worshipped by the Celts before the Romans arrived in Britain. Through Roman religious sensibilities, Sulis was conflated with the Roman goddess Minerva. Most of the physical remains at Bath are architectural features, votive offerings and altars. Many links have been drawn between Sulis and her thermal spring. For example, Sulis-Minerva has been regarded as an important healing divinity and her temple complex a place people can go for healing. This thesis will discuss Sulis and her connection to the goddess Minerva as well as what the goddess’s relationship was to the Romans and Britons. Attention has been drawn to a large cache of 130 Latin defixiones, or curse tablets, discovered in Sulis’ spring. The curses most commonly beseech Sulis to hunt down a culprit and punish them. The defixiones constitute an important source of evidence regarding to Sulis’ attributes. There has been some debate as to the nature of these curse tablets as there have been suggestions that they read more as ‘prayers for justice’. This thesis will explore the idea that the tablets acted as a medium for a devotee to ask the goddess for retribution against a perceived wrong. A comparison will be drawn between Bath’s curse tablets and other forms of Roman prayers comparing the two. As of now, the defixiones contribute a large portion of evidence towards religious life at Bath. Sulis represents hybridization between two ancient civilizations. On the one hand, Sulis had strong roots to ancient British religion but after Roman occupation her cult became predominantly Roman in form. I will discuss the remaining aspects of Celtic religion at Bath, such as in the Gorgon pediment, and how this was changed under Roman rule.</p>

The Cult of Sulis-Minerva at Bath: The Religious Ritual of the Patron Goddess at Bath

<p>The Roman City of Bath, also known as Aqua Sulis, lies in the modern British county of Somerset in the south-east of England. During the Roman occupation of ancient Britain, Bath became a significant Roman town centred on a large religious complex. As the Roman city lies underneath the modern city Bath, excavation of both the temple complex has been difficult. To add further problems, Bath was only mentioned in one ancient source, Solinus. Consequently, there is a large gap in the knowledge we have about Roman Bath and its patron goddess. As such a large Romano-Celtic temple complex, Sulis’ cult has important contributions to religion in Roman Britain. Subsequently, studying and understanding Sulis’ cult is important to the study of Roman Britain. This thesis discusses features of Sulis’ cult and what this may tell us about the goddess’s attributes as well as how her cult functioned. The large Romano-Celtic temple was functional from c.65 to c.400 CE. However, there is evidence which would suggest that Sulis was worshipped by the ancient Britons before the Romans had a permanent presence in Britain. This thesis will place Roman Bath within the wider context of Romano-British history, outlining how it functioned through architecture and evidence for the temple’s gradual decline. Scholarship has agreed that Sulis is a Celtic deity who was worshipped by the Celts before the Romans arrived in Britain. Through Roman religious sensibilities, Sulis was conflated with the Roman goddess Minerva. Most of the physical remains at Bath are architectural features, votive offerings and altars. Many links have been drawn between Sulis and her thermal spring. For example, Sulis-Minerva has been regarded as an important healing divinity and her temple complex a place people can go for healing. This thesis will discuss Sulis and her connection to the goddess Minerva as well as what the goddess’s relationship was to the Romans and Britons. Attention has been drawn to a large cache of 130 Latin defixiones, or curse tablets, discovered in Sulis’ spring. The curses most commonly beseech Sulis to hunt down a culprit and punish them. The defixiones constitute an important source of evidence regarding to Sulis’ attributes. There has been some debate as to the nature of these curse tablets as there have been suggestions that they read more as ‘prayers for justice’. This thesis will explore the idea that the tablets acted as a medium for a devotee to ask the goddess for retribution against a perceived wrong. A comparison will be drawn between Bath’s curse tablets and other forms of Roman prayers comparing the two. As of now, the defixiones contribute a large portion of evidence towards religious life at Bath. Sulis represents hybridization between two ancient civilizations. On the one hand, Sulis had strong roots to ancient British religion but after Roman occupation her cult became predominantly Roman in form. I will discuss the remaining aspects of Celtic religion at Bath, such as in the Gorgon pediment, and how this was changed under Roman rule.</p>

Analysis of Cross-Sectional Capacity of the Jambi River in the Muaro Jambi Temple About Various Times of Flooding Using HEC-RAS Software

Jambi River is one of the rivers located in the Muaro Jambi Temple Complex Area, Muaro Jambi Regency, Jambi Province. Muaro Jambi Temple is one of the tourist attractions in Jambi Province. This study aims to find the capacity of Jambi River tested by planned flood discharge utilizing (synthetic unit hydrograph) HSS Nakayasu method for a return period of two, five, ten, twenty-five, fifty and hundred years. HEC-RAS software used to analyse the water level in the Jambi River towards the flood potential that causes the submerging of the Kedaton Temple building. This research used the log Pearson type III method to calculate the planned rain return period and used the Nakayasu synthetic unit method to calculate the planned flood discharge. The analysis showed that the Jambi River could not load the flood discharge in the five, ten, twenty-five, fifty, and one hundred years return period at several measurement points: river sta-1, river sta-2 and river sta-5. The floodwater level did not cause the Kedaton Temple building to be flooded from the simulation result

HERITAGE DOCUMENTATION AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER: A REPORT ON THE CIPA TROPICAL SCHOOL IN CANDI SEWU (INDONESIA)

Documentation of heritage objects has advanced significantly with the invention and development of many 3D sensors and processing algorithms. These technical advancements are of the utmost interest for cultural heritage stakeholders; knowledge transfer between key players is therefore essential and is indeed the main philosophy behind the CIPA Heritage Documentation as an organisation. In this paper we present a report on the CIPA Tropical School in the Candi Sewu temple complex in Indonesia. Organisational aspects will be described, as well as some technical results of the workshop. As public interest in the tropical school was quite high, we argue that this type of limited participant training event involving international partners and cross-disciplinary experts is a very powerful tool in knowledge dissemination. Furthermore, we encourage the organisation of such events in other places around the world.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MANASARA-SILPASASTRA AS A FACTOR IN THE SELECTION OF THE POSITION OF PETIRTAAN DEREKAN IN THE COMPLEX OF NGEMPON TEMPLE, SEMARANG, CENTRAL JAVA

Terdapat beberapa petirtaan di Jawa Tengah yang merupakan bagian integral dari sebuah candi. Fenomena ini dapat dilihat pada tata ruang Candi Ngempon yang terletak tidak jauh dari Petirtaan Derekan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis penerapan kitab Manasara-Silpasastra yang memengaruhi tata letak petirtaan dengan suatu candi sebagai satu bagian integral. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan analisis data sekunder yang diperoleh dari studi pustaka dan wawancara. Data sekunder tersebut kemudian menjadi dasar dilakukannya crosscheck dengan melakukan pengamatan lapangan. Dari metode tersebut diperoleh kesimpulan bahwa tata ruang Pechaka dalam Manasara[1]Silpasastra diduga menjadi dasar pemilihan letak Candi Ngempon yang berada di sisi timur laut Petirtaan Derekan sehingga menunjukan adanya penerapan kitab Manasara-Silpasastra dalam kasus ini There are several petirtaans or bathing structures in Central Java that become an integral part of a temple complex. Such a phenomenon can be seen in the layout of Ngempon Temple and Petirtaan Derekan which are located close to each other. This research aims to analyze the implementation of the book of Manasara-Silpasastra in the layout of Petirtaan Derekan and Ngempon Temple as an integrated whole. The research was carried out by analyzing secondary data obtained from a literature review and interviews. The secondary data were corroborated with data obtained from field observations. Results of the analysis indicate that the layout of Pechaka in Manasara-Silpasastra might become the basis for the positioning of Ngempon Temple at the northeast of Petirtaan Derekan. This shows that the book of Manasara-Silpasastra might be implemented in the layout of the complex of Ngempon temple.

Teratological Plot of the Ornament in the South Tower of St. Sophia of Kyiv

St. Sophia of Kyiv, built in 1011‒1018 at the turn of the reigns of Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise, has preserved a large number of unique secular frescoes. Their customer was Volodymyr, who owns the idea of the temple, which is reflected in the mosaics and frescoes. A triumphal fresco cycle is unfolding in the two stair towers which, according to the Byzantine tradition, glorifies its customer. The frescoes tell about a dynastic marriage between Prince Volodymyr the Great and the Byzantine Princess Anna Porphyrogenitus at the turn of 987–988, which initiated the baptism of the Kyivan State. The cycle consists of narrative historical and symbolic (ornamental, zoomorphic, and teratological 4) plots. The central composition of a symbolic nature is a mysterious teratological plot of five interconnected medallions placed on the vault of the south tower. This combined plot traces the Scandinavian influences caused by Volodymyr’s princely order, which are present in the unique emblematic image of god Odin with two wolves. The decoding of the plot revealsits semantic unity both with the triumphant fresco cycle of towers, which it is a part of, and with the ideological concept of the whole temple complex as a memorial of the baptism of Rus-Ukraine, the founder and builder of which was Volodymyr the Great. The plot reveals deep sacred and at the same time ethnically colored connotations with the image of Volodymyr as a crowned prince-baptizer and a powerful military leader. This concept fits into the general marital leitmotif of the secular cycle. The frescoes of the towers present not only a completely realistic outline of the initial event of the baptism of the people (the engagement of Volodymyr and Anna) but also a corresponding symbolic and metaphorical disclosure of this theme.