Mapping Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire

ABSTRACT In the thirteenth century AD, the city of Karakorum was founded as the capital of the Mongol Empire. Relatively little archaeological attention, however, has been directed at the site and the phenomenon of steppe urbanism. The authors report new magnetic and topographic surveys of the walled city and the surrounding landscape. The resulting maps reveal the city in unprecedented detail. Combining the magnetic and topographical data with aerial photographs, pedestrian surveys and documentary sources reveals the extent, layout and organisation of this extensive settlement. Road networks and areas of variable occupation density and types of activities deepen our understanding of this important commercial hub and royal palace, which is conceptualised as a form of ‘implanted’ urbanism.

Hormesis Meetings at the Royal Palace

This commentary describes the origin and the main results of experimental work on adaptive stress responses at the university town Jena in Germany. These cooperative research activities exemplify the heuristic power of the hormesis phenomenon.

King George II of Imereti (Genealogical and chronological researches)

The work discusses the reign of George II, this period includes not only the history of Imereti, but also the history of Odishi, Guria, Samtskhe-Saatabago, and this significantly changes the many points of view we had in historiography until now.After reviewing the written sources, we found out that according to the reign of George II, the death of Bagrat III [1565 ], which is shared in our historiography by Iv. Javakhishvili is incorrect. Vakhushti’s date – 1548 is correct [with one or two years error -1549 or 1550]. According to our research, the first spouse of George II is Tamar, the daugheter of Shermazan Diasamidze [and not the second], accordingly his second spouse is Rusudan Sharvashidze, who is regarded by some researchers as his first wife. We were also able to find out that the unsuccessful marriage of George II to Tamar Diasamidze [1535] is the result of the hostile relationship between the authorities of Samtskhe-Saatabagago [Nav-Kvarkvare III, Qaikhosro II] and the authorities of the Kingdom of Imereti [Bagrat III, George II] in the 30s and 50s of the XVI century, when Shermazan Diasamidze commanded the Feudal Lords opposed to the Qaikhosro II Jakhel. The facts that Queen Tamar became a Nun (1561) and the heir of the throne, Mamia disappeared from the royal Palace are connected to the truce of George II and Qaikhosro II in 1562.A number of important facts that happened throughout western Georgia in the 16th century,have also been specified and explained including the tragic end of the family of George II.

THE KAUSIA BOY FIGURINES FROM DEMETRIAS: A REASSESSMENT

Demetrias has yielded the largest number of terracotta figurines of a popular iconographic type of the Hellenistic period: the ‘kausia boy’, shown standing, dressed in the chiton, chlamys, kausia and krepides. The rediscovery of the material from A.S. Arvanitopoulos’ excavations at Demetrias in the early twentieth century has provided an opportunity to reassess the significance of this iconographic type in the city and in the wider Hellenistic world. Combining and comparing the material from Arvanitopoulos’ excavations with that from other excavations in the city by the German Archaeological Institute and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Magnesia, it is now clear that the kausia boy figurines from Demetrias were discovered in various contexts, including sanctuaries, graves and the foundations of the royal palace (Anaktoron); the largest number was found in the sanctuary of Pasikrata. It has been possible to identify more than ten technical types, confirming the importance of these figures in the coroplastic production of the city. This paper also discusses the iconographic types of the ‘shepherds’, kausia-wearing boys holding the syrinx and the lagobolon, as well as the animal-carrying boys, since they too are wearing the same attire, and are mechanically related to the simple kausia boy types. The study of Demetrias’ specimens, combined with the study of the distribution of these iconographic types in the Hellenistic world and the relevant iconographic, literary and epigraphic evidence enable its reinterpretation.

Portrait Of The Japanese Colonial Period In The Wayang Kamasan Illustration Of Lintang Perau Pegat At The Klungkung Royal Palace

The Wayang Kamasan illustrations at the Klungkung Royal Palace store traces of the history of Bali during in the Japanese colonial period. This research analyzed one located in the Bale Kambang pavilion with the ‘Lintang Perau Pegat’ scene to discern representation in that era. An art historical method was used drawing from field observation and literature resources with an iconography and iconology analysis approach of Erwin Panofsky. Findings from a pre-iconography phase showed that this illustration present a scene about the splitting of Japan-flagged ship by large fish. An iconographic analysis was about themes and concepts regarding belief in the strength of nature (gods), which can influence human life and undermine the glory of human beings. Given the psychological atmosphere during the Japanese colonial period, hence, this illustration is the crystallization of a symbol from an attitude of resistance amidst helplessness towards a ruler (the Japanese occupation government), and hopes for the presence of the power of the gods to help eliminate oppression and misery that occurred during that era in Bali.

The Acoustics of the Double Elliptical Vault of the Royal Palace of Caserta (Italy)

This work investigates the acoustic characteristics of the double elliptical vault, which overlooks the Grand Staircase of the Royal Palace of Caserta (Italy). The Royal Palace was built by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli in the Seventeenth Century and it is the largest royal building in Italy. The double elliptical vault presents a great scenography effect. Inside the vault, on the planking level, musicians used to play for the king and his guests when the royal procession, going up the grand staircase, entered the royal apartments, creating astonishment among the guests who heard the music without understanding from where it was coming. Since the musicians were inside the vault, the long reverberation made the listeners perceive the vault to be enveloped by the music. To investigate this effect, the acoustic characteristics of the double vault were measured, putting the sound source on the planking level of the vault, while the microphones were put along the staircase and in the vestibule towards the royal apartments. Finally, the spatial distribution of several acoustic parameters is evaluated also using architectural acoustic simulations.

The Acoustics of the Double Elliptical Vault of the Royal Palace of Caserta (Italy)

This work investigates the acoustic characteristics of the double elliptical vault, which overlooks the Grand Staircase of the Royal Palace of Caserta (Italy). The Royal Palace was built by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli in the Seventeenth Century and it is the largest royal building in Italy. The double elliptical vault presents a great scenography effect. Inside the vault, on the planking level, musicians used to play for the king and his guests when the royal procession, going up the grand staircase, entered the royal apartments, creating astonishment among the guests who heard the music without understanding from where it was coming. Since the musicians were inside the vault, the long reverberation made the listeners perceive the vault to be enveloped by the music. To investigate this effect, the acoustic characteristics of the double vault were measured, putting the sound source on the planking level of the vault, while the microphones were put along the staircase and in the vestibule towards the royal apartments. Finally, the spatial distribution of several acoustic parameters is evaluated also using architectural acoustic simulations.