The attitudes of the contemporary Poles towards the archaeological past

This paper aims to present how the past is viewed in contemporary cultural and social narratives, and defines contemporary attitude to the past among Poles. My deliberations are placed in the context of the present-day society/culture and their constituting processes, namely the phenomenon of forgetting the past, democratization of the past, its privatization/individualization, commodification of the past and new ways of experiencing it. The paper will specifically concentrate on the archaeological past - that is the past created by archaeologists, and on archaeological heritage. It address three crucial issues, namely: (1) how changes in the historical context of post-1989 Poland influenced the emergence the renaissance of the past and different narratives about it; (2) what are the most important and widespread forms of presenting and/or experiencing the archaeological past in the present?, and (3) what are the main motivations that lie behind contemporary Poles interest in the past, archaeological heritage and activities undertaken around it? Finally, it is argued that the changes in the people’s attitudes towards the past have led also to a transformation in the hierarchy of aims and methods in education and dissemination of the knowledge about the past within institutions concerned with the past on a professional level.

Climatically Driven Landscape Evolution in the High-Mountainous Russian Altai and Its Human Occupation Over the Past 20 Thousand Years

Multidisciplinary studies of various natural archives indicate contrasting changes in the human habitat in the high-mountainous southeastern part of the Russian Altai during the last 20,000 years. This period includes the final stage of the last glaciation and its degradation, the formation of the last giant ice-dammed lakes in the intermountain basins and their cataclysmic draining, considerable transformation of glacial landscapes to modern diverse and mosaic structure. Warmer and more humid climate in the first half of the Holocene was followed by cooling and repeated advances of mountain glaciers. The general trend to cooling and aridization in the second half of the Holocene is the most pronounced during the last two millennia. Deglaciation and final drying of intermountain basins boosted a renovation of the local ecosystems and established an environmental baseline of human occupation in the region. The arid climate, widespread permafrost and low population density determined a good preservation of archaeological heritage in the region, which is located at the crossroad between East and West, North and South. This paper presents the analysis of previously published and new data including newly obtained 14C and OSL dates, which allow to correlate climatically driven landscape transformations with habitat of ancient communities and cultures shifting in the region during the last 20, 000 years, as well as to assess the anthropogenic impact on the environment.

CONDUCTING AN EXAMINATION OF MUSIC LITERATURE IN THE INVESTIGATION OF OFFENSES RELATED TO ASSAULT ON CULTURAL VALUES

The article discusses the issues arising in the investigation of criminal offenses on the example of illegal search work at an archaeological heritage site, destruction, destruction or damage to cultural heritage sites. Conducting certain types of examinations is disclosed as the activity of experts who possess knowledge of certain branches of science. The issues of carrying out a comprehensive forensic technical examination of documents and art criticism are highlighted. The main methods used by experts of the above types of expertise have been determined. It was emphasized that the most promising and expedient procedure for carrying out a comprehensive examination of music literature is to first conduct a technical examination of documents, which will allow restoring the lost fragments of both the material and the text of a musical work, taking into account the methods that will then be used by an art expert. Activities for pre-trial investigation of crimes that encroach on cultural heritage, cultural values, where the objects of examination are music literature, in particular, is a complex multifaceted and multifaceted process to perform the tasks of criminal justice. The specific nature of the investigation of these criminal offenses makes the issue of organizing examinations quite relevant. The multifaceted investigation of these offenses is reflected in its organization, in particular through the use of special art knowledge in procedural and non-procedural forms. The practical purpose of the organization is to determine the optimal direction and content of the investigation, optimize its purpose, forces and means necessary to achieve it, the correct placement of forces and the creation of appropriate conditions. The growing needs of modern society in the use of knowledge in the field of art history does not bypass the field of justice. Understanding the importance of special knowledge for establishing factual data gives grounds to consider forensic science as an independent institution for the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens, legal entities and the interests of the state as a whole.

The Legal Frameworks of Protecting Archaeology in Africa

Archaeological heritage is fragile and nonrenewable. In Africa, it is vulnerable to developmental projects in construction, mining, and agriculture as well as intentional and unintentional vandalism through everyday use and tourism. Looting, illegal trade of antiquities, and terrorism have also emerged as other significant threats to archaeological heritage in Africa. Looting and vandalism of sites and objects result from lax monitoring mechanisms and a general lack of awareness of archaeological matters among the public. Although most African countries have the legal protection of archaeological heritage, the effectiveness of these has been under question. African heritage legislations have been criticized for the lack of predevelopment assessments that would ensure the protection of recorded and unrecorded archaeological heritage. They have also been censured for protecting just the physical aspects of archaeological heritage, leaving out the intangible aspects that actually give the heritage value, especially among African communities. Another challenge was the exclusion of local communities and customary management systems in the protection of archaeological heritage. Provisions for counteracting looting and illegal trade in antiquities, coming especially from archaeological sites, were also considered weak and requiring improvements. The response to the debate on the effectiveness of the legal protection of heritage has been varied across the continent. Some African countries have responded by writing new laws, amending old ones, or providing other supporting legal provisions such as national cultural policies or regulations. Countries that have instituted new legal provisions include Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Mali, Egypt, Mauritania, and the Republic of the Congo. Those who reworked their protective mechanisms have attempted to address many of the issues raised. Countries such as Namibia, Botswana, and Mali have included clearly defined provisions for predevelopment assessments. Others such as Liberia included archaeological heritage in their environmental protection laws. Although fewer countries have had legislation to protect intangible aspects, supporting legal provisions such as national cultural policies have helped in this regard. However, very little has been done on the inclusion of customary laws and systems of archaeological protection. Going forward, African nations have to quickly consider emerging issues such as digital manipulation, heritage-based product development, increased need for intervention conservation, and sustainable economic utilization of heritage for the development of individuals, communities, and nations. The legislative process in Africa has to be expedited to quickly and efficiently deal with these issues before they cause harm to the archaeological heritage.

The History of Excavations in the Crimea in 1920-1930's in the Letters to Mykola Ernst

The Scientific Archive of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine (NA NMIU) contains three letters dated by 07/15/1930, 09/15/1930 and 11/30/1935, addressed to the famous archaelogist of the Crimea Nikolai Ernst (1889—1956), the authors of which are famous archaeologists Boris Zhukov, Lavrenty Moiseev and Petr Efimenko. These letters contain information about excavations, which in 1920’s — 1930’s were carried out in different regions of the Crimean peninsula and are important sources for studying the history of the Crimean archaeological study. Today N. Ernst’s documents, stored in the archives of Simferopol, Kyiv, St. Petersburg and Moscow, are used by researchers who study the archaeological heritage and life of N. Ernst. However, three letters from the NA NMIU have not become the subject of a separate study yet and have not been introduced into scientific circulation. The addressee of these letters, N. Ernst, in 1920’s, worked in the Crimean department for museums and protection of monuments of art and antiquity, was the secretary of the Taurida Society of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, and in April 1930 he headed this Society. These letters contain information about archaeological research in the Crimea, which is not mentioned in the published article by N. Ernst ‘Chronicle of archaeological excavations and exploration in the Crimea for 10 years (1921—1930)’. The letters of B. Zhukov (1930) and L. Moiseev (1930) are probably the answers to the request of N. Ernst, as the head of the Taurida Society of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, send information about the work of local archaeological expeditions for the preparation of a general report. These letters contain information about excavations of archaeological monuments from different historical eras, which are located in different regions of the Crimea and are an important source on the history of the Crimean archaeology of 1920’s — 1930’s. In the third letter, the author of which is P. Efimenko (1935), talks about the participation of N. Ernst in the meeting of the Commission for the Study of Fossil Man, which took place in Leningrad on 20—25th December 1935. The purpose of this meeting was to prepare the Soviet section of INQUA to participate in September 1936 in the III International Conference of the Association for the Study of the Quaternary. Efimenko recommended N. Ernst to prepare a report on the results of the exploration of the Chokurcha Cave.

Možnosti srovnávací analýzy plužiny zaniklých středověkých vsí. Vypovídací hodnota vybraných lokalit a role digitálního modelu reliéfu z dat leteckého laserového skenování

The paper deals with the plowlands of deserted medieval villages (DMVs) representing a specific data source of medieval settlement research. Its basic priorities are based on the needs of archaeological heritage protection for a better definition of DMVs’ hinterlands, which are significantly less distinguishable in comparison with villages’ intravilans. At the same time, not much attention was paid to this area, even in known or well-surveyed sites. These issues are important especially in the context of what exactly we are looking for within the DMVs, how we define it and where we can find the best examples worthy of protection or further study. The basis of the presented work is the processing of a digital terrain model derived from airborne laser scanning data. The primary procedure consists of the ALS data processing into a DEM, its subsequent visualization, and classification of objects in DMVs’ hinterlands, which is further supplemented by selected examples of field verification. The informative value of the hinterlands is also discussed on the example of several differently preserved sites.

Il progetto urbanistico per Canosa di Puglia: tra valorizzazione e rigenerazione La rigenerazione della città di Canosa di Puglia

This paper describes the strategy for the enhancement of the archaeological and landscape heritage of Canosa di Puglia. The strategy consists in a cluster of projects and actions, which embrace three main work plans. The first one concerns the geographical area extending from the low valley of the Ofanto river to the slopes of the Murgia plateau. The second one lies on existing practices of common heritage care which many associations and groups of citizens already perform, in order to collect an important piece of the already existing cultural and ecological regeneration process. The third one includes the plan for the enhancement of the important historical-archaeological heritage spread in the inhabited city and its territory – in some cases in a state of decay and abandonment – and the process of the social re-appropriation promoted by three funded urban projects, which aim at organizing a new collective system of green spaces entrusted to sustainable usability.

Jindřich Wankel a vídeňská c. k. Centrální komise pro výzkum a zachování uměleckých a historických památek

Jindřich Wankel’s collaboration with the k. k. Central-Commission zur Erforschung und Erhaltung der Kunst- und historischen Denkmale is not a widely known area of the scholar’s activities. And yet, in doing so he significantly contributed to the protection of archaeological heritage in Moravia: first as the commission’s correspondent (1883/1884–1885) and later as a conservator (1885–1893). His position enabled him to act in favour of the Olomouc Patriotic Museum Association and the Museum run by them. His activities were hindered by the legal framework of the time. Archaeological finds and sites were considered the property of the landowner and access to such required negotiations with the landowner and calling on their goodwill. This is clearly illustrated by the individual cases in which Wankel was involved.