Desalination using clay and lime sacrificial plasters with additives on field stone wall and fired clay bricks

Salt deteriorations can ruin the appearance as well as the structure of buildings. Salt deteriorations can be mitigated by passive and active methods. Common active methods include sprinkling water on the structure, scraping off the concentrated salts from the surface and the use of sacrificial plasters. Sacrificial plasters are traditionally used for desalination. Two tests at different sites were performed in order to determine the effectiveness of desalination of different sacrificial plasters. The first test site was a two hundred years old stable wall in Mooste county, Estonia. Salt percentage by mass in the test wall was determined in 2017 and again in 2019. In December 2019 different plasters of local natural clay and lime with additives such as hemp flax, charcoal and turf were tested on the wall. The second test was performed on burnt clay bricks that were placed into salt solution until efflorescence appeared. For desalination process again, different clay and lime based sacrificial plasters were used. After removing the sacrificial plaster, samples from the mortar and bricks were taken to measure the salt content by using Ion chromatography. Clay and hemp flax based sacrificial plasters were the most suitable for desalination and removal.

How Did Sheep Save the Day? The Role of Dry Stone Wall Heritage and Agropastorality in Historical Landscape Preservation. A Case-Study of the Town of Cres Olive Grove

The dry stone wall landscape surrounding the town of Cres is a unique cultural landscape; it is one of the largest well-preserved historical olive groves in the Croatian Adriatic, while simultaneously serving as pasture for sheep. Still, there are currently no studies that capture this landscape as a multifunctional whole or which acknowledge its relevance within the current multidisciplinary discussions. The aim of this paper is to clarify past and current circumstances surrounding and affecting it. The study focuses on two main pillars of landscape preservation: (1) dry stone wall structures and (2) agro-pastoral practices; giving an overview of its historical formation and current management and trends. The goal is to establish knowledge that can be used as a foundation for the management of this area and present a good practice example for the preservation of historical landscapes in the Mediterranean region. The research involved combined desk and fieldwork: cartographic data analysis, literature analysis, GIS elaboration, terrestrial and aerial photographs and observations, followed by interviews with local informants. Continuous investing in the production of quality olive oil and the evolution of the landscape into a multifunctional agro-pastoral-touristic space is what enabled its preservation. This multifunctionality can only be matched by a diversity of scientific studies and this study aimed at providing the first step—a foundation for the identification of the values of the Cres landscape, with the scope of better precising further planning and management.

WALL HOSCHMENZIL IN THE VALLEY RUBAS

The Khoshmenzil Wall is a new archaeological site discovered in the lower reaches of the river. Rubas, on the northern outskirts of the village. Rubas of Derbent region of the Republic of Dagestan. It received its designation from the old name of the village located in the place of its location - with. Hochmenzil [Nice place]. The archaeological site is the 6th section of a stone wall preserved on a country road in the northern outskirts of the village. Rubas.The article presents materials from the exploration excavations of this monument, carried out in 2020. The purpose of the research was to determine the functional belonging of the construction site, establish its dating and possible belonging to the barrage defensive line noted in written sources of the mid-18th century. in the lower reaches of the river. Rubas. The relevance of the study was due to the development of the problem of the structure and layout of a large defensive complex of the middle of the 6th century. - Rubas fortification, located 2 km to the west on the left bank of the river. Rubas.The tasks of excavating a new archaeological site were to identify the structure and layout of the structure, to determine the technology of its construction and the degree of preservation.The construction is a section of a stone wall, erected by armour-clad technique from processed stone blocks. The southern facade of the wall with a length of 3.6 m and an adjoining section of backfilling, including torn stone and lime mortar, have been preserved. The stone blocks of the wall are installed using the "poke-spoon" technology. The base of the wall is placed on a stone fill, consisting of torn stone, filled with lime mortar. The height of the preserved section of the wall is 0.6 m. The section of the wall is located on the left bank of the river, it is oriented along with its channel (W – E).The preliminary dating of the monument was determined by the features of the facade design and masonry technology within the middle of the 6th century.

Setting the Boundaries of Early Neolithic Settlement Sites: The Ditch-Digging Practices in the Eastern Balkans

This article presents the current state of research on the Early Neolithic settlement enclosures in the Eastern Balkans (ca. 6200/6000–5500 cal. BC), with a focus set on the ditch-digging practices. A large database was accumulated in the last decade during surface surveys, large-scale excavations, and geomagnetic prospection, demonstrating conclusively that ditch enclosures were indeed a tradition rather than an exception. In the Eastern Balkans, enclosures consist mostly of single or multiple ditches and rarely a combination of ditch and wooden, emplectum, or a stone wall. Moreover, some sites existed long enough that the development of the settlement pattern demanded also changes in the enclosures’ layout and/or design. Most of the settlements were enclosed as early as their initial stages. However, no enclosure features have been identified at the earliest Neolithic sites in the area even though this might reflect biased research strategies.

RESEARCH OF RUBAS FORTIFICATION in 2020

The article presents preliminary data on the excavations of the Rubas fortification complex in 2020. The archaeological site is located in the lower reaches of the river. Rubas, near the village. Commune of the Derbent region of the Republic of Dagestan, 20 km south-west of the city of Derbent. The monument was discovered in 2014 by local residents. The work on its research is carried out by the Rubass archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the DPhIC RAS ​​(head of the expedition LB Gmyrya). In 2014, 2016–2018 four military engineering structures were identified and investigated: 1) an arched tower structure; 2) stone wall No. 1, attached to the arched structure from the north; 3) monumental stone defensive wall No. 2, oriented in the south-north direction (28 m section was explored); 4) stone wall no. 3, attached to wall no. 2 from the east, oriented west-east (section 5 was investigated). The excavations were carried out with the financial support of projects by the RFBR-Dagestan (2014) and RFBR (2016–2018) funds. It was established: 1) the undoubted belonging of the archaeological site on the Rubas River to the monumental defensive structures; 2) a complex, multifaceted structure and layout; 3) a variety of technological methods for laying massive blocks into walls; 4) careful processing of stone blocks; 5) the use of a fastening solution using lime and special brackets for fastening the blocks of the facade part of buildings. However, the scale of the Rubas defense complex and the uniqueness of its location at the bottom of the Rubas River valley determine the presence of problematic issues related to the topography and planning of this object.