Architectural reconstruction

Reconstructing the lost monuments of Antiquity became, after 1800, a complement to Europe's colonial imagination. Countless archaeologists and architects travelled to the East, excavated extinct cities, and shipped their finds to Europe for display in imperial museums.

Antiquity on Display is a critical biography of Berlin's Pergamon Museum and its popular architectural displays: the Great Altar of Pergamon, the Market Gate of Miletus, and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. In this volume, Bilsel argues that the museum has produced a modern decor, an iconic image, which has replaced the lost antique originals, rather than creating an explicitly hypothetical representation of Antiquity. Addressing the dilemmas raised by the continuing presence of these displays, which embody the distinctive traits of the artistic and ideological programs of the last two centuries, Bilsel questions what the process of reproduction and authentication of Antiquity in the museum tells us about our changing perceptions of historic monuments. Documenting the process through which these imaginative reproductions of architecture were conceived, staged, and came to be perceived as authentic monuments, this volume offers an insight into the history of Berlin's Museum Island and the shifting regimes of the authentic in museum displays from the nineteenth century to the present.

Keywords: German Archaeology in the Middle East; Museum Reconstructions; Authenticity in Architecture; Architecture Museum; Architecture in the Museum; History of Berlin Museums; Berlin's Museum Island; the Great Altar of Pergamon; Post-colonial studies; Post-orientalist criticism; Alfred Messel, Wilhelm von Bode; Carl Humann; Theodor Wiegand; Robert Koldewey; Walter Andrae; the Altes Museum; the Neues Museum; the Pergamon Museum (Pergamonmuseum).

Изследването представлява оригинален опит за прилагане на семиотичния подход в областта на архитектурната реконструкция.
Използвайки литературните описания на любимите вили на Плиний Младши, теоретичните трактати описващи по принцип римските вили, съществуващите хипотетични реконструкции на вилите на Плиний, археологическите данни от паралелни и аналогични римски вили – от една страна и от друга страна – натрупания опит в областта на структурната лингвистика и семиотика за реконструкция на мъртви езици, както и на разчитане на писмени текстове на такива вербални езици, се търсят механизмите за формализиране на една теория на архитектурната реконструкция.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the monastery buildings adjacent to it is a huge unified complex. It is located on a relatively small area, and, despite this, includes a significant complex of structures from different periods. These are the Greek monasteries of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, St. Charalambos, Abraham, Gethsemane Compound, and the Franciscan monastery, the Coptic monastery of St. Anthony, the Ethiopian monastery of Deir Al-Sultan, etc. Unresolved issues remain in historiography: the issues of the reliability of the location of the Church of the Sepulcher and the existence of the roman temple. The investigation of the problems are obstructed by temporary distant events, heterogeneity, inconsistency and complexity of sources study base, as well as literally perceived myths and legends. The irregular terrain of the ground influenced the architectural appearance of the complex. Reconstruction of the area is quite diverse and contradictory. Additional archaeological excavations at this area might reveal missing elements to restore the architectural history of the monument. Analyzed and systematized in this article is historical and archaeological information, as well as scientific assumptions and reconstructions, devoted to the study of the features of the terrain and the foundations of buildings located on this territory before the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reconstructing-the-past-tickets-149580953659 Architectural remains allow us to step into the physical space of the past and to envision the movements, experiences, and world views of ancient people. It is, however, a challenge to reconcile the capacity of monumental ruins to inspire imaginative thinking with the scholarly aim for historical accuracy, and at the same time, to approach the project of reconstruction in a self-reflexive manner. Over the centuries, a wide range of individuals have engaged with the ruins of ancient Western Asia, documenting, (re)imagining, and reconstructing the spaces and structures that they encountered through drawings, watercolors, photography, and model making, as well as vivid textual descriptions. Virtual and augmented reality have increasingly become the norm for visualizing ancient architecture and spaces in wealthier parts of the world. Moreover, many ancient Western Asian monuments and architectural spaces have been reconstructed in 3D both on-site and in museums all over the world, utilizing the original archaeological remains in various ways. Bringing together scholars, educators, and museum professionals, this symposium asks: • What sources of information do we rely on in our reconstructions? How do we choose and evaluate these sources? • How do we effectively balance affect and historical accuracy in reconstructions?

The paper proposes a historical analysis of the relationship between archaeological remains of Mesopotamian architecture and its modern interpretation as images. The analysis begins with the study of the informative nature of the graphic documentation of Mesopotamian ruins published between the 19th and 20th centuries and focuses on the role of architectural reconstructions in disseminating knowledge and cultural prejudices. Contradicting the oft abused concept of the modern reception of ancient motives, selected case studies will reveal the impact that 19th- and 20th-century architecture (and architectural studies) had on both archaeological drawings and the academic interpretation of ancient Mesopotamian architecture. The profoundly biased mediation between architectural remains and architectural images will come to the fore in light of the key role that some archaeologists, architects and intellectuals had in interlacing architectural forms and aesthetic meanings. This  also speaks to the aesthetic power of architectural forms to evoke ancient and modern cultural identities re-creating a NOWHERE (ancient Near) East as a stage ‘on demand’.

The article opens the series of publications on issues related to the cupolas of the temples of Ani, the medieval capital of Armenia. The lack of sufficient factual material on these buildings, the poor condition of the domes, controversial reconstruction they have undergone and, finally, the author’s working experience in Ani and Eastern Turkey, provide relevance of such studies in the context of the revision of existing stereotypes on the development of the world history of architecture. The article is devoted to the earliest, most monumental and famous building — the Cathedral of Ani, built by the architect Trdat in the last two decades of the 10th century. The critical analysis of the existing reconstruction of the church’s drum on the basis of knowledge about the development of Ani school and the site study of the building is made. The number of links of the blind arcade on the destroyed drum is specified and the probability of the carved ornamented frieze between the blind arcade and the cornice presence is confirmed. The frieze contained the string of large flowers, and the cornice consisted of two rows of blocks with different profiles: fragments of these elements, which were probably known to Charles Texier, who published the reconstruction of the Cathedral in 1842, have been now found by the author on the Eastern arm of the building. The creation of the tholobate by architect Trdat was a creative act and reflected the orientation of the Ani’s architectural school on the interpretation of the forms of classical antiquity and their application in the details of churches. This conclusion is connected with the analogy of the mentioned frieze to the diadem of an ancient type, as if laid to the head of the Cathedral, as well as to the celestial constellation from ancient Greek mythology, into which the crown of Ariadne has been transformed. The tholobate of the Ani Cathedral served as a model for the construction of several large monastic churches of the 13th–14th centuries.

Rimske terme u centru Čačka slučajno otkrivene 1970. godine, kada su arheološki ispitane, nakon konzervacije postale su dostupne široj javnosti. Nekoliko godina nakon istraživanja objavljen je članak o arhitekturi ovog kasnorimskog kupatila (Prokić 1975). U međuvremenu se javila potreba za analizom i objavljivanjem celokupne građe sa iskopavanja, kako bi se ovaj spomenik culture od velikog značaja što bolje prezentovao javnosti. Drugi cilj je bio početak rada na prikupljanju građe o rimskim termama i balneima na teritoriji rimskih provincija na tlu Srbije, pa je ova građevina poslužila kao polazište za proučavanje ove važne, ali u srpskoj, kao i u široj stučnoj javnosti, zapostavljene I nedovoljno istražene teme.
Iako dokumentacija sa iskopavanja nedostaje, a tehnički snimci su u pojedinim segmentima nepouzdani, uspelo se doći do preciznijih podataka o izgledu objekta, funkcionalnoj analizi, mogućim prepravkama i korišćenjima u različitim fazama, do pretpostavke o postojanju međuspratne konstrukcije, zahvaljujući čemu su i urađeni 2D i 3D modeli građevine.
Terme u Čačku sa površinom od oko 340 m2 spadaju u red manjih kupatila, a paralele za njega nalazimo na nizu kasnoantičkih nalazišta (Beljina-Čačak, Guberevac, Idimum, Romuliana, Timacum Minus, Mediana, Bace, Žujince i drugi). Najverovatnije je nastalo krajem III, ili pre, početkom IV veka, i trajalo je do 80-ih godina IV veka, na šta prvenstveno ukazuju numizmatički nalazi. Pokretni arheološki nalazi su relativno malobrojni i uglavnom se odnose na lokalne provincijske kasnoantičke zanatske proizvode (keramičke i staklene posude, delove nakita, alat i slično).

Monuments that stand today as the last vestiges of a bygone era, are often the witnesses and scribes of a forgotten time. A systematic study of these
structures entails a study of elements intrinsic to them. These elements, may, at times, act as a repository for cultural data. This data is recorded in the form of epigraphs, inscriptions, mural decorations, and at times, the units of
measurements used in the construction. When analysed in tandem with extrinsic sources of recorded history, these elements may act as a means to cultural reconstruction.
For this purpose, this paper will approach the studies on metrological analysis of the Ancient Indian system of measurement. It will also draw
upon archacological research conducted at Bhima Devi Temple, Pinjore to seek to establish a temporal continuity of measure.
The aim of this discussion will not be to reach at or to claim a 'uniform measure' but to establish the presence and manifestation of a system of
measurement throughout the period under study. This discourse would, thus, form a backdrop for understanding the significance of these units of
measurement in structural reconstruction ofthe monument in question.

مدرسۀ دارالفنون در دومین سال سلطنت ناصرالدین‌شاه به همت صدراعظم او میرزا تقی‌خان امیرکبیر بنا شد. بنای این مدرسه در تاریخ خود دستخوش دگرگونی‌های بسیاری بوده است. نخستین بنای آن را در سال ۱۲۶۶ق به دستور میرزا تقی‌خان امیرکبیر و به طراحی میرزا رضاخان مهندس‌باشی و معماری محمدتقی‌خان معمارباشی ساختند. بنا به همان صورت ماند تا در حدود سال‌های ۱۲۹۰ – ۱۲۹۶ق، تغییراتی، به طراحی میرزا عباس‌خان مهندس‌باشی (فرزند میرزا رضاخان مهندس‌باشی) و معماری محمدابراهیم‌خان معمارباشی (فرزند محمدتقی‌خان معمارباشی)، در آن دادند. پس از این تغییرات، صورت بنا آن‌قدر دگرگون شد که انگار بنایی جدید بر جای بنای اولیه ساخته شده بود. سپس در حدود سال‌های ۱۲۹۵ – ۱۳۰۵ق بنایی دیگر در شمال مدرسۀ قدیم ساختند که به مدرسۀ جدید یا مدرسۀ موزیک معروف شد. دارالفنون تا پایان دورۀ قاجاریه به همین صورت باقی بود. در اوایل حکومت رضاشاه، بنای اصلی را تخریب کردند و بنایی جدید به طراحی مارکوف، معمار گرجی، بر جای آن ساختند. بدین ترتیب، در تاریخ معماری مدرسۀ دارالفنون در دورۀ قاجاریه، با سه بنا مواجهیم که در تحقیقات منتشر شده تا کنون، به صورت مشخص شناسایی و بازنمایی نشده‌اند و گاه در بررسی‌ها این صورت‌ها، که هر کدام متعلق به جا و زمانی متفاوت بودند، با هم اشتباه گرفته شده‌اند. بسیاری از مطالعات صورت‌گرفته دربارۀ معماری مدرسۀ دارالفنون حاوی نکاتی پراکنده و مبهم، و گاه آمیخته با اشتباه است و تصویری صحیح از بنای قاجاری مدرسه به‌دست نمی‌دهد. تنها پژوهش منتشرشده که صورت‌های مختلف بنا را روشن می‌کند مقالۀ «معماری مدرسۀ دارالفنون و دگرگونی‌های آن در دورۀ قاجاریان» است که به بررسی دقیق منابع تصویری مدرسه پرداخته و بنا و مراحل تغییرات آن را شناسایی کرده است. با این حال تاکنون پژوهشی منتشر نشده است بناهای قاجاری مدرسه را بازنمایی کند.
در این تحقیق، از اسناد تصویری بر جای مانده کمک گرفته‌ایم تا صورت هرکدام از سه بنای یادشده را بازنمایی کنیم. اسناد تصویری شامل عکس‌های مدرسه و نقشه‌های شهری آن دوره که بنای مدرسه در آن ترسیم شده (نقشۀ کرشیش و عبدالغفار) است، که آنها را به نقشه‌های معماری تبدیل کردیم. برای تبدیل عکس‌ها، از روش‌های هندسۀ ترسیمی و روش‌های نرم‌افزاری کمک گرفتیم. تطبیق مداوم نتایج حاصل از اقسام تصاویر، تکیه بر وحدت سبک، و مراجعه به شواهد نوشتاریْ مسیری است که برای رسیدن به نتیجۀ نهایی طی شده است. تصویر از داخل بنا بسیار اندک است؛ بدین جهت، بازنمایی تصویری مدرسه محدود به نماهای آن در حیاط‌هاست.

In the first part of the paper the author tracks the history of the title of the Benedictine abbey of St. Margaret in Bijela (Béla, near modern Daruvar), which followed after the abbey itself became deserted during the second quarter of the 16th century and found itself in the area under Ottoman rule. Then, various sources are considered in chronological order, describing, from the late 17th to the mid-19th century, the state of the medieval ruins in Bijela and their gradual decay. Since the mid-19th century, this documentation has been enriched by several artistic and amateur visual representations (drawings), followed by photographs. On the basis of all this material, and starting from the conclusions reached by a few expert researchers (especially Gjuro Szabo and Zorislav Horvat), the author attempts to summarize the knowledge about the former appearance of the now completely vanished monastery complex in Bijela.

New multidisciplinary research based on geomorphological investigation and soil survey conducted at the slopes of Masada fort enabled us to reevaluate and question the dramatic events that took place there, in 73/74 CE, according to the 1st century CE Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus. The fort, built on a high elevated and isolated rocky block facing the Dead Sea in Israel, is now on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. Here, according to Josephus, a group of Jewish rebels occupying Masada chose to kill each other and die as free people rather than go into captivity. This act took place after the rebels realized that the Roman army, laying a complex assault ramp against the fort of Masada, were breaching its walls. The archaeological finds unearthed at Masada, revealing the daily life of the Jewish rebels and the well-preserved remains of the Roman siege apparatus, seem at face value to complement Josephus' description. However, our new geomorphological and soil examination of the assault ramp and the natural terrain in its vicinity enable us to clearly separate between the man-made construction and the natural slope environments, and draw a clear boundary between the two. In addition, we conclude that since their formation, they were not subjected to later modification by processes such as natural erosion, slope sliding, or anthropogenic interruptions. As the Roman assault ramp was found to be an uncompleted structure, we conclude that the final scenario of the siege could not have happened as Josephus described it. This meticulous new research confirms our earlier hypothesis that the assault ramp was never completed and therefore could not have been operational. Such a conclusion challenges the common understanding of how the Roman siege of Masada ended.

Building E in the sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia was excavated already in the 19th century, but this talk is based on the results of the recent fieldwork in the sanctuary. Based on the new excavations, it can be argued that building E was probably a Doric propylon with two columns in antis leading in to the sanctuary, with an attached colonnaded annex. The building has also been re-dated to the late Archaic period.

A legacy effect refers to the impacts that previous conditions have on current processes or properties. Legacies have been recognized by many disciplines, from physiology and ecology to anthropology, archaeology and geology. Within the context of climatic change, ecological legacies in drylands (e.g. vegetative patterns) result from feedbacks between biotic, soil, and geomorphic processes that operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Legacy effects depend on  the magnitude of the original phenomenon,  the time since the occurrence of the phenomenon, and  the sensitivity of the ecological–soil–geomorphic system to change. Here we present a conceptual framework for legacy effects at short-term (days to months), medium-term (years to decades), and long-term (centuries to millennia) timescales, which reveals the ubiquity of such effects in drylands across research disciplines.