Lynn Dodd

A new portable imaging technique couples with a geographic information systems (GIS) database constitutes significant progress to the challenge of inadequate documentation in the Native American cultural landscape. The new photographic technique creates a research-quality digital image with a mobile, variable light source called a reflectance transformation image. This technique renewed the understanding of site CA-RIV-528 (a painted boulder). An indistinct design was shown to be an incised pictograph. Linking visual data to GIS enables Native Americans, conservators, and other researchers to preserve data with incredible visualization capabilities, including the significance of sites in a landscape context.

A polychrome painted wooden funerary figurine of Nfr-rnpt (scribe of the treasury of the temple of Amunrasonther) has been radiocarbon dated to 1220–1050 BC and is painted with a white pigment that includes gypsum, huntite, and tridymite. This is the first discovery of the use of tridymite as a pigment in ancient Egypt. This unusual white pigment yields an exceptionally bright white paint. The authors argue that Egyptian artisans engaged in a sophisticated, deliberate manipulation of mineral-based pigments to achieve specific desired sacral effects.

This paper appears in a volume describing the work of the Jerusalem Old City Initiative (JOCI). JOCI developed detailed proposals to support progress in peace negotiations by creating a means for the two parties (Israelis and Palestinians) to move forward in areas of concord, while establishing a jointly-created temporary administration over this most contested of spaces: Jerusalem’s Old City and its walls (JOC).  In this paper, I outline principles, assumptions and recommendations for administrative structures, mechanisms and policies that will enable a special regime to manage archaeology and heritage within Jerusalem’s Old City and its walls.  During the period when the parties support the administration of JOC in this way, decisions about archaeology and heritage in JOC and in the historic urban landscape of greater Jerusalem/al-Quds/Yerushalayim require the input of numerous stakeholders, among these the residents of JOC, local and global members of the faith communities whose religious equities reside in JOC, citizens of the regional states which see Jerusalem as a place of unique value, and the governments of these people, to name but a few.  In contrast to the "light touch" approach advocated in other areas managed by the special regime, the recommendations in this section reflect a perspective that mismanagement of JOC’s symbolic and tangible assets, whether secular or sacred, will destabilize peacekeeping efforts and, therefore, the governing entities that report to a chief administrator, in particular the archaeology and heritage administration, will be intensively involved in all aspects of managing archaeology and heritage assets and activities.

A polychrome painted wooden funerary figurine has been radiocarbon dated to 1220-1050 BC and is painted with a white pigment that includes gypsum, huntite, and tridymite. This is the first discovery of the use of tridymite as a pigment in Ancient Egypt. This unusual white pigment yields an exceptionally bright white paint. The authors argue that Egyptian artisans engaged in a sophisticated, deliberate manipulation of mineral-based pigments to achieve specific desired sacral effects.

ABSTRACT This paper considers the presence of ambiguity, evidence, and alternatives in virtual reconstructions of ancient, historic, and other no-longer-existing environments. Because the foundation of these reconstructions is data coupled to interpretations, virtual intellectual products can be grounded through critique and citations. The real-world basis for a virtual world may include multiple sources of evidence. This paper will demonstrate a methodology for making ambiguity, the quality of the evidence, and alternative reconstructions dynamically transparent to a user. This methodology harnesses the dynamism and perceptual expectations of multimedia-literate users. In our experiments, we have mainly used Flash and rollovers to create a static version of a “self-tour” that lets the viewer engage ambiguity and evidence in a virtual world dynamically and interactively so that the level of confidence can be mediated and adjusted as desired.By creating these tools, reconstructions can be explicitly linked to the real world while maintaining the flexibility, experience, and interactivity of the multimedia environment. Most importantly, the virtual rendition offers researchers the ability to show a complex set of variables dynamically, thereby allowing them to be intuitively and interactively grasped in combination, a process that is not presently possible using standard techniques of static research presentation.

"The future of cultural heritage in the Middle East ought to concern all who are interested in human cultural heritage, whether that interest lies in archaeology, architecture and the built environment, and/or traditional cultural practices. The WAC Inter-Congress in Ramallah in August, 2009 provided a much-needed platform for the discussion of the present and future treatment of Palestinian cultural heritage. The location of the conference enabled participation by a much broader range of Palestinian experts and students than is usual in scholarly meetings. Concerns about travel, security, the political implications of attendance and perceptions about “overcoming structural violence,” which was the theme of this very successful meeting, caused some foreign scholars to stay away. The authors of this paper, who are the co-organizers of the joint Israeli Palestinian Archaeology Working Group (IPAWG), introduce the following papers by Taha, Fahel, al-Houdalieh, el-Jubeh, Sayej and Yahya. They also provide perspective on the context of the meeting, the future of cultural heritage in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, the database and draft agreement created by members of IPAWG, which includes the possibility of future artifact repatriation; and the conundrum of structural violence that imperils past, present and future alike.


مستقبل التراث الثقافي في منطقة الشرق الأوسط يجب ان يهم جميع من يهتمون بالتراث الثقافي الانساني,سواء كان هذا الاهتمام يكمن في علم الاثار أو العمارة أو البيئة المبنية , و/أو الممارسات الثقافية التقليدية. مؤتمر الأثريين العالمي في رام الله في أب/أغسطس عام 2009 ,قدم المنصة الرئيسية التي تشتد الحاجة اليها من اجل علاج حاضر ومستقبل التراث الثقافي الفلسطيني. وقد سمح  مكان انعقاد المؤتمر بحضور مشاركة أوسع نطاقا بكثير من الخبراء والطلاب الفلسطينيين مما هو معتاد في اجتماعات العلماء والخبراء. . تسببت المخاوف بشأن السفر ، والأمن ، والآثار السياسية المترتبة على الحضور والتصورات حول "التغلب على العنف الهيكلي" ، والذي كان موضوع هذا الاجتماع الناجح للغاية ، جعل بعض العلماء والخبراء الأجانب  يبقون بعيداً. واضعوا هذه الدراسة ,  وهم منظموا فريق العمل الاثري الفلسطيني الاسرائيلي , عرضوا الدراسات الخمس التالية. كما انهم قدموا منظورا في سياق الجلسة,مستقبل التراث الثقافي في الاراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة , قاعدة البيانات, ومسودة مشروع الاتفاق والتي تم انشاؤها من قبل اعضاء فريق العمل الاثري الفلسطيني الاسرائيلي والذي يتضمن امكانية اعادة القطع الأثرية في المستقبل وحل سواءلغز العنف الهيكلي الذي يعرض الماضي والحاضر والمستقبل للخطر ,على حدٍ سوا"

"The Maraş and Sakçagözü valley surveys on the east side of the Amanus mountains provide new data regarding patterns of Hittite territorial management and administration. Sites dating to the Late Bronze Age II period were identified by the presence of burnished pottery, drab ware and, occasionally, by animal-shaped ceramic vessel fragments. The standardised drab ware pottery is emblematic of mass production and rigid control of labour sources and raw materials through systems designed to support the economic and political strategies of the Hittite court and to serve its interests. The settlement pattern is linked to Hittite regional needs for agricultural production, raw materials and territorial security. The distinct site location pattern indicates a strategic, restrained use of space by the Hittites. This left room for beneficial integrative features that local élites might emphasise for their own purposes, which comprise a foundation for the prestige later accorded to the Hittite legacy.

Amanos dağlarinin doğusunda uzanan Maraş ve Sakçagözü vadisinde yapilan yüzey araştirmalari, Hitit topraklarinin organizasyonu ve yönetim yapisina ilişkin yeni veriler edinmemize olanak sağlamiştir. Geç Bronz II dönemine tarihlenen yerleşmeler, perdahli kaplarin, bezemesiz mallarin ve arada bir bulunan hayvan biçimli kaplara ait parçalarin varliği ile belirlenmiştir. Standartlaşmiş bezemesiz mallar, Hitit sarayinin ekonomik ve politik stratejilerini desteklemek ve onun çikarlarina hizmet etmek üzere tasarlanmiş bir seri üretimin, siki bir iş gücü kaynaklari ve hammadde denetiminin göstergesidir. Yerleşim dokusu Hititlerin tarimsal üretim, hammade kaynaklari ve toprak güvenliği bakimindan bölgesel gereksinimleri ile bağlantilidir. Farkli bir yerleşim konumu Hititlerin statejik ve amaca yönelik bir seçim yaptiğini gösterir. Bu, yerli seçkin zümrenin kendi amaçlari için ön planda tutabilecekleri yararli, tamamlayici özelliklerin seçimine de olanak vermiştir. Bu Hititlerin daha sonraki ünlerine bir temel oluşturmuştur"

A polychrome painted wooden funerary figurine of Nfr-rnpt (scribe of the treasury of the temple of Amunrasonther) has been radiocarbon dated to 1220–1050 BC and is painted with a white pigment that includes gypsum, huntite, and tridymite. This is the first discovery of the use of tridymite as a pigment in ancient Egypt. This unusual white pigment yields an exceptionally bright white paint. The authors argue that Egyptian artisans engaged in a sophisticated, deliberate manipulation of mineral-based pigments to achieve specific desired sacral effects.

In the initial survey of the upper Tigris river valley the authors of the survey report concluded that 'either this portion of the Tigris basin was bypassed entirely by Middle Bronze Age development attested to elsewhere or, more likely, it is characterised by a thus far unreported and unrecognised assemblage' (Algaze et al. 1991: 183). Recent research by members of the Upper Tigris Archaeological Research Project (UTARP) at the site of Kenan Tepe confirms the latter hypothesis, that the early second millennium in this area is marked by a regionally distinct material culture assemblage that is influenced by ceramic traditions in upper Mesopotamia and other material culture traditions in Anatolia. This article outlines our initial assessment of these data including an analysis of the ceramic corpus, architecture, archaeobotany, small finds and carbon-14, and places these data in a regional context. We conclude by speculating that the inhabitants of Kenan Tepe may have participated in interaction spheres that linked the upper Tigris river region to greater Mesopotamia and Anatolia.

Dicle Nehri yukarı vadisi yüzey araştırması çalışmalarının ön raporunda yazarlar şu ortak sonuca varmışlardır: 'Dicle havzasının bu bölümüne ya Orta Bronz Çaǧ sırasında diǧer bölgelerde yaşanan gelişmeler hiç uǧramadan geçti ya da, daha büyük olasılıkla, henüz rapor edilmeyen ve tanımlanmayan farklı bir karakterde oluştu' (Algaze et al. 1991: 183). Yukarı Dicle Arkeolojik Araştırma Projesi (UTARP) üyeleri tarafından son zamanlarda Kenan Tepe'de yapılan araştırmalar ikinci hipotezi onaylamakta, yani ikinci binyıl başlarında bu bölgeye özgü farklı ve kısmen Yukarı Mezopotamya'daki seramik geleneklerinden ve Anadolu'daki diǧer materyal kültür geleneklerinden etkilenen farklı bir kültür oluşumu yaşandıǧını göstermektedir. Bu makale söz konusu verilerin ilk deǧerlendirmesine ait bir ön çalışma olup, seramik koleksiyonları, mimari, arkeobotani, küçük buluntular ve karbon 14 analizlerini de içermekte ve bu verileri bölgesel baǧlamda yerlerine oturtmaktadır. Sonuç olarak tahminimiz, Yukarı Dicle bölgesindeki Kenan Tepe halkının Mezopotamya ve Anadolu arasındaki bölgesel etkileşimler içinde yerlerini almış olabilecekleridir.

Archaeology undertaken in overtly politicized environments creates situations and data that archaeologists are not positioned to control either in the moment or in perpetuity. This commentary examines the five diverse, revealing case studies that appear Archaeologies 2.2 and 3.1 and identifies the underlying dynamics that can create both an ethical burden for archaeologists and potentially charged, even dangerous, situations for others. These include archaeological heritage management demands and failures; contrary heritage valuation; restriction of associations with potential heritage resources; balancing archaeological research goals against local economic, political and social aspirations; and the complex trans-border reality of archaeologically identified societies that complicates heritage deployment in modern contexts. Whether or not activist engagement or outcomes are part of our practice or intention, there is no such thing as a value-free archaeological outcome. La arqueología desarrollada en ambientes abiertamente politizados provoca situaciones y datos que los arqueólogos no están en situación de controlar, ni en el momento ni de forma perpetua. Este artículo examina cinco ejemplos reveladores que aparecen en Archaeologies 2.2 y 3.1 e identifica las dinámicas subyacentes que podrían crean tanto una carga ética para los arqueólogos, como situaciones potencialmente cargadas, e incluso peligrosas, para otros. Esto incluye demandas y fracasos en la gestión del patrimonio arqueológico, evaluaciones del patrimonio contrarias, la restricción de asociaciones con recursos patrimoniales potenciales; objetivos de investigación arqueológica fluctuantes frente a aspiraciones económicas, políticas y sociales; y la compleja realidad transfronteriza de las sociedades identificadas a nivel arqueológico, que dificultan el despliegue del patrimonio en los contextos modernos. Tanto si los compromisos o los resultados activistas forman parte de nuestra práctica o de nuestras intenciones, como si no, no hay nada como un resultado arqueológico libre de criterios impuestos por valores subjetivos. L’archéologie conduite dans des environnements résolument politisés contribue à la création de situations et de données que les archéologues ne peuvent maîtriser sur le moment ou dans leur prolongement. Nous examinons par ce commentaire cinq différents cas publiés dans Archaeologies 2.2 et 3.1 et identifions les dynamiques sous-jacentes qui peuvent produire un fardeau moral pour certains archéologues, voir même des situations dangereuses pour d’autres. Cela inclut des demandes ou des échecs liés à la gestion du patrimoine archéologique, des objectifs de recherches archéologiques qui se trouvent en opposition avec le développement économique, des aspirations politiques et sociales et des réalités culturelles transfrontalières qui compliquent le déploiement du patrimoine dans des contextes modernes. Si l’engagement ou les résultats d’activistes font partie de notre pratique ou de nos intentions, il n’y a rien comme des résultats archéologiques à valeur-libres.

... Page 5. LONGING FOR THE END A History of Millennialism in Western Civilization Frederic J. Baumgartner palgrave Page 6. ... p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-312-23834-7 (paperback) 1. Millennialism—History. 2. Civilization, Western. I. Title. ...