Heritage

37 pages, 21530 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Terrorism Risk Assessment for Historic Urban Open Areas

by Elena Cantatore, Enrico Quagliarini and Fabio Fatiguso

Heritage 2024, 7(10), 5319-5355; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7100251 - 26 Sep 2024

Making cities resilient and secure remains a central goal in urban policy strategies, where established methods, technologies, and best experiences are applied or replicated when the knowledge of a threat is already well established. The scientific community and specialized bodies are invited to comprehend and evaluate disastrous events that are still not well explored to broaden the concept of resilient cities. Among these, terrorism in the European-built environment remains an underexplored topic, despite various studies assessing its economic, social, and political dimensions, exploring the radicalist matrix, or examining the post-effects of high-impact disastrous events. Within this framework, this work presents an algorithm for the risk assessment of historic urban open areas (uOAs) in Europe, combining theories of the terrorism phenomenon, the normative experiences, and the phenomenological results of violent acts in uOAs. Specifically, the algorithm is determined by studying physical qualities/properties and elements that usually feature the uOAs, using a limited set of descriptors. The descriptors and their formulation are set starting from their qualification, in compliance with the risk determinant (Hazard, Vulnerability, and Exposure), and discussed starting from participatory methods (Delphi and AHP). The algorithm is finally applied to Italian historic squares, testing the mathematical approach, verifying theories of the phenomenon, and setting up a comprehensive three-dimensional risk matrix for both soft and hard targets. This latest constitutes an operative tool to assess the investigated built environment exposed to terrorist threats aimed at developing more detailed mitigative strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heritage under Threat. Endangered Monuments and Heritage Sites)

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12 pages, 1262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tradition in Action-Traditional Costume Innovations

by Lorraine Portelli, Zoi Arvanitidou, Kathryn McSweeney and Riikka Räisänen

Heritage 2024, 7(10), 5307-5318; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7100250 - 26 Sep 2024

Abstract

Traditional costumes and crafts are a basic form and element of local culture and a vital pathway for perpetuating traditional art and design culture. They are an artistic form of historical and cultural significance. This paper focuses on three traditional costumes from Malta, Ireland, and Finland. The għonnella, worn by Maltese women of different social classes, consisted of a voluminous cape-like covering reinforced with whalebone and cardboard and was worn over the head and shoulders, reaching ankle length. Irish costumes were adorned with beautiful Irish lace, crochet, and embroidery. Celtic embroidery was added to clothing to develop a distinctive Irish dress style during the great cultural revival of the early 20th century. The Karelian costume from Finland was constructed using wool and linen. Ladies in Karelia wore handcrafted, highly embroidered gowns, and traditions were passed down from older ladies, including mothers and grandmothers. These costumes were collected in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when Finnish Karelia was known as ‘The Old Finland’. This paper delves into the origins of these costumes and how social and cultural events, with their intriguing influence, shaped their styles, features, colors, and fabrics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Cultural Heritage)

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12 pages, 2225 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Health and Heritage: The Bioarchaeological Discovery of a Probable Case of Developmental Dysplasia in an Adult Subject

by Nicol Rossetti, Roberta Fusco, Carmelo Messina, Arianna Vanni and Marta Licata

Heritage 2024, 7(10), 5295-5306; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7100249 - 24 Sep 2024

Abstract

Imagining life before the advent of modern medical treatments is challenging. Today, congenital dysplasia is typically diagnosed within the first months of a child’s life, allowing for timely intervention. In the past, however, this condition often went unrecognized and untreated, as evidenced by archaeological findings that document the presence of congenital dysplasia persisting into adulthood. We present the case of the individual recovered from the hypogeal cemetery of Santa Maria Maggiore in Vercelli, Italy, a funerary context dated from the 18th to the 19th century. Using macroscopic and radiographic analyses, various morphological irregularities were identified, consistent with the characteristics of developmental hip dysplasia. The skeletal remains identified as FU12 SU151 include a right os coxa and femur, belonging to an adult female. The femur features a 90-degree femoral head angle and a shortened neck with nodules. The acetabulum shows significant morphological changes, including a triangular shape and absence of lunate surfaces, deviating from the normal structure for femoral articulation. CT scans revealed a void within the acetabulum, indicating an absence of material. Despite preservation challenges that restrict the identification of definitive signs, our findings offer valuable insights into possible developmental dysplasia in historic skeletal remains. This research provides insights into the impact of untreated congenital conditions on past populations, underscoring the importance of preserving and studying such remains to enhance our understanding of historical health issues. Full article

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Heritage, Volume 7, Issue 10 (October 2024) – 3 articles

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