Cultural Contours of India

Cultural Contours of India
Author: Vijai Shankar Śrivastava
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
Total Pages: 736
Release: 1981
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780391023581

Comprises articles on the life and work of Satya Prakash, b. 1914, Indologist, and papers, most on the history and culture of Rajasthan, India.

Approaching Monumentality in Archaeology

Approaching Monumentality in Archaeology
Author: James F. Osborne
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 476
Release: 2014-10-24
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1438453256

Interdisciplinary study of monumental art and architecture in human history. Monumentality is a human phenomenon that has occurred in nearly all times and places. Because of its ubiquity, monumentality is something that has been studied by a large number of disciplines and individuals. Approaching Monumentality in Archaeology explores the phenomenon of monumental art and architecture from humankind’s most ancient past to recent history, and does so using an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates the research of anthropological archaeologists, art historians, classicists, and sociologists working in a wide variety of historical and cultural contexts. The volume seeks to define what is meant by the terms “monument” and “monumentality,” and to understand the social and political significance of monument-building as it has manifested around the world. By advocating for a relational approach to the topic that seeks to find monumentality in the ongoing relationship between object and person, this book offers the opportunity to begin the process of uniting these varied interests into a unified discourse.

Elements of Architecture

Elements of Architecture
Author: Mikkel Bille
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 463
Release: 2016-02-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317279220

Elements of Architecture explores new ways of engaging architecture in archaeology. It conceives of architecture both as the physical evidence of past societies and as existing beyond the physical environment, considering how people in the past have not just dwelled in buildings but have existed within them. The book engages with the meeting point between these two perspectives. For although archaeologists must deal with the presence and absence of physicality as a discipline, which studies humans through things, to understand humans they must also address the performances, as well as temporal and affective impacts, of these material remains. The contributions in this volume investigate the way time, performance and movement, both physically and emotionally, are central aspects of understanding architectural assemblages. It is a book about the constellations of people, places and things that emerge and dissolve as affective, mobile, performative and temporal engagements. This volume juxtaposes archaeological research with perspectives from anthropology, architecture, cultural geography and philosophy in order to explore the kaleidoscopic intersections of elements coming together in architecture. Documenting the ephemeral, relational, and emotional meeting points with a category of material objects that have defined much research into what it means to be human, Elements of Architecture elucidates and expands upon a crucial body of evidence which allows us to explore the lives and interactions of past societies.

'Archaeologizing' Heritage?

'Archaeologizing' Heritage?
Author: Michael Falser
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2013-05-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3642358705

This book investigates what has constituted notions of "archaeological heritage" from colonial times to the present. It includes case studies of sites in South and Southeast Asia with a special focus on Angkor, Cambodia. The contributions, the subjects of which range from architectural and intellectual history to historic preservation and restoration, evaluate historical processes spanning two centuries which saw the imagination and production of "dead archaeological ruins" by often overlooking living local, social, and ritual forms of usage on site. Case studies from computational modelling in archaeology discuss a comparable paradigmatic change from a mere simulation of supposedly dead archaeological building material to an increasing appreciation and scientific incorporation of the knowledge of local stakeholders. This book seeks to bring these different approaches from the humanities and engineering sciences into a trans-disciplinary discussion.

Reading Śiva

Reading Śiva
Author: Ellen Raven
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 669
Release: 2021-12-20
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9004473009

An extensive, illustrated bibliography for the Hindu god Śiva in the arts of South and Southeast Asia, offering detailed indices and easy access to resource repositories.

Andean Expressions

Andean Expressions
Author: George F. Lau
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2011-04-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1587299747

Flourishing from A.D. 1 to 700, the Recuay inhabited lands in northern Peru just below the imposing glaciers of the highest mountain chain in the tropics. Thriving on an economy of high-altitude crops and camelid herding, they left behind finely made artworks and grand palatial buildings with an unprecedented aesthetic and a high degree of technical sophistication. In this first in-depth study of these peoples, George Lau situates the Recuay within the great diversification of cultural styles associated with the Early Intermediate Period, provides new and significant evidence to evaluate models of social complexity, and offers fresh theories about life, settlement, art, and cosmology in the high Andes. Lau crafts a nuanced social and historical model in order to evaluate the record of Recuay developments as part of a wider Andean prehistory. He analyzes the rise and decline of Recuay groups as well as their special interactions with the Andean landscape. Their coherence was expressed as shared culture, community, and corporate identity, but Lau also reveals its diversity through time and space in order to challenge the monolithic characterizations of Recuay society pervasive in the literature today. Many of the innovations in Recuay culture, revealed for the first time in this landmark volume, left a lasting impact on Andean history and continue to have relevance today. The author highlights the ways that material things intervened in ancient social and political life, rather than being merely passive reflections of historical change, to show that Recuay public art, exchange, technological innovations, warfare, and religion offer key insights into the emergence of social hierarchy and chiefly leadership and the formation, interaction, and later dissolution of large discrete polities. By presenting Recuay artifacts as fundamentally social in the sense of creating and negotiating relations among persons, places, and things, he recognizes in the complexities of the past an enduring order and intelligence that shape the contours of history.

Ancient Cities

Ancient Cities
Author: Charles Gates
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 824
Release: 2024-02-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1003849393

The third edition of Ancient Cities surveys the cities of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, and the Greek, Etruscan, and Roman worlds from the perspectives of archaeology and architectural history, bringing to life the physical world of ancient city dwellers by concentrating on archaeological evidence. Urban form is the focus: the physical appearance and overall plans of cities, their architecture and natural topography, and the cultural and historical contexts in which they flourished. Attention is also paid to non-urban features such as religious sanctuaries and burial grounds, places and institutions that were a familiar part of the city dweller’s experience. Objects or artifacts that furnished everyday life are discussed, such as writing systems, pottery, sculpture, wall paintings, mosaics, and coins. Ancient Cities is unusual in presenting this wide range of Old World cultures in such comprehensive detail, giving equal weight to the Preclassical and Classical periods, and in showing the links between these ancient cultures. In this new edition, in which Andrew Goldman has joined Charles Gates in updating the volume, readers and lecturers will be delighted to see a major revision of the chapters on Greek cities in South Italy and Sicily, the Etruscans, the development of the capital city, Rome, during the Republic as well as the Empire, and the end of the ancient city. This new edition includes several new and updated user-friendly features, such as: Clear and accessible language, assuming no previous background knowledge Lavishly illustrated, with almost 350 line drawings, maps, and photographs, including new contributions from Neslihan Yılmaz Tekman adding to her already acclaimed illustrations Suggestions for further reading for each chapter A companion website with images, study guides, and an interactive timeline. With its comprehensive presentation of ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern cities, its rich collection of illustrations, and its companion website, Ancient Cities remains an essential textbook for university and high school students across a wide range of archaeology, ancient history, and ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Classical Studies courses.

Postcolonialism, Heritage, and the Built Environment

Postcolonialism, Heritage, and the Built Environment
Author: Jessica L. Nitschke
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2021-01-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 3030608581

This book proposes new ways of looking at the built environment in archaeology, specifically through postcolonial perspectives. It brings together scholars and professionals from the fields of archaeology, urban studies, architectural history, and heritage in order to offer fresh perspectives on extracting and interpreting social and cultural information from architecture and monuments. The goal is to show how on-going critical engagement with the postcolonial critique can help archaeologists pursue more inclusive, sensitive, and nuanced interpretations of the built environment of the past and contribute to heritage discussions in the present. The chapters present case studies from Africa, Greece, Belgium, Australia, Syria, Kuala Lumpur, South Africa, and Chile, covering a wide range of chronological periods and settings. Through these diverse case studies, this volume encourages the reader to rethink the analytical frameworks and methods traditionally employed in the investigation of built spaces of the past. To the extent that these built spaces continue to shape identities and social relationships today, the book also encourages the reader to reflect critically on archaeologists’ ability to impact stakeholder communities and shape public perceptions of the past.