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For the past century, Mexico has tightly managed its heritage resources to emphasise the achievements of Prehispanic civilisations which contribute to national patrimony. Public interest in these great civilisations has fuelled an impressive national archaeological programme that has resulted in cutting-edge research and sometimes helped elevate the status and visibility of living indigenous communities. However, nationalist narratives of the past tend to be somewhat monolithic, and in the case of Mexico, they have emphasised hierarchical, exploitative states with powerful, urban capitals. The social value of Aztec identity and icons has become so potent that even in places with unique archaeological signatures and their own exceptional histories, local heritages are often intertwined with the Aztec narratives. This paper analyses two modern monuments in the small central Mexican town of Xaltocan, reflecting on long-term and recent developments in the region that have influenced the perceived social and political values of narratives of the past and the identities connected to them. Based on these analyses and drawing on interview responses from current residents, I argue that the monuments are important testaments to the complex ways that locals conceptualise and strategically articulate their heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contests the interpretation of the two volute capitals discovered at Hazor in the late 1950s put forward by Kleiman (online 2021; print 2022), who viewed these monumental artworks in their secondary depositional location as silent testimony for a political shift experienced by the city in the Iron Age IIB. Unearthed in secondary use in Stratum VII and originally belonging in an earlier, 9th-century bce, context of Stratum VIII, a re-evaluation of the peculiar findspot of these two volute capitals is called for. When analysed against the broader background of Strata VIII–VII and considered in the light of recent studies on the iconography of the volute motif, an adequate reconstruction of their deposition history emerges. This sheds fresh light upon their symbolic significance and bears implications for the political status of Hazor Stratum VIII. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the plethora of statues and monuments constructed as part of the post-apartheid monumental project in Pretoria, photographs of anti-colonial and anti-apartheid heroes and heroines are often used to remember and celebrate the contributions they made to the attainment of the new dispensation. Photographs (presented through statues and monuments) are crucial instruments used in conveying messages about these heroes and heroines, and at the same time denouncing issues of injustice and segregation that were the hallmarks of the colonial and apartheid regimes in Pretoria and South Africa. However, while a vast amount of literature has been published on anti-colonial and anti-apartheid monumentalisation in South Africa, not much attention has been given to iconography of the statues as an aspect that could inform research and understanding of how post-apartheid monumentalisation is not a break with the past, but, rather, a continuation of the pre-1994 practices. Drawing from eight photographs taken from the ‘Long March to Freedom’ statues park at the former Groenkloof Nature Reserve in Pretoria, this visual essay highlights the role played by some of these heroes and heroines at their time. The photographs were taken during two months of research conducted at the park from July to August 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on our mapping and database project britishmonumentsrelatedtoslavery.net, the first and currently most complete account of British representational public monuments related to British transatlantic slavery. It reproduces our headline findings and presents some new maps of the data. However, our main focus in this paper is on placing our project in a wider context of emergent practices and methods that inspired us. First, we note the exponential historical emergence of three connected critical, grassroots ‘counter’ practices across different institutions: of mapping, curating, and ethnography. We frame their critical commonality in their ‘counter’ approach to the nexus of what Benedict Anderson identified as three key ‘institutions of power … census, map, museum’, which have been central to conceiving and executing policy. Second, we prospectively identify some of the common structural causes that underlie this emergent assembly of instituent knowledge‐making practices from below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the enduring iconicity, multifaceted functions, and changing meanings of the Astor Hotel in Tianjin—one of the first international hotels in modern China—from the mid-19th century to the 21st century. Originally built more than 150 years ago, the Astor Hotel still stands exactly where it did in the former British Concession in Tianjin. This hotel was not only a venue boasting Tianjin's most expensive accommodations but also a crucial site where politics, technology, economics, social, and cultural changes intersected and developed in its treaty port incarnation. Moreover, the expansion of the Astor Hotel evolved along with the development of Tianjin from a hypercolonial city to a Chinese-run metropolis. Shortly after the Communist Revolution in China, its ownership was overtaken by the Tianjin Municipal Government. Following a sequence of major renovations and commercial relaunches in the 1990s, the Astor Hotel was restored and reconstructed as an emblem of Tianjin's historical status as an international and cosmopolitan city in China. Both continuity and changes will be emphasised in the discussion of the Astor Hotel's history, as well as its multiple functions and shifting symbolic significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiocarbon dating and Bayesian chronology modeling have provided precise dating for the rondel at Nowe Objezierze (northwestern Poland). This monument, located in the farthest reaches of the "Danubian World," sheds new light on rondels and the way they functioned. A total of 44 radiocarbon dates are now available for the site, and modeling of these (taking into account depositional processes and the results of palynological analysis) has identified plausible scenarios for its construction and use. The rondel was built around 4800 cal b.c. and operated for about three centuries. The cyclical digging and filling of ditches and the sequential establishment of new ones characterized the historical development of the site. The long duration of use of the site served as a base to analyze the potential construction technology and to propose the reconstruction of the appearance of the rondel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North-East Caucasus is a multi-ethnic mountain macroregion with a rich cultural heritage, insufficiently studied in the context of the ecotourism development. To fill this gap and identify promising directions of environmentally safe forms of tourism, the author used in-depth review of modern literature to investigate the features of ecological tourism and the problems of preserving ethno-cultural heritage, and used historical and comparative-geographical methods to analyze the development of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the North-Eastern Caucasus in different historical periods and to identify the geographical peculiarities of the distribution of historical and cultural monuments (tower buildings), pilgrimage sites and centers of traditional crafts and trades. As part of the planned expeditions, the author personally visited some historical monuments and handicraft centers for a deeper study of ethno-cultural heritage. The cartographic method made it possible to visualize the results. The results of the research show that the ethnocultural heritage of the North-East Caucasus is formed by material (historical and cultural monuments) and immaterial elements of culture (language, customs, traditions, ethnic identification) of those peoples, who live here. The ethnocultural heritage is considered as the most important factor in the development of the tourism industry. It is revealed that this region has a large potential for development in various areas of eco-tourism. The highest concentration of religious buildings focused in mountainous areas. Medieval tower structures were erected in mountainous and high-altitude areas. From ancient times to the present day there have been preserved various types of crafts and trades (pottery, metalworking, burka making, jewelry making, carpet weaving, gold embroidery, wood and stone carving, etc.), which can become objects of ecotourism. The ethnocultural heritage of the North-East Caucasus needs to be preserved and protected. To solve this problem, the author recommends to focus on a balanced combination of traditions and innovations in this industry, also considering the current state and development of the tourism industry in the country and in the world. The research highlights that the development of scientific approaches to plan and manage tourism development can contribute to the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of indigenous peoples. This is a complex and labour-intensive task, but its solution will have a multiplier effect in the social sphere, in economic development and in environmental security, which is in line with the principles and concept of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical subjects, such as history, usually do not attract the interest of students and as a result educational games and serious games that use augmented reality (AR) are increasingly used as a means of supporting education. It is believed that these games can make the lesson more engaging and contribute to improving student performance. However, relevant research is limited. The present research presents the AR-enhanced serious game "Exploring Ancient Greece" that aims at supporting 10- to 14-year-old students in learning the history of Ancient Greece. It consists of three levels that include: a presentation of archaeological sites with AR that gives students the chance to explore places of historical interest; a trivia game that includes an AR presentation of a monument or piece of art somewhere in the physical surroundings of the students; and an escape room where the player is trapped in an archaeological site and tries to solve riddles to find the exit. To evaluate the game, an empirical study was conducted involving students between the ages of 10 and 14 who answered knowledge questions before and after playing the game, completed a questionnaire including questions based on the System Usability Scale (SUS), as well as questions for evaluating their experience, and answered oral questions. Based on the results of this study, students improved their knowledge of history, evaluated the game positively and stated that they prefer the use of serious games and AR in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the memory practices of Corporación Zoscua, a small, grassroots activist group in Colombia representing victims of the armed conflict within the region of Boyacá. After an initial grounding within the broader context of transitional justice and historical memory debates within Colombia, the article focuses on how Zoscua's practices constitute a form of tactical, vernacular memory-making from below that involves temporary alliances and negotiations in order to make interventions into the mnemonic spaces of the city. Based on a mixed-methods approach that includes semi-structured interviews with participants, as well as textual and paratextual analysis, the article provides an analysis of the conception and construction of their memory wall in the city of Tunja. It highlights first how the choice of location of the wall constitutes a tactical take-over of public space, with grassroots memory being inserted into a conventionally top-down locale that conveys official, state-sponsored national values. Second, the article considers the practices and negotiations involved in designing and building the wall, and, subsequently, focuses on the content of the wall, with particular attention to the collective and collaborative nature of the artwork that, through its imagery, composition and focus on emotions, and contests the high-art values normally associated with monumental practices. The article concludes by suggesting that the distinction between top-down and bottom-up memory initiatives is complicated when examining the mnemonic practices of grassroots memory actors, who make tactical use of alliances to further their aims. As the analysis in this article reveals, bottom-up strategies undertaken by community groups and top-down initiatives promoted by authorities often become entangled or coalesce, evidenced both in the practices and negotiations involved in creating grassroots memorials, and in the resulting materiality of the memorial wall under discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical architecture has different special styles attributed to each era, dynasty, or region. These styles are common features such as geometric properties, ratios, scales, colors, and artistic techniques. Historical geometric ornaments have an enormous capability for classification based on their geometric characteristics. Smart pattern recognition allows researchers to classify huge databases of heritage for useful internet searches. So, our main goal in this paper is to implement the detection of categories in geometric patterns for classification and documentation in which by the photography of ornaments in every monument, the type of patterns and the number of every type of pattern would be estimated quickly. Furthermore, due to occurring deterioration in these patterns, our method also contributes to recognizing the deteriorated patterns. When we encounter numerous pieces of deteriorated patterns, manual recognition in order to reassemble and reconstruct is usually impossible or time-consuming. With the aid of artificial intelligence, in this paper, our aim is to seek to solve the automatic recognition of historical geometric patterns, even patterns having deterioration as an occlusion via image processing and machine learning methods. A challenging issue that researchers would tackle in detecting historical geometric pattern's types is the variety in geometric textures, especially when they have occlusion such as deterioration. This issue leads to limited success in classifying via extracting only one feature. The other issue is that the extracted feature must be invariant to the transformation, such as scale, rotation, and noise variation. To cope with the challenges mentioned above and accurately classify, we plan to use the fusion method based on extracting global and local features. So, the features extracted from images in this research are based on local and global. In other words, the proposed fusion strategy lies both in feature and decision level, but the core is the proposed three combination methods in fusion decision methods. In this method, the dataset is composed of four main Persian geometric pattern types: Tond dah, Kond tablghenas, Hashtva 4 lengeh, and HashtvatablKond. So, the model will be trained by extracting global and local features of the images separately. Random forest, as the prevalent machine learning algorithm, is proposed for training data and predicting the class of input images. Finally, the probability of prediction for random forest classifiers is fused by the Decision Templates (DT) combiner, Naïve Bayes (NB) combiner, and Dempster–Shafer combination methods. In comparison with the individual classifier accuracy results of 80% and 85% for global and local features respectively, our proposed approach achieves an improved accuracy of 90%, 88%, and 90% in three fusion decision methods including DT combiner, NB combiner, and Dempster–Shafer combination methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article is a review of the book: Bianco L. (2024), Il- Monument tal-Ħelsien: Mintoff u l-abbozzi tad-disinji ta' Agius, Kite Group, Ħamrun, Malta, 74 pp., with ISBN 978-9918-23-136-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the 1930s until the time of her death in 1955, Mary McLeod Bethune was the most well-known African American woman in the United States. A race and gender leader commonly referred to as the "First Lady of the Struggle," Bethune famously led the largest black women's club, had regular meetings in the White House, and helped with the founding of the United Nations. Because of her achievements, Bethune's name and likeness have been used on a U.S. postal stamp, numerous schools, and statues. This article examines two memorials to Bethune—showing how Bethune's words and likeness have been used as a historical corrective, as well as an extension of the legacy that Bethune determined to leave before she died in 1955. First, I examine the National Council of Negro Women's many frustrating years of fundraising for a Bethune memorial in Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C. That memorial, erected in 1974, became the first statue of a woman or an African American person dedicated on federal land in the U.S. capital. The second statue I examine is the 2022 statue of Bethune erected in the U.S. Capitol Building. There, the state of Florida decided to replace its long-standing statue of a white, male Confederate general in favor of a newly commissioned statue of Bethune, a black, female educator and civil rights leader as a way to rehabilitate and redefine the state's image. Finally, the article shows how Bethune had hoped to be memorialized by her survivors, as evidenced in the form of an auto-eulogy, an essay that she wrote for future generations of readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening planning for the Chemnitz Viaduct from the perspective of the checking engineer The Chemnitz Viaduct was built for four‐track traffic with a length of 275 m between 1901 and 1909. After 120 years of use, it had to be technically repaired and strengthed for the use for another 80 years. The bridge consists of four parallel superstructures, each spans over two arches and ten beam bridges. For future double‐track traffic, the two inner superstructures were equipped with tracks for rail traffic, and the two outer superstructures were used for side and emergency sidewalks as well as for technical equipment. For this purpose, the inner beam bridges were replaced and designed as a steel composite structure. The substructures and other superstructures were largely preserved in accordance with the requirements of monument protection and renovated or replaced in small parts as necessary. Particular attention was paid to preserving the large number of historical steel bearings. The structural implementation of this complex project under "rolling wheels" required special measures for ongoing railway traffic. In this article, after an overview of the historical building and its assessment, the work in the advisory board is discussed and the handling of various measures for technical repairs and strengthenings, taking into account the monument protection in conjunction with the additional necessary permits and approvals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The architectural study and analysis of ancient monuments help us in their complete understanding and classification in modern science. The monumental architecture of ancient Constantinople is one of the topics that is not only not sufficiently studied, but also has not found its rightful place in today's architecture and archeology. An important monument built in the late antique City is the rotunda at “Myrelaion”. After carefully collecting data from the various research activities and excavations, we can find its parallels in the Capitol in Rome, but also in the Rotunda of Galerius in Thessaloniki. The overall analysis allows us to hypothetically determine its height, and the type of dome, but also helps us to place it on the worthy second place in size among the domed halls in the world and first place in Constantinople. The transition of the function of the rotunda as a type of building for religious needs to representative ones is also noted [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Art-Sanat Journal / Art-Sanat is the property of Art-Sanat and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Weight-related issues can be prevalent in elite-level sports, especially in men's road cycling, where riders may exhibit harmful behaviours, with potentially adverse outcomes for mental and physical health. This study investigated Body Mass Index (BMI) values amongst the top five finishers in the three Grand Tours and the five Monuments races between 1994 and 2023 to assess longitudinal patterns. Publicly available height and weight figures were sourced from ProCyclingStats and BMI scores were calculated for n = 154 and n = 255 individual athletes for the Grand Tours and Monuments, respectively. Two analyses were conducted with correlations and ANOVAs: the first included the BMIs of all top-five finishes and the second focussed on the BMIs of new top-five entrants. The results from both analyses revealed consistent mean BMI decreases over the years and larger effect sizes were apparent in the Grand Tours compared to the Monuments. Although lower BMIs are associated with certain performance advantages, these declining trajectories suggest a need for enhanced awareness in the cycling community and possible regulatory measures and educational programmes to promote the sustainable wellbeing of riders. This may be particularly pertinent given the wider evidence of unhealthy weight-related attitudes and behaviours throughout the sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Aposta is the property of Aposta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Aposta is the property of Aposta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Aposta is the property of Aposta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Aposta is the property of Aposta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Performing classical drama at ancient venues in interwar Greece reflected the socio-cultural context of the time. The development of archaeological tourism and the perception of classical monuments as heterotopic spaces created particular political and ideological needs. Until the mid-1930s, private theatre companies and individual artists reused classical venues such as the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the theatre of Epidaurus to stage productions that gradually attracted local, national, and international attention. But by 1936, the National Theatre began exploiting the socio-political potential of ancient theatres and classical drama festivals and state-sponsored productions dominated the Greek theatrical stage. During this period, the claims of exclusivity on the part of the National Theatre and the National Conservatoire defined their competition with private companies and shaped the course of the revival of classical drama in twentieth-century Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Online Journal of Art & Design is the property of Online Journal of Art & Design and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article is based on the materials of field research conducted in the Kaliningrad region in 2022–2023. The authors proceed from the idea of this region as a frontier emerged due to redefinition of jurisdiction of the territories of East Prussia after World War II and geopolitical transformations after 1991. Currently, the region is surrounded by EU countries, and this predetermines its perception as a civilizational frontier – a space of comparison between Russian and European ways of life, and intensified the politicization of local historical memory. The aim of the article is to examine the narratives underlying visual transformation of the cultural landscape of the Kaliningrad region since 1945, their relation to the tasks of de-actualization of the region’s past, appropriation of German heritage and its integration into the Russian cultural space. Cultural landscape is defined both as a product and environment of human activity saturated with a variety of artifacts, and as a sign system that forms, preserves, and controls a certain vision of the world. The use of the semiotic paradigm allowed us to consider monuments as its long-term semantic accents. We also took into account the multiplicity of actors influencing the organization and reorganization of the cultural landscape, the variability of the correlation of political forces and opportunities, and the participation in the transformation processes of both power institutions that limit the possibility of alternative perception of reality, and society that resists ideological programming. The evolution of semantic dominants of the cultural landscape we analyzed in the context of shifts in the ideology and attitudes of regional society. We conclude that the compromise tactics of appropriation of the region’s past, developed over time, are based on countering the challenges of the time and solving practical problems, rather than on political attitudes.

The primary purpose of the study, as part of the planned conservation work, was to uncover all aspects of autochthonous biofilm pertaining to the formation of numerous deterioration symptoms occurring on the limestone Rožanec Mithraeum monument in Slovenia. Using state-of-the-art sequencing technologies combining mycobiome data with observations made via numerous light and spectroscopic (FTIR and Raman) microscopy analyses pointed out to epilithic lichen Gyalecta jenensis and its photobiont, carotenoid-rich Trentepohlia aurea, as the origin of salmon-hued pigmented alterations of limestone surface. Furthermore, the development of the main deterioration symptom on the monument, i.e., biopitting, was instigated by the formation of typical endolithic thalli and ascomata of representative Verrucariaceae family (Verrucaria sp.) in conjunction with the oxalic acid-mediated dissolution of limestone. The domination of lichenized fungi, as the main deterioration agents, both on the relief and surrounding limestone, was additionally supported by the high relative abundance of lichenized and symbiotroph groups in FUNGuild analysis. Obtained results not only upgraded knowledge of this frequently occurring but often overlooked group of extremophilic stone heritage deteriogens but also provided a necessary groundwork for the development of efficient biocontrol formulation applicable in situ for the preservation of similarly affected limestone monuments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel approach to evaluating urban open spaces (UOS) by developing a mobile application, YouWalk-UOS. Overcoming current limitations and the need for integrating digital technologies and participatory methods into UOS assessment processes, the study establishes a comprehensive framework addressing functional, social, and perceptual dimensions with 36 identified aspects. The framework and the mobile application are tested at Grey’s Monument in Newcastle, England, revealing its potential to capture a thorough perspective of UOS. The findings suggest that mobile technology can revolutionize urban space assessment, emphasizing the value of user-contributed data for various stakeholders, including designers, educators, and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a product of the first complete survey of British public representational monuments in the U.K. related to transatlantic slavery, available online at . Identifying over 900 monuments, it brings this survey to bear on current public and policy debates about such monuments' history, significance and meaning vis-à-vis slavery, art and heritage. Examining the monuments at scale, we identify the monuments' patterns of production and provide data-led answers to specific questions such as what Britain's most significant monumental legacies of slavery are; how enslaved people appear in British public monuments; and how this data might support rethinking these monuments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antependia, realized in polychrome marbles during the Baroque period in two Christian churches of Apulia (Southern Italy), were on-site petrographically investigated by the naked eye to obtain information regarding the types of used rocks; the precision in the making of the marble tesserae was also assessed. Most of the polychrome marbles recognized were taken from buildings and monuments realized during the Roman imperial period; other marbles quarried during the Baroque period, mainly from Italian geological outcrops, were also identified. The precision in the execution of the tesserae is generally very high and depends not only on the skill of the marble worker but also on the lithotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of rock cliffs is a longstanding issue and is of practical significance. This case study demonstrates the application and use of advanced 3D modeling techniques, concentrating on the geological formations of the Xrobb l-Ġħaġin peninsula on the south-east coast of Malta, where the Xrobb l-Ġħaġin Neolithic site is located. In order to utilize a static and dynamic analysis of the investigated scenario, a 3D finite element model (FEM) of the geological formation in which the monument is set had to be created. To this end, 3D scanning, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and oblique photogrammetry were first used with state-of-the-art commercial packages for mesh reconstruction. As a result, a geometric and finite element model (FEM) was created, suitable for both static and dynamic analysis. In the second stage, a parametric investigation of the material properties of the structural system of the geological substrate was sought. The structural response of the system was evaluated for different loading scenarios assuming nonlinear finite element analysis. Collapse case scenarios were investigated for standard and weakened materials, predicting which components would collapse first and under which case of weakened materials the collapse occurs. Among other aspects, the main novelty of this paper lies in the integrated approach and multidisciplinary paradigm that supplement the available historical knowledge for this specific cultural heritage Neolithic site towards its conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Joshua 8:30–35 (MT), Joshua builds an altar to YHWH and inscribes the stones of the altar with a copy of the tôrâ of Moses. This episode's earliest position among Hebrew and Greek text traditions remains a topic of debate. Several overlooked parallels between Joshua's conquest of Ai (Josh 8:1–29) and Assyrian royal inscriptions indicate that the text of Josh 8 draws more heavily on Assyrian literary warfare traditions than previously assumed. Importantly, the narrated conquest in Josh 8, Assyrian campaign reports, and several Levantine inscriptions conclude their narrations of warfare with the building of an inscribed monument. Striking similarities between the royal annals of Assurnasirpal II and Josh 8:1–29 evince the influence of Neo-Assyrian narrations of warfare upon later Northwest Semitic literary traditions. The MT position of the Mount Ebal altar episode, I argue, is the earliest extant textual location of this pericope because it is the only location of the Mount Ebal altar narrative that satisfies the text's connection with Deuteronomy and the narrative expectations created by the preceding conquest account in 8:1–29. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The racecourse "Kerepesi Ügető" in Budapest was closed in 2000, and all of its buildings were demolished except for the Class II Grandstand, which had been declared a national monument earlier. Our task was to perform a comprehensive static investigation of this grandstand and to develop a methodology for structural strengthening in order to preserve this monument for future generations. Investigations included in situ measurements, laboratory material tests, and finite‐element analysis of the structure. According to the results of static calculations, the method of strengthening was proposed, which included the injection of cracks, integration of new structural elements, application of concrete jacketing, and bonded carbon‐fiber‐reinforced polymer sheets. The applied strengthening and renovation method extended the lifespan of the grandstand by 50 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reflects on the artistic representation with characteristics of Hispanofilia, through the figure of the writer Juan Montalvo materialized in the monumental bronze sculpture, erected in the city of Ambato, which in addition to being a device for the transmission of ideas, has the form of a sign, this being understood as the object that is related to the idea represented in a tacit way, in this case as an unrefusable demonstration of love and respect, has the form of a sign, being this understood as the object that is related to the tacitly represented idea, in this case as an unrefusable demonstration of love and respect for Spain with its own Ecuadorian representative. To review main and secondary sources in journals and documents was made for the development of its corresponding interpretation, Iconographic and qualitative interpretation, which allowed us to determine the relevance of the figure of Montalvo as a modern hero, a defender of civilization and his postulation as a fervent Spaniard, worthy spokesman of the language of Castile, thus contributing to the formation of the social imaginary of the citizenry in favor of the mother country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This photo essay is an exploration of how monuments, that try to give coherence to our shared past and identity, can be rethought through modern art. Specifically, it centres on an art festival in Balaguer, Spain, where an art installation titled MONUMENT by the MITO Collective was set up close to an existing monument of a 18th century Spanish conquistador. During the festival, the monument of the conquistador was vandalised and subsequently removed. The photo essay shows that instead of being static symbols, monuments can be lively spaces that encourage us to talk, question the usual stories told by history, and engage more actively with our collective memories. By presenting reactions to the MONUMENT installation, which featured slogans from various social movements, it suggests that monuments can be places where ongoing stories and conflicts are acknowledged. This shift in perspective invites us to keep rethinking how history can be negotiated in public places, making room for a wider range of voices and stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducts a comparative analysis of Buddhist sacred structures throughout Asia, focusing on the historical development, regional disparities, and the cultural sinification process of stūpas, caityas, and pagodas. Specifically, it delves into the origins, definitions, and terminologies of early Buddhist monuments, such as stūpas/mahācetiyas and caityas/cetiyas, emphasizing their Indian origins. The research further explores the adaptation and reinterpretation of these original Indian concepts as they spread to East Asia, morphing into new forms, such as pagodas and Buddha halls. It examines the subtle shifts in terminology and the altered meanings and functions of these monuments, from their Indian origins to their sinified representations in East Asia. The transformation of Indian Buddhist monuments through local culture and technology into East Asian architectural forms is investigated, offering a detailed perspective on the dynamic transformation of sacred spaces in Buddhism. This illustrates the religion's adaptability and integration with the local cultures of ancient East Asia. By analyzing the terminologies and symbolic meanings associated with the architectural transition from stūpa to pagoda, the study argues that sinicized ritual spaces in East Asia have adopted architectural types from pre-Buddhist traditions to represent Indian spaces, thereby highlighting the nuanced changes and the continuous adaptation of sacred Buddhist architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]