Katharina Galor | Brown University (original) (raw)

Papers by Katharina Galor

Research paper thumbnail of Apollonia-Arsuf between Past and Future

Near Eastern Archaeology, 2009

A Sidonian Province It was only in the Persian period that Apollonia-Arsuf emerged for the first ... more A Sidonian Province It was only in the Persian period that Apollonia-Arsuf emerged for the first time as a coastal urban center (Tal 1999: 205–14). At this point in its history, the site was under Sidonian hegemony. A funerary inscription of Eshmun'azor II, king of Sidon in the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Estimating Gothic facade architecture from imagery

2010 IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition - Workshops, 2010

This article proposes a method for estimating the shape of masonry elements present in the facade... more This article proposes a method for estimating the shape of masonry elements present in the facade of a Gothic building from a single image. Our approach takes as input a rectified image of a Gothic building facade and user-specified side information and provides a 3D model estimate of structural elements, e.g., doorways, windows, arches and cornices, within the facade as output. Facade estimation proceeds in two steps: (1) estimation of arches and rectangular openings and (2) estimation of the masonry, i.e., mortar and bricks, surrounding these structures. Arches and rectangular facade elements are detected and extracted using a 2pass algorithm. Pass 1 detects and estimates individual facade elements using active contours with shape-preserving constraints. Pass 2 groups elements based on their shape similarity, proximity, and horizontal and vertical positions. Pass 1 and 2 are iterated multiple times to extract hierarchical arrangements, i.e., arches within arches that are typical to Gothic architecture. Those pixels not included as part of the architectural elements are considered masonry and are segmented into two classes: (a) mortar and (b) bricks. While current techniques use 3D scans or oversimplify facades using generic 3D models and texture-on-plane methods, the proposed work establishes promising initial steps towards estimating a brick-and-mortar model from imagery alone, i.e., a model of the actual facade components. Such models can expedite preservation efforts by providing detailed records of the geometry of these structures which may collapse or require repair and provides quantitative measurements of building components for use in research on the methods and tools used to construct these buildings.

Research paper thumbnail of Parsing Architecture within Plan Drawings with Application to Medieval Castles and Fortresses

Virtual reality, archeology, and cultural heritage, 2009

Plan drawings are graphical documents critical to the documentation of architectural features at ... more Plan drawings are graphical documents critical to the documentation of architectural features at historic sites. These drawings include important geometric information such as the location, shape, and size of architectural features, which, for decaying or collapsed structures, may be the only existing records of the intact structure. This paper discusses an algorithm that estimates the geometry and semantic interpretation of architectural structures from a plan drawing. The estimated values are used to automatically generate a 3D structure using the estimated semantic labels of structural elements in the plan drawing. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by parsing several plan drawings of medieval castles and fortresses and generating 3D reconstructions of these structures and detail typical circumstances that prevent the system from generating a valid reconstruction. Since the 3D model is derived from plan drawings where the architectural contour is well-defined, the approach automatically provides near-pixel level accuracy at all locations which is very difficult and time-consuming to guarantee when manually constructing 3D models from the same drawing. Hence, these automatically-produced models can provide unprecedented accuracy to the in-situ remains not feasible with conventional manual model-building techniques. While this article represents initial work on this topic with limited scope (castles/fortresses), we envision that subsequent enhancements to this method will be a valuable tool for efficiently generating accurate 3D models for many different historic structures.

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction: The Archaeology of Archaeology

Finding Jerusalem

Finding Jerusalem is not about bringing back to life ancient stones and walls hidden underground.... more Finding Jerusalem is not about bringing back to life ancient stones and walls hidden underground. It is not an adventurer's quest for long-lost treasures and monuments of a city venerated by the three Abrahamic traditions. And least of all, it is not an attempt to uncover the biblical truth. Finding Jerusalem: Archaeology between Science and Ideology is concerned with archaeologists, professionals, scholars, institutions, and governmental agencies, who and which are engaged in excavating and interpreting Jerusalem's past; it deals with those who support, control, and promote endeavors of cultural heritage; it examines the implications for individuals, communities, and nations affected by the processes of archaeological activity; and, finally, it aspires to differentiate between the real, concrete, and material on the one hand and the created, imagined, and perceived on the other. In more concrete terms, this book surveys the history of archaeological exploration, discovery, and interpretation in Jerusalem in the contexts of social, political, and religious debates from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on the post-1967 period. It examines the legal settings and ethical precepts of archaeological activity, the developing discourse of cultural heritage, as well as archaeology's place in the various educational systems and institutions in the city. It analyzes the ongoing struggle to discover and define the city's past, to expose its physical and historical legacy, and to advance claims of scientific validity and objectivity against the challenges of religious zeal and political partisanshipthe latter two intimately related to each other in ways not necessarily limited to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jerusalem's Historic (or Holy) Basin (which includes the Old City and surrounding area), the primary focus of this study, is one of the most intensely excavated

Research paper thumbnail of Curating Conflict: Four Exhibitions on Jerusalem

Th is article compares four Jerusalem exhibits in diff erent geographical and political contexts:... more Th is article compares four Jerusalem exhibits in diff erent geographical and political contexts: at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem, the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Jewish Museum Berlin. It examines the role of heritage narrative, focusing specifi cally on the question of the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict, which is either openly engaged or alternatively avoided. In this regard, we specifi cally highlight the asymmetric power dynamics as a result of Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem, and how this political reality is addressed or avoided in the respective exhibits. Finally, we explore the agency of curators in shaping knowledge and perspective and study the role of the visitors community. We argue that the diff erences in approaches to exhibiting the city's cultural heritage reveals how museums are central sites for the politics of the human gaze, where signifi cant decisions are made regarding inclusion and exclusion of confl ict.

Research paper thumbnail of Unearthing Jerusalem: 150 Years of Archaeological Research

Research paper thumbnail of The Moral Triangle

Research paper thumbnail of Women at Qumrân? Between texts and objects

Research paper thumbnail of Jerusalem: Archaeologists Versus Residents?

Review of Middle East Studies

Very few cities are defined as much by their antiquities as Jerusalem: religiously, culturally, p... more Very few cities are defined as much by their antiquities as Jerusalem: religiously, culturally, politically, and economically. Erasing the Old City, or at least part of it, as suggested variously by Theodor Herzl and David Ben-Gurion, would have been an act difficult to reverse. The ruins of the past are now recognized and protected as the city's most distinct physical and visual attribute, in which past and present landscapes mingle to project the deceitful image of harmony. That said, this paper is not concerned with the usual questions of how certain monuments or artifacts inform us about past accomplishments or lost cultures. It in fact distances itself from the material and visual dimensions of Jerusalem's antiquities and addresses instead the human aspects exclusively, questioning the interaction between those who explore Jerusalem's antiquities and those who dwell amongst the surviving remnants. This polarized encounter between archaeologists and residents has def...

Research paper thumbnail of Ẓafār, Watershed of Late Pre-Islamic Culture

Le judaïsme de l'Arabie antique, 2015

Introduction, State of the Research New research and the dissemination of this information to a s... more Introduction, State of the Research New research and the dissemination of this information to a scholarly as well as a broader public are revolutionising our understanding of the nature of late pre-Islamic Arabian society. In the introduction to our conference in February 2006, and in several new publications, Christian Robin has articulated that until recently the Himyarite Age has been little understood; its late pre-Islamic inhabitants being purportedly poor, isolated, illiterate, lacking a stable political system, and living as nomads in the desert. Recent research, however, contradicts this image. Since the 1970s, the tempo of research has accelerated and, with new textual and interpretational studies, one can speak of a general reinterpretation, especially regarding Himyar. Is one to explain the dramatic and far-reaching post-Himyarite religious, cultural, and economic developments of late 6 early 7 century Arabia as issuing full-grown from a historical vacuum? Do decisive cultural influences in Arabia at this time, then, derive from abroad, Himyar, and other indigenous formative bodies that played no real role or just a negative one? Today, no scholar would seriously consider Islam to have gained widespread acceptance solely with the diplomatic and military efforts of the prophet Muhammed in his generation. Other factors played a role, but which? th th Following comments on the state of research of late pre-Islamic Yemen, the reader will find a brief characterisation of highlights of archaeological fieldwork since 1998 in Zafar, capital of ancient Himyar. A short overview of the research on this late Old South Arabian (OSA) centre corresponds with the goals of our conference. Since the excavation reports on Zafar are still in press (Yule in press), new excavation results from the site are not commonly known. The main topics of the paper include the nature of the defences, the appearance of Zafar's cityscape, and its post-Himyarite history. The final section discusses briefly and from an archaeological point of view select aspects of late pre-Islamic Judaism in the highlands.

Research paper thumbnail of A new look at the landscape of the Decapolis. DAVID KENNEDY, GERASA AND THE DECAPOLIS: A VIRTUAL ISLAND IN NORTHWEST JORDAN (Duckworth Debates in Archaeology; Gerald Duckworth & Co., London 2007). Pp. 216, figs. 25. ISBN 978-0-7156-3567-4

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of A new view of Jerusalem's Temple Mount from the Second Temple's destruction to the Islamic conquest. YARON Z. ELIAV, GOD’S MOUNTAIN. THE TEMPLE MOUNT IN TIME, PLACE AND MEMORY (The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005). Pp. 337, maps 7, figs. 20. ISBN 0-8018-8213-3. $40

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Domestic Architecture in Roman and Byzantine Galilee and Golan

Near Eastern Archaeology, 2003

Résumé/Abstract The duty of the archaeologist goes far beyond the clearance and exposure of ancie... more Résumé/Abstract The duty of the archaeologist goes far beyond the clearance and exposure of ancient remains. All archaeologists know the importance of recording meticulously everything that is found, eliminated or left in place. The mostimportant task, however, is to ...

Research paper thumbnail of Gender And Qumran

Trans-Disciplinary Research of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Des femmes à Qumrân ? Entre textes et objets

Research paper thumbnail of Domestic Architecture

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Jewellery: The Archaeological Evidence

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Finding Jerusalem: Archaeology between Science and Ideology

Aerial view of Jerusalem's Old City 2 2. Section of Ottoman city wall, south of the Citadel 16 3.... more Aerial view of Jerusalem's Old City 2 2. Section of Ottoman city wall, south of the Citadel 16 3. The Barrier Wall separating two Jerusalem neighborhoods, French Hill and Issawiya 16 4. Topographical map of Jerusalem 17 5. Maps indicating settled areas throughout the periods under discussion 19 6. Old City divided into harat neighborhoods, nineteenth century 21 7. Plan of Old City featuring the four quarters 22 8.

Research paper thumbnail of Qumran’s Plastered Pools: A New Perspective

Research paper thumbnail of GALOR Marmora Menorah

a n i n t e r nat i o na l j o u r na l f o r a r c h a e o l o g y, h i s t o ry a n d a r c h a... more a n i n t e r nat i o na l j o u r na l f o r a r c h a e o l o g y, h i s t o ry a n d a r c h a e o m e t ry o f m a r b l e s a n d s t o n e s 8 · 2 0 1 2 p i s a · ro m a fa b r i z i o s e r r a e d i to r e m m x i i i offprint Abstract

Research paper thumbnail of Apollonia-Arsuf between Past and Future

Near Eastern Archaeology, 2009

A Sidonian Province It was only in the Persian period that Apollonia-Arsuf emerged for the first ... more A Sidonian Province It was only in the Persian period that Apollonia-Arsuf emerged for the first time as a coastal urban center (Tal 1999: 205–14). At this point in its history, the site was under Sidonian hegemony. A funerary inscription of Eshmun'azor II, king of Sidon in the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Estimating Gothic facade architecture from imagery

2010 IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition - Workshops, 2010

This article proposes a method for estimating the shape of masonry elements present in the facade... more This article proposes a method for estimating the shape of masonry elements present in the facade of a Gothic building from a single image. Our approach takes as input a rectified image of a Gothic building facade and user-specified side information and provides a 3D model estimate of structural elements, e.g., doorways, windows, arches and cornices, within the facade as output. Facade estimation proceeds in two steps: (1) estimation of arches and rectangular openings and (2) estimation of the masonry, i.e., mortar and bricks, surrounding these structures. Arches and rectangular facade elements are detected and extracted using a 2pass algorithm. Pass 1 detects and estimates individual facade elements using active contours with shape-preserving constraints. Pass 2 groups elements based on their shape similarity, proximity, and horizontal and vertical positions. Pass 1 and 2 are iterated multiple times to extract hierarchical arrangements, i.e., arches within arches that are typical to Gothic architecture. Those pixels not included as part of the architectural elements are considered masonry and are segmented into two classes: (a) mortar and (b) bricks. While current techniques use 3D scans or oversimplify facades using generic 3D models and texture-on-plane methods, the proposed work establishes promising initial steps towards estimating a brick-and-mortar model from imagery alone, i.e., a model of the actual facade components. Such models can expedite preservation efforts by providing detailed records of the geometry of these structures which may collapse or require repair and provides quantitative measurements of building components for use in research on the methods and tools used to construct these buildings.

Research paper thumbnail of Parsing Architecture within Plan Drawings with Application to Medieval Castles and Fortresses

Virtual reality, archeology, and cultural heritage, 2009

Plan drawings are graphical documents critical to the documentation of architectural features at ... more Plan drawings are graphical documents critical to the documentation of architectural features at historic sites. These drawings include important geometric information such as the location, shape, and size of architectural features, which, for decaying or collapsed structures, may be the only existing records of the intact structure. This paper discusses an algorithm that estimates the geometry and semantic interpretation of architectural structures from a plan drawing. The estimated values are used to automatically generate a 3D structure using the estimated semantic labels of structural elements in the plan drawing. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by parsing several plan drawings of medieval castles and fortresses and generating 3D reconstructions of these structures and detail typical circumstances that prevent the system from generating a valid reconstruction. Since the 3D model is derived from plan drawings where the architectural contour is well-defined, the approach automatically provides near-pixel level accuracy at all locations which is very difficult and time-consuming to guarantee when manually constructing 3D models from the same drawing. Hence, these automatically-produced models can provide unprecedented accuracy to the in-situ remains not feasible with conventional manual model-building techniques. While this article represents initial work on this topic with limited scope (castles/fortresses), we envision that subsequent enhancements to this method will be a valuable tool for efficiently generating accurate 3D models for many different historic structures.

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction: The Archaeology of Archaeology

Finding Jerusalem

Finding Jerusalem is not about bringing back to life ancient stones and walls hidden underground.... more Finding Jerusalem is not about bringing back to life ancient stones and walls hidden underground. It is not an adventurer's quest for long-lost treasures and monuments of a city venerated by the three Abrahamic traditions. And least of all, it is not an attempt to uncover the biblical truth. Finding Jerusalem: Archaeology between Science and Ideology is concerned with archaeologists, professionals, scholars, institutions, and governmental agencies, who and which are engaged in excavating and interpreting Jerusalem's past; it deals with those who support, control, and promote endeavors of cultural heritage; it examines the implications for individuals, communities, and nations affected by the processes of archaeological activity; and, finally, it aspires to differentiate between the real, concrete, and material on the one hand and the created, imagined, and perceived on the other. In more concrete terms, this book surveys the history of archaeological exploration, discovery, and interpretation in Jerusalem in the contexts of social, political, and religious debates from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on the post-1967 period. It examines the legal settings and ethical precepts of archaeological activity, the developing discourse of cultural heritage, as well as archaeology's place in the various educational systems and institutions in the city. It analyzes the ongoing struggle to discover and define the city's past, to expose its physical and historical legacy, and to advance claims of scientific validity and objectivity against the challenges of religious zeal and political partisanshipthe latter two intimately related to each other in ways not necessarily limited to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jerusalem's Historic (or Holy) Basin (which includes the Old City and surrounding area), the primary focus of this study, is one of the most intensely excavated

Research paper thumbnail of Curating Conflict: Four Exhibitions on Jerusalem

Th is article compares four Jerusalem exhibits in diff erent geographical and political contexts:... more Th is article compares four Jerusalem exhibits in diff erent geographical and political contexts: at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem, the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Jewish Museum Berlin. It examines the role of heritage narrative, focusing specifi cally on the question of the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict, which is either openly engaged or alternatively avoided. In this regard, we specifi cally highlight the asymmetric power dynamics as a result of Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem, and how this political reality is addressed or avoided in the respective exhibits. Finally, we explore the agency of curators in shaping knowledge and perspective and study the role of the visitors community. We argue that the diff erences in approaches to exhibiting the city's cultural heritage reveals how museums are central sites for the politics of the human gaze, where signifi cant decisions are made regarding inclusion and exclusion of confl ict.

Research paper thumbnail of Unearthing Jerusalem: 150 Years of Archaeological Research

Research paper thumbnail of The Moral Triangle

Research paper thumbnail of Women at Qumrân? Between texts and objects

Research paper thumbnail of Jerusalem: Archaeologists Versus Residents?

Review of Middle East Studies

Very few cities are defined as much by their antiquities as Jerusalem: religiously, culturally, p... more Very few cities are defined as much by their antiquities as Jerusalem: religiously, culturally, politically, and economically. Erasing the Old City, or at least part of it, as suggested variously by Theodor Herzl and David Ben-Gurion, would have been an act difficult to reverse. The ruins of the past are now recognized and protected as the city's most distinct physical and visual attribute, in which past and present landscapes mingle to project the deceitful image of harmony. That said, this paper is not concerned with the usual questions of how certain monuments or artifacts inform us about past accomplishments or lost cultures. It in fact distances itself from the material and visual dimensions of Jerusalem's antiquities and addresses instead the human aspects exclusively, questioning the interaction between those who explore Jerusalem's antiquities and those who dwell amongst the surviving remnants. This polarized encounter between archaeologists and residents has def...

Research paper thumbnail of Ẓafār, Watershed of Late Pre-Islamic Culture

Le judaïsme de l'Arabie antique, 2015

Introduction, State of the Research New research and the dissemination of this information to a s... more Introduction, State of the Research New research and the dissemination of this information to a scholarly as well as a broader public are revolutionising our understanding of the nature of late pre-Islamic Arabian society. In the introduction to our conference in February 2006, and in several new publications, Christian Robin has articulated that until recently the Himyarite Age has been little understood; its late pre-Islamic inhabitants being purportedly poor, isolated, illiterate, lacking a stable political system, and living as nomads in the desert. Recent research, however, contradicts this image. Since the 1970s, the tempo of research has accelerated and, with new textual and interpretational studies, one can speak of a general reinterpretation, especially regarding Himyar. Is one to explain the dramatic and far-reaching post-Himyarite religious, cultural, and economic developments of late 6 early 7 century Arabia as issuing full-grown from a historical vacuum? Do decisive cultural influences in Arabia at this time, then, derive from abroad, Himyar, and other indigenous formative bodies that played no real role or just a negative one? Today, no scholar would seriously consider Islam to have gained widespread acceptance solely with the diplomatic and military efforts of the prophet Muhammed in his generation. Other factors played a role, but which? th th Following comments on the state of research of late pre-Islamic Yemen, the reader will find a brief characterisation of highlights of archaeological fieldwork since 1998 in Zafar, capital of ancient Himyar. A short overview of the research on this late Old South Arabian (OSA) centre corresponds with the goals of our conference. Since the excavation reports on Zafar are still in press (Yule in press), new excavation results from the site are not commonly known. The main topics of the paper include the nature of the defences, the appearance of Zafar's cityscape, and its post-Himyarite history. The final section discusses briefly and from an archaeological point of view select aspects of late pre-Islamic Judaism in the highlands.

Research paper thumbnail of A new look at the landscape of the Decapolis. DAVID KENNEDY, GERASA AND THE DECAPOLIS: A VIRTUAL ISLAND IN NORTHWEST JORDAN (Duckworth Debates in Archaeology; Gerald Duckworth & Co., London 2007). Pp. 216, figs. 25. ISBN 978-0-7156-3567-4

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of A new view of Jerusalem's Temple Mount from the Second Temple's destruction to the Islamic conquest. YARON Z. ELIAV, GOD’S MOUNTAIN. THE TEMPLE MOUNT IN TIME, PLACE AND MEMORY (The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005). Pp. 337, maps 7, figs. 20. ISBN 0-8018-8213-3. $40

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Domestic Architecture in Roman and Byzantine Galilee and Golan

Near Eastern Archaeology, 2003

Résumé/Abstract The duty of the archaeologist goes far beyond the clearance and exposure of ancie... more Résumé/Abstract The duty of the archaeologist goes far beyond the clearance and exposure of ancient remains. All archaeologists know the importance of recording meticulously everything that is found, eliminated or left in place. The mostimportant task, however, is to ...

Research paper thumbnail of Gender And Qumran

Trans-Disciplinary Research of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Des femmes à Qumrân ? Entre textes et objets

Research paper thumbnail of Domestic Architecture

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Jewellery: The Archaeological Evidence

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Finding Jerusalem: Archaeology between Science and Ideology

Aerial view of Jerusalem's Old City 2 2. Section of Ottoman city wall, south of the Citadel 16 3.... more Aerial view of Jerusalem's Old City 2 2. Section of Ottoman city wall, south of the Citadel 16 3. The Barrier Wall separating two Jerusalem neighborhoods, French Hill and Issawiya 16 4. Topographical map of Jerusalem 17 5. Maps indicating settled areas throughout the periods under discussion 19 6. Old City divided into harat neighborhoods, nineteenth century 21 7. Plan of Old City featuring the four quarters 22 8.

Research paper thumbnail of Qumran’s Plastered Pools: A New Perspective

Research paper thumbnail of GALOR Marmora Menorah

a n i n t e r nat i o na l j o u r na l f o r a r c h a e o l o g y, h i s t o ry a n d a r c h a... more a n i n t e r nat i o na l j o u r na l f o r a r c h a e o l o g y, h i s t o ry a n d a r c h a e o m e t ry o f m a r b l e s a n d s t o n e s 8 · 2 0 1 2 p i s a · ro m a fa b r i z i o s e r r a e d i to r e m m x i i i offprint Abstract