Hans Blumenbergs interdisziplinär fundierte Anthropologie (original) (raw)

The coastal fortification of Cape de Forma (Menorca, Spain): petrophysical characterization and alteration of stones and ancient mortars

DEFENSIVE ARCHITECTURE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN XV to XVIII Centuries, in P. Rodríguez-Navarro (Ed.), FORTMED2015 - International Conference on Modern Age Fortifications of the Western Mediterranean coast, Congresos de la Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, 2015

The site of Cap de Forma is frequently mentioned in the cartography of the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the tower of Es Canutells. The archaeological site of Cap de Forma is on a coastal cape, and consists of a main cyclopean monument, which closes off an isthmus, a necropolis of rock-cut tombs (cuevas) dug out the cliff overlooking the sea and a second, very degraded, more central area. The promontory rises above the sea, with cliffs of more than 30 m in height. On the isthmus, the large elongated rectangular cyclopean construction protects the entrance from the interior. It is not a Talayot, at least not in the common sense of the term, as the building is different from the known types of this class of monument. The external wall is roughly built. It consists of local limestone slabs, mainly placed horizontally but with some vertical ones juxtaposed among them. Once one passes this wall, through an opening near the edge of the cliff, one can access the south of the structure. Here the slow collapse of the monument and its use as a modern military lookout post have combined to give the walls an untidy appearance. It consists of massive parallel walls arranged roughly in large steps, alternating with piles of small stones. Some walls were probably destroyed by the troops stationed in the adjacent fortified manor house in the 18th century AD, were also detected in this space. In an open space, between two living areas (central and eastern spaces), a large cylindrical hollow carved into the limestone was found in a depression filled with small stones. This may well have been a cistern for collecting rainwater for the resident community.

WATER CISTERNS IN HISTORICAL HOUSES -GJIROKASTËR

Gjirokastra features 1200 stone buildings, making it one of the most important cultural heritage sites in Albania. In 1961 Gjirokastra was declared a Museum City, and in 2005 it became part of the World Heritage List (UNESCO).

Historical Place of Water: Cisterns

2. İstanbul Uluslararası Coğrafya Kongresi, 2021

Water, which is a vital part of the life cycle, has also helped shape civilizations. Mankind, following the traces of water throughout history, has created settlements around natural resources. Water laws were enacted to protect water in the Roman cities that were built. In the ancient city of Laodicea, which was included in the temporary heritage list by UNESCO in 2013, located 6 km north of Denizli province, a water law was enacted in the name of Roman Emperor Traian in the 114th century AD. In the ancient city of Laodicea, which was included in the temporary heritage list by UNESCO in 2013, located 6 km north of Denizli province, a water law was enacted in the name of Roman Emperor Traian in the 114th century AD. The ted to the city with terracotta pipes. In the letter written by the Laodikeia Council, it is stated that the water brought to the city can be used for the public benefit, those who use the water for personal purposes, pollute and damage the pipes will be punished with a fine of 5000 dinars. The storage and protection of the water to be used has been very important as much as it is transported from one place to another. Especially in terms of defending the cities that were built in ancient times, high areas with strategic importance were preferred, and this situation created problems at the point of transporting the water needed by the city to the settlements. For this purpose, wells were drilled in the cities, natural resources in the valleys under the city built high were carried to the city with aqueducts and pipes, however, cisterns were built to keep water for a long time and to accumulate rain and groundwater. Different varieties of cisterns, either open or closed, have been made in Arabic, meaning a covered structure where rain water is stored. Cisterns built in different ways from each other are today's water structures that bridge the gap between the past and the future. In addition to the types of cisterns built with different architecture above ground, there are also types of cisterns built underground. There are large cisterns that provide water to the cities, as well as many types of cisterns to meet the water need of the house under the houses built on the sides of the roads for the purpose of watering the open fields or whose examples are mostly seen in Jerusalem

Preliminary Report on the Rock-Cut and Underground Cisterns of Medieval and Post-medieval Messinia, Hypogea 2017-PROCEEDINGS OF INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF SPELEOLOGY IN ARTIFICIAL CAVITIES

Water cisterns are very common structures, but still somehow neglected by the archaeological research. They were constructed to collect water for rural, agricultural and industrial uses, taking the best possible advantage of local natural resources (i.e., water beds) and climate (i.e., rainfalls). The relief, history and archaeology of Messinia, at the south-west edge of the Peloponnese (South Greece), leaves no doubt about its significance. It is a place where different 'ethnic' groups lived and prospered co-existing, interacting and developing their own cultural idioms: Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Turks. In this context, numerous cisterns existed, as vital parts of the urban and rural infrastructures, offering an excellent opportunity to study their positioning, placement and structure. The present paper focuses on these artificial water tanks through a comparative perspective. Cisterns dating to the medieval and post-medieval times are recorded. According to their typological and structural elements, they are divided into two main groups: (a) underground structures, usually rectangular in shape, and (b) rock-cut structures. They were mainly barrelvaulted, while the roof of larger constructions would be usually supported by columns. The inner surface of the walls was lined with water-proof mortar. The positioning of a cistern, as part of a wider water supply system, was a result of careful and intentional planning that took into account the local geology and natural resources. Being crucially important for the population's daily subsistence, water collectors were built close to or within the confines of a settlement, a monastic compound or a castle. This article is a first attempt to gather and study all information concerning water cisterns, as well as to investigate and discuss issues regarding their typology, function and positioning with an aim to create a corpus that could serve as the basis for further comparisons with non messinian counterparts. Out of the scope of the present paper and at a later stage, comparisons will be made to other similar structures in southern Mediterranean countries.

History of Water Cisterns: Legacies and Lessons

water ISSN 2073-4441, 2013

The use of water cisterns has been traced back to the Neolithic Age; this paper thus presents a brief historical development of water cisterns worldwide over the last 5500 years. This paper is not an exhaustive presentation of all that is known today about water cisterns, but rather provides some characteristic examples of cistern technology in a chronological manner extending from prehistoric times to the present. The examples of water cistern technologies and management practices given in this paper may have some importance for water resource sustainability for the present and future. Cisterns have been used to store both rainfall runoff water and aqueduct water originating in springs and streams for the purpose of meeting water needs through seasonal variations. Cisterns have ranged in construction from simple clay pots to large underground structures.