Traditional Building Materials and Techniques in Palestine (original) (raw)
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PLOS ONE, 2020
The history of mudbrick production and construction in the southern Levant may be dated as far back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A. However, at many of the sites where mudbrick remains were noted, their preservation was poor, so investigation of their production and the related construction techniques in antiquity was precluded. The 7,200 year old (cal BP) site of Tel Tsaf, located in the Jordan Valley, is distinguished by outstanding preservation of mudbrick architecture, which enables us to delve into various issues related to mudbrick technology, construction and preservation. The present paper discusses some of the mudbrick features at Tel Tsaf and their characteristics and offers a comprehensive analytical study of the mudbricks from multiple contexts and phases. These demonstrate consistency in three of the four measured variables: magnetic susceptibility, organic content and calcium carbonate equivalent. The results of our study suggest that while we can identify morphometric variability between bricks and walls, by and large, a uniform composition characterized the tested assemblages without any temporal or spatial variability. This indicates that a single locally-sourced raw material was used and that recycling of old decayed mudbricks was likely practiced. The consistency of mudbrick-production during all phases of the occupation at Tel Tsaf and the absence of multiple recipes implies that a shared production and technological know-how was maintained for at least 500 years at the site.
The current study investigates the chemical and physical properties of the stone building material used in Qusayr Amra, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Jordan. The chemical weathering impact of salt crystallization on these stones was evaluated with the goal of improving conservation efforts. Thermodynamic data from the tested samples using Runsalt software showed that Halite, Sylvite and Calcium Nitrate were the main potential soluble salts. High resolution 3D models and scans were produced using laser scanning in order to provide reference data and improve monitoring of the changes that affect the building. The results of this research point to the possibility of reducing the problems in the building by changing the current environmental conditions around the building and thus mitigating the major deterioration factor in this site due to the crystallization and distribution of salt.
Construction Materials In Historical And Monumental Buildings - Gjirokaster
2013
In 2005, Gjirokastra was declared a UNESCO protected site1. These give priority to the protection to the town from a general urban point of view. But, upon closer inspection, one can see that the architecture of this city holds other values, as well. One of these values is the use of materials, which reflects the mature, rational and careful decisions made by the master-builders of Gjirokastra. The city has inherited a considerable number of buildings. A part of them requires immediate conservation, restoration and revitalization. Knowledge of the construction techniques and the materials used in the original construction will make these interventions more accurate and sustainable. Our work over the past 3 years has consisted in collecting data, documentation and evaluation of several first and second category monuments in Gjirokastra. During these experiences, we encountered various architectural, technical and historical aspects which could be problematic for restoration. The solu...
2014_Comparative Analysis of building materials at Arslantepe (Malatya, Turkey). Level VII and VI A
In recent years, an interdisciplinary study has been carried out on the building materials and construction techniques of Arslantepe. Representative samples from Late-Chalcolithic structures were analyzed to shed new light on ancient technology and manufacturing processes. The conducting of a choice among the various kinds of available raw earth as well as a difference in the installation of building materials were observed. Monumental architecture is characterized by mud-bricks with a wide color range, while in the housing units color is homogeneous. Moreover, an incipient intention to rationalize the mud-brick shape suggests increased control over the labor force by the elites.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2024
The first season of excavations at Kh. es-Suwweida in northern Israel revealed strata from the late Iron Age IIA consisting of a series of massive fortification walls, rooms and internal compartments with potential floors. A microarchaeological investigation was undertaken to add high-resolution contextual and compositional data to the field evidence and characterize site formation processes, construction materials and technologies, and use of environmental resources. We applied a micro-archaeological approach to study sediments and archaeological materials via micromorphology, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and micro-spectroscopy, and phytolith and pollen analysis. Two main construction technologies were identified: lime plasters produced from mixtures of pyrogenic lime and non-pyrogenic crushed chalk, and mudbricks prepared from sedimentary materials. An in situ lime constructed floor with multiple re-plastering and activity zones associated with the remains of a degraded mudbrick structure was reconstructed in one locality, and a collapsed burnt lime and mudbrick building with a wooden superstructure was reconstructed in another locality. The micro-archaeobotanical analyses identify domesticated barley, the cultural utilisation of grasses on-site, and a hinterland vegetation of open fields. The combined microarchaeological evidence enables a more detailed reconstruction of the variability in construction technologies and the sequence of collapse and degradation processes in an Iron Age settlement.
This paper discusses the case of the architectural form of the Palestinian dry-stone hut (Arabic, al-mantarah) within the larger framework of the historical development of the dry-stone hut form across the Mediterranean region, Europe and Africa. The current status of these huts is alarming because of several factors, including the rapid modernisation of the Palestinian community, the largely unorganised urban expansion observed in the area, the lack of public awareness, the declining importance of agricultural activity in the Palestinian society and, of course, the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict. As a result, the many agricultural huts in this area have been abandoned and destroyed over the past few decades. Thus, this paper will analyse the characteristics and importance of this type of structure, particularly the Palestinian case, through a review of the literature in this field and site visits to observe and document various dry-stone huts and to conduct interviews with a number of people. Areas of focus include the importance of al-mantarah and its role in Palestinian agricultural development and the culture generally; its architectural structure, patterns and types; and the materials and techniques of its construction. Furthermore, the paper illustrates the current status and condition of the surviving huts and concludes with a discussion of the future challenges and potentials of their preservation and development.
Examining earthen building methods at the Nyarma monastery in Ladakh
2018
The accessible adobe brick ruins of Nyarma in Ladakh provide a unique opportunity for research on earth building traditions up until ca. 1000 years ago. The monastic compound which today is in ruins with no remaining wooden structure is composed of one main temple and four free standing temple structures. According to literature sources, only the main temple is dated (Feiglstorfer 2016).Mineralogical research on material qualities together with an examination of the construction of the temples revealed the relation between material qualities and properties of construction. Results include knowledge on the origin of the temples' earth material and the processing of such material as an economic working practice. Aspects of construction, like the width of the walls, the different kinds of brick bond, the sizes of the bricks or the tapering of walls, are analyzed and the results juxtaposed to mineralogical analyses on factors such as bulk-and clay mineralogy, grain size distribution, grain shapes, color and organic additives. With a package of constructive and material features, the individual characteristics of each temple are uncovered and the results compared. Conclusions are made on the use of different brick sizes and `3-bricks' and `2-bricks' brick bonds, and their relation to a certain group of temples. An explanation for the method of tapering walls and the use of tapered walls within the whole monastic compound is determined. Certain analogies in constructive and material characteristics allow for a hypothesis on the grouping of temples within a common period of foundation. The stating of an interrelation between certain methods of construction and the quality of the building material is a methodological step forward in research on the interrelation between historic and recent methods of construction, and is a basis for further research on vernacular Himalayan structures.