Evaluation of shelters over mosaics in Israel (original) (raw)
Related papers
Rapid Assessment of Shelters over Mosaics: Initial Results from Israel
Lessons Learned: Reflecting on the Theory and Practice of Mosaic Conservation. Proceedings of the 9th Conference of the ICCM, Hammamet, Tunisia, November 29–December 3, 2005. pp. 192-203., 2008
A risk assessment of 106 mosaics under 36 shelters undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority found that in half the cases the mosaics were deteriorating. Th ese results made clear that shelters are not a simple solution for mitigating deterioration of mosaics; on the contrary, it seems that in some cases the shelters accelerated deterioration. Th is calls for rethinking shelters as a protective measure for mosaics and for systematic evaluation of their performance. Moreover, there are no clear criteria for their design, and very little information is available in Israel or elsewhere on the success of existing shelters either in mitigating deterioration or in the interpretation and presentation of the mosaics.
Changing Approaches to the Design of Shelters over Mosaics: The Zippori Case Study
The Conservation and Presentation of Mosaics: At What Cost? Proceedings of the 12th ICCM Conference: Sardinia, October 27-31, 2014. pp. 302-309, 2017
Three permanent shelters were built at the archaeological site of Zippori during the 1990s. A massive concrete enclosure was built over the Dionysos mosaic and building; an open shelter, made of metal and wood, was built over the Nile Festival mosaics and building; and a "glass box" enclosure was built over the synagogue and its mosaic. Each shelter presents a different approach to the design of protective shelters over mosaics. This study analyzes the effect of the different shelters on the interpretation and presentation of the site and assesses the "costs, " with the aim of revealing criteria for evaluating shelter designs.
Managing archaeological sites with mosaics: from real problems to practical solutions. Proceedings of the 11th ICCM Conference: Meknes, Morocco, October 2011., 2017
Just as serious a problem is the economic crisis that has hit several European countries which led to even more cancellations, especially from Greece and, rather surprisingly, from Great Britain. All the same, even if I do not have the final numbers yet, I believe we are around 200 participants-something that under the present circumstances is no mean achievement. We are not as many as at the previous, gigantic conference at Palermo but we are about the same as at Hammamet, two conferences ago. The number of countries represented at the ICCM has also increased and we now have delegates from 32 different countries-a lot more than many international organizations of much longer standing. One factor that has contributed to this increase in membership is a separate Getty Foundation grant which, as in the past, has enabled the ICCM to invite mosaic conservation and other specialists to the conference. This time we have been able to invite 27 colleagues on a full grant, and also cover part of the expenses of another eight. Managing United States funds in Cyprus for a conference taking place in Morocco, with grantees from 18 different countries was complicated to say the least-and I do not know what I would have done without the support of the University of Cyprus-especially the Accounting Department that has led me through the intricate paths of financial bureaucracy. Skevi, of course, worked hard on this front too but I must also thank my own personal secretary at the University, Ms Cryssa Gregoriou for stepping in whenever necessary and helping in a variety of ways well beyond her duties at the University. Another big Thank You goes to the Getty Foundation for providing the ICCM with the funds that allow us to have simultaneous translation from French and English into Arabic during the conference.
Preservation and Study of Mosaic Pavements in the Gaza Territory
Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - Aix-Marseille Université, 2016
This publication has been produced within the framework of the Italian-Palestinian PMSP project "Advanced heritage conservation training in East Jerusalem" EJE CH 080 14. Responsibility for the information and views set out in it lies entirely with the authors.
Journal of Mosaic Research, 2022
Information about the ancient city of Myrleia, which is of great importance for the history of Bithynia and Mudanya, is minimal since the ancient ruins are buried under olive groves and the written sources about its construction in the ancient period are scarce. However, along with the ruins unearthed in 2015 and 2016, information about the ancient period of the city began to emerge. Therefore, it is essential to preserve the unearthed remains and their information and transfer them to the future in-situ, within the architectural and cultural context. Within the scope of the study, a protective shelter design proposal is developed on the residential settlement discovered in Ömerbey District in 2016 and the mosaics discovered in the settlement. The designed shelter aims to protect the remains from various adverse effects, provide the team’s comfort carrying out the study (thermal, security, etc.), and fulfill the functions of providing ideal conditions for the visitors. In addition, the sustainability of the top shelter and its flexibility to expand to include new finds discovered around the excavation area also played a significant role in the shelter design.
At the beginning of the st century the international conservation community gathered in the USA to take stock of the state of play with regard to protective shelters for archaeological sites to learn from a century long tradition of shelter building and draw conclusions that could be used at unsheltered archaeological sites. On the other side of the world conservation specialists wanting to assess conditions in a large Roman house in Herculaneum Italy could not safely access the building due to the risks presented by the corroded and cracked reinforced concrete beams supporting the modern roofs. Yet remedial work on the roof could not take place without first making safe the damaged mosaic floor on which scaffolding would need to rest. At around the same time an assessment of over mosaics under protective shelters within Israeli archaeological sites revealed that more than half those mosaics were deteriorating with many being entirely removed and other conservation approaches adopted. It was this context of ongoing connections and contrasts between conservation theory and site management practice together with the continuing challenge of sheltering archaeological sites that led to the Symposium on Protective Shelters for Archaeological Sites held a decade later in and with a specific focus on the Mediterranean region. This introductory chapter aims to capture within the structure that the event followed key insights from each case study brought to the symposium many of which emerged as their authors later reflected on the issues raised on return to their specific sites and further updated their papers Indeed this volume has become something more than just the proceedings of the symposium offering considerations matured over a greater period of time and through extended peer exchange something that has been at the heart of the MOSAIKON Programme since it began but also at the core of the approaches of the Herculaneum Conservation Project which hosted the symposium. It is hoped that the insights that emerge from this introductory overview from the papers themselves that follow and from the brief notes of the closing discussion session of the symposium will between them offer pointers for heritage practitioners in the field to approach sheltering at archaeological sites in a way that builds on progress to date and enhances future practice in the sector.
Mosaics make a site: ICCM triennal International Meeting, Cyprus 1996, 2003
This article describes the on-site conservation of a group of 12 polychrome floor mosaics found in a III Cent. A.D public building in Zippori, Israel. The intervention is included in a broader project directed by the National Parks Authority of Israel. The conservation of the mosaic of the Nile was carried out allowing the public to wach the work "live": a terrace was built for this purpose. We would like to describe the conservation intervention on the mosaics and comment on various aspects. Starting with technical procedures, we will then consider the principles and the objectives behind the choice of the methods followed and we will conclude with some general reflections.
Challenges of Maintaining Housing Structures in the Old City of Hebron
Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2021
This paper discusses the importance of preserving traditional dwellings, especially those located within the boundaries of cities and old towns. It addresses the most important problems and obstacles that prevent the preservation of these buildings, as well as highlights cultural heritage and its importance in preservation process. This is done using a descriptive analytical approach; including documentation and questionnaires as its main tools. The study raises questions about maintaining building structure and its components of cultural significance without compromising its material and cultural essence. The study is focused on the Old City of Hebron and presents the difficulties that affect the livelihood and living conditions of people living within its boundaries. The study finds that there are necessary changes that are required to facilitate living in the Old City, including maintenance and re-fating, changing tiles and restructuring of plumping and sanitation facilities. These changes however, need to take preservation of the structural elements, and cultural heritage into account. The study concludes that there is a need for more studies to examine the structure and the identity of dwellings in the Old City which will help in future efforts to preserve the cultural essence of these dwellings and protecting them from structural changes, while making them inhabitable for people.