E-LIBRARY / OTHER PUBLICATIONS / Major themes / 929-conservation.htm
M. De Pietri, 2018-.
.

Major themes

Conservation


Index

1. Bibliography on Urkesh/E-Library
     Alphabetical List
2. Other bibliography
3. Links to multimidia outside Urkesh/E-Library: AVASA



NOTES:
  1. on this topic, cf. also the dedicated topical book on "CONSERVATION";
  2. specifically about the conservation of the walls of the Royal Palace of Tupkish, see the dedicated section in the book about Palace AP.


1. Bibliography on Urkesh/E-Library

     This list displays in alphabetical order the authors of the contributions mentioned in the following list (each number links to a singular contribution).
     For further information about conservation and preservation of heritage at Urkesh, see the following pages: Conservation; Preservation; Reconstruction.

Alphabetical List

Agnew, Neville: 1; 2; 3
Angeli, Beatrice: 1

Barozzi, Marta: 1
Bonetti, Sophie: 1; 2; 3
Bridgland, Janet: 1
Buccellati, Federico: 1; 2; 3; 4
Buccellati, Giorgio: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21

Castelletti, Lanfredo: 1; 2
Chiari, Giacomo: 1; 2

Dell'Unto, Nicoló: 1
Demas, Martha: 1; 2

Ermidoro, Stefania: 1; 2; 3

Forte, Maurizio: 1

Kelly-Buccellati, Marilyn: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7

Mahmoud, Yasmine: 1; 2; 3

Pecorella, Paolo Emilio: 1; 2

Pfälzner: 1; 2

Stanley Price, Nicholas: 1

Viscuso, Salvatore: 1

Zanelli, Alessandra: 1



     The following entries are displayed in chronological order; you can easily find above the publications listed in alphabetical order.


Stanley Price, Nicholas
1995
“Excavation and Conservation,”
in N. Stanley Price (ed.), Conservation on Archeological Excavations,
Rome: ICCROM, pp. 1-9.
See full text
See full volume
     A programmatic document for both “immovable” and movable items.
[gB – December 2005]

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PDS 2
1999
Buccellati, Giorgio and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati (eds)
Urkesh and the Hurrians.

A volume in Honor of Lloyd Cotsen.
A Slide Atlas.

Photographic Data Sets 2.
Malibu: Undena Publications, 1999.
PDF
     PDS 2 represents a companion volume to UMS 3, providing many colour pictures (numbered as 'Slides') illustrating many aspects discussed in the aforementioned volume.
     As for conservations, Slide 10 displays the wrapping of the walls of the AK Royal Building.
[mDP – June 2020]

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Buccellati, Giorgio
2000
“Urkesh: archeologia, conservazione e restauro,”
Kermes 13, pp. 41-48.
See full text
See abstract
     Restoration techniques newly developed at Tell Mozan for the conservation of ancient buildings are here presented and discussed, underlining the usefulness of this system both for scholars studying the site and for visitors or tourists visiting its ancient remains.
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Giorgio and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati
2000
“The Royal Palace of Urkesh. Report on the 12th Season at Tell Mozan/Urkesh: Excavations in Area AA, June-October 1999,”
Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft zu Berlin 132, pp. 133-183.
See full text
See abstract
     Area AA (the Royal Palace) at Urkesh has been further investigated in the 12th season, in 1999; the results of this archaeological campaign are reported herewith: the finding on sealings of the name of Tar’am-Agade (Naram-Sin's daughter); the investigations in Area C2 with the discovery of a sealings cache; the interpretation of an iwan structure as a possible scribal installation; the description of some structures on the exterior of the palace; the excavation in the residential quarters of the time of the 'Bitumen Use Ceramic Tradition'; a clay statuette of a female figure is introduced; a paragraph is devoted to the description of the main ceramic typologies; eventually, computer network and digital photography, together with conservation strategies are presented.
     As for conservations, paragraph 12 (by S. Bonetti) describes the new conservation laboratory [for which see Urkesh website, under Laboratory], underlining the role of specialists, the renewed lab itself, and the organization of the conservation activities. Paragraph 13 (by A. Ali) presents the strategies applied for architectural conservation, with the following aims: a) to protect the walls; b) to create a non-intrusive system of covering; c) to give a real perception of the walls; d) to guarantee a easy-removable covering structure.
[mDP – November 2019]

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UMS 4
2001
Sophie Bonetti (ed.), Gli Opifici di Urkesh.
Conservazione e restauro a Tell Mozan.

Bibliotheca Mesopotamica 27.
Malibu: Undena Publications, 2001.
PDF
Index
     The volume Gli Opifici di Urkesh contains the proceedings of a Round Table held in Florence on November 23, 1999, devoted to the subject of conservation and restoration at Tell Mozan, ancient Urkesh, in northeastern Syria. The first part describes the role of the institutions that participate in the project: the 'Opificio delle Pietre Dure' of Florence has joined the Mozan/Urkesh Archaeological Project in order to provide a full fledged technical support, while the excavations provide the students of the Opificio with an opportunity for intense exposure to the vicissitudes of field work.
     The second part provides an overview of the historical, architectural and artifactual context, from which both the conservation laboratory and the activity of the field school receive their full justification.
     The third part contains special studies on critical aspects of the conservation and restoration activities, in particular techniques of artifact preservation in the field, a new system for the conservation of mudbrick walls, special uses of digital photography and three-dimensional rendering of the architecture, and functional uses of conservation.
     Besides regular members of the Urkesh staff, other authors represented include C. Acidini, G. Bonsanti, M. Michelucci, B. Angeli, P. Pfäalzner, P.E. Pecorella, G. Chiari, L. Castelletti. It is edited by S. Bonetti, Director of the Urkesh Conservation Laboratory.
     As for conservations, Section 3 offers many contributions on this topic:
  Chapter 7 (by Beatrice Angeli and Sophie Bonetti) describes the conservation methodology on the field;
  Chapter 8 (by Peter Pfälzner) discusses the functional use of conservation, explaining how to reconstruct an ancient archaeological context (e.g., a room) from the evidence of a single sherd (in a dynamic which can be summarized as follows: 'Sherds > Jars > Rooms');
  Chapter 9 (by Giorgio Buccellati) focuses on the architectural conservation of mudbrick structures;   Chapter 10 (by Federico Buccellati) explores the use of digital photography as an useful instrument for conservation purposes;   Chapter 11 (by Paolo Emilio Pecorella, Lanfredo Castelletti, and Giacomo Chiari) traces some conclusions deriving from the aforementioned chapters.
[mDP – June 2020]

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Angeli, Beatrice and Sophie Bonetti
2001
“Gli Opifici di Urkesh,”
in Sophie Bonetti (ed.), Gli Opifici di Urkesh.
Conservazione e restauro a Tell Mozan.

Bibliotheca Mesopotamica 27.
Malibu: Undena Publications, pp. 62-68.
PDF
     Chapter 7 (by Beatrice Angeli and Sophie Bonetti) describes the conservation methodology on the field.
[mDP – June 2020]

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Buccellati, Federico
2001
“Digital Photography and Architectural Modeling as Elements of Conservation,”
in Sophie Bonetti (ed.), Gli Opifici di Urkesh.
Conservazione e restauro a Tell Mozan.

Bibliotheca Mesopotamica 27.
Malibu: Undena Publications, pp. 83-88.
PDF
     Chapter 10 (by Federico Buccellati) explores the use of digital photography as an useful instrument for conservation purposes.
[mDP – June 2020]

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Buccellati, Giorgio
2001
“Dai mattoni all'architettura,”
in Sophie Bonetti (ed.), Gli Opifici di Urkesh.
Conservazione e restauro a Tell Mozan.

Bibliotheca Mesopotamica 27.
Malibu: Undena Publications, pp. 77-82.
PDF
     Chapter 9 (by Giorgio Buccellati) focuses on the architectural conservation of mudbrick structures.
[mDP – June 2020]

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Pecorella, Paolo Emilio, Lanfredo Castelletti, and Giacomo Chiari
2001
“Commenti e dibattito,”
in Sophie Bonetti (ed.), Gli Opifici di Urkesh.
Conservazione e restauro a Tell Mozan.

Bibliotheca Mesopotamica 27.
Malibu: Undena Publications, pp. 89-102.
PDF
     Chapter 11 (by Paolo Emilio Pecorella, Lanfredo Castelletti, and Giacomo Chiari) traces some conclusions deriving from the previous chapters 7-10 (see supra).
[mDP – June 2020]

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Pfälzner, Peter
2001
“The Functional Use of Conservation: from Sherds to Jars to Rooms,”
in Sophie Bonetti (ed.), Gli Opifici di Urkesh.
Conservazione e restauro a Tell Mozan.

Bibliotheca Mesopotamica 27.
Malibu: Undena Publications, pp. 69-76.
PDF
     Chapter 8 (by Peter Pfälzner) discusses the functional use of conservation, explaining how to reconstruct an ancient archaeological context (e.g., a room) from the evidence of a single sherd (in a dynamic which can be summarized as follows: 'Sherds > Jars > Rooms').
[mDP – June 2020]

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Buccellati, Giorgio and Sophie Bonetti
2003
“Conservation at the Core of Archaeological Strategy: The Case of Ancient Urkesh at Tell Mozan,”
Conservation, The Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter 18, pp. 18-21.
See full text
Alternative online version
See abstract
     A new concept of 'conservation' is presented in this paper, describing innovative conservation technique adopted at Tell Mozan. To fulfil this goal, a strict relationship and collaboration between archaeologists, restorers, and conservators is developed.
[mDP – November 2019]

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Agnew, Neville and Martha Demas
2004
“Monitoring through Replication. Design and Evaluation of the Monitoring Reburial at the Laetoli Trackway Site,”
Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, pp. 295-304.
See full text
See abstract
      This contribution aims to answer to a basic methodological question: “How is it possible to monitor the condition of a site or artefact after it has been reburied?” (p. 295).
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Federico, Nicoló Dell'Unto, and Maurizio Forte
2005
“The Tell Mozan/Urkesh Archaeological Project: an Integrated Approach of Spatial Technologies,”
in Maurizio Forte (ed.),
The Reconstruction of Archaeological Landscapes through Digital Technologies, Oxford: BAR International, pp. 171-183.
See full text
See abstract
     Archeological structures and remains in general can be currently investigated thanks to modern technologies leading to a better analysis and recording of the data (within the concept of a 'Browser Edition') and to a more effective strategy of conservation. The most important techniques of topographical relief are deeply presented in this paper, offering an overview on some practical applications at Tell Mozan.
     As for conservations, on p. 173, paragraph 3, the strategies for the conservation of the Royal Palace are described (see also fig. 3 on the same page, showing the structures used to preserve the building).
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Giorgio and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati
2005
“Urkesh as a Hurrian Religious Center,”
Studi Micenei ed Egeo-Anatolici 47, pp. 27-59.
See full text
See abstract
     Report of the 17th excavation season (2004) at Tell Mozan: the peculiar, historical role of Urkesh as a Hurrian religious center is stressed; the present excavation season aimed at better investigating and clarifing the ethnic valence of Urkesh's sacral and political spaces: the Temple Terrace (together with the ābi) and the Royal Palace.
     As for conservations, on p. 44, the strategies for the conservation of the Royal Palace are described; on p. 57, Ill. 8 shows a detail of spring holding in place the lower corner of the protective tarp, while Ill. 9 presents the conservation of the stone joints on the Temple Terrace (monumental access with staircase J2).
[mDP – November 2019]

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Agnew, Neville and Janet Bridgland
2006
Of the Past, for the Future: Integrating Archaeology and Conservation.
Proceedings of the Conservation Theme at the 5th World Archaeological Congress, Washington, D.C., 22-26 June 2003.
Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute.
See full text
See abstract
      These proceedings deal with many Major themes about conservation, considered as “a core value for most archaeological societies. It is highlighted in their codes of ethics, statements of mission, and governance. In recognition of this, the World Archaeological Congress, with the Getty Conservation Institute and a consortium of other conservation organizations, brought together scholars working throughout the globe to discuss vital issues that affect archaeological heritage today”.
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Giorgio
2006a
“Conservation qua Archaeology at Tell Mozan/Urkesh,”
in N. Agnew and J. Bridgland (eds.), Of the Past, for the Future: Integrating Archaeology and Conservation, Proceedings of the Conservation Theme at the 5th World Archaeological Congress, Washington D.C. 22-26 June 2003, Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, pp. 73-81.
See full text
See abstract
     The destructive nature of the archaeological work needs for the development of proper registration of data and the following conservation of the uncovered structures. The innovative conservation system firstly applied at Urkesh is here deeply described, stressing the benefits of this new setup of the archaeological site, perceived as an archaeological park as a whole.
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Giorgio
2006b
“Presentation and Interpretation of Archaeological Sites: the Case of Tell Mozan, Ancient Urkesh,”
in N. Agnew and J. Bridgland (eds.), Of the Past, for the Future: Integrating Archaeology and Conservation, Proceedings of the Conservation Theme at the 5th World Archaeological Congress, Washington D.C. 22-26 June 2003, Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, pp. 152-156.
See full text
See abstract
     After the proper excavation process, archaeologists are required to act towards two goals: the interpretation and preservation of the excavated structures and material and the presentation of the site to the wider public of scholars and tourists. The different strategies of preservation and presentation of Tell Mozan are here briefly outlined.
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Giorgio
2010
“The Urkesh Temple Terrace: Function and Perception,”
in J. Becker, R. Hempelmann, and E. Rehm (eds.), Kulturlandschaft Syrien - Zentrum und Peripherie - Festschrift für Jan-Waalke Meyer, AOAT 371, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, pp. 87-121.
See full text
See abstract
     The structure and the function of Urkesh's Temple Terrace is widely analysed in the present contribution, aiming to define the limits and features of ancient perception on this monumental structures.
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Giorgio
2013
“Preserving the Document and Displaying the Architecture: Mud brick Conservation at Tell Mozan, ancient Urkesh, Syria,”
Archaeological Institute of America 114th Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington
See full text
     The techniques for architectural conservation set in place at Mozan originated and developed as a basic common sense approach with help from professional conservators generous with their advice. An illustration of the system from a technical point of view will reveal not only the details that define the system best, but also its strengths and positive outcomes, as well as its weaknesses and problematic areas. The second area of the presentation will focus on the monitoring procedures in place, and the unique online publication of the data. I will conclude by summarizing the benefits that an awareness of conservation has for an excavating archaeologist.
[mDP – January 2024]

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Buccellati, Giorgio and Kelly-Buccellati, Marilyn
2014
Dal profondo del tempo.
All'origine della comunicazione e della comunità nell'antica Siria.

Firenze: Società Editrice Fiorentina, 2014.
See full text
Premessa
Introduzione
  1. Dal profondo del tempo
  2. Due milioni di anni
  3. Un salto nel tempo
  4. Urkesh e la civiltà
  5. Anch'essi vissero
  6. Un progetto per il futuro
Ringraziamenti
Bibliografia


Abstract
     This book is the result of an exhibit organized at Rimini on the occasion of the “XXXV Meeting per l’amicizia tra i popoli”.
     After a foreword (by Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati) and an introduction of the author, the book is divided into 4 chapters, dealing with many topics about Urkesh and another site in Georgia, namely Dmanisi.
     Chapter 1 describes a different approach to the knowledge of Urkesh, discussing the topic of ‘the seeing’ of an ancient archaeological site. A reflection about the span time between us and the human beings who inhabited Urkesh is presented, stressing how it is still possible to bridge a modern culture with an ancient society, introducing some aspects of anthropological studies. A summary about the last 30 years of work at Tell Mozan is sketched, underlining the importance of all the people (both specialists and local people) involved in the project.
     Chapter 2 focuses on the recent excavations at Dmanisi, Georgia, undertaken under the direction of David Lordkipanidze with the assistance of Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Bucellati. The human finds can tell us a story of people who lived some millennia BP, presenting some important and profound interrogatives about humanity in general and also about the development of the fist hominids, at the dawn of the first human communities elaborating craft skills, special competence and aspects related to sociality and mutual assistance.
     Chapter 3 deals with some aspects on these first community of hominids (around 30000 BP) who started elaborating some abstract concepts (in a mere logical thought) related to time-calculation (the ability of observe and record on artefacts the moon phases), the growing of an extra-somatic perspective, the elaboration of the language as a base for the following elaboration of writing systems.
     Chapter 4 bridges the first step in the human development (or evolution), moving from the aforementioned period (around 30000 BP) to the historical period (ca. 4000 BC), when the writing started to be invented and the communities of hominids started in shaping as cities and much more complexes communities, giving the birth to the concept of ‘culture’: the so-called “civilization”. The new social development and functional system are explained thanks to the example of Urkesh. The rest of the chapter presents many aspects about Urkesh, considered as a useful study-case for the aforementioned process: geographical and chronological information is provided, and the main structures and artefacts unearthed on the site are presented, also explaining the daily life of the Hurrian people living at Urkesh, stressing (though the analysis of seas, sealing and other objects, mainly from the Royal Palace of Tupkish) the role of the royal couple in the life of the town. The last part of the chapter particularly focuses on the so-call ‘necromantic pit’, known as ābi in the Hurrian language.
     Chapter 5 concerns some more anthropological interrogatives: how can we (modern archaeologist and common people) approach and understand such an ancient civilization? How can we reach a certainty in our modern interpretations of so ancient phaenomena? The only solution lies on the concept of ‘empathy’: the (inner, spiritual) differences between ancient cultures and us is not so enormous, if we consider that, in the end, everybody (male or female) is a human being, with similar necessities and wit common questions about life (and afterlife, too). In this way-of-thinking, not only it is possible to better interpret some ancient phaenomena, but also we can retrace something like a ‘secret kinship’ between antiquity and modernity.
     Chapter 6 offers a glimpse on future perspectives and objectives of the archaeologists: preserve the monuments and the artefacts (because of the well-known war situation in Syria), creating an archaeological eco-park; safeguard (i.e., to understand at the best) the past as an opportunity for the future, presenting the site to visitors, involving also the local community in these efforts, making also ‘virtually accessible’ the site though the internet, on the official website of the mission (visit Webpage).
[mDP – August 2020]

  Back to top
Buccellati, Giorgio and Kelly-Buccellati, Marilyn
2014
Dal profondo del tempo.
All'origine della comunicazione e della comunità nell'antica Siria. Arabic translation.

Firenze: Società Editrice Fiorentina, 2014.
See full text
Arabic table of contents:

من عمق الزمان
إلى جذور التواصل والمجتمع
في سورية القديمة

مقدمة كاريبلو
تمهيد مقدمة

  1. من عمق الزمان
  2. مليونا سنة
  3. قفزة في الزمن
  4. أوركيش والحضارة
  5. وعاشوا هم أيضاً
  6. مشروع لأجل المستقبل

شكر
ثبت المراجع


 
Abstract
     This book is the result of an exhibit organized at Rimini on the occasion of the “XXXV Meeting per l’amicizia tra i popoli”.
     After a foreword (by Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati) and an introduction of the author, the book is divided into 4 chapters, dealing with many topics about Urkesh and another site in Georgia, namely Dmanisi.
     Chapter 1 describes a different approach to the knowledge of Urkesh, discussing the topic of ‘the seeing’ of an ancient archaeological site. A reflection about the span time between us and the human beings who inhabited Urkesh is presented, stressing how it is still possible to bridge a modern culture with an ancient society, introducing some aspects of anthropological studies. A summary about the last 30 years of work at Tell Mozan is sketched, underlining the importance of all the people (both specialists and local people) involved in the project.
     Chapter 2 focuses on the recent excavations at Dmanisi, Georgia, undertaken under the direction of David Lordkipanidze with the assistance of Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Bucellati. The human finds can tell us a story of people who lived some millennia BP, presenting some important and profound interrogatives about humanity in general and also about the development of the fist hominids, at the dawn of the first human communities elaborating craft skills, special competence and aspects related to sociality and mutual assistance.
     Chapter 3 deals with some aspects on these first community of hominids (around 30000 BP) who started elaborating some abstract concepts (in a mere logical thought) related to time-calculation (the ability of observe and record on artefacts the moon phases), the growing of an extra-somatic perspective, the elaboration of the language as a base for the following elaboration of writing systems.
     Chapter 4 bridges the first step in the human development (or evolution), moving from the aforementioned period (around 30000 BP) to the historical period (ca. 4000 BC), when the writing started to be invented and the communities of hominids started in shaping as cities and much more complexes communities, giving the birth to the concept of ‘culture’: the so-called “civilization”. The new social development and functional system are explained thanks to the example of Urkesh. The rest of the chapter presents many aspects about Urkesh, considered as a useful study-case for the aforementioned process: geographical and chronological information is provided, and the main structures and artefacts unearthed on the site are presented, also explaining the daily life of the Hurrian people living at Urkesh, stressing (though the analysis of seas, sealing and other objects, mainly from the Royal Palace of Tupkish) the role of the royal couple in the life of the town. The last part of the chapter particularly focuses on the so-call ‘necromantic pit’, known as ābi in the Hurrian language.
     Chapter 5 concerns some more anthropological interrogatives: how can we (modern archaeologist and common people) approach and understand such an ancient civilization? How can we reach a certainty in our modern interpretations of so ancient phaenomena? The only solution lies on the concept of ‘empathy’: the (inner, spiritual) differences between ancient cultures and us is not so enormous, if we consider that, in the end, everybody (male or female) is a human being, with similar necessities and wit common questions about life (and afterlife, too). In this way-of-thinking, not only it is possible to better interpret some ancient phaenomena, but also we can retrace something like a ‘secret kinship’ between antiquity and modernity.
     Chapter 6 offers a glimpse on future perspectives and objectives of the archaeologists: preserve the monuments and the artefacts (because of the well-known war situation in Syria), creating an archaeological eco-park; safeguard (i.e., to understand at the best) the past as an opportunity for the future, presenting the site to visitors, involving also the local community in these efforts, making also ‘virtually accessible’ the site though the internet, on the official website of the mission (visit Webpage).
[mDP – August 2020]

  Back to top
Buccellati, Giorgio
2014a
“Konservierung der archäologischen Stätte Urkesh,”
Antike Welt. Zeitschrift für Archäologie und Kulturgeschichte [online journal].
See full text
Alternative online version
See abstract
     The interpretation and presentation of the archaeological site of Urkesh are here discussed from the very beginning of the discovery to the current strategies of conservation and valorization, underlining the innovation of the browser edition of archaeological data and the innovative preservation system for architectural remains.
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Giorgio
2014b
“Courage among the Ruins: A Sustainable Conservation Program in Time of War,”
Backdirt, December, pp. 102-112.
See full text
See abstract
     This paper aims at defining how archaeologists' responsibility involves also (and probably mostly) the inclusion and valorization of the local community living nearby the ancient site of Urkesh; moreover, the current war-situation in Syria needs for new strategies of courage and braveness to maintaining the contacts with the local community of Tell Mozan, towards an increasing sense of involvement and mutual responsibility.
[mDP – November 2019]

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Buccellati, Giorgio and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati
2017
“Conserviamo il futuro,”
in Tracce, febbraio 2017, pp. 36-39.
See full text
     A discussion about preservation and conservation of archaeological sites in Syria during wartime, aiming at describing different efforts of local archaeologists (and common people, too) to defend the archaeological heritage of ancient Syria.
[mDP – January 2020]

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Buccellati, Giorgio, Ermidoro, Stefania and Mahmoud, Yasmine
2018
G. Buccellati, S. Ermidoro and Y. Mahmoud
I millenni per l'oggi.
L'archeologia contro la guerra: Urkesh di ieri nella Siria di oggi.

Firenze: Società Editrice Fiorentina, 2018.
Publisher's page
PDF
Premesse
     Il valore dell'archeologia per una Siria unita (Mahmud Hamud)
     La condivisione dei sostenitori (Giuseppe Guzzetti)
     La promessa di un future giovane (Marilyn Kelly–Buccellati, Giorgio Buccellati)
Introduzione. L'urgenza di comunicare. La tematica della mostra (Giorgio Buccellati)
  1. Perché?
  2. Ospiti della storia. La città antica
  3. La dignità del passato. Conservazione del sito
  4. Una città morta che è viva. Turismo di Guerra
  5. Lo ieri di oggi. Fruizione e sostenibilità
  6. Urkesh parla siriano. Le mostre
  7. Archeologia per un future giovane. Educare come condividere
  8. Un buio che brilla di luce, un silenzio capace di suono (Enzo Sartori)
  9. ...e io? Riflessioni
Postfazione. «Il volto della città» (Domenico Quirico)
Ringraziamenti
Crediti fotografici

     Il catalogo della mostra presentata a Rimini in occasione del "Meeting per l'Amicizia tra i Popoli" presenta la sorte del tutto particolare del sito archeologico di Urkesh, in Siria, durante sette anni di guerra (dal 2011 al 2018).
     L’antica città di Urkesh, oggi Tell Mozan, è diventata un focolaio di attività che sviluppano, attorno al sito archeologico, una forte e inaspettata sinergia fra una varietà di comunità e gruppi sociali.
     In forte contrasto con la violenza distruttrice della guerra e di intenzionali e perversi movimenti iconoclastici, Urkesh è emerso come fonte di speranza e motivo di orgoglio per le popolazioni che vi gravitano attorno.
     In questa prospettiva, il progetto archeologico di Tell Mozan è anche diventato un modello di quella nuova sensibilità che l’archeologia come disciplina è sempre più invitata a sviluppare – una sensibilità per il valore del territorio come elemento portante in comune fra gli antichi e chi oggi abita negli stessi luoghi.

     The catalogue of the exhibition presented in Rimini at the "Meeting for Friendship among Peoples" presents the very special role played by the archaeological site of Urkesh, in Syria, during seven years of war (from 2011 to 2018).
     The ancient city of Urkesh, now Tell Mozan, has become the center of many activities carried out around the archaeological site, that give life to a strong and unexpected synergy between a variety of communities and social groups.
     In stark contrast to the destructive violence of war and to the intentional and perverse iconoclastic movements, Urkesh has emerged as a source of hope and pride for the people who gravitate around it.
     Thus, the Tell Mozan archaeological project has become a model for the new sensibility that archaeology as a discipline is increasingly invited to develop - a sensibility that identifies the shared territory as a common load-bearing element between the ancients and those who now live in the same places [abstract by S. Ermidoro – April 2019]
[mDP – August 2020]

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Buccellati, Giorgio, Ermidoro, Stefania and Mahmoud, Yasmine
2018
G. Buccellati, S. Ermidoro and Y. Mahmoud
I millenni per l'oggi.
L'archeologia contro la guerra: Urkesh di ieri nella Siria di oggi. Arabic translation.

Firenze: Società Editrice Fiorentina, 2018.
See full text
Arabic table of contents:

 
الألفية من
أجل اليوم
علم الآثار في مواجهة الحرب:
أوركيش الأمس في سوريا اليوم
تمهيد
قيمة علم الآثار من أجل سورية موحدة :بقلم محمود حمود
التشارك بين الداعمين :بقلم جوزيبي غوتسيتي
الوعد بمستقبل شاب :بقلم ميرلين كيلي بوتشيللاتي
مقدمة .الرغبة الملحة في التواصل موضوع المعرض :جورجيو بوتشيلاتي
  1. لماذا؟ تأملات
  2. ضيوف التاريخ . المدينة القديمة
  3. كرامة الماضي .صيانة الموقع
  4. مدينة ميتة لكن حية .سياحة الحرب
  5. أمس اليوم .إثمار واستدامة
  6. أوركيش تتحدث سوري. المعارض
  7. علم الآثار من أجل مستقبل شاب. التعليم كمشاركة
  8. ظلام يتوهج بالنور، صمت يصدح: إنزو سارتوري
  9. وأنا؟ تأملات
خاتمة."... وجه المدينة:" بقلم دومينيكو كويريكو
شكر
شكر للمصورين

 
     The catalogue of the exhibition presented in Rimini at the "Meeting for Friendship among Peoples" presents the very special role played by the archaeological site of Urkesh, in Syria, during seven years of war (from 2011 to 2018).
     The ancient city of Urkesh, now Tell Mozan, has become the center of many activities carried out around the archaeological site, that give life to a strong and unexpected synergy between a variety of communities and social groups.
     In stark contrast to the destructive violence of war and to the intentional and perverse iconoclastic movements, Urkesh has emerged as a source of hope and pride for the people who gravitate around it.
     Thus, the Tell Mozan archaeological project has become a model for the new sensibility that archaeology as a discipline is increasingly invited to develop - a sensibility that identifies the shared territory as a common load-bearing element between the ancients and those who now live in the same places.
     The catalogue of the exhibition presented on the occasion of the 2018 Meeting for Friendship Among People in Rimini has been entirely translated into Arabic by Yasmine Mahmoud [abstract by S. Ermidoro – April 2019]
[mDP – August 2020]

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Viscuso, Salvatore, Alessandra Zanelli and Marta Barozzi
2018
“Textiles and Archaeological Sites: Towards a Methodology for Designing Lightweight Protective Structures,”
in S. Di Salvo, (ed.), Adaptive Materials Research for Architecture, (Advanced Materials Research 1149), Zurich: Scientific.Net, 2018, pp. 109-118.
DOI
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See abstract
     The paper discusses about the development of the best-fitting shelters used to cover (temporally or for long-time) archaeological sites, taking in consideration three main goals: 1) the protection of the archaeological structures; 2) a support to the archaeologist during their field word; 3) a complete and well achievable fruition of the archaeological remains to the visitors.
[mDP – July 2019]

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Agnew, Neville and Martha Demas
2019
“Integrating Conservation, Archaeology, and Community at Tell Mozan (Urkesh),”
in Stefano Valentini and Guido Guarducci (eds.), Between Syria and the Highlands. Studies in Honor of Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati, CAMNES: Studies on the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean, Volume 3,
Roma: Arbor Sapientiae, pp. 15-20.
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     “The conservation model for archaeology that emerged in the 1970s as a response to loss of sites was a seminal development in the practice of archaeology. In the present era of challenges, the integration of conservation, archaeology and community at Tell Mozan exemplifies a compelling evolution of the model for excavated sites” (authors' abstract on p. 15).
[mDP – January 2020]

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Buccellati, Giorgio
2019
“From Urkesh to Mozan. The itinerary of a project in wartime,”
in A. Pieńkowska, D. Szeląg and I. Zych (eds.),
Stories told around the fountain. Papers offered to Piotr Bieliński on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
Warsaw: University of Warsaw Press; PCMA UW., pp. 187-204.
DOI
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“Building on a long experience with community engagement in prewar times, the Urkesh Extended Project has faced the problems caused by the current war in Syria by expanding the range of its activities and involving on many different levels the local communities. Here I touch first on a theoretical consideration: the notion of territorial legacy as linking the modern with the ancient inhabitants of the area of ancient Urkesh. I then illustrate two particular aspects of our work, namely, conservation and site presentation: both continued unabated during the war, and were even expanded. The response of the local people has been a major measure of success, with large numbers of visitors still coming to the site for a surprising form of war tourism” [author's abstract].
[mDP – December 2020]

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Buccellati, Giorgio, Kelly-Buccellati, Marilyn and Buccellati, Federico
2019
The pride of heritage. Archaeology for social development at Tell Mozan, ancient Urkesh, in Syria
Los Angeles: IIMAS.
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“During the eight years of war in Syria, we have carried out an intense program of activities at the archaeological site of ancient Urkesh, modern Tell Mozan – in all but excavations. One of the oldest cities in history, dating back to five millennia ago, speaks with a whole new vibrancy to the communities that call this land their home. We report here on these activities.” (p. 1).
[mDP – August 2023]

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Buccellati, Giorgio, Ermidoro, Stefania and Mahmoud, Yasmine
2019
G. Buccellati, S. Ermidoro and Y. Mahmoud
The millennia for today.
Archaeology agaist war: Yesterday'sUrkesh in today's Syria.

Firenze: Società Editrice Fiorentina; Undena Publications: Malibu, 2019.
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Foreword
     The value of archaeology for a united Syria (Mahmud Hamud)
     The supporters as partners (Giuseppe Guzzetti)
     The promise of a young future (Marilyn Kelly–Buccellati, Giorgio Buccellati)
Introduction. The urgency to communicate. The theme of the exhibit (Giorgio Buccellati)
  1. Why?
  2. Guests of history. The ancient city
  3. Dignity of the past. Site conservation
  4. A dead city, yet alive. Tourism of war
  5. The yesterday of today. Fruition and sustainability
  6. Urkesh speaks Syrian. The exhibits
  7. Archaeology for a young future. Education as sharing
  8. A darkness that shines with light, a silence alive with sound (Enzo Sartori)
  9. ...and I? Reflections
Afterword. «...the face of the city» (Domenico Quirico)
Acknowledgments
Credits

     The catalogue of the exhibition presented in Rimini at the "Meeting for Friendship among Peoples" presents the very special role played by the archaeological site of Urkesh, in Syria, during seven years of war (from 2011 to 2018).
     The ancient city of Urkesh, now Tell Mozan, has become the center of many activities carried out around the archaeological site, that give life to a strong and unexpected synergy between a variety of communities and social groups.
     In stark contrast to the destructive violence of war and to the intentional and perverse iconoclastic movements, Urkesh has emerged as a source of hope and pride for the people who gravitate around it.
     Thus, the Tell Mozan archaeological project has become a model for the new sensibility that archaeology as a discipline is increasingly invited to develop - a sensibility that identifies the shared territory as a common load-bearing element between the ancients and those who now live in the same places [abstract by S. Ermidoro – April 2019]
[mDP – August 2020]

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2. Other bibliography

Relevant passages from G. Buccellati's A Critique of Archaeological Reason about the topics of "CONSERVATION" and "RESTORATION" can be found in the Excerpts section of the companion website CAR.

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3. Links to multimidia outside Urkesh/E-Library (AVASA)

This section offers links to AVASA webpage regarding multimedia on the topic of the present page (i.e., conservation at Urkesh/Tell Mozan).
  1. 6th June 2021: “Immersive Live Tour. Visit the Ancient City of Urkesh in the Syrian Jezirah”
    Online conference organized by the
    Metropolitan Museum of Art; video
  2. 12th May 2021: Urkesh e l'Associazione “Rondine Cittadella della Pace”
    Online conference Preserving Cultural Heritage; video-reportage
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