PLURAL. History, Culture, Society

7-17

Authors: Anna Gaynutdinova

The article presents the retrospective of various initiatives of engaging local communities in heritage conservation and management taking place in Russia over the last decades. It gives the analysis of their sources, locations and developments in the light of contextual issues of the contemporary social and political circumstances and their influence to the conservation field. It also represents the summary of more than 50 years-long practice of local community engagement in the conservation of WH property “Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands” from the period before it was designated till present.

30-44

Authors: Elena Belokurova, Dmitry Vorobyev

The paper reflects the experiences of the social movements, civic initiatives and NGOs in St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia as well as in some other post-Soviet countries, aimed at the promotion and raising awareness of local populations about the World Heritage value in their cities. These efforts are needed, because the outstanding universal values of the historic centres of St. Petersburg and other cities are threatened by illegal construction, misguided urban planning, neglect and a lack of public attention; churches and cultural landscapes suffer from poor restoration, development pressure and an unregulated tourism boom. These effects are often possible because the almost most local population has no knowledge about the UNESCO World Heritage status and its implications. As a result, they are not sufficiently able to speak out for the protection of their site, and do not know how the status of world cultural heritage can help them.

56-65

Authors: Stephan Doempke

The World Heritage Committee routinely receives information about the state of conservation of WH properties from State Parties or ICOMOS or IUCN mission reports. While State Party Reports are often incomplete, outdated or even incorrect, Advisory Missions suffer from being too short and understaffed in order to fully grasp the local situation. The author will show that the observations of civil society must be brought in as checks and balances to let the WH Committee have a full understanding of the dynamics that affect World Heritage Properties. For many years, UNESCO has been requiring the participation of local communities in all procedures of the World Heritage Convention - from tentative lists and nominations to management and monitoring. However, State Parties remain reluctant to implement this - both on the site level and on the Convention level. In response to this situation, World Heritage Watch has been founded as a global network of civil society actors whose goal is to contribute to the safeguarding of World Heritage Sites by bringing information to the attention of the WH Committee, and to strengthen the role of civil society in the proceedings of the World Heritage Convention. Based on practical experience from the field and four years of activity within the organization, the presentation will explain what civil society has achieved, suggest where the challenges are and how they can be met, and provide an unvarnished outlook on the future of the World Heritage Convention.

77-90

Authors: Alexandra Zbuchea

World Heritage Sites are justifiably considered as valuable cultural and economic resources of a place. Previous research was dedicated to identifying the impact of world heritage sites on local development, as well as their ability to interact with local communities and to attract tourists. The present analysis describes the social fabric around the World Heritage Sites, aiming to understand better how these sites connect with various actors for identifying lines of sustainable management for these heritage sites. The study pinpoints that social interactions are very important in this context and that there is a shift towards two-way relationships between heritage and local communities, public administration, resident businesses, and tourists as well. Heritage site management should consider increasingly more its social value, the local social fabric, communities’ ideals, and subjective well-being, locals’ and tourists’ stories, the voices, characteristics, and interests of multiple stakeholders.

103-119

Authors: Faidon Moudopoulos Athanasiou

The present article exposes a conflict regarding the management of natural and cultural values through time, using the example of woodland management in Zagori (NW Greece) from the late 19th century to the present day (2018). The central question is how a cultural landscape now interpreted as significant enough for potential World Heritage nomination (2014 tentative list), was managed through time by the Greek State in a top-down approach that led to a polarization between natural and cultural values. First, issues of commune woodland management and emic perceptions of values will be addressed, followed by an outline of state economic factors that shaped the national policies that replaced them. The local communities’ reactions during this transformation will be addressed. Finally, it is suggested that such case studies are valuable educational material for heritage professionals, since they offer insights into the processes of site valorization, revealing historical factors, economic stakes, and legislative biases, while also touching upon stakeholder issues.

131-141

Authors: Dumitru Rusu

The “Socialist Modernism” Project is part of an initiative by B.A.C.U. Association focused on protecting built heritage in the former socialist bloc. In that respect, we have launched a campaign for the preservation of buildings that are specific to the socialist modernist period (1955–1991). The architecture of the socialist period, more precisely the modernist tendencies in 1955–1991, is a specific trend in the evolution of architecture in the former socialist bloc. There is increasing international awareness for this trend, as indicated by the creation of scientific communities (the SocHeritage Platform, part of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for the 20th century). The chosen period in our study was set by historic events that led to this new architectural tendency. At the time, the approach was inspired by modernist architecture, which came to the capitalist states in Western Europe with a set of principles. In socialist countries, modernist trends first influenced the professional sphere, and through that influence, they were able to penetrate borders and the limits imposed by ideology.

147-150

Authors: Sergiu Musteata

Book review, ALEKSANDER BURSCHE, JOHN HINES, AND ANNA ZAPOLSKA (eds), The Migration Period between the Oder and the Vistula, BRILL: Leiden/Boston, 2020, 1052 pages, volume 1-2

9-16

Authors: Gherghina Boda

The international legislation referring to the protection of the cultural heritage both in times of peace and of war started initially from a few articles inserted in legislative acts on armed actions of belligerent states, which in time have become freestanding laws in time. In a century, several pacts and conventions were published which constituted the basis for other international laws. Great importance for this period is represented by the Lieber Code (1854), The Conventions of the Hague conferences (1899, 1907, and 1954) and the Roerich Pact (1935). These normative acts have helped to implement conservation, restoration and protection measures for some national and international cultural heritage values considered to belong to all humanity and which have to be saved for future generations as they are proofs of human creativity in different historical epochs.

27-47

Authors: Adrian Craciunescu

Moving heritage has never been a problem of engineering. From technical point of view, when heritage became a doctrinal issue, everything was technically achievable already. Present understanding of built heritage is more and more connected to the place where such heritage was constructed and still, less and less related to its materiality. In the early sixties, Salvaging Abu Simbel in the early sixties overexposed this issue of deep link between a monument and its place. It was of such magnitude that even contributed directly to the World Heritage Convention. After more than half a century, due to new technologies and due to many changes in the way heritage is perceived, it appears that concepts of “place” and “reconstruction” tend to become less and less restrictive, to the point that the core concepts of World Heritage - “authenticity” and “integrity” - may become very difficult to assess at a certain moment. At least one position on Romania’s heritage in the World Heritage List is affected by the possibility of “dismantling, transfer and reinstatement at a suitable location” stated by the Granada Convention for the protection of architectural heritage of Europe. The wooden churches are movable by tradition, and this aspect is better reflected in the revised principles of Venice Charter reflected in ICOMOS Australia’s Burra Charter and, more recently, in Nara Document on Authenticity. However, having already so many precedents already, where else could we anymore trace a border line between acceptable and non-acceptable of such transfers and reconstructions in respect of authenticity and integrity? If such a line can be traced, does this mean then that a principle may be negotiable? Can it be properly set in a clear regulation or methodology?

61-106

Authors: Cristian Gazdac, Franz Humer

Located between Vienna and Bratislava, Carnuntum is by far the largest archaeological landscape in entire Central and South-Eastern Europe. Nearly the entire ancient Roman city once spanning 10 square kilometres is still preserved underneath the fields and vineyards of Petronell-Carnuntum and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg. The Federal State of Lower Austria not only set new international scientific standards but it also designed a model in regards to land use planning and archaeological monument conservation how to shape future concepts destined to balance history, spatial planning and economy. In the interests of the public the archaeological heritage is also exploited more economically: by restoring old excavations, with new research excavations and partial or full reconstructions, which give visitors a better approach to ancient times; furthermore, by involving the public more closely when investigations can be observed “at close hand”, and the presentation of finds in museums and special exhibitions. To this end, new presentation techniques and multimedia systems are used to communicate this information, including mobile phone application for VR.

150-173

Authors: Călin Neamtu, Vitalie Barca, Zsolt Buna

Sarmizegetusa Regia was included, together with the other five Dacian fortresses, on the List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1999. They are a unique synthesis of external cultural influences and local traditions in terms of building techniques and overall, in the ancient military architecture, representing the grand expression of the civilisation of the Dacian Kingdom. These fortresses are the accurate expression of the exceptional development level of the Dacian civilisation, Sarmizegetusa Regia lying at the forefront of this fortified complex, epitomizing the evolution phenomenon from fortified centres to proto-urban agglomerations. As such, promoting these monuments and the numerous artefacts discovered by modern methods and techniques should become a priority. This paper presents a series of last generation applications and equipment that may be successfully used in promoting cultural heritage. Case studies include scanned artefacts and 3D reconstructions of the monuments in the site of Sarmizegetusa Regia, a monument on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites together with the other five Dacian fortresses (Bănița, Costești-Blidaru, Costești-Cetățuie, Piatra Roșie and Căpâlna). We present here the results obtained following the use of several hardware tracking systems, augmented virtual reality applications and haptic devices. One of the important aspects, when attempting to make enhanced on-line use of heritage good is the extent to which it is accessible and reusable by various categories of users, either specialists or the general public. Digitalizing a good in the cultural heritage is the first step for ensuring the broad access via the on-line medium, the quality of this process ensuring the electronic format artefact legitimacy and credibility, which means that it should be an electronic duplicate truthful to the real artefact.

194-226

Authors: Alexandru Popa

The visible and invisible traces of the Roman Frontier in Dacia have been, for quite a long time, one of the most representative archaeological sites in Romania, and especially in Transylvania. On one hand, the Roman frontier in Transylvania, also known as Limes, symbolises a border between the GreekRoman world and the local civilisations found in the regions north of the Danube. On the other hand, we rather deal with a large contact zone between the two parts of the antique ecumene. Romania decided to join the international initiative known as Frontiers of the Roman Empire (FRE) UNESCO site by inscribing on the UNESCO Heritage List the components found on its territory – the Dacian Limes and the segments of the Danubian Roman Border. The activity of preparing the nominations is conducted by several institutions. Along with the National Heritage Institute, that is responsible, by tradition, of all the UNESCO nominations in Romania, the activity also involves the National History Museum from Bucharest, the National Museum of Transylvanian History from Cluj-Napoca and the National Museum of the Eastern Carpathians from Sf. Gheorghe. The National Limes Commission has been established to coordinate all the undertaken activities and to assure proper communication between the above-mentioned institutions, both inside the national partnership and with the international partners.

243-247

Authors: Sergiu Musteata

Book review, NEIL CHRITIE, HAJNALKA HEROLD (eds), Fortified Settlements in Early Medieval Europe. Defended Communities of the 8th – 10th centuries, Oxbow Books: Oxford & Philadelphia, 2016, done by Sergiu MUSTEAȚĂ

11-42

Authors: Mihail Băţ, Angela Simalcsik, Aurel Zanoci

Among the numerous vestiges of the Iron Age at Saharna Mare / “Dealul Mănăstirii”, there are 11 finds of human remains, which are of particular in¬terest for the interdisciplinary research of the site. In this article, we propose combining archaeological data with anthropological ones. The analyzed skele¬tal material comes from six types of archaeological contexts: “cultic structure”, “ditch”, “rampart”, “grave”, “dwelling”, and “cultural layer” (Fig. 2; 3). In all the analyzed cases the identified osteological remains come from a single individu¬al. In total, seven individuals were identified, one of whom is female and six are male. Regarding age distribution, most individuals fall within the age range of 30-60 years (maturus). One individual falls within the age range of 20-30 years (adultus), and another one has passed the age of 60 (senilis). As a result of the paleopathological analyses, a wide spectrum of dental pathologies (supragingi¬val calculus, cavities, abscess, antemortem tooth loss) and bone pathologies (os¬teoarthritis, intervertebral disc herniation, porotic hyperostosis) were recorded. The analysis of occupational indicators showed over-demanding physical activities, spatial mobility, and horseback riding. Traces of violent death, such as cra¬nial and postcranial fractures, have been reported in several cases. There were also identified injuries with signs of healing.

53-67

Authors: Cristina Montana Pușcaș, Iosif Vasile Ferencz, Ciprian Cosmin Stremțan, Tudor Tămaș, Adrian Căsălean

In 2016, while carrying out a campaign on a Dacian “tower-house” type structure identified in earlier years on the Cetățuie Hill in Ardeu, an atypical material was noticed on the inferior surface of a stone block sitting perpendic¬ular on the revetment. Its appearance, of different colour and texture compared to the stone block it was attached to, led us to immediately assume it could be mortar. Based on this working hypothesis a series of questions were formulat¬ed, with the purpose of extracting as much valuable information as possible from the sample. Powder X-ray diffraction and petrographic investigations were carried out in order to answer these questions.

92-110

Authors: Denis Topal

The archaeological landscape of the Lower Danube was changing with the importance of the Danube itself, which either became, or a cultural water¬shed, or an artery, connecting the ancient communities. In the Early Iron Age, it seems that the Danube did not become an invincible barrier for the spread of offensive weapons of Scythian origin. Moreover, Dobruja itself looks like a ter-ritory mastered by the Scythians, starting from the Archaic period. The Lower Danube group forms a separate “steppe” cultural assemblage together with the Lower Dniester, South Carpathian and South Danube groups, for which the spear became the main type of weapon. However, these preferences were re¬flected in the morphology of the Scythian akinakes. So, for this steppe or Dan-ube enclave, swords are more characteristic than daggers. Daggers are connected mainly with the forest-steppe part of the Carpathian-Dniester region and Transylvania. The warrior graves of the Lower Danube region mainly belong to the Classical Scythian period, while the only exception is related to the right bank of the Lower Danube. However, there are no burials with akinakai and even stray finds in Classical time outside the steppe.

129-155

Authors: Vitalie Bârca

The object of this article is to discuss the bone pyxides discovered in the Sarmatian graves from the north and north-west of the Black Sea. The study, without being exhaustive, attempts a presentation of the graves where bone pyxides were identified, but also of the cultural environments where similar toiletry piec¬es were used. The conclusion is that bone pyxides in Sarmatian graves from the north and north-west Pontic territory are mainly Roman products. Nonetheless, it is not excluded that some pyxides are copies of the first, made in local work¬shops (north-Pontic). The author notes that all Sarmatian graves containing bone pyxides date, on the basis of grave goods, to the second half of the 1st – early/first decades of the 2nd c. AD. Furthermore, it is noted they are usually part of the grave group belonging to the new wave of Sarmatians arriving to the north-Pontic area starting with mid 1st c. AD from east of the Don and that in the second half of the 1st – first decades of the 2nd c. AD they form a well marked local cultural-chronological horizon. Last but not least, the author notes that pyxides are part of funerary features dating to the period of major inflow of Roman artifacts to the Sarmatian environment set between AD 60/70 – 120/130.

190-225

Authors: Malgorzata Daszkiewicz, O. Munteanu, V. Iarmulschi

The aim of laboratory analysis carried out on pottery fragments recovered from the Poienești-Lucaşeuca (PL) site of Orheiul Vechi and the Getic site of Butuceni was to verify the hypothesis that there was a continuity in pottery technology traditions and the hypothesis that there was continuity in raw material use. In order to verify these hypotheses, i.e. to determine whether we are dealing with continuity or with changes in pottery manufacturing, two factors must be taken into account: know-how and raw material. This means that it is necessary to perform both technological and raw material analyses. For the purposes of this study the following methods were used: MGR-analysis, chemical analysis by WD-XRF, thin-section studies and an estimation of physical ceramic properties. The results of archaeometric analysis of pottery from the PL site of Orheiul Vechi and the Getic site of Butuceni did not substantiate the hypothesis that there had been a continuity in pottery technology traditions. The results of archaeometric analysis of pottery from the PL site of Orheiul Vechi and the Getic site of Butuceni did, conversely, confirm the hypothesis that there was a continuity in raw material use. At both sites and in both phases there is a marked emphasis on local production of ceramics using locally sourced raw materials.

34-42

Authors: Iulian Ghercă

The development of a Catholic press in Romania was a constant wish of the Catholic Church. However, the realization of this project did not lead to unitary actions coordinated by the local, national ecclesiastical authority. It rather resulted in the personal actions of some members of the clergy who were later approved and supported by the Church. The establishment of the Presa Bună (The Good Press) Institute in Iaşi represents such a project that centered on Anton Gabor, one of the promoters of the establishment of a Catholic press in Romania. The issue of the establishment of a Catholic press in the diocese of Iasi, which covers the entire area of Moldova, was first discussed at the beginning of the 20th century (more precisely, in 1908), when priest Iosif Malinowski tried to publish a Catholic journal he intended to name “The Catholic Sheet”. In 1913 Monsignor Anton Gabor began publishing the magazine “Light of the Christian”, a pilot project and a more personal undertaking. However, he managed to maintain and develop this publication. Still, Anton Gabor (one of the most important supporters of the Catholic press in Romania) wanted more than simply editing a magazine.

60-95

Authors: Svetlana Suveică

The article discusses the issue of loyalty in the Southeast European region of Bessarabia (today Republic of Moldova), which during World War II switched its political status from Romania to the USSR and back several times (1940, 1941, and 1944). This bottom-up analysis, drawing on an anextensive documentary basis from different archives, provides a new bottom-up perspective, which focuses on local public institutions and their employees. It reveals that, despite the fact that both regimes acknowledged the role of the bearers of vernacular knowledge about the society and entrusted them with daily administrative issues, the authorities constantly treated local public employees with mistrust and suspected them of “betrayal”. Whereas questioning their loyalty with regard to their activity during the previous regime, no standard criteria of loyalty assessment were applied; it was fragile and had a situational character. When one regime left and another came, the great majority of high-ranking public officials, such as heads of districts and mayors (heads of local Soviets, in the case of the Soviet Union), left Bessarabia together with the army and administration, in order to avoid repression and annihilation. In contrast, the low-rank employees (secretaries, accountants, as well as priests and teachers) stayed in the region, their decision to remain being guided by personal and family interests rather than by political or other convictions.

119-130

Authors: Dumitru Rusu

Buildings of historical value are gradually disappearing under the idle eyes of passive authorities. The purpose of this research is to analyze and describe what steps are necessary in order to include the valuable socialist modernist architecture from the Republic of Moldova in the world architectural heritage. Field data presenting the current state of 4 socialist modernist landmarks in the Republic of Moldova found these buildings in an advanced state of decay and requiring immediate intervention. The most effective way to improve the state of such historical buildings is to create appropriate legislation that would include them in the global heritage network.

139-149

Authors: Sergiu Musteață, Ion Gumenâi

An Interview with professor, dr. Ioan Caproșu from University „Al.I. Cuza” of Iasi, Romania

173-177

Authors: Saulius Grybkauskas

In memoriam Vilius Ivanauskas (26.08.1979 – 08.11.2018)