History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons^™

A Gift No More: A Byzantine Reliquary Of The Holy Cross, Justin Willson

Faculty Scholarship

For nearly a century, scholars have interpreted a Byzantine reliquary of the True Cross at the Vatican Museums using the framework of gift-giving, as famously theorized by Marcel Mauss (figs. 1a–b).1 Brought to light in 1903, the reliquary is constructed of wood and consists of a shallow base with a sliding lid.2 Decorated with painted images outside and in, the reliquary’s unusual iconography has led scholars to suggest that it must have been designed as a gift from the Byzantine Church to the papacy.3 The outer surface of the lid displays a dramatic scene of the Crucifixion. Mary, who typically …

The Fayoum, The Seila Pyramid, Fag El-Gamous And Its Nearby Cities: A Background, Kerry Muhlestein, Cannon Fairbairn, Ronald Harris

Faculty Publications

Because the excavations discussed in this volume take place in the Fayoum, and cover a time period that spans from the Old Kingdom through the Byzantine era, many readers will find it helpful to understand the history, geography, and geology of the Fayoum. Here we provide a brief outline of those subjects. This is not intended to present new information or be a definitive discussion. Rather, it is aimed at contextualizing the rest of the material presented in this volume, and thus making all of its information more accessible. The Fag el-Gamous cemetery and the Seila Pyramid are located on …

Excavations At The Seila Pyramid And Ritual Ramifications, Kerry Muhlestein

Faculty Publications

In modern times it was not apparent that the structure many travelers had seen atop the remote escarpment in Gebel El-Rus was actually a pyramid. Before its excavation it was locally known as el-Qalah, meaning “the fortress,” though it has since come to be called Harem Seila, or the Seila Pyramid. Even before excavation it could be easily seen as far away as Hawara when the air was clear. Though it stood six miles straight west of the Meidum Pyramid, there was nothing about the visible square covered in aeolian sand that would make explorers or archaeologists think it was …

The Use Of Cultural Algorithms To Learn The Impact Of Climate On Local Fishing Behavior In Cerro Azul, Peru, Khalid Kattan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Recently it has been found that the earth’s oceans are warming at a pace that is 40% faster than predicted by a United Nations panel a few years ago. As a result, 2019 has become the warmest year on record for the earth’s oceans. That is because the oceans have acted as a buffer by absorbing 93% of the heat produced by the greenhouse gases [40].

The impact of the oceanic warming has already been felt in terms of the periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean as an effect of the ENSO process. The ENSO process is a cycle of …

Assemblage Theory: Recording The Archaeological Record: Second Response, William Caraher

History Faculty Publications

This piece is a response to Reinhard’s Assemblage Theory: Recording the Archaeological Record.

A Strategy Of Truth: Andreas Feininger And The Creation Of Propaganda For The Office Of War Information, 1942, James Swensen

Faculty Publications

In 1942 photographer Andreas Feininger travelled across the United States documenting war industries for the Office of War Information, a New Deal agency. In the midst of world war, Feininger’s straightforward photographs of plane production, copper mining, and other key industries were carefully crafted propaganda designed to combat German rhetoric and bolster public support and confidence in the war effort. Feininger’s style, an admixture of modernist ideas and social detachment, found resonance within US ideological efforts that stressed data and facts, and became known as the ‘Strategy of Truth’.

Lifetime, Emily E. Kuchenbecker

Theses and Dissertations

Time is my bully. Time marks the start of something, as well as the end. We are all carrying out the inexorable passing of time as it relates to our impending mortalities.

I do not fear death.

The awareness of my body’s impermanence employs me to feel that much more connected to the vessel containing that of which I am.

But what am I? Am I my body- or is it much deeper?

Through the work executed during my graduate research, I have attempted to quantify my existence through the archiving my time and body. This document ushers you through …

Nigga Is Historical: This Is Not An Invitation For White People To Say Nigga, Sandy Williams Iv

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several years I have been on a quest to locate a world beyond the one I’ve been presented. I am interested in the history of atomic particles - like everything that radiates off of a monument (both literally and those things that are metaphorically reified) - invisible things, and the ways in which these things insect beyond our knowledge systems. This inquiry takes many forms. Mine is a conceptually based practice linked to record keeping and time, and the ways in which these concepts find plurality within our culture; or more pointedly, the importance that we attach …

Topiary Forest, Isabella Krompegel-Anliker

Art and Art History Honors Projects

“Topiary Forest” is an exploration into the transformative actions of my hands, my role in a culture which exploits nature, the separation of nature and culture, and the pressure to commodify any and all processes of creation. The project consists of thirty tree fragments which I made on the lathe, and with various saws, sanders, and carving tools. The trees arose out of a need to visually explore the frictions between traditional definitions of nature and culture, and a desire to question the disparities between my love of nature and my involvement in the ongoing exploitation of it. In making …

Market Value Analysis Of Takashi Murakami's Artwork Under Howard Becker's Theory, Liu Yi-Ding

MA Theses

This paper is an analysis about the artist Takashi Murakami. As a representative of the corporate artist, he is favored by the Art business world while being criticized by many people. This paper adopts American sociologist Howard Becker's art world theory as a research tool to observe that the construction of Murakami and his art market is not the growth of genius, but the result of collective cooperation. Based on two decades of data on the art trade, Murakami has made his unique brand of ultra-flat theory and otaku work. These labels, along with internalization and external marketing, eventually gave …

Post 9/11 American Novel: Political Orientations In Representing Arabs, Mubarak Altwaiji

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

September 11, 2001 has been the most aggressive day in the History/ Archaeology of modern America. The physical and psychological damages caused by the attacks left a unique experience of the day in the mind of American writers. Therefore, if literary and political orientations changed after the 9/11, novel's subject matter and themes changed too,because novel is a reflection of its social and political context. This study examines the assumption implicit in the dominant conceptions that novel serves the state's politics in its pursue of interests through representations and misrepresentations of other nations. This study examines how American novel expresses …

Japanese Influence On Western Impressionists: The Reciprocal Exchange Of Artiistic Techniques, Emma Wise

A with Honors Projects

In 1853, Commodore Perry reopened Japanese ports to the rest of the world. Japanese products made their way into Western markets (Ives). Products like fans, kimonos, lacquers, and other products became popular. This created the movement of Japanism, which is characterized by the influence of Japanese culture. For artists, there was a focus on Japanese art. Western artists looked at the techniques, compositional methods, and subject matter common in woodblock prints. Woodblock prints, from the Edo period, became an influence for the Impressionist movement in Paris during the nineteenth century. Similarly, the Western influence on Japan affected art during the …

Building An Image: Japanese Influence On The Perception Of Western Countries, A Study Of The 1904 St. Louis World’S Fair, Andrea M. Fowler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this thesis, I argue that the Japanese government has utilized art and artistic expression to influence the perception that Western countries had of its nation and culture. This phenomenon is examined through a case study of Japanese participation at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, and the exhibits that they presented. These exhibits are examined utilizing both reception and post-colonial theory, and then applying these theories to primary source material from the 1904 World’s Fair. These materials include guidebooks and photographs from both the United States and Japanese authors, to showcase differences between how the East and West interpreted …

A Series Of Iron Age Domestic Buildings In Field C At Tall Jalul, Paul J. Ray

Faculty Publications

Excavations in Field C, located roughly in the center of Tall Jalūl, immediately east of the Acropolis, on the western side of the tall, were begun in 1994, focused on the remains of a pillared house, parts of which covered the original four squares (C1-4) of the field. Unfortunately, the western wall of this building was removed, due to stone robbing, not long after the building went out of use. In an effort to locate its southern end, an additional square (C5) was opened to the south, in 1996. Not only was this side of the building found, but two …

Laughing Out Loud: American Indian Comedy As A Force For Social Change, Jacob M. Ward

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Activism entails not only individuals overtly campaigning for changes in public spheres, but in other ways and strategies as well. One of these other avenues is the use of political satire and humor. Comedy publicizes frustrations of American issues, just as sit-ins, walk-outs, or marches do. For the most part, scholars fail to address the importance of humor. This work researches not only the comedic works of Charlie Hill, the 1491s, and other American Indian comedians, but also how their craft possibly alters stances and opinions. These comedians have a voice, and, therefore, deserve examination. This work shows the influence …