High-accuracy Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are critical for hydrological and ecological applications in low-relief arid basins, yet Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR)-derived DEMs suffer from significant altitudinal errors due to temporal decorrelation and phase unwrapping artifacts, particularly in flat terrains. To address these limitations, we developed a novel machine learning framework that synergizes Sentinel-1 InSAR, UAV photogrammetry, Sentinel-2 spectral indices, and ALOS topographic features to enhance DEM accuracy. The approach was validated in Northwest China’s Taitema Lake basin across 13 sample plots covering diverse arid surface types (dunes, wetlands, playas). Four algorithms – Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Polynomial Regression (PR) – were rigorously evaluated. Without topographic data, SVM achieved the highest accuracy (test-set R2 = 0.8564). Integrating terrain features with RF further improved performance (R2 = 0.8634, MAE = 1.0683 m), reducing errors from approximately [−10, 27] m to predominantly ±6 m. The RF-corrected DEM exhibited a 42.8% decrease in standard deviation (2.60 m → 1.49 m) and a substantial R2 increase (16.4% → 89.1%). Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) interpretability analysis identified slope and near-infrared reflectance as dominant error-correction features. The corrected DEMs demonstrate enhanced terrain continuity, minimized elevation noise, and offer a scalable, efficient solution for InSAR post-processing in ecologically sensitive arid regions.
Symbols play a crucial role in various domains, serving as conveyors of meaning through concrete signs with abstract significance. In some periods, it is seen that certain symbols stand out uniquely to that period and some symbols are used repeatedly or transformed throughout history. It is very difficult to reach definite conclusions about the origin of symbols in the history of art. However, the external and internal factors that influence the art, of course, shape the symbols that the work contains, as well as the work. A work of art, which is the product of a collective process is affected by many conditions such as the social environment, economy, material supply, geographical variables, the government, the wishes of the administrator and the artist, the understanding and style of art of the period, religion and sacred elements, the artist’s experience and inner world. The work, which is formed by selection among all these variables is a cornerstone of the general art style. Anatolian Medieval art can be interpreted as the art of societies, not the art of individuals like modern art. In this respect, in Turkish art and symbolism, where the state, religion and social powers come to the fore, these mentioned elements appear as the dominant and guiding power. Should the idea of “abstract symbolic style” be mentioned in Turkish art? Which factors influenced art and style? What is the place of stamps in the transformation of ancient symbols into art? In this study, answers to these questions and problems are sought.
L'articolo esamina il declino delle iscrizioni della sfera religiosa nell'Africa Proconsolare durante il dominato di Costantino, soffermandosi sui risvolti sociali e ideologici, sull'impatto della pressione fiscale nella produzione epigrafica e sulla possibile correlazione con i vescovati vicini alle città.
Abstract This paper investigates the marine effects that affect Qait Bey Fortress in Alexandria—Egypt. It presents the results of scientific studies and examinations to evaluate the deterioration conditions that affected archaeological buildings in the marine environment. In Alexandria, many monumental sites and stone buildings have suffered from many aggressive factors of deterioration (mechanical, chemical, and biological), which have caused great harmful appearances and threatened to eradicate them. These effects include the chemical actions resulting from seawater and marine aerosol and the mechanical actions of water waves. (Qait Bey Fortress), as a case study, was periodically investigated by many scientific techniques over five years to check its decay conditions and to define the most suitable conservation approaches and non-destructive methods for preservation. Different techniques and examinations were carried out to evaluate the current deterioration state of the fortress. For example, XRD analysis and PM investigation were used to study the mineralogical compositions, lithotype, and petrographic characteristics of the stone samples. SEM was used to investigate the morphological features of the same samples. AAS was also used for studying the chemical constituents of seawater samples. In addition, microbiological investigations were conducted to evaluate the colored hard crusts that affected the stone surfaces in the fortress. Our results proved that severe deterioration factors influenced the fortress by collaborating with chemical, mechanical, and biological mechanisms. These mechanisms caused several manifestations, such as abrasion and attrition, crystallizing of salt species, mortar desegregation, pitting and minerals’ honeycomb (Alveolar), color changes, in addition to the accumulation of black and colored biogenic hard crusts composed of numerous tightly adjoining pits of several centimeters. Crusts, such as yellow to bluish green, resulted from P. aeruginosa and granular appearance having brownish ting in the center resulted from P. clacis. In addition, other pigmented features resulted from Bacillus firmus and Bacillus atrophaeus. The presence of some black and dark color crusts was attributed to the growth of some fungal species, such as A. niger, A. phoenicis, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Alternaria alternata.
Islamic floral patterns warrant further research and analysis as they are an important aspect of the cultural heritage of Islamic patterns. These floral patterns are aesthetically inspired by flowers, leaves, vines, and stems and feature characteristics such as symmetry, interlacing, and pattern repetition. This study analysed a five-pointed rose pattern (peony flower) and its elements, such as the curved lines that make up the leaves and flowers. A new floral pattern featuring a botanical motif and curved lines was designed and distributed using kite and dart tiling. The floral pattern was designed using the pentagram reflection of the Penrose tiling method to suit modern design requirements of looking like a Shamsah. The results of the floral ornament and newly designed patterns were then reviewed in order to facilitate the generation of new patterns accurately and quickly through computer design software. Thus, the problem of time and effort in designing Islamic floral patterns was solved. This study also provides suggestions for future studies on Islamic floral patterns.
The author of the book under review is the famous Slavic researcher Vasily Georgiyevich Shchukin (Krakow, Poland), whose works occupy a leading place in the development of the «estate» and «city» myths in human culture. The new monograph is a detailed and multifaceted development of the mythopoetic of the city. The view of the researcher is turned on the one hand, to the typical texts of Russian literature («The Storm» by Alexander Ostrovsky, «Oblomov» by Ivan Goncharov, «Crime and Punishment» by Fyodor Dostoevsky etc.), on the other hand, to empirical spaces refracted through the prism of artistic creations («Simonovo», «the Field of the Maiden», «Maryina Roshcha», «Lefortovo» etc.). A special place in the monograph is given to the study of the real loci of modern urban space (train stations, metro, Leninsky Gory, architectural buildings). The authors of the review note that in «Gorod i mif», the scientific interests of V. G. Shchukin go beyond the field of philology, linking with cultural studies, history, philosophy and art history. For the modern world and modern science, the «humanitarian» component of the reviewed work is extremely important. The study introduces the concept of «humanitarian geography», which is important for modern culture, it makes possible not only to perceive the world as a text («the world as a text»), but also to realize the dialogic nature of the space facing a person. Summarizing the huge and multifaceted material related to the semiotics of the city, V. G. Shchukin, according to the authors, creatively resurrects the «myth of the city».
Pozdně středověká, bohatě zdobená kamenina Falkeho skupiny, vyráběná pravděpodobně v Lužici, je badateli obecně považována za luxusní zboží. Více než sto fragmentů této specifické skupiny nádob bylo nalezeno na území dnešního Lubušského vojvodství, které na přelomu pozdního středověku a raného novověku tvořilo pohraniční oblast mezi Slezskem, Lužicí, Braniborskem a Velkopolskem. Analýza nálezů z této oblasti poukazuje na jejich výrobu v několika různých dílnách, vyrábějících rovněž jejich keramické napodobeniny. Kontext analyzovaných fragmentů naznačuje, že byla používána nejen ve šlechtickém a církevním prostředí, ale znali ji také zámožní měšťané a případně bohatší obyvatelé venkova.
The authors present a small collection of Greek amphora stamps found during rescue excavations in ancient Callatis, on the territory of present Mangalia. The collection consists of 26 stamps, most of which are the stamps of Sinope – 8 specimens, 6 belong to the Thasian amphora production, 4 stamps belong to Akanthos, and Chersonesus, Rhodes and Paros are represented by one amphora stamp each. Five stamps were included in the group of uncertain. The chronological frames of this collection are from 330-340 BC to 250 BC. The fact that most of the stamps belong to the Sinope amphorae is proof of the influence of this Black Sea Greek center on trade with the Greek colonies of the North-Western Black Sea region and even with the local barbarian population. This is also confirmed by similar finds of stamps in such sites as Histria, Callatis, Albeşti, and Tyras. The collection, despite its small size, can be a good addition to earlier publications on the Callatis stamps, since these excavations took place on the territory of this ancient city.
The sharing of information during emergencies due to natural disasters is essential to ensure timeliness in safeguarding the cultural heritage. Carta del
Rischio, a geographic information system developed by ISCR, has been engineered in the 1990's to record data on the historic buildings vulnerability and plan any preventive works. During the seismic emergency declared in 2016 in a wide territory among Latium, Abruzzo and Marche and still ongoing, it was also used to manage data about recovery, transfer and intervention on the artworks removed from the hit areas. Its use helps to clarify the origin of the goods taken from the ruins over time and to avoid accidental scattering; it
also allows the monitoring of artefacts stored in warehouses and of conservation activities within the laboratories.
Florence Carré, Antoinette Rast-Eicher, Bruno Bell
et al.
The usefulness of fragments of organic material preserved in the environment of metallic objects in a funerary context has been widely demonstrated in Switzerland and Germany. Their detailed study provides valuable information on practices, clothing and sepulchral deposits. This kind of approach is rarely observed in France. Some of the methods have been tested on a few graves of an important cemetery discovered in Harfleur (Seine-Maritime). This article offers a historiographical overview of the topic in question, a critical review of sampling techniques, global facts on organic materials conservation, the method of extraction and recording, as well as comments on the difficulties of identification or interpretation. The issue of renditions is also discussed. Many examples and four case studies illustrate the results.
Daniela Klokler, Rafael Guedes Milheira, Sibeli Aparecida Viana
O volume 31, número 1 de 2018 da Revista de Arqueologia da Sociedade de Arqueologia Brasileira, brinda o início de uma nova comissão editorial do periódico, que acompanha a gestão 2018-2020 da Sociedade. Brinda também o final de uma comissão editorial que merece todos os cumprimentos, composta pelos colegas Andres Zarankin, Fernanda Codevilla Soares e José Roberto Pellini. Essa comissão teve o grande mérito de elevar a Revista da SAB ao patamar mais qualificado nos últimos tempos, dando continuidade a um trabalho das gestões anteriores. Ao inserir a revista em um sistema eletrônico e ampliar consideravelmente o número de indexadores, houve um aumento significativo do fluxo de artigos e, consequentemente, um aumento considerável na qualidade das publicações.