In this dissertation I assess craft production during China’s contentious Northern Wei (or Beiwei) Dynasty (398-494 CE) from both technological and cultural perspectives. The Northern Wei were a “foreign” Xianbei ethnic group who imposed their rule over north China for almost a century. I combine materials analyses of architectural ceramics excavated at royal building sites in the dynasty’s capital city of Datong with historical texts to understand the environmental, political, ethnic, religious, and technological forces that shaped production. I conclude that production processes reflect the complex interaction of new political and religious ideas and practices with longstanding craft traditions. Analyses of mineral and chemical composition of architectural ceramic samples by petrographic thin section and instrumental neutron activation analysis show that artisans selected and processed raw clay materials to achieve certain technical properties, such as low-shrinkage, required for final products. They maintained and refined established techniques such as using molds to facilitate forming of the clay body, and employed downdraft kilns to maintain steady firing temperatures, as shown in thermal expansion tests. They also introduced new techniques such as methods of burnishing roof tiles to increase water resistance. Decorative changes, such as the appearance of lotus patterns on roof tile ends, reflect the expansion of Buddhist influences, underscoring that royal building materials also carried significant political and ritual power in addition to their functionality. These Beiwei materials also reveal details about craft organization: inscriptions found on roof tiles complement details from historical texts, suggesting that ethnic Han artisans worked in construction projects for their new Xianbei rulers. The lack of skilled artisans at this time of constant warfare forced the rulers to adopt a special household-based structure to control and maintain non-Xianbei artisans at a certain social level. With time, these artisans were able to use their skills to gain economic independence and a certain level of management over their production. Architectural ceramics reveal intertwined economic, social, and political variables that played crucial roles in the technological choices and organization of production during this key transitional period of China’s early medieval history.

This thesis examines the tubulus, a ceramic heating pipe developed by the Romans to create wall cavities through which hot air could circulate. An extension of the hypocaust system, tubuli systems were one of the most advanced heating systems used in antiquity, and were employed throughout the Roman Empire. This thesis focuses on the tubuli from Roman Arabia and particularly those from the site of Humayma, in modern Jordan, where a large corpus of this material has been found. This thesis represents the first study specifically on tubuli in Roman Arabia, and as such, it presents an initial examination of the material and lays the foundation for future studies on the topic. The first chapter of this thesis introduces tubuli, the region of Roman Arabia, and the history of baths in Roman Arabia. In the second chapter, tubuli and their use at Humayma are discussed in detail, and a chronological tubulus typology is presented. The Humayma tubuli are put into their regional context in the third chapter, which looks at tubuli found at sites throughout Roman Arabia. This final chapter also examines the regional trade and reuse of this material. Although this study only scratches the surface of this topic, it is able to reach several conclusions regarding tubuli and their use in Roman Arabia. These findings include revelations about the Nabataeans’ adoption and adaption of the tubulus before the Roman annexation of their territory and insights into the production and trade of this previously poorly understood material. / Graduate / 0324 / 0333 / 0579 / caharvey@uvic.ca

Cette recherche porte sur les techniques de production des matériaux de construction en terre cuiteà l’époque romaine dans les provinces de Gaule et de Germanie. Ces techniques ne nous sontaccessibles directement que par l’archéologie, à la fois par les vestiges mobiliers : les matériauxfabriqués eux-mêmes, et par les vestiges immobiliers : les tuileries qui sont régulièrement mises aujour. Seules les structures de production sont examinées, mais il est souvent fait référence auxmatériaux. L’étude est menée selon deux lignes directrices, l’une horizontale : la chaîne opératoire, l’autreverticale : le temps, du présent vers le passé. Les structures de production sont traitées selon l’ordrede la chaîne opératoire : l’extraction, la préparation de la terre, le façonnage, le séchage et lacuisson. À l’intérieur de chacune de ces cinq phases sont étudiées successivement des structuresd’époque contemporaine (ateliers artisanaux), moderne, médiévale et enfin gallo-romaine. Cettedémarche régressive permet de mettre en évidence les continuités et les ruptures dans lestechniques mises en oeuvre et ainsi de mieux caractériser et comprendre la plus ancienne d’entreelles, celle des tuiliers gallo-romains. Le fonctionnement des structures de production les plusrécentes éclaire celui des structures romaines. Des comparaisons ponctuelles ne sont utilisées quepour tenter d’expliquer certaines caractéristiques originales des structures gallo-romaines. Lesrésultats les plus novateurs ont été obtenus dans l’étude des structures employées dans les phasesde façonnage, de séchage et de cuisson. / This research concerns the techniques of tile and brick-making in Roman time in the provinces ofGaul and Germania. We have only access to these techniques through archaeology. First, there arethe movable vestiges: the objects (tiles and bricks), then there are the real estate vestiges: the tilemakingsites which are regularly uncovered. Only the structures of production are examined here,but it is often made reference to materials. The study is led according to two guidelines. One is horizontal: the “chaîne opératoire”, the other is vertical: Time, from present to past. The structures of production are treated according to the orderof the making process: quarrying, preparing clay, shaping, drying, and firing. Inside each of thesefive phases are successively studied structures of contemporary time (craft production), modern,medieval and finally Gallo-Roman. This regressive approach allows us to bring to light thecontinuities and the breaks in the techniques used and thus, to better characterize and understandthe most ancient of them, the Gallo-Roman tile-makers one. The functioning of the most recentstructures of production sheds light on that of the Roman ones. Punctual comparisons are only usedto try and explain some original characteristics of the Gallo-Roman structures. The most innovativeresults were obtained in the study of the structures used in the phases of shaping, drying and firing.

The main target of the thesis is design of a new building of the rehabilitation center in Havlíčkův Brod. The rehabilitation center consists of three part. The main (middle) part has two above-ground floors and a basement with flat roof and the other two parts have only ground floor with green flat roof. The main middle part contains reception, café, laundry room storage, utility room, manager‘s office and outpatients doctor‘s office. In the left part there are hydrotherapy, ergotherapy, magnetotherapy and electrotherapy. In the right part there are fitness center and physiotherapy rooms. Vertical load-bearing structures are Made of Porotherm ceramic blocks (above-ground floors) and the Hollow concrete blocks filled with C20/25 and reinforcement B500B (basement). Horizontal load-bearing structures are made of the prestressed Spiroll ceiling panels. The building site contains also outdoor car park and garden with pond. The project and visualization were carried out in the ArchiCad and Lumion programme. All structures comply with the valid standards and regulations.