Octavia is a 3D animated story based on experiences of Army divers in the waters of Southeast Asia. I built a strong core set of skills in end-to-end 3D animation throughout my time in the graduate program, and I wanted to incorporate them into a real story for this thesis. The myriad of stories I grew up with inspired the development of this 3D animation due to their uniqueness and their nature as a verbal history. This thesis is based on two objectives: technical excellence in the process of 3D animation, and sharing a previously verbal history to a larger audience. I achieved these goals using a variety of technical animation tools including ZBrush, Maya, Arnold, and Premier. Octavia itself is a modified story from my father's time diving in South Korea. The story details the interactions between an exceptionally curious octopus, Octavia, and a diver, taken from Octavia's perspective. The animation was well received during my defense for its technical difficulty and unique art styles. Octavia will be available online on my website. / Master of Fine Arts / Octavia is a 3D animated story based on experiences of Army divers in the waters of Southeast Asia. I built a strong core set of skills in end-to-end 3D animation throughout my time in the graduate program, and I wanted to incorporate them into a real story for this thesis. The myriad of stories I grew up with inspired the development of this 3D animation due to their uniqueness and their nature as a verbal history. This thesis is based on two objectives: technical excellence in the process of 3D animation, and sharing a previously verbal history to a larger audience. I achieved these goals using a variety of technical animation tools including ZBrush, Maya, Arnold, and Premier. Octavia itself is a modified story from my father’s time diving in South Korea. The story details the interactions between an exceptionally curious octopus, Octavia, and a diver, taken from Octavia’s perspective. The animation was well received during my defense for its technical difficulty and unique art styles. Octavia will be available online on my website.

This dissertation investigates the ancient healing tradition of the Maya sweatbath, its landscape, and rituals, which after three millennia is still practiced today among the contemporary Maya. Frequently overlooked because of its size, the ancient Maya sweatbath's location in ancient ceremonial cores, royal courts, and near important ritual structures and sacred water features accentuates its importance and need to understand its role, siting, and connection with the landscape. A three step approach of rooting, projecting, and transcending is applied to the investigation's structure for examining the sweatbaths conception as the womb of Mother Earth, the structure as a replica of the cosmos, the liminal landscape tethering together water, topography, and the celestial domain, and rituals of purification, healing, and transformation. In addition, the ancient Maya site of Yaxchiln and its three sweatbaths serves as the epicenter, the investigation's initial point of beginning, from where projections are made outward to twenty-eight additional sweatbaths augmenting and defining the scope of sweatbath features and site conditions. A combination of archeological drawings, architectural and landscape plans and sections, ethnographic and ethnohistoric texts, and epigraphic interpretations are examined, in combination and juxtaposition, as a means for integrating the symbolic and physical layers, which in union compose a complimentary narrative highlighting liminality as a principal quality encompassing the sweatbath. Liminality, associated with transition and transformation and fundamental to the Maya notion of gestation and creation of the cosmos, is revealed and demonstrated through the cyclical and everchanging nature of the sweatbath landscape of earth, water and sky, and reflected in man's inherent life processes and fundamental to the sweatbath rituals' symbolism of rebirth and renewal. / Ph. D.

Con una larga tradición constructiva que abarca más de diez siglos, la bóveda es uno de los elementos más característicos de la arquitectura maya. Este sistema de cubierta de fábrica de piedra, basado en el principio de aproximación de hiladas, muestra, por un lado, la continuidad que tuvieron las técnicas constructivas en esta antigua civilización y, por otro, las diferencias en la evolución tecnológica que se dieron entre las distintas regiones de las Tierras Bajas Mayas. Esta tesis doctoral aborda el estudio de la bóveda maya mediante el registro y el análisis minucioso de una amplia muestra de bóvedas de diferentes zonas geográficas y períodos cronológicos. La información obtenida del trabajo de campo, complementada con la de las fuentes bibliográficas, se ha introducido en una base de datos de bóvedas mayas diseñada ex profeso que permite archivar, analizar y comparar todas las características de las bóvedas. A partir del análisis de este corpus de bóvedas desde un punto de vista arquitectónico, atendiendo a diferentes aspectos como la forma, la geometría, la función, el simbolismo y las características constructivas del espacio abovedado, con especial atención a los avances tecnológicos que se producen, se propone una clasificación general de la bóveda maya según varios criterios. Mediante el estudio comparativo de la muestra se han identificado los rasgos característicos y las particularidades de las bóvedas de varias zonas geográficas y se ha analizado su evolución a lo largo del tiempo, lo que permite formular hipótesis sobre las relaciones históricas entre las diferentes regiones y las posibles transferencias del conocimiento constructivo. Además, la observación del estado de conservación actual de los edificios estudiados nos ha permitido analizar los procesos de deterioro que afectan a estas estructuras y proponer como conclusión unos criterios generales aplicables a la excavación, conservación y restauración de los edificios abovedados mayas, una arquitectura de gran valor patrimonial y que, en muchos casos, se encuentra en grave riesgo de conservación. / Amb una extensa tradició constructiva de més de deu segles, la volta és un dels elements més característics de l'arquitectura maia. Aquest sistema de coberta de fàbrica de pedra, basat en el principi d'aproximació de filades, mostra, per una banda, la continuïtat que tingueren les tècniques constructives en aquesta antiga civilització i, d'altra banda, les diferències en l'evolució tecnològica que es produïren entre les diferents regions de les Terres Baixes Maies. Aquesta tesi doctoral aborda l'estudi de la volta maia mitjançant el registre i l'anàlisi minuciós d'una amplia mostra de voltes de diferents zones geogràfiques i períodes cronològics. La informació obtinguda en el treball de camp, complementada amb la de les fonts bibliogràfiques, s'ha introduït en una base de dades de voltes maies dissenyada expressament i que permet arxivar, analitzar i comparar totes les característiques de les voltes. A partir de l'anàlisi d'aquest corpus des d'un punt de vista arquitectònic, atenent a diferents aspectes com la forma, la geometria, la funció, el simbolisme i les característiques constructives de l'espai voltat, amb especial atenció als avenços tecnològics que es produeixen, es proposa una classificació general de la volta maia segons diferents criteris. Durant l'estudi comparatiu de la mostra s'han identificat els trets característics i les peculiaritats de les voltes de diverses zones geogràfiques i s'ha analitzat la seua evolució al llarg del temps, el que permet formular hipòtesis sobre les relacions històriques entre les diferents regions i sobre les possibles transferències del coneixement constructiu. A més, l'observació de l'estat de conservació actual dels edificis estudiats ens ha permés analitzar els processos de deteriorament que afecten a aquestes estructures, i proposar com a conclusió uns criteris generals aplicables a l'excavació, conservació i restauració dels edificis voltats maies, una arquitectura de gran valor patrimonial i que, en molts casos, es troba en greu risc de conservació. / The vault, used by the ancient Maya for more than ten centuries, is one of the most characteristic elements of Mayan architecture. This stone roof system, based on the principle of corbelling, shows, on the one hand, the continuity of construction techniques employed by this ancient civilization and, on the other hand, how technological progress differs between the regions of the Maya Lowlands. The present doctoral thesis examines the Mayan vault by recording and analysing a wide sample of vaults from different geographical zones and chronological periods. The data collected during fieldwork was complemented by results from previous studies and put into a database that was created to archive, analyse and compare all the features of the vaults. This corpus was then analysed from an architectural perspective, taking into account aspects such as form, geometry, function, symbolism and constructive features of the vaulted spaces, and paying special attention to the technological developments that were observed. Based on this analysis, a general classification of the Mayan vault according to various criteria was proposed. The comparative analysis of the sample allowed to identify the particularities and the most characteristic features of the vaults of various geographical areas, as well as to study their development over time. In the light of the results, hypotheses may be formulated on the historical relationships between the different regions and the possible transfers of building knowledge. Moreover, the evaluation of the buildings' current state of conservation allowed the author to determinate the deterioration processes that affect them. Therefore, some general criteria were also proposed for the excavation, conservation and restoration practices in the Mayan vaulted buildings, an architecture with a great heritage value but which often presents serious conservation problems. / Gilabert Sansalvador, L. (2018). La bóveda en la arquitectura maya [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/114768

In der heutigen Filmindustrie bietet das 3D-Design ein anerkanntes Mittel, um virtuelle Welten oder Charaktere zu erschaffen. Doch das 3D-Design dringt mittlerweile auch in andere Bereiche vor, so etwa der Medizin und der Architektur. Dabei bietet die virtuelle Rekonstruktion auch vielfältige Möglichkeiten für die Archäologie/Ägyptologie. Beispielsweise können von kleineren Objekten oder Papyri virtuelle 3D-Modelle erstellt werden. Der große Vorteil dabei ist, dass die Originale nicht beschädigt werden und mehrere Wissenschaftler zur gleichen Zeit an ein und demselben Objekt forschen können. Selbst für die Bauforschung dürfte das 3D-Design immer bedeutender werden. Gebäude, die sich heute nur in ihren Grundrissen erhalten haben, können mithilfe des 3D-Designs nahezu vollständig rekonstruiert werden. Nicht zu unterschätzen ist dabei auch die Wirkung, die virtuelle Rekonstruktionen von ägyptischen Tempeln, Gräbern, Gebäuden auf die Gesellschaft erzielen. Durch die 3DRekonstruktionen kann nicht nur Wissenschaftlern, sondern auch Interessierten ein anschaulicher Eindruck von der Lebenswelt des Alten Ägypten vermittelt werden. Bislang steht das 3D-Design allerdings in dem Ruf, besonders schwer erlernbar und sehr kostenintensiv zu sein. Doch gibt es neben einigen aufwendigen 3D-Design-Programmen auch nahezu kostenfreie Alternativen, die man sowohl privat wie beruflich nutzen kann. Diese Programme sind dabei sehr anwenderfreundlich gestaltet und relativ leicht zu erlernen. Ziel des Vortrages ist es, diese Programme und ihre Möglichkeiten für die Ägyptologie vorzustellen.

This diploma thesis is focused on the question how the Maya from Tikal celebrated ends of the katun cycles of their calendar during the Classic period. To answer this question the tesis brings the analysis of all Tikal's katun period-ending steale and altars. The accent is put on katun period-ending rituals. This thesis is also concerned with twin-pyramid complexes which were developed at Tikal to host katun-ending commemoration. Keywords Pre-Columbian America, Mesoamerica, the Maya, the Maya calendar, katuns, rituals, stelae.

Großer Empfang für das Faksimile des Codex Dresdensis: Vom 20.-28. Oktober besuchten auf Einladung von Luis Fernando Andrade, Vizeaußenminister Guatemalas, Prinz Alexander von Sachsen, außenpolitischer Berater des sächsischen Ministerpräsidenten, Prof. Dr. Nikolai Grube, Ordinarius und Archäologe an der Universität Bonn, und Dr. Thomas Bürger, Generaldirektor der SLUB, mehrere Städte Guatemalas. Höhepunkt der Reise war die feierliche Übergabe eines Faksimiles an Vizestaatspräsident Eduardo Stein im Nationalmuseum für Archäologie und Ethnologie in Guatmala City.

The Jaguar Baby vessels belong to a large corpus of Late Classic Maya pictorial ceramics dubbed Codex-style pottery and originating from archaeological sites, such as El Mirador and Nakbe, in the north-central area of Peten, Guatemala, where they were made for a brief period shortly before and/or after the turn of the eighth century AD. Through strategic juxtapositions of images and words, the vessels convey the story of a rain god and a death spirit who, in the darkness between the sun’s setting and dawn, sacrifice an infant, a jaguar, or an infant with jaguar traits on a mountain in the midst of water, as an offering during the conjuring of an elderly deity. New evidence from a fragmentary Codex-style vessel recovered from the site of Calakmul in the southern half of Campeche, Mexico, suggests that the sacrifice is part of a pre-accession ritual serving to endow royal heirs with the ability to conjure, which, in turn, was integral to assuming the throne. / text

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2009. / Adviser: Arlen Chase. Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-110).

Großer Empfang für das Faksimile des Codex Dresdensis: Vom 20.-28. Oktober besuchten auf Einladung von Luis Fernando Andrade, Vizeaußenminister Guatemalas, Prinz Alexander von Sachsen, außenpolitischer Berater des sächsischen Ministerpräsidenten, Prof. Dr. Nikolai Grube, Ordinarius und Archäologe an der Universität Bonn, und Dr. Thomas Bürger, Generaldirektor der SLUB, mehrere Städte Guatemalas. Höhepunkt der Reise war die feierliche Übergabe eines Faksimiles an Vizestaatspräsident Eduardo Stein im Nationalmuseum für Archäologie und Ethnologie in Guatmala City.

Univ., Diss./98--Zürich, 1997.