This companion of short essays, images and drawings are parts to a whole: a series of independent studies in search of architectural understandings. While this "project" has been underway for several years, until recently the thread of relevance between studies has been untethered. Now at the end, I come to the beginning of this book to suggest the emerging relevance to these studies: architectural harmony. And because the process of understanding is one of sorting things out, this compilation should be appreciated as such. Thus, it is by no means comprehensive or conclusive, despite its presence as a completed work. Indeed, the writing of this book is itself a sorting activity. It is not a report of absolute findings, supported by irrefutable references or statistical data points. Readers should therefore enter the book as a student, engaged in question making, discoursing with another also searching in these pages. Herein lies emerging positions, built up from root questions. Because of this, these positions will likely change with time and may never find absolute resolution. If forced to side with one position at this time, it must be the acknowledgement that there are many. Indeed, many valid positions exist and perhaps, more importantly, coexist. This is the nature of harmony as well. Harmony in architecture is less about notions of something specific, final or pleasing and is more about the poise of phenomenal states: where relationships of part to part and parts to whole form entireties whose identities are appreciable for more than their singularity or their totality. Because harmony is a ex post facto backdrop for these studies, it is not persistent theme throughout the book. Part 1 is dedicated to positions best described as taking stock; for example, taking stock of subjects, such as knots or the square; taking stock of situations and roles, such as modes of inquiry and the responsibility of design; taking stock of one's own dispositions, so to set out a consistent relationship between the players and the field of play. Part 2 describes the thesis project with demonstrations and words. Words are inevitable in discussing the work. They help articulate observations and defend design decisions and sensibilities. Some of these observations are described as if the project exists. But because an architectural thesis often uses demonstrations to provide examples in lieu of final constructions, it is hard to gauge the extent to which these speculations are imagined or drawn out by demonstration. The book concludes with Part 3. The thesis defense lecture is one distillation of harmony that closely examines a fragment of the project as an example of part and whole. Alas, it is in the very nature of using words to understand architecture, especially if the author of text and line are one in the same, that an author's a priori intentions and their a posteriori evaluations of the work are susceptible to mix. Further, such an author is faced with a paradox; on the one hand, he is the expert, on the other, he is in no position to claim ultimate authority. Compatibility between work and word exists partially in the mind and partially in the eyes. It is indeed difficult (perhaps impossible) to step outside the self enough to accurately compare and contrast word and work. With this point established, the work is not only subject to critique, but so is this evaluation of it. To conclude these preparatory remarks, as the direct benefactor of these studies, my appreciation of harmony in architecture is reaching that elusive position where, with each layer of understanding made clear, additional layers of opacity are encountered. In other words, questions are answered with yet more questions. For example, should harmony be understood as cause or effect? Does harmony exist out of time or completely in it? Thus, standard definitions are quite inadequate for architectural understandings of harmony. And while it might be helpful to break harmony down into digestible parts, this reductive inventory does not render a harmonic assembly. Furthermore, even the most lucid of explanations do not translate well into examples such to instruct. It seems the type of thing, perhaps like color, is best known through repetitive and thoughtful experience. This is just the start where even assumptions brought to the table must be checked. Despite these quandaries, my challenge for this book is to reveal something fundamental, albeit modest, to readers, and in the end, for architecture. / Master of Architecture

Keywords: ars moriendi, castrum doloris, early modern period, epitaphs, funeral essentials, funeral procession, funeral sermons, Prague, sepulcher essentials, tomb stones The thesis introduces a specific part of the cultural history of the early modern period - the funeral culture. Considering the extensiveness of thematter, the scope has been limited to the area of Prague, to the cultural sphere of secular nobility and to the time period between the years 1500 and 1700. Naturally, the timeframe is not and cannot be absolute given the nature of this subject matter, which is culture. In the introductory chapter, the paper seeks to clarify eschatology and religious conditions in the early modern period, depicting death and its grip in the 16th and 17th centuries. Each chapter is devoted to a specific phenomenon of the funeral culture, in the same order in which the succession should logically follow shortly before and after the death of an important person. As such, the thesis specifically discusses the doctrine of "good death" - so called ars moriendi, exhibitions of the body, the funeral procession, construction of the Castrum Doloris, funeral sermons, and provision of funeral monuments. At the conclusion, the thesis ventures into the geographically and religiously distant Duchy of Finland, which...

Les chansons populaires grecques sont imprégnées d’une profonde religiosité qui apparaît à la fois comme cadre et comme vecteur d’action. Le poète populaire entretient une relation multidimensionnelle avec le Dieu de la Bible et de l’Ancien Testament et fait des saints et des anges des personnages actifs et récurrents dans les textes ; ils évoluent parallèlement avec les héros et leurs destinées s’entrecroisent. Charos est une figure mythique qui joue un rôle fondamental dans l’ensemble des chansons. Personnage mythologiquement et symboliquement sophistiqué, Charos constitue le pilier des mirologues. Ses relations ambiguës avec la divinité déterminent celles qu’il entretient avec l’homme et fait de lui un être à part. A la fois incarnation du mal et agent de la mort, son riche parcours historique dévoile ses nombreuses facettes, ainsi que ses liens avec certaines figures héroïques ambigües telles que Digenis ou Tsamados. La nature et les animaux détiennent un rôle significatif, caractérisé d’une sacralité profonde, et ils accompagnent l’homme des chansons dans tous les aspects de sa vie personnelle et sociale. Leur capacité de métamorphose et leur rôle d’annonciateurs dans les ballades, placent les animaux sur le devant de la scène et leur accordent un rôle de première importance dans le déroulement de l’action. Le poète accorde une importance particulière à l’aspect social du sacré en explorant la notion de la trahison divine mais également celle de l’obéissance de l’homme à son dieu. La vie monacale et le clergé comme l’altérité religieuse, deviennent l’objet d’une critique d’ordre social et une source d’humour. Les chansons populaires véhiculent en les adaptant un nombre important de mythes qui ont une logue présence sur le territoire hellénique : le mythe de Tantale, de Calypso et d’Adonis en font partie. L’héritage antique de l’expression publique du deuil, du rachat du mort et du tombeau du héros vient former les bases de la philosophie populaire et fait de la mort un véritable croisement de cultures. / Greek folk songs are infused with a profound religiosity that appears both as a framework and as a means of action. The folk poet has a multidimensional relationship with the God of the Bible and of the Old Testament and makes saints and angels active and recurrent personalities in his texts; they evolve in parallel with the heroes, and their destinies intertwine. Charos is a mythical figure that plays a fundamental role throughout the songs. A mythologically and symbolically sophisticated personality, Charos is the pillar of the lament songs. His ambiguous relationship with the divine determines his relationship with man, and makes him a separate being. Both incarnation of evil and agent of death, his rich historical journey reveals his many faces, as well as his links with some heroic and ambiguous figures such as Digenis or Tsamados. Nature and the animals hold a significant role, characterised by a profound sacredness, and they accompany man in all aspects of his personal and social life. Their ability to transform and their role as announcers in the ballads, place the animals on the front of the stage and grant them a major role in the unfolding of the action. The poet attaches particular importance to the social aspect of the sacred by exploring the notion of divine betrayal but also that of obedience of man to his god. Monastic life and the clergy, as well as religious diversity, become objects of social criticism, and a source of humour. Folk songs preserve an important number of myths by adapting them, that have a literary presence in the Hellenic territory: the myths of Tantalus, Calypso and Adonis belong to them. The ancient heritage of the public expression of grief, of the redemption of the dead and of the hero's tomb, forms the basis of folk philosophy and makes death a true crossroads of cultures.

The thesis focuses on the group of deities with solar aspects in the period of the Old Kingdom (ca. 2592-2118+25 BC). For this research, five gods were selected: Atum, Shu, Kheprer, Nefertum and Weneg. They were either linked to the sun cycle and light (Atum and Kheprer, evening and morning sun respectively, Shu), or to some particular plants (Nefertum to water lily and Weneg to the so-called wng-plant). Some of the deities under survey also represented a part of the so- called Heliopolitan cosmogony and cosmology. A number of Old Kingdom sources (Pyramid Texts, tomb decoration and burial equipment with special focus on the funerary domains and offering formulae, royal names and epithets, personal names, royal annals and administrative sources, namely seals and sealings, papyri from Wadi el-Jarf, Gebelein and Abusir, and titles) are analysed, taking into consideration the attestations for the individual gods and the information concerning the links of the deities to the sun and their solar aspects. Likewise, the roles and functions of these divinities, and their relation to other divine beings are studied. Further research questions are in which social spheres these gods appeared and where they were venerated, if exclusively in Heliopolis and its vicinity, or if there were diverse sanctuaries...

Summaries in Afrikaans and English. / Hierdie studie fokus op ‘n interpretasie van die Beni Hasanmuurskildery en meegaande inskripsie wat in Graf BH3 in Egipte ontdek is. Die skildery dateer uit ongeveer 1892 v.C. en kom voor in die graftombe van die provinsiale goewerneur van die Oryxprovinsie – Khnum-hotep II. Met die muurskildery en inskripsie deur die koninklike hofskrywer Neferhotep as vertrekpunt en teoretiese raamwerk, word daar ‘n kwalitatiewe ondersoek gedoen na die herkoms, identiteit en rol van die handelaars en ander items, veral oogverf, wat in die skildery uitgebeeld word. Benewens die interpretasie van die Beni Hasanmuurskildery, steun die studie ook op beskikbare inligting in eietydse teologiese- en argeologiese publikasies. Deur ‘n multi-dissiplinêre benadering te volg, word daar gepoog om meer inligting te bekom oor die geografiese ligging en argitektuur van Graf BH3, die belangrikheid van graf-outobiografie, die identiteit van die handelaars en die doel van hulle besoek. Dit blyk dat die muurskildery ‘n belangrike gebeurtenis in Egipte en die Semitiese wêreld van die pre-monargale tydperk uitbeeld, en meer spesifiek die tyd en konteks waarin verhale van die sogenaamde ‘aartsvaders’, soos hulle in die Hebreeuse Bybel beskryf word, afgespeel het. Aangesien daar ‘n gebrek aan argeologiese en geskrewe (Bybelse en buite-Bybelse) bronne oor die proto-Israelitiese samelewing bestaan, hoop die studie om ‘n bydrae te lewer tot navorsing oor die tydperk, en veral die verhouding tussen die Semiete en Egiptenare. Spesiale aandag word gegee aan die uiterlike voorkoms van die handelaars en goewerneur, en aan die aard en funksie van elke gebruiksartikel wat in die skildery uitgebeeld word, soos die kleredrag, donkies, wapens en musiek-instrumente. Omdat daar in die inskripsie spesifiek melding gemaak word van oogverf, word die belangrikheid van oogverf ten opsigte van magies-religieuse, kultiese, mediese, begrafnis-, ekonomiese (handels-) en kosmetiese gebruike, asook die vervaardiging en samestelling daarvan, breedvoerig ondersoek / This study focuses on an interpretation of the Beni Hasan mural and accompanying inscription discovered in Tomb BH3 in Egypt. The painting dates back to about 1892 BC and is found in the tomb of the provincial governor of the Oryx province - Khnum-hotep II. With the mural and inscription by the royal court writer Neferhotep as point of departure and theoretical framework, a qualitative inquiry is made into the provenance, identity and role of the merchants and other items, especially eye painting, depicted in the painting. In addition to interpreting the Beni Hasan mural, the study also relies on available information in contemporary theological and archaeological publications. By following a multi-disciplinary approach, an attempt is made to obtain more information about the geographical location and architecture of Tomb BH3, the importance of tomb autobiography, the identity of the merchants and the purpose of their visit. It appears that the mural depicts an important event in Egypt and the Semitic world of the pre-monarchic period, and more specifically the time and context in which stories of the so-called 'patriarchs', as described in the Hebrew Bible, played. As there is a lack of archaeological and written (biblical and extra-biblical) sources on proto-Israelite society, the study hopes to contribute to research on the period, and especially the relationship between the Semites and Egyptians. Special attention is paid to the external appearance of the merchants and the governor, and to the nature and function of each commodity depicted in the painting, such as the dress, donkeys, weapons and musical instruments. Because the inscription specifically mentions eye makeup, the importance of eye makeup with regard to magical-religious, cultural, medical, economic (trade) and cosmetic uses, as well as the manufacture and composition thereof, is extensively investigated. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Th. (Godsdienswetenskap)

This thesis studies Tang sancai, a multi-coloured lead-glaze ceramic decorated ware which emerged in the Tang dynasty (AD 618 - AD 907), attaining mass production in the middle of the Tang era and declining towards its end. It examines the functions of sancai in its different aspects, namely as burial objects, as containers for ritual offerings and as architectural material. I argue that Tang sancai ware as burial objects were employed exclusively by the Tang imperial and elite families. The approach to my argument is made, in a first stage, through the observation of the physical locations of tombs that contained Tang sancai wares to demonstrate that these tombs belonged to the Tang imperial and elite family members. In a further step, I bring up two Tang decrees which laid down regulations for burials, to indicate that there was a strict hierarchical system for the allocation and utilization of burial land. These two Tang texts enable us to establish that the tombs located around the area of the imperial tombs belonged to the Tang officials and elite, and therefore not to ordinary people. In addition, the study I undertake of the structure of the tombs, with layout and organization mirroring palatial environments, reinforces my argument to that end. Lastly, I look at the cost of production of Tang sancai showing that it was higher than that of unglazed ceramics and that, consequently, sancai wares were, from an economical point of view, inaccessible to the common people. This thesis also reflects on the agency of Tang sancai, considering its aesthetic qualities and its suitability in the functions for which it served, as a force in engaging the viewers. The lasting debate on whether Tang sancai utensil-shaped wares were used for everyday eating and drinking is dealt with in this thesis by carefully examining the locations of the shards that were excavated at the sites of imperial palaces. My research enables to point out that this data is not sufficient to ascertain that this type of Tang sancai was used as daily wares. On the contrary, on the grounds that these locations were the places where ritual performances took place, I argue that sancai utensil wares were used as presentation containers for ritual performances. In the absence of records in Tang texts which could have informed about the relationship between Tang sancai and religious practice, I borrow an evidence from Japan, in the form of the hand-brush writing on a couple of Nara sancai dishes, which were copies of Tang sancai made in Japan during the time of Tang, mentioning that these vessels were specifically for use for ritual ceremonies. Furthermore, on the basis of analyses made on lead-glazed ware, some scholars assert that such ware is poisonous and could not have been used to contain food or drink, as much as no evidence exists to show that ancient Chinese had used lead-glazed wares for that purpose. This leads to the clarification that Tang sancai utensil-shaped wares were not produced for everyday use, their purpose having actually been to serve as vessels for offerings in rituals. I further observe that this connection between sancai and ritual-themed objects, initiated by the Tang, has in fact pervaded through the succeeding dynasties affirming its role in religious ceremonials. Finally, this thesis also looks at Tang sancai as an architectural material to show that it was skillfully used in decorating buildings, not only as tiles and tile-ends, but also as large-sized roof ornaments. The research reveals, in the process, the possible dates when sancai architectural material started to be used popularly during the Tang era.

This volume brings together twenty-eight papers from an International conference on attitudes towards the past and the creating of identities in Antiquity. The volume addresses many different approaches to these issues, spanning over many centuries, ranging in time from the Prehistoric periods to the Late Antiquity, and covering large areas, from Britain to Greece and Italy and to Asia Minor and Cyprus. The papers deal with several important problems, such as the use of tradition and memory in shaping an individual or a collective identity, continuity and/or change and the efforts to connect the past with the present. Among the topics discussed are the interpretation of literary texts, e.g. a play by Plautus, the Aeneid, a speech by Lykurgos, poems by Claudian and Prudentius, and of historical texts and inscriptions, e.g. funerary epigrams, and the analysis of the iconography of Roman coins, Etruscan reliefs, Pompeian and Etruscan frescoes and Cypriote sculpture, and of architectural remains of houses, tombs and temples. Other topics are religious festivals, such as the Lupercalia, foundation myths, the image of the emperor on coins and in literature, the significance of intra-urban burials, forgeries connected with the Trojan War, Hippocrates and Roman martyrs.

This dissertation comparatively explores and critically evaluates the historical and traditional notions that are commonly held by Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land; and it does so by examining the archaeological, historical, and literary evidence, with specific reference to the existent material remnants that are closely associated with the burial of Christ Jesus. The research will highlight the impact that biblical archaeological findings and the results thereof have had on these identified pilgrimage sites. Both the strengths and the weaknesses of the evidence will be enumerated; and the implications for the practice and significance of pilgrimages will be set out. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M.A. (Biblical Archaeology)

The text deals with various types of ironwork from ca 1550-1740, which we can encounter in sepulchral spaces in Bohemia. The text includes notable examples of individual types of ironwork related to sepulchral monuments in Bohemia and even Central Europe, especially when the works were inspired by Bohemian examples. The main research subject matter of the dissertation is a typological group of ironwork that defined the space around a tombstone or mausoleum freely situated in a sacred environment, e.g. the most important cited work - the ironwork surrounding the Royal Mausoleum in Prague, or the ironwork surrounding the Cenotaph of Maxmilian I located in the Court Church of Innsbruck. Other types of ironwork related to sepulchral monuments are mentioned complementarily, such as ironwork closing off interior chapels, freely standing ironwork, and ironwork protecting sepulchral niches. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Die Dissertation stellt erstmals die episkopale Memoria in England von 1200 bis 1550 im Zusammenhang dar. Das christliche, rituelle Totengedenken, das in der heutigen Forschung mit den Begriffen des Memorial- und Stiftungswesens beschrieben wird, sorgte in diesem Zeitraum für gesellschaftliche Dynamik. In England war die soziale Gruppe der Bischöfe einer der bedeutendsten Träger jener Gedächtniskultur, die auf der Vorstellung beruhte, dass die Toten und ihre im Fegefeuer leidenden Seelen in der Welt gegenwärtig blieben. In einem System gegenseitiger Hilfestellungen hofften die Lebenden und die Toten bis zum Jüngsten Gericht das Seelenheil zu erlangen. Dabei sollten ihr gesellschaftlicher Status und ihre eingenommenen, sozialen Rollen im Tod beibehalten werden. Religiöse Gründe und Repräsentationsstreben bestimmten alle Formen episkopalen Totengedenkens. Die Variabilität bischöflicher Memoria, die sich in Gegenständen und Ritualen äußerte, ist so anhand der englischen Beispiele vorher nicht behandelt worden. Jeder Aspekt wird als Baustein für das erst in seiner Gesamtheit voll wirksame Totengedächtnis verstanden. Fehlende Bausteine oder isolierende Betrachtungen führen zu verzerrter Wahrnehmung. Von zentraler Bedeutung sind hier dennoch die Grabmäler und ihre Typologie. Sie werden vor dem Hintergrund von Auftraggeberanforderungen, funktionalen Aspekten sowie künstlerischen, orts- und zeitspezifischen Optionen der Handwerker behandelt. Formen und Funktionen der Grabmäler, Liturgien, außerliturgischen Rituale, Bau- und Kunstwerke bedingten und durchdrangen sich gegenseitig. Aus dem Anspruch auf ein angemessenes Totengedenken ergaben sich weitreichende soziale Folgen und ein reiches Erbe an Objekten und Bauwerken. Die vorliegende Arbeit verschafft Einsichten in die Phänomene episkopaler Memoria in England, indem sie gegenseitige Kommentierungen und Wechselwirkungen aufzeigt und sich dafür kunst-, glaubens- und sozialgeschichtlich relevanter Quellen bedient. / The dissertation is presenting a unique as well as coherent treatment of the topic of episcopal memorialization in England from 1200 to 1550. The English episcopacy was of substantial importance for furthering the promotion of what is now called the medieval system of foundation and commemoration. During the period concerned, it was believed that the dead and their suffering souls would stay alive in purgatory and were thought to be still present and spiritually connected to the living. By providing mutual support, people hoped to gain salvation on Last Judgement. Social status and role gained in life were to be retained after death and also had to be visually represented in tombs and rituals. Religious reasons and criteria of representation dominated all kinds of episcopal commemoration. Variability of memorialization, expressed in objects and rituals, was yet to be documented with English episcopal monuments and features. The commemoration of one single bishop consisted of many individual aspects. Hence, missing aspects and isolated interpretations are causing misunderstandings and distorted views. Forms and functions of tombs, liturgies, non-liturgical rituals, buildings and artworks influenced each other and were substantially linked. The typology of bishop’s tombs explains which options craftsmen and clients had in certain ages and under certain conditions. Patrons made demands for the look of the monuments. On the other hand, craftsmen created a personal portfolio of what they could offer to potential customers. Bishop’s tombs were also orchestrated with theatrical effects. Aspiration of appropriate commemoration led to wide-ranging social implications and a rich inheritance of objects and building constructions. This dissertation provides annotations and interrelations within the phenomenon of memorialization by considering various areas of history, like the history of art, faith and society.