Papers by Minna A Silver (Lönnqvist)
Women in European Academies, 2021
The present article illuminates the path of Ella Kivikoski (1901–1990), professor of Archaeology ... more The present article illuminates the path of Ella Kivikoski (1901–1990), professor of Archaeology in Finland. It outlines her career, from her museum work to her doctorate and university professorship, as well as her research and teaching work. At her time, there were only a few references to Kivikoski in encyclopedias or personal galleries. Her jubilee book Honos Ella Kivikoski (Sarvas and Siiriäinen 1973) consists of archaeological articles by Kivikoski’s students and colleagues but does not contain biographical information. Marianne Schauman-Lönnqvist
(2004), Kivikoski’s student, later published an article ”Woman in Archaeology – Ella Kivikoski, a Researcher and Teacher” in Finnish including her bibliography. Until recently, the article has been the only larger treatise on Kivikoski’s life and career, along with the national biography (Huurre 2005) and academic obituaries. However, Kivikoski has been completely forgotten in international works on pioneering women in Archaeology, with the exception of Swedish references
(see Arwill-Nordbladh 2001).
Opuscula is a peer reviewed journal. Contributions to Opuscula should be sent to the Secretary of... more Opuscula is a peer reviewed journal. Contributions to Opuscula should be sent to the Secretary of the Editorial Committee before 1 November every year. Contributors are requested to include an abstract summarizing the main points and principal conclusions of their article. For style of references to be adopted, see https://ecsi.se. Books for review should be sent to the Secretary of the Editorial Committee.
ISPRS Annals of the photogrammetry, Remote Sensin and Spatial Information Sciences, 2023
Our digital modeling in 3D aims to visualize Neolithic crafted skulls found in the Near East for ... more Our digital modeling in 3D aims to visualize Neolithic crafted skulls found in the Near East for their preservation and study taking into account both the possibilities of skull deformation in vivo as well as crafting them postmortem. Decapitation and burying or caching human skulls is met already in Palaeolithic contexts. Postmortem cranial crafting by drilling and carving, or modelling with plaster and asphalt using human skulls as basis was practiced in the Near East during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and Late Neolithic period. The first examples of plastered human skulls were discovered at Jericho in the 1950s, then belonging to Jordan, after which to Israel and now to the Palestinian territories. Similar skulls were later found in various sites in the Near East. The examples digitally reconstructed here include skulls from Göbekli Tepe and Köşk Höyük found in Turkey, from the cave at Nahal Hemar at the Dead Sea in the Judean mountains of Israel and skulls from Jericho in the Palestinian territories. Both drawings and photographs were used in digitally reconstructing the skulls in 3D. The Blender software allowed us to sculpt the complex shape of the skull from a base mesh. Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) rendering sped up rendering thanks to Nvidia graphics cards. UV mapping was carried out for importing the texture. The visualization enabled us to make further anthropological observations. Beside the generally acknowledged Neolithic "skull cult" we also wish briefly to discuss other reasons for the phenomena and practices.
A ruined fort rises at Tabus on the north-eastern edge of Jebel Bishri in Central Syria. The fort... more A ruined fort rises at Tabus on the north-eastern edge of Jebel Bishri in Central Syria. The fort which is situated c. 25 km north-west of the city of Deir ez-Zor along the road to Aleppo overlooks the Valley of the Euphrates. The fort is roughly triangular in layout covering c. 300 m x 80 m x 100 m. It
The mountain of Jebel Bishri forms a strategically important natural bastion on the Middle Euphra... more The mountain of Jebel Bishri forms a strategically important natural bastion on the Middle Euphrates in Syria. The mountain has been a natural, economical and political border zone for different cultures and empires. The area is environmentally limited with the Syrian desert and the irrigated fields of the river plain. The neighbourhood is the cradle of agriculture: the earliest cultivation at the village of Abu Hureyra on the Euphrates dates to ca. 9000 B.C. Remote sensing methods reveal the character of this natural frontier, which during the past decades has been combating against increasing desertification. Satellite images have been used in mapping and monitoring the area of Jebel Bishri. A 3-D-model of the area has been constructed fusing radar and satellite images. Environment has stimulated different formation processes and spatial patterning of the sites on the mountain compared to those of the riverine zone. The cycle of nomadism and sedentism is reflected on the lifestyle still today. The mountain is exemplified with the flimsy remains of mobile societies detectable only with the satellite images offering high spatial resolution. With the satellite images numerous tells, ruined towns or villages, have been detected in the green river valley that reflects the sedentary way of life and trading activities. Archaeology provides a long-term perspective to subsistence patterns and site development processes that helps to understand and plan enduring development in the area.
Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Vol. 1., 2010
M. LÖNNQVIST, M. TÖRMÄ, K. LÖNNQVIST, M. NUÑEZ, J. OKKONEN, M. STOUT WHITING, H. RIIHIAHO, M. NIS... more M. LÖNNQVIST, M. TÖRMÄ, K. LÖNNQVIST, M. NUÑEZ, J. OKKONEN, M. STOUT WHITING, H. RIIHIAHO, M. NISSINEN
Remote-sensing, archaeological field survey and GIS are combined by the Finnish Project SYGIS in ... more Remote-sensing, archaeological field survey and GIS are combined by the Finnish Project SYGIS in the studies of the Euphrates valley confined by the mountain of Jebel Bishri in Central Syria. Changes in the course of the river channel have caused transformations in the occupational past and landscape. The alluvial terraces offer evidence of the earliest human impact from the Lower Palaeolithic period. Several tells, ancient mounds of towns or villages, have been identified, surveyed and mapped in the region. Our aim is to study short-term variations of the river channel with satellite images in order to trace some scales and tempo of the channel changes that may also have affected the past occupation. Our aim is to find out, how the acquired information can be combined for the purpose of interpreting the archaeological evidence of the past occupation, even the landscape of historical events in the area. Satellite images used in this study consists of declassified CORONA satellite photographs from 1966, Landsat MSS (1983), Landsat TM (1990 and ETM (1999 and 2001) images. SPOT images covering the research area are used for mapping tells and for evidence of the present situation of the river valley. The interpretation of the water areas is based on the cluster analysis and visual interpretation. The topographic variations of the river channel are visualized using colour coding of DEMs and plots of the cross sections of the river channel. An Aster image from USGS has been used to produce DEM in order to study the cross-section of the river valley.
Proceedings of the 4th ICAANE Vol. .2, 2008
The identity and origins of the Amorites, a Bronze Age group of people, have remained as subjects... more The identity and origins of the Amorites, a Bronze Age group of people, have remained as subjects for continuing debates. Earlier the origins and spread of the Amorites from the deserts and steppes of Syria seemed to explain their role as the nomadic carriers of the fi rst Dark Age into the Near East at the end of the Early Bronze Age. The emergence of a Dark Age is often associated with nomads or migrations in history. In the Near Eastern archaeology the migration and invasion theories, however, went out of vogue in the 1980s. The environmental causal theories became the chief archaeological explanators for cultural transitions, sometimes without any particular role of human interventions.
City Administration in the Ancient Near East: Proceedings of the 53e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale Vol 2, 2010
Arctos 56, 2023
Book Review on Paleopersepolis: Environment, Landscape and Society in Ancient Fars, eds. Balatti,... more Book Review on Paleopersepolis: Environment, Landscape and Society in Ancient Fars, eds. Balatti, Silvia, Klinkott, Hilmar, Wiesehöfer, Josef. Orient et Occidens, Studien zu antiken Kulturkontakten und ihren Nachleben 33. Suttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag 2021.
Hufvudstadsbladet, 2018
Att förstöra kulturarv är att förstöra minnet. I den legendariska parken Monrepos i Viborg håller... more Att förstöra kulturarv är att förstöra minnet. I den legendariska parken Monrepos i Viborg håller minnet på att gå förlorat.
Yliopisto Acta Universitas Helsingiensis, 1995
Päätyikö ristiinnaulittu Jeesuksen ruumis roomalaisen tavan mukaan joukkohautaan? Kristinuskon pe... more Päätyikö ristiinnaulittu Jeesuksen ruumis roomalaisen tavan mukaan joukkohautaan? Kristinuskon peruspilareita horjuttaneen dosentti Matti Myllykosken tutkimusväitteiden vedenpitävyyttä puntaroi arkeologi Minna Lönnqvist
Yliopisto Acta Universitas Helsingiensis, 2000
A popular article on the archaeological excavations at Salahmi ironworks in Central Finland inclu... more A popular article on the archaeological excavations at Salahmi ironworks in Central Finland including an infowindow on Industrial Archaeology
Tekniikan Waiheita journal, 1995
An article on industrial archaeology in Finnish.
Tutankhamonin salaisuudet, 2022
A Finnish book on Tutankhamen written by Minna Silver, a professional archaeologist, is appearing... more A Finnish book on Tutankhamen written by Minna Silver, a professional archaeologist, is appearing for the 100th anniversary of the opening of the tomb appearing in early September 2022 by Gaudeeamus, Helsinki University Press. The English translation, the title of which is still open, is appearing during the autumn 2022. The book contains an archaeological approach, somewhat differing from egyptological one, to the documentation and preservation of the tomb as well as special aspects to Tutankhamen's geneology, food and textiles. Critical aspects are raised on colonial attitudes in early interpretions on the boy-Pharaoh and his legacy.
Challenges, Strategies and High-Tech Applications for Saving the Cultural Heritage of Syria, 2022
Challenges, Strategies and High-tech Applications for Saving the Cutltural Heritage of Syria, 2022
The Finnish archaeological survey and mapping project SYGIS worked under the present author in th... more The Finnish archaeological survey and mapping project SYGIS worked under the present author in the
mountainous region of Jebel Bishri in Syria in 2000–2010 executing remote-sensing methods, fieldwork and GIS
in mapping as well as producing 3D landscape models The aim was to document and study a vulnerable spatial
boundary zone between the Syrian Desert and irrigated agricultural fields of the Euphrates Valley. Using the collected
data, the purpose was to study nomadic and sedentary cultures, their interaction and how they were affected by
those environments The project was an early initiative regarding use of GIS in Syria, also providing a GIS course
to the members of the Syrian antiquities authority In addition, a research training course and seminar were arranged
by SYGIS for Nordic PhD students in Syria In the 1980s and 1990s new methods, largely based on ethnoarchaeological
observations, were developed to study the archaeological remains of the nomads, from which the project was
able to benefit by applying these approaches afresh. Satellite imagery was used in studying environmental changes
and prospecting ancient sites that were checked and documented in situ Materials such as Landsat and QuickBird
images were used, fusing them with radar data from the X-SAR mission and ASTER-DEM in order to create landscape
models The project highlights the importance of documenting and preserving mobile cultures, such as those
of hunter-gatherers and pastoral nomads. Bedouins are part of the Syrian culture and they are the followers of past
pastoral nomads in the region
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Papers by Minna A Silver (Lönnqvist)
(2004), Kivikoski’s student, later published an article ”Woman in Archaeology – Ella Kivikoski, a Researcher and Teacher” in Finnish including her bibliography. Until recently, the article has been the only larger treatise on Kivikoski’s life and career, along with the national biography (Huurre 2005) and academic obituaries. However, Kivikoski has been completely forgotten in international works on pioneering women in Archaeology, with the exception of Swedish references
(see Arwill-Nordbladh 2001).
mountainous region of Jebel Bishri in Syria in 2000–2010 executing remote-sensing methods, fieldwork and GIS
in mapping as well as producing 3D landscape models The aim was to document and study a vulnerable spatial
boundary zone between the Syrian Desert and irrigated agricultural fields of the Euphrates Valley. Using the collected
data, the purpose was to study nomadic and sedentary cultures, their interaction and how they were affected by
those environments The project was an early initiative regarding use of GIS in Syria, also providing a GIS course
to the members of the Syrian antiquities authority In addition, a research training course and seminar were arranged
by SYGIS for Nordic PhD students in Syria In the 1980s and 1990s new methods, largely based on ethnoarchaeological
observations, were developed to study the archaeological remains of the nomads, from which the project was
able to benefit by applying these approaches afresh. Satellite imagery was used in studying environmental changes
and prospecting ancient sites that were checked and documented in situ Materials such as Landsat and QuickBird
images were used, fusing them with radar data from the X-SAR mission and ASTER-DEM in order to create landscape
models The project highlights the importance of documenting and preserving mobile cultures, such as those
of hunter-gatherers and pastoral nomads. Bedouins are part of the Syrian culture and they are the followers of past
pastoral nomads in the region
(2004), Kivikoski’s student, later published an article ”Woman in Archaeology – Ella Kivikoski, a Researcher and Teacher” in Finnish including her bibliography. Until recently, the article has been the only larger treatise on Kivikoski’s life and career, along with the national biography (Huurre 2005) and academic obituaries. However, Kivikoski has been completely forgotten in international works on pioneering women in Archaeology, with the exception of Swedish references
(see Arwill-Nordbladh 2001).
mountainous region of Jebel Bishri in Syria in 2000–2010 executing remote-sensing methods, fieldwork and GIS
in mapping as well as producing 3D landscape models The aim was to document and study a vulnerable spatial
boundary zone between the Syrian Desert and irrigated agricultural fields of the Euphrates Valley. Using the collected
data, the purpose was to study nomadic and sedentary cultures, their interaction and how they were affected by
those environments The project was an early initiative regarding use of GIS in Syria, also providing a GIS course
to the members of the Syrian antiquities authority In addition, a research training course and seminar were arranged
by SYGIS for Nordic PhD students in Syria In the 1980s and 1990s new methods, largely based on ethnoarchaeological
observations, were developed to study the archaeological remains of the nomads, from which the project was
able to benefit by applying these approaches afresh. Satellite imagery was used in studying environmental changes
and prospecting ancient sites that were checked and documented in situ Materials such as Landsat and QuickBird
images were used, fusing them with radar data from the X-SAR mission and ASTER-DEM in order to create landscape
models The project highlights the importance of documenting and preserving mobile cultures, such as those
of hunter-gatherers and pastoral nomads. Bedouins are part of the Syrian culture and they are the followers of past
pastoral nomads in the region
catastrophes, environmental changes to human caused mismanagement and destruction. The importance
of detailed documentation especially actualizes in the areas and cases that have become neglected
and have faced destruction or loss. A strategy that can adapt the heritage documentation in 3D is
needed. CIPA under ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites under UNESCO) and ISPRS
(International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing), is providing expertise in developing the
best technical means for heritage documentation. The aim of this workshop is to provide this expertise
to save and revive the heritage of Syria and to share ideas for the benefit of comparable cases. The Near
East has been under severe turmoil over the past years, and Syria like Iraq has become the battlefield of
various groups. This cradle of human civilization has faced war, destruction and looting of its heritage,
the heritage that also belongs to the whole humankind. Remote-sensing, 3D technologies and methods
based on laser and digital data capture are increasingly showing their applicability and potential to trace,
retrieve and save valuable information to be studied and left for posterity.
Organizers:
Minna SILVER
Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities
90014 University of Oulu, Finland
[email protected]
[email protected]
Michael DONEUS
Institut für Urgeschichte & Historische Archäologie
University of Vienna
1190 Vienna, Austria
[email protected]