Intervisibility

Comparative study of fortified settlements in Peru, and spatial analysis for understanding the settlement pattern, in the Jauja Région. Nature and functions of Pucaras in the Late Intermediate Period in the Centrales Andes, and reality or not of conflicts during the Auca Runa.

Comparative study of fortified settlements in Peru, and spatial analysis for understanding the settlement pattern, in the Jauja Région. Nature and functions of Pucaras in the Late Intermediate Period in the Centrales Andes, and reality or not of conflicts during the Auca Runa.

Resumen: El artículo trata el tema de las estructuras tumulares, su variabilidad formal y funcional (funeraria, lugar de habitación, etc.), así como su distinta cronología. Se describe los casos concretos de Txoritegi (Zerain -Gipuzkoa-) y Galardi (Txoritegi -Gipuzkoa-), unas estructuras tumulares tipo mota utilizadas, posiblemente, a modo de atalaya de vigía en el contexto del período de conflictividad bajomedieval. Es un elemento novedoso en el territorio para cuya interpretación se ha efectuado un análisis de las cuencas visuales mediante SIG.

Popular interest in the use of fire beacon networks in antiquity has been  promoted recently by cinematic adaptations such as the Lord of the Rings and Disney’s Mulan.  Yet, curiously, defensive communication systems comprised fire beacons are often thought by military historians to be an innovation of the Hellenistic or even Roman world.  Such systems were, in fact, born in the tell landscapes of the Ancient Near East. Despite the abundant evidence that such networks were a widespread cultural practice, there have been a paucity of studies that have explored these archaeologically.  This paper will present a couple of examples from the Iron Age of Iran and Armenia as illustrations of how visual communication networks can be explored using GIS intervisibility analysis.

Resumen: El artículo trata el tema de las estructuras tumulares, su variabilidad formal y funcional (funeraria, lugar de habitación, etc.), así como su distinta cronología. Se describe los casos concretos de Txoritegi (Zerain -Gipuzkoa-) y Galardi (Txoritegi -Gipuzkoa-), unas estructuras tumulares tipo mota utilizadas, posiblemente, a modo de atalaya de vigía en el contexto del período de conflictividad bajomedieval. Es un elemento novedoso en el territorio para cuya interpretación se ha efectuado un análisis de las cuencas visuales mediante SIG.

The micro-level approach to transformations in urban morphology is the current leading area of study. It captures the significant soft grain of the street edge and its function. The pattern (edge-edge interface) is controlled by morphological analyses that are based on two primary urban elements: Plots and blocks. In addition, the street edge represents the link between two realms-the private and public-and defines their interrelationship. Three indicators (constitutedness, permeability and intervisibility) formulate the degree of interaction, whether between street edge ingredients or people and the adjacent edge. The main aims of this paper are to highlight the characteristics of the street edge and to compute and derive an equation for the three indicators. The paper adopts a morphological and analytical method in order to trace the primary purpose of the research with greater concentration on the micro-level scale. A quantitative technique is used to formulate the main equations and significant results are extracted regarding the specific morphological properties of the edge. Thus, the main contribution of this research is the development of knowledge that quantitatively determines the attributes of the street edge.