Conservation of archaeological sites in Syria: Ugarit as a case study
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Date
04/07/2017Item status
Restricted AccessEmbargo end date
04/07/2019Author
Teba, Tarek
Metadata
Abstract
The conservation of cultural heritage responds to the necessities of understanding the
site’s history, developments and key values. Archaeological heritage comprises tangible
and intangible evidence so conservation operates equally on the two main domains,
archaeology and architecture, which are inseparable and feed each other. Moreover,
urban dimension is essentially included where the cultural heritage presents interesting
urban settings linked to the architectural and cultural values. This thesis addresses all
these important issues with the aim to identify, preserve and present the cultural values
of archaeological sites in Syria, which are exceptionally rich in representing most of the
Western ancient civilisations. The thesis focuses on the City of Ugarit, the capital of an
important Bronze Age civilisation.
The thesis aims to establish a poignant conservation concept on different scales, ranging
from micro single architectural unit, the house, to the macro scale of the entire city. The
study probes the ways of employing archaeology and architecture to produce
conservation principles and architectural approaches for identifying, preserving and
presenting the site’s cultural values. These procedures expose tangible and intangible
values of the city, facilitate strong engagement of the visitors with the archaeological
ruins, and simultaneously protect the original fabric from the visitation flux.
The study is built upon understanding Ugarit’s archaeology, architecture and even social
aspects, combining them in the analysis of each key area (Royal quarters, Domestic areas
and Temples) to form well-founded interpretations and prioritise values. The proposal
eventually combines all studied areas in a comprehensive narrative, which feeds the
urban proposal for the whole city. In understanding the very rich and complex sites in
Ugarit, a combination of in situ surveys, systematic recording, extensive analysis of
literature and archaeological reports, and architectural reading of the fabric are carried
out. This framework is a coherent base for the architectural intervention choices, which
attempt to balance preservation implications and new materiality. Building virtual
models of the proposed interventions enables the test of volumes, materiality, choices
and the overall architectural experience. These models present the proposed
interventions together with the original ruins. Therefore, the models are a great vehicle to
transmit the reality of the conservation proposal and enhance its perception.