Η έννοια της Musica Mundana στο έργο του George Crumb Makrokosmos I. Aπό τους αρχέγονους ήχους στον μαγικό κύκλο της αιωνιότητας.

Το αντικείμενο της παρούσας εργασίας, Η έννοια της Musica Mundana στο έργο του George Crumb Makrokosmos I αναπτύσσεται σε δυο άξονες, στους οποίους θα διερευνηθεί αν συσχετίζονται, αν συνδέονται ή αν ενδεχομένως δρουν παράλληλα. Αρχικά θα προσεγγίσουμε την έννοια της Musica mundana, ερευνώντας το πλαίσιο στο οποίο τοποθετείται, τις καταβολές και την βαθύτερη έννοια της ύπαρξης της. Η διερεύνηση του είδους αυτού, προϋποθέτει τόσο την ιστορική όσο και την ερμηνευτική προσέγγιση του. Η σύντομη έρευνα θα εστιάσει επίσης στα ιστορικά πρόσωπα, τα οποία επινόησαν, ερεύνησαν και διαμόρφωσαν την έννοια της αρμονίας των σφαιρών. Από την αρχαιότητα και με διαδοχική σειρά, ο Πυθαγόρας, ο Πλάτων, ο Αριστοτέλης, οι ρωμαίοι και οι αλεξανδρινοί φιλόλογοι και φιλόσοφοι, ο λόγιος Βοήθιος, ο αστρονόμος Κέπλερ και τόσοι άλλοι, μέσω των ερευνών τους ασχολήθηκαν με την έννοια της αρμονίας των σφαιρών και κατέγραψαν τις απόψεις τους για την ερμηνεία του όρου. Μέσα από τα γραπτά τους θα προσπαθήσουμε να αποκωδικοποιήσουμε τους συμβολισμούς κάθε ιδεατής σκέψης και ερμηνείας της αρμονίας των σφαιρών. Οι βασικές αρχές της Musica Mundana θα χρησιμοποιηθούν ως μεθοδολογικό εργαλείο, να κατανοήσουμε όσο το δυνατόν επαρκέστερα την μουσική του Crumb. Η θεωρητική προσέγγιση της έρευνας θα πραγματοποιηθεί μέσω του έργου για πιάνο του George Crumb Makrokosmos I (1972) ως μελέτη περίπτωσης, καθώς ο Makrokosmos I αποτελεί ένα από τα πιο χαρακτηριστικά έργα του. Η προφανής συσχέτιση αυτής της τεχνικής με τη θεωρία της αρμονίας των σφαιρών είχε ως αποτέλεσμα τη σύνθεση μιας σειράς έργων στα οποία με τον ένα ή τον άλλο τρόπο υπήρχε το αποτύπωμα της Musica mundana, είτε εκούσια είτε ακούσια. Ο Makrokosmos I είναι προφανώς ένα έργο το οποίο θα μπορούσε να έχει αναφορές σε αυτή την κατηγορία μουσικής αν ανατρέξει κανείς στους τίτλους των μερών του, αλλά ουδείς μπορεί να ισχυριστεί με ασφάλεια ή με ακλόνητα τεκμήρια, ότι γράφτηκε με την έννοια της κοσμικής μουσικής, της Musica Mundana.The subject of the dissertation, The idea of Musica Mundana in George Crumb’s Makrokosmos I, is developed along two axes, in which it will be investigated whether they are related, connected or possibly interacting. The concept of Musica mundana is the first to be dealt with, by exploring the context in which it is placed, its origins as well as the more profound meaning of its existence. The investigation of this genre presupposes both a historical and an interpretive approach. The study will also focus on the historic figures who invented, researched and shaped the concept of the Harmony of the spheres aka Musica Mundana. Ever since antiquity and in succession, Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, the Roman and Alexandrian philologists and philosophers, the scholar Boethius, the astronomer Kepler and so many others, have successively through their research, dealt with the concept of Musica Mundana and recorded their views on the interpretation of the term. Through their writings we will try to decode the symbolism of every imaginary thought and interpretation of the Harmony of the spheres. The basic principles of Musica Mundana will be used as a methodological tool to understand Crumb’s music thoroughly as possible. The theoretical approach of the study will be carried out through George Crumb’s Makrokosmos I (1972) for piano as a case study, because Makrokosmos I is one of his most characteristic works. The obvious correlation of this technique with the theory of Musica Mundana has resulted in the creation of a series of works by the composer in which in one way or another, the imprint of Musica mundana becomes evident, either intentionally or unintentionally. Makrokosmos I is obviously a work strongly affiliated with this category of music if one looks at the titles of its parts. However no one can claim with certainty or prove with solid evidence that it was composed under the sense of cosmic music, of Musica Mundana

Caring for the experience phenomenological discipline and ethical development:a comparative study of EUDE (Educación Universal para el Desarrollo Ético) and Buddhaghosacārya’s Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga)

This thesis attempts to construct a conceptual philosophical framework for a pre- existing secular2 programme of ethical development for children called EUDE, by comparing its main principles and practices with the Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga), the work of a 5th century CE Buddhist scholar named Buddhaghosacārya. The comparison will help to make coherent sense of the EUDE practices and provide a conceptual framework for its methodology. The resulting comparison of both programmes will show the importance of phenomenological discipline in ethical development, that is, the programmatic and practical strategies for developing an ethical response to interaction with others. EUDE and Buddhaghosacārya share many of the same concerns and offer similar approaches to ethical development. They both address the conditions in experience that underlie moral choices and actions. Both work towards dismantling harmful conditions in experience through techniques that bring discipline, vision and understanding. Therefore, to a certain extent, the thesis is a comparative exploration of two practical disciplinary ethical programmes: The EUDE programme for children aged four to fifteen, and the Vissudhimaggha for Buddhist monks as well as the large virtuous (followers of sīla) Buddhist community. However, it is important to clarify that this thesis is more than a simple comparative exercise; it is a constructive effort to use Buddhaghosacārya’s systematic phenomenological methodology to provide a conceptual grounding for EUDE. This is because, although up to this point EUDE has been a highly successful and practical programme, its conceptual and philosophical principles have yet to be fully systematised and articulated. In a fascinating and productive way, this Buddhist thinker helps in that endeavour. My aim is to show how both programmes involve scrutiny of the conditions of thought and action as the means to make precise and structured interventions in ethical development. Their sustained attention to the psychological factors prior to decision-making or character formation allows for a very close comparative project of identifying and analysing ethical resources. Thus, we will see how the techniques for analytical attention to the conditions in experience in both programmes makes possible systematic ethical change, underlying an important contribution to the study of an essential area of ethical development

Dental calculus indicates widespread plant use within the stable Neanderthal dietary niche

The ecology of Neanderthals is a pressing question in the study of hominin evolution. Diet appears to have played a prominent role in their adaptation to Eurasia. Based on isotope and zoo archaeological studies, Neanderthal diet has been reconstructed as heavily meat-based and generally similar across different environments. This image persists, despite recent studies suggesting more plant use and more variation. However, we have only a fragmentary picture of their dietary ecology, and how it may have varied among habitats, because we lack broad and environmentally representative information about their use of plants and other foods. To address the problem, we examined the plant micro remains in Neanderthal dental calculus from five archaeological sites representing a variety of environments from the northern Balkans, and the western, central and eastern Mediterranean. The recovered micro remains revealed the consumption of a variety of non-animal foods, including starchy plants. Using a modeling approach, we explored the relationships among microremains and environment, while controlling for chronology. In the process, we compared the effectiveness of various diversity metrics and their shortcomings for studying microbotanical remains, which are often morphologically redundant for identification. We developed Minimum Botanical Units as a new way of estimating how many plant types or parts are present in a microbotanical sample. In contrast to some previous work, we found no evidence that plant use is confined to the southern-most areas of Neanderthal distribution. Although interpreting the ecogeographic variation is limited by the incomplete preservation of dietary micro remains, it is clear that plant exploitation was a widespread and deeply rooted Neanderthal subsistence strategy, even if they were predominately game hunters. Given the limited dietary variation across Neanderthal range in time and space in both plant and animal food exploitation, we argue that vegetal consumption was a feature of a generally static dietary niche

Beyond the walls: the design and development of the Petralona Cave virtual museum utilising 3D technologies

The Petralona Cave, which local inhabitants discovered by chance in 1959, is a remarkable natural and cultural landmark close to the village of Petralona, in the Chalkidiki peninsula of Greece. The site has gained global recognition for the discovery of a remarkably well-preserved Palaeolithic human skull, unearthed in 1960; it also holds archaeological and palaeontological significance. In this paper, the researchers introduce the Petralona Cave Virtual Museum: an innovative project whose mission is to increase public awareness and comprehension of the site. Our approach goes beyond mere replication of the physical museum located close to the cave; instead, the objective is to create an independent and comprehensive experience that is accessible to all visitors, irrespective of their ability to visit the site in person. Our methodology involved the documentation of the site and its history, analysis of user requirements, development of use cases to steer the design process, as well as architectural designs creation, itineraries and findings digitisation, and architectural structure finalisation. The Virtual Museum provides a well-organised frame structure that serves as an efficient gateway to the content, making navigation easy for visitors. Thanks to various presentation methods, including videos, high-quality images, interactive maps, animated content, interactive 3D models, plus searchable item libraries, among others, users are empowered to create a highly personalised navigation plan; thus the Virtual Museum experience is comparable to visiting the physical museum or cultural site. Cutting-edge digitisation techniques were employed to create highly detailed 3D models of the site. The Petralona Cave Virtual Museum is expected to offer an immersive experience, engaging diverse audiences; the interactive and educational exploration provides highly innovative access to archaeological knowledge. The visibility of the Petralona site is amplified and there is a significant contribution to knowledge dissemination about this important cultural heritage site

Late Quaternary sea-level change and early human societies in the central and eastern Mediterranean Basin : an interdisciplinary review

This article reviews key data and debates focused on relative sea-level changes since the Last Interglacial (approximately the last 132,000 years) in the Mediterranean Basin, and their implications for past human populations. Geological and geomorphological landscape studies are critical to archaeology. Coastal regions provide a wide range of resources to the populations that inhabit them. Coastal landscapes are increasingly the focus of scholarly discussions from the earliest exploitation of littoral resources and early hominin cognition, to the inundation of the earliest permanently settled fishing villages and eventually, formative centres of urbanisation. In the Mediterranean, these would become hubs of maritime transportation that gave rise to the roots of modern seaborne trade. As such, this article represents an original review of both the geo-scientific and archaeological data that specifically relate to sea-level changes and resulting impacts on both physical and cultural landscapes from the Palaeolithic until the emergence of the Classical periods. Our review highlights that the interdisciplinary links between coastal archaeology, geomorphology and sea-level changes are important to explain environmental impacts on coastal human societies and human migration. We review geological indicators of sea level and outline how archaeological features are commonly used as proxies for measuring past sea levels, both gradual changes and catastrophic events. We argue that coastal archaeologists should, as a part of their analyses, incorporate important sea-level concepts, such as indicative meaning. The interpretation of the indicative meaning of Roman fishtanks, for example, plays a critical role in reconstructions of late Holocene Mediterranean sea levels. We identify avenues for future work, which include the consideration of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in addition to coastal tectonics to explain vertical movements of coastlines, more research on Palaeolithic island colonisation, broadening of Palaeolithic studies to include materials from the entire coastal landscape and not just coastal resources, a focus on rescue of archaeological sites under threat by coastal change, and expansion of underwater archaeological explorations in combination with submarine geomorphology. This article presents a collaborative synthesis of data, some of which have been collected and analysed by the authors, as the MEDFLOOD (MEDiterranean sea-level change and projection for future FLOODing) community, and highlights key sites, data, concepts and ongoing debates

L'industrie du Paléolithique moyen de Mavri Myti (Lakkopetra, Grèce)

ABSTRACT The site of Mavri is the first open air Middle Palaeolithic site in Greece to have supplied in situ remains of a flint industry. They are contained in a thin layer of alluvium which covers an offshore bar and dates from the end of isotopic stage 5 a. The collecting conditions enabled an important concentration of material to be noted over a very small surface. The industry includes numerous worked pebbles together with typically Mousterian flake based tools. It is in fact typical Mousterian, including, nonetheless, an important quantity of worked pebbles, lightly used cores and cortical flakes. This is due to the closeness of the beach, which supplied the necessary raw material.RÉSUMÉ Le site de Mavri Myti est le premier site du Paléolithique moyen de plein air en Grèce à avoir livré une industrie en place. Celle-ci est contenue dans une mince couche de limons, qui surmontent un cordon littoral et datent de la fin du stade isotopique 5 a. Les conditions de ramassage ont permis de constater une importante concentration du matériel sur une surface très restreinte. L'industrie contient de nombreux galets aménagés, accompagnant un outillage sur éclat typiquement moustérien. Il s'agit en fait d'un Moustérien typique, qui contient, néanmoins, un nombre important de galets aménagés, de nucleus peu exploités et d'éclats corticaux, conséquence de la proximité immédiate de la plage, qui a fourni la matière première nécessaire pour la fabrication de l'industrie.Darlas Andreas. L'industrie du Paléolithique moyen de Mavri Myti (Lakkopetra, Grèce). In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 92, n°3, 1995. pp. 390-398

Fouille franco-hellénique de la grotte de Kalamakia (Aréopolis, Péloponnèse)

Darlas Andréas, De Lumley Henry. Fouille franco-hellénique de la grotte de Kalamakia (Aréopolis, Péloponnèse). In: Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. Volume 122, livraison 2, 1998. pp. 655-661

Fouilles franco-helléniques de la grotte de Kalamakia (Aréopolis, Péloponnèse)

Darlas Andréas, Lumley Henry de. Fouilles franco-helléniques de la grotte de Kalamakia (Aréopolis, Péloponnèse). In: Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. Volume 119, livraison 2, 1995. pp. 793-798