Architectural styles and ethnic identity in medieval to modern Cyprus

Archaeologists and art historians have often attempted to identify ethnic groups by means of specific stylistic traits in their art and architecture. Close contextual examination, however, reveals that different groups in different contexts can use the same styles. This article reviews some examples of architectural styles and features which were borrowed and transformed during the Medieval, Ottoman and British colonial periods in Cyprus (1191-1960). One building, the British colonial governor’s residence in Nicosia built in the 1930s, is particularly revealing in its deliberate use of styles normally associated with all the other ethnic groups of Cyprus

Agriculture, settlement and landscape in Ottoman Cyprus

No abstract available

Review of: 'Crossroads and Boundaries: The Archaeology of Past and Present in the Malloura Valley, Cyprus', edited by M.K. Toumazou, P.N. Kardulias, and D.B. Counts (2011)

The Athienou Archaeological Project has been carrying out excavation, survey and a wide range of analytical and community engagement activities in the Malloura Valley in central Cyprus since 1990. This engaging and very readable book provides detailed summaries and preliminary analyses of all of this very varied work. Because each chapter gives a careful explanation of the period background, the Cypriot context and the history of research, the book as a whole serves as an up-to-date and wide-ranging introduction to the archaeology of Cyprus, which links the broader picture to a close engagement with a specific landscape

Maps, fields, and boundary cairns: demarcation and resistance in colonial Cyprus

An important component of the administration and control of a colony by an external power was the demarcation and classification of the land and its people. This was certainly the case in Cyprus under British colonial rule (1878-1960), as three case studies demonstrate: the topographical survey of the island by H. H. Kitchener in 1878-1883; the cadastral survey of 1909-1929; and the work of the forest delimitation commission from 1881 to 1896. This was not achieved without resistance on a variety of levels. Ironically, part of the opposition came from the structure of the colonial demarcation and classification project itself

Corrupting Aphrodite, colonialist interpretations of the Cyprian goddess

No abstract available

Landholding and landscape in Ottoman Cyprus

In Ottoman Cyprus (1571–1878), social organization was based above all on the ownership and exploitation of agricultural land. The social relations, economic processes and daily practices of landowning elites and peasant farmers alike were structured by their relationship with the land. In this article, historical and archaeological data are integrated in order to investigate the development of social organization by focusing on landholding and landscape. In particular, it examines the role, identity and material culture of the new Cypriot/Ottoman elite, the commercialization of agriculture as expressed in the economy and the landscape, and the daily routine experiences of communities in the landscape

With The Commodity In The Hand : A Practical Investigation of the Intersection of Material Culture with Performance Theory

This thesis examines the intersection of performance theory and material culture through the practices of garment reconstruction. In chapter 1, I examine key theorists in the fields of material culture and performance studies and articulate the connections between the two fields. In chapter 2, Using practice as research, I recount the experience of building reproduction garments from the eighteenth century using historically appropriate tools and methods, as well as the experience of wearing those garments. Finally, in Chapter 3, I walk through a possible historical examination of my encounter with these reconstructed garments, and consider the way in which feminine clothing in this period signified maternity -- a conclusion drawn as a result of the embodied research practices here employed. The construction of an entire period outfit acts as an embodiment of my research of the interconnected theory and the way history performs for/with modern bodies, and offers an exciting way forward for two disciplines to inform and enhance one another

Superposition of DC voltage and submicrosecond impulses for energization of electrostatic precipitators

This paper discusses the development of an impulsive microelectrostatic precipitation technology, which uses superposition of submicrosecond high-field pulses and dc electric field. Short impulses allow the application of higher voltages to the ionization electrodes of a precipitation system without the initiation of breakdown. These higher levels of electric field generate higher ionic concentrations, resulting in more efficient charging of the airborne particles, and can potentially improve precipitation efficiency. This work is focused on the analysis of the behavior of impulsive positive corona discharges in a coaxial reactor designed for precipitation studies. The efficiency of precipitation of coarse and fine particles has been investigated using different dc and impulse voltage levels in order to establish optimal energization modes

Comparison between RF and electrical signals from the partial discharge activity of twisted pair cables at reduced pressures

A pressure-controlled test facility has been set up that allows the PD behaviour of polymer insulated twisted pair samples exposed to 50 Hz AC voltages in the range of 0 to 10 kV to be characterised. Resulting PD activity is quantified using the methods defined in IEC standard 60270 and by using a simple monopole antenna to detect the RF signals excited inside the pressure vessel by the discharges. This paper gives the results of preliminary tests performed on samples of wire insulated with Ethylenetetraflourethylene, Silicon Rubber and Polyvinylchloride in the pressure range between 103 and 105 Pa in atmospheric air. The dependence of PD inception voltage on the environmental pressure is reported. Changes in the behaviour of the PD activity; the correlations between the RF and electrical measurements and the frequency components of the RF signals as the applied voltage and pressure are varied are characterised and discussed

The triggered behavior of a controlled corona stabilised cascade switch

Corona stabilised switches have been shown to have advantages in pulse power switching applications due to their high repetition rates and low jitter. Work performed in recent years by the High Voltage Technologies Group within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde has shown that the operating voltage range of such switches can be extended by using a multi-gap cascade configuration. One particular multi-gap topology was shown to operate under pressure at 100 kV with a switching jitter of 2ns. It has since been shown that by modifying the topology of the corona sources on the electrodes, it is possible to control the grading of the voltage distribution across the gaps in the cascade. The voltages across each gap and the self-break behaviour of the cascade were found to be in close agreement with the values predicted from the corona emission characteristics for the tested electrode topologies. This paper reports on a further examination of the behaviour of the corona controlled switching topology, where triggered operation of the switch has been investigated for different voltage distributions across the cascade gaps