Search results for ""Author Robert G. Ousterhout""

Virtually unknown today, John Henry Haynes (1849-1910) may be regarded as the father of American archaeological photography. His travels took him from Athens to Istanbul and on to Mesopotamia. In this landmark study, now revised with additional unpublished photographs published for the first time, Robert G. Ousterhout assesses his unique blend of artistry and documentation. Although he had scant academic credentials and just a short training in 'aesthetic' photography, John Henry Haynes broke new ground. In 1900 he uncovered an astounding cache of 23,000 cuneiform tablets that told us much of what we know about the Sumerian literary tradition. And with his discerning eye and artistic sensibility, he captured astonishing sights, many never photographed before, and many no longer in existence. Ultimately he was the victim of rivalry, snobbery and outright skulduggery and died 'broken in body and spirit'.

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Aside from Hagia Sophia, the monuments of the Byzantine East are poorly understood today. This is in sharp contrast to the well-known architectural marvels of Western Europes Middle Ages. In this landmark survey, distinguished art historian Robert Ousterhout introduces readers to the rich and diverse architectural traditions of the medieval Eastern Mediterranean. The focus of the book is the Byzantine (or East Roman) Empire (324-1453 CE), with its capital in Constantinople, although the framework expands chronologically to include the foundations of Christian architecture in Late Antiquity and the legacy of Byzantine culture after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Geographically broad as well, this study includes architectural developments in areas of Italy, the Caucasus, the Near East, the Balkans, and Russia, as well as related developments in early Islamic architecture. Alternating chapters that address chronological or regionally-based developments with thematic studies that focus on the larger cultural concerns, the book presents the architectural developments in a way that makes them accessible, interesting, and intellectually stimulating. In doing so, it also explains why medieval architecture in the East followed such a different trajectory from that of the West. Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of color photographs, maps, and line drawings, Eastern Medieval Architecture will establish Byzantine traditions to be as significant and admirable as those more familiar examples in Western Europe, and serve as an invaluable resource for anyone interested in architectural history, Byzantium, and the Middle Ages.

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Written by recipients of the John Freely Fellowship awarded annually through the American Research Institute in Turkey from a major gift from the Joukowsky Family Foundation of New York to honor a celebrated author of travel and history books, this volume focuses particular attention on the city of Istanbul, its history, and institutions during the Ottoman and Republican periods. Chapters by young scholars consider the office of the Ottoman Court Historian, opposing voices during the reign of Sultan Süleyman, naming Turkish Sabbatians, Istanbul's population variables, and changes in Turkish tobacco production. Contributors: Emine Fetvac (Department of History of Art, Stanford University), Erbu Turan (Department of History, Fordham University), Cengiz Sisman (Department of History, TOBB-ETU University), Betül Basaran (Department of Philosophy and Religion, University of Chicago), and Ebru Kayaalp (Department of Anthropology, Rice University).

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European adventurers began exploring Palmyra's priceless Roman ruins in the 17th century, but it wasn't until the advent of photography that the public became aware of its scale and majesty. In 1885, the sight of Palmyra astounded members of the Wolfe Expedition as they journeyed home from Mesopotamia. The group's photographer, John Henry Haynes, documented the monumental temples, tombs and colonnades in more than a hundred invaluable images. Since then, Haynes and his work have largely been forgotten, and the forces of the self-styled Islamic State have destroyed the key monuments of this world-renowned site, including the glorious Temple of Bel. Haynes's images of Palmyra - published here for the first time - are all the more poignant. The Syrian city of Palmyra - known as ‘the Pearl of the Desert’ - was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. A key stop on the Silk Road, it was a vital link between the East and the West, and a prize fought over by successive conquering armies.

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