Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan in the Archibald Creswell Photograph Collection of the Biblioteca Berenson
By (author) Stefano Anastasio
Paperback (Published)
(April 2023)
ISBN: 9781803274553
8.07 x 11.46 inches
Price: $78.00
In stock
Keppel Archibald Cameron Creswell (1879-1974) developed an early interest in Islamic architecture, considering photography as an essential tool for recording architectural artefacts. This volume presents the photographs that concern Mesopotamia, Syria and Jordan, kept today at the Biblioteca Berenson in Florence.
Keppel Archibald Cameron Creswell (1879-1974) developed an early interest in Islamic architecture, which became his main area of research at the time of his military posting in Egypt, in 1916. His publications are still fundamental research tools for scholars in the field. Creswell considered photography as an essential tool for recording architectural artefacts, and this volume deals with the photographs that concern Mesopotamia, Syria and Jordan, kept today at the Biblioteca Berenson, of the Villa I Tatti, Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, in Florence. On the whole, they can be dated between 1919 and 1930. Many of the sites and monuments photographed by Creswell are still standing, but there are many others that no longer exist, or have been significantly modified. Geolocations for all the photographed monuments can also be viewed on Google My Maps. For this reason, the Creswell photo collection is an exceptional resource for the study of ancient monuments, especially for any conservation and restoration project.
A martyr for Islamic architectural history, by Spyros Koulouris Processing the photo archive Archival descriptions Studying the past - working for the future Introduction Creswell and the Berenson Collection Biographical sketch Creswell photographer: the working method Creswell's legacy of photographs Creswell's collection at the Biblioteca Berenson Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan in Creswell's photographs Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan at the end of World War I Photographers in Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan prior to Creswell's work The sites and the monuments Mesopotamia Birecik Harran Samarra Qantarat Harba Baghdad Al-Madain - Taq Kisra Al-Ukhaidir Syria Ancient churches of Northern Syria: Qalat Siman, Qalb Lawzah and Ruweiha Aleppo Masyaf Hama Homs Damascus Transjordan Amman Iraq al-Amir Qusayr Amra Conclusions Appendixes 1. Register of photographers in Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan between the 1840s and the 1930s 2. Register of Creswell's photographs of the Biblioteca Berenson 3. Synopsis of Creswell's photographs in the different archives 4. Sites and monuments geolocation, by Francesco Saliola Bibliographic references Arabic Summary, A martyr for Islamic architectural history, by Spyros Koulouris
Processing the photo archive ;
Archival descriptions ;
Studying the past – working for the future ;
Introduction
Creswell and the Berenson Collection
Biographical sketch ;
Creswell photographer: the working method ;
Creswell’s legacy of photographs ;
Creswell’s collection at the Biblioteca Berenson ;
Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan in Creswell’s photographs
Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan at the end of World War I ;
Photographers in Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan prior to Creswell’s work ;
The sites and the monuments
Mesopotamia ;
Birecik
Harran
Samarra
Qantarat Harba
Baghdad
Al-Madain – Taq Kisra
Al-Ukhaidir
Syria ;
Ancient churches of Northern Syria: Qalat Siman, Qalb Lawzah and Ruweiha
Aleppo
Masyaf
Hama
Homs
Damascus
Transjordan ;
Amman
Iraq al-Amir
Qusayr Amra
Conclusions
Appendixes
1. Register of photographers in Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan between the 1840s and the 1930s ;
2. Register of Creswell’s photographs of the Biblioteca Berenson ;
3. Synopsis of Creswell’s photographs in the different archives ;
4. Sites and monuments geolocation, by Francesco Saliola (Free online resource )
Bibliographic references
Arabic Summary
Stefano Anastasio is an archaeologist, specializing in the Ancient Near East. He is currently storehouse-keeper of the archaeological deposits and in charge of the digitization of the archaeological photo-archive of the Superintendency of Florence. He has participated in archaeological excavations and surveys in Italy, Syria, Turkey and Jordan. His main research interests are the history of early photography in the Near East, building archaeology, and the Iron Age in Mesopotamia and the Levant.
- By (author) Stefano Anastasio
‘Anastasio’s book is a must-read for anyone interested in Islamic history and architecture and, more generally, cultural heritage and multimodal archaeology. I found the book a compelling introduction to monuments in the Middle East, especially given its relevance to topics including cultural heritage destruction, reconstruction and preservation.' – Nora Al-Aati (2024): Antiquity, Vol. 98, Issue 399
—
‘A. Creswell’s photographs ... allow a much clearer approach to the architectural works still uncontaminated by alterations, reconstructions and even reinterpretations, many of them were carried out in the colonial period. Finally, in agreement with the author himself, the book is an indispensable resource in the debate on the reconstruction of historic monuments, keeping in mind that different strategies are being considered for the original recovery of many historic monuments before many of the conflicts that have taken place in the region, the most recent the one that struck Iraq and is still raging in Syria today. Therefore, this book is a very useful resource for many specialists in different scientific and artistic fields who approach Islamic art and archaeology in the Near East.’ - Juan Álvarez García (2024): BIBLIOTHECA ORIENTALIS LXXXI N° 3-4
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