This book shows that Dante's project for" "the establishment of a peaceful global human community founded on religious pluralism is rooted in the Arabo-Islamic philosophical tradition--a tradition exemplified by al-Farabi's declaration that "it is possible that excellent nations and excellent cities exist whose religions differ." Part One offers an approach to Dante's "Comedy" in the light of al-Farabi's notion of the relation between religion and imagination. Part Two argues that, for Dante, the afterlife is not reserved exclusively for Christians. A key figure throughout is the Muslim philosopher Averroes, whose thinking on the relation between religion and philosophy is a model for Dante's pragmatic understanding of religion. The book poses a challenge to the current orthodoxies of Dante scholarship by offering an alternative to the theological approach that has dominated interpretations of the "Comedy" for the past half century. It also serves as a general introduction to Dante's thought and will be of interest to readers wishing to explore the Islamic roots of Western values.

The Constructed Past presents group of powerful images of the past, termed in the book construction sites. At these sites, full scale, three-dimensional images of the past have been created for a variety of reasons including archaeological experimentation, tourism and education. Using various case studies, the contributors frankly discuss the aims, problems and mistakes experienced with reconstruction. They encourage the need for on-going experimentation and examine the various uses of the sites; political, economical and educational.

This edited collection presents a group of images of the past, termed in the book construction sites. At these sites, full scale, three-dimensional images for the past have been created for a variety of reasons including archaeological experimentation, tourism and education. The various case studies explore the relationship between the sites' aims and discuss their constant friction. Contributions frankly discuss the problems and mistakes experienced with reconstruction, encourage the need for on-going experimentation and examine the various uses of the sites; political, economical and educational. The book affords a detailed and extensive discussion of such sites and should provide a valuable reference tool for archaeologists and professionals in heritage management.

Examines the ethical dilemma of whether, and how, archaeologists and other experts should work with the military to protect cultural property in times of conflict. The world reacted with horror to the images of the looting of the National Museum in Iraq in 2003 - closely followed by other museums and then, largely unchecked, or archaeological sites across the country. This outcome had been predicted by many archaeologists, with some offering to work directly with the military to identify museums and sites to be avoided and protected. However, this work has since been heavily criticised by others working in the field,who claim that such collaboration lended a legitimacy to the invasion. It has therefore served to focus on the broader issue of whether archaeologists and other cultural heritage experts should ever work with the military,and, if so, under what guidelines and strictures. The essays in this book, drawn from a series of international conferences and seminars on the debate, provide an historical background to the ethical issues facing cultural heritage experts, and place them in a wider context. How do medical and religious experts justify their close working relationships with the military? Is all contact with those engaged in conflict wrong? Does working with the military really constitute tacit agreement with military and political goals, or can it be seen as contributing to the winning of a peace rather than success in war? Are guidelines required to help define roles and responsibilities? And can conflict situations be seen as simply an extension of protecting cultural property on military training bases? The book opens and addresses these and other questions as matters of crucial debate. Contributors: Peter Stone, Margaret M. Miles, Fritz Allhoff, Andrew Chandler, Oliver Urquhart Irvine, Barney White-Spunner, Rene Teijgeler, Katharyn Hanson, Martin Brown, Laurie Rush, Francis Scardera, Caleb Adebayo Folorunso, Derek Suchard, Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly, John Curtis, Jon Price, Mike Rowlands, Iain Shearer

The role of the Hague Convention in today's world revisited. Significant attention today focusses on heritage destruction, but the key international laws prohibiting it - the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its First and Second Protocols (1954/1999) - lay out two core strands to limit the damage: the measures of respect for armed forces, and the safeguarding measures states parties should put in place in peacetime. This volume incorporates wide-ranging international perspectives from those in the academy, together with practitioner insights from the armed forces and heritage professionals, to explore the safeguarding regime. Its contributors consider such questions as whether state parties have truly taken "all possible steps", as the Convention tasks them; what we can learn from past practice, and how the Convention is implemented today; the implications of new trends in heritage law and management - such as the rise of the World Heritage Convention, and in the increasing focus on safe havens rather than refuges; whether new methods of heritage management such as Risk Assessment theory can be applied; and, in a Convention specifically focussed on state parties, what of their opponents, armed non-state actors. Topics range from leadership and the role of the State Party Representative, to the responsibilities of armed non-state groups in safeguarding, to explorations of past and current practice in different countries. Using a mix of case studies and theoretical explorations of new and existing methodologies, the contributions cover a broad timespan from World War II to today, with examples from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Overall, the volume's purpose is to promote wider understanding of the practical effectiveness of the Convention in the contemporary world, by investigating the perceived opportunities and constraints the Convention offers today to protect cultural property in armed conflict, and firmly establishing that such protection must begin in peace. CONTRIBUTORS: Maamoun Abdulkarim, Laura Albisetti, Pascal Bongard, Brittni Bradford, Rino Buchel, Emma Cunliffe, Philip Deans, Joanne Dingwall McCafferty, Paul Fox, Kristin Hausler, Stavros-Evdokimos Pantazopoulos, Nikolaus Paumgartner, Nigel Pollard, Lee Rotherham, Valentina Sabucco, Peter Stone, Raphael Zingg.

This book explores the Islamic roots of the Western values of tolerance and religious pluralism, and considers Dante from the perspective of the Arab-Islamic philosophical tradition. It examines the relations between Islamic and Western thought, the historical origins of Western values, and the tradition of tolerance in classical Islamic thought.

Hadrian's Wall was inscribed as a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1987 and, with the German Limes, became one of the first two parts of the transnational 'Frontiers of the Roman Empire' (FRE) WHS in 2005. The World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall is unusual, although not unique, among World Heritage sites in its scale and linear nature: stretching from Ravenglass on the west coast of England to Newcastle upon Tyne on the east coast - over 150 miles. Along its length it passes through two major urban centres and a variety of rural landscapes and its remains vary from substantial upstanding architectural features to invisible below ground archaeology. Traditionally many of the constituent parts of Hadrian's Wall, forts etc, have been managed as separate entities by different State and private organisations. These and other issues make it an extremely complex WHS to manage. This book not only chronicles the past management of the Wall but also looks towards the future as more countries aspire to have their Roman frontiers added to the FRE. The experience gained over the last two decades illustrates developments in the management of large scale complex heritage sites that will be of value as a detailed case study to those involved in (and affected by) heritage management, as well as academics, and students. Many of the issues raised will find resonance in those faced by many other large (World) heritage sites.

An important study of the treatment of cultural property, and cultural heritage in general, in modern theatres of conflict. Winner of the 2011 James R. Wiseman Book Award. Discussion of the issues surrounding the destruction of cultural property in times of conflict has become a key issue for debate around the world. This book provides an historical statement as of 1st March 2006 concerning the destruction of the cultural heritage in Iraq. In a series of chapters it outlines the personal stories of a number of individuals who were - and in most cases continue to be -involved. These individuals are involved at all levels, and come from various points along the political spectrum, giving a rounded and balanced perspective so easily lost in single authored reports. It also provides the first views written by Iraqis on the situation of archaeology in Iraq under Saddam and an overview and contextualisation of the issues surrounding the looting, theft and destruction of the archaeological sites, the Iraqi National museum and the libraries in Baghdad since the war was launched in 2003. Beyond this, it examines our attitudes towards the preservation of cultural and heritage resources and, in particular, the growing political awareness of their importance. Although related to a single conflict, taking place at a specific time in history, the relevance of this work goes far beyond these self-imposed boundaries. PETER STONE is Professor of Heritage Studies and Head of School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University; JOANNE FARCHAKH BAJJALY is a Lebanese archaeologist and Middle East correspondent for the French magazine Archeologia.

The Darkest Garden is the third and last of the Forest of Caves books. It is about a man with great power and wisdom who decides (while a war goes on above him) to meditate and face his personal demons that are within himself. Michael G. Stone is also the Published author of the books "Forest of Caves: The Book of Dreams" and "Forest of Caves: Season's of Heaven and Hell."

A fully expanded new edition documenting the significant improvements that have been made to the tests and monitors of electrical insulation systems Electrical Insulation for Rotating Machines: Design, Evaluation, Aging, Testing, and Repair, Second Edition covers all aspects in the design, deterioration, testing, and repair of the electrical insulation used in motors and generators of all ratings greater than fractional horsepower size. It discusses both rotor and stator windings; gives a historical overview of machine insulation design; and describes the materials and manufacturing methods of the rotor and stator winding insulation systems in current use (while covering systems made over fifty years ago). It covers how to select the insulation systems for use in new machines, and explains over thirty different rotor and stator winding failure processes, including the methods to repair, or least slow down, each process. Finally, it reviews the theoretical basis, practical application, and interpretation of forty different tests and monitors that are used to assess winding insulation condition, thereby helping machine users avoid unnecessary machine failures and reduce maintenance costs. Electrical Insulation for Rotating Machines: * Documents the large array of machine electrical failure mechanisms, repair methods, and test techniques that are currently available * Educates owners of machines as well as repair shops on the different failure processes and shows them how to fix or otherwise ameliorate them * Offers chapters on testing, monitoring, and maintenance strategies that assist in educating machine users and repair shops on the tests needed for specific situations and how to minimize motor and generator maintenance costs * Captures the state of both the present and past art in rotating machine insulation system design and manufacture, which helps designers learn from the knowledge acquired by previous generations An ideal read for researchers, developers, and manufacturers of electrical insulating materials for machines, Electrical Insulation for Rotating Machines will also benefit designers of motors and generators who must select and apply electrical insulation in machines.

Kentuckians by the thousands have fought in all of the American wars of the industrial age. Fathers, sons, and brothers from the Bluegrass State spilled each other's blood in countless Civil War battles and skirmishes. Over the next century their descendants bore arms on the seven seas, the Far Western frontier, in the Caribbean and Philippine islands, and in China. Kentuckians took part in both world wars of the twentieth century in every capacity. Kentucky Fighting Men, 1861--1945 features individual Kentuckians who represent the overall context of the American military experience from the Civil War through World War II. Richard G. Stone, Jr. presents accounts that illuminate the heroism, ennui, tragedy, ghastly horror, absurdity, and the infinite variety of warfare and military life.

As an outpost of the advancing frontier, Kentucky played a crucial military role. Kentucky's state militia, which, under federal law, enrolled every able-bodied male citizen aged eighteen to forty-five, helped to secure the West for white settlers during the bloody Indian wars. Its members suffered defeat, capture, and death in the War of 1812, but also contributed to victories in the battles of the Thames and New Orleans. Though some Kentucky volunteers campaigned in the Mexican-American War, the general militia was moribund by the middle of the nineteenth century. Its infrequent musters had degenerated into sometimes mirthful and sometimes tragic frolics.

A Brittle Sword provides a lively interpretation of Kentucky's citizen-soldiers and their role in the military history of both the state and the nation.