Before the age of the ‘modern’ museum – understood as an institutionalized space for education and entertainment, structured according to standard criteria of classification – the passions of curiosity and wonder materialized in eclectic collections that defied the borders between art, science and nature.1 In cabinets of rarities and in Wunderkammern, mathematical instruments and fossils often ...

The clarity of sound within Greek or Roman theatres (without any form of enhancement) will be impressive to any visitor. The seats arranged in curved rows around the circular orchestra form large horizontal reflecting surfaces. The paths of sound waves travel from the source (the actor or singer) to each of the listeners in a direct path (i.e. without obstruction or reflection). Vitruvius, howe...

Complaints about a biting pest led to the recognition of invasive Aedes (Finlaya) japonicus japonicus (Theobald) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Central Europe. Larval collections from cemetery vases revealed a colonized area of approximately 1400 km(2) in northern Switzerland spreading into bordering Germany, suggesting that the mosquito has been established in this region for several years. Within th...

Abstract In this work, pigments of majolicas made between the sixteenth century and eighteenth from Gerace have been characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Majolica, known also as pottery, was originally used to identify all objects clay materials. ten samples were analyzed: two vases, six majolica fragments in Gerace, one vase uncertain origin (probably or Caltagirone) Venetian origin. The...

In this research, the nickel oxide was dissolved in cryolite at temperatures of 880, 940 and 1000°C. In order to reduce the nickel oxide, aluminum was added to the salt. Simultaneously the nickel oxide was reduced and Al3Ni2 intermetallic compound was formed. In the duration intervals of 2.5-40 minutes samples of the salt and metallic phases were taken. The variation of the nickel content in me...