Illustration, Re-Enactment, Citizenship and Heritage of Contemporary Conflict: The Case of the Ebro (1938)
and David Íñiguez-Gracia 1,*
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This is an interesting paper providing a detailed and clear programme for the construction and use of composite imagery (derived from original sources, reenactment and painting) for heritage and museum purposes. The outputs of the project -- which go beyond imagery to reconstruction and memorialisation -- are diverse and very suitable for the purposes they are designed to serve.
The authors could perhaps provide more on the significance of the Battle of the Ebro for their intended audience (and why not other events of the same conflict -- such as the siege of Madrid; or indeed other events from the history of the Iberian peninsula) and therefore why they chose it as the focus of this work.
In its opening sections, the work seems to suggest that some kind of evaluation by the intended audience has been undertaken but this is not evident later. I suggest the authors review the text to remove these references s as not to confuse readers.
The work does need extensive work on its English expression. It reads throughout as rather 'Spanish' in tone with occasional incorrect use of words and quite often the choice of a difficult word when a simpler one would be more English. Review by a native English speaker might help: it may also make some sections a little shorter.
But overall this is a discussion of very solid work and a significant contribution to heritage education.
Author Response
Article
Illustration, Re-enactment, Citizenship and Heritage of Contemporary Conflict. the Case of the Ebro (1938)
Response to Reviewer 1 Comments
Point 1: The authors could perhaps provide more on the significance of the Battle of the Ebro for their intended audience (and why not other events of the same conflict -- such as the siege of Madrid; or indeed other events from the history of the Iberian peninsula) and therefore why they chose it as the focus of this work.
Response 1: We add the following text in the section 1.1. (line 49).
The largest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War. This area saw a Republican offensive supported by foreign aid (International Brigades, soviet planes and armour) which crossed the Ebro river and occupied a set of mountain chains. The Nationalist army supported by German and Italian troops and material launched a set of bloody offensives over 3 months to gain control of the mountains at the right side of the river.
Point 2: In its opening sections, the work seems to suggest that some kind of evaluation by the intended audience has been undertaken but this is not evident later. I suggest the authors review the text to remove these references s as not to confuse readers.
Response 2:
Line 350: we eliminate the concept of evaluation
The central research technique responded to a methodology for designing and evaluating teaching models and prototypes; complemented and reinforced by the experiment technique and the whole experience also integrated good doses of triangulation (various perspectives of analysis and assessment by diverse agents in time and space).
Line 389-395: we eliminate the concept of evaluation
The set of actions and initiatives were part of what is generically considered action research, and in this perspective, the evaluation should consider the assessments of the actors involved from surveys; as well as satisfaction questionnaires from the public involved; comprehensibility questionnaires aimed at students of the rule of teaching; monitoring and study of student cases and, obviously, consideration of the influx of users and the public to outreach and recreation initiatives organized around the sites investigated, museographed or disclosed.
Line 602: we eliminate the concept of evaluation
In the follow-up and evaluation processes, it was found that both the young population and the non-specialized adult population better understand a certain structure (trench system, shelter, fort, etc.) when it is displayed from a diagram block that makes visible the contextualized interior with furniture and people.
Point 2: The work does need extensive work on its English expression. It reads throughout as rather 'Spanish' in tone with occasional incorrect use of words and quite often the choice of a difficult word when a simpler one would be more English. Review by a native English speaker might help: it may also make some sections a little shorter.
Response 3: Ok. we send the article to Language editing by MDPI.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
The contextualization developed in sections 2.2 and 2.3 should be located before the description of the hypotheses, as part of the theoretical framework.
Author Response
Article
Illustration, Re-enactment, Citizenship and Heritage of Contemporary Conflict. the Case of the Ebro (1938)
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
Point 1: The contextualization developed in sections 2.2 and 2.3 should be located before the description of the hypotheses, as part of the theoretical framework.
Response 1: Perfect. We place the commented points before point 1.3 hypothesis.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Dear authors, the article was interesting, but I have a few recommend:
Abstrakt
Line 22 - 24
"The actions developed show that with well-defined criteria, the support of recreation and, using a highly educational basic software which is understandable and replicable, iconographic models can be obtained at a low cost, or if you will, sustainable.“
I disagree that sustainability is just about low costs! The UN has defined 17 goals for sustainable development https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/. E.g. goal 2 "zero hunger" cannot be achieved at minimal cost! Costs must be optimally spent!
It can also be about how your work is, that the works will be preserved for future generations - they will remain in digital form, and students can learn about it for centuries.
Chapter 1, 2
Why did you choose "The Battle of the Ebro".
The first and second chapters are too long - necessary to shorten.
The idea carried by the article is correct. It is necessary to solve such projects. An example can be seen in National Geographic documents. They also describe other modern and digitization technologies in these documents.
It is necessary to expand your approach, as in the future the books will be digitized and so-called "Avatar" will be people, e.g. in museums to talk about history. This avatar will be just a hologram, and it will be built on artificial intelligence.
In the second part, you write about the 21st century (line 248) as if it were the past. Line 250, time travel? What did you mean?
Section 2.4. consists only of so-called supporting research that has already been carried out and is now building on it. I propose to shorten it significantly. There is no need to break down in detail over the years, just a brief evaluation of the research.
Chapter 3
Line 396, 397, 398 chýba tu text. Minimálne ho vložiť do časti 3.1. Nie je vhodné kapitolu začínať až časťou 3.1.1.
It is not clear who is behind the benefits - paragraph 1.
Figure 2 consists of two images; it is appropriate to name them A and B (Figure 2 - upper image - call A) and lower image (call B). Put the letters A and B in the description of the image and the image itself.)
Figure 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - as in Figure 2.
Chapter 4
10 recommendations are your suggestion; what did you do? I suppose so, and it needs to be highlighted! Or is it a guide to future work on the issue in this field?
Line 823, you are writing this model; please start by schematically showing the mentioned model you use in your work.
Chapter 5
10 points are not clearly reflected in the article. They need to be clearly displayed in the text. Some points may sound like statements or assessments of the state.
Author Response
Article
Illustration, Re-enactment, Citizenship and Heritage of Contemporary Conflict. the Case of the Ebro (1938)
Response to Reviewer 3 Comments
Point 1: Abstrakt
Line 22 - 24
"The actions developed show that with well-defined criteria, the support of recreation and, using a highly educational basic software which is understandable and replicable, iconographic models can be obtained at a low cost, or if you will, sustainable.“
I disagree that sustainability is just about low costs! The UN has defined 17 goals for sustainable development https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/. E.g. goal 2 "zero hunger" cannot be achieved at minimal cost! Costs must be optimally spent!
It can also be about how your work is, that the works will be preserved for future generations - they will remain in digital form, and students can learn about it for centuries.
Response 1: Perfect. We eliminate the concept "sustainable" since we see that it can induce misunderstandings. Our approach concerned production costs.
Point 2
Chapter 1, 2
Why did you choose "The Battle of the Ebro".
Response 2: We add the following text in the section 1.1. (line 49).
The largest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War. This area saw a Republican offensive supported by foreign aid (International Brigades, soviet planes and armour) which crossed the Ebro river and occupied a set of mountain chains. The Nationalist army supported by German and Italian troops and material launched a set of bloody offensives over 3 months to gain control of the mountains at the right side of the river.
The first and second chapters are too long - necessary to shorten.
Response 3. We proceeded to vary the order of points 2.2 and 2.3 to place them within the theoretical framework, before 1.3 (hypothesis), at the suggestion of the reviewer 1. We have proceeded to a significant reduction of section 2.2.
The idea carried by the article is correct. It is necessary to solve such projects. An example can be seen in National Geographic documents. They also describe other modern and digitization technologies in these documents. It is necessary to expand your approach, as in the future the books will be digitized and so-called "Avatar" will be people, e.g. in museums to talk about history. This avatar will be just a hologram, and it will be built on artificial intelligence.
Response 4. Our work does not include references to avatars, as we have not experimented with them yet. however, based on his suggestion, we include references to its future importance in the following paragraphs: 522-533; 875-881.
In the second part, you write about the 21st century (line 248) as if it were the past. Line 250, time travel? What did you mean?
Response 5. We remove the reference to the 21st century that can be misinterpreted
While all this was going on, interest in the past and heritage steadily increased in post-industrial society. in the early 21st century.
Section 2.4. consists only of so-called supporting research that has already been carried out and is now building on it. I propose to shorten it significantly. There is no need to break down in detail over the years, just a brief evaluation of the research.
Response 6: We proceed to make a summary, eliminating the reference of the years of intervention and shortening the wording of each of the points
Point 2. chapter 3
Line 396, 397, 398 is missing text. At least insert it in section 3.1. It is not appropriate to start the chapter with section 3.1.1.
Response 7: We introduce new text in the introductory section 3.1.
" From 2010-2011, the socialization strategies of knowledge practiced by the group were perfected by advancing what we have come to call the "virtuous triangle" of educational historical illustration. From 2010 DIDPATRI incorporated, as a doctrine in his research, the techniques from which part of his strategies of representation and socialization of knowledge would be based. Three fundamental vectors were considered in the generation of educational iconographic models: a) historical recreation, b) 3D illustration and c) matte painting illustration. 3D illustration and matte painting techniques constituted the two legs of the triangle while historical recreation defined their hypotenuse."
It is not clear who is behind the benefits - paragraph 1.
Response 8: We introduce new text in line 402.
The different campaigns and projects developed around the Battle of the Ebro generated base scientific production that is not considered in this article, but the optics of Public Archaeology and History also involved productions, no less scientific, of empirical and also axiological educational character, at the service of the citizenry.
Figure 2 consists of two images; it is appropriate to name them A and B (Figure 2 - upper image - call A) and lower image (call B). Put the letters A and B in the description of the image and the image itself.)
Figure 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - as in Figure 2.
Response 9: Ok.
Point 3. Chapter 4
10 recommendations are your suggestion; what did you do? I suppose so, and it needs to be highlighted! Or is it a guide to future work on the issue in this field?
Response 7: Effectively. It is a work guide based on our empirical experience; and that serves as a guide for future interventions. We add the following text in paragraph 763-766.
" The iconographic proposals developed by the DIDPATRI group to the environment of the Battle of the Ebro were articulated, as another component, in a holistic context of research and transfer. The iconographic proposals are summarized in the following decalogue, which collects the experience and guides future actions.
Line 823, you are writing this model; please start by schematically showing the mentioned model you use in your work.
Response 8. Perfect. We eliminated part of the paragraph (821-823) to avoid possible confusion
Point 4. Chapter 5
10 points are not clearly reflected in the article. They need to be clearly displayed in the text. Some points may sound like statements or assessments of the state.
Response 9. We rewrite the conclusions in a more generalized and nuanced way.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
