This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (A... more This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (Armenia), conducted by the Italian-Armenian research group in Autumn 2021. The excavations involved two areas in distinct sectors of the city. While the Armenian team re-opened the investigation in the so-called Market, the Italian group opened a new digging area in the south portion of the citadel, the South Tower area. Preliminary documentation of the material contexts and laboratory analysis of ceramic samples were included in this mission. Chemical analysis of pottery aims to define the origin of the raw materials used and, hopefully, provide some information about the places of production.
This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (A... more This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (Armenia), conducted by the Italian-Armenian research group in Autumn 2021. The excavations involved two areas in distinct sectors of the city. While the Armenian team reopened the investigation in the so-called Market, the Italian group opened a new digging area in the south portion of the citadel, the South Tower area. Preliminary documentation of the material contexts and laboratory analysis of ceramic samples were included in this mission. Chemical analysis of pottery aims to define the origin of the raw materials used and, hopefully, provide some information about the places of production.
This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (A... more This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (Armenia), conducted by the Italian-Armenian research group in Autumn 2021. The excavations involved two areas in distinct sectors of the city. While the Armenian team reopened the investigation in the so-called Market, the Italian group opened a new digging area in the south portion of the citadel, the South Tower area. Preliminary documentation of the material contexts and laboratory analysis of ceramic samples were included in this mission. Chemical analysis of pottery aims to define the origin of the raw materials used and, hopefully, provide some information about the places of production.
La Transgiordania nei secoli XII-XIII e le ‘frontiere’ del Mediterraneo medievale, Atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi [Firenze, 8 nov. 2008], Nov 8, 2008
Artisanat et métiers en Méditerranée médiévale et moderne : [Journées d’études internationales du LA3M "Artisanats et métiers en Méditerranée médiévale", 2012-2016, MMSH, Aix-en-Provence], Mar 31, 2015
Summary Textile manufacturing in Medieval Rome. A new interpretation based on written and materia... more Summary Textile manufacturing in Medieval Rome. A new interpretation based on written and material sources. Textile manufacturing had an important role in the economic development of many Medieval cities, as demonstrated by both written sources and material documents. The research on textile production in post-Classical Rome which has been conducted up until now seems to delineate a rather meager panorama both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view. The objective of this study is to re-examine a series of written and material documents focusing on the types of fibers that were used, the characteristics of production, the physiognomy of the artisans and of the buyers and managers working in this sector, the topographical locations of the places where the textiles were manufactured and sold, and the connection with the ancient traditions. The data that is presented and discussed here, despite their heterogeneous chronology and characteristics and difficulties in interpretation, reveal a situation for the 9th -12th centuries that is much more lively and complex than has been previously described and make it possible to formulate a hypothesis concerning the precocity of textile production in Rome with respect to many other Italian cities with distinctly “industrial” profiles. This fascinating possibility, if validated by other research, would integrate the development of production in the city into the evolutionary model of economic events in Medieval Rome, as has been recently sustained by authoritative historiographical studies. Keywords: textile archeology, manufacturing archeology, Medieval Rome, topography of production and trade, economic history. Riassunto La manifattura tessile ha svolto un ruolo determinante nello sviluppo economico di molte città medievali, come testimoniato dalle fonti scritte e dalla documentazione materiale. Le ricerche sulle produzioni tessili della Roma post-classica, sino ad ora condotte, sembrano invece delineare un panorama scarno, sia dal punto di vista quantitativo che qualitativo. Il presente contributo si pone l’obiettivo di riesaminare una serie di testimonianze scritte e materiali, guardando alla tipologia delle fibre utilizzate, alle caratteristiche delle lavorazioni svolte, alla fisionomia degli artigiani e dei committenti/gestori impegnati nel settore, alla collocazione topografica dei luoghi di produzione e di commercializzazione dei prodotti finiti, al rapporto con la tradizione antica. I dati presentati e discussi, pur eterogenei per cronologia e caratteristiche e non privi di difficoltà interpretative, lasciano intravedere per i secoli IX-XII una realtà più vivace e articolata di quella fin ad oggi accreditata e consentono di formulare l’ipotesi di una precocità della produzione tessile dell’Urbe rispetto a quella di molte città italiane dal profilo spiccatamente ‘industriale’: ipotesi affascinante, che, se convalidata da altre ricerche, integrerebbe lo sviluppo della manifattura cittadina nel modello evolutivo delle vicende economiche della Roma medievale, sostenuto da recenti e autorevoli orientamenti storiografici.
This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (A... more This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (Armenia), conducted by the Italian-Armenian research group in Autumn 2021. The excavations involved two areas in distinct sectors of the city. While the Armenian team re-opened the investigation in the so-called Market, the Italian group opened a new digging area in the south portion of the citadel, the South Tower area. Preliminary documentation of the material contexts and laboratory analysis of ceramic samples were included in this mission. Chemical analysis of pottery aims to define the origin of the raw materials used and, hopefully, provide some information about the places of production.
This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (A... more This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (Armenia), conducted by the Italian-Armenian research group in Autumn 2021. The excavations involved two areas in distinct sectors of the city. While the Armenian team reopened the investigation in the so-called Market, the Italian group opened a new digging area in the south portion of the citadel, the South Tower area. Preliminary documentation of the material contexts and laboratory analysis of ceramic samples were included in this mission. Chemical analysis of pottery aims to define the origin of the raw materials used and, hopefully, provide some information about the places of production.
This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (A... more This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (Armenia), conducted by the Italian-Armenian research group in Autumn 2021. The excavations involved two areas in distinct sectors of the city. While the Armenian team reopened the investigation in the so-called Market, the Italian group opened a new digging area in the south portion of the citadel, the South Tower area. Preliminary documentation of the material contexts and laboratory analysis of ceramic samples were included in this mission. Chemical analysis of pottery aims to define the origin of the raw materials used and, hopefully, provide some information about the places of production.
La Transgiordania nei secoli XII-XIII e le ‘frontiere’ del Mediterraneo medievale, Atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi [Firenze, 8 nov. 2008], Nov 8, 2008
Artisanat et métiers en Méditerranée médiévale et moderne : [Journées d’études internationales du LA3M "Artisanats et métiers en Méditerranée médiévale", 2012-2016, MMSH, Aix-en-Provence], Mar 31, 2015
Summary Textile manufacturing in Medieval Rome. A new interpretation based on written and materia... more Summary Textile manufacturing in Medieval Rome. A new interpretation based on written and material sources. Textile manufacturing had an important role in the economic development of many Medieval cities, as demonstrated by both written sources and material documents. The research on textile production in post-Classical Rome which has been conducted up until now seems to delineate a rather meager panorama both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view. The objective of this study is to re-examine a series of written and material documents focusing on the types of fibers that were used, the characteristics of production, the physiognomy of the artisans and of the buyers and managers working in this sector, the topographical locations of the places where the textiles were manufactured and sold, and the connection with the ancient traditions. The data that is presented and discussed here, despite their heterogeneous chronology and characteristics and difficulties in interpretation, reveal a situation for the 9th -12th centuries that is much more lively and complex than has been previously described and make it possible to formulate a hypothesis concerning the precocity of textile production in Rome with respect to many other Italian cities with distinctly “industrial” profiles. This fascinating possibility, if validated by other research, would integrate the development of production in the city into the evolutionary model of economic events in Medieval Rome, as has been recently sustained by authoritative historiographical studies. Keywords: textile archeology, manufacturing archeology, Medieval Rome, topography of production and trade, economic history. Riassunto La manifattura tessile ha svolto un ruolo determinante nello sviluppo economico di molte città medievali, come testimoniato dalle fonti scritte e dalla documentazione materiale. Le ricerche sulle produzioni tessili della Roma post-classica, sino ad ora condotte, sembrano invece delineare un panorama scarno, sia dal punto di vista quantitativo che qualitativo. Il presente contributo si pone l’obiettivo di riesaminare una serie di testimonianze scritte e materiali, guardando alla tipologia delle fibre utilizzate, alle caratteristiche delle lavorazioni svolte, alla fisionomia degli artigiani e dei committenti/gestori impegnati nel settore, alla collocazione topografica dei luoghi di produzione e di commercializzazione dei prodotti finiti, al rapporto con la tradizione antica. I dati presentati e discussi, pur eterogenei per cronologia e caratteristiche e non privi di difficoltà interpretative, lasciano intravedere per i secoli IX-XII una realtà più vivace e articolata di quella fin ad oggi accreditata e consentono di formulare l’ipotesi di una precocità della produzione tessile dell’Urbe rispetto a quella di molte città italiane dal profilo spiccatamente ‘industriale’: ipotesi affascinante, che, se convalidata da altre ricerche, integrerebbe lo sviluppo della manifattura cittadina nel modello evolutivo delle vicende economiche della Roma medievale, sostenuto da recenti e autorevoli orientamenti storiografici.
The paper presents an interdisciplinary project which is a work in
progress towards a 3D Geograp... more The paper presents an interdisciplinary project which is a work in
progress towards a 3D Geographical Information System (GIS) dedicated to
Cultural Heritage with a specific focus application on the Castle of Shawbak,
one of the best preserved rural medieval settlements in the entire Middle East).
The Shawbak archaeological project is a specific and integrated project between
medieval archaeological research and computer vision done thanks to a long
cooperation between University of Florence and CNRS, LSIS, Marseille.
Focusing mainly on stratigraphical analysis of upstanding structures we provide
archaeologists with two-step pipeline. First a survey process using
photogrammetry, both in a traditional way with additional annotations and
using the most advanced technique to obtain dense maps and then a tool for
statistical analysis. Two main applications are presented here, stratigraphy
analysis with Harris matrix computed on the fly from the 3D viewer and
statistical tools, clustering operation on ashlar in order to show new
relationships between the measured artifacts.
All these developments are written in Java within Arpenteur framework[
3D Arch: Virtual Reconstruction and Visualization of Complex Architectures, 2009
The paper presents an interdisciplinary project which is a work in progress towards a 3D Geograph... more The paper presents an interdisciplinary project which is a work in progress towards a 3D Geographical Information System (GIS) dedicated to Cultural Heritage with a specific focus application on the Castle of Shawbak, also known as the “Crac de Montréal”, one of the best preserved rural medieval settlements in the entire Middle East. We develop a set of tools for medieval archaeological analysis ranging from the production of traditional graphical documentation like orthophotos and low-resolution 3D models (VRML) to the use of 3D/2D GIS through the creation of centralized and exhaustive object storage tool both for archaeological and photogrammetric data. Using these tools archaeologists will be able to produce, store, visualize and manage both archaeological and 3D data, according to their needs. The Shawbak archaeological project is a specific and integrated project between medieval archaeological research, conservative restoration and site's valorization. Focusing mainly on stratigraphical analysis of upstanding structures provides archaeologists with a huge amount of data to collect on site and useful records that will be used to understand the structures from stratigraphical and technological point of views. The foundation stone for this project is the analysis of documents produced and used by archaeologists in order to identify specific archaeological requirements The first phase is to give archaeologists traditional photogrammetric tools so that they can be autonomous in producing graphical documents (taking photographs, photo orientation and traditional orthophoto generation). The second step is to develop a common model structure for both photogrammetric and archaeological data storage using a unique database and allowing to link archaeological data with 3D measurements. Specific photogrammetry tools dedicated to stone by stone measurement have been under development since 2000 to help archaeologists to easily produce photogrammetric surveys. These tools are now integrated in a more complex system which allows automatic production of 2D or 3D representations from archaeological database queries. The graphical 2D documents produced through this process look like the handmade drawings done by archaeologists using orthophotos. The 3D GIS is the last step of this chain and aims the automatic production of 3D models through archaeological database queries: these 3D models are in fact a graphical image of the database and at the same time the interface through which the user is able to modify it. This approach enables automatic 3D thematic representation and new archaeological analysis through bidirectional-links between 3D representation and archaeological data. All these developments are written in Java within Arpenteur framework. (Arpenteur, 2008)
What can Medieval archaeologists do for today societies? Florence University team of Medieval Arc... more What can Medieval archaeologists do for today societies? Florence University team of Medieval Archaeology developed a strategy for funding base research projects at international level with the aim of showing how academic achievements could provide actual benefits to a wide public, including governing institutions, non state actors and heritage tourists. The posters present a selection of three international projects from 2006 to 2011 to illustrate how this was done.
Medieval archaeology is quite a recent academic field in Italy (from 1970s) and is characterized by high interdisciplinarity within Human and Natural sciences. Medieval landscapes and urbanization are the blueprint of today’s Euro-Mediterranean countryside and cities. Medieval architectures are a key feature of modern historic centers and in a very great number of cases medieval buildings are still in use as public or private structures across Europe and the Mediterranean. These facts provided the ground for designing projects that could serve the purposes of academic research as well as to help addressing issues of heritage governance and of promotion of social cultural growth and awareness for local and tourist populations.
A crucial point for the viability of such projects was the actual engagement of non academic potential beneficiaries into a joint cooperation with University of Florence on an equal basis. Community activation, based on the methodology of EU Leader Plus programme for rural development (then embedded within Public Archaeology), helped bridging the obstacles of potential distrust between academic and non academic actors through the development of a common language and through clearly defined roles within project consortia. The aim of maximizing benefits for all partners was interpreted in the sense that projects should respond to clearly identified needs of each partner/stakeholder, that has to actively take part to project planning and activities, thus helping an actual engagement of all project actors. All activities are subject to monitoring and impact evaluation. Projects developed by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology within this frame provided additional funding for base research (also in the form of research grants); sustained and implemented a scientific network of international public research institutions and their activities (including joint scientific missions and publications); created territorial, national and international networks of academic and non-academic actors able to join forces in project consortia and, recently, developed spin-off actions in the field of heritage services/enterprises.
In the case of the “Atlas of Medieval Buildings” (2006-2008), the outcome of archaeological research on medieval still standing structures of Mount Amiata in southern Tuscany, based on procedures of Light Archaeology (using non-invasive methods, limited excavation and focused on reconstructing territorial histories) produced in turn usable tools of heritage governance for 10 local municipalities (EU Leader Plus “Colleganze”) as well as a local museum (funded by Municipality of Arcidosso, University of Florence and Regione Toscana) for disseminating the results of academic research towards heritage tourists and resident population. The scientific study was carried out by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology and was aimed at recording and interpreting lordly settlement strategies of earls Aldobrandeschi between 10th and 14th centuries as part of a wider research programme on medieval rural aristocracies in Tuscany that includes areas in the provinces of Florence and Arezzo.
[quote from M. Nucciotti, G. Vannini, 'Light and Public!
International projects and research by the Florence chair of Medieval Archaeology, Florence (Italy), 2011, in print]
“Storie (di) Ceramiche” è una giornata di studi dedicata alla memoria di Graziella Berti, studios... more “Storie (di) Ceramiche” è una giornata di studi dedicata alla memoria di Graziella Berti, studiosa di ceramica medievale e figura importante per gli studi storici sulla Pisa medievale e moderna, venuta a mancare l’11 Giugno del 2013. Questa occasione, giunta alla sua seconda edizione, vuole ricordarla nella maniera che lei stessa avesse apprezzato di più: attraverso i temi a lei cari, l’innovazione della ricerca e le nuove generazioni di studiosi.
La seconda edizione, svoltasi l’11 Giugno 2015, a due anni dalla scomparsa della studiosa, è stata dedicata al tema delle Maioliche “Arcaiche” intendendo in questa maniera rendere omaggio non solo agli studi sulla maiolica arcaica pisana e, più generalmente, toscana (tra i temi più cari a Graziella Berti), ma comprendendo con “arcaiche” tutte quelle maioliche e, più genericamente, quelle ceramiche prodotte e circolanti in Italia tra XII e XV secolo. In questa maniera sono stati presentati alcuni studi di sintesi sulle maioliche arcaiche della Toscana settentrionale che, ripartendo dalle analisi pregresse, hanno riaperto il dibattito sulla conoscenza dei centri di produzione e sulla circolazione di questi manufatti dal Duecento in poi. Inoltre, è stata l’occasione per far conoscere alcune nuove ricerche sull’Italia meridionale che riguardano la produzione e circolazione di manufatti invetriati e smaltati tra XII e XIV secolo.
Il tema Gli Ubaldini e la città riguarda il classico confronto fra la società feudale del Contado... more Il tema Gli Ubaldini e la città riguarda il classico confronto fra la società feudale del Contado e la risorgente forma urbana quale strumento centrale di organizzazione della società europea, cruciale per le stesse origini dell’Europa per come la conosciamo oggi. L’osservatorio qui scelto muove da un’autentica ‘ricostruzione’ storica del ruolo interpretato dagli Ubaldini che, partendo da una profonda revisione critica della stessa base documentaria disponibile, risultano essere perfettamente omogenei alla ‘media’ aristocrazia del territorio fiorentino; quindi il loro caso viene a rivestire un più elevato tasso di rappresentatività per un confronto ‘classico’ in molte aree non solo toscane. Un tema ‘di frontiera’: sul piano dell’approccio, fra storia e archeologia; nel tempo, fra la fine del medioevo e la nascita della modernità; nello spazio, con la costituzione di nuovi ‘confini’, che dalle Terre Nuove evolveranno in stato compiutamente territoriale. Il tema è l’analisi di un punto di svolta nella storia del nostro basso medioevo, alle soglie del mondo moderno: crisi e collasso del mondo della tradizione feudale e rurale e l’affermarsi del nuovo stato territoriale a base urbana.
AISU – ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA DI STORIA URBANA
VII CONGRESSO AISU
Macro Sessione: I LUOGHI E I PRO... more AISU – ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA DI STORIA URBANA VII CONGRESSO AISU Macro Sessione: I LUOGHI E I PROCESSI DEL CIBO Sessione: C-19 La città scartata Pre-prints
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Papers by Elisa Pruno
progress towards a 3D Geographical Information System (GIS) dedicated to
Cultural Heritage with a specific focus application on the Castle of Shawbak,
one of the best preserved rural medieval settlements in the entire Middle East).
The Shawbak archaeological project is a specific and integrated project between
medieval archaeological research and computer vision done thanks to a long
cooperation between University of Florence and CNRS, LSIS, Marseille.
Focusing mainly on stratigraphical analysis of upstanding structures we provide
archaeologists with two-step pipeline. First a survey process using
photogrammetry, both in a traditional way with additional annotations and
using the most advanced technique to obtain dense maps and then a tool for
statistical analysis. Two main applications are presented here, stratigraphy
analysis with Harris matrix computed on the fly from the 3D viewer and
statistical tools, clustering operation on ashlar in order to show new
relationships between the measured artifacts.
All these developments are written in Java within Arpenteur framework[
Medieval archaeology is quite a recent academic field in Italy (from 1970s) and is characterized by high interdisciplinarity within Human and Natural sciences. Medieval landscapes and urbanization are the blueprint of today’s Euro-Mediterranean countryside and cities. Medieval architectures are a key feature of modern historic centers and in a very great number of cases medieval buildings are still in use as public or private structures across Europe and the Mediterranean. These facts provided the ground for designing projects that could serve the purposes of academic research as well as to help addressing issues of heritage governance and of promotion of social cultural growth and awareness for local and tourist populations.
A crucial point for the viability of such projects was the actual engagement of non academic potential beneficiaries into a joint cooperation with University of Florence on an equal basis. Community activation, based on the methodology of EU Leader Plus programme for rural development (then embedded within Public Archaeology), helped bridging the obstacles of potential distrust between academic and non academic actors through the development of a common language and through clearly defined roles within project consortia. The aim of maximizing benefits for all partners was interpreted in the sense that projects should respond to clearly identified needs of each partner/stakeholder, that has to actively take part to project planning and activities, thus helping an actual engagement of all project actors. All activities are subject to monitoring and impact evaluation. Projects developed by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology within this frame provided additional funding for base research (also in the form of research grants); sustained and implemented a scientific network of international public research institutions and their activities (including joint scientific missions and publications); created territorial, national and international networks of academic and non-academic actors able to join forces in project consortia and, recently, developed spin-off actions in the field of heritage services/enterprises.
In the case of the “Atlas of Medieval Buildings” (2006-2008), the outcome of archaeological research on medieval still standing structures of Mount Amiata in southern Tuscany, based on procedures of Light Archaeology (using non-invasive methods, limited excavation and focused on reconstructing territorial histories) produced in turn usable tools of heritage governance for 10 local municipalities (EU Leader Plus “Colleganze”) as well as a local museum (funded by Municipality of Arcidosso, University of Florence and Regione Toscana) for disseminating the results of academic research towards heritage tourists and resident population. The scientific study was carried out by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology and was aimed at recording and interpreting lordly settlement strategies of earls Aldobrandeschi between 10th and 14th centuries as part of a wider research programme on medieval rural aristocracies in Tuscany that includes areas in the provinces of Florence and Arezzo.
[quote from M. Nucciotti, G. Vannini, 'Light and Public!
International projects and research by the Florence chair of Medieval Archaeology, Florence (Italy), 2011, in print]
Questa occasione, giunta alla sua seconda edizione, vuole ricordarla nella maniera che lei stessa avesse apprezzato di più: attraverso i temi a lei cari, l’innovazione della ricerca e le nuove generazioni di studiosi.
La seconda edizione, svoltasi l’11 Giugno 2015, a due anni dalla scomparsa della studiosa, è stata dedicata al tema delle Maioliche “Arcaiche” intendendo in questa maniera rendere omaggio non solo agli studi sulla maiolica arcaica pisana e, più generalmente, toscana (tra i temi più cari a Graziella Berti), ma comprendendo con “arcaiche” tutte quelle maioliche e, più genericamente, quelle ceramiche prodotte e circolanti in Italia tra XII e XV secolo. In questa maniera sono stati presentati alcuni studi di sintesi sulle maioliche arcaiche della Toscana settentrionale che, ripartendo dalle analisi pregresse, hanno riaperto il dibattito sulla conoscenza dei centri di produzione e sulla circolazione di questi manufatti dal Duecento in poi. Inoltre, è stata l’occasione per far conoscere alcune nuove ricerche sull’Italia meridionale che riguardano la produzione e circolazione di manufatti invetriati e smaltati tra XII e XIV secolo.
VII CONGRESSO AISU
Macro Sessione: I LUOGHI E I PROCESSI DEL CIBO
Sessione: C-19 La città scartata
Pre-prints