PROTOHISTORY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN: TECHNOLOGIES FOR CONTEXT DESCRIPTION

1) Knowledge and understanding

To provide the student with knowledge of the main investigation methods and documentation tools used in archaeology with a specific focus on the Mediterranean contexts between the 2nd and 1st millennium BC, through the choice of significant case studies for each geographical area. The course also aims to provide a general overview of the evolution of the relationship between archaeology and information technology, with reference to the methodological approaches related to archaeological data, from production to dissemination.

2) Applying knowledge and understanding

To make the student able to apply the tools and skills acquired by autonomously tackling in-depth courses in the field of investigation covered in the course; to autonomously orient themselves in the retrieval and consultation of sources and tools of historical archaeological research of the pre- and protohistoric period.

3) Making judgements

To develop in students a critical approach to texts and context analysis methodologies, through the analysis of different case studies, encouraging them to deal with research and comparisons independently, stimulating the ability to formulate and argue hypotheses in the context of pre- and protohistory of the Mediterranean.

 4) Communication skills

To provide students with basic technical language and a specialized vocabulary to make them able to communicate their scientific knowledge adequately and with appropriate terminology, even in written presentation.

5) Learning skills

To develop the ability to autonomously identify which are the most representative scientific texts and understand them adequately; knowing how to critically consult bibliographic tools useful for dealing with insights and sector studies; be able to independently process data and materials using acquired methodological tools and elements.

Frontal lectures in the classroom will provide the student the acquisition of general theoretical knowledge, while for the acquisition of the ability to carry out independent research, seminars will be organized in the classroom, with individual presentations. Practical exercises will also be organized involving the use of information technology for cultural heritage.

Attendance is not compulsory.

The course is organized into three modules.

The first one provides a general overview of the Mediterranean in the 2nd millennium, addressing aspects relating to the geographical context, chronology and terminology and the history of studies.

The second module addresses the methodological issues relating to the documentation of archaeological contexts. A brief theoretical introduction will be dedicated to Digital Archaeology, to the main national and international standards, to the methodologies related to the interpretation and uncertainty of the data. The problem of digitization of archaeological data will then be explored, providing hints of Requirements Engineering, focusing on the treatment and management of 2D and 3D data through databases and GIS platforms. The aspects related to communication will therefore be dealt with, investigating the main critical issues concerning the pre- and protohistoric archaeological contexts and the analysis of the most used fruition tools.

In the third module, some specific case studies will be explored, to be considered as best practices for the application of technologies for the documentation of pre- and protohistoric contexts, addressing critical issues of various kinds (multi-phase sites, difficulty in acquiring data in the field, difficult understanding for an audience of non-experts, etc.): in Crete the Minoan palace of Festòs; in Cyprus the Middle Bronze Age site of Erimi-Laonin tou Porakou; in Norther Greece the Neolithic site of Paliambela Kolindros; in Sicily the prehistoric hypogeum of Calaforno.

MODULE 1 – Geographical and chronological framework (1 CFU)

-       E. Cline (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean, Oxford University press 2010 (pp. 3-30 Background and Definitions: History of Research; Chronology and Terminology).

-       L. Bombardieri, G. Graziadio, M. Jasink, Preistoria e protostoria Egea e cipriota, 2015 (pp. 1-24 L’ambiente e il quadro geografico; Il quadro cronologico; Storia delle ricerche).

 

MODULE 2 – Technologies for documenting contexts (3 CFU)

-       A. Caravale, Le Banche Dati Archeologiche. Articolazione e formalizzazione delle conoscenze, Firenze 2022 (pp. 9-16 Introduzione; pp. 17-48 Le banche dati incontrano la ceramica)

-       J. Bogdani, Archeologia e tecnologie di rete: metodi strumenti e risorse digitali, Roma 2019, 190 pp.

-       M. Figuera, Un sistema per la gestione dell’affidabilità e dell’interpretazione dei dati archeologici, Oxford: Archeopress 2020 (pp. 47-112 Approcci metodologici; Sviluppo del sistema GEAR).

-       M. Figuera, Past for the future: archeologia, conservazione e nuove tecnologie. Casi studio greci e italiani, Collana Antico, Edizioni Quasar, Roma 2022 (pp. 15-25 Come raccontare un sito archeologico? Comunicazione, narrativa e criticità; pp. 79-90 Strumenti di fruizione: soluzioni indoor e outdoor).

-       J. Bogdani, GIS in Archeologia, in: E. Giorgi (a cura di), Groma 2. In profondità senza scavare, Bologna: Bradypus 2009, pp. 421-438.

-       N. Dell’Unto, G. Landeschi, Archaeological 3D GIS, London and New York 2022 (pp. 18-54 3D models and knowledge production; 3D GIS in archaeology).

 

MODULE 3 – Case studies (Crete, Cyprus, Cyclades, Sicily) (2 CFU)

-       M. Figuera, Past for the future: archeologia, conservazione e nuove tecnologie. Casi studio greci e italiani, Collana Antico, Edizioni Quasar, Roma 2022 (pp. 94-113 Festòs (Creta); pp. 124-153 Calaforno (Ragusa, Sicilia).

-       F. Buscemi, P. Militello, C. Santagati, M. Figuera, G. D'Agostino, D. Aiello, Use and reuse of spatial and quantitative data in archaeology: from 3D survey to serious game at Phaistos (Crete). Archeologia e Calcolatori, 31:1, 2020, pp. 189-212.

-       L. Bombardieri, F. Dolcetti, 3D technologies in Cypriot prehistoric archaeology and heritage: the Erimi user experience. In Proceedings of the 9th ARQUEOLÓGICA 2.0 & 3rd GEORES. Valencia: Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, 2021, pp. 504-507.

-       M. Katsianis, K. Kotsakis, F. Stefanou, Reconfiguring the 3D excavation archive. Technological shift and data remix in the archaeological project of Paliambela Kolindros, Greece, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 36, 2021, pp. 1-12.

-       G. D’Agostino, M. Figuera, G. Russo, M. Galizia, P.M. Militello, Integrated 3d Survey for the Documentation and Visualization of a Rock-Cut Underground Built Heritage, The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XLVI-2/W1-2022, 2022, pp. 167-174.

 

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All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.