ID:
BASA018N
Duration (hours):
63
CFU:
9
SSD:
ARCHEOLOGIA CRISTIANA E MEDIEVALE
Located in:
CHIETI
Url:
CULTURAL HERITAGE: ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ART/CORSO GENERICO Year: 1
Year:
2025
Course Catalogue:
Overview
Date/time interval
Primo Semestre (01/10/2025 - 31/01/2026)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course contributes significantly to the achievement of the learning objectives of the degree programme, by providing advanced competences in the analysis of settlement, production, and economic contexts from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages. It is part of the archaeological curriculum and promotes a specialist education oriented towards research, heritage protection, and the enhancement of the archaeological record.
In particular, the course aims to:
provide a solid theoretical and methodological foundation for interpreting settlement and territorial dynamics during the long transition from the Roman world to the Middle Ages;
develop the ability to critically analyse archaeological, documentary, and spatial sources, integrating traditional approaches with digital tools;
foster the acquisition of skills applicable in academic, professional, and applied research contexts, with particular attention to potential career paths in cultural heritage, public administration, and preventive archaeology.
Expected Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be expected to demonstrate the following:
Knowledge:
in-depth knowledge of the main urban and rural settlement models of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and their transformations;
understanding of economic and production contexts in relation to territorial structures;
mastery of the sources and methodologies specific to landscape archaeology and economic archaeology.
Skills:
ability to analyse and interpret complex archaeological data from a territorial and diachronic perspective;
ability to apply tools for documentation and spatial analysis (e.g. GIS, archaeological maps, digital models);
ability to critically integrate material evidence, written sources, and geographical contexts in reconstructing territorial frameworks and economic systems.
Transversal competences (corresponding to Dublin Descriptors A4.c):
ability to communicate specialist content effectively, including through oral presentations and written reports;
ability to formulate independent and well-founded critical judgements based on source analysis;
ability to pursue autonomous learning and ongoing updates, also in preparation for advanced research or doctoral studies.
Practical competences:
proficient use of digital tools for the analysis of territory and archaeological landscapes;
possible participation in field exercises, study visits, and documentation activities aimed at strengthening an integrated approach to landscape study.
Course Prerequisites
No specific prerequisites are required, and there are no formal progression requirements.
Teaching Methods
The course is primarily delivered through in-person lectures, supported by multimedia materials and case study presentations.
Educational visits to archaeological sites or museums are planned in order to strengthen students’ direct understanding of settlement dynamics and documentation methods.
All activities are designed to promote active learning and encourage student participation, in line with the objectives of the course.
Assessment Methods
The oral examination is designed to assess the student’s understanding of the course content, ability to engage in critical reflection, and appropriate use of discipline-specific terminology.The examination will cover the entire syllabus and may include the analysis and discussion of images and archaeological contexts.
During the examination, the student is expected to:
demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the core content of the course;
organise the acquired knowledge in a coherent and well-argued manner, showing the ability to make connections between the various topics and the case studies discussed;
critically discuss concrete examples or methodological issues addressed during the course;
express ideas clearly and accurately, using appropriate archaeological terminology.
The final mark will be expressed on a scale of thirty points (minimum 18/30, maximum 30/30 with honours).Assessment criteria include:
Knowledge of course content (up to 12/30)
Ability to reason critically and connect topics (up to 10/30)
Clarity of presentation and use of specialist terminology (up to 8/30)The final grade will result from the sum of these components.
Optional activities (such as practical exercises, short written assignments, or additional readings) may be taken into consideration in the overall assessment, in agreement with the lecturer, but are not mandatory nor a substitute for the final examination.
The assessment methods are consistent with the expected learning outcomes and are designed to differentiate between levels of competence and student autonomy.
Texts
F. CAMBI, Archeologia dei paesaggi antichi: fonti e diagnostica, Roma2003.
U. MOSCATELLI, Le briciole di Pollicino. Vita nascosta delle strade tra età romana e Medioevo, in Il Capitale Culturale. Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage, VII (2013), pp. 211-225.
C. CITTER, A. PATACCHINI, Postdittività e viabilità: il caso della direttrice tirrenica, in C. Citter, S. Nardi Combescure, F. R. Stasolla (dir.), Entre la terre et la mer. La via Aurelia et la topographie du littoral du Latium et de la Toscane, Colloque International (Paris, 6-7 juin 2014), Roma 2018, pp. pp. 57-75.
A. INNOCENTI, La digitalizzazione dei documenti, i database e il GIS nell'ambito della ricerca topografica: l'esempio dei possessi dell'abbazia di Farfa (RI) tra VIII e IX secolo, P. Basso, A. Caravale, P. Grossi (eds.), ARCHEOFOSS. Free, Libre and Open Source Software e Open Format nei processi di ricerca archeologica. Atti del IX Workshop (Verona, 19-20 giugno 2014), Archeologia e Calcolatori, Supplemento, 8 (2016), pp. 126-131.
II modulo
S. GELICHI, R. HODGES (a cura di) (2012), From One Sea to Another. Trading Places in the European and Mediterranean Early Middle Ages, Brepols (Specific page numbers will be indicated during the course).
E. CIRELLI; E: GIORGI, G. LEPORE, Economia e Territorio: L'Adriatico centrale tra tarda Antichità e alto Medioevo, BAR 2926, Oxford 2019 (Specific page numbers will be indicated during the course.)
P. ARTHUR, M. LEO IMPERIALE, G. MUCI, Amphoras, Networks , and Byzantine Maritime Trade, in J. Leidwanger, C. Knappett (eds.), Maritime networks in the ancient Mediterranean world, Cambridge 2018, pp 219-237.
M. LEO IMPERIALE, Ampolle di pellegrinaggio e transfert culturali nel Medioevo tra Oriente ed Occidente. Note al margine di un manufatto nel Museo Diocesano di Brindisi, in G. MARELLA, G. CARITO (a cura di), Federico II. Le Nozze di Oriente e Occidente. L’età federiciana in Terra di Brindisi, Atti del Convegno di Studi (Brindisi 8-9-14 novembre 2013), Brindisi 2015, pp. 217-238.
E. NERI, Il vetro dei mosaici occidentali: produzione e commercio (V-X sec.), in M. Beghelli, P. M.de Marchi (a cura di), Le suggestioni del vetro materie prime, tecniche di produzione, contesti d'uso, circolazione dei manufatti, Roma 2019, pp. 49-60.
F. FRANCESCHI, E. PRUNO, F. ZAGARI, La produzione tessile nella Roma medievale: una rilettura attraverso le fonti scritte e materiali, in Archeologia medievale vol. 47 (2020), pp. 93-114.
E. PRUNO, Cave e petriere nell'Amiata occidentale: lo sfruttamento delle risorse lapidee per la produzione edilizia medievale, Sesto Fiorentino 2018 (Specific page numbers will be indicated during the course).
ALL OF THE TEXTS LISTED ABOVE WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE MOODLE PLATFORM.
Additional bibliographic references may be provided by the lecturer during the course.
Additional bibliographic references may be provided by the lecturer during the course.
Contents
Module 1: Settlements, Landscapes, and Territorial Organisation
This module introduces the study of late antique and medieval landscapes. Its aim is to provide theoretical and methodological tools for analysing the transformation of territorial structures, in relation to the historical, institutional, and economic processes that shaped the long transition from the Roman world to the Middle Ages.
Main topics:
Theoretical and methodological framework
Landscape archaeology and integrated approaches
Material, written, and cartographic sources for the study of territory
Settlement models and scales of observation
Urban landscapes and transformations
The evolution of urban centres between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Continuity, contraction, reuse, and monumentalisation
Dynamics of abandonment and reorganisation of urban space
Rural settlements, agrarian organisation, and territorial control
Processes of fragmentation, dispersion, and recomposition
Archaeology of productive structures and domestic architecture
Fortified settlements and castles
Methods of landscape investigation
Use of GIS and spatial data
Integration of archaeological data and historical documentation
The module aims to develop analytical and interpretative skills in reading historical landscapes, contributing to the achievement of the expected learning outcomes, particularly with regard to understanding settlement dynamics and territorial transformation processes.
Module 2: Production, Circulation, and Trade
This module focuses on the economic dynamics of late antique and medieval territories, with particular attention to production contexts, trade networks, and the movement of goods. Its goal is to equip students with interpretative tools for analysing the archaeological evidence of economic landscapes and systems of production and distribution.
Main topics:
Economic systems and territorial organisation
Agricultural and craft production, redistribution
The role of public and private powers in controlling production
Production centres and specialisation
Archaeology of production in urban and rural contexts
Trade and the circulation of goods
Local, regional, and long-distance exchange networks
Archaeological indicators of trade and mobility
Mass-produced goods and prestige items
Communication routes and infrastructure
Road network continuity and new routes
Ports, landing places, markets, and emporia
Interaction between physical geography and economic dynamics
Methods of analysis
Typology, archaeometry, and provenance studies
Spatial approaches: GIS, network analysis, catchment analysis
Quantitative archaeology and interpretative models
Case studies (selected examples will be presented during the course, based on the students’ academic background and learning interests as identified during the initial sessions).
Course Language
Italian
More information
The lecturer is available to meet with students on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 13:00 during the teaching period. Outside the teaching semester, office hours are held on Wednesdays from 11:00 to 13:00.
For any enquiries, please contact the lecturer by email at: sonia.antonelli@unich.it.
Degrees
Degrees
CULTURAL HERITAGE: ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ART
Master’s Degree
2 years
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People
People (2)
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