LATE ANCIENT AND EARLY MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY

The course is part of the characterizing disciplines of curriculum of Archaeology, Master's Degree Programma in Ancient Civilization. Literature, History and Archaeology. The function of the course is to offer the student a deepening of the subject, through the study and analysis of a specific argument. This subject shall preferably be chosen in the Late Antiquity or Early Middle Ages period (6th-10th century). This course is integrated with other courses of the area of medieval archaeology in the curriculum of study, such as Sp. Medieval Archaeology, Post-Medieval Archaeology, Medieval Numismatics and Medieval Topography. Obviously, the course is also in connection with other courses on medieval subjects, such as Medieval History. Following this course the student shall have the opportunity to complete his cycle of training experience in Medieval Archaeology. The analysis and development of a specific theme is functional to provide innovative conceptual, theoretical and methodological frameworks. The training activity can be supplemented by the use of the instrumentation of the Laboratory of Computer Science applied to Medieval Archaeology (IAMVE) and by the participation in excavations / surveys organized during the summer and autumn period.

At the end of the course, thanks to the individual commitment in the topics of the lessons, the student of Late Ancient and Early Medieval Archaeology shall acquire a range of skills on specific subjects of Medieval Archaeology. These skills are part of a wider education in the archaeological activity, as stated in the description of the Master's Degree. More in detail, the teaching offers greater critical competence. This competence concerns not only the acquisition of basics, but also the the acquisition of some organizing signalized topics in the activities during the lesson. The knowledge in the discipline shall be integrated with the courses of Sp. Medieval Archaeology, Post-Medieval Archaeology, Medieval Numismatics and Medieval Topography.

Attendance to the course Medieval Archaeology I or basic knowledge of Archaeology (Methodology) and Medieval History.

The course shall focus on medieval archaeology and Mediterranean national identities in the twentieth century. Since archaeology is not a neutral discipline, the course aims to analyze how and why some themes - which concern the Middle Ages - have been used, more than others, to build or reinforce individual identities (national, local), also in terms of political demands. After a general introduction on the concept of identity and "public archaeology" and after a critical reflection on the use of archaeology in a social forum, several specific cases will be analysed.The examples will be identified in the archaeology of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, in Italy and Mediterranean. In particular the subjects are: Lombard archaeology in Italy in relation to the construction of national identities; the archaeology of the Visigoth period in Spain during Francoism; medieval archaeology in Slovenja after World War II; the culture of Komanj Kroje between Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia; El Born (Barcelona) and the Catalan Identity; the project of the German Institute in Rome during the Second World War; the project The Transformation of the Roman World and the European Community;Byzantine archaeology in the construction of Greek identity after Turkish domination. Other subjects during the course.

In general: J. A. Atkinson, I. Banks, J. O'Sullivan (eds), Nationalism and Archaeology, Glasgow 1996; S. Kane (ed), The Politics of Archaeology and Identity in a Global Context, Boston 2003; I. Wood, The Modern Origins of the Early Middle Ages, Oxford, 2013.
About the concept of identity: F. Remotti, L'ossessione identitaria, Roma-Bari 2010.
About "public archaeology": G. Moshenska (ed.), Key Concepts in Public Archaeology, London 2017; G. Volpe, Archeologia pubblica. Metodi, tecniche, esperienze, Roma 2020.
About the Course and specific issues: S. Gelichi (a cura di), Prima dell'archeologia pubblica. Identità, conflitti sociali e medioevo nella ricerca del Mediterraneo, "Archeologia Medievale", XLVI (2019), pp. 7-94 (with papers in Italian, English and Spanish languages)
Other bibliography. About Lombard archaeology in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s:K. Junker, Research under dictatorship: the German Archaeological Institute 1929-1945, "Antiquity", 1998, pp. 282-292: T. Frölich, The Study of the Lombards and the Ostrogoths at the German Archaeological Institute of Rome, 1937-1943, in N. de Haan, M. Eickhoff, M. Schwegman (eds.), Archaeology and National Identity in Italy and Europe 1800-1950, Turnhout, 2008, pp. 183-213; I. Barbiera, "E ai dì remoti grande pur egli il Forogiulio appare". Longobardi, storiografia e miti delle origini a Cividale del Friuli, "Archeologia Medievale", 25 (1998), pp. 345-357.
About the archaeology of the Visigoth period in Spain during Francoism: L. Olmo Enciso, Ideologia y arqueologia: los estudios sobre el periodo visigodo en la primera mitad del siglo XX, in J. Arce, R. Olmos (a cura di), Historiographia de la Arqueologia y de la Historia Antigua en Espana (siglos XVIII-XX), Madrid, 1991, pp. 157-160; A. Quiros Castillo, A. Vigil Escalera Guirado, Dove sono i visigoti? Cimiteri e villaggi nella Spagna centrale nei secoli VI e VII, in C. Ebanista, M. Rotili, Archeologia e storia delle migrazioni. Europa, Italia, Mediterraneo fra tarda età romana e alto medioevo (Atti del Colloquio, Cimitile 2010), Cimitile 2011, pp. 159-181; C. Tejerizo Garcìa, Arqueologia y nacionalismo en (el) movimiento: Apuntes sobre la arqueologia de época visigoda durante el segundo Franquismo, "ArqueoWeb", 17 (2016), pp. 14-162.
About the culture of Komanj Kroje between Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia: W. Bowden, Social Anxiety and the Re-emergence of Furnished Burial in Post Roman Albania, in J. Rasmus Brandt, M. Ponsac, H. Roland (eds.), Death & Changing Rituals: Function and Meaning in Ancient Funerary Practices, Oxford 2014, p. 3343-357.
About El Born: El Born CC, Ajuntament de Barcelona, s.d.; L. Gallego Villa, J. Romero Martinez, La arqueologia en la commemoracion del Tricentenari, usos y abusos, "ArqueoWeb", 17 (2016), pp. 128-143.
On the Lombard archaeology and the local identity: I. Barbiera, "E ai dì remoti grande pur egli il Forogiulio appare". Longobardi, storiografia e miti dalle origini a Cividale del Friuli, "Archeologia Medievale", XXV (1998), pp. 345-357.

The examination is oral and the aim is to ensure the acquisition of the basic knowledge of the discipline. The abilities to synthesize information, of the use of a proper scientific terminology will also be assessed. The final mark is the result of the average of the points earned for each answer (in general from three foto five).

The course is face to face. During the lessons figures and texts on power point support will be used. During the course, the students can elaborate a short dissertation (optional), which shall constitute the exam topic (integrated with some other topics exposed during the lessons).

Italian

Attendance is to the course is highly suggested.
Ca' Foscari applies the Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) for support services available to students with disabilities or with specific learning disorders. If you have a motor, visual, hearing or other disability (Law 17/1999) or a specific learning disorder (Law 170/2010) and require support (classroom assistance, technological aids for carrying out exams or individualized exams, material in accessible format, note recovery, specialist tutoring to support the study, interpreters or other) contact the Disability Office and DSA disabilita@unive.it.

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