C9554 - ARCHEOLOGIA ADRIATICA

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide the tools to investigate the ancient landscape by analyzing the changes that occurred over time in the relationship between humans and the Adriatic environment, with a particular focus on perspectives that move from land toward the sea. To this end, the skills necessary to analyze forms of dispersed settlement that laid the foundations for the development of Adriatic cities will be provided. By the end of the course, students will develop knowledge useful for employing integrated sources and methods ranging from literature and archaeology to geomorphology and remote sensing. These skills are intended to enrich the background of future archaeologists, also in the perspective of professional archaeology dedicated to heritage protection and enhancement.

Course contents

ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE ADRIATIC

Throughout history, the Adriatic Sea has more often functioned as a link than as a boundary between the peoples and cultures that flourished along its opposing shores. For this reason, it has aptly been described as a "bridge of water".

The coastal landscapes that define the Adriatic display both continuity and diversity. Along the western shore, the predominantly low and sandy coastline allows maritime landings only at the mouths of rivers and within a limited number of natural inlets, such as those overlooked by the Conero promontory and the Gargano peninsula. Further north, the landscape has been profoundly shaped by the evolution of the lagoon and inland basin systems that characterize the seaward outlet of the Po Plain, whose changing morphology over time determined the fortunes of centres such as Adria, Spina, Ravenna, and Venice. Along the eastern shore, the Balkan Peninsula is characterized by a succession of mountain ranges running sub-parallel to the coastline, creating archipelagos that protect broad natural harbours, as exemplified by the Gulf of Kvarner between Istria and Dalmatia.

To study this region of the Mediterranean—celebrated by poets and writers, most notably in Mediterranean Breviary by the Bosnian author Predrag Matvejević—is to engage with landscapes continuously shaped by the interaction between land and sea. While the maritime perspective is already explored in the course on Underwater Archaeology, the Archaeology of the Adriatic course approaches these landscapes from the vantage point of the coast.

ADRIATIC CITIES AND LANDSCAPES

Several major pre-Roman settlements, beginning with Adria—the city that gave its name to the sea itself—played a fundamental role in shaping the history of the Adriatic. During the Hellenistic, Roman, and Early Medieval periods, coastal cities and their harbours succeeded one another with varying fortunes, frequently competing for control over maritime routes and commercial networks.

The course will begin with a concise introduction to the geographical setting through an examination of the geomorphological evolution that led to the present-day configuration of the Adriatic basin.

Attention will then focus on a series of case studies, primarily drawn from the central Adriatic region on both the western shore (Picenum and the ager Gallicus) and the eastern shore (Dalmatia). Among the sites discussed in class will be the Adriatic cities of Suasa (near Ancona) and Ravenna, which provide an opportunity to examine the different methodological approaches required for investigating abandoned urban centres and settlements characterized by long-term continuity of occupation. The Sanctuary of Jupiter at Monte Rinaldo (near Fermo) will offer a case study for exploring the role of secondary centres in the development of Adriatic landscapes. The castrum of Burnum (near Šibenik), in Dalmatia, will provide an introduction to the archaeology of the eastern Adriatic coast. The study of these major centres will be framed within a broader analysis of the evolution of their surrounding landscapes. All case studies will be directly linked to ongoing field research projects, including archaeological excavations and topographical surveys conducted within the activities of the Chair of Archaeology of the Adriatic.

Through the analysis of the evolution of these regional landscapes and of the historical trajectories of settlements that were either abandoned or continuously inhabited, the course aims to identify a settlement pattern characteristic of the Adriatic region, one that differs in several respects from the well-established model known for the Tyrrhenian area.

Additional case studies may be incorporated through the participation of researchers actively engaged in fieldwork within the framework of the activities promoted by the Centre for Adriatic Archaeology Studies (ARCADRIA), based in Ravenna.

 

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: FIELDWORK PROJECTS

As anticipated, particular emphasis will be placed on ongoing fieldwork projects at the Adriatic sites of Suasa and Ravenna on the western coast, as well as Burnum in Dalmatia and Butrint in Epirus on the eastern coast. The presentation of these projects is intended to prepare students for participation in the summer field schools, to which those enrolled in the course will be invited.

In particular, regular attendance will be regarded as a preferential criterion for participation in the summer fieldwork programme at the Archaeological Park of the Roman city of Suasa, where both an archaeological excavation and a practical training laboratory in archaeological documentation will be organized during the summer season.

The course will conclude with an archaeological walk through the historic centre of Ravenna and a visit to the National Archaeological Museum, tracing the surviving archaeological remains of the ancient city.

 

Links to Wedsite Project:

https://site.unibo.it/archeologia-adriatica/en

https://www.arcadria.eu/

https://site.unibo.it/butrint/en

https://mapsproject.it/

 

https://disci.unibo.it/it/ricerca/missioni-archeologiche/missioni-archeologiche-italia

https://disci.unibo.it/en/research/archaeological-missions/achaeological-missions-abroad/butrint-albania

Readings/Bibliography

To sit the exam, students must study the slides available on the course website.


In addition, they must study the first four chapters of the following compulsory textbook:

- E. Ivetic, History of the Adriatic. A Sea and Its Civilization (chapters I–IV only).

Students who do not attend the course must, in addition to the textbook and instead of the presentations available on the website, study one of the following books of their choice:

- M. Silani, Città e territorio: la formazione della città romana nell'ager Gallicus, Bologna 2017;

- F. Vermeulen, From the mountains to the sea. The Roman Colonisation and Urbanisation of Central Adriatic Italy, Peeters 2017.

 

RECOMMENDED READING

(These are not compulsory but are useful for further optional study or for discussion in class)

 

On seascapes

- P. Horder, N. Purcell, The Corrupting Sea. A Study of Mediterranean HistoryWiley, Blackwell 2020.

- A. Augenti, Città e porti dall'antichità al Medioevo, Roma 2010;

- D. Abulafia, The great Sea, 2010;

- M. Gras, Il mediterraneo di età arcaica, Paestum 1997

- F. Braudel, Il Mediterraneo. Lo spazio, la storia, gli uomini, le tradizioni, Bompiani 1987;

- F. Braudel, Memorie del Mediterrane, Bompiani 1988;

- F. Braudel, Civiltà e imperi del Mediterraneo nell'età di Filippo II, Torino 1953;

 

Landscapes seen from the sea

- S. Medas, Nautica Antica. Itinerari nel mondo della navigazione tra storia, archeologia ed etnografia, Roma-Bristol 2022.

- S. Medas, Archeologia della navigazione, Roma 2024.

 

On the Adriatic cities

E. Giorgi, J. Bogdani, A. Gamberini, S. Morsiani, I. Rossetti, Scavi di Suasa II. La Necropoli Orientale, Roma 2024;

F. Belfiori, Mare Superum Romani latini e l’Italia adriatica di mezzo (sviluppi culturali e fenomenologia religiosa, secoli III-I a.C.), Roma 2022;

F. Boschi, E. Giorgi, F. Vermeulen, Picenum and the Ager Gallicus at the Dawn of the Roman Conquest: Landscape Archaeology and Material Culture, Oxford 2020;

E. Giorgi, F. Demma, F. Belfiori, Il santuario di Monte Rinaldo, La ripresa delle ricerche (2016-2019), Bologna 2020;

A. Campedelli, E. Giorgi, Burnum Project. Ricerche della missione archeologica dell'università di Bologna in Croazia (2005-2015), Bologna 2018;

M. Silani, Città e territorio: la formazione della città romana nell'ager Gallicus, Bologna 2017;

F. Vermeulen, From the mountains to the sea. The Roman Colonisation and Urbanisation of Central Adriatic Italy, Peeters 2017;

E. Giorgi, F. Demma, Riflessioni sulla genesi e lo sviluppo urbano di Asculum nel Piceno. Dalla città federata alla colonia romana, in Atlante Tematico di Topografia Antica 28 (2018);

E. Giorgi, Suasa: genesi e sviluppo di un municipio romano dell’agro gallico, in «Atlante Tematico di Topografia Antica» 30 (2020), pp. 95-114.

E. Giorgi, Diramazioni della Salaria sul versante adriatico, in «Atlante Tematico di Topografia Antica», 31 (2021), pp. 147-166;

E. Giorgi, L’appoderamento agrario dell’agro suasano alla luce delle nuove ricerche, in «Agri Centuriati», 18 (2021), pp. 9-26.

 

Teaching methods

Lectures will have seminar settings with the use of presentations and case studies in which teacher-led research is being conducted.


Students will be asked to intervene actively in the course of the lectures.


Depending on the number of students, it will be possible to propose in-class readings of passages from the reference bibliography that will be critically discussed and analysed.


Lecture series, additional and open to the public, will be organised on specific topics by researchers working on relevant aspects.

Assessment methods

Class attendance will make it easier to pass the exam. A student who attends at least 75% of the lectures is considered to be attending.

AI can be a useful tool to support independent study by providing in-depth analysis, summaries and self-assessment exercises. With regard to assessment, the use of AI is prohibited during face-to-face examinations. Any use constitutes a breach of academic integrity.

The active participation in lessons, conferences and teaching activities will also be evaluated.

The final vote will be determined by an oral exam.

The questions will cover the following topics:

1. Characteristics of archaeology in the Adriatic context;

2. The origins and development of Adriatic landscapes;

3. Major settlements, smaller centres and scattered settlements in the ancient Adriatic.

For non-attending students, the interview will focus on the same topics, paying particular attention to the volumes being studied.

The following evaluation parameters will be adopted, for attending students and non-frequenting students.

Attending Students

Excellent Evaluation (30 and praise-28): active participation of the student in the lessons; the student will have to demonstrate the possession of high level knowledge, the ability to interpret the landscape problems correctly and showing a certain autonomy of reasoning. The student will demonstrate the ability to move well within the "parure" of sources presented in class. Excellent oral expression skills including in the technical languages presented.

Good Grade (27-23): The student has attended the course and will demonstrate possession of knowledge at a good level, but mainly mnemonic; the interpretation of the problems proposed will be correct, but not always precise and autonomous. The language used will be appropriate with some problems in the more technical aspects.

Sufficient Rating (22-18): The student has attended the course, demonstrates possession of the basic knowledge of the discipline, but assumed in mnemonic form; the interpretation of the problems is mostly correct, but conducted with inaccuracy and little autonomy. The language used will be fair, but lacking in technical language.

Insufficient Evaluation: the lack of acquisition of the basic concepts of the discipline, combined with a poor ability to make use of the sources presented and an adequate language will be evaluated with insufficient score, which provides for the repetition of the exam.

Non-Frequenting Students
Non-frequenting students will be evaluated primarily on the basis of their ability to gain awareness of the issues inherent in Landscape resulting from manual and bibliographic study, combined with adequate language.

Excellent Evaluation (30 cum laude -28): the student will demonstrate a solid understanding of the subject matter, the demonstration of a critical sense in evaluating the sources to be drawn upon in reconstructing the ancient landscape. He/she will express him/herself in language appropriate to the subject, even in its technical parts.

Good Evaluation (27-23): the student will demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the subject, but will not have fully succeeded in developing a critical sense, with verbal expression and reasoning on the issues proposed not always perfect.

Sufficient Rating (22-18): the student will demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the subject matter, but will have failed to develop a critical sense, with verbal expression and reasoning on proposed problems not fully satisfactory.

Insufficient Assessment: lack of acquisition of basic concepts of the discipline, coupled with a poor ability to make use of the sources presented and adequate language will be assessed with an insufficient score, which requires retaking the exam.

Teaching tools

The presentations used during the lessons will be available on the web portal of the course.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Enrico Giorgi