C9556 - ARCHEOLOGIA DEL MEDITERRANEO TARDOANTICO E MEDIEVALE

Learning outcomes

This course aims to provide students, in light of ongoing excavations and the most recent archaeological discoveries, with the essential tools for the study and understanding of the Mediterranean world. Particular emphasis is placed on material culture, the organization of harbor structures, trade networks, shipping routes, and the development of new navigation techniques between Late Antiquity and the medieval period. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze and interpret the major transformations in settlement patterns, harbor infrastructures, and the dynamics of human and commercial mobility across the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

Course contents

he course analyses the evolution of the Mediterranean between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages through an integrated examination of archaeological sources, with particular attention to economic processes, maritime communication networks and changes in port systems.

The topics will be organised into the following thematic areas:

• The Mediterranean between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages: continuity and change in political, economic and cultural landscapes; main trends in archaeological research.
• Archaeology of ports and maritime infrastructure: organisation of ports, port works, mooring systems, shipyards and structures related to commercial activities.
• Routes, navigation and mobility: reconstruction of the main maritime routes, innovations in navigation techniques, and the movement of people, goods and knowledge.
• Production, distribution and consumption: analysis of material culture as an indicator of economic dynamics and Mediterranean trade, with particular reference to ceramic production, transport containers and the main categories of artefacts used to reconstruct trade networks.
• Coastal settlements and territorial systems: relationships between cities, ports, secondary landing sites and the hinterland; transformations of settlement networks and coastal landscapes.
• Trade and Mediterranean connectivity: major trade networks, regional economies, interregional networks and relations between East and West.
• Research methodologies and tools: underwater archaeology, coastal landscape archaeology, archaeometric analysis, GIS, remote sensing and the reconstruction of trade networks.

During the course, significant case studies from the main areas of the Mediterranean (Italy, the Adriatic, the Aegean, the Levant, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula) will be discussed, with a focus on the critical analysis of archaeological data and engagement with the most recent scholarly debate.

For non-attending students, supplementary reading lists will be provided to enable them to explore the topics covered in lectures and the main case studies in greater depth.

Readings/Bibliography

Students attending the course:

S. Keay (ed.), Rome, Portus and the Mediterranean, British School at Rome, London, 2012.

S. Orvietani Busch, Medieval Mediterranean Ports. The Catalan and Tuscan Coasts, 1100–1235, Brill, Leiden, 2001.

Recommended Reading:

E. Cirelli, Archeologia e cultura materiale nel medioevo, BUP, Bologna, 2023.

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

Non attending students:

S. Keay (ed.), Rome, Portus and the Mediterranean, British School at Rome, London, 2012.

S. Orvietani Busch, Medieval Mediterranean Ports. The Catalan and Tuscan Coasts, 1100–1235, Brill, Leiden, 2001.

A. Wilson, D. Robinson (eds.), Maritime Archaeology and Ancient Trade in the Mediterranean, Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology, Oxford, 2011.

Recommended Reading:

E. Cirelli, Archeologia e cultura materiale nel medioevo, BUP, Bologna, 2023.

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

Teaching methods

Teaching takes place mainly in person and consists of lectures, designed to provide students with the theoretical and methodological framework of medieval European archaeology and the tools necessary for interpreting archaeological evidence. The lectures include guided discussions and critical analysis of data, with the active involvement of students, with the aim of developing their ability to interpret, compare and evaluate the various material sources.
During the course, there will also be analysis and discussion of case studies relating to the main archaeological contexts covered in lectures, encouraging the application of theoretical knowledge to real-world situations. Teaching activities may be supplemented by seminars led by scholars and experts in the field, as well as educational visits to archaeological sites, museums or laboratories, aimed at the direct observation of material evidence and a deeper understanding of research and documentation methodologies. These activities contribute to the achievement of the course objectives through a learning process that integrates theoretical knowledge, critical analysis skills and direct engagement with archaeological data.
Classroom discussions will also be organised through brief group discussions on the case studies presented, encouraging active student participation and the development of argumentative skills and the ability to critically interpret archaeological documentation.

Assessment methods

Assessment is based on an individual oral examination, marked out of thirty. For attending students, the examination focuses on the topics covered in lectures and the teaching activities carried out during the course; for non-attending students, the examination covers the texts and any supplementary materials indicated in the syllabus.
The examination aims to assess whether the course’s learning objectives have been met, verifying both the acquisition of knowledge relating to the main themes and methodologies of European medieval archaeology, and the ability to critically interpret archaeological evidence, to link the various topics covered, and to use the discipline’s specialist terminology correctly.
Assessment will take into account the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the knowledge acquired, the ability to think critically and synthesise information, the clarity of presentation, and the appropriateness of scientific language. The attainment of a coherent understanding of the topics covered, accompanied by a full command of the discipline’s methods and specialist terminology, will be awarded the highest marks.
There are no mid-term assessments nor any assignments to be submitted prior to the exam. The final exam alone determines the final mark for the course.

Teaching tools

Multimedia resources, such as digital presentations, images, site plans, maps, graphic reconstructions and archaeological documentation, will be used during the lectures to aid understanding of the contexts, methodologies and case studies covered in the course. Any supplementary handouts, texts, site plans and other teaching materials distributed during lectures will also be made available to students via the lecturer’s webpage, to facilitate individual revision and enable non-attending students to access them as well.

Students who, for reasons related to a disability or specific learning difficulties (SLD), require adjustments to teaching or examination arrangements are invited to contact the University of Bologna’s Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/ per-studenti) in order to agree in good time on the most appropriate compensatory measures and arrangements.

The use of generative artificial intelligence tools may support independent study, for example to explore concepts in greater depth, draw up summaries, clarify terminology or carry out self-assessment activities. However, these tools must be used critically and with awareness, and they do not replace the direct study of the bibliography, sources and teaching materials indicated for the course.

During the course, archaeological finds, three-dimensional models and excavation documentation may also be presented, with a view to facilitating the direct interpretation of material evidence and the acquisition of the analytical methodologies specific to the discipline.

Office hours

See the website of Enrico Cirelli