Corso di laurea magistrale in
Archeologia e Storia antica

The transformations that took place during the long historical phase between the late antiquity and the Middle Ages caused a worsening of living conditions in the western imperial areas, but also gave rise to new commercial dynamics and unprecedented evolutions of material culture in the urban and peri-urban areas of those territories overlooking the Mediterranean which, previously included within the imperial borders, now belonged to the Byzantine socio-economic and administrative structures, and with it commercial and identity relations continued. The module aims to restore visibility to the new economic realities that functioned as driving forces for the production and circulation of goods and artifacts, using the archaeological data to restore the material culture of the populations who lived in Mediterranean urban areas without forgetting the territorial relations with rural areas. Fundamental will therefore be the study of the circulation of goods and related artefacts, in particular ceramics, and the reconstruction of the maritime and terrestrial commercial viability that connected the territories belonging to the area of ​​Byzantine and North African influence.

At the end of the course the student will be able to acquire the ability to frame the topics addressed in a correct geographical and chronological context, will have to demonstrate knowledge of the main themes of medieval archeology of the Mediterranean area, will be able to analyze, understand and evaluate articles scientific studies and understand the meaning and implementation methods of editions of archaeological excavations. Furthermore, you will be able to preliminarily identify the main classes of finds focusing mainly on ceramic manufactures and distinguish the contribution that a single archaeological excavation can bring to the research areas indicated in the program.

Lessons lasting two hours each for a total of 36 hours (6 CFU) held in the classroom with multimedia projections. There will be lectures at the Archaeological Museum of Antiquities in Turin and thematic seminars for in-depth study of the individual topics presented in the module. Except as indicated in the notes field, those who will not be able to attend the lessons in person will be able to use the audio / video files uploaded to the Moodle platform, together with all the teaching material, without any overload.

The acquired knowledge and skills will be verified by means of an oral examination with questions that may include the use of plans and images. The preparation will be considered adequate (with marks based out of a total of thirty points) if students are able to correctly illustrate, using adequate terminology, the subjects presented in the texts and discussed during the individual classroom lessons, identifying the overall framework, relationships and complementary interconnections and placing them in the correct historical period.

In addition to conducting thematic seminars focused on the main topics addressed during the individual lectures, support activities are also provided for reading the documentation of the excavation concessions headed by the Department (excavation journal, Stratigraphic Unit sheets, plans and sections of excavation), and seminar meetings relating to the main IT applications that can be used in the archaeological field. Territorial exercises are also guaranteed with the tools of computerized survey so that students can become familiar with modern field work technologies and consequently develop theoretical bases but equally important notions of actual performance of activities practices thus effectively combining theory and practice.

1) The Mediterranean landscape: a summary picture, 2) The end of the classical city, 3) The construction of the medieval city, 4) Urban economies and societies, 5) Decline, transformation or restart of ancient cities.

J. Graham-Campbell, M. Valor, The Archaeology of Medieval Europe, volume 1 (Eighth to Twelfth Centuries AD), Aarhus University Press, Aarhus, 2007.

M. Carver, J. Klapste, The Archaeology of Medieval Europe, volume 2 (Twelfth to Sixteenth Centuries), Aarhus University Press, Aarhus, 2011. 

Specific insights will be dedicated to the theme of the history of material culture and to the knowledge of archaeological indicators to analyze and understand the main late antique and medieval contexts located in the areas of the western Mediterranean. The teaching hours can be integrated with the participation in optional activities: in the laboratory "Recognition and cataloging of Mediterranean and late antique and early medieval manufactures", in seminars and archaeological excavations, in reconnaissance on the ground organized and coordinated by the teacher.