Integrating Terrestrial and Aquatic Archaeozoological Studies: Venice and the northern Adriatic lagoons between Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

Descripción del proyecto

Las relaciones entre los seres humanos, los animales y el medio ambiente de antaño en el noroeste del Adriático

Examinar los restos de animales de los yacimientos arqueológicos ofrece una ventana a las complejas y cambiantes relaciones entre los seres humanos, otros animales y el medio ambiente. Los análisis arqueozoológicos actuales de la Antigüedad tardía y la Edad Media en el noroeste del Adriático se limitan a los yacimientos de evaluación. Asimismo, las revisiones a gran escala no incluyen contextos ambientales específicos. Con el apoyo del programa Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, el equipo del proyecto InTer AquAS investigará las relaciones entre los seres humanos, los animales y el medio ambiente, incluidos los animales terrestres y acuáticos, en la transición entre la época romana y la Edad Media a lo largo de la costa noroccidental del Adriático. Las comparaciones cronológicas y espaciales, junto con los análisis biométricos y de isótopos estables, completarán el eslabón que falta en los análisis faunísticos a gran escala y metodológicamente específicos.

Objetivo

The InTer AquAS project aims to investigate human-animal-environment relationships at the Roman-early medieval transition along the north-western Adriatic coast; by highlighting elements of continuity and discontinuity, the project aims to contribute precious knowledge to the archaeology and history of this transitional period. The project will analyse archaeozoological assemblages from three study-regions: the Venetian Lagoon, the Marano-Grado Lagoon, and the coast of Romagna; these regions are characterised by the presence of wetlands, with lagoons, rivers and canals influencing the nature of human settlement and activities. The archaeology of the Late Antiquity and Middle Ages in the north-western Adriatic represents a very active field of research; current archaeozoological analyses, however, are site-specific, while large-scale reviews touch these regions only lightly and marginally, without focussing on their peculiar environmental contexts. The chronological and spatial comparisons proposed by the InTer AquAS project, the combination of terrestrial and aquatic faunal studies, and the functional implementation of biometrical and stable isotope analyses, will provide a holistic approach taking into account the complex, changing relationships between humans, other animals, and the environment. My experience in archaeozoology, and in particular my familiarity with biometry and the Roman-early medieval transition in Europe, make me the ideal candidate to conduct a project such as InTer AquAS. Ca’ Foscari University of Venice is a leader in the study of the Late Antiquity and Middle Ages in Italy, and the project will ultimately fill the existing gap in large-scale and methodologically targeted faunal analyses. In addition to informing on key aspects of past economies and environments, this study will boost my knowledge on the archaeology and history of the periods considered, and substantially advance methodological skills required to optimise my career prospects.