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Plants in the ancient Near Eastern texts. A transdisciplinary analysis of the human-plant relations in Mesopotamia during the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods

Descrizione del progetto

Uno sguardo più attento alle antiche dinamiche uomo-pianta

Nell’antica Mesopotamia, 10 specie vegetali hanno avuto un ruolo centrale nei rituali religiosi, nelle transazioni economiche e nelle strutture sociali durante i periodi neo-assiro e neo-babilonese. Tuttavia, l’eccessivo sfruttamento di queste piante da parte dell’uomo ha portato a trappole ecologiche, con conseguenze che si fanno sentire ancora oggi. Nonostante la loro importanza, queste interazioni sono ancora poco esplorate, ostacolando la nostra comprensione delle società antiche e del loro impatto sull’ambiente. Sostenuto dal programma di azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA), il progetto PlANET fonde metodologie storiche, antropologiche e digitali per aprire la strada a un cambiamento di paradigma, integrando dati testuali e archeobotanici per comprendere le interazioni uomo-pianta. Promuovendo banche dati ad accesso aperto e diversi canali di divulgazione, tra cui pubblicazioni scientifiche e social media, PlANET intende sensibilizzare l’opinione pubblica in merito all’importanza delle piante nella storia dell’umanità.

Obiettivo

PlANET project aims to reconsider the role of ten plant species in Mesopotamia during the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods (10th–6th cent. BCE) in religious, ideological, scholarly, gender, and economic spheres. It aims also to prove cases of human overexploitation of plant resources causing ecological traps, whose long-term effects are still experienced today. The project is the first full-scale study permitting us to dramatically increase our knowledge of Mesopotamian human-plant relations, by producing an innovative transdisciplinary non-anthropocentric paradigm, involving the methods of historical-philological and anthropological research, the archaeobotanical literature and the tools of Digital Humanities. It will set up an open-access database offering a systematic integration of textual data and archaeobotanical information to establish links between plant emic names, identifications, and activities described in textual sources. Such data variety will be analyzed in the light of Ecological Anthropology and Environmental Humanities. This holistic approach will make the outcomes relevant to a broad academic community since the addressed questions and methodologies can be used in other research fields, regions, and periods. The Dep. SARAS (Sapienza) and NELC (Penn) are the perfect places to acquire new multidisciplinary skills (study of cuneiform economic texts, Digital Humanities, and archaeobotany) and to open significant future academic career paths. SARAS has an anthropological section, while NELC collaborates with the Penn Museum, crucial to the successful implementation of the project. The results will be disseminated and communicated through various channels and audiences (online database, scientific works, statement for Iraqi Ministry of Environment, conference, popular science articles, social media, exhibition, and children’s book). The communication strategy contributes to a greater awareness of the important role of plants in human life.

Coordinatore

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Contribution nette de l'UE
€ 288 859,20
Indirizzo
Piazzale Aldo Moro 5
00185 Roma
Italia

Mostra sulla mappa

Regione
Centro (IT) Lazio Roma
Tipo di attività
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Collegamenti
Costo totale
Nessun dato

Partner (1)