Project description
When ancient baths went cold
Roman public baths were more than just places to wash. They were vibrant social hubs where people mingled. But by Late Antiquity, these bustling balnea started to disappear. While many attribute this to changing beliefs and the rise of Christianity, the BALNEa project is taking a fresh look. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the project will study the environmental and economic pressures that made it difficult to maintain these baths. Using Sicily’s ancient bathhouses as a window into the past, the project merges archaeology with 3D technology to rebuild these spaces digitally. By measuring energy needs and resource demands, BALNEa reveals how ancient societies balanced luxury and sustainability long before our time.
Objective
The project will be hosted by the University of Bologna's Department of History and Cultures, supervised by Prof. Isabella Baldini, a leading scholar in Late Antique archaeology. It aims to investigate the decline of Roman public baths (balnea, in Latin). Baths held a crucial role in fostering sociability, being accessible to all social classes, thus becoming integral components of urban landscapes. While their decline during Late Antiquity is often attributed to cultural shifts tied to the rise of Christianity, my research aims to uncover environmental and economic factors that contributed to this decline. My study will chiefly concentrate on spatial volume of the thermal bath’s rooms, the energy consumption required for their heating, and the production cycle for procuring fuel materials within specific ecological settings. I’ve chosen Sicily as a case study due to the context comparable with other Mediterranean regions and the wealth of thermal complexes unearthed, a suitable number within the 3-year MSCA-PF. Methodologically, the research will first rely on the available scientific literature on the topic. Subsequently, drawing upon my background as an architect, I will delve into the technical and stylistic aspects of energy-efficient practices in designing ancient buildings, utilizing technologies such as surveying, 3D reconstruction, and simulations. The archaeological remains will be analysed through the creation of digital models to reconstruct their structural characteristics and operational system performance. To acquire the latest survey and 3D reconstruction technologies, I will conduct the Outgoing phase at the ‘Institute for Digital Exploration’ at the University of South Florida, directed by Prof. Davide Tanasi. Additionally, during a Secondment at the University of Catania’s ‘Energy Sustainability & Environmental Control Laboratory’, guided by Prof. Francesco Nocera, I will assess energy efficiency and economic sustainability in ancient buildings.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history ancient history
- humanities history and archaeology archaeology
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion religions christianity
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
40126 Bologna
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.