The course aims at introducing the concept of landscape investigatingthe ways in which - starting from an archaeological reading, and hence focusing on material traces - it is possible to reconstruct the changes in the forms of management of environmental resources, the articulation of settlement and, therefore, the links between changes in the landscape and the dynamics of settlement. Particular attention will be paid to the dialogue between the different disciplines involved in the study of the landscape, as well as to the comparison of research approaches and procedures and the various and numerous processes of landscape heritagisation.
Landscape archeology is the discipline which studies the landscape from a historical, deeply diachronic perspective. Starting from a reflection on the concept of landscape and on how it is declined in the various disciplines, the course aims to: - provide the theoretical-methodological tools to read traces of the past in the landscape and in the various sources , document and interpret them; - analyze and discuss the different types of sources (documentary - textual, cartographic and iconographic - and of land, with particular reference to archaeological reconnaissance) useful for reconstructing the changes in the practices and in the activation and management systems of environmental resources; - show how the analyses can reconstruct the processes that led to the formation of current landscapes and to better understand the social and settlement dynamics that historically have affected rural spaces and beyond; - critically reflect, starting from an archaeological perspective, on the current processes of landscape heritage (European Landscape Convention, Faro Convention, etc.).
The course builds a path around the concept of landscape and the archaeological reading of the current landscape in different disciplines and research traditions (Italian and others). The course starts from the historiographical reconstruction of the different approaches that have tackled the concept of landscape from a historical perspective (from the work on the Italian agrarian landscape by Emilio Sereni to English Local History and English Historical Ecology). Archaeological approaches to landscapes will be explored in depth (archaeology of the territory, ancient topography, archaeological survey, historic landscape characterisation, archaeology and environmental history). The aim is to show how the perspectives through which the landscape has been observed by the different disciplines and by archaeology have changed. These discussions will be the theoretical basis for the concrete examples from different Italian and European contexts that the course will illustrate (also through educational fieldworks), in order to present and discuss the tools and methods of landscape archaeology research.
It will be shown how through archaeological surveys it is possible to identify, non only the evidence of buried settlements, but also those of of the management of environmental resources and of theyr changes through times. Attention will also be drawn to changes in landscape and settlement dynamics, through a constant dialogue with other disciplines (in particular geograpy, archive research and natural sciences). The consideration of these links can in fact also modify the perspective with which local social groups, settlement dynamics, and material culture are reconstructed. From these perspectives, we will reflect on how archaeology can contribute to the processes of landscape definition, protection and valorisation, and on the problems posed by the ongoing process of landscape heritagisation (European Landscape Convention, Faro Convention, etc.).
At the end of the course, students will have a detailed knowledge of how ways of reading the landscape have changed. They will also have the tools to navigate through the vast bibliography on the subject. Moreover, they will acquire the tools for a critical analysis of the studies carried out on the history of rural societies and landscapes, and to carry out autonomous observations of landscape archaeology and critically analyse the ongoing processes of heritagisation.
For students in History and for those who selceted 9 CFU, aims, learning outcomos, programma and bibliography must be integrated, for the remaining 3 CFU from the fraction "Rural archaeology" of the course "Postmedieval and rural archaeology" (https://corsi.unige.it/off.f/2024/ins/77496).
No special prerequisites are required.
Educational visits to spaces that can be studied through landscape archaeology and to museums. Lab-activities Lectures, with use of presentations and any other audiovisual aids; seminar activities on case studies. During the lessons, paper and documents will be introduced also by students (after and individual or small groups work).
The teaching material will be posted on the Aulaweb.
Lessons will be held in presence. Attendance, although not compulsory, is recommended.
Students with certified DSA, disabilities or other learning disorders are invited to contact the lecturer and the School/Department's relevant officer at the beginning of the course, to agree on possible teaching arrangements that, while respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning methods.
The course programme revolves around three key contents: the concept of landscape; reading landscape through archaeology: theoretical approaches, methods and strategies of investigation (from landscape to site); landscape and heritage: ongoing processes and open issues.
The different and differentiated paths that in Italy and Europe have led to the construction and development of landscape archaeologies and non-invasive and non-destructive methodologies of archaeological investigation will be discussed and presented; starting from the methodologies of archaeological survey, approaches, strategies and methods for the historical-archaeological-environmental study of the landscape (rural archaeology, archaeology of environmental resources, historical ecology, historical characterisation of the landscape, mountain archaeology, archaeology of rural settlement networks, ancient topography, agrarian archaeology, etc.) will be explored with a comparative view; the herigisation processes of spaces, objects and memories connected with the landscape and the resulting critical issues will be also discussed.
The programme will be the same for attenders and non-attenders. For non-attenders, an ad hoc course will be constructed through readings and texts of their choice.
For students in History and for those who selceted 9 CFU, programme and bibliography must be integrated, for the remaining 3 CFU from the fraction "Rural archaeology" of the course "Postmedieval and rural archaeology" (https://corsi.unige.it/off.f/2024/ins/77496).
The list of texts is subject to change. Therefore, it is advisable to wait for the start of the lectures and the presentation of the programme before purchasing or borrowing.
During the introduction, the topics to be covered in depth in the course will be agreed upon. Students will be able to choose from the list below the texts to be read and commented on.
Reference texts
Methodology
Documentation
Text for detailed studies (two topics should be selected, when many texts are proposed, the selection of the text will be discussed with the lecturer)
Archaeological maps and archaeological risk
Archaeology of Environmental Resources and Historical Ecology
The archaeological deposit and formation processes in archaeology
“Archeologia globale del territorio”
Site and context (or site and landscape)
Colin Renfrew Paul Bahn Elizabeth DeMarrais, L'essenziale in archeologia. Teorie, metodi, pratiche, Bologna, 2024.
Between ancient topography and landscape archaeology (in depth studies)
Historic Landscape Characterisation
Agrarian landscapes, cultural landscapes, rural landscapes
Mountain archaeology
History of an history of landscapes archaeologies
Further bibliographical indications and materials relating to the research and cases discussed will be provided in class and, when possible, uploaded to the Aulaweb.
Ricevimento: Anna Maria Stagno receives in her office in via Balbi 4, 3rd floor (glottology), usually on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 am to 1 pm. It is suggested to define the time and day of the meeting, and also to arrange other times, by writing to anna.stagno@unige.it
ANNA MARIA STAGNO (President)
FABIO NEGRINO
GIULIA BIZZARRI (Substitute)
LAURA GAGO CHOREN (Substitute)
YLENIA PACIOTTI (Substitute)
CATERINA PIU (Substitute)
Classes will start during the week starting with Monday 17th February
Exam will be oral. Written exercises and texts on case studies or critical readings are expected. Written excises will contribute to the final evaluation, but are not compulsory and have temporal validity during the academic year.
Erasmus students not proficient in Italian may request a substitutive bibliography, and take the examination in English or in Spanish.
The oral examination and the discussion of the in-progress written exercises will verify the achievement of the learning outcomes. The main assessment parameters are the mastery of the topics covered, the quality of the exposition and vocabulary used, both in the oral communication and in the written tests, and the capacity for critical and comparative reasoning.
