The present report covers the 2015 campaign of excavations carried out in the central area of the... more The present report covers the 2015 campaign of excavations carried out in the central area of the plateaux to the west of the agora in the residential part of the town of Akrai/Acrae, south-eastern Sicily, which was continuation of the previous 2011–14 campaigns. The excavations have yielded until now a rich material dating to two main occupational phases in the Late Hellenistic – Early Roman and the Late Roman–Byzantine periods
At Akrai, in South-Eastern Sicily, the UW excavations unveiled a huge amount of small, wheel-made... more At Akrai, in South-Eastern Sicily, the UW excavations unveiled a huge amount of small, wheel-made, beige-slipped lamps belonging to the Roman Republican Ricci type C. The most important elements witnessed by this research are both the role those lamps played – laid unused in votive deposits but also used in daily life – and their permanence way after times when they disappeared elsewhere in the Roman world. As a matter of fact, they derivate from an old form and they knew a floruit during the 3rd and 2nd century BC, while the last individuals seem to have been produced until the reign of Augustus.
The present report covers the 2015 campaign of excavations carried out in the central area of the... more The present report covers the 2015 campaign of excavations carried out in the central area of the plateaux to the west of the agora in the residential part of the town of Akrai/Acrae, south-eastern Sicily, which was continuation of the previous 2011–14 campaigns. The excavations have yielded until now a rich material dating to two main occupational phases in the Late Hellenistic – Early Roman and the Late Roman–Byzantine periods
At Akrai, in South-Eastern Sicily, the UW excavations unveiled a huge amount of small, wheel-made... more At Akrai, in South-Eastern Sicily, the UW excavations unveiled a huge amount of small, wheel-made, beige-slipped lamps belonging to the Roman Republican Ricci type C. The most important elements witnessed by this research are both the role those lamps played – laid unused in votive deposits but also used in daily life – and their permanence way after times when they disappeared elsewhere in the Roman world. As a matter of fact, they derivate from an old form and they knew a floruit during the 3rd and 2nd century BC, while the last individuals seem to have been produced until the reign of Augustus.
Eksperymenty archeologiczne to odtwarzanie dawnych technik produkcji przedmiotów i sposobów ich u... more Eksperymenty archeologiczne to odtwarzanie dawnych technik produkcji przedmiotów i sposobów ich używania oraz rekonstruowanie procesów związanych z życiem ludzi w przeszłości na podstawie źródeł archeologicznych, ikonograficznych i tekstowych. Rządzą się podobnymi prawami jak inne doświadczenia naukowe, a ich wyniki, uprzednio wielokrotnie powtarzane i opracowane z wykorzystaniem narzędzi badawczych (statystyki, porównań, analiz), powinny stanowić podstawę do dalszych badań naukowych i interpretacji, gdyż celem eksperymentu naukowego jest potwierdzenia lub sfalsyfikowania określonej teorii naukowej. Przez wiele dekad pierwotne założenia archeologii doświadczalnej ulegały transformacjom. Gdzieś po drodze do terminu ‘archeologia eksperymentalna’ dołączył aspekt edukacyjny, bynajmniej nie w wymiarze akademickim, ale popularnym. Na pierwszy rzut oka, analizując rozmaite metody edukacji, można śmiało stwierdzić, że archeologia eksperymentalna jest jednym z najciekawszych i najbardziej kształcących sposobów prezentowania wyników naukowych badań archeologicznych szerokim grupom nieprofesjonalistów. Potwierdzają to rozliczne publikacje, prezentacje, imprezy plenerowe, inicjatywy muzealne. Jeśli jednak przyjrzymy się temu bliżej z punktu widzenia naukowego, sprawa nie wydaje się już tak oczywista. W ten sposób właśnie jako naukowcy stają przed merytorycznym dylematem. Bowiem z jednej strony archeologia eksperymentalna to absolutnie niezwykle efektywna metoda edukacji w zakresie dziedzictwa archeologicznego, ale z drugiej strony naukowy eksperyment archeologiczny, polegający na odtwarzaniu dawnych technik produkcji przedmiotów i sposobów ich używania oraz na rekonstruowaniu procesów związanych z życiem ludzi w przeszłości, wymaga spełnienia wielu warunków: potrzebuje czasu, pieczołowitości o szczegóły, statystycznych opracowań, zastosowania metodyki, analizy podstaw źródłowych. A na to, z czym wszyscy się z pewnością zgodzą, brakuje przecież czasu podczas pokazów dla publiczności.
Warszawa, Poland, 11th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection, paper with Misiewi... more Warszawa, Poland, 11th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection, paper with Misiewicz K.,, 15-19.09.2015
Warszawa, Poland, Annual Conference od Institute of Archaeology University of Warsaw, paper with ... more Warszawa, Poland, Annual Conference od Institute of Archaeology University of Warsaw, paper with Więcek T., 1-4.12.2015
Interdisciplinary approaches to ancient Roman diets, 12th Roman Archaeology Conference, Rome, 16... more Interdisciplinary approaches to ancient Roman diets, 12th Roman Archaeology Conference, Rome, 16-19 march 2016
Session abstract Ancient Roman diets have been predominantly investigated relying on information from iconographic and written sources. While these data sources have provided important insights, they also present some limitations and may result in a biased perspective of past dietary patterns. Often historical data pertains mostly to the dietary habits of the upper classes and may include disproportionate references to imported exotic foodstuffs. Furthermore, the relatively limited historical evidence offers only temporally and geographically localized snapshots while a great diversity in dietary habits throughout the extension and duration of the Roman world may be expected. These limitations may be overcome by combining data from historical sources with data obtained from the analysis of material remains using different archaeometric methods. These methods have been applied with great success in the reconstruction of past dietary and culinary habits of diverse historic and pre-historic populations although their use within archaeological research of the Roman world remains comparatively limited. The aim of this session is to promote interdisciplinary approaches to the study of ancient Roman diets. Welcomed contributions are those that combine dietary information obtained from diverse sources including: historical and archaeological, ancient DNA analysis, isotope studies, archaeozoological and archaeobotanical studies, physical anthropology, and pottery residue analysis. The adoption of interdisciplinary approaches to investigate Roman dietary patterns should serve to address relevant archaeological research questions. These include, but are not limited to, the following examples: a. Potential relationships between access to certain foodstuffs and forms of social or economic differentiation (e.g. gender, profession, class, ethnicity). b. Impact of cultural norms in dietary choices. c. Framing dietary patterns within the local environmental context and available food resources in settlement hinterland areas. 4 d. Relationships between nutrition and health. e. Food trade: variety, extension, and intensity. f. Identifying diachronic patterns in regional dietary habits and observing possible links with socio-political trajectories.
30.06-2.07.2015, Cargèse, France, International Colloquium, The Geoarchaeology of Mediterranean ... more 30.06-2.07.2015, Cargèse, France, International Colloquium, The Geoarchaeology of Mediterranean Islands: THE GEOARCHAEOLOGY OF MEDITERRANEAN ISLANDS. Multidisciplinary approaches to paleoenvironmental changes and the history of the human occupation in the Mediterranean islands since the Last Glacial Maximum
International Conference „Archaeological Heritage - Methods of Education and Popularization”, War... more International Conference „Archaeological Heritage - Methods of Education and Popularization”, Warsaw, Poland, 1-3 December 2011
18th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Helsinki, Finnland, 28 August ... more 18th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Helsinki, Finnland, 28 August - 2 September 2012 -
Conference "Quando il futuro incontra il passato. La tecnologia moderna nella ricerca archeologic... more Conference "Quando il futuro incontra il passato. La tecnologia moderna nella ricerca archeologica del Siracusano", Palazzolo Acreide, Italy, 22 October 2012
Unveiling the past of an ancient town. Akrai/Acrea in south–eastern Sicily, Chowaniec, R. (ed.), ... more Unveiling the past of an ancient town. Akrai/Acrea in south–eastern Sicily, Chowaniec, R. (ed.), Warsaw 2015
Abstract submissions are invited for the session “Interdisciplinary approaches to ancient Roman d... more Abstract submissions are invited for the session “Interdisciplinary approaches to ancient Roman diets” to be held during the 12th Roman Archaeology Conference in Rome (Italy) from 16 to 19 March 2015
New training models to innovate European archaeology: the challenge of Public Archaeology. INNOVA... more New training models to innovate European archaeology: the challenge of Public Archaeology. INNOVARCH is a Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Action (Key Action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practice) in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission (project reference: 2015-1-ES01-KA203-016351).
In this paper, petrographic, mineralogical and chemical analyses have been performed on plain tab... more In this paper, petrographic, mineralogical and chemical analyses have been performed on plain table-ware fragments discovered in the ancient town of Akrai (modern Palazzolo Acreide, Syracuse, Sicily) and dated between the Hellenistic and the Late Roman periods (4 th-5 th /6 th century A.D.). The project is developed in the context of the archeological debate on the cultural and political process occurred in Sicily since the 3 rd century B.C. and known in archaeological literature as Romanization. In this framework, a gradually substitution of Greek-Hellenistic materials with the Roman ones has occurred in Sicilian colonies and the city of Akrai was deepened involved in this process. As the sensitiveness of material culture to cultural and social changes, the archaeometric investigation has been focused on provenance and technological manufacture aspects of table-ware production, in order to delineate the eventually changes took place in the area during the investigated period. The comparison of obtained data with numerous references local groups of ceramics allows to identify different highly specialized local productions, drawing-back the commercial movements of potteries in Sicily during Roman Age.
Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine engraved gems in the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea area. An international e-conference on archaeological and archaeogemological approaches, 2024
Records of the e-conference in YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL89iPO_6ujodh2SbM... more Records of the e-conference in YouTube:
uploads
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO ANCIENT ROMAN DIETS
Session organisers
Dr Ricardo FERNANDES, University of Kiel (email: rfernandes@gshdl.uni-kiel.de <mailto:rfernandes@gshdl.uni-kiel.de>)
Dr Roksana Chowaniec, University of Warsaw (email: roksana.chowaniec@uw.edu.pl <mailto:roksana.chowaniec@uw.edu.pl>)
Session abstract
Ancient Roman diets have been predominantly investigated relying on information from iconographic and written sources. While these data sources have provided important insights, they also present some limitations and may result in a biased perspective of past dietary patterns. Often historical data pertains mostly to the dietary habits of the upper classes and may include disproportionate references to imported exotic foodstuffs. Furthermore, the relatively limited historical evidence offers only temporally and geographically localized snapshots while a great diversity in dietary habits throughout the extension and duration of the Roman world may be expected. These limitations may be overcome by combining data from historical sources with data obtained from the analysis of material remains using different archaeometric methods. These methods have been applied with great success in the reconstruction of past dietary and culinary habits of diverse historic and pre-historic populations although their use within archaeological research of the Roman world remains comparatively limited. The aim of this session is to promote interdisciplinary approaches to the study of ancient Roman diets. Welcomed contributions are those that combine dietary information obtained from diverse sources including: historical and archaeological, ancient DNA analysis, isotope studies, archaeozoological and archaeobotanical studies, physical anthropology, and pottery residue analysis. The adoption of interdisciplinary approaches to investigate Roman dietary patterns should serve to address relevant archaeological research questions. These include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
a. Potential relationships between access to certain foodstuffs and forms of social or economic differentiation (e.g. gender, profession, class, ethnicity).
b. Impact of cultural norms in dietary choices.
c. Framing dietary patterns within the local environmental context and available food resources in settlement hinterland areas.
4
d. Relationships between nutrition and health.
e. Food trade: variety, extension, and intensity.
f. Identifying diachronic patterns in regional dietary habits and observing possible links with socio-political trajectories.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL89iPO_6ujodh2SbM7FSnVfeIkx6OmBZ3