Books by Michele Nucciotti
What can Medieval archaeologists do for today societies? Florence University team of Medieval Arc... more What can Medieval archaeologists do for today societies? Florence University team of Medieval Archaeology developed a strategy for funding base research projects at international level with the aim of showing how academic achievements could provide actual benefits to a wide public, including governing institutions, non state actors and heritage tourists. The posters present a selection of three international projects from 2006 to 2011 to illustrate how this was done.
Medieval archaeology is quite a recent academic field in Italy (from 1970s) and is characterized by high interdisciplinarity within Human and Natural sciences. Medieval landscapes and urbanization are the blueprint of today’s Euro-Mediterranean countryside and cities. Medieval architectures are a key feature of modern historic centers and in a very great number of cases medieval buildings are still in use as public or private structures across Europe and the Mediterranean. These facts provided the ground for designing projects that could serve the purposes of academic research as well as to help addressing issues of heritage governance and of promotion of social cultural growth and awareness for local and tourist populations.
A crucial point for the viability of such projects was the actual engagement of non academic potential beneficiaries into a joint cooperation with University of Florence on an equal basis. Community activation, based on the methodology of EU Leader Plus programme for rural development (then embedded within Public Archaeology), helped bridging the obstacles of potential distrust between academic and non academic actors through the development of a common language and through clearly defined roles within project consortia. The aim of maximizing benefits for all partners was interpreted in the sense that projects should respond to clearly identified needs of each partner/stakeholder, that has to actively take part to project planning and activities, thus helping an actual engagement of all project actors. All activities are subject to monitoring and impact evaluation. Projects developed by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology within this frame provided additional funding for base research (also in the form of research grants); sustained and implemented a scientific network of international public research institutions and their activities (including joint scientific missions and publications); created territorial, national and international networks of academic and non-academic actors able to join forces in project consortia and, recently, developed spin-off actions in the field of heritage services/enterprises.
In the case of the “Atlas of Medieval Buildings” (2006-2008), the outcome of archaeological research on medieval still standing structures of Mount Amiata in southern Tuscany, based on procedures of Light Archaeology (using non-invasive methods, limited excavation and focused on reconstructing territorial histories) produced in turn usable tools of heritage governance for 10 local municipalities (EU Leader Plus “Colleganze”) as well as a local museum (funded by Municipality of Arcidosso, University of Florence and Regione Toscana) for disseminating the results of academic research towards heritage tourists and resident population. The scientific study was carried out by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology and was aimed at recording and interpreting lordly settlement strategies of earls Aldobrandeschi between 10th and 14th centuries as part of a wider research programme on medieval rural aristocracies in Tuscany that includes areas in the provinces of Florence and Arezzo.
[quote from M. Nucciotti, G. Vannini, 'Light and Public!
International projects and research by the Florence chair of Medieval Archaeology, Florence (Italy), 2011, in print]
Papers by Michele Nucciotti
Land
Rapidly growing research in urban heritage studies highlights the significance of incorporating p... more Rapidly growing research in urban heritage studies highlights the significance of incorporating participatory approaches in urban transformation projects. And yet, participation tends to be limited, including only certain segments of the population. It is also acknowledged that cities are ‘dynamic’ and ‘complex’ systems. However, there is extremely limited research that captures the dynamic transformation mechanisms in historic urban environments. This paper aims to illustrate a novel, mixed-method and dynamic approach to unfold the dynamics of urban heritage areas. We do so by focusing on the historic area of Woolwich, a South-East suburb in London, UK. To do so, we apply ‘critical system dynamics’ for the analysis of a mixed dataset which incorporates architectural surveys, interviews, online surveys, social media data and visual observations of material change through light archaeology. Within the framework of ‘deep cities’, the article argues that the transformation of a place i...
1 | 2022
This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (A... more This paper aims to show the preliminary results of the first excavation campaign at Dvin/Dabīl (Armenia), conducted by the Italian-Armenian research group in Autumn 2021. The excavations involved two areas in distinct sectors of the city. While the Armenian team re-opened the investigation in the so-called Market, the Italian group opened a new digging area in the south portion of the citadel, the South Tower area. Preliminary documentation of the material contexts and laboratory analysis of ceramic samples were included in this mission. Chemical analysis of pottery aims to define the origin of the raw materials used and, hopefully, provide some information about the places of production.
Grazie a 20 anni di ricerche della Missione archeologica dell’Università di Firenze, Shawbak è ri... more Grazie a 20 anni di ricerche della Missione archeologica dell’Università di Firenze, Shawbak è riemersa dalle sabbie del deserto meridionale della Giordania. Dal 19 giugno, alla Limonaia di Palazzo Pitti, una grande, spettacolare esposizione racconterà, per la prima volta, la storia di questa lunga, complessa «rinascita» di Shawbak e, con essa, darà conto delle più recenti scoperte nell’area della Transgiordania che ha in Petra il suo centro più noto. E da Petra, oltre che da Shawbak giungeranno reperti sino ad oggi mai esposti al pubblico, frutto appunto di scoperte degli ultimi anni.
M. Nucciotti, 2016, Una musealizzazione interattiva ‘unplugged’: archeologia pubblica alla rocca ... more M. Nucciotti, 2016, Una musealizzazione interattiva ‘unplugged’: archeologia pubblica alla rocca aldobrandesca di Arcidosso, in A. M. Jasink e G. Dionisio, MUSINT 2: Nuove esperienze di ricerca e didattica nella museologia interattiva, Firenze, Firenze University Press, ISBN 978-88-6453-395-7 (print) ISBN 978-88-6453-396-4 (online), pp. 85-100. - - Abstract EN The Florence University Chair of Medieval Archaeology and the Municipality of Arcidosso (Italy, Tuscany, Mount Amiata) opened in 2014 a permanent museum exhibition in the premises of Aldobrandeschi Castle at Arcidosso, a multi-period architectural-archaeological site whose main developmental phases can be dated between 10th and 15th century CE. The Castle constitutes a superb example of European and Tuscan medieval seigniorial and military architecture and is beautifully preserved; moreover it is located at the center of the Amiata and Fiora Valley area, a vast rural territory intensively investigated by means of Light Archaeology by Florence University since 2003. Museological and museographic plannings were carried out, during a period of 3 years, with a Public Archaeology perspective, in order to maximize interaction with non-planners, both during «formative» phases, as well as (after the opening) within the actual museum environment. From a theoretical perspective, Arcidosso replicates and elaborates on the museological structure of the international exhibition «From Petra to Shawbak» (Florence, Palazzo Pitti, 2009) although with relevant specifics, as the full integration of antique artefacts and contemporary works of art clearly demonstrates. Finally, a distinctive mark of the Museum of Arcidosso is constituted by interactive «unplugged» displays, thought of as a most suitable means for visitors to select the desired contents from a very structured (and rich) data-set all the while limiting maintenance costs from the part of the local owner/manager, Municipality of Arcidosso, enhancing sustainability and durability of the project.
come progetto culturale Quando il 29 ottobre 2012, nella sala d'arme di Palazzo Vecchio a Firenze... more come progetto culturale Quando il 29 ottobre 2012, nella sala d'arme di Palazzo Vecchio a Firenze, si aprirono i lavori del primo congresso di Archeologia Pubblica in Italia, organizzatori e partecipanti erano immersi in un clima di grande attesa; tutti volevano innanzi tutto approfondire, dopo oltre un anno di preparazione e riunioni organizzative in giro per l'Italia, circolari, indicazioni ai relatori ecc., cosa si intendesse precisamente per 'archeologia pubblica'. Come poteva essere definita e descritta? In che modo l'archeologia italiana avrebbe potuto contribuire al dibattito internazionale sul tema della Public Archaeology in corso dagli anni '70? Sarebbe stato un evento scientifico significativo per i futuri sviluppi della disciplina, oppure una boutade intellettualistica e autoreferenziale? Domande che, come curatori, si ponevano in primo luogo gli autori di questo contributo, i quali, assieme a Guido Vannini, guidavano il gruppo di gestione progettuale (o PMG, Project Management Group), primo proponente e organizzatore dell'evento. Oggi, a distanza di alcuni anni da quel giorno, possiamo osservare il considerevole impatto che il congresso di Firenze ha avuto, soprattutto per l'essere riuscito a fornire basi solide per la costruzione di un movimento culturale nazionale che, da allora, ha profondamente cambiato la prospettiva con cui, reciprocamente, archeologi e non archeologi percepiscono l'essenza del proprio lavoro e si confrontano in Italia. Certo, il progressivo avvicinamento tra archeologi e non archeologi e la riflessione sull'interazione tra archeologia e società civile erano processi in atto da tempo, in Italia come all'estero, e di questo si è già detto sopra e altrove (v. l'Introduzione a questo volume, Bonacchi 2009 e Vannini, Nucciotti Bonacchi 2014). Sul modo in cui il PMG decise di operare per preparare un congresso nazionale di una disciplina inesistente, in Italia, è invece necessario spendere brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk
in pubblicazione su P. Arthur (a c.), Atti del congresso SAMI 2015 (Lecce), Firenze
Geosciences, 2017
This paper presents certain reflections concerning an interdisciplinary project between medieval ... more This paper presents certain reflections concerning an interdisciplinary project between medieval archaeologists from the University of Florence (Italy) and computer science researchers from CNRS, National Center for Scientific Research, (France), aiming towards a connection between 3D spatial representation and archaeological knowledge. We try to develop an integrated system for archaeological 3D survey and all other types of archaeological data and knowledge by incorporating observable (material) and non-graphic (interpretive) data. Survey plays a central role, since it is both a metric representation of the archaeological site and, to a wider extent, an interpretation of it (being also a common basis for communication between the two teams). More specifically, 3D survey is crucial, allowing archaeologists to connect actual spatial assets to the stratigraphic formation processes (i.e., to the archaeological time) and to translate spatial observations into historical interpretation of the site. It is well known that laser scanner, photogrammetry and computer vision are very useful tools for archaeologists, although the integration of the representation of space, as well as archaeological time has not yet found a methodological standard of reference. We propose a common formalism for describing photogrammetric survey and archaeological knowledge stemming from ontologies: indeed, ontologies are fully used to model and store 3D data and archaeological knowledge. We equip this formalism with a qualitative representation of time, starting from archaeological stratigraphy. Stratigraphic analyses (both of excavated deposits and of upstanding structures) are closely related to Edward Cecil Harris's theory of the "Unit of Stratigraphication" (referred to as "US", while a stratigraphic unit of an upstanding structure Unita Stratigrafica Murale, in Italian, will be referred to as "USM"). Every US is connected to the others by geometric, topological and, eventually, temporal links, and these are recorded by the 3D photogrammetric survey. However, the limitations of the Harris matrix approach led us to use another formalism for representing stratigraphic relationships, namely Qualitative Constraints Networks (QCN), which was successfully used in the domain of knowledge representation and reasoning in artificial intelligence for representing temporal relations.
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Books by Michele Nucciotti
Medieval archaeology is quite a recent academic field in Italy (from 1970s) and is characterized by high interdisciplinarity within Human and Natural sciences. Medieval landscapes and urbanization are the blueprint of today’s Euro-Mediterranean countryside and cities. Medieval architectures are a key feature of modern historic centers and in a very great number of cases medieval buildings are still in use as public or private structures across Europe and the Mediterranean. These facts provided the ground for designing projects that could serve the purposes of academic research as well as to help addressing issues of heritage governance and of promotion of social cultural growth and awareness for local and tourist populations.
A crucial point for the viability of such projects was the actual engagement of non academic potential beneficiaries into a joint cooperation with University of Florence on an equal basis. Community activation, based on the methodology of EU Leader Plus programme for rural development (then embedded within Public Archaeology), helped bridging the obstacles of potential distrust between academic and non academic actors through the development of a common language and through clearly defined roles within project consortia. The aim of maximizing benefits for all partners was interpreted in the sense that projects should respond to clearly identified needs of each partner/stakeholder, that has to actively take part to project planning and activities, thus helping an actual engagement of all project actors. All activities are subject to monitoring and impact evaluation. Projects developed by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology within this frame provided additional funding for base research (also in the form of research grants); sustained and implemented a scientific network of international public research institutions and their activities (including joint scientific missions and publications); created territorial, national and international networks of academic and non-academic actors able to join forces in project consortia and, recently, developed spin-off actions in the field of heritage services/enterprises.
In the case of the “Atlas of Medieval Buildings” (2006-2008), the outcome of archaeological research on medieval still standing structures of Mount Amiata in southern Tuscany, based on procedures of Light Archaeology (using non-invasive methods, limited excavation and focused on reconstructing territorial histories) produced in turn usable tools of heritage governance for 10 local municipalities (EU Leader Plus “Colleganze”) as well as a local museum (funded by Municipality of Arcidosso, University of Florence and Regione Toscana) for disseminating the results of academic research towards heritage tourists and resident population. The scientific study was carried out by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology and was aimed at recording and interpreting lordly settlement strategies of earls Aldobrandeschi between 10th and 14th centuries as part of a wider research programme on medieval rural aristocracies in Tuscany that includes areas in the provinces of Florence and Arezzo.
[quote from M. Nucciotti, G. Vannini, 'Light and Public!
International projects and research by the Florence chair of Medieval Archaeology, Florence (Italy), 2011, in print]
Papers by Michele Nucciotti
Medieval archaeology is quite a recent academic field in Italy (from 1970s) and is characterized by high interdisciplinarity within Human and Natural sciences. Medieval landscapes and urbanization are the blueprint of today’s Euro-Mediterranean countryside and cities. Medieval architectures are a key feature of modern historic centers and in a very great number of cases medieval buildings are still in use as public or private structures across Europe and the Mediterranean. These facts provided the ground for designing projects that could serve the purposes of academic research as well as to help addressing issues of heritage governance and of promotion of social cultural growth and awareness for local and tourist populations.
A crucial point for the viability of such projects was the actual engagement of non academic potential beneficiaries into a joint cooperation with University of Florence on an equal basis. Community activation, based on the methodology of EU Leader Plus programme for rural development (then embedded within Public Archaeology), helped bridging the obstacles of potential distrust between academic and non academic actors through the development of a common language and through clearly defined roles within project consortia. The aim of maximizing benefits for all partners was interpreted in the sense that projects should respond to clearly identified needs of each partner/stakeholder, that has to actively take part to project planning and activities, thus helping an actual engagement of all project actors. All activities are subject to monitoring and impact evaluation. Projects developed by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology within this frame provided additional funding for base research (also in the form of research grants); sustained and implemented a scientific network of international public research institutions and their activities (including joint scientific missions and publications); created territorial, national and international networks of academic and non-academic actors able to join forces in project consortia and, recently, developed spin-off actions in the field of heritage services/enterprises.
In the case of the “Atlas of Medieval Buildings” (2006-2008), the outcome of archaeological research on medieval still standing structures of Mount Amiata in southern Tuscany, based on procedures of Light Archaeology (using non-invasive methods, limited excavation and focused on reconstructing territorial histories) produced in turn usable tools of heritage governance for 10 local municipalities (EU Leader Plus “Colleganze”) as well as a local museum (funded by Municipality of Arcidosso, University of Florence and Regione Toscana) for disseminating the results of academic research towards heritage tourists and resident population. The scientific study was carried out by the Chair of Medieval Archaeology and was aimed at recording and interpreting lordly settlement strategies of earls Aldobrandeschi between 10th and 14th centuries as part of a wider research programme on medieval rural aristocracies in Tuscany that includes areas in the provinces of Florence and Arezzo.
[quote from M. Nucciotti, G. Vannini, 'Light and Public!
International projects and research by the Florence chair of Medieval Archaeology, Florence (Italy), 2011, in print]
progress towards a 3D Geographical Information System (GIS) dedicated to
Cultural Heritage with a specific focus application on the Castle of Shawbak,
one of the best preserved rural medieval settlements in the entire Middle East).
The Shawbak archaeological project is a specific and integrated project between
medieval archaeological research and computer vision done thanks to a long
cooperation between University of Florence and CNRS, LSIS, Marseille.
Focusing mainly on stratigraphical analysis of upstanding structures we provide
archaeologists with two-step pipeline. First a survey process using
photogrammetry, both in a traditional way with additional annotations and
using the most advanced technique to obtain dense maps and then a tool for
statistical analysis. Two main applications are presented here, stratigraphy
analysis with Harris matrix computed on the fly from the 3D viewer and
statistical tools, clustering operation on ashlar in order to show new
relationships between the measured artifacts.
All these developments are written in Java within Arpenteur framework[