2015

syllabus

DIPARTIMENTO

2016
DEI BENI CULTURALI
ARCHEOLOGIA, STORIA
DELL’ARTE, DEL CINEMA
E DELLA MUSICA

ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE
EARLY MIDDLE AGES:
ALEXANDRA CHAVARRIA
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will explore the political,
economical, social and cultural deve-
lopments that took place in the Mediter-
ranean between the 6th and the 10th
centuries with particular attention to
burial customs in order to understand
how archaeologists reconstruct past life
from burial contexts.
Specialists and foreign scholars will
be invited to expand or deep in some of
the topics of the course. See the pro-
gramm at the end of this syllabus for
further details on the invited guests
topics.

Prof. Alexandra Chavarria

chavarria@unipd.it

Office: 13/phone: 049-8274649

Office hours: contact the professor
Website
http://arcmed.lettere.unipd.it/CatMedievale
http://www.didattica.unipd.it/offerta/docente/CF10E790E45C1A
AA83772D39E58D0162
https://unipd.academia.edu/AlexandraChavarriaArnau
 “
PRATICAL Department will be

ACTIVITIES
At least 10 hours of
practical activities in
proposed in order to
get familiar with osteo-
logical Early Medieval
materials coming from
our own excavations.

“
the Laboratory of the

EXAMINATION
Active participation during the seminars mainly in the
weekly discussion of papers will be continuously eva-
luated (40%); oral presentation of a case study (60%).

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. 2.
Read a scientific paper, understand the main
Be familiarised with key themes and
contents, summarise it and present the main
debates within early medieval archaeology
ideas and critical aspects in public

3.
Know the main scientific methods used in
early medieval archaeology

4.
Develope a reseach that puts into practice
one or more about the topics learned and
present it orally and on a written report

5.
Be able to evaluate critically different case
studies and discuss about them
 COURSE
OUTLINE

main
LESSON’S
BEGINNING

readings WEEK 1
SOURCES AND
THEMES OF RESEARCH
ON EARLY MEDIEVAL
BURIAL STUDIES
WEEK 2
FUNERALS AND
B. Effros,
BURIAL RITES
"The ritual significance of vessels in the Formation Special guest:
of Merovingian Christian Communities", in The Javier Arce
Construction of Communities in the Early Middle WEEK 3 (University of Lille)
From Roman funerals to the
Ages: Texts, Resources and Artifacts, edit. by R. THE CEMETERY funeral of Alaric
Corradini, M. Diesenberger and Helmut Reimitz, Special guest:
Transformation of the Roman World 12, Leiden, Istvan Koncz
(University of Budapest):
2003, 213-227.
Lombard cemeteries in
Pannonia
WEEK 4
R. Fleming, CHRISTIAN
“Bones for Historians: Putting the Body Back into CEMETERIES, BURIALS
Biography,” in Writing Medieval Biography IN CHURCHES AND
750–1250: Essays in Honour of Frank Barlow, ed. WEEK 5 BURIAL CHURCHES
D. Bates, J. Crick, S. Hamilton, Woodbridge,
GRAVES AND FUNE-
2006, 29–48.
RARY MONUMENTS
Special guest:
Andrea Rivellino
WEEK 6
T. Meier, J. Graham-Campbell,
"Life, Death and Memory", in J. Graham- (University of Padova):
Campbell, M. Valor, The Archaeology of Medieval The cemetery at Santa GRAVE GOODS
Maria of Torba (Va) Special guests:
Europe, Aarhus University Press, 2007, 420-449. - Bonnie Effros (University of Florida):
From grave goods to Christian
epitaphs: Evolution in burial tradition

WEEK 7
M. Kowaleski, and the expression of social status in
Merovingian society
"Medieval people in towns and country: New - Alice Walczer (University of Padova):

perspective from demography and bioarchaeo- THE CORPSE Combs in late antique and early
medieval graves: characteristics and
Special guest: meanings
logy", Speculum, 89, 573-600.
Jesus Herrerin (Universidad
Autonoma de Madrid):
Eric Rebillard, Early medieval cemeteries in WEEK 8
The Care of the Dead in Late Antiquity, Cornell UP, Spain INSIDE THE BONES
Special guests:
2009. - Gundula Muldner (University of Reading):
Diet and life style from stable isotopes
analysis in early medieval cemeteries
C. Sapin, B.K. Young, - Maurizio Marinato (University of Padova):
Diet and mobility in Early medieval Northern
"Architecture and Funerary Space in the Early Italy
Middle Ages",
in Space of the Living and the Dead: An Archaeo- END OF LESSONS
logical Dialogue, Actes du colloque de Kalama-
zoo, 1993, American Early Medieval Studies 3,
1999, 39-58.