Museum corner: Antiquarium di Monselice
In the castrum of Monselice, near a tower located on the slope of the hill excavations carried out in 1989 brought to light five Lombard burials. Two of these burials …
Course: Enlightening the Dark Ages: Early Medieval Archaeology in Italy
The study of animals and society in the Early Middle Ages
The increasing contribution of zooarchaeology has greatly enhanced our understanding of animals in early medieval society. Watch the video to learn more about animals and society in the Early Middle …
Barbarian settlements in Italy
This piece focuses on the Goths and Lombards, the two predominant barbarian groups which settled in the Italian territory during the Early Middle Ages. Immigrants in Italy In the Roman …
Cura Annonae
Studies have revealed much about what the citizens of the Roman Empire ate, but how did Rome supply food to all its citizens? To understand changes in the food supply …
The Fortification of the Roman Empire
Since prehistory, various structures have been built to defend against attacks by assailants, whether such attacks were incidental or organised. In Jericho, the city walls date to 8,000 BCE. The …
The Roman diet
How has archaeology helped us understand the diet of people in the past? What did people during the Roman period eat and drink and what does this tell us about …
Fortifications and Aristocracies
In this discussion of fortifications we look at how aristocracies in history have played a huge part in their development. The role of state authorities and aristocracies is key to …
The Study of Human Bones
The study of human bones is the most tangible source for understanding the lives and deaths of all past populations – elites in some cases, but also the vast majority …
Measuring Climate Change
We begin this piece with one of the most crucial issues of our time: climate change. And before we can begin to understand our present predicament, we need to take …
Week 3 Introduction
This week we will focus on one of the most striking evolutions of late Roman cities and settlements: the process of fortification. This process took place from the third century …
Week 2 Introduction
This week you will learn how the Roman food production and distribution were organised. You will also learn why the Roman diet was so rich and diverse compared to that …
A Virtual Tour of Castelseprio and Its Churches
To finish our course, we are going on a guided tour through the site of Castelseprio. This site is a late Roman, Early Medieval fortification located north of Milan, in …
Studying the Diet of the Past
In this video, we will be speaking with Manuel Rigo and Lara Maritan, professors from the Geosciences Department at the University of Padua who collaborate with archaeologists in the analysis …
The transformation of Roman cities: from rubbish to revelations
Have you ever heard the saying: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? In this step, with the help of Cristiano Nicosia, an associate professor at the University of Padua, …
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Enlightening the Dark Ages: Early Medieval Archaeology in Italy