Leonardo Bigi | University of Pisa (original) (raw)
Conference Presentations by Leonardo Bigi
Traditional researches in the study of ancient cities give particular emphasis to understand cons... more Traditional researches in the study of ancient cities give particular emphasis to understand construction’s processes of past built environment and their development through the time and at the same time to the study of infra-structural capacity and ability to adapt to dynamic urban process. Current approaches give evidence to the organisation and perception of space, in particular within small areas or fractions of ancient cities.
Inside the “Dionysias Archaeological Project” (led by the University of Siena and directed by prof. E. Papi) we have tried to apply these concepts to an entire urban complex, giving an active role to spatial characteristics of the city itself.
The conclusions that will be shown come from the study of the urban layout and organization of the ancient settlement of Dionysias (Qasr Qarun), a Hellenistic foundation of the IIIrd/IInd century B.C. in the Fayyum region (Egypt). The lack of excavation data made it necessary to exploit the interpretation of information coming from the integration of all possible techniques and to overstress the data in order to obtain new sources of knowledge. First interpretations of the information coming from the fieldwork techniques (survey of the surface artefacts, architectural survey, study of the building techniques) together with Remote Sensing techniques (Satellite Image interpretation and geophysical prospection) and the epigraphic and papyrological sources have been stressed with spatial analysis and Space syntax methods in order to try to give new interpretative models.
The challenge of this approach have been focused on the exploitation of remotely sensed data with the application of Space Syntax analysis of the entire urban complex in a GIS environment.
The first results of the remote sensing and survey techniques gave the possibility to analyse the disposition of buildings, the geometric assessment, criteria of formality and monumentality, the material and structural aspect of the entire urban layout and of specific contexts, the identification of productive compounds and in one case their organisation. The use of spatial analysis coming from the space syntax added new perspective on the study of the entire settlement, considering the way in which built spaces function, the organisation of social and spatial interaction and at the same time leading the research in the achievement of new interpretation of the function of space.
This approach can probably be used also in further researches in this and other areas and could help to find a new systematic methodological approach for the integration of remote sensing and spatial analysis to the study of the configuration of space in ancient cities.
Papers by Leonardo Bigi
Nell’ambito degli studi sulla produzione di olio nel Mediterraneo romano, Volubilis costituisce l... more Nell’ambito degli studi sulla produzione di olio nel Mediterraneo romano, Volubilis costituisce l’unico caso in tutto l’Impero in cui, tra I e III sec. d.C., si osserva la più alta concentrazione di oleifici in ambito urbano assieme a processi di cambiamento della strumentazione produttiva. Nuove ricerche di superficie sono state svolte a Volubilis e nei principali siti urbani della Mauritania Tingitana nell'ambito di un progetto di raccolta di dati che ha permesso di aggiungere nuove conoscenze sul funzionamento degli oleifici, sul loro rapporto con gli spazi urbani edificati, e di approfondire molti aspetti legati allo sviluppo, l’applicazione di nuove tecnologie a fronte di particolari scelte economiche. L’analisi delle strutture conservate e gli studi editi hanno consentito di elaborare una sintesi sulla cronologia delle fasi di utilizzo e abbandono degli oleifici. L’ampio confronto con le principali regioni del Mediterraneo fornisce un supporto all'interpretazione delle...
Lo sviluppo tecnologico della produzione di olio di oliva a Volubilis e nella Mauretania Tingitana, 2018
The olives and oil of Athens have been cultiveted for millennia by writers, poets, historians and... more The olives and oil of Athens have been cultiveted for millennia by writers, poets, historians and archeologists, but it is never explained how this steretype actualy worked. The book is dedicated to the structures and instruments for the production of Athenian oil, documenting the oileries and the more than 160 components of mills and presses discovered, the latter also used for wine and others oils
Mélanges de l'École française de Rome. Antiquité, 2018
Il sito di Volubilis, situato nell’entroterra meridionale della Mauretania Tingitana, costituisce... more Il sito di Volubilis, situato nell’entroterra meridionale della Mauretania Tingitana, costituisce l’unico caso in tutto l’Impero in cui si osserva la piu alta concentrazione di oleifici in ambito urbano assieme a processi di cambiamento della strumentazione produttiva. Nell’arco di circa un secolo si verifica la sostituzione di contrappesi parallelepipedi per torchi ad argano (sistema piu antico e diffuso in Nordafrica), a contrappesi cilindrici, morfologia che in regioni come la vicina Betica e impiegata per piu sofisticati torchi a vite. Alcuni studiosi si sono interessati a questo sito nell’ambito delle indagini sullo sviluppo tecnologico e la diffusione di innovazioni in antichita, proponendo due diverse ricostruzioni. I produttori volubilitani potrebbero aver incrementato la rendita investendo in una tecnologia di importazione piu avanzata o mantenendo i meccanismi gia in uso, modificando – secondo criteri locali – materiali, forme e misure dei contrappesi. In questo articolo si propone una possibile soluzione a questo dibattito sulla base di nuove e piu approfondite ricerche svolte a Volubilis e nei principali siti della Tingitana.
Aegyptus, 2019
The article reviews the papyrological and archaeological evidence for domestic and professional b... more The article reviews the papyrological and archaeological evidence for domestic and professional beer production in the Roman Fayum. Although home brewing became more significant, this did not signal a decline of the professional beer industry, contrary to common perception. In the papyri, beer sellers supplanted brewers, but production and sale were closely associated. Several reasons are adduced for the lack of breweries in the archaeological record of the Roman Fayum.
Technological development in olive oil production at Volubilis and in Mauretania Tingitana
Traditional researches in the study of ancient cities give particular emphasis to understand cons... more Traditional researches in the study of ancient cities give particular emphasis to understand construction’s processes of past built environment and their development through the time and at the same time to the study of infra-structural capacity and ability to adapt to dynamic urban process. Current approaches give evidence to the organisation and perception of space, in particular within small areas or fractions of ancient cities.
Inside the “Dionysias Archaeological Project” (led by the University of Siena and directed by prof. E. Papi) we have tried to apply these concepts to an entire urban complex, giving an active role to spatial characteristics of the city itself.
The conclusions that will be shown come from the study of the urban layout and organization of the ancient settlement of Dionysias (Qasr Qarun), a Hellenistic foundation of the IIIrd/IInd century B.C. in the Fayyum region (Egypt). The lack of excavation data made it necessary to exploit the interpretation of information coming from the integration of all possible techniques and to overstress the data in order to obtain new sources of knowledge. First interpretations of the information coming from the fieldwork techniques (survey of the surface artefacts, architectural survey, study of the building techniques) together with Remote Sensing techniques (Satellite Image interpretation and geophysical prospection) and the epigraphic and papyrological sources have been stressed with spatial analysis and Space syntax methods in order to try to give new interpretative models.
The challenge of this approach have been focused on the exploitation of remotely sensed data with the application of Space Syntax analysis of the entire urban complex in a GIS environment.
The first results of the remote sensing and survey techniques gave the possibility to analyse the disposition of buildings, the geometric assessment, criteria of formality and monumentality, the material and structural aspect of the entire urban layout and of specific contexts, the identification of productive compounds and in one case their organisation. The use of spatial analysis coming from the space syntax added new perspective on the study of the entire settlement, considering the way in which built spaces function, the organisation of social and spatial interaction and at the same time leading the research in the achievement of new interpretation of the function of space.
This approach can probably be used also in further researches in this and other areas and could help to find a new systematic methodological approach for the integration of remote sensing and spatial analysis to the study of the configuration of space in ancient cities.
Nell’ambito degli studi sulla produzione di olio nel Mediterraneo romano, Volubilis costituisce l... more Nell’ambito degli studi sulla produzione di olio nel Mediterraneo romano, Volubilis costituisce l’unico caso in tutto l’Impero in cui, tra I e III sec. d.C., si osserva la più alta concentrazione di oleifici in ambito urbano assieme a processi di cambiamento della strumentazione produttiva. Nuove ricerche di superficie sono state svolte a Volubilis e nei principali siti urbani della Mauritania Tingitana nell'ambito di un progetto di raccolta di dati che ha permesso di aggiungere nuove conoscenze sul funzionamento degli oleifici, sul loro rapporto con gli spazi urbani edificati, e di approfondire molti aspetti legati allo sviluppo, l’applicazione di nuove tecnologie a fronte di particolari scelte economiche. L’analisi delle strutture conservate e gli studi editi hanno consentito di elaborare una sintesi sulla cronologia delle fasi di utilizzo e abbandono degli oleifici. L’ampio confronto con le principali regioni del Mediterraneo fornisce un supporto all'interpretazione delle...
Lo sviluppo tecnologico della produzione di olio di oliva a Volubilis e nella Mauretania Tingitana, 2018
The olives and oil of Athens have been cultiveted for millennia by writers, poets, historians and... more The olives and oil of Athens have been cultiveted for millennia by writers, poets, historians and archeologists, but it is never explained how this steretype actualy worked. The book is dedicated to the structures and instruments for the production of Athenian oil, documenting the oileries and the more than 160 components of mills and presses discovered, the latter also used for wine and others oils
Mélanges de l'École française de Rome. Antiquité, 2018
Il sito di Volubilis, situato nell’entroterra meridionale della Mauretania Tingitana, costituisce... more Il sito di Volubilis, situato nell’entroterra meridionale della Mauretania Tingitana, costituisce l’unico caso in tutto l’Impero in cui si osserva la piu alta concentrazione di oleifici in ambito urbano assieme a processi di cambiamento della strumentazione produttiva. Nell’arco di circa un secolo si verifica la sostituzione di contrappesi parallelepipedi per torchi ad argano (sistema piu antico e diffuso in Nordafrica), a contrappesi cilindrici, morfologia che in regioni come la vicina Betica e impiegata per piu sofisticati torchi a vite. Alcuni studiosi si sono interessati a questo sito nell’ambito delle indagini sullo sviluppo tecnologico e la diffusione di innovazioni in antichita, proponendo due diverse ricostruzioni. I produttori volubilitani potrebbero aver incrementato la rendita investendo in una tecnologia di importazione piu avanzata o mantenendo i meccanismi gia in uso, modificando – secondo criteri locali – materiali, forme e misure dei contrappesi. In questo articolo si propone una possibile soluzione a questo dibattito sulla base di nuove e piu approfondite ricerche svolte a Volubilis e nei principali siti della Tingitana.
Aegyptus, 2019
The article reviews the papyrological and archaeological evidence for domestic and professional b... more The article reviews the papyrological and archaeological evidence for domestic and professional beer production in the Roman Fayum. Although home brewing became more significant, this did not signal a decline of the professional beer industry, contrary to common perception. In the papyri, beer sellers supplanted brewers, but production and sale were closely associated. Several reasons are adduced for the lack of breweries in the archaeological record of the Roman Fayum.
Technological development in olive oil production at Volubilis and in Mauretania Tingitana