Giacomo Sigismondo - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Books by Giacomo Sigismondo

The volume aims to give a contribute to the reconstruction of the ancient landscape of Epirus, th... more The volume aims to give a contribute to the reconstruction of the ancient landscape of Epirus, the historical region corresponding to present-day southern Albania and northwestern Greece. This context is investigated by the authors through a diachronic analysis of archaeological data, approaching the theme of the landscape from four different but complementary perspectives: fortified landscapes, sacred landscapes, rural landscapes, and epigraphic landscapes. In their respective thematic sections, the history of Chaonia is retraced from the genesis of ancient settlement during the Bronze Age, through the phenomenon of the so-called second Greek colonization, to the birth of the Epirote state in the Hellenistic age, and until the profound changes brought by the progressive expansion of Roman dominion.

Papers by Giacomo Sigismondo

Architetture e sistemi costruttivi dei teatri e degli anfiteatri antichi in area adriatica, 2025

The architecture of entertainment buildings is a privileged field for studying the urban developm... more The architecture of entertainment buildings is a privileged field for studying the urban development of ancient cities, particularly in a border area between East and West such as Epirus. This contribution re-examines the archaeological evidence regarding the only theatrical building in Butrint, located in the sanctuary of Asklepios. After a brief description of the structures, integrated with data from on-going research on the site by the Butrint Project, their peculiar characteristics are highlighted. Particular attention is given to the alterations made to the building during Roman Age, exploring the condition of traditional Greek theatres being remodelled to acquire features from the Western traditions. In this regard, the second part of the paper presents some new data about the potential existence of a second building for spectacula. The research started from the analysis of anomalies identified from satellite imagery and aerial drone photographs, combined with other documentary evidence. The preliminary results permit to advance for the first time the identification of an amphitheatre, not otherwise known in Butrint, in the suburban area on the Vrina plain.

Landscape 4: una sintesi di elementi diacronici. Pianificazione e mondo antico: tra i dogmi del passato e le interpretazioni recenti, 2025

The paper presents the results of the field surveys conducted in some of the hillforts sites and ... more The paper presents the results of the field surveys conducted in some of the hillforts sites and fortified storehouses in the Pavlla and Bistrica river valleys in southern Albania. Challenges related to accessibility, lack of stratigraphic data and the rapidly changing landscape make it necessary to adopt work strategies on a case-by-case basis. Fieldwalking and topographic surveys by drone, laser scanning and GNSS were employed to update the available documentation and obtain new data for the study of individual sites and their spatial context.

Venezia e i paesaggi costieri adriatici, fra antico e contemporaneo, 2024

The relationship with the lagoon has played a decisive role in the evolution of the ancient city ... more The relationship with the lagoon has played a decisive role in the evolution of the ancient city of Butrint (southern Albania) over the centuries. Paleo-environmental and geomorphological studies allow us to reconstruct with good approximation the evolution of the landscape, from the marine inlet of the late Bronze Age to the ancient lake basin up to the medieval marsh and contemporary reclamation. In such a dynamic landscape, settlement patterns reflect adaptation to environmental conditions and the ever-changing relationship between land and sea routes. The archaeological project by the Archaeological Institute of Tirana and the University of Bologna (Butrint Project) has recently focused on new underwater surveys in the bay north of the acropolis and in the Vivari channel in order to further investigate these long-lasting processes through a multidisciplinary approach.

L'Idomeneo, 2024

During the Illyrian and Macedonian wars, North-western Greece was one of the first regions which ... more During the Illyrian and Macedonian wars, North-western Greece was one of the first regions which had to face the Roman presence. The concept of "Romanisation" - a complex, diachronic and multifaceted phenomenon - was recently questioned and criticized and the use of the term, too, was debated. Inevitably, this geographical area was deeply involved in the process of "Romanisation". As for Epirus, in the last decades archaeological research has given new data to deal with the topic, the majority of which derived from urban excavations, less frequently from rural contexts. Some hints are offered by a particular category of sites, the so-called fortified farmsteads or villas. In this paper the relationship between these buildings and other evidence from Chaonia and Thesprotia is investigated emphasising continuity and disruption in the light of the settlement patterns. After the Roman conquest, many of these sites were not destroyed or abandoned but continued to be settled and were refurbished. A comparable trend is observable in some fortifications (such as Malathre, in present-day Southern Albania). Some of them were altered and changed their functions, probably responding to new settlement dynamics, which, beyond sub-regional characteristic, should be considered as part of a wider phenomenon.

Cronache di Archeologia, 2022

This paper illustrates the preliminary results of the 2019 and 2021 archaeological campaigns on t... more This paper illustrates the preliminary results of the 2019 and 2021 archaeological campaigns on the acropolis of Butrint, ancient Bouthrotón/Buthrotum (Albania), by the Italian-Albanian Mission. The activities, which took place on the central terrace, represented a new season of research after several excavations from the site’s discovery, in the 1920s, to the latest at the beginning of the present century. Despite the narrowness of the trenches, data confirmed the presence of deeply stratified records from the Hellenistic period through Roman times to Middle Ages: a plastered building with a tiles roof and an impressive wall with squared stone blocks can be referred to the III-II century BC, while it is likely that the area underwent a renovation during the early Principate, when new large buildings arose. Then later structures used the earlier ones to create new rooms, maintaining the same orientation, or to raise the planking levels. Although it is difficult to gain an overall view by spots, new evidence offers a further contribution to comprehend the complex dynamics of development about such a central place of the city.

Landscape 3: una sintesi di elementi diacronici. Uomo e ambiente nel mondo antico: un equilibrio possibile?, 2023

The Progetto Bisignano is a fieldwalking survey project carried out in the territory of Bisignano... more The Progetto Bisignano is a fieldwalking survey project carried out in the territory of Bisignano (CS) with the aim of drawing up the archaeological map of the municipality. During the first campaign, fieldwork included both the verification of already known evidence and the survey of geomorphological units potentially occupied in Antiquity. The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary analysis of the collected pottery and surveyed topographic units. The Medieval and Renaissance ages are the most attested. However, new useful data emerge on possible areas of occupation in the Protohistoric age

Upland Archaeology Workshop. Round Table, 2023

Ancient Epirus, divided between southern Albania and northwestern Greece, is characterised by a h... more Ancient Epirus, divided between southern Albania and northwestern Greece, is characterised by a highly dynamic ancient landscape. In a predominantly mountainous region such as Epirus, with reliefs running subparallel to the coast alternated with valleys crossed by the main watercourses, it must necessarily be considered that the characteristics of the territory have affected the dynamics and settlement patterns as well as the economic structure of the region. Consequently, in this environmental context, relying on farming and pastoral resources, linked to short-distance mobility, and natural resources as part of the exploitation of the uncultivated landscape is a winning solution in a diachronic perspective. This fits well with the forms of tribal aggregation in open villages that characterised the population dynamics until at least the mid-4th century BC, when they were joined by urban centres and secondary fortified sites. The studies carried out by the Archaeological Mission of the University of Bologna and the Institute of Archaeology of Tirana (Butrint Project) have focused on surface investigations in some of the fortified hilltop sites in the Pavla river basin. Peculiarities of the mountain environment imply a series of natural factors which compromise the preservation of the archaeological record and reduce visibility on the ground. In addition, the specificities of the context into consideration, characterised by well-preserved but hardly datable walls and poorly diagnostic archaeological material lying on the surface, complicate the interpretation further. The paper intends to present some of the case studies by observing their methodological problems and proposing some interpretative approaches, in order to understand the role of hilltop sites in the management, control and exploitation of land and road network.

Posters by Giacomo Sigismondo

The area centered on the ancient settlement of Butrint (present-day southern Albania) represents ... more The area centered on the ancient settlement of Butrint (present-day southern Albania) represents a quintessential example of waterscape. Over the centuries, the human presence had to deal with a highly dynamic environment, dominated by water: the marine inlet of the Bronze Age gradually turned into a coastal lagoon in Greek and Roman times, while in the late antique and Medieval period it became a thriving marshland, exploited until the 18th century; then it was subjected to land reclamation functional to contemporary agricultural activities. These shifts, highlighted by recent paleo-environmental studies, deeply influenced the settlement patterns and even the shape of the ancient city, where subsidence phenomena and rising water still represent a challenge for the conservation of its remains. The latest research carried out by the Butrint Project (University of Bologna and Archaeological Institute of Tirana) has investigated transformation processes in a diachronic perspective and through a multidisciplinary approach. Thanks to the insight offered by underwater surveys and topographic studies, new considerations on the location of the ancient port and on the Roman bridge of the city became possible

Il territorio dell’antica Caonia, la regione antica dell’Epiro corrispondente all’attuale Albania... more Il territorio dell’antica Caonia, la regione antica dell’Epiro corrispondente all’attuale Albania meridionale, nell’ultimo secolo ha subito trasformazioni profonde che hanno modificato il paesaggio e ne hanno spesso complicato la lettura, in un’area dove le condizioni ambientali delineano già di per sé un quadro fortemente dinamico. La disponibilità di materiale aerofotografico e topografico della prima metà del XX secolo offre la preziosa opportunità di studiare il contesto della Caonia prima delle modifiche di età contemporanea. Accanto a questo approccio tradizionale, nuovi metodi si avvalgono degli strumenti forniti dai dataset satellitari (ortoimmagini, DEM), messi a disposizione dal geoportale nazionale albanese, e di immagini da drone ad alta risoluzione. Nell’ambito del Butrint Project le attività di ricerca hanno permesso di individuare siti del territorio non precedentemente noti in bibliografia e di approfondire la conoscenza di monumenti in ambito urbano, fornendo nuovi spunti metodologici utili a definire strategie di ricerca a scale differenti.

Conference Presentations by Giacomo Sigismondo

by LANDSCAPE UNA SINTESI DI ELEMENTI DIACRONICI, Davide Gangale Risoleo, Stefano De Nisi, Veronica Ferrari, maria luisa Marchi, Maria Elisa Amadasi, Antonio Campus, Federica Carbotti, Veronica Castignani, Lorenzo Ceruleo, Stefano Cespa, Cristina Corsi, Francesca D'Ambola, Marco Matta, David Mercuri, Giuseppina Renda, marcello guaitoli, and Giacomo Sigismondo

Il paesaggio antico è stato spesso analizzato attraverso le lenti della modernità con il tentativ... more Il paesaggio antico è stato spesso analizzato attraverso le lenti della modernità con il tentativo di attualizzare la tematica, da una parte individuando parallelismi tra il concetto moderno di ‘pianificazione’ e quello antico, dall’altra con la finalità di semplificare i fenomeni. Questo processo ha talvolta prodotto una ricostruzione lacunosa del paesaggio antico e degli elementi che lo componevano: le strade, la campagna, le città. Tuttavia, negli ultimi anni, soprattutto grazie all’introduzione di nuove metodologie, sono state rimesse in discussione alcune questioni pertinenti il concetto di ‘pianificazione antica’ introducendo nuove direzioni investigative o revisionando le interpretazioni del passato. Strumenti come i droni, la geofisica, la geomatica, hanno infatti permesso di condurre indagini su larga scala a costi più contenuti, talvolta agevolando la gestione di grandi quantità di dati e consentendo l’esecuzione di scavi stratigrafici mirati. Questo circolo virtuoso ha permesso di comprendere meglio la complessità del paesaggio antico, fatta non solo di città ma anche di insediamenti minori (vici, pagi), non solo di vie consolari, ma anche di direttrici secondarie e di una parcellizzazione agraria non tanto serrata quanto le ricostruzioni sulle centuriazioni del passato avevano fatto ipotizzare.
La quarta edizione di Landscape: una sintesi elementi diacronici mira ad approfondire queste tematiche, con l’auspicio di offrire una panoramica generale sullo stato attuale della ricerca.

The volume aims to give a contribute to the reconstruction of the ancient landscape of Epirus, th... more The volume aims to give a contribute to the reconstruction of the ancient landscape of Epirus, the historical region corresponding to present-day southern Albania and northwestern Greece. This context is investigated by the authors through a diachronic analysis of archaeological data, approaching the theme of the landscape from four different but complementary perspectives: fortified landscapes, sacred landscapes, rural landscapes, and epigraphic landscapes. In their respective thematic sections, the history of Chaonia is retraced from the genesis of ancient settlement during the Bronze Age, through the phenomenon of the so-called second Greek colonization, to the birth of the Epirote state in the Hellenistic age, and until the profound changes brought by the progressive expansion of Roman dominion.

Architetture e sistemi costruttivi dei teatri e degli anfiteatri antichi in area adriatica, 2025

The architecture of entertainment buildings is a privileged field for studying the urban developm... more The architecture of entertainment buildings is a privileged field for studying the urban development of ancient cities, particularly in a border area between East and West such as Epirus. This contribution re-examines the archaeological evidence regarding the only theatrical building in Butrint, located in the sanctuary of Asklepios. After a brief description of the structures, integrated with data from on-going research on the site by the Butrint Project, their peculiar characteristics are highlighted. Particular attention is given to the alterations made to the building during Roman Age, exploring the condition of traditional Greek theatres being remodelled to acquire features from the Western traditions. In this regard, the second part of the paper presents some new data about the potential existence of a second building for spectacula. The research started from the analysis of anomalies identified from satellite imagery and aerial drone photographs, combined with other documentary evidence. The preliminary results permit to advance for the first time the identification of an amphitheatre, not otherwise known in Butrint, in the suburban area on the Vrina plain.

Landscape 4: una sintesi di elementi diacronici. Pianificazione e mondo antico: tra i dogmi del passato e le interpretazioni recenti, 2025

The paper presents the results of the field surveys conducted in some of the hillforts sites and ... more The paper presents the results of the field surveys conducted in some of the hillforts sites and fortified storehouses in the Pavlla and Bistrica river valleys in southern Albania. Challenges related to accessibility, lack of stratigraphic data and the rapidly changing landscape make it necessary to adopt work strategies on a case-by-case basis. Fieldwalking and topographic surveys by drone, laser scanning and GNSS were employed to update the available documentation and obtain new data for the study of individual sites and their spatial context.

Venezia e i paesaggi costieri adriatici, fra antico e contemporaneo, 2024

The relationship with the lagoon has played a decisive role in the evolution of the ancient city ... more The relationship with the lagoon has played a decisive role in the evolution of the ancient city of Butrint (southern Albania) over the centuries. Paleo-environmental and geomorphological studies allow us to reconstruct with good approximation the evolution of the landscape, from the marine inlet of the late Bronze Age to the ancient lake basin up to the medieval marsh and contemporary reclamation. In such a dynamic landscape, settlement patterns reflect adaptation to environmental conditions and the ever-changing relationship between land and sea routes. The archaeological project by the Archaeological Institute of Tirana and the University of Bologna (Butrint Project) has recently focused on new underwater surveys in the bay north of the acropolis and in the Vivari channel in order to further investigate these long-lasting processes through a multidisciplinary approach.

L'Idomeneo, 2024

During the Illyrian and Macedonian wars, North-western Greece was one of the first regions which ... more During the Illyrian and Macedonian wars, North-western Greece was one of the first regions which had to face the Roman presence. The concept of "Romanisation" - a complex, diachronic and multifaceted phenomenon - was recently questioned and criticized and the use of the term, too, was debated. Inevitably, this geographical area was deeply involved in the process of "Romanisation". As for Epirus, in the last decades archaeological research has given new data to deal with the topic, the majority of which derived from urban excavations, less frequently from rural contexts. Some hints are offered by a particular category of sites, the so-called fortified farmsteads or villas. In this paper the relationship between these buildings and other evidence from Chaonia and Thesprotia is investigated emphasising continuity and disruption in the light of the settlement patterns. After the Roman conquest, many of these sites were not destroyed or abandoned but continued to be settled and were refurbished. A comparable trend is observable in some fortifications (such as Malathre, in present-day Southern Albania). Some of them were altered and changed their functions, probably responding to new settlement dynamics, which, beyond sub-regional characteristic, should be considered as part of a wider phenomenon.

Cronache di Archeologia, 2022

This paper illustrates the preliminary results of the 2019 and 2021 archaeological campaigns on t... more This paper illustrates the preliminary results of the 2019 and 2021 archaeological campaigns on the acropolis of Butrint, ancient Bouthrotón/Buthrotum (Albania), by the Italian-Albanian Mission. The activities, which took place on the central terrace, represented a new season of research after several excavations from the site’s discovery, in the 1920s, to the latest at the beginning of the present century. Despite the narrowness of the trenches, data confirmed the presence of deeply stratified records from the Hellenistic period through Roman times to Middle Ages: a plastered building with a tiles roof and an impressive wall with squared stone blocks can be referred to the III-II century BC, while it is likely that the area underwent a renovation during the early Principate, when new large buildings arose. Then later structures used the earlier ones to create new rooms, maintaining the same orientation, or to raise the planking levels. Although it is difficult to gain an overall view by spots, new evidence offers a further contribution to comprehend the complex dynamics of development about such a central place of the city.

Landscape 3: una sintesi di elementi diacronici. Uomo e ambiente nel mondo antico: un equilibrio possibile?, 2023

The Progetto Bisignano is a fieldwalking survey project carried out in the territory of Bisignano... more The Progetto Bisignano is a fieldwalking survey project carried out in the territory of Bisignano (CS) with the aim of drawing up the archaeological map of the municipality. During the first campaign, fieldwork included both the verification of already known evidence and the survey of geomorphological units potentially occupied in Antiquity. The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary analysis of the collected pottery and surveyed topographic units. The Medieval and Renaissance ages are the most attested. However, new useful data emerge on possible areas of occupation in the Protohistoric age

Upland Archaeology Workshop. Round Table, 2023

Ancient Epirus, divided between southern Albania and northwestern Greece, is characterised by a h... more Ancient Epirus, divided between southern Albania and northwestern Greece, is characterised by a highly dynamic ancient landscape. In a predominantly mountainous region such as Epirus, with reliefs running subparallel to the coast alternated with valleys crossed by the main watercourses, it must necessarily be considered that the characteristics of the territory have affected the dynamics and settlement patterns as well as the economic structure of the region. Consequently, in this environmental context, relying on farming and pastoral resources, linked to short-distance mobility, and natural resources as part of the exploitation of the uncultivated landscape is a winning solution in a diachronic perspective. This fits well with the forms of tribal aggregation in open villages that characterised the population dynamics until at least the mid-4th century BC, when they were joined by urban centres and secondary fortified sites. The studies carried out by the Archaeological Mission of the University of Bologna and the Institute of Archaeology of Tirana (Butrint Project) have focused on surface investigations in some of the fortified hilltop sites in the Pavla river basin. Peculiarities of the mountain environment imply a series of natural factors which compromise the preservation of the archaeological record and reduce visibility on the ground. In addition, the specificities of the context into consideration, characterised by well-preserved but hardly datable walls and poorly diagnostic archaeological material lying on the surface, complicate the interpretation further. The paper intends to present some of the case studies by observing their methodological problems and proposing some interpretative approaches, in order to understand the role of hilltop sites in the management, control and exploitation of land and road network.

The area centered on the ancient settlement of Butrint (present-day southern Albania) represents ... more The area centered on the ancient settlement of Butrint (present-day southern Albania) represents a quintessential example of waterscape. Over the centuries, the human presence had to deal with a highly dynamic environment, dominated by water: the marine inlet of the Bronze Age gradually turned into a coastal lagoon in Greek and Roman times, while in the late antique and Medieval period it became a thriving marshland, exploited until the 18th century; then it was subjected to land reclamation functional to contemporary agricultural activities. These shifts, highlighted by recent paleo-environmental studies, deeply influenced the settlement patterns and even the shape of the ancient city, where subsidence phenomena and rising water still represent a challenge for the conservation of its remains. The latest research carried out by the Butrint Project (University of Bologna and Archaeological Institute of Tirana) has investigated transformation processes in a diachronic perspective and through a multidisciplinary approach. Thanks to the insight offered by underwater surveys and topographic studies, new considerations on the location of the ancient port and on the Roman bridge of the city became possible

Il territorio dell’antica Caonia, la regione antica dell’Epiro corrispondente all’attuale Albania... more Il territorio dell’antica Caonia, la regione antica dell’Epiro corrispondente all’attuale Albania meridionale, nell’ultimo secolo ha subito trasformazioni profonde che hanno modificato il paesaggio e ne hanno spesso complicato la lettura, in un’area dove le condizioni ambientali delineano già di per sé un quadro fortemente dinamico. La disponibilità di materiale aerofotografico e topografico della prima metà del XX secolo offre la preziosa opportunità di studiare il contesto della Caonia prima delle modifiche di età contemporanea. Accanto a questo approccio tradizionale, nuovi metodi si avvalgono degli strumenti forniti dai dataset satellitari (ortoimmagini, DEM), messi a disposizione dal geoportale nazionale albanese, e di immagini da drone ad alta risoluzione. Nell’ambito del Butrint Project le attività di ricerca hanno permesso di individuare siti del territorio non precedentemente noti in bibliografia e di approfondire la conoscenza di monumenti in ambito urbano, fornendo nuovi spunti metodologici utili a definire strategie di ricerca a scale differenti.

by LANDSCAPE UNA SINTESI DI ELEMENTI DIACRONICI, Davide Gangale Risoleo, Stefano De Nisi, Veronica Ferrari, maria luisa Marchi, Maria Elisa Amadasi, Antonio Campus, Federica Carbotti, Veronica Castignani, Lorenzo Ceruleo, Stefano Cespa, Cristina Corsi, Francesca D'Ambola, Marco Matta, David Mercuri, Giuseppina Renda, marcello guaitoli, and Giacomo Sigismondo

Il paesaggio antico è stato spesso analizzato attraverso le lenti della modernità con il tentativ... more Il paesaggio antico è stato spesso analizzato attraverso le lenti della modernità con il tentativo di attualizzare la tematica, da una parte individuando parallelismi tra il concetto moderno di ‘pianificazione’ e quello antico, dall’altra con la finalità di semplificare i fenomeni. Questo processo ha talvolta prodotto una ricostruzione lacunosa del paesaggio antico e degli elementi che lo componevano: le strade, la campagna, le città. Tuttavia, negli ultimi anni, soprattutto grazie all’introduzione di nuove metodologie, sono state rimesse in discussione alcune questioni pertinenti il concetto di ‘pianificazione antica’ introducendo nuove direzioni investigative o revisionando le interpretazioni del passato. Strumenti come i droni, la geofisica, la geomatica, hanno infatti permesso di condurre indagini su larga scala a costi più contenuti, talvolta agevolando la gestione di grandi quantità di dati e consentendo l’esecuzione di scavi stratigrafici mirati. Questo circolo virtuoso ha permesso di comprendere meglio la complessità del paesaggio antico, fatta non solo di città ma anche di insediamenti minori (vici, pagi), non solo di vie consolari, ma anche di direttrici secondarie e di una parcellizzazione agraria non tanto serrata quanto le ricostruzioni sulle centuriazioni del passato avevano fatto ipotizzare.
La quarta edizione di Landscape: una sintesi elementi diacronici mira ad approfondire queste tematiche, con l’auspicio di offrire una panoramica generale sullo stato attuale della ricerca.