Elisabetta Neri | Università degli Studi di Firenze (University of Florence) (original) (raw)

Recent books by Elisabetta Neri

Long ignored, sometimes knowingly, since the idea of its presence went against the ideals of a wh... more Long ignored, sometimes knowingly, since the idea of its presence went against the
ideals of a white and pure ancient sculpture propagated post Winckelmann, the
polychromy of classical and late sculpture and architecture has been the subject of
important research programmes for thirty years. Within this field of study, the book
focuses on the peculiarity of Roman imperial polychromy and its late developments
(first century BC – sixth century AD) to investigate the technical features and the
socio-cultural meaning of colours.
After an assessment of the studies on polychromy already carried out, this book
presents the first results of the EU-MSCA-IF PolyCHRoMA project, which
documented traces of colours not immediately visible (lost colours) through the
physico-chemical analysis of a new corpus of sculptural and architectural elements
from some major European and North African museums (Musées royaux d’Art et
d’Histoire de Bruxelles, Musée royal de Mariemont, Musée départemental Arles
antique, Musée Saint-Raymond de Toulouse, Museo Archeologico di Milano,
Museo Nazionale e Museo Arcivescovile in Ravenna, Bardo National Museum and
others Tunisian collections). The systematic chronological and contextual study of
these traces, before time ensures the loss of colours, confirms that polychromy offers
a new source for assessing the cultural meaning of colour at the turn of the first
millennium.

ll volume è l’esito di un progetto interdisciplinare sulla produzione, la circolazione e il comme... more ll volume è l’esito di un progetto interdisciplinare sulla produzione,
la circolazione e il commercio del vetro in Italia meridionale, le cui
conclusioni sono state presentate nel corso di un seminario internazionale, tenutosi il 29-30 maggio 2019 all’Università della Calabria.
Reperti e strutture di produzione di diversi scavi, realizzati in contesti longobardi, bizantini e arabi, sono qui presentati con un approccio stratigrafico-contestuale, tipologico-formale e fisico-chimico nella
prospettiva di fornire uno sguardo di sintesi sull’industria del vetro in
età tardo antica e alto medievale nella parte meridionale della penisola e in Sicilia e di offrire un termine di confronto con l’Italia settentrionale, la Dalmazia e l’Illirico.
I risultati sottolineano il network commerciale dell’Italia meridionale
e la connessione permanente con il centro dell’impero bizantino, con
un conseguente ritardo, rispetto al nord della Penisola, nell’introduzione di una tecnologia medievale con vetro a ceneri.

Ce livre se penche sur la manière dont les cinq sens sont valorisés et utilisés dans les rituels ... more Ce livre se penche sur la manière dont les cinq sens sont valorisés et utilisés dans les rituels religieux, qu'ils soient publics ou privés, des religions autour de la Méditerranée antique et médiévale, avec une insistance sur les polythéismes, les christianismes orientaux et occidentaux et l'Islam médiéval. Nous avons cherché à faire apparaître quels étaient les usages communs ou, au contraire, les spécificités de chaque culture religieuse, en portant notre attention sur les sollicitations plurielles des sens lors des dévotions et des rituels, dans les modes d'appréhension du divin, qu'il s'agisse de participer aux cérémonies ou d' entrer en relation avec les espaces sacrés par le visuel, l'auditif, l' olfactif, le toucher, le goût ou l' ensemble des sens combinés. En créant ainsi une mémoire sensorielle de la relation au divin et aux espaces sacrés, les sens engagent le corps dans les pratiques rituelles. Ce livre a une démarche interdisciplinaire en faisant dialoguer des historiens de l'art, des philologues, des musicologues et des historiens des sociétés antiques et médiévales.

Books by Elisabetta Neri

Bibliothèque d'Antiquité Tardive, Jul 2016

The production of mosaic glass and the laying technique of wall mosaic tesserae in Late Antique a... more The production of mosaic glass and the laying technique of wall mosaic tesserae in Late Antique and Early Medieval times is the subject of this book, focusing in particular on the case of Milan.
The first part examines the production process of glass mosaics, in order to reconstruct the commercial and cultural exchanges of the period being studied. Different tools (ethnoarchaeology, technical recipes, archaeometric analyses, archaeological remains, economic sources, quantitative estimates, restoration reports) are used to track the indicators of a workshop producing coloured and gold-leaf mosaic glass-cake, to identify the markers of mosaic glass history and technology, and to detect the material outcome of the actions performed by the mosaicist.
The second part investigates the specific issues of the case of Milan, for which a contradictory literature exists, in terms of chronology and cultural framework of the mosaic art. In particular, it reviews the hypotheses relating to a specific glass production workshop and a school of mosaicists.
The archaeological remains, literary sources, iconographic evidence,
and archaeometric analyses, despite their difficult interpretation, allow the identification of three stages of diffusion of the mosaic art in Milan: the late Imperial age, the age of the Goths, and the final centuries of the Early Middle Ages. Four significant cases are analysed: the Imperial mausoleum of St. Victor ad Corpus (4th century), the Basilica of St. Lawrence (early 5th century), the baptistery of St. John ad Fontes (end 5th-6th century) and the Basilica of St. Ambrose (5th-6th and 10th centuries).
This research contributes to several open questions: the technology of glass and gold in a period of technological transition, the mural decoration of Milanese buildings, the choices made by the customers who financed the buildings, the investment required, the social and commercial relations established in order to carry out the works.

L’arte di fondere campane, ancora oggi custodita da poche famiglie, ha origini antiche. La ricerc... more L’arte di fondere campane, ancora oggi custodita da poche famiglie, ha origini antiche. La ricerca condotta da Elisabetta Neri si propone di mantenere la memoria di questa tradizione, nei suoi aspetti tecnici e socio-antropologici, tramite i nuovi dati forniti dall’archeologia.
L’interesse archeologico per il tema nasce negli anni Settanta, con i primi rinvenimenti di fornaci per campane e si rinnova negli anni Ottanta e Novanta, grazie ai numerosi scavi in edifici di culto che hanno restituito impianti produttivi, spesso di difficile interpretazione.
L’accurata rilettura dei trattati medievali e postmedievali e il riesame dei resti archeologici delle officine per la fusione di campane guidano a scoprire due tradizioni operative fissate nella scrittura a distanza di tempo, ma praticate fin dall’altomedioevo. L’esistenza di diverse tecniche antiche in un’arte così settoriale è probabilmente riconducibile al diverso retroterra etnogeografico e culturale in cui queste nascono e si sviluppano. Proprio per poter ricavare dai resti archeologici il riconoscimento della tecnica seguita e per favorire una registrazione degli indicatori viene proposto un modello di schedatura delle fornaci. I dati archeologici, infatti, se puntualmente raccolti, forniscono informazioni preziose sull’ambiente che ospitava l’attività e sugli attori di un processo che talvolta assumeva le sembianze di un rito allo stesso tempo religioso e sociale.

Papers by Elisabetta Neri

During the last thirty years, research activity resulted in the multiplication of physico-chemic... more During the last thirty years, research activity resulted in the multiplication of physico-chemical data on late Antique and medieval glass production, studying the technological transition that occurred between the 6 th and 12 th centuries, as an effect of the decentralization of the production system. So doing the data offer a source to study the change in the roman economical model. After a brief introduction on the creation of the paradigm of the use of physico-chemical analyses to trace the history of glass productions, this paper discusses three research themes: firstly, the technological transition and the related variation on the production organization; secondly, the provenance of the glass artifacts to reconstruct the trade networks; and, finally, the chronology, to specify typological dating and construct the resulting seriations. After an up-to-date sate of the art of the major achievements in these themes, guidelines are proposed to allow a better integration of the data in order to answer historicalarchaeological questions.

Journal of antropological and archaological science, 2022

If ancient written sources and the visual analysis of polychromies have recently revealed the com... more If ancient written sources and the visual analysis of polychromies have recently revealed the complexity of the technique of painting on statues and their frequent restoration, the non-invasive punctual chemical analyses carried out do not allow one to access the chemical composition of the different paint layers. This paper presents the analysis of three statues from Roman Africa discussing the results obtained from this understudied territory and chronology. By combining visual observation (VIS, UVL), video microscopy and MA-XRF imaging, we propose here a non-invasive protocol to determine the chemical composition of the different paint layers. This allows one to unveil the complexity of the 'know-how' of a sculpture painter and sheds light on the evolution of the original appearance of the statues.

Heritage 2022, 5(2), 829-848, 2022

Few instances of material evidence for ancient colour restorations have been documented over the ... more Few instances of material evidence for ancient colour restorations have been documented over the last 20 years, during which time the scientific approach to the study of polychromy has been defined. This article presents eight new cases of ancient restoration of colour from the Roman Imperial Age. By combining observations in visible and UV light and video microscopy with a micro-stratigraphic approach, MA-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and contextual archaeological data, we have observed evidence which could suggest an aesthetic change in the use of colour between the 2nd and 4th centuries CE: from polychrome and multitone effects to the use of monochromatic, flat, and uniform colour finishes

Il vetro in transizione (IV-XII secolo). Produzione e commercio in Italia meridionale e nell'Adriatico, a cura di A. Coscarella, E. Neri, Gh. Noyé, 2021

After a brief review of the research on late Antique and Early Medieval glass in Illyricum, the p... more After a brief review of the research on late Antique and Early Medieval glass in Illyricum, the paper discusses the preliminary results obtained from the typological and archaeometric study (through LA-ICP-MS) of glass vessels and beads from Lezha and Komani. These sites are located in north-west Albania: Lezha (ancient Lissos, situated on the Adriatic coast) and Komani (known also with the toponym Dalmace, in the nearby inland), both in the Drini valley. Although Komani and Lezha inherited a very different past, they reflect comparable phenomena of transition between late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, both in terms of settlement patterns and the social structure of their inhabitants. The archaeological research carried out on both sites reveals a particularly rich medieval funerary and ecclesiastical contexts, dating from the 6th to the 12th century.
This study aims to analyze production and trade in Western Illyricum between the 4th and 11th centuries, comparing the commercial dynamics of the two sites.
At Lezha, the typology and chemical signature of the beads, found mostly in 7th-8th century contexts, reveal a western or local supply route. Komani beads, found in 9th-11th century graves, were mainly imported from the Abbasid Caliphate. On the other hand, vessels, lamps and unguentaria, found in churches, were probably produced within the Byzantine Empire and are similar to examples from Northern Greece. Beads and vessels, used respectively by the civic and ecclesiastic elites, follow two different commercial circuits within the same site. In conclusion, the differences between the commercial networks of the two sites, Lezha turned to the Adriatic and Komani connected with the Steppe testify to economic changes that took place between the 7th and 9th centuries.

Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2021

The material evidence for the wax finish on ancient marble statues, known as ganosis, is scarce a... more The material evidence for the wax finish on ancient marble statues, known as ganosis, is scarce and controversial, although Greek and Latin sources describe the recipes and cultural value of this treatment. The surface treatment of a colossal Roman head from the Roman theatre of Dougga (Tunisia), dated to the end of the second century CE, is studied by a multi-analytical protocol (video-microscope, cross section, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of one sample). The results of this physico-chemical analysis and the comparison with ancient recipes, prove the use of ganosis on a Roman statue and explore, for the first time, the application of the recipes described in ancient sources. This result shows the potential of the Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry analysis, detecting at the same time organic and inorganic materials and their stratigraphy, to study the ancient recipes.

Studia Ambrosiana, 2019

The paper compares the baptismal practices followed in Milan and Africa during the times of Ambro... more The paper compares the baptismal practices followed in Milan and Africa
during the times of Ambrose and Augustine. The research starts from the
analysis of the architectural structures of the baptisteries, highlighted by
archaeology.
At first, the baptisteries of the episcopal complex in Milan and the rite
with which Ambrose baptized Augustine are analysed. Summarizing what
has already been published, it is emphasized in particular how the baptismal
immersion, indicated with the verb mergere in the Ambrosian writings,
took place in the font, probably in a supine position, allusion to death
inside a tomb. It underlines the participation to the death and the resurrection
of Christ. The strong relationship between the Ambrosian texts and
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the architecture of the baptisteries sponsored by Ambrosius highlights the
normative aim of the bishop towards the baptismal practices. The relationship
is corroborated by the diffusion of the Ambrosian model also in the
Milanese metropolis.
Secondly the paper examines the baptisteries of the North-African liturgical
complexes in which Augustine worked or visited and where 4th-5th
century structures have been preserved.
The analysis of the baptistery of Hippo, in which Augustine baptized,
of those of Djeimla, Tebessa, Timgad in Numidia, Belalis Maior, Furnos
Minor, Tabarka, Musti and Demna in Proconsular, Sbeitla in Byzacena
and Sabratha in Tripolitana highlight a diversity of practices, which were
in place while Augustine was bishop.
The structures are related to the baptismal process reconstructed from
the texts of Tertullian, Cyprian and Augustine. In all these authors, the baptismal
immersion, defined tinctio, was done while standing. In Augustine
and in the African baptisteries, the gesture that underlined the participation
to the death and resurrection of Christ seems to be that of the descent
in the font and the ascension, memory of the descent to the underworld of Christ and his resurrection.

The paper presents the results of the analyses and study of the fragments of painted plaster disc... more The paper presents the results of the analyses and study of the fragments of painted plaster discovered during the recent archaeological investigations inside the Church of st Philip in Hierapolis. The archaeological and archaeometric approach has made it possible to better document the various building phases of the church and to offer, despite the extremely fragmentary nature
of the analysed material, a reconstruction of some decorative motifs. Lastly, chemical analyses highlighted some differences between the proto- and middle Byzantine plasters and documented the composition of the pigments. Keywords: st Philip Church, Hierapolis, painted plaster.

Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2018

The transition from the Roman natron-based glass industry to the medieval ash-based tradition in ... more The transition from the Roman natron-based glass industry to the medieval ash-based tradition in Italyin the latter part of the first millennium CE is still poorly documented. The compositional data of eighteenglass fragments excavated from the Byzantine praetorium in Bari suggest that the development in thesouthern part of the Peninsula differs from that in the north. Analyses by laser ablation inductivelycoupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) identified the first significant group of glasses in Italythat were produced in and imported from the eastern Mediterranean during the last two centuries ofthe first millennium CE. Some samples exhibit the characteristics of early Islamic natron and plant-ashglasses, while two specimens are similar in major and trace element composition to post-Roman glassesmost likely manufactured in Byzantine Asia Minor. These represent the only known vessels made fromthe Byzantine high lithium, high boron glass found so far in the western Mediterranean. The analyticalresults thus show that being under Byzantine hegemony was advantageous for trade connections in themedieval Mediterranean.

Bibliothèque d'Antiquité Tardive, Jul 2016

Journal of antropological and archaological science, 2022

Heritage 2022, 5(2), 829-848, 2022

Il vetro in transizione (IV-XII secolo). Produzione e commercio in Italia meridionale e nell'Adriatico, a cura di A. Coscarella, E. Neri, Gh. Noyé, 2021

Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2021

Studia Ambrosiana, 2019

Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2018

Journal of Cultural Heritage , 2018

The transition from the Roman natron-based glass industry to the medieval ash-based tradition in ... more The transition from the Roman natron-based glass industry to the medieval ash-based tradition in Italy in the latter part of the first millennium CE is still poorly documented. The compositional data of eighteen glass fragments excavated from the Byzantine praetorium in Bari suggest that the development in the southern part of the Peninsula differs from that in the north. Analyses by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) identified the first significant group of glasses in Italy that were produced in and imported from the eastern Mediterranean during the last two centuries of the first millennium CE. Some samples exhibit the characteristics of early Islamic natron and plant-ash glasses, while two specimens are similar in major and trace element composition to post-Roman glasses most likely manufactured in Byzantine Asia Minor. These represent the only known vessels made from the Byzantine high lithium, high boron glass found so far in the western Mediterranean. The analytical results thus show that being under Byzantine hegemony was advantageous for trade connections in the medieval Mediterranean.

Rivista di Archeologia 41, 2017, 2018

This paper proposes the first detailed documentation of the paintings in the upper gallery of S. ... more This paper proposes the first detailed documentation of the paintings in the upper gallery of S. Aquilino, an annex to the basilica of S. Lorenzo in Milan. The limited attention received by these remains from critics, as well as the new dating of the building to the fifth century, pushed to present the motifs, their meaning, the execution from a technical standpoint, aiming at the definition of their function within their architectural context. This study highlights how in the fifth century, in a likely context of imperial patronage, the techniques used are in continuity with Antiquity and the materials employed belong to the classic decorative repertoire, with themes largely attested in Cisalpina during Late Antiquity. Although several groups of craftsmen executed the paintings and mosaics, the cycle belongs to a unified decorative program: it shows possible symbolic links with the mosaics, around a Christological theme that resonates with the liturgy that the building was probably intended for.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018

Naples assumed an important political and economic role within the region of Campania during the ... more Naples assumed an important political and economic role within the region of Campania during the late antique period. LA-ICP-MS data of 285 glass tesserae from the catacomb of San Gennaro in Naples confirm that the surge in building activities in the late fourth and early fifth century CE was accompanied by imports of new materials for the production of mosaic tesserae. Our results from Naples identify a substantial number of Jalame-like Levantine glasses for which there is no parallel within the Italian Peninsula. Only few scattered examples of this type of base glass are found among the published data from Aquileia, Ravenna and the Villa of Faragola, pointing to a link between the supply of glass and the sites' connectivity and economic strength. This seems to have changed after the fifth century. Elemental analyses, combined with SEM-EDS and micro-Raman indicate that the mosaics dating from the fourth to the eighth/ninth century CE in the catacombs of San Gennaro were overwhelmingly made from reused first-to fourth-century Roman base glasses opacified with calcium antimonate. The reuse and recycling of Roman glass and Roman tesserae is a common feature of mosaic assemblages in Italy more generally. The definition of a Roman spectrum tesserae reference group revealed this dependence on old Roman material throughout the first millennium CE.

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2018

The trade of glass beads has long been assumed to have been under Islamic dominance during the ea... more The trade of glass beads has long been assumed to have been under Islamic dominance during the early centuries following the Arab conquest of the Middle East, judged by the prevalence of Islamic beads in the archaeological contexts from Viking Scandinavia to medieval Morocco. This paper explores the impact of the Byzantine-Slavic transition on the use and by extension trade of glass beads in the Balkans from the seventh to the ninth century CE. A series of 48 glass beads and 4 vessel fragments from two excavated sites in modern day Albania have been analysed morphologically, technologically and chemically by LA-ICP-MS. The seventh-century beads from Lezha have typological parallels among central European assemblages and are made from recycled natron-type glass. The presence of a high lead-iron-natron variant is of particular interest as it potentially reflects a regional production. The ninth-century beads from Komani are made from soda-rich plant ash glass from the eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia and correspond to an Islamic typology. The chronological and geographical differences are reflected in the distinctive cobalt sources used for the two groups. While the beads from Lezha are coloured with a cobalt not correlated with any particular element, the cobalt source of the Komani samples is associated with zinc, typical of Islamic glass making. It thus appears that the supply of beads during the seventh century when the Balkans were under Slavic occupation relied on regional production and recycled material, and that a long-distance trade with the eastern Mediterranean was revived following the Byzantine re-conquest of the southeastern Adriatic in the ninth century. Intriguingly, the Albanian finds confirm the Islamic control of the production and trade of glass beads during this period and highlight the mediatory role of the Byzantine Empire.

A b s t r a c t This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary investigation of the mo... more A b s t r a c t This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary investigation of the mosaics in the main chapel of the Durres amphitheatre, the interpretation and chronological attribution of which have been the subject of debate. Art historical considerations about the mosaic's cultural and artistic affiliations are combined with in situ assessments of the mosaic techniques and physico-chemical analyses of 111 glass tesserae by means of scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive detector (SEM-EDS) and laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Our results show that the raw glass used for the mosaic tesserae derives from two primary production centres but with evidence of substantial recycling: Foy-2, possibly of Egyptian origin, and Levantine I from the Syro-Palestinian coast. While lead stannate, copper and manganese are colorants found commonly in tesserae from different Mediterranean contexts, cobalt correlated with nickel and lead-tin associated with arsenic and antimony have been attested in mosaic tesserae here for the first time. The chronological range of the raw glasses and colorants provides strong evidence for a sixth-to eight-century CE date for the tesserae. The stylistic and iconographic parallels of contemporary mosaic decorations and the mosaic techniques reflected in the plaster layers, preparatory paint and particular setting of tesserae corroborate this timeframe. In terms of the material provenance and artistic features, the mosaics of the Durres amphitheatre clearly reflect the merging of eastern and western elements, typical of the early medieval Adriatic, while visual references to Byzantine imperial iconography may have served to reassert a link with Constantinople and the Byzantine court. Taken together, the material, technical and artistic data reveal the cultural and economic connectivity that shaped the art of mosaic making in the late antique and early medieval period.

This study focuses on the Byzantine glass tesserae from Hierapolis (Phrygia, central Turkey). Fif... more This study focuses on the Byzantine glass tesserae from Hierapolis (Phrygia, central Turkey). Fifty-seven samples of loose tesserae from two sites in the town (the theatre and the church of St. Philip) are analysed by particule-induced X-ray emission and particule-induced gamma ray emission and electron probe X-ray microanalysis to obtain the chemical composition and identify the colourants and opacifiers. The aims are to add new information to the scant knowledge of the Byzantine glassmaking technology, to constrain the chronology of the mosaics and to trace the supply routes of the tes-serae. In the destruction layers of the theatre, tesserae produced following the Roman glassmaking technology (natron glass opacified by calcium and lead antimonate) were found. They were made using a Levantine 1 raw glass, generally attributed to the early Byzantine period (fifth to sixth c.). In the church, the samples attest a technological change from Roman tradition, and a complex pattern according to building history (two phases are attested, probably in the sixth and eighth to ninth c.), and a multiplicity of supply. Three glass types and some recipes not attested before in this chronological range for the production of tesserae are documented, such as the use of a local low-chlorine natron glass for the production of black and red tesserae, the blue colouring by a source of cobalt with zinc in a natron glass tessera and the opacification with tin oxide (both in a lead-free and in a high-lead natron glass), as well as with quartz.

Early Medieval Tesserae in Northwestern Europe, 2019

This contribution focuses on the use of gold in the wall decorations of 4th to 6th-c. churches, w... more This contribution focuses on the use of gold in the wall decorations of 4th to 6th-c. churches, with an interdisciplinary approach: the literary sources describing these decorations is combined with the studies of the preserved artistic evidence and with quantitative archaeometrical analyses. Four themes are investigated to demonstrate that the use of gold was a favored medium for a customer to display his power. Firstly, the chronology of the diffusion of gold in walls and ceilings, as well as its different supports; secondly, the sources of gold and the possible relation between mosaic tesserae’s gold leaves and monetary gold, demonstrated with a wide range of archaeometrical analyses; then the economic impact of this type of decoration; finally, the relation of gold with artificial or natural light and its religious significance.

Abstract - The paper explores the source of gold in the gold mosaics between fourth to twelve cen... more Abstract - The paper explores the source of gold in the gold mosaics between fourth to twelve century , one of the best expression of Byzantine and early Islamic art. Many historical and technical issues point to the use of coins to make the gold leaves used in the tesserae. Not only the dynamic of the circulation of gold, strictly controlled, but also the relatively important quantity of gold used and the indications of the medieval recipes suggest the use of monetary gold to produce gold leaves. The archaeometric analyses performed in the Western and Eastern sites show a good match between circulating monetary alloys and the gold leaf compositions until the sixth century and, together with the type of glass, can provide criteria to date the tesserae. A diversification of the supply ( re-used tesserae and new production by non-monetary gold) is also displayed from the eight century.

L’article vise à analyser les fragments de mosaïque pariétale du baptistère de San Giovanni alle ... more L’article vise à analyser les fragments de mosaïque pariétale du baptistère de San Giovanni alle Fonti à Milan. Le mécène de cette décoration est l’évêque Laurence (fin Ve-début VIe s.). L’étude ne permet pas la reconstruction iconographique de la décoration en mosaïque, mais seulement une analyse technique sur la modalité de mise en œuvre et sur les matériaux employés. On arrive à connaître quelles parties de l’édifice étaient décorées avec la mosaïque, quelles étaient les couleurs principales et surtout quels gestes ont été accomplis par les mosaïstes et quels matériaux ont été utilisés. L’analyse archéométrique des tesselles et des mortiers permet de comprendre les logiques de production et d’approvisionnement des matériaux.
The aim of the article is to analyze the wall mosaic fragments of the Baptistery of S. Giovanni at Milan. The patron of this decoration is Bishop Lawrence (late 5th-early 6th c.). This study didn’t allow the reconstruction of the iconography, but provided information about the technique and the choice of materials. It is possible to know what parts of the building were decorated with mosaics, which colors were used, and especially what gestures were executed by the mosaics and what materials were used. The archaeometric analysis of tesserae and mortar allowed to understand the logic of the production and the supply of materials.

Or (catalogue de l'exposition, Mucem, 25 avril-10 september 2018), 2018

oday’s research in the field of history & archaeology improves both interdisciplinary and new tec... more oday’s research in the field of history & archaeology improves both interdisciplinary and new technologies. Various training courses are available to users in various specialities and even more in the generic use of specific software (photography, CAD, databases, GIS, etc.), but there is no option of having an overall account of what kind of methods and techniques may be currently adapted to our needs, nor of helping us choosing a software or a working tool rather than another that would be more suitable under such conditions of study. What would provide archaeometry, geophysics, geomorphology or geomatics analysis to our field data, or even specific functions of a software or an apparatus such as a camera – to work on CAD, or in data processing, and even more on web platforms, as a direct response to our institutions about Open Science and Creative Commons?
The topics covered will involve Digital Imaging (aerial photograph, topography, photogrammetry system, augmented reality), building archaeology, artefacts archaeometry (from know-how to preservation), digital resource optimisation (archive management, databases, geomatics, GIS, WebGIS) as well as participative science – Open Science, Creative Commons – and valorisation (film, exhibition, cultural events and mediations)

Le colloque sur l’œil dans les mondes anciens croise les problématiques développées par deux prog... more Le colloque sur l’œil dans les mondes anciens croise les problématiques développées par deux programmes de recherche du laboratoire Anhima, sur l’histoire et l’anthropologie du corps (« Corps en morceaux ») d’une part, sur celles des images et du regard (« Le spectaculaire : regard et pouvoir ») de l’autre.
L’œil, à la croisée de plusieurs domaines, a fait l’objet de nombreux travaux, qu’il s’agisse de la physiologie du regard et de l’aspect médical (Lambert 1994), des théories de la vision (Simon 2003), ou d’études se rattachant au domaine plus vaste des visual studies. Pour l’Antiquité, ces questionnements ont été initiés en particulier par les travaux de Jean-Pierre Vernant et Françoise Frontisi-Ducroux sur l’anthropologie du regard en Grèce ancienne ou ceux de Jaś Elsner sur le regard subjectif dans les images romaines.

Présentation L'initiation chrétienne a été depuis longtemps un objet de recherche historique. On ... more Présentation L'initiation chrétienne a été depuis longtemps un objet de recherche historique. On trouve d'un côté des travaux sur les diverses traditions théologiques, exégétiques et liturgiques pour la reconstruction de la pratique rituelle, d'un autre côté des recherches sur les typologies architecturales des baptistères, et sur leur décor qui ont été mises en relation plus ou moins efficacement avec la pratique liturgique révélée par les sources écrites. Lors de cette rencontre dédiée au baptême et aux baptistères, nous espérons mettre en lumière la spatialisation des rituels baptismaux et leur évolution depuis l'Antiquité Tardive et le Moyen Age, en comparant les différentes régions de l'ancien monde romain et de ses voisins. En confrontant textes et archéologie, nous souhaitons poser la question de savoir si les pratiques baptismales sont le moment d'affirmation d'identités chrétiennes régionales ou confessionnelles.

appliquées au monde de la recherche par l’intervention de spécialistes. Son but est de décloisonn... more appliquées au monde de la recherche par l’intervention de spécialistes. Son but est de décloisonner les disciplines afin d’optimiser aussi bien les ressources primaires que l’exploitation des résultats de la recherche.
L’objectif est moins d’aborder des points théoriques que des procédés d’ordre pratique ; elle se démarque en cela des formations en histoire ou en archéologie déjà existantes dont elle se veut complémentaire.
Elle ouvrira sur :
 la connaissance des techniques employées dans un domaine et le point sur les nouvelles techniques, utilisant les dernières technologies ;
 la découverte des techniques innovantes et de leurs applications dans les différents champs d’investigation ;
 le choix de la technique par rapport aux exigences et aux contingences ;
 l’adaptation de la technique à l’objet d’étude ;
 l’optimisation des résultats (gain de temps, d’énergie) grâce à la constitution d’un réseau de spécialistes ;
 l’efficacité de chaque démarche.

Public visé
Cette formation s’adresse aussi bien aux jeunes chercheurs (masters, doctorants) qu’aux membres statutaires des universités et du Cnrs (techniciens, ingénieurs, chercheurs, enseignants-chercheurs) participant à des missions archéologiques ou documentaires, quel que soit le lieu de la mission, en métropole ou à l’étranger.

Formation aux techniques émergentes appliquées au monde de la recherche en histoire et archéologi... more Formation aux techniques émergentes appliquées au monde de la recherche en histoire et archéologie et valorisation des savoir-faire proposée par Agnès Charpentier (Islam médiéval) Fabienne Dugast (Antiquité classique et tardive) Julie Masquelier-Loorius (Mondes pharaoniques) Elisabetta Neri (Monde byzantin) 2019-2020 La recherche en histoire et en archéologie se développe aujourd'hui à la fois dans l'interdisciplinarité et les nouvelles technologies. C'est pourquoi, nous proposons une formation aux méthodes et techniques émergentes appliquées au monde de la recherche en histoire et archéologie, axée à la fois sur un apprentissage multidisciplinaire, sur les archéosciences et sur l'utilisation des technologies numériques-optimisation des ressources, photogrammétrie, géomatique, réalité augmentée. Objectifs L'objectif de la formation est moins d'aborder des points théoriques que des procédés d'ordre pratique. Techniques au Top se démarque des formations en histoire ou en archéologie déjà existantes dont elle se veut complémentaire. Son but est de décloisonner les disciplines afin d'optimiser aussi bien les ressources primaires que l'exploitation des résultats de la recherche. Thématiques abordées  Imagerie numérique : photo aérienne / topographie / photogrammétrie / réalité augmentée  Archéologie du bâti  Archéométrie des artefacts : des savoir-faire à la conservation  Optimisation des ressources numériques (gestion d'archives, bases de données, géomatique, SIG, WebSIG)  Chronologie et datation  Anthropologie, anthropométrie, archéozoologie, ethnoarchéologie  Géomorphologie / archéogéographie  Science participative / OpenScience / Creative Commons  Législation sur les monuments et l'archéologie, la propriété intellectuelle, etc.  Valorisation : film, exposition, manifestations culturelles, médiation culturelle Public visé Cette formation s'adresse aussi bien aux jeunes chercheurs (masters, doctorants) qu'aux profession-nels plus expérimentés (techniciens, ingénieurs, chercheurs, enseignants-chercheurs) participant à des missions archéologiques ou documentaires, quel que soit le lieu de la mission, en métropole ou à l'étranger. Elle pourra constituer une formation validante ou pouvant être validée auprès des UFR. Lieux Inha (2 rue Vivienne) | Campus Pierre et Marie Curie (4 place Jussieu) Laboratoires spécifiques à Paris ou en Province

https://agenda.inha.fr/events/le-projet-polycroma-de-la-materialite-a-la-signification-de-la-couleur-sur-la-sculpture-romaine?nc=eyJpbmRleCI6MTYsInRvdGFsIjo3OH0%3D

Le projet PolyCRomA : de la matérialité à la signification de la couleur sur la sculpture romain... more Le projet PolyCRomA : de la matérialité à la signification de la couleur sur la sculpture romaine

Longtemps méconnue, parfois délibérément parce que sa présence choquait les idées reçues depuis Winckelmann sur la sculpture antique, la polychromie fait depuis une vingtaine d’années l’objet d’importants programmes de recherche, s'efforçant plus à démontrer sa présence qu’à s’interroger sur sa signification religieuse et socio-politique. Le projet PolyCRomA (MC-IF 896000) vise à étudier la couleur comme médium de communication de la société qui l’a produite. Avec un protocole qui intègre analyses physico-chimiques sur les couches peintes conservées sur les sculptures, analyse formelle et contextuelle des sculptures et examen des sources écrites et iconographiques qui les représentent, le projet vise à mettre en évidence les caractéristiques techniques et les enjeux sociétaux de la polychromie de la sculpture romaine, à partir de l’étude de plusieurs collections. L’intervention présentera quelques résultats et la structure d’une base de données qui permet d’organiser la documentation produite.

Formation sculpture (Paris-Sorbonne): intervention: À la recherche des couleurs perdues sur les ... more Formation sculpture (Paris-Sorbonne):
intervention: À la recherche des couleurs perdues sur les sculptures

The meaning of coulour of Roman statues

Con esta segunda línea de investigación, el proyecto LIMITS pretende proponer una de-finición epi... more Con esta segunda línea de investigación, el proyecto LIMITS pretende proponer una de-finición epigráfica más allá de los soportes y las funciones, identificando las prácticas epigráficas como una constancia, una permanencia del gesto y la intención de escritura. Este zoom integra procesos culturales complejos en los que el valor intrínseco de la escritura como huella, las propiedades empíricas y simbólicas de los materiales y el estatuto de los lugares se entremezclan para proyectar y extender el mensaje epigráfico en el corazón de un espacio vivido soñado o imaginado. Para resaltar esta riqueza, la Jornada de estudio analizará la escritura en los objetos situados en los umbrales de la disciplina epigráfica: sellos, monedas, pósters y carteles temporales, grafiti… La per-meabilidad de los dispositivos y de las grafías de un soporte o un objeto a otro muestra que el sentido y tal vez la eficacia de una escritura distintiva es una característica cultural importante de las sociedades medievales en sus relaciones con los signos; por lo tanto, se trata de un rasgo cultural que ignora, cruza, relativiza, a veces niega, las líneas de demarcación entre las diversas disciplinas académicas. Este enfoque involucra a todos los componentes de la inscripción: la selección, la forma, la preparación del material; los vínculos entre el objeto epigráfico y su entorno, construido o no; el formato de los dispositivos visuales y textuales; las grafías utilizadas para poner a la vista los mensajes; las formas lingüísticas. En la segunda línea de investigación se tratará de poner a la luz un sistema gráfico universal, o al menos unas constantes en la perspectiva de una apro-ximación integral a la escritura medieval. Le deuxième axe de recherche du programme LIMITS souhaite franchir le pas d'une définition de l'inscription au-delà des supports et des fonctions en identifiant les pra-tiques épigraphiques comme une constance, une permanence du geste et de l'inten-tion d'écriture. Ce changement de focale intègre des procédés culturels complexes dans lesquels la valeur intrinsèque de l'écriture comme trace, les propriétés empi-riques et symboliques des matériaux et le statut des lieux se mêlent pour projeter et prolonger le message épigraphique au coeur d'un espace vécu, rêvé ou imaginé. Pour mettre en lumière cette richesse, la journée d'étude analysera l'écriture sur les objets aux seuils de la discipline épigraphique : sceaux, monnaies, affiches et cartels temporaires, graffiti… La perméabilité des dispositifs et des graphies d'un support ou d'un objet à l'autre montre que le sens et peut-être l'efficacité d'une écriture distinctive est un trait culturel majeur des sociétés médiévales dans leurs relations aux signes, trait culturel qui ignore, franchit, relativise, nie parfois les frontières dressées entre les différentes disciplines de l'érudition. Une telle approche concerne toutes les composantes de l'inscription : le choix, la forme, la préparation du matériau ; les liens entre l'objet épigraphique et son environnement, bâti ou non ; les mises en forme du texte et les dispositifs visuels ; les graphies employées pour mettre en voir le message ; les formes linguistiques. C'est donc à la mise au jour d'un système graphique universel, ou du moins d'un terreau permanent, que se consacrera le deuxième axe de recherche, dans la perspective d'une approche globale de l'écriture médiévale.

Cahiers de Civilisation Médiévale, 2019