Diego Calaon | Università Ca' Foscari Venezia (original) (raw)

Books by Diego Calaon

Enhance, preserve and learn while excavating. The Torcello 2012 Project, A project between Arch... more Enhance, preserve and learn while excavating. The Torcello 2012 Project,
A project between Archaeology and Archaeometry.

The activities of archaeological excavation, archaeometric analysis and restoration carried out during the Torcello 2012 Project represent a central objective of the Interreg Project: ‘Shared Culture’.
In Torcello archaeologists, archaeometrists and restorers worked in unison from November 2012 to March 2013 on a modern archaeological site with the objective of accurately reconstructing the archaeological past of the Island. The excavation served as a locus of highly scientific training for young cultural heritage workers.
While the project was clearly interdisciplinary, the skills and professionalism of each working group remained distinct and independent. The high level of specific knowledge (both in terms of theoretical background and in terms of operating techniques acquired with excavation or laboratory practice) included a wealth of essential specialist experience.
The 2012-3 Torcello excavation project has been, without doubt, an innovative test case where archaeologists and finds specialists have met for discussions, sharing distinct knowledge and techniques from the outset, as part of a unified pilot project. One of the aims at the heart of the project was that of verifying – through the field operations of a complex archaeological excavation and in-built interdisciplinarity – the possibility of implementing ‘good practices’ of research starting from initial excavation, by introducing the term ‘archaeological first aid’ into the discipline’s lexicon. This term is intended to indicate the feasibility of studying distinct actions, designed to capture as much information as possible during excavation, which can be scientifically analysed, relative to stratigraphy and finds.

The research will develop a new archaeological viewpoint, including a comprehensive environmental approach. It will help to implements innovative methods for re-interpret the formation of the new settlements in the Venetian lagoons between Late Antiquity and Early Middle ages.
New theoretical approaches has been developed, informed from the new tendencies of the social studies. The project shifted from European current model where Material Culture has been used to develop historical models, suitable for the explanation of the major past events, to a different ecological and anthropological approach. Giving special attention to the physical processes in which the “things” of the past (artifacts, landscapes, technologies) have been exposed, archaeological and environmental data has been interrogated for knowing how ancient and present Torcello societies have been entrapped into the maintenance and sustaining of a very specific material world.

" Catalogo della Mostra Archeologica (Comacchio, FE). Il catalogo accompagna la mostra dedica... more "
Catalogo della Mostra Archeologica (Comacchio, FE).

Il catalogo accompagna la mostra dedicata all’Isola del Vescovo (Comacchio, sede episcopale fino alla inclusione nel 1986 nella diocesi di Ferrara) e agli scavi archeologici intorno alla Cattedrale, intervento effettuato in occasione di un progetto di riqualificazione urbana, il risanamento e il recupero del sagrato del Duomo. I risultati ottenuti sono particolarmente significativi e hanno permesso l’acquisizione di importanti dati sull’origine dell’insediamento, sulla fondazione dell’episcopio e sulla vita dell’emporio comacchiese nell’Alto medioevo. Da segnalare il ritrovamento di un impianto di produzione vetraria, databile al VII secolo, quando si cominciano a percepire i segni di un insediamento veramente stabile."

Papers by Diego Calaon

Remote Sensing

This article presents an integrated approach used in archaeology and heritage studies to examine ... more This article presents an integrated approach used in archaeology and heritage studies to examine health and disease management during the colonial period in the Indian Ocean. Long-distance labor migrations had dire health consequences to both immigrants and host populations. Focusing on the quarantine station on Flat Island, Mauritius, this study analyzes a historical social setting and natural environment that were radically altered due to the implementation of health management. Using aerial and satellite imagery, digital elevation models, RTK and total station raw data, 3D modeling, and GIS mapping, we reconstructed the spatial organization and the built landscape of this institution to assess the gap between the benefits claimed by European colonizers and the actual effects on immigrant health conditions through the promotion of public health practices.

Antiquity, Dec 1, 2011

Objectives The main aim of this project is to understand how European colonial activity influence... more Objectives The main aim of this project is to understand how European colonial activity influenced environmental and cultural transformations in this region of the Indian Ocean (Seetah 2010) by targeting specific locations (Figure 2), incorporating slave, indentured and imperial sites, as well as sites with high eco-archaeological potential. Establishing base-line soil conditions formed the focus of the first season and centred on a site in the north of the island at Mon Choisy (overall size 800m²). It forms part of a former plantation and offers a ...

The archaeological excavations carried out from 2006 until 2008 in Piazza XX Settembre in Comacch... more The archaeological excavations carried out from 2006 until 2008 in Piazza XX Settembre in Comacchio allow us to comprehend relative phases of the medieval Episcopal complex. Investigated contexts can be dated from the 6th c. to the Modern Age. The archaeological data concerning the first Bishop's church refer to the mid-eight century, proven by excavated cemetery area and porch. Original chapel material, parts of the 8th and 9th century church, some reused in the later building. Different architectural elements of the first church (columns, capitals, marble slabs) were part of more ancient buildings, not necessarily of local origin. During the Carolingian period this early church was supplied with an altar screen. Between the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 12th century in front of the church new rectangular buildings was erected. By its shape, size and quality of used material, we can suggest that it corresponds to a part of the Romanesque Bishop's palace. Its walls were built with numerous spolia -parts of the earlier church. This demonstrates that the church itself has been completely reconstructed. The research of the architectural fragments and the data concerning some groups of architectural elements allows us to comprehend the quality of the early medieval church furniture. It is also possible to examine activities of re-use on aa Romanesque construction site.

International …, Jan 1, 2012

The cemetery of Le Morne in Mauritius dates from the 1830s and is thought to contain the remains ... more The cemetery of Le Morne in Mauritius dates from the 1830s and is thought to contain the remains of slaves, freed slaves or potentially free Madagascans, which in itself has economic and social implications and makes the cemetery all the more intriguing. During 2010, excavations recovered the remains of 11 individuals, of which six were children. Although a small sample, the burials of the non-adults show several interesting features. Two neonates were buried contemporaneously and may have been twins, while a late term foetus in a grave with a young woman may represent an incident of coffin birth. This sample has the potential to cast light on the burial practices of the slave/ex-slave community in Mauritius, about which little is currently known.

" Catalogo della Mostra Archeologica (Comacchio, FE). Il catalogo accompagna la mostra dedica... more "
Catalogo della Mostra Archeologica (Comacchio, FE).

Remote Sensing

Antiquity, Dec 1, 2011

International …, Jan 1, 2012

La Venetia marittima altomedievale era costituita da una fascia d’acque e di terre che da Ravenna... more La Venetia marittima altomedievale era costituita da una fascia d’acque e di terre che da Ravenna, verso Nord, raggiungeva Aquileia, occupando le basse coste dell’odierno Veneto, del Friuli Venezia Giulia e in parte continuava sulle coste rocciose dell'Istria. Tra tardo antico e alto medioevo questo tratto di costa costituì uno dei territori più dinamici dell’Italia Settentrionale e dell’intero bacino mediterraneo. L’archeologia documenta come, mentre nell'entroterra padano la crisi istituzionale e politico-militare portò disgregazione nel tessuto sociale della Venetia et Histria, le lagune conoscono un insolito fiorire di centri abitati, a volte in competizione tra loro, con una fortissima vocazione commerciale. Il fenomeno appare in controtendenza rispetto al periodo di recessione che colpisce le rotte commerciali di lungo raggio, sia mediterranee che adriatiche a partire dal V-VI sec.. A una stasi commerciale quasi generalizzata, l’alto Adriatico sembra, invece, rispondere positivamente. Merci orientali (con ovvie distinzioni crono-tipologiche) continuano ad essere presenti con una certa continuità dall’età tardo imperiale fino a tutto il medioevo, sia nei porti bizantini, sia nei successivi centri Venetici collegati al Regno dei Longobardi, ai Franchi e, infine, a Venezia. Cambiano, è ovvio, le scale di misura (le quantità di prodotti, le tipologie, la frequenza degli arrivi). Cambiano i modi di approvvigionamento: da un mercato globale tardo antico che coinvolge tutto il mediterraneo da nord a sud e da est a ovest, si passa a movimenti commerciali fortemente proiettati nell’Egeo e nel Mediterraneo orientale, governati dal mondo bizantino, fino ad arrivare, alla fine del percorso che ci interessa, a un sistema economico del tutto nuovo, rappresentato dalle imprese commerciali venetiche. Prima, tra VI e VIII sec., i centri adriatici sembrano fungere da ricettori e distributori di merci verso l’interno della pianura padana (Comacchio, Torcello, Cittanova, ad esempio); poi, dalla seconda metà dell’VIII sec. e con la formazione della flotta Veneziana, divengono veri e propri empori aperti al commercio a lungo raggio.

All’interno dell’attività di catalogazione del progetto Parsjad, in accordo con la direzione del ... more All’interno dell’attività di catalogazione del progetto Parsjad, in accordo con la direzione del Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Venezia, si è proceduto all’aggiornamento e al completamento del catalogo del corpus dei materiali scolpiti altomedievali e medievali in deposito presso la struttura museale. I materiali, in gran parte eccezionali per rarità e qualità, sono databili tra il VI/VII e l’XI secolo
La collezione contiene dei magnifici esempi di vere da pozzo, datate tra IX e XI secolo. Per la loro qualità di esecuzione, per la rarità e unicità tipologica e per il fatto che rappresentano un unicum della scultura preromanica o carolingia applicata all’ambito civile (in genere si conservano arredi liturgici e le decorazioni architettoniche di edifici religiosi), si possono considerare a buon diritto il vanto della raccolta. Alla collezione si sono aggiunti una serie di materiali provenienti da un celebre scavo archeologico della fine del XIX secolo, operato in seguito a sistemazioni di bonifica e di conterminazione lagunare presso il sito del monastero altomedievale di Sant’Ilario, collocato oggi poco lontano da Dogaletto di Mira.
La collezione, in linea generale, denuncia una eccezionale adesione alla cultura artistica carolingia nel momento della formazione della città di Venezia nel IX secolo

In the framework of the cataloguing activity, PArSJAd project, in agreement with the direction of the National Archaeological Museum of Venice, we proceeded to update and complete the cataloguing of the corpus of early medieval and medieval carved materials in storage at the museum. The materials, most of which are of exceptional rarity and quality, may be dated from the 6th/7th to the 11th century.
The collection features magnificent examples of wellheads, dated between the 9th and 11th century. Because of their quality of execution, rarity, and typological uniqueness, and the fact that they represent a unique specimen of pre-Romanesque or Carolingian sculpture applied to civil engineering (typically, liturgical furniture and architectural decorations of religious buildings are conserved), they can be rightly considered the pride of the collection. A set of materials from a famous archaeological excavation of the late 19th century was added to the collection; following arrangements having to do with land reclamation and lagoon boundaries, the excavation had been performed at the site of the early medieval monastery of Sant’Ilario, today located not far from Dogaletto di Mira.
Generally speaking, this collection clearly belongs to Carolingian art and culture, which ruled during the time of formation of the city of Venice in the 9th century.

Il museo della laguna sud di Chioggia ospita un eccezionale allestimento che mostra i materiali a... more Il museo della laguna sud di Chioggia ospita un eccezionale allestimento che mostra i materiali archeologici recuperati in più occasioni presso il sito di Torre delle Bebbe. La torre è ubicabile presso la frazione di Ca’ Bianca, a sud di Ca’ Pasqua presso il canale Gorzone. Il sito, oggetto di più ricognizioni e recuperi, operati dal Gruppo Archeologico “Fossa Clodia”, ha restituito un grande numero di materiali di età medievale e alcuni di età romana. Tra questi materiali vi sono molti oggetti in metallo, vetro e pietra. L’eccezionale grado di integrità di alcuni di questi materiali permette alcune riflessioni sulle funzioni e sulla cronologia del sito, in vita e in uso tra il XII e il XVII secolo, ma con un’intensità d’uso alla fine del XV secolo.
Secondo la tradizione storica locale laTorre delle Bebbe sarebbe stata eretta, alla difesa delle Venetie all’epoca del doge Deusdedit nel 742-745. L’idea di identificare le Bebbe con l’antico castello di VIII secolo, è suggerita al Bellemo a metà del XIX secolo. I materiali raccolti, però, e il contesto archeologico escluderebbe questa datazione.
E’possibile attribuire almeno cinque diverse funzioni al sito, attraverso una lettura interpretativa dei diversi gruppi di materiali rinvenuti. E’ una torre con funzioni militari, attestate da numerosi proiettili di arma da fuoco e immanicature di armi bianche. Assolve a funzioni di dogana e di punto di “passo commerciale”, funzioni testimoniate dalle monete, dalle bolle ducali/vescovili e da tessere mercantili. E’ residenza per un membro dell’esercito di alto rango, come si evince dalla qualità dei vetri e delle ceramiche raccolte. Il ruolo di “passo”, relative al passaggio dei pellegrini, è testimoniato da un buon numero di immagini sacre riconducibili alla tipologia delle insegne per pellegrini: immagini di santi, croci, anelli. Le attività, invece, più legate alla tipologia dell'ambiente circostante, ovvero la pesca e la caccia, sono largamente testimoniate da numerosi piombi da rete, una serie di pesi da lenza, ami da pesca e più di 100 proiettili in terracotta per la caccia con l’arco.

The Chioggia Museum is showcasing an exceptional exhibit of archaeological material recovered over several instances
at Torre delle Bebbe excavation site. This tower can be found in the Ca’ Bianca hamlet, south of Ca’ Pasqua by the Gorzone canal.
The ‘Fossa Clodia’ Archaeological Group conducted several surveys in this site, recovering a large number of materials from the Middle Ages and some from the Roman Age. Some of these materials, consisting of metal, glass, and stone objects, are in such a good state of preservation as to allow for speculation about the site’s functions and chronology, to be dated from the 12th to the 17th century,with the late 15th century being its peak time of activity.
According to local lore, the Torre of Bebbe was erected in defence of the Venetie during doge Deusdedit’s time in 742-745 AD. In the
mid-nineteenth century, Bellemo suggested the idea of identifying Bebbe with the ancient eighth-century castle. However, our collected materials and archaeological framework would exclude the possibility of such dating.
By interpreting the differing sets of materials found, it is possible to assign at least five different functions to this site. This tower had military functions, attested by several bullets from firearms and hilts of blades. It was the site of a customs office, as well as a place of business; these functions are testified by the coins found along with ducal/episcopal edicts and merchant cards. It served as residence for a high-ranking member of the military, as evidenced by the quality of glass and ceramics collected. It also played the role of a passage for pilgrims, as testified by a good number of sacred icons ascribable to typical signs for pilgrims, such as images of saints, crosses, and rings.
Other activities such as fishing and hunting were related to the surrounding environment, and may be easily ascertained through the presence of numerous fishing net weights, a set of fishing rod weights, fishing hooks, and more than 100 terracotta bullets for bow hunting.

This volume, the third in a series, is a collection of several archaeological papers, relating to... more This volume, the third in a series, is a collection of several archaeological papers, relating to the activities carried out by the Italian-Montenegrin archaeological mission in Stari Bar during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. This mission began in 2004 with the participation of the University of Koper with the principal objective being to systematically undertake archaeological research on one of the most significant historical sites of Montenegro, after the pioneering research of Boskovic during the 5Os and 60s and after the demanding reconstruction activities following the earthquake of the 70s.
The scientific work of Boskovic remains fodamental to this excavation and still innovative in many of its methodological approaches. Boskovic aimed to bring to light the history of this forgotten Montenegrinian town, and in the process produced an analytical and complete study of its material structures, a rare endeavour during that period. The only work missing front his analysis was a proper study of the archaeology which was not possible at that time. To restart the archaeological project at Stari Bar began with a study of Boskovic s work and the plan of the settlement, which was already partially completed (in the meantime new clearances and excavations had brought to light districts that were buried in Boskovic time and had not therefore been documented, such as buildings I 43-146}, plus an assessment of the buried and standing archaeological features. Research campaigns then began, on standing buildings as well as buried features, with the two-fold aim of better understanding the long durée of the settlement sequence and the social changes as seen through the material culture of the site. In fact Stari Bar was (and is) very well suited to such analysis on the impact of political and social change over time and space and variations in the behaviours of the various communities who lived in the town and how they expressed their identities. Nonetheless there were some difficulties, due largely to the preservation of the buried layers and standing buildings, which had been heavily altered over time through natural and human activities, including the recent restoration works.
This volume essentially reports on research carried out in a very specifi area of the settlement, within the medieval town, but possibly outside the Byzantine settlement (a series of buildings in the southern area near the curtain walls: rooms 8-9 and the church of St. Catherine}. The aim was to analyze the evolution of an urban area from its birth through the Ottoman phases (previously unpublished). During 2006 a preliminary report was published with regards to this group of buildings and the report here completes that task with a study of the materials from those rooms (including the pottery}, faunal remains, the architectuml complex (including the church), some fibulae, a preliminary analysis of written documentation about Stari Bar an evaluation of the archaeological resources of the surrounding territory and finally a report on olive oil production during the Ottoman period.
The team of2006, under my direction, included Michela Babhini, Corinna Bagato, Silvia Cadamuro, Diego Calaon, Erica D’Amico, Annamaria Delmonte, Cristina Falla, Margherita Ferri, Alessandra Forti. Speranza Fresia, Elena Grandi, Ester Zanichelli, of the University of Ca’ Foscari in Venice: Miguel Bru Castro of the University Autonoma of Madrid; Mladen Zagarcanin ofthe Museum of Bar; Alexander Pluskowski and Krish Seetah of the University of Cambridge; Deian Draslzovic, Milos Zivanovic and Petra Zdravlcovic of Bar
The team of 2007. under my direction, included Michela Bahlnni, Annamaria Delmonte and Claudio Negrelli of the University of Ca` Foscari in Venice; Mladen Zagaréanin and Goran Pajovic of the Museum of Bar.

The project on Stari Bar is part of a cooperation between the University of Venice (Italy), the U... more The project on Stari Bar is part of a cooperation between the University of Venice (Italy), the University of Koper/Capodistria (Slovenia) and the Montenegrin authorities (Museum of Ban Ministry o/`Culture, Archaeological site of Bar) and is inserted in a wider framework, of which also the University Innsbruck is part, funded by the European Union, that aims to study the ways and modalities that qualify the Venetian presence on the eastern coast ofthe Adriatic sea (Program Culture 2000, The heritage of Serenissima). In this perspective some case studies have been analyzed (the shipwreck of Gnalic, in Croatia, the late medieval ceramics of some sites of Slovenia (Piran/Pirano. Izola/Isola, Koper/Capodstria) and Croatia (Sv. Ivan pri Umagu/S. Giovanni di Umago, Split/Spalato), and the site of Stari Bar in (Bar, Montenegro), in order to build autonomous guidelines for research, some of which have already been completed.
The site of Stari Bar (Antivari - Old Bar) represents undoubtedly an extraordinarily interesting archaeological site, first of all for the degree of preservation of the material remains. A village destroyed and abandoned during the Montenegrin Independence War gives us a picture, even if in ruins, of a small fossil town: with its streets, its palaces, its houses, its churches and monasteries, its mosques and its baths. A site whose archaeological potential stopped in 1870 AD.

In autumn 2005 a second campaign of archaeological research on the site of Stari Bar has been car... more In autumn 2005 a second campaign of archaeological research on the site of Stari Bar has been carried out. In agreement with the Montenegrin authorities (Museum of Bar — Town of Bar) the archaeological project involved the collaboration of the University of Ca' Foscari in Venice and Primorska University in Koper (Slovenia). While the team directed by prof. Mitja (Justin studied Ottoman pottery from the Museum and the storage area of the site of Ban the team under my direction worked together with Mladen Zagarcanin of the Museum of Bar on the implementation of the archaeological research at the site. In this volume, a part of the results of that campaign are published.
This book, like the first one on Stari Bar; remains a collection of papers. A group of articles focus on topics connected with the areas excavated in 2005 (UTS 45, UTS 112 and UTS 8b), a paper presents the archaeozoological analysis of context from the trench of 2004 (UTS 161) and another one gives a wide overview of stone working in Bar through the centuries. An article then aims to give a preliminary interpretation of the settlement sequence of the area, through the collation of new data and pre-existing archaeological knowledge.
The team of 200.5, under my direction, was constituted by Corinna Bagato, Fulvio Baudo, Diego Calaon, Erica D’Amico, Cristina Falla, Speranza Fresia, Alessandro Gasparin and Elena Grandi of the University of Ca` Foscari in Venice; by Mladen Zagarcanin of the Museum of Bar: by Aleksander Pluskowski and Krish Seetah of the University of Cambridge; by Milos Petrivecic of the University of Beograd.
The project was funded by the European Union (Culture 2000. The Heritage of Serenissirna), the Ministero degli Esteri Italiano (MAE) and by Region Veneto. In this occasion we want to express our gratitude to those that have helped and supported this mission also in 2005. For the Montenegrin side the Minister of Culture Mrs Vesna Kilibarda, the Chief of Cultural Heritage Mr Slobodan Mitrovic, the Mayor of the Municipality of Bar in 2005 Mrs Anka Vojvodic, the director of the Center for Culture of Bar Mr Milun Lutovac, the curator of the Museum of Bar Mr Vladislav Kasalika and the conservator of the archaeological area of Bar Mr Omer Perocevic. For the Italian side the Consul for Montenegro in 2005, Mrs Valentina Setta, the dean of the University Ca ’ Foscari Mr Pierfrancesco Ghetti, the functionaries of Regione Veneto, our colleague Gilberto Calderoni of the Laboratory of Earth Science of University "La Sapienza " of Rome for the C 14 analysis and our colleague Paolo Biagi of University of Ca ’ Foscari in Venice for his help with the micro-lithics of the site.

by Miljenko Jurkovic, Nikola Jakšić, Danijel Džino, Jiří Macháček, Goran Bilogrivić, ante milosevic, Ivan Basić, Diego Calaon, Ivan Josipović, Meri Zornija, and Nikolina Uroda

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