CIRMAR
Circulation of Materials and Resilience of Local Communities in the Northern Italy in Late Antiquity
Social instability, political crisis, climate change, and economic restructurations shape the present era to a considerable extent, as they did in late antique and early medieval Europe (5th–8th centuries). This pilot project, intended as a foundation for larger research, examines how these transformations impacted local societies, focusing on material culture. Based on some specific case studies, it will concentrate on the Northern Italy, a cultural and economical hub at crossroads of east-west and north-south exchange, that has been shaped by significant climatic, geopolitical, demographic, and economic changes. The pilot study will pave the road to investigate the changes of regional and trans-regional exchange networks during this period, giving insights into the capacities of local communities to respond to complex changes in times of global transformations.
The pilot study will concentrate at selected sites and materials within the provinces of Northern Italy (Lombardy, Emilia Romagna), where the climatic and geopolitical shifts posed significant challenges to local communities. Through selected case studies, the commercial and cultural interactions will be analyzed, with an emphasis on marble artefacts and ceramics as indicators of change.
The project is on the profit of an interdisciplinary approach, using actual solutions and modern scientific metodologies – non-destructive, minimally invasive geochemical and mineralogical-petrographic analyses of white marble. To achieve this, participating universities and external laboratories will collaborate. This material-focused approach, particularly on the exchange and reuse of marble artefacts, represents an innovative approach to a discussion that is so far mainly based on litterary sources.
The research will be conducted with the objective of facilitating the exchange of knowledge, sharing insights and disseminating the outcomes within students, broader academic and public communities. Ultimately, the project aims to develop a joint proposal (ERC Synergy Grant) for future funding, enabling continued research.