CMNH PhD student – two publications
CMNH member, Ilenia Atzori, has contributed to the publication of two papers in the proceedings of two different Italian conferences: IX Congresso Nazionale di Archeologia Medievale (Alghero, SS, Sept. 28 – Oct. 2, 2022, organised by SAMI – Società degli Archeologi Medievisti Italiani[1]) and IX Ciclo di Studi Medievali (Florence, June 6-7, 2023, organised by NUME Gruppo di Ricerca sul Medioevo Latino[2]).
Both papers talk about fieldwork in Bassano in Teverina (VT, Lazio) attended in September 2021 as part of a research group from the University of Cagliari. Fieldwork activities fall into a broader and still ongoing agreement between the Sardinian university and the University of Tuscia (Viterbo), and between the latter and the relevant local authorities in Bassano in Teverina.
The first paper was co-authored with Prof. Fabio Pinna from the Department of Humanities, Languages and Cultural Heritage, Antonio Giorri, PhD Student in History, Cultural Heritage and International Studies, Valentina Milia, Postgraduate Degree at the School for Archaeological Heritage, and Davide Pias, Masters’ Degree in Archaeology. This was about the activities carried out in Bassano in Teverina as the first stage of the above-mentioned agreement between the Universities and the local authorities, which involved public archaeology to supplement archaeological field research already conducted in the area by the University of Tuscia and the former Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per l’Area Metropolitana di Roma, la provincia di Viterbo e l’Etruria Meridionale, the Italian Archaeology Superintendence responsible for the area.
Drawing upon this experience, the second paper compares the observations gathered during the fieldwork experience to Ilenia’s research in Cagliari, Sardinia, about the perceptions of heritage value in the community living and working in Castello, one of the districts of the city. In her words, the two case studies seem to emphasise similar results in terms of a wide range of views on what heritage means to the communities involved, at this stage of her research.
Ilenia’s research stems from the assumption that cultural heritage is a socio-cultural construct and that bringing different views into the conversations surrounding museums or urban development plans may have multiple benefits. These include contributing to a stronger sense of belonging in communities, developing livelier and more relevant museum spaces, and effectively engaging with those age groups that are usually more difficult to involve in conversations around cultural heritage.
Photos: cover of proceedings vol.1 from SAMI website; call for proposal from NUME website; photo taken by Margherita Zonca during the presentation.
[1] Society of Italian Medieval Archaeologists
[2] Research Group on the Latin Middle Ages
