In July 2023, a team of interdisciplinary researchers carried out a geochemical research campaign in the Archaeological mines park of San Silvestro. These included team members for our ARC project, “Pursuing Public Health in the Preindustrial World”: archaeobotanist Mauro Buonincontri, anthropologist Serena Viva, history Phd candidate Rose Byfleet, and archaeologist Giovanna Bianchi. Other researchers included zooarchaeologist Andrea Tommolini, archaeologist Luisa Dalai. included More information on the trip can be found here.
The mining castle of Rocca San Silvestro in the Archaeological Mines Park in Campiglia Marittima (Italy).1. Zooarchaeologist Andrea cleaning faunal remains from RSS.Faunal remains from RSS.Student pinpointing house remains with gps.Student at the entrance of Medieval mine in Manienti Valley.Students at the entrance of Medieval mine in Lanzi Valley.Geochemical team downloading XRF analyses.Meeting at the Archaeological Mines Park of San Silvestro with PhD student and project member Rose Byfleet.Anthropologist Serena showing to Rose the bone pathologies in the bioarchaeological laboratory in Villa Lanzi. Zooarchaeologist Andrea showing to Rose the faunal remains in the bioarchaeological laboratory in Villa Lanzi.Archaeobotanist Mauro sieving archaeological soil samples for botanical remains in the Warehouse at Lanzi Valley.Charred wood remains from a Medieval dumpsite in Rocca San Silvestro.Grape pip from a Medieval dumpsite in Rocca San Silvestro.Geochemical team squaring a mineral processing area by portable XRF analyses.Luisa Dallai and her team using portable XRF in a mineral cave in Lanzi Valley.
Fieldwork: Rocca San Silvestro, summer 2022
In summer 2022, as part of our ARC-funded research project “Pursuing Public Health in the Preindustrial World”, Giovanna Bianchi and her team of researchers Serena Viva and Mauro Buonincontri, conducted fieldwork at the site of Rocca San Silvestro, a medieval castle in Tuscany. While an archaeological dig was conducted years ago, little analysis was made on the skeletal remains. Bianchi, Viva, and Buonincontri are using this fascinating old mining community to extract information from skeletal remains, sediment and soil analyses, to make conclusions about miners’ population health, diet, and landscape. For more updates follow our Twitter account @prosanitate and Mauro’s account @goodmeetings1.
Serena Viva, physical anthropologist working at the Rocca San Silvestro site.Serena Viva works with skeletons to explore health impacts of human populations, in this case a mining population at Rocca San Silvestro.Great desk view.Rocca San Silvestro.Mauro Buonincontri sampling sediment from a soil profile to extract charcoal remains.Landscape.Rocca San Silvestro.Sunset fit for a miner.Castle ruins.Directions.Rocca San Silvestro medieval castle, view.Road to Rocca San Silvestro medieval castle.Rocca San Silvestro medieval castle, view.Ruins.
Our colleague prof. Megan Cassidy-Welch of ACU writes: "Today the Australian Catholic University announced a plan to disestablish the Medieval and Early Modern Studies research program. A myopic decision needing international condemnation."As director of that program, I will be strongly objecting to this decision."Medieval and early modern studies lies at the heart of university history, […]
#Applications open at California Institute of Technology for a postdoctoral instructor in medieval history. See flyer attachment for more information. Application online through: https://applications.caltech.edu/jobs/medievalhistory#postdoc #medieval #opportunity
Wed 13 Sept 12pm AEST// 4am EST, Guy Geltner presenting University of Melbourne's History of Philosophy and Science Seminar Series: “The Nature of Preindustrial Mining: Environmental Perspectives and Knowledge Creation”For Zoom email premodern.healthscaping@gmail.comhttps://www.hpsunimelb.org/seminars
