Articles by Maurizio Marinato

This paper presents the database and the open access georeferenced online map of the CAMIS project of the University of Padua, which aims to catalogue and analyse late antique and medieval funerary contexts as a response to the scattered documentation and partial publications on this subject. After describing the structure and software used for the database and the online map, some numbers are presented relating to the more than thousand sites already entered in the system and the kind of results that can be advanced, underlining some of the problems encountered. The paper calls for the optimization of data management to foster open archaeological research, highlighting the need for a unified approach to study complex historical phenomena. The CAMIS database, incorporating standardized vocabularies for systematic and statistical analysis, is vital for unlocking new research avenues and addressing gaps in current knowledge. The project exemplifies the power of open science, promoting collaboration and enriching archaeological research with a rapidly growing, vast dataset.

At the University of Padua, since 2005, after the inclusion of a course in Human Paleontology as part of the degree in archaeology, an osteo-archaeology study team has been active. In order to record in a comprehensive and systematic manner data relating to paleobiological research, an open source osteological database was developed. The database is based on LibreOffice Base, a versatile and easy to use software, as well as a multiplatform. The data is entered and stored in a table within the software, which is freely and easily exportable. The table is visually expressed through eight forms created in LibreOffice Base. The first section collects all information relating to the general biological profile (sex, age at death, stature, etc.) of each individual. The next section, developed only for adult subjects, is intended for the recording of paleobiological data and consists of two different parts, reporting of the possible presence or absence of trauma and/or pathologies. All pathologies, alterations and bone characteristics are listed in detailed form. The final form is intended for recording data about the state of dental health of adult and child subjects. Currently the database is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial - Share Alike 3.0 Italy (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0).