Articles by Myriam Pilutti Namer

Introduction to the section Networks and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology and Art History: Essays from the Venice Symposium (5-6 December 2024)

The church of San Fantin in Venice embodies the city’s architectural and historical evolution, with its origins in the High Middle Ages still uncertain. This article explores the church’s transformation through a multidisciplinary approach, combining digital modeling, material analysis, and archival research. Carlotta Zaramella reconstructs San Fantin’s architectural phases using a Building Information Modeling (BIM) model. Myriam Pilutti Namer analyzes the phenomenon of reused materials in Venice, with particular focus on the types of ancient marbles incorporated into the church’s fabric. Giulia A.B. Bordi investigates medieval material evidence and archival records of the baptismal font and the holy water stoup

This paper discusses two recent volumes that significantly contribute to the field of archaeological network research: Network Science in Archaeology (2023), edited by Tom Brughmans and Matthew A. Peeples, and The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Network Research (2024), edited by Tom Brughmans, Barbara J. Mills, Jessica Munson, and Matthew A. Peeples. Together, these works provide a comprehensive overview of current methodologies and applications of network science in archaeology, offering valuable theoretical frameworks and case studies.

For the first time in the history of Venetian archaeology, this paper presents the innovative potential of the application of a non-invasive digital technique for the extensive measurement of reused sculpture (spolia) preserved in Venice and its lagoon, both in architectural contexts and as freestanding structural elements. The sample measurements were carried out to get precise digital representations of archaeologically and epigraphically meaningful items, such as ancient columns, capitals or inscriptions, which are reused in the facades of palaces on the Grand Canal, as well as inside and outside Venetian churches and bell-towers. In most cases, measurements were taken for the first time; it was also possible to test the functions of the device over considerable distances, even greater than 50 m, thus obtaining the measurement of artefacts that are difficult to access. Finally, the provision of a very detailed dataset made it possible to set up a broader, albeit still embryonic, study of the proportions of ancient artefacts, especially inscriptions.