Articles by Cristina Menghini

The LIAAM has been concerned with data storage and data architecture since its inception. A few years ago, a new tool was developed that complements the ‘Carta Archeologica’ DBMS, functional for managing information related to various classes of finds. Recently, QGIS has enabled the setting of ‘One to many’ relationships; this opportunity is particularly interesting for the quantitative and density analysis of finds within stratigraphic deposits; all this without using PostgreSQL and PostGIS, or pyArchInit. This function has allowed bypassing the migration of old databases to other software more integrated in spatial environments and has saved on work hours for the design of new data architectures and interfaces. The first experiments were conducted at the sites of San Galgano and Miranduolo (municipality of Chiusdino, Siena). It was possible to identify quantitative and qualitative anomalies in the space of the villages from the 8th and 9th-10th centuries, which provided new insights for assessing the social composition of the inhabitants and the economy.

This contribution is the result of experimenting with methodologies linked to the understanding of soundscapes in the context of medieval monasteries. In our specific area, the approach was not focused on the cognitive concept itself so much as the perception of the spirituality of the ringing of bells. The premise was to understand whether, and how, the bells functioned as a soundmark for controlling the territory. The case studies examined are the Abbey of Farneta, the Monastery of Camaldoli and the Abbey of San Fedele, today located in the Province of Arezzo: the three religious structures differ in their historical development, geographical position, and economy. However, what links them (and what links the great majority of medieval monastic complexes) is a tight control of their territory for production purposes, in order to guarantee the profitability of their material heritage. Analyses of the diffusion of the sound of the bells was compared (and integrated) with visibility and catchment analyses. The aim was to understand whether this type of analytical approach could contribute to the definition of a monastery’s ‘catchment area’. The data that emerged describe a complex economic landscape in which identified anomalies at settlement level can be worth analyzing and trying to understand.