The Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics at Università Ca'  Foscari Venezia invites applications for a post-doc fellowship in Venice Area Roman, Late Antique and Early Medieval Harbor System: Archaeology and Topography of Multi-Focal Site. Amphorae, Goods, and Infrastructures.

The Project Approdi and the Torcello Pilot Action will test of the feasibility of a master plan for an innovative coastal and lagoon archaeological park with 0 impact and 0 infrastructures in the archaeological park of Venice Early Medieval Harbor the most antique port of Venice around Torcello and the island of Torcello. The action will be implemented through scientific archaeological analysis of the harbor infrastructures and of the goods traded in the area. The results will be the part of a plan to develop cultural tourism strategies in connection with local stakeholders and shared cultural experiences around an archaeological excavation.

The public and the tourists will participate in the archaeological excavation and studies engaging themselves directly with the archaeologists and the scientists. Being able to literally “touch” the materiality of the past, the community will experience a unique perspective on the history of Venice. The collaboration with the Superintendence and with the Altino and Torcello Archaeological Museums will develop new form of cultural tourism alternative to the mass tourism.

General Objective of the Research
Altino and Torcello were proto-capitalistic sites. In large parts, the production of shipyards, the timber industry, as well as glass and metal productions, were all undertaken by labor that had a similar status to slaves. So, how were Altino and then Torcello inhabited? How were they sustained? And how did they end? And how do we re-narrate their history? The answers that come from archaeology are multiple and complex. We should consider the organization of production and trade in late antique Italy; we need to review the imported goods, the amphorae’s distribution, their reuse in specific infrastructures. We need to study the social and organizational systems of the local and displaced population, understand their human impact on the environment.

Specific Objectives of the Research Grant

• Analysis Amphorae distribution and their reuse in the lagoon area
• GIS assessment of the harbor system in the Venice Area: Infrastructure, Artifacts, and Geomorphology

The research may be carried out in English. The fellowship is intended to provide the successful candidate with the opportunity to pursue his/her own research while benefiting from the range of expertise at Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.

Prospective candidates are expected to hold a master’s degree in Archaeology or equivalent disciplines.

The duration of the contract is 12 months beginning in July 2018.