Giulia Peresso on Law and Archeology - get ready!

Dear All,

the end of this exciting and very enriching experience is (sadly - and way too early) approaching. Before drowning in a sea of tears, let me tell you that working with you was a great honor. Despite the absences due to my academic adventures, I was always with you (thanks to the help of Prof. Conte and Dr. Gialdroni) - also when physically you could not perceive my presence.

This week's classes will be devoted to a new topic, law and archeology. A young archeologist, Giulia Peresso, will be our guest speaker. A seminar will take place on Wednesday (at 2 pm, as usual) and then on Thursday she will take you to the Museo dell'Alto Medioevo - Dr. Gialdroni will give you all the details.

Please read the following summary of an introductory text that Giulia has written (I am sending you the complete pdf via email). As usual, you will also receive the additional materials on your email account.

Have fun!

The Court in the Courtyard

Starting from the information provided by the archeological documentation, combined with written sources, the lecture will focus on the transformation of political spaces in Rome, as well as on changes occurred in the conception of power itself, between Empire and Early Middle Age. A focus on archeological remains will be crucial in order to understand how much of the old system of self-representation of upper classes survives within new architectural shapes and - most interesting - how it deals with the general organization of the urban space. 

City of Hunters: squatting dynamics throughout late antiquity and Early Medieval Ages (V-XI century)

Talking about the limits of historical reconstruction a very big topic concerns the representation of lower classes, traditionally unspoken by written sources and quite invisible through the lens of archeological traces. Nevertheless, the urban space was performed mostly by these actors, and this is not something an historical study can understate.  

Giulia Peresso's CV:

Giulia was born in Rome and is currently running a Ph.D. in Late Antiquity and Early Medieval Archeology at Roma Tre University.

She is currently involved (thanks to a EU Fellowship) in a project based on a campaign of documentation in the SW region of Provence, with particular attention to the city of Arles.