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IMC 2021: Sessions

Session 502: Buildings, Patronage, and Policy

Tuesday 6 July 2021, 09.00-10.30

Moderator/Chair:Duncan Berryman, School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology, Queen's University Belfast
Paper 502-aArchaeology of the Construction of Religious Buildings in Early Byzantine Ravenna: The Case of Stone Materials
(Language: English)
Giulia Marsili, Dipartimento di Storia Culture Civiltà, Università di Bologna
Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Architecture - Religious, Byzantine Studies, Technology
Paper 502-bThe St Mary Cathedrals of Hamburg, Hildesheim, and Paderborn in the Early Middle Ages
(Language: English)
Rona Ettlin, Institut für Geschichte / Institut für Katholische Theologie Universität Hildesheim
Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Hagiography, Local History, Religious Life
Paper 502-cThe Reception of Roman Baths in 15th-Century Italy
(Language: English)
Giacomo Savani, School of Classics, University College Dublin
Index terms: Archaeology - Sites, Language and Literature - Latin, Learning (The Classical Inheritance), Medievalism and Antiquarianism
Abstract

Paper -a:
The monumental heritage of Early Byzantine Ravenna is a unique case of study for the quantity and quality of the buildings preserved. In addition to issues that have been extensively investigated in scientific literature, such as the topographical framing of churches, their diachronic development and outstanding mosaic decoration, the topic of building process has, to date, only rarely been considered. This contribution aims to investigate the dynamics underlying the constructive experience through the analysis of a stratified set of documents, like outline sketches on stone surfaces and graphic traces for prototyping and positioning of marble elements, as well as masons' marks engraved by workshops hired for their manufacture. The comparison between archaeological data and written sources allows to characterize the process of design and elaboration of artifacts in diachronic perspective and to highlight the involvement of different social groups, such as patrons, architects and stone craftsmen.

Paper -b:
How were the cities of Hildesheim, Paderborn, and Hamburg affected by the patronage of Mary the Virgin in their corresponding cathedrals? The questions is how the patronages, not only by the patronage of Mary, represented the relationship between the emperor and the imperial church in the early and high Middle Ages. How was Mary worshipped in the cathedrals? What were the differences and similarities? To clarify this it is necessary to compare the written sources with the archaeological evidence and also to study the Liber Ordinarii for Hildesheim, Paderborn, and the Missale for Hamburg.

Paper -c:
Roman baths were among the most visible and iconic reminders of the Classical world in 15th-century Italy and their rediscovery sparked the imagination of artists, architects, and antiquarians. A medical concern for Classical balneology matched a curiosity for the physical remains of thermae and baths. This paper looks at both aspects to reveal the broad and multifaceted influence of these buildings in written, visual, and material culture alike. In particular, I investigate how 15th-century scholars' ideas about ancient baths and bathing were shaped by what they read (Greco-Roman, medieval, and contemporary texts); what they saw (the archaeological remains); and where they lived (Rome, Naples).