Hostname: page-component-76d6cb85b7-s74w7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-07-20T19:08:47.342Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Archaeological evidence of early settlement in Venice: a comment on Ammerman et al. (2017)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2018

John Meadows Open the ORCID record for John Meadows [Opens in a new window] ,
Nicoletta Martinelli  and
Luigi Fozzati
John Meadows*
Affiliation:
Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schloss Gottorf, 24837 Schleswig, Germany
Nicoletta Martinelli
Affiliation:
Laboratorio Dendrodata, via Pigna 14, 37121 Verona, Italy
Luigi Fozzati
Affiliation:
Accademia Internazionale di Scienze e Tecniche Subacquee, c/o CMAS Confederazione Internazionale Attività Subacquee, viale Tiziano 74, 00196 Rome, Italy
*
*Author for correspondence (Email: jmeadows@leibniz.uni-kiel.de)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In a recent Antiquity article, Ammerman et al. (2017) suggest that three radiocarbon dates on seventh- or eighth-century AD samples obtained by coring beneath St Mark's Basilica—including two peach stones—illuminate the earliest settlement of the historic centre of Venice. Excavations at several other locations, however, have yielded in situ settlement remains at least as old as the peach stones, some of which are securely dated by a floating tree-ring chronology and radiocarbon dates from stratified structural samples. Here, the authors summarise this evidence, and propose that a large area of the historic centre may have been settled by, or during, the mid seventh century AD.

Keywords

VenicedendrochronologyradiocarbonBayesian chronological modellingrescue excavationland reclamation

Information

Type
Debate
Information
Antiquity , Volume 92 , Issue 366 , December 2018 , pp. 1640 - 1649
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Ammerman, A.J. 2003. Venice before the Grand Canal. Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome 48: 141–58. https://doi.org/10.2307/4238806Google Scholar
Ammerman, A.J., Pearson, C.L., Kuniholm, P.I., Selleck, B. & Vio, E.. 2017. Beneath the Basilica of San Marco: new light on the origins of Venice. Antiquity 91: 1620–29. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2017.164Google Scholar
Asta, A., Bortoletto, M., Canazza, A., Lezziero, A. & Zandinella, A.. 2014. Venezia. Nuove indagini di archeologia urbana. NAVe–Notizie di Archeologia del Veneto 1(2012): 80–87.Google Scholar
Baillie, M.G.L. & Pilcher, J.R.. 1973. A simple cross-dating program for tree ring research. TreeRing Bulletin 33: 7–14.Google Scholar
Bortoletto, M. 2009. Tecniche del costruire a Venezia tra alto e basso medioevo sulla base dei dati archeologici. Archeologia Veneta XXXII: 204–35.Google Scholar
Bronk Ramsey, C. 2001. Development of the radiocarbon calibration program. Radiocarbon 43: 355–63. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200033865Google Scholar
Bronk Ramsey, C. 2009. Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon 51: 337–60. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200033865Google Scholar
Crouzet-Pavan, E. 1992. Sopra le acque salse: Espaces, pouvoir et société à Venise à la fin du Moyen Âge (Collection de l’École française de Rome series 156). Rome: École française de Rome.Google Scholar
De Min, M. 2000. Edilizia altomedioevale e medioevale nel territorio medievale. Nuovi dati conoscitivi dai cantieri di restauro, in Anglani, L. (ed.) ‘Tra due elementi sospesa’. Venezia, costruzione di un paesaggio urbano: 98–133. Venice: Marsilio/Insula.Google Scholar
Favero, V., Heyvaert, F. & Barbero, R. Serandrei. 1995. Motta S. Lorenzo: evoluzione dell'ambiente in un sito archeologico della Laguna di Venezia. Istituto Veneto Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Rapporti e Studi 12: 183–218.Google Scholar
Fozzati, L. 2005. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi: archeologia urbana lungo il Canal Grande di Venezia. Venice: Marsilio.Google Scholar
Fozzati, L. 2011. Sotto Venezia. L'archeologia dimenticata. Venice: Corte del Fontego.Google Scholar
Fozzati, L. & Cester, R.. 2005. L'archeologia d'emergenza nelle operazioni di restauro: cronaca del cantiere di Cà Foscari, in Pilo, G., Rossi, L. De, Alessandri, D. & Zuanier, F. (ed.) Ca’ Foscari. Storia e Restauro del Palazzo del'Università di Venezia: 188–200. Venice: Marsilio.Google Scholar
Gelichi, S. 2010. L'archeologia nella laguna veneziana e la nascita di una nuova città. Reti Medievali Rivista 11: 31.Google Scholar
Hedges, R.E.M., Housley, R.A., Ramsey, C. Bronk & van Klinken, G.J.. 1992. Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system: archaeometry datelist 15. Archaeometry 34: 337–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.1992.tb00507.xGoogle Scholar
Hedges, R.E.M., Pettitt, P.B., Ramsey, C. Bronk & van Klinken, G.J.. 1996. Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system: archaeometry datelist 22. Archaeometry 38: 391–415. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.1996.tb00785.xGoogle Scholar
Housley, R.A., Ammerman, A.J. & McClennen, C.E.. 2004. That sinking feeling: wetland investigations of the origins of Venice. Journal of Wetland Archaeology 4: 139–53. https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2004.4.1.139Google Scholar
Martinelli, N. 2003. Appendice B. Le datazioni radiometriche col 14C sui resti lignei strutturali, in Cecchi, R., La basilica di San Marco: la costruzione bizantina del IX secolo. Permanenze e trasformazioni: 137–66. Venice: Marsilio.Google Scholar
Martinelli, N. & Kromer, B.. 2002. A new oak chronology for early medieval times in the Veneto region, in D'Amico, C. (ed.) Atti del Secondo Congresso Nazionale di Archeometria: 293–304. Bologna: Patron.Google Scholar
Meadows, J., Martinelli, N., Pignatelli, O., Cester, R., Fozzati, L. & Kromer, B.. 2012. Keeping the sea out: early medieval structures at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Italy. Radiocarbon 54: 567–79. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200047251Google Scholar
Nature. 2017. Research highlights: peach stones reveal the origins of Venice. Nature 552: 294.Google Scholar
Reimer, P.J. et al. 2013. IntCal13 and Marine13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 0–50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon 55: 1869–87. https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_js_rc.55.16947Google Scholar
Rinntech. 2011. TSAP-WinTM. Time series analysis and presentation for dendrochronology and related applications. Version 4.64 for Microsoft Windows. User Reference. Heidelberg: Rinntech.Google Scholar
Serandrei Barbero, R., Albani, A.D. & Bonardi, M.. 2004. Ancient and modern salt marshes in the Lagoon of Venice. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 202: 229–44. https://doi.org/10. 1016/S0031-0182(03)00636-9Google Scholar
Stuiver, M., Reimer, P.J., Bard, E., Beck, J.W., Burr, G.S., Hughen, K.A., Kromer, B., McCormac, G., Van Der Plicht, J. & Spurk, M.. 1998. INTCAL98 radiocarbon age calibration, 24,000–0 cal BP. Radiocarbon 40: 1041–83. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200019123Google Scholar
Tuzzato, S. 1994. Le strutture lignee altomedievali a Olivolo, S. Pietro di Castello-Venezia, in Scarfi, B.M. (ed.) Studi di archeologia della X. Regio in ricordo di Michele Tombolani: 479–87. Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Meadows et al. supplementary material

Meadows et al. supplementary material

Download Meadows et al. supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 286.9 KB