SWORM

"Stone-working across the ancient Mediterranean. Building techniques, artisans and cultural identities: a view from North Africa"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The proposed research concerns a multi-disciplinary study of stone-working techniques in the ancient Mediterranean starting from an archaeological analysis of built structures. In particular it focuses on the so-called opus Africanum, a group of masonry techniques characterised by vertical frameworks of stone blocks. It arrived in North Africa as a consequence of the Phoenician colonisation, and thereafter spread through the Mediterranean basin, especially to Italy, Spain and France. Its attestations from the late Punic age (2nd c. BC) until the end of the Roman period (5th c. AD) will be analysed with the objectives of understanding how ancient technology spread in the ancient world, what were the political and socio-economical conditions that allowed its diffusion as well as the role of artisans and patrons, and how we can extract information on their cultural identity through building techniques. The Applicant proposes to carry out a two-year research period at the UMR 8546 of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, where a team working on the Archaeology of Construction is leaded by the Applicant’s supervisor. Combined with the Applicant’s own experience, this will allow the further development of a new methodological approach for studying ancient architecture and for integrating archaeology, anthropology, geology, and seismology. A database on building techniques will be developed together with custom-made free software to obtain 3D realistic models of ancient monuments based on digital pictures, from which points-clouds with RGB values can be processed. This project will be of mutual benefit for the Applicant and the Host organisation, and will enhance EU scientific excellence through new agreements with North African institutions for new fieldwork projects. Dissemination of results by scientific publications and organisation of a workshop will stimulate the creation of a researchers network working on the topic of this project in the Euro-Mediterranean area'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A closer look at established theories on how building techniques spread is poised to update our understanding of ancient architecture and promote the conservation of heritage buildings.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Millennia ago, ancient civilisations such as the Greek, Phoenician and Roman ones practiced sophisticated stone construction techniques and influenced each other, often with the input of indigenous people.

In North Africa's Maghreb region, this phenomenon manifests itself in one specific building technique today dubbed Opus Africanum.

The EU-funded project SWORM investigated how these construction techniques spread around the Mediterranean basin.

Historians today hypothesise that the technique originated in Palestine and Syria, making its way to Phoenician colonies such as Carthage, and remaining in use up to Roman times.To test this theory, the project worked on tracing the spread of the technique and to conduct an in-depth study of its use in ancient Morocco.

It employed different geological, archaeological, anthropological and scientific methods to document local and imported building traditions, defining also architectural links between the Maghreb and the rest of the Mediterranean basin.Through these studies, the project team identified three distinct stone-working techniques, revealing a much more complex pattern of dissemination than previously thought.

For example, one of these techniques may have developed independently in different places and time frames, putting in question the proposed Phoenician link.

Further study also revealed that in building the Capitolium of Sala in modern-day Rabat, Opus Africanum was used not only for structural reasons but to keep costs down as well.Such a detailed analysis has revealed a more accurate tradition of Hellenistic, Punic, African and Roman building techniques, demonstrating that various cultures in the region jointly conceived a unique architectural style.

Improved understanding of building materials and construction of the ancient world will bring forth novel ideas in academia and the history of architecture, in addition to reinforcing the protection of cultural heritage.