Arxiu de la categoria: Presentacions en congressos

Sampling strategies via statistical exploitation of morphometric data: Maximizing the assets of petrographic examination for a chronological review at the medieval town of Martorell

European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics, 2019. Barcelona, 16 a 18 de setembre de 2019

Sampling strategies via statistical exploitation of morphometric data: Maximizing the assets of petrographic examination for a chronological review at the medieval town of Martorell

by Esther Travé, Alfred Mauri, Rosario Navarro and Pablo del Fresno

The archaeological site of Santa Margarida (Martorell, Barcelona) is placed close to the ancient Via Augusta. The most ancient archaeological evidence is an Early Christian church with tripartite apse and its extensive necropolis. During the period between the 6th to the 12th Centuries this site experienced a great transformation in accordance to the surrounding landscape articulation, the origin of the medieval village of Martorell and the refurbishment of the church, transformed into a Romanesque building.

Medieval greyware is the most abundant finding at the site. A morphometric and petrographic study has been undergone recently. Greyware potsherds of four selected silos from different chronological horizons were sampled according to their morphometric characterization and examined via optical microscopy. Statistical exploitation of vessel shape compared to macroscopic paste examination led to a more precise sampling that has enabled us to determine more accurately the chronological transformations of pottery at this site and the changing paste recipes.

Whilst some high quality boiling pots or ollas were imported from the neighbouring medieval kiln site of Cabrera d’Anoia, medieval Martorell developed a local production of greyware vessels. Despite the homogeneity of these vessels throughout the Catalonian landscape, a combined approach of morphometric analysis and petrographic characterization allowed us to determine several differences related to the chronological sequence of this site. Our study has been of great importance to identify the local production and to characterize a reference group. These findings open new research perspectives about the daily activities at this site and the greyware pottery production and distribution in Medieval Catalonia.

Archaeological Research Information System (ARIS): Information and Stratigraphic Register Management

OPEN SCIENCE & THE HUMANITIES CONFERENCE 2018. Barcelona, 21 de juny de 2018

Archaeological Research Information System (ARIS): Information and Stratigraphic Register Management

by Pablo del Fresno Bernal, Esther Travé, and Alfred Mauri

The aim of this poster is to introduce a normalized proposal for managing the information and stratigraphic register arising from the archaeological fieldwork tasks. These files are produced within a scientific framework and are expected to be research information sources. Nevertheless, as a task regulated by the public administration, the archaeological register can also be considered and administrative document.

Therefore, the implementation and use of normalized processes for information management from the very beginning of the archaeological activity –actually before the fieldwork starts– until the submission of final report showing the obtained results and evidencing the compliment of administration requirements is suggested.

Preservation of knowledge is the underpinning goal of every Research Information System (RIS) and accurate registering of files fixing and transferring information is the basic pillar of scientific activity. Our proposal for normalized management is structured according to three main lines developed:

· SigArg: Geo-Spatial Archaeological Information System

· SgdArq: Archaeological File Management System

· NodArq: Archaeological Description Standards

To sum up, the implementation of a tool or an assemblage of computing interconnected tools according to pre-established rules and protocols allows the real instrumental usage of a theoretical proposal of normalization. This configures entirely the Archaeological Information System that we offer to the scientific community.

Research Information System (RIS): General principles and applications for Information Management

OPEN SCIENCE & THE HUMANITIES CONFERENCE 2018. Barcelona, 21 de juny de 2018

Research Information System (RIS): General principles and applications for Information Management

by Pablo del Fresno Bernal, Esther Travé, and Alfred Mauri

The changes occurred within paradigms of research processes have turn open data into a key element that requires reconsidering the way our work is done and information is dealt with. This overhaul also aims at developing new cross-cutting and transdisciplinar approaches. 

This proposal introduces the methodology developed for the integrated management of historical data, considering the wide diversity of sources in order to ease collaborative work and make it accumulative along time.

The concepts of Topographic Unit (indicator of an action or place that can be located in space and time, regardless the specificity of the source of information and its biotic, abiotic or anthropic origin) and Actor (individual or collective author of an action), together with the use of an ontology applied to the information gathering and classification, and the definition of relationships are the underpinning pillars of this system.

The potential of further data exploitation via different tools such as statistics, graphical representation, geographic information systems, etc. is exemplified by results obtained from its application to different research projects carried out since 1997.