In July 2023, a team of interdisciplinary researchers carried out a geochemical research campaign in the Archaeological mines park of San Silvestro. These included team members for our ARC project, “Pursuing Public Health in the Preindustrial World”: archaeobotanist Mauro Buonincontri, anthropologist Serena Viva, history Phd candidate Rose Byfleet, and archaeologist Giovanna Bianchi. Other researchers included zooarchaeologist Andrea Tommolini, archaeologist Luisa Dalai. included More information on the trip can be found here.
The mining castle of Rocca San Silvestro in the Archaeological Mines Park in Campiglia Marittima (Italy).1. Zooarchaeologist Andrea cleaning faunal remains from RSS.Faunal remains from RSS.Student pinpointing house remains with gps.Student at the entrance of Medieval mine in Manienti Valley.Students at the entrance of Medieval mine in Lanzi Valley.Geochemical team downloading XRF analyses.Meeting at the Archaeological Mines Park of San Silvestro with PhD student and project member Rose Byfleet.Anthropologist Serena showing to Rose the bone pathologies in the bioarchaeological laboratory in Villa Lanzi. Zooarchaeologist Andrea showing to Rose the faunal remains in the bioarchaeological laboratory in Villa Lanzi.Archaeobotanist Mauro sieving archaeological soil samples for botanical remains in the Warehouse at Lanzi Valley.Charred wood remains from a Medieval dumpsite in Rocca San Silvestro.Grape pip from a Medieval dumpsite in Rocca San Silvestro.Geochemical team squaring a mineral processing area by portable XRF analyses.Luisa Dallai and her team using portable XRF in a mineral cave in Lanzi Valley.
Fieldwork: Rocca San Silvestro, summer 2022
In summer 2022, as part of our ARC-funded research project “Pursuing Public Health in the Preindustrial World”, Giovanna Bianchi and her team of researchers Serena Viva and Mauro Buonincontri, conducted fieldwork at the site of Rocca San Silvestro, a medieval castle in Tuscany. While an archaeological dig was conducted years ago, little analysis was made on the skeletal remains. Bianchi, Viva, and Buonincontri are using this fascinating old mining community to extract information from skeletal remains, sediment and soil analyses, to make conclusions about miners’ population health, diet, and landscape. For more updates follow our Twitter account @prosanitate and Mauro’s account @goodmeetings1.
Serena Viva, physical anthropologist working at the Rocca San Silvestro site.Serena Viva works with skeletons to explore health impacts of human populations, in this case a mining population at Rocca San Silvestro.Great desk view.Rocca San Silvestro.Mauro Buonincontri sampling sediment from a soil profile to extract charcoal remains.Landscape.Rocca San Silvestro.Sunset fit for a miner.Castle ruins.Directions.Rocca San Silvestro medieval castle, view.Road to Rocca San Silvestro medieval castle.Rocca San Silvestro medieval castle, view.Ruins.
Please come along to our book launch in Oxford of Public Health in the Premodern World: Dynamic Balances, edited by G. Geltner, Janna Coomans, and Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim published by Oxford University Press. Three chapters of the book are also available Open Access, find them at the following link: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/public-health-in-the-premodern-world-9780198969464?lang=3n&cc=rs#For those on the other side of […]
Registration has opened for our conference - "Health and the Environment in the Preindustrial World: Multidisciplinary Approaches"! Attendance is both virtual and in-person in Melbourne, Australia. See the program here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mZ4FElavGNTvCSSM0svVliBGEVrI4Kvm/view?usp=sharingRegistration: https://forms.gle/w49zfP3CPBQjaXG38 #histmed #histstm
BOOK DISCOUNT CODE: Have you had your eye on “Public Health in the Premodern World” ed. by our G. Geltner with Janna Coomans & Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim which illustrates the rich history of public health? Check out the code below to get 30% off! #histmed #medhst
