Books by Diana Dobreva
L'AREA DELLE MURA E DEL MERCATO TARDOANTICHI LO SCAVO NEGLI ARCHIVI, 2023
Il volume ha come oggetto un’area di Aquileia nota come Fondo Pasqualis, dove dal 2018 il Diparti... more Il volume ha come oggetto un’area di Aquileia nota come Fondo Pasqualis, dove dal 2018 il Dipartimento di Culture e Civiltà dell’Università di Verona sta conducendo indagini archeologiche sul mercato e le mura della fase tardoantica della città, in concessione ministeriale e in collaborazione scientifica ed economica con Fondazione Aquileia. Questa prima pubblicazione sull’importante contesto urbano si focalizza sullo “scavo negli archivi” ovvero sull’analisi di quanto raccolto e capito da chi ha lavorato nel terreno prima dei nuovi interventi. Si tratta di un’attività di ricerca che costituisce un momento fondamentale per orientare le scelte operative
sul campo e insieme un compito per così dire etico di ogni archeologo, al fine di dare significato alla documentazione e ai reperti di scavi passati accumulatisi negli archivi e magazzini di Soprintendenze e Musei e narrare le innumerevoli storie qui contenute e conservate. Nel testo si raccontano in ordine cronologico le diverse ricerche archeologiche susseguitesi in area, a partire dal primo scavo del 1914 fino a quelli condotti negli anni Novanta del Novecento, fra cui grande rilevanza ebbero le indagini intraprese nel 1953-55 da parte di Giovanni Battista Brusin, che mise in luce nel fondo le strutture tuttora quotidianamente aperte alla visita del pubblico.
Aquileia Cossar 3.3. I materiali ceramici, 2021
Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle i... more Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle illustrazioni.
Tra Oriente e Occidente. Dinamiche commerciali in Moesia Inferior e Thracia in epoca romana. I dati delle anfore (Antenor Quaderni 42), Roma 2017, 2017
"This research project is focussed on the distribution of amphorae and patterns of consumption in... more "This research project is focussed on the distribution of amphorae and patterns of consumption in the Eastern Roman provinces of Moesia Inferior and Thrace and their economic relationships with the regions of the Western Mediterranean.
The research represents a critical review of published data. The peculiar modern geopolitical context over the second half of the 20th century and problems related to linguistic accessibility has had the effect of creating a lack of comprehensive and up-to-date studies in this area and the knowledge of Bulgarian and other Slavic languages was instrumental in identifying local classification systems of amphorae with those commonly established.
The overall account of amphora distribution made it possible to examine in detail some case studies, which were selected either because of their role in the Roman period, or for the intensity of research. All these sites are situated near important commercial routes, along the lower bank of the Danube River (Novae, Sexaginta Prista and Trimammium), on the Western coast of the Black Sea (Odessos, Deultum, Apollonia Pontica) and in inland Thrace (Kabyle).
The direct examination of about four hundred items of amphorae (most of them unpublished) discovered in these sites was used to draft a chronological scheme, which builds on relevant contextual data and published evidence.
Trend analysis of the import of foodstuffs over specific historical periods: the typological examination of the amphorae and their marks, along with the type of agricultural production of their provenance area allow establishing the likely content of the containers (oil, wine, fish products or other foodstuffs). Graphs elaborated on the basis of these patterns can throw fresh insights on this archaeological research.
In the final synthesis, economic long term developments are pointed out. In particular, two commercials routes are highlighted: the first one is connected with the Western Black Sea trade route and it concerns mostly Agean and Pontic trading, without excluding some Western Mediterranean products which reached this territory still in the Late Hellenistic period. The second one runs along the Danube and it is related to the presence of Roman army: through this route since the first half of 1st century AD arrived the goods from the Adriatic Sea, and then, after the Dacian wars and the creation of the province of Dacia (106 AD), the foodstuffs from the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of Iberian commodities increases particularly when the Emperor Septimius Severus established the annona militaris. In this period some goods from the Pontus Euxinus reached the inland of Thrace as shown the assignment of Kabyle. "
Book chapters by Diana Dobreva
Archaeobotany in the archaeology of wine: current approaches and future possibilities, 2024
Interactions between archaeology and archaeobotany, chemistry and archaeometry have in recent yea... more Interactions between archaeology and archaeobotany, chemistry and archaeometry have in recent years forged promising pathways to illuminate some of the remaining unresolved grey areas in the study of Roman viticulture and wine production. This chapter will focus on key topics for the study of vine-growing and winemaking: in particular, macro remains, ancient DNA, charcoal, pollen and phytoliths. We examine for each how appropriate methodologies or fi eld practices can signifi cantly advance our historical knowledge. This chapter is enhanced by close collaboration between the authors and archaeobotanists, as well as experts in chemistry and
archaeometry, illuminating how a greater degree of communication and collaboration between archaeologists and scientists can improve the historical and archaeological reconstruction of ancient viticulture and winemaking. The discussion is restricted mainly to the western Mediterranean, with reference to northern Italy and the Valpolicella
area, where a multidisciplinary project has since 2020 produced a wealth of data that is enriching our understanding of viticulture and wine production in Graeco-Roman antiquity.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle i... more Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle illustrazioni.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle i... more Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle illustrazioni.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle i... more Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle illustrazioni.
La lanterna in terracotta, 2021
Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle i... more Tutti i diritti sono riservati. È vietata in tutto o in parte la riproduzione dei testi e delle illustrazioni.
NORA. IL TEMPIO ROMANO 2008-2014 VOLUME II.2 - I MATERIALI ROMANI E GLI ALTRI REPERTI, 2021
Anfore. Il ruolo di Cremona nei commerci regionali e transregionali tra la fondazione della colonia e il I secolo a.C.
LRCW 5. Late Roman coarse ware and amphorae in the Mediterranean. Archaeology and archaemetry, 2017
Material culture has always been an important source for the investigation of economic changes in... more Material culture has always been an important source for the investigation of economic changes in ancient societies. In this sense, the persistence of some productive processes in pottery manufacture (or the adoption of new ones) represents an effective tool for the analysis of certain historical periods, particularly of those marked by problematic changes. For instance, the economic crisis that struck the cities during late antiquity can be examined from the point of some trends in the ceramic craft related to specific dynamics of interaction between groups of artisans. This paper falls within the context of issues mentioned above and attempts to analyse some aspects of the socio-economic changes that characterised urban centres of Adriatic Italy during the Late Antique period. In order to carry out the intended research, data regarding the coarse ware found during excavations of the so-called domus of Titus Macer at Aquileia will be used. More specifically, a group of pots will be examined, which represents a prime example of the new techniques used in kitchenware production, but which can also be considered a result of a return to traditional production processes.
Papers by Diana Dobreva
AEGEAN TRADE IN THE ROMAN WORLD: THE VIEW FROM NORTH ADRIATIC, 2024
Pottery distribution analysis is a key method for understanding controlled trading networks and l... more Pottery distribution analysis is a key method for understanding controlled trading networks and long-distance maritime routes, mainly because these would have been conditioned by political and economic evolutions as much as demand. The focus of this study is to highlight the correlation between the Aegean and Asia Minor areas and the northern Adriatic region through the typological and chronological analyses of amphorae, fine and cooking wares. Both published and unpublished materials have been used to obtain a significant amount of quantitative and qualitative data, with a particular focus on Aquileia as a commercial hub. This study offered the opportunity to reconstruct a comprehensive model of the relations between both areas, making it possible to trace the evolution of general trends in Aegean trade transformation in the upper Adriatic region over a significant period, from the Late Republican to Late Antique times.
IL RUOLO DELL’OLIO VEGETALE NELL’ALIMENTAZIONE DI ETÀ ROMANA A VERONA E NEL SUO TERRITORIO, 2024
Eating habits often have a strong identity value of the traditions they inspire and the territory... more Eating habits often have a strong identity value of the traditions they inspire and the territory in which they are rooted. From a methodological point of view, hypotheses about oil consumption for food and cooking should not be considered in isolation but only within a food system in which different fats may be alternatives or co-exist. This research focuses on the use of olive oil and other plant oils in the diet during the early Imperial period, taking into account the agricultural vocation of the Verona area, the distribution of the olive oil amphorae, and the possibility of access to the food resource, and finally, the dietary patterns that reciprocal taste inclinations may have strongly influenced. On the one hand, the data studied confirms the availability of olive oil in Verona’s market, but on the other hand, it is surprising to find its total absence among the foodstuffs detected inside the vessels used for food preparation and cooking. In the current state of research, the data show more significant use of secondary plant oils such as hazelnut, walnut, linseed and brassica, used to supplement animal fats, highlighting the distinctive elements characterising Veronese gastronomic culture.
TRADE AND EXCHANGE ALONG THE ADRIATIC SEA IN EARLY IMPERIAL TIMES: THE CASE OF AFRICAN IMPORTS, 2023
During the 1st and 2nd centuries AD it is already possible to notice an interesting presence of A... more During the 1st and 2nd centuries AD it is already possible to notice an interesting presence of African products in the northern Adriatic area. The development of this phenomenon assigns Africa a fundamental role in the Mediterranean market and lays the basis during the 4th century AD for real economic, social, and cultural globalisation of the ancient world.
Taking into consideration these trade relationships, the role of Aquileia inside the Adriatic distribution system has been examined. The city occupied a strategic position as a natural terminal of the commercial routes coming from the south and as a redistribution knot towards the hinterland to the provinces beyond the Alps.
Fondazioni in legno e anfore: il caso delle mura tardoantiche di Aquileia (Udine), 2023
The focus of this paper is the study of one of the two Late Antique city walls of Aquileia, locat... more The focus of this paper is the study of one of the two Late Antique city walls of Aquileia, located on the south-western part of the city, already excavated in the mid 1950s by Giovanni Brusin and part of the current research project
carry out of the Verona University. The construction of the wall in a completely incoherent fill layer, near the course of the Natissa River, required a complex system of land reclamation and bank consolidation using amphorae and wooden poles, which were the subject of dendrochronological and radiocarbon analyses. Furthermore, during the excavations a wooden structure situated in the open area of the wall was identified. It was made of three beams arranged in a N-S direction and parallel to each other and five axes set up in an E-W direction. Taking into account the characteristics of the structure and its position we can interpreted it as a closing element, originally used to block the opening itself and then collapsed at the foot of the wall. Thanks to the amphorae analyses and the study of the wooden
elements now we can propose a second quarter of the 5th century AD dating for the construction of the city wall.
Some remarks on trade in western Black Sea area during Roman times
The subject of this paper is a brief synthesis of some finds of Roman amphorae discovered on the ... more The subject of this paper is a brief synthesis of some finds of Roman amphorae discovered on the western Pontic coast (today Eastern Bulgaria). The topic is faced during the research field of my PhD international research project, still in progress, focussed on the commercial dynamics in Moesia Inferior and Thrace during the Roman times. Some first data already came into results individuating some patterns of consumption and confirming the existence of important commercial guidelines between Roman provinces on the Lower Danube, the north-western Pontic area and the Adriatic coast. The results will be completed with analysis of some observations of general character concerning the commercial significance of the Black Sea region for the local market, as well
I materiali archeologici. Prime considerazioni sulle attività produttive e sui traffici commerciali
All\u2019interno del vastissimo panorama dei ritrovamenti archeologici provenienti durante la qua... more All\u2019interno del vastissimo panorama dei ritrovamenti archeologici provenienti durante la quarta campagna di scavo (maggio-luglio 2012) condotta nell\u2019area dei fondi ex Cossar dal Dipartimento dei Beni culturali dell\u2019Universt\ue0 di Padova, si distinguono, per il loro interesse documentario e cronologico, alcuni frammenti di anfore orientali, ceramiche fini, lucerne e materiali vitrei e metallici. I reperti archeologici qui analizzati provengono in particolare dalle ricerche che hanno interessato la parte occidentale della domus ad atrio, le quattro botteghe parallele con le due retrobotteghe, rivolte verso portico che fiancheggia il cardine stradale sul lato est della casa e il settore posto nell\u2019angolo sud-orientale della propriet\ue0, coincidente con la cinta muraria urbana. Nonostante resti ancora molto da fare, si \ue8 voluto, tuttavia, prendere in considerazione alcuni materiali particolarmente significativi, perch\ue9 si ritiene che essi possano, nonostante agli evidenti limiti dovuti a uno studio ancora preliminare, fornire interessanti spunti di riflessione sulle attivit\ue0 produttive e gli scambi commerciali che hanno interessato l\u2019area tra la tarda Repubblica e la fine dell\u2019Antichit\ue0
Globilised diet patterns in Mediterranean: the evidence of the cooking wares from Aquileia (UD)
It has become increasingly apparent over the last decades that cooking pottery played a considera... more It has become increasingly apparent over the last decades that cooking pottery played a considerable role as a trade commodity in ancient time. By taking a closer look at the pottery found in Aquileia, we want to explore and discuss the relationship between locally produced and imported cooking wares from a quantitative, morphological and functional point of view. We will make use of case studies from the so-called domus of Titus Macer to establish in which ways this correlation changes over time and how we can explain some trends. The possibility to examine domestic contexts offered the opportunity to carry out an in-depth analysis of the cooking ware in order to reconstruct pottery sets and, as far as possible, eating habits and food practices
La ceramica a vernice nera dallo scavo dei Fondi ex Cossar
This paper aims to examine the black glossed pottery from excavations at \u2018ex Cossar property... more This paper aims to examine the black glossed pottery from excavations at \u2018ex Cossar property\u2019 in Aquileia carried out between 2009 and 2011. Several groups have been identified at a first stage of research, corresponding to different production areas. Most finds were probably produced locally, in workshops located in North-Adriatic. Among the imported products, the most attested one seems to be the Campana B group, while just few fragments can be related to Central Italic and Campanian areas. Formal and typological analysis of diagnostic finds has been carried out at a second stage of research. Open forms are predominant, among which and following a proper North-Italic \u2018fashion\u2019 types Lamboglia 5 and 28 are well represented, as well as patera Lamboglia 6. From a chronological point of view, the most ancient forms date back to the beginning of the 2nd century BC, associated probably with the foundation of Colonia Aquileia. At that time, imported black glossed ware is predominant, compared to early local production. The distribution of black glossed pottery reached a peak during the 1st century BC, while some few finds from Augustan times testify the final phase of production. Comparing the results obtained by the study of the finds from the \u2018ex Cossar property\u2019 against the regional framework historical, cultural and geographical peculiarities of the North-Adriatic area emerge, outlining this area as an independent reality that presents a proper social, economical and commercial dynamics
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Books by Diana Dobreva
sul campo e insieme un compito per così dire etico di ogni archeologo, al fine di dare significato alla documentazione e ai reperti di scavi passati accumulatisi negli archivi e magazzini di Soprintendenze e Musei e narrare le innumerevoli storie qui contenute e conservate. Nel testo si raccontano in ordine cronologico le diverse ricerche archeologiche susseguitesi in area, a partire dal primo scavo del 1914 fino a quelli condotti negli anni Novanta del Novecento, fra cui grande rilevanza ebbero le indagini intraprese nel 1953-55 da parte di Giovanni Battista Brusin, che mise in luce nel fondo le strutture tuttora quotidianamente aperte alla visita del pubblico.
The research represents a critical review of published data. The peculiar modern geopolitical context over the second half of the 20th century and problems related to linguistic accessibility has had the effect of creating a lack of comprehensive and up-to-date studies in this area and the knowledge of Bulgarian and other Slavic languages was instrumental in identifying local classification systems of amphorae with those commonly established.
The overall account of amphora distribution made it possible to examine in detail some case studies, which were selected either because of their role in the Roman period, or for the intensity of research. All these sites are situated near important commercial routes, along the lower bank of the Danube River (Novae, Sexaginta Prista and Trimammium), on the Western coast of the Black Sea (Odessos, Deultum, Apollonia Pontica) and in inland Thrace (Kabyle).
The direct examination of about four hundred items of amphorae (most of them unpublished) discovered in these sites was used to draft a chronological scheme, which builds on relevant contextual data and published evidence.
Trend analysis of the import of foodstuffs over specific historical periods: the typological examination of the amphorae and their marks, along with the type of agricultural production of their provenance area allow establishing the likely content of the containers (oil, wine, fish products or other foodstuffs). Graphs elaborated on the basis of these patterns can throw fresh insights on this archaeological research.
In the final synthesis, economic long term developments are pointed out. In particular, two commercials routes are highlighted: the first one is connected with the Western Black Sea trade route and it concerns mostly Agean and Pontic trading, without excluding some Western Mediterranean products which reached this territory still in the Late Hellenistic period. The second one runs along the Danube and it is related to the presence of Roman army: through this route since the first half of 1st century AD arrived the goods from the Adriatic Sea, and then, after the Dacian wars and the creation of the province of Dacia (106 AD), the foodstuffs from the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of Iberian commodities increases particularly when the Emperor Septimius Severus established the annona militaris. In this period some goods from the Pontus Euxinus reached the inland of Thrace as shown the assignment of Kabyle. "
Book chapters by Diana Dobreva
archaeometry, illuminating how a greater degree of communication and collaboration between archaeologists and scientists can improve the historical and archaeological reconstruction of ancient viticulture and winemaking. The discussion is restricted mainly to the western Mediterranean, with reference to northern Italy and the Valpolicella
area, where a multidisciplinary project has since 2020 produced a wealth of data that is enriching our understanding of viticulture and wine production in Graeco-Roman antiquity.
Papers by Diana Dobreva
Taking into consideration these trade relationships, the role of Aquileia inside the Adriatic distribution system has been examined. The city occupied a strategic position as a natural terminal of the commercial routes coming from the south and as a redistribution knot towards the hinterland to the provinces beyond the Alps.
carry out of the Verona University. The construction of the wall in a completely incoherent fill layer, near the course of the Natissa River, required a complex system of land reclamation and bank consolidation using amphorae and wooden poles, which were the subject of dendrochronological and radiocarbon analyses. Furthermore, during the excavations a wooden structure situated in the open area of the wall was identified. It was made of three beams arranged in a N-S direction and parallel to each other and five axes set up in an E-W direction. Taking into account the characteristics of the structure and its position we can interpreted it as a closing element, originally used to block the opening itself and then collapsed at the foot of the wall. Thanks to the amphorae analyses and the study of the wooden
elements now we can propose a second quarter of the 5th century AD dating for the construction of the city wall.