Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-8zxtt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-11T08:35:42.445Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

“The God of Time is Heritage of Mine”

An Emotional Approach to Public Outreach in Vignale (Italy)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2018

Francesco Ripanti  and
Samanta Mariotti
Francesco Ripanti*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Civiltà e Forme del Sapere, University of Pisa, Via Pasquale Paoli 15, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Samanta Mariotti
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze storiche e dei Beni Culturali, University of Siena, Via Roma 47, 53100 Siena, Italy (samantamariotti@yahoo.it)
*
(francesco.ripanti@fileli.unipi.it, corresponding author)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

During the 2014 excavation campaign at Vignale an impressive late antique mosaic depicting Aion, the God of Time, was discovered. This artifact of 100 m2 became a milestone for outreach activities; fund-raising, theatrical performances, and archaeological trekking sessions were tailored to this finding, in collaboration with local associations. The discovery of the mosaic consolidated the promotional lines followed for this project, on-site and off-site, capable of engaging different audiences. Taking into account the recent debate about emotion as an essential constituent of the heritage-making process, a preliminary analysis of these initiatives questions the existence and the development of an emotional connection between the public and the archaeological site. Since an emotional connection emerged, further analyses and studies need to specify the kinds of emotive connection that occur. Assessment of the emotional impact intrinsic to public outreach will provide clues to transforming the “intellectual” emotion of discovery into a shared and valuable emotion for the benefit of both the archaeological project and its stakeholders.

Durante la campaña de excavación del 2014 en Vignale fue descubierto un notable mosaico de la Antigüedad tardía que representa a Aion, el dios del tiempo. Este artefacto de 100 m2 se convirtió en un hito fundamental para desarrollar actividades de divulgación. En colaboración con las asociaciones locales, se diseñaron alrededor de este descubrimiento actividades tales como representaciones teatrales, sesiones de senderismo arqueológico y una recaudación de fondos.

El descubrimiento de este mosaico ha resultado en el fortalecimiento de dos diferentes líneas de promoción del proyecto, in situ y ex situ, capaces de involucrar a diferentes públicos. A partir de estas iniciativas, el presente estudio cuestiona la existencia y desarrollo de una conexión emocional entre el público y el sitio arqueológico, teniendo en cuenta el reciente debate acerca de la esencialidad de la emoción en el proceso de construcción del patrimonio.

Puesto que una conexión emocional emergió, será necesario efectuar análisis adicionales para identificar y especificar la tipología de dicha conexión. La evaluación del impacto emocional producto de las actividades de divulgación proporcionará indicios para convertir la emoción “intelectual” del descubrimiento en una emoción valorable y compartible dirigida al beneficio del proyecto arqueológico y de la las partes interesadas.

Type
Articles
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 6 , Special Issue 3: Interpreting and Presenting Archaeology , August 2018 , pp. 199 - 211
Copyright
Copyright 2018 © Society for American Archaeology 

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.)

References

REFERENCES CITED

Burtenshaw, Paul 2014 Mind the Gap: Cultural and Economic Values in Archaeology. Public Archaeology 13 (1–3):48–58.Google Scholar
Burtenshaw, Paul 2017 Economics in Public Archaeology. In Key Concepts in Public Archaeology, edited by Moshenska, Gabriel, pp. 31–42. UCL Press, London.Google Scholar
Campbell, Gary, Smith, Laurajane, and Wetherell, Margaret 2017 Nostalgia and Heritage: Potentials, Mobilisations and Effects. International Journal of Heritage Studies 23 (7):609–611.Google Scholar
Carman, John 2005 Against Cultural Property: Archaeology, Heritage and Ownership. Bristol Classical Press, London.Google Scholar
Copeland, Tim 2004 Presenting Archaeology to the Public: Constructing Insights On-Site. In Public Archaeology, edited by Merriman, Nick, pp. 132–143. Routledge, New York.Google Scholar
Costa, Stefano, and Ripanti, Francesco 2013 Excava(c)tion in Vignale—Archaeology on the Stage, Archaeology on the Web. AP Journal 3:97–109.Google Scholar
Council of Europe 2005 Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society. Faro, 27.X.2005. Council of Europe Treaty Series No. 199. Electronic document, https://rm.coe.int/1680083746, accessed February 5, 2018.Google Scholar
Fortuna, Carlos 2013 Heritage, Tourism and Emotion. RCCS Annual Review 5:106–122.Google Scholar
Giorgi, Elisabetta 2016 La villa-mansio di Vignale: Vivere e viaggiare nell'Etruria costiera tra il I e il V secolo d.C. In Statio amoena: Sostare e vivere lungo le strade romane tra antichità e alto medioevo, edited by Basso, Patrizia and Zanini, Enrico, pp. 173–183. Archaeopress, Oxford.Google Scholar
Giorgi, Elisabetta, and Zanini, Enrico 2014 Dieci anni di ricerche archeologiche sulla mansio romana e tardoantica di Vignale. Valutazioni, questioni aperte, prospettive. Rassegna di Archeologia 24 (b):23–42.Google Scholar
Giorgi, Elisabetta, and Zanini, Enrico 2015 Il mosaico trasformato. Arte Medievale 9:277–296.Google Scholar
Giorgi, Elisabetta, and Zanini, Enrico 2016 Un nuovo e problematico mosaico tardoantico dal sito di Vignale (Piombino). In Atti del XXI Convegno dell'associazione italiana per lo studio e la conservazione del mosaico, edited by Angelelli, Claudia, Massara, Daniela, and Sposito, Francesca, pp. 213–222. Arbor Sapientiae, Tivoli, Italy.Google Scholar
Gould, Peter, and Burtenshaw, Paul 2014 Archaeology and Economic Development. Public Archaeology 13 (1–3):3–9.Google Scholar
Gould, Peter, and Paterlini, Anna 2017 Governing Community-Based Heritage Tourism Clusters: I Parchi della Val di Cornia, Tuscany. In Collision or Collaboration—Archaeology Encounters Economic Development, edited by Gould, Peter and Pyburn, K. Anne, pp. 137–152. Springer, Cham.Google Scholar
Graham, Brian, Ashworth, Gregory J., and Tunbridge, John E. 2000 A Geography of Heritage: Power, Culture and Economy. Arnold, London.Google Scholar
Grima, Reuben 2017 Presenting Archaeological Sites to the Public. In Key Concepts in Public Archaeology, edited by Moshenska, Gabriel, pp. 73–92. UCL Press, London.Google Scholar
Henson, Don 2017 Archaeology and Education. In Key Concepts in Public Archaeology, edited by Moshenska, Gabriel, pp. 43–59. UCL Press, London.Google Scholar
Holtorf, Cornelius 2010 Heritage Values in Contemporary Popular Culture. In Heritage Values in Contemporary Society, edited by Smith, George S., Messenger, Phyllis M., and Soderland, Hilary A., pp. 43–54. Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, California.Google Scholar
Mariotti, Samanta, Marotta, Nina, and Ripanti, Francesco 2016 Raccontare una mansio in un progetto di archeologia pubblica. In Statio amoena: Sostare e vivere lungo le strade romane tra antichità e alto medioevo, edited by Basso, Patrizia and Zanini, Enrico, pp. 253–263. Archaeopress, Oxford.Google Scholar
Mason, Randall 2008a Assessing Values in Conservation Planning. In The Heritage Reader, edited by Fairclough, Graham, Harrison, Rodney, Jameson, John H. Jr., and Schofield, John, pp. 99–124. Routledge, Oxon, UK.Google Scholar
Mason, Randall 2008b Be Interested and Beware: Joining Economic Valuation and Heritage Conservation. International Journal of Heritage Studies 14:303–318.Google Scholar
Merriman, Nick 1989 Museums and Archaeology: The Public View. In Public Service or Private Indulgence? edited by Southworth, Edmund, pp. 10–24. Society of Museum Archaeologists, Liverpool, UK.Google Scholar
Pearson, Mike, and Shanks, Michael 2001 Theatre/Archaeology: Disciplinary Dialogues. Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Research Councils UK 2011 Evaluation: Practical Guidelines. A Guide for Evaluating Public Engagement Activities. Research Councils UK, Swindon, UK.Google Scholar
Ripanti, Francesco, and Osti, Giulia 2018 Exploring the Multiverse of Fiction: Across the Edge of Archaeological Interpretation. In A Necessary Fiction: Researching the Archaeological Past through Imagined Narratives, edited by Witcher, Robert and Van Helden, Daniel P.. Routledge, New York.Google Scholar
Schadla-Hall, Tim 1999 Editorial: Public Archaeology. European Journal of Archaeology 2 (2):147–158.Google Scholar
Schadla-Hall, Tim, and Larkin, Jamie 2014 Foreword. Public Archaeology 13 (1–3):1–2.Google Scholar
Smith, Laurajane 2006 Uses of Heritage. Routledge, New York.Google Scholar
Smith, Laurajane 2014 Visitor Emotion, Affect and Registers of Engagement at Museums and Heritage Sites. Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage 14 (2):125–131.Google Scholar
Smith, Laurajane, and Campbell, Gary 2015 The Elephant in the Room. In A Companion to Heritage Studies, edited by Logan, William, Craith, Máiréad Nic, and Kockel, Ullrich, pp. 443–460. John Wiley and Sons, Malden, Massachusetts.Google Scholar
Smith, Laurajane, and Waterton, Emma 2009 Heritage, Communities and Archaeology. Duckworth, London.Google Scholar
Smith, Laurajane, Wetherell, Margaret, and Campbell, Gary (editors) 2018 Emotion, Affective Practices, and the Past in the Present. Routledge, New York.Google Scholar
Tolia-Kelly, Divya P., Waterton, Emma, and Watson, Steve 2017 Introduction: Heritage, Affect and Emotion. In Heritage, Affect and Emotion: Politics, Practices and Infrastructures, edited by Tolia-Kelly, Divya P., Waterton, Emma, and Watson, Steve, pp. 1–11. Routledge, Abingdon, UK.Google Scholar
Tonarelli, Annalisa 2016 Piombino: Il lento declino di una città industriale. Meridiana: Rivista di storia e scienze sociali 85 (1):81–108.Google Scholar
Wetherell, Margaret 2012 Affect and Emotion: A New Social Science Understanding. SAGE, London.Google Scholar
Zanini, Enrico, and Ripanti, Francesco 2012 Pubblicare uno scavo all'epoca di YouTube: Comunicazione archeologica, narratività e video. Archeologia e Calcolatori 23:7–30.Google Scholar