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Introduction of Andrea Cipolato

Visiting PhD student at UrbNet.

I am currently a PhD student at the Ca 'Foscari University of Venice where I lead a project on the reconstruction of the economic evolution in the territories of the Upper Adriatic between the Roman age and early Middle Ages, through the systematic study of amphorae. The study allows me to accumulate data on over 70,000 fragments of amphorae from 75 selected contexts, both published and unpublished, which are then processed through computational and statistical methods. In this way I was able to trace, as reliably as possible, the trend of the various trade flows that reached these areas over time.

One of my research interests is also the study of ancient ports and the dynamics of interaction between humans and environment, investigating some of the most important sites along the upper Adriatic arc where I am responsible for the excavations at Ca’ Foscari University since 2017 (eastern shore of the monumental port of Aquileia and Torcello island, in the Venice lagoon). I also participate in the international project "Port Louis, Mauritius. An Archaeological History of a Tropical City" linked to the analysis of indigenous identity through outlining the evolution of the city from 1600 to today.

At UrbNet I am conducting a project, under the supervision of Associate Professor Tom Brughmans, who explores the possibility of providing new tools for studying the dynamics of distribution of amphorae in ancient times. The approach consists in integrating statistical methods (Montecarlo Simulation) and Network Analysis for chronological and topographical analyzes of the commercial networks between the producers of a particular class of oil amphorae and the markets in the northern Italy and in the legionary camps along the Rhine and Danube limes.