Studio dell’evoluzione del popolamento rurale nelle curatorie di Trexenta e Siurgus in età medievale e postmedievale: abbandoni e continuità di vita

The aim of this research is to investigate medieval and post-medieval settlements in a central area of Sardinia (Italy). The Middle Ages were the principal formative period for many current rural settlements and yet too little effort has so far been made to analyse and understand the sources, structures, and archaeology of these places and to see them in their landscape context. Core also is the aim to analyse how people lived in these rural areas in period AD 1200-1700 and how they used and perceived the landscape as worked and lived space. People have modified and managed landscapes over millennia, and the land was, arguably, a mirror of these societies. Using landscape archaeology and historical research in union is vital to study medieval and post-medieval settlements whether in a Sardinian or, much more widely, a European or Mediterranean context. This study aims to use a specific case study to help open windows on the rural landscape and population of medieval and post-medieval Sardinia.The study zone is a rural area of Sardinia that during the Middle Ages was divided into two different regions, the so-called curatoria of Siurgus, once situated on north-western frontier between the Kingdoms of Calari and Arborea. Cartographic Data we collected are composed by geological map scale 1:100000, IGM scale 1:25000, CTR scale 1:10000, cadastral maps planned in 19th century scales 1:5000 and 1:2000, UTE planned in 19th century with the same scale and ancient maps without scale definition. Combining by GIS all these cartographic data, we found elements which are very useful to reconstruct settlement morphology, land system and land use, parishes, boundaries, ancient routeways, trackways, and environmental resources. To make this research we used also orthophotos included in Sardinia official website www.sardegnageoportale.it. They have been taken in 1954, 1977, 2000, 2003, 2006. We use also ancient aerial photographs granted by Aerofototeca Nazionale Italiana which have been taken in 1952 and 1954. We began our study collecting and analysing documentary sources, both published and unpublished which we found in archives. Published documents have been completely reviewed to make sure to use all information they offer about villages, landscape, society, economy and religion. Literary evidence and oral sources complete the framework of information. All these elements have been examined combining all information we have with the results of fieldwork. Extensive areas have been analysed with the method of transepts, while more little zones have been surveyed with grids. All evidences we found have been recorded and put in a digital archive, while distribution maps of sherds has been made by GIS. Digital archive and GIS allow us to show an integrate analyses of settlements and landscape through different kinds of maps.