Ethnography

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The age-old practice of charcoal has fostered its production as fuel for several human activities for both domestic and industrial purposes. By putting ouselves in a coalman's shoes, we can not only understand the actions and difficulties of this practice, but also, as archeologists, we have the chance to look to the remains that such ancestral activity has left in our environment from a different point of view. Here you can find some images depicting the making of an experimental charcoal kiln on the Euganean Hills (Padua, Italy) from 25th to 29th October 2017.

Two workshops about the role of local knowledge and perceptions on soil for the historical landscape configuration and the various management practices were carried out by UCO and ARQUEOANDALUSÍ in Calatafimi Segesta and Vita (10th and 11th March, respectively). Through participation of farmers from two study areas of Monti di Trapani, specifically Bosco di Angimbè and Baroni, a common knowledge and perception of the local soil types and their implications for the crop allocation and management were verified.

The first season of ethno-archaeological field research was carried out between May-June and September-October, aiming at collecting data about the inherited past historical ways of life and traditions, along with the habitat organizations of the existing villages of the Valley. Additionally, the recording of transhumance activities and revitalization of the temporary dwelling of the historic nomadic Vlachs community of the Upper Vjosa Valley was another target of the study. 

Hydraulic survey, along with an ethnographic interview, have been carried out in the area of Calatafimi by Univeristies of Sheffield, Granada and Palermo, along with Arqueoandalusí partern. Fieldwork is focused on locating local water resources, such as fountains, springs, historic irrigation channels, irrigation pools, underground channels, among others.

The meeting "Community Archaeology ", held in Calatafimi Segesta (Trapani) on the 12th of February 2016, has been a great success, in a dinamic exchange of information over the hydraulic landscape of this area.

During October 2015, CeRPHAAL, in collaboration with the municipality of Përmet, students from “University of “Aleksandër Xhuvani”, Elbasan, and volunteers from the Vlahos community of the Valley, constructed an historical Vlahos dwelling, locally known as Kalidhe or Kalive.

The cleaning of the irrigation channels (acequias) is performed every year by local irrigators in Cáñar to ensure the smooth operation of irrigation during the summer.

This short documentary shows the traditional planting of potatoes on a terrace in Canar, La Alpujarra (Sierra Nevada-Spain), by local farmers.

A PhD thesis developed as part of the MEMOLA project is analizing the relation between the arabic irrigation systems of Granada and the colonial agrosystems of México.

 

The MEMOLA project is analizing the whole hidraulic use in the basin of the Chico river, in order to know the general context in which irrigation systems like Cáñar are situated.

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