The MEMOLA project presented the work undertaken at its four study areas by project partners.
EAP: Maurizio Toscano, MEMOLA project technology manager, works on the finishing touches of the new Activities page of project website. This section collect all actions taken in the last 18 months, organised across the several disciplines involved in our research.
Vjosa Valley (Albania): CeRPHAAL team, partner of MEMOLA project, working with the mapping and analyzing of the traditional hydraulic systems recorded during the field survey of May- June undertaken in the territory of the Upper Vjosa Valley, where are included the irrigation channels, water-powered mills, reservoirs, water pumping stations, etc. At the same time, we are evaluating the historic and current land use and parcelization based on field and historical data.
Sierra Nevada (Spain): The University of Granada team, a MEMOLA partner, is processing the archaeological data revealed during the excavations of “Pago del Jarafi” (Lanteira, Granada-Spain). During the first excavation campaign, which was in October of 2014, we documented a medieval quartier of Lanteira. Four sondages were opened uncovering a big house, four silos and an Islamic cemetery.
Colli Euganei (Italy): University of Padova team, partner of MEMOLA project, working on historical maps, aerial photography and LIDAR to rebuild the historical landscape of the Colli Euganei hills (Italy) in a GIS platform. In this GIS platform they upload the information from different archaeological fieldwork like the Hydraulic survey back in February, that allowed them to locate numerous water mills and analyse their architectural features. All this information is used to understand the evolution of the Colli Euganei Cultural Landscape.
Monti di Trapani (Italy): The Day of Archaeology in the MEMOLA study area of Monti di Trapani (Sicily-Italy). The University of Granada, The University of Sheffield and Arqueoandalusí Arquelogía y Patrimonio S.L are currently working in the excavation of Pizzo Monaco (Custonaci, Trapani). The University of Palermo is involved with soil sampling for pedological analysis, while the Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología en Roma-CSIC is working with the flotation of stratigraphic soils taken at various occupation levels defined during the excavation. A number of international students, coming mostly from Spain and Italy are participating in the excavation. The first excavation of the MEMOLA project at the site of Pizzo Monaco took place in October and November of 2014 and was authorized by the Soprintendenza ai Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Trapani. During this activity we excavated four cells and the main entrance of a fortified structure, identified as a possible collective granary from Islamic times (10th?-11th centuries). After the results of archaeological excavation and archaeobotanical and environmental analysis, the site was interpreted as a possible collective fortified granary (aghadir) dated in the Islamic period (10th?-11th century).
MEMOLA project participates in the Day of Archaeology 2015, promoted among others by the European project NEARCH. The Day of Archaeology aims to provide a window on the daily lives of archaeologists from around the world. The project asks people working, studying or volunteering in the archaeological world to participate recording their day and sharing it on their website to the public. From the MEMOLA project we support this initiative as a way to publicise the work we daily do in the four study area.
The MEMOLA project participates in the I International Congress on Anthropology AIBR (Madrid), organizing the expert panel "Culture, Landscape y Community Management: approach from de social sciences to the traditional natural resources use systems", which will gather experts from many spanish universities. 8 july 2015. 2:30 pm. Classroom 13. Faculty of Psichology. Autonomous University of Madrid.
Ramón, grower of Cáñar, teaches us how to measure the amount of rain with a pluviometer. This instrument serves to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a set period of time in Cáñar (Granada).
We continue the study of Lanteira archaeological pottery. The results are allowing us to precise the chronology and interpretation of the various phases documented during the archaeological excavation.
Flotation of archaeological soil samples from Lanteira excavation keeps going on. Students in archaeology collaborate in this activity and soon the CSIC, MEMOLA partner, will analyse the recovered seeds in their laboratory in Madrid.
J.M.Martín Civantos will present "The traditional irrigation system and the landscapes of the Monachil's river" at the conference "Noches de Historia" in La Zubia, Granada
Students of differents educative center of the study area of Sierra Nevada designed their ideal model of exhibition about the traditional irrigation systems.
We have began interviewing local growers about the relationship between snow and the historical irrigation systems; and the ecosystemic services provided by traditional irrigation practices at Cáñar. This research activity is part of the master thesis on environmental studies of two students collaborating with MEMOLA.
Several members of Fluvial Dynamics and Hydrology research group took different measurements of flow, relief and channel bed properties of the Barjas traditional irrigation system, to assess its hydrological properties and model its operation.
