The Reconstruction of Dwellings in Wet Areas through Structural Calculations and Different Methodologies: An Interdisciplinary Approach

The structural reconstruction of dwellings, especially in wet environments, has until today mainly focused on the location and foundation of buildings (the issue can be oversimplified through the opposition between raised and ground floors) and on their planimetric reconstruction. Different pieces of information and methodologies can be combined together, like dendrochronology, planimetric reconstruction, distribution of archaeological materials, and paleoenvironmental data for the reconstruction of lakeshore fluctuations over time. These pieces of information, extremely useful on their own, could potentially provide more insight through the in-depth study of other methods still waiting widespread application, such as structural calculations derived from structural engineering applied to archaeological excavation data. Even if these methods are suited for modern goals, they can provide a baseline for the study of the past. It is thus possible to expand interdisciplinarity through a critical quantitative approach, in order to obtain a more secure reconstruction of the pile-dwelling, beyond typological issues. Data can be properly connected together, through a more realistic reconstruction of the pile-dwelling, also for answering questions such as the technological skill of the group/single builder, the actual use of spaces inside the house, the social organization of community and settlement systems, the evidence of possible contacts and transmission of knowledge within wider areas (such as the Alpine arc), the wider cultural interconnections. The aim of this intervention is to test the utility of the structural calculations as a mediator of the different research strains; it will be discussed through different case studies, among which Lucone di Polpenazze, aiming also to understand whether data recovered from contemporary and past excavations of wet contexts are sufficient or require new integrations.