An Analysis of Archaeological Potential of Venetian Church Floors By: Scott Blanchard Jeff Caputo Matthew Regan Matthew Shaw Sponsors: Archeological Superintendence UNESCO

Context: Large Issue  Historical preservation and conservation  Artifacts found in churches Sacred Ground Sacred Ground  Preservation problems Prohibitive Cost Prohibitive Cost Lack of Organization Lack of Organization Lack of Effort Lack of Effort

Context: Specific Issue  Archaeological Richness of Venice  Problems Misguided Restorations Misguided Restorations Retrofits Retrofits Neglect and Ignorant Use Neglect and Ignorant Use Flooding Flooding  No complete record

Project Goals  To gather data about the church floor conditions and relative height  To gather data about the artifacts, such as damage level and era  To catalogue the artifacts and create and indexed database of them  To identify the candidates of greatest potential for future archaeological excavation.  To analyze artifact and floor damage and identify potential restoration and damage prevention measures

Outline  Background  Methodology  Results & Analysis

Floor Plans and Burials  For the rich and powerful only  Napoleon put an end to in-church burials in the early 19 th Century  Tomb Location Nave Narthex Sanctuary  Tombs designed for reuse

Methodology  Floor damage will be graded on 0-4 scale Cracks Cracks Joint Gaps Joint Gaps Holes Holes Missing Tiles Missing Tiles Floor Replacement Floor Replacement  Floor heights will be measured using laser level  Artifact damage will be graded on the same scale Perfect Letters Damaged Letters Unreadable Letters

Damage Assessment Equation  Used for both floors and artifacts  Calculated for each quadrant and artifact

Results and Analysis

Archaeological Potential Index  Excavation Potential  Restoration Potential  Archaeological Potential

Questions or Comments?