Dining space and organization in 14th century Venice

The aim of this research is to define the Venetian society of the l4th century through archaeological data. Two different, bur complementary, points of view have been considered: The relationship between man and his environment and dining habits. The focus of this paper is the multidisciplinary analysis of society. Archaeological data, such as land reclamations, have been considered as fundamental markers of city development and urban management: in fact, Venice was built on artificial islands. The topography of the lagoon area has revealed how it was gradually exploited as a function of the increased centrality of the city and went from being independent settlements to satellite centers of Venice as the urban center progressively exploited the surrounding archipelagos as though it were a real "countryside". The Trecento was a ccntury when many changes occurred. We observed social dynamics by analyzing different sets of table ware, used by different social groups. The samples were also extended to the nearby Emilia Romagna area and their meaning was interpreted through written records and iconography.