The terms used in the realization processes of architecture is often ambivalent in meaning, and can sometimes even be unintelligible. This vocabulary may not even belong to the “official” written language, or be findable in historical dictionaries. Building site words belong, in fact, to a restricted group of individuals who had a shared language and who communicated about even very complex operations using an abbreviated code. The meaning of the words changed depending on time and place; occasionally the words themselves disappeared like the dialects to which they belong, or became obsolete like the techniques they describe.
Indispensable for an understanding of the working practices of the building site is an accurate understanding of the vocabulary that comes to light in archival documents. For this reason several scholars from the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max-Planck-Institut für Kunstgeschichte in Rome and the Università degli studi di Roma “Tor Vergata” have created the “Glossario dell’Edilizia Rinascimentale e Barocca”1. The glossary is intended as a tool for studies in architectural history as well as for planning the restoration of the architectural heritage. This is not a collection of fixed headwords, but on the contrary is updated following current research and aims to be a contribution to a broader history of construction knowledge.
The aim of the conference is to sound out the current state of research in building site vocabulary. This call for papers addresses scholars interested in reconstructing the technical vocabulary used in the early modern (Renaissance and Baroque) building sector in Rome and throughout the Italian peninsula. The conference aims to actively contribute to the enrichment of the glossary. Topics comprise but are not limited to:
- Construction materials and tools (stone, cement, bricks, metals, wood, surface finishings, tools and instruments);
- Working techniques and use of materials;
- Waterworks (hydraulic construction, etc.);
- Bookkeeping and other records (documentation of work in progress; building site administrative documents, etc.).
Please send your paper proposal (300 words maximum) in Italian or English and a brief CV (150 words maximum) to Prof. Maria Grazia D’Amelio (damelio(at)uniroma2.it) and to Dr. Hermann Schlimme (schlimme(at)biblhertz.it). The Bibliotheca Hertziana will cover travel costs (economy class) and accommodation (one night) in accordance with the provisions of the German Travel Expenses Act (Bundesreisekostengesetz).
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- Materiali da costruzione e utensili (pietra, cementi, laterizi, metalli, legno, finiture superficiali; attrezzi e utensili);
- Lavorazioni e modalità d’uso dei materiali;
- Acqua e dintorni (costruzioni idrauliche etc.);
- Contabilità (documentazione dei lavori; documenti amministrativi del cantiere, etc.).