Common points of the medieval mediterranean culture: an approach from the application of the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to the study of the artistic exchanges

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the results of the ArtMedGIS Project (MSCA – H2020, Grant Agreement nº 699818). The main objective of this Project is to evaluate the artistic exchanges in the Mediterranean during the late Middle Ages through the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in order to assess some common points of the medieval Mediterranean culture. The start point has been the selection of certain elements of the Islamic art, developed by the Almoravids in the 12th century, which can be related to other Mediterranean artistic manifestations due to commercial, political and cultural relations. In this context, the objectives of the project are: to measure the presence of these elements in the main artistic manifestations of the Islamic and Christian Mediterranean countries in the late Middle Ages; to apply the new method based on the GIS to the Art History research; to assess the relation of religion and power with the artistic productions; and to review the concepts of centre and peripheries regarding the artistic production in the Mediterranean context. Beyond the geographical distribution, the use of the GIS has allowed to analyse different phenomena linked to the artistic exchanges and the development of the Mediterranean culture.