Sapienza Università Editrice - Collana Studi e Ricerche, 2022
Nell’ambito delle società a economia produttiva della preistoria recente, l’organizzazione delle ... more Nell’ambito delle società a economia produttiva della preistoria recente, l’organizzazione delle attività di produzione e consumo all’interno degli spazi insediamentali è elemento strutturale rispondente all’articolazione e agli equilibri tra individui o gruppi di individui. Il relativo studio è dunque cruciale per la comprensione dei processi di diversificazione intracomunitaria e poi affermazione delle disuguaglianze. La ricerca esposta in questo lavoro ha avuto al centro questa sfida scientifica e l’ha affrontata attraverso un approccio interdisciplinare e una lettura contestuale, in chiave funzionale e della distribuzione spaziale, dei manufatti e dei resti bioarcheologici provenienti da uno dei contesti dell’età del Bronzo più importanti del Mediterraneo centrale nel quadro del II millennio a.C.: l’insediamento fortificato di Coppa Nevigata.
The interdisciplinary Alta Murgia Archaeological Project (AMAP), launched in 2023, aims at system... more The interdisciplinary Alta Murgia Archaeological Project (AMAP), launched in 2023, aims at systematically investigating the changing settlement patterns in inland areas of south-eastern Italy and exploring both short- and long-range social interactions between communities during the Late Prehistory. The focus is the study of Late prehistoric communities settled in the inland-upland territories of the Alta Murgia system (Southeastern Italy). This paper presents the preliminary results of the 2023 systematic filed survey, which have encompassed a transect located at the southern edge of the Murge upland: the Garagnone Castle valley. Probing trenches related to rescue excavations were carried out there in the ’90s of the last century by the local Superintendence, bringing to light traces related to an Early Bronze Age settlement (Palma Campania/Protoapennine facies). Data resulting from the 2023 surveys have significantly enlarged the knowledge on the patterns of human occupation in this area during the 2nd millennium BC, revealing the possible existence of more than one dwelling area belonging to the Early Bronze Age. A shift in the settlement strategy within this environmental niche between the early and mid-2nd millennium BC has also been detected.
The settlement of Coppa Nevigata, located on the inner shore of an ancient coastal lagoon known a... more The settlement of Coppa Nevigata, located on the inner shore of an ancient coastal lagoon known as the “Lago Salso”, now re- claimed, to the south of the Gargano Promontory, represents an exceptional case study for understanding the relationship between communities and sub-coastal wetlands during the late Prehistory. Long-term research at the site, initiated by Salvatore Puglisi between 1955-1975, and then continued with annual ongoing field seasons from 1983 onwards, has provided extensive data on both the Neolithic settlement (from the beginning of the 6th millennium to the end of the 5th millennium BC) and especially on the Bronze Age - Early Iron Age long-living settlement, which was continuously occupied from the early 2nd millennium BC to the late 8th century BC). This paper aims at discussing paleoenvironmental data, subsistence activities, craftsmanship, and ex- change activities in their diachronic transformations, particularly considering the environmental characteristics that facilitated the recovery of certain resources, such as murex shells, from which purple dye was extracted in the Bronze Age, and both maritime and terrestrial contacts. During the Bronze Age, the lagoon also played a defensive role from who approached the settlement from the sea, as navigating it was difficult without an in-depth knowledge. The defense of the settlement was further enhanced with the construction of imposing dry-stone walls (around 1700 BC) and later (around 1400 BC) with the excavation of a large ditch. Human occupation ceased at the end of the 8th century BC, due to the silting up of the lagoon nearby the settlement.
Large dwelling spaces, characterised by a continuous human occupation and for different practices... more Large dwelling spaces, characterised by a continuous human occupation and for different practices, represent crucial archaeological contexts in reconstructing the organization of production and consumption activities within prehistoric communities. However, the archaeological record related to such depositional contexts often appears spatially disordered and dominated by a chaotic distribution, the result of the interaction of human and natural agencies over time. On this matter, computer modelling offers a wide range of methods to disentangle the apparent spatial chaos and assess the dynamics behind the distribution of the remains, both those deriving from human activities carried out on the spot and those resulting from later disturbances. In this framework, one of the main issues is the reconstruction of the complex of materials and tools from some human activity. This paper explores the effectiveness of Gcross function analysis to investigate dynamics of interactions between different categories of remains in a large dwelling space, addressing the question of how each category of remains interacts in the space with the others. As a case study, the analysis focuses on a wide area within the Bronze Age fortified settlement of Coppa Nevigata (Southern Italy).
Fulvia Ciliberto & Carlo Ebanista (a cura di), TRA SACRO E PROFANO, PUBBLICO E PRIVATO NELLA CITTÀ DI VENAFRO DALL’ANTICHITÀ AL MEDIOEVO, Atti del Convegno, Venafro, 3 maggio 2019., 2023
The authors discuss the results from the explorations of the prehistoric deposits at Ficora della... more The authors discuss the results from the explorations of the prehistoric deposits at Ficora della Morra (Venafro - Isernia). Based on the archaeological finds the life of the prehistoric site spans from the Early Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Traces of a few structures occur at the site that indicate how, at least in some phases, there was a settlement in the close proximity. Both the occurrence of obsidian artefacts and distinct stylistic features of the pottery speak in favor of the involvement of this site in different exchange networks and cultural interrelations.
Atti del 42° convegno nazionale sulla Preistoria, Protostoria e Storia della Daunia, 2022
L’attività di sorveglianza archeologica condotta dalla Soprintendenza del Molise tra il 2014 e il... more L’attività di sorveglianza archeologica condotta dalla Soprintendenza del Molise tra il 2014 e il 2015 in relazione ai lavori di scavo per la realizzazione del metanodotto Busso-Paliano (tratto B), in località Ficora della Morra, ha consentito di individuare interessanti evidenze riferibili alla Preistoria recente. L’area si trova nella pianura di Venafro, a una quota di 169 m s.l.m., a poca distanza dal fiume Volturno.
Use of Space and Domestic Areas: Functional Organisation and Social Strategies, 2021
archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies. For the Bronze Age in the central Mediterranean s... more archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies. For the Bronze Age in the central Mediterranean spatial analyses integrating various ranges of data, from artefacts to ecofacts, still remain limited in number. Moreover, studies have mainly focussed on well-preserved contexts affected by sudden destructions; spaces inhabited over long periods and so subjected to dynamic depositional processes, are more challenging to interpret as to their function(s). Yet, these latter are commonly encountered archaeological contexts. Representing palimpsests of repeated activities, they are valuable case studies for investigating the spatial organisation of activities. This paper presents an integrated spatial analysis of a long-occupied area of the Coppa Nevigata settlement from the Late Bronze Age. It is a trial, aimed at both building a viable methodology to deal with ‘dynamic’ deposits and verifying the potential of the observed record in terms of activity areas and fossilised patterns of behaviour.
Long-lived-in dwelling spaces provide a huge number of valuable data by which to figure out human... more Long-lived-in dwelling spaces provide a huge number of valuable data by which to figure out human activities and patterns of space use by prehistoric communities. However, cultural dynamics can intervene during deposit formation processes and transform depositional sets of rubbish involving artefacts and ecofacts. Notably, trampling resulting from human activities represents the most intrusive agent that affects spaces continuously used over a certain timespan. Therefore, comprehending the effect of trampling represents a key-step to assess the distribution of items in the archaeological record and to establish a solid base on which to build valid models of the use of space. This paper proposes a methodological approach to figure out the diverse effects of trampling. The methodology has been tailored on a specific case study, a long-lived-in dwelling area of the Bronze Age settlement of Coppa Nevigata (South-Eastern Italy), dated to the 12th cent. BC. Here, cycles of use and of the discarding of pottery produced a massive number of shards, whose primary deposition has been probably subjected to alteration by trampling. On this premise, the impasto pottery record has been considered as viable proxy to investigate the effects of this cultural agent on the archaeological record. The analysis proceeds by three main steps: a data entry process structured to optimize the recording of shards dimension, fragmentation rate analysis of shards and spatial analysis of well-preserved vessels. This integrated approach allowed an assessment of the reliability of distribution and conservation of the archaeological record in the studied spaces, providing crucial information to better understand use of space patterns through a second analytical step: spatial analysis of artefacts and ecofacts. An aim of this paper is to provide an analytical process replicable for further Late Prehistoric contexts.
In the last decades, several researches focused on the inland areas of Molise Region (Central-Sou... more In the last decades, several researches focused on the inland areas of Molise Region (Central-Southern Italy) to investigate the occupation and exploitation of this environment during Pleistocene and Holocene. The "Molise Survey Project" started in 2015 with the aim to explore, through systematic surveys, an area of 60 square kilometres, chiefly characterized by a mountainous landscape and part of the Central-Southern Italy Apennines. The project seeks to investigate the patterns of human occupation in the mountainous landscape between the provinces of Campobasso and Isernia. The surveys, carried out during the last four years, allowed the identification of 19 prehistoric sites ranging from Palaeolithic to Bronze Age: the archaeological materials belonging to the latter period are being studied by the team of "Paletnologia" of Sapienza University of Rome. This work aims to show the preliminary results of the analysis of the lithic assemblage acquired during the summer of 2016 surveys, focusing on raw material procurement and the related chaîne opératoire, also considering post-depositional agents. The obtained data allowed to reassess the human presence over inland and high-altitude areas of Molise during prehistoric times, stressing a seasonal use of the territory, from Palaeolithic to Late Prehistory, with different patterns of occupation and exploitation.
Abstract: Megalithic monuments are a distinctive archaeological feature of Saharan landscape,
as ... more Abstract: Megalithic monuments are a distinctive archaeological feature of Saharan landscape, as indicated by different systematic research projects undertaken so far. Starting from a very low baseline of previous archaeological research, and as part of a comprehensive research programme focussed on northern Sahara, we launched in 2015 a territorial investigation of stone monuments of the pre-protohistory and early history of southern Tunisia. To do this, we selected a sample study area east and south-east of the Chott el Jérid depression (Kebili region) where to conduct field research. In this paper we present the research strategy adopted, planned to address some issues such as the poor state of preservation of the monuments or their uncertain chronology, also known from other parts of the Sahara. Our results, based on the combination of remote sensing analysis, field survey and selected excavations, highlight a dense occupation of this area of northern Sahara, where monumental buildings of possible funerary function tentatively trace back to the late pre-protohistory up to the roman age. The persistent use of the area across a long-time span corroborates its pivotal location in ancient trans-Saharan connection routes.
IpoTesi di Preistoria, 11 - Atti del 1° Incontro di Studi "Sezze, i Monti Lepini e il basso Lazio tra Preistoria e Protostoria". Museo Archeologico – Sezze (LT) Domenica 22 aprile 2018, 2019
Lo studio delle capanne e di altre strutture nei contesti agro-pastorali "moderni" rappresenta un... more Lo studio delle capanne e di altre strutture nei contesti agro-pastorali "moderni" rappresenta uno strumento importante per recuperare informazioni preziose alla comprensione di contesti più antichi. L'obiettivo di questo lavoro è di evidenziare le potenzialità per studi etnoarcheologici del contesto dei Monti Lepini, che ancora oggi è segnato nel paesaggio dai resti di tali strutture, attraverso l'incrocio e la sintesi delle informazioni raccolte nelle diverse ricerche realizzate sul territorio.
IpoTesi di Preistoria, 11 - Atti del 1° Incontro di Studi "Sezze, i Monti Lepini e il basso Lazio tra Preistoria e Protostoria". Museo Archeologico – Sezze (LT) Domenica 22 aprile 2018, 2019
Nel presente lavoro si espongono alcune considerazioni sul sito di Monte del Cerro, posto sulla v... more Nel presente lavoro si espongono alcune considerazioni sul sito di Monte del Cerro, posto sulla vetta dell'omonimo rilievo a circa 648 m s.l.m., in una zona subito all'interno dei preappennini (Monti Lepini, Lazio). Il sito è caratterizzato da un imponente muro di cinta che fa di questo contesto, allo stato attuale della ricerca, un unicum nel territorio in esame.
OpenScience – Published by ISTE Ltd. London, UK, 2019
As part of the Tunisian-Italian archaeological joint mission to the Sahara, a research project (s... more As part of the Tunisian-Italian archaeological joint mission to the Sahara, a research project (survey and excavation) has focused since 2015 on the study of the funerary archaeology of the prehistoric and historical communities of southern Tunisia. The surveyed area, located along the southern and eastern edges of Chott el Jerid (governorate of Kebili), was selected, after scrutinizing the information collected by the “Service Géographique de l’Armée Française” during the early 20th century about the funerary structures. In this paper, we present two main archaeological funerary contexts and the methodology applied for the photogrammetric documentation of the architectural features of the structures. Then we present the post-processing of the point clouds carried out to obtain a complete data-set for the remote analysis of the excavation sequence of each tumulus. By adopting a multi-scalar approach, from GIS remote analysis to photogrammetric documentation of individual funerary structures, we have tried to optimize the chances of fieldwork activity, taking into consideration whilst so doing the contingencies due to the fluctuating socio-political situation that characterizes some countries of North Africa in recent years.
Sapienza Università Editrice - Collana Studi e Ricerche, 2022
Nell’ambito delle società a economia produttiva della preistoria recente, l’organizzazione delle ... more Nell’ambito delle società a economia produttiva della preistoria recente, l’organizzazione delle attività di produzione e consumo all’interno degli spazi insediamentali è elemento strutturale rispondente all’articolazione e agli equilibri tra individui o gruppi di individui. Il relativo studio è dunque cruciale per la comprensione dei processi di diversificazione intracomunitaria e poi affermazione delle disuguaglianze. La ricerca esposta in questo lavoro ha avuto al centro questa sfida scientifica e l’ha affrontata attraverso un approccio interdisciplinare e una lettura contestuale, in chiave funzionale e della distribuzione spaziale, dei manufatti e dei resti bioarcheologici provenienti da uno dei contesti dell’età del Bronzo più importanti del Mediterraneo centrale nel quadro del II millennio a.C.: l’insediamento fortificato di Coppa Nevigata.
The interdisciplinary Alta Murgia Archaeological Project (AMAP), launched in 2023, aims at system... more The interdisciplinary Alta Murgia Archaeological Project (AMAP), launched in 2023, aims at systematically investigating the changing settlement patterns in inland areas of south-eastern Italy and exploring both short- and long-range social interactions between communities during the Late Prehistory. The focus is the study of Late prehistoric communities settled in the inland-upland territories of the Alta Murgia system (Southeastern Italy). This paper presents the preliminary results of the 2023 systematic filed survey, which have encompassed a transect located at the southern edge of the Murge upland: the Garagnone Castle valley. Probing trenches related to rescue excavations were carried out there in the ’90s of the last century by the local Superintendence, bringing to light traces related to an Early Bronze Age settlement (Palma Campania/Protoapennine facies). Data resulting from the 2023 surveys have significantly enlarged the knowledge on the patterns of human occupation in this area during the 2nd millennium BC, revealing the possible existence of more than one dwelling area belonging to the Early Bronze Age. A shift in the settlement strategy within this environmental niche between the early and mid-2nd millennium BC has also been detected.
The settlement of Coppa Nevigata, located on the inner shore of an ancient coastal lagoon known a... more The settlement of Coppa Nevigata, located on the inner shore of an ancient coastal lagoon known as the “Lago Salso”, now re- claimed, to the south of the Gargano Promontory, represents an exceptional case study for understanding the relationship between communities and sub-coastal wetlands during the late Prehistory. Long-term research at the site, initiated by Salvatore Puglisi between 1955-1975, and then continued with annual ongoing field seasons from 1983 onwards, has provided extensive data on both the Neolithic settlement (from the beginning of the 6th millennium to the end of the 5th millennium BC) and especially on the Bronze Age - Early Iron Age long-living settlement, which was continuously occupied from the early 2nd millennium BC to the late 8th century BC). This paper aims at discussing paleoenvironmental data, subsistence activities, craftsmanship, and ex- change activities in their diachronic transformations, particularly considering the environmental characteristics that facilitated the recovery of certain resources, such as murex shells, from which purple dye was extracted in the Bronze Age, and both maritime and terrestrial contacts. During the Bronze Age, the lagoon also played a defensive role from who approached the settlement from the sea, as navigating it was difficult without an in-depth knowledge. The defense of the settlement was further enhanced with the construction of imposing dry-stone walls (around 1700 BC) and later (around 1400 BC) with the excavation of a large ditch. Human occupation ceased at the end of the 8th century BC, due to the silting up of the lagoon nearby the settlement.
Large dwelling spaces, characterised by a continuous human occupation and for different practices... more Large dwelling spaces, characterised by a continuous human occupation and for different practices, represent crucial archaeological contexts in reconstructing the organization of production and consumption activities within prehistoric communities. However, the archaeological record related to such depositional contexts often appears spatially disordered and dominated by a chaotic distribution, the result of the interaction of human and natural agencies over time. On this matter, computer modelling offers a wide range of methods to disentangle the apparent spatial chaos and assess the dynamics behind the distribution of the remains, both those deriving from human activities carried out on the spot and those resulting from later disturbances. In this framework, one of the main issues is the reconstruction of the complex of materials and tools from some human activity. This paper explores the effectiveness of Gcross function analysis to investigate dynamics of interactions between different categories of remains in a large dwelling space, addressing the question of how each category of remains interacts in the space with the others. As a case study, the analysis focuses on a wide area within the Bronze Age fortified settlement of Coppa Nevigata (Southern Italy).
Fulvia Ciliberto & Carlo Ebanista (a cura di), TRA SACRO E PROFANO, PUBBLICO E PRIVATO NELLA CITTÀ DI VENAFRO DALL’ANTICHITÀ AL MEDIOEVO, Atti del Convegno, Venafro, 3 maggio 2019., 2023
The authors discuss the results from the explorations of the prehistoric deposits at Ficora della... more The authors discuss the results from the explorations of the prehistoric deposits at Ficora della Morra (Venafro - Isernia). Based on the archaeological finds the life of the prehistoric site spans from the Early Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Traces of a few structures occur at the site that indicate how, at least in some phases, there was a settlement in the close proximity. Both the occurrence of obsidian artefacts and distinct stylistic features of the pottery speak in favor of the involvement of this site in different exchange networks and cultural interrelations.
Atti del 42° convegno nazionale sulla Preistoria, Protostoria e Storia della Daunia, 2022
L’attività di sorveglianza archeologica condotta dalla Soprintendenza del Molise tra il 2014 e il... more L’attività di sorveglianza archeologica condotta dalla Soprintendenza del Molise tra il 2014 e il 2015 in relazione ai lavori di scavo per la realizzazione del metanodotto Busso-Paliano (tratto B), in località Ficora della Morra, ha consentito di individuare interessanti evidenze riferibili alla Preistoria recente. L’area si trova nella pianura di Venafro, a una quota di 169 m s.l.m., a poca distanza dal fiume Volturno.
Use of Space and Domestic Areas: Functional Organisation and Social Strategies, 2021
archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies. For the Bronze Age in the central Mediterranean s... more archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies. For the Bronze Age in the central Mediterranean spatial analyses integrating various ranges of data, from artefacts to ecofacts, still remain limited in number. Moreover, studies have mainly focussed on well-preserved contexts affected by sudden destructions; spaces inhabited over long periods and so subjected to dynamic depositional processes, are more challenging to interpret as to their function(s). Yet, these latter are commonly encountered archaeological contexts. Representing palimpsests of repeated activities, they are valuable case studies for investigating the spatial organisation of activities. This paper presents an integrated spatial analysis of a long-occupied area of the Coppa Nevigata settlement from the Late Bronze Age. It is a trial, aimed at both building a viable methodology to deal with ‘dynamic’ deposits and verifying the potential of the observed record in terms of activity areas and fossilised patterns of behaviour.
Long-lived-in dwelling spaces provide a huge number of valuable data by which to figure out human... more Long-lived-in dwelling spaces provide a huge number of valuable data by which to figure out human activities and patterns of space use by prehistoric communities. However, cultural dynamics can intervene during deposit formation processes and transform depositional sets of rubbish involving artefacts and ecofacts. Notably, trampling resulting from human activities represents the most intrusive agent that affects spaces continuously used over a certain timespan. Therefore, comprehending the effect of trampling represents a key-step to assess the distribution of items in the archaeological record and to establish a solid base on which to build valid models of the use of space. This paper proposes a methodological approach to figure out the diverse effects of trampling. The methodology has been tailored on a specific case study, a long-lived-in dwelling area of the Bronze Age settlement of Coppa Nevigata (South-Eastern Italy), dated to the 12th cent. BC. Here, cycles of use and of the discarding of pottery produced a massive number of shards, whose primary deposition has been probably subjected to alteration by trampling. On this premise, the impasto pottery record has been considered as viable proxy to investigate the effects of this cultural agent on the archaeological record. The analysis proceeds by three main steps: a data entry process structured to optimize the recording of shards dimension, fragmentation rate analysis of shards and spatial analysis of well-preserved vessels. This integrated approach allowed an assessment of the reliability of distribution and conservation of the archaeological record in the studied spaces, providing crucial information to better understand use of space patterns through a second analytical step: spatial analysis of artefacts and ecofacts. An aim of this paper is to provide an analytical process replicable for further Late Prehistoric contexts.
In the last decades, several researches focused on the inland areas of Molise Region (Central-Sou... more In the last decades, several researches focused on the inland areas of Molise Region (Central-Southern Italy) to investigate the occupation and exploitation of this environment during Pleistocene and Holocene. The "Molise Survey Project" started in 2015 with the aim to explore, through systematic surveys, an area of 60 square kilometres, chiefly characterized by a mountainous landscape and part of the Central-Southern Italy Apennines. The project seeks to investigate the patterns of human occupation in the mountainous landscape between the provinces of Campobasso and Isernia. The surveys, carried out during the last four years, allowed the identification of 19 prehistoric sites ranging from Palaeolithic to Bronze Age: the archaeological materials belonging to the latter period are being studied by the team of "Paletnologia" of Sapienza University of Rome. This work aims to show the preliminary results of the analysis of the lithic assemblage acquired during the summer of 2016 surveys, focusing on raw material procurement and the related chaîne opératoire, also considering post-depositional agents. The obtained data allowed to reassess the human presence over inland and high-altitude areas of Molise during prehistoric times, stressing a seasonal use of the territory, from Palaeolithic to Late Prehistory, with different patterns of occupation and exploitation.
Abstract: Megalithic monuments are a distinctive archaeological feature of Saharan landscape,
as ... more Abstract: Megalithic monuments are a distinctive archaeological feature of Saharan landscape, as indicated by different systematic research projects undertaken so far. Starting from a very low baseline of previous archaeological research, and as part of a comprehensive research programme focussed on northern Sahara, we launched in 2015 a territorial investigation of stone monuments of the pre-protohistory and early history of southern Tunisia. To do this, we selected a sample study area east and south-east of the Chott el Jérid depression (Kebili region) where to conduct field research. In this paper we present the research strategy adopted, planned to address some issues such as the poor state of preservation of the monuments or their uncertain chronology, also known from other parts of the Sahara. Our results, based on the combination of remote sensing analysis, field survey and selected excavations, highlight a dense occupation of this area of northern Sahara, where monumental buildings of possible funerary function tentatively trace back to the late pre-protohistory up to the roman age. The persistent use of the area across a long-time span corroborates its pivotal location in ancient trans-Saharan connection routes.
IpoTesi di Preistoria, 11 - Atti del 1° Incontro di Studi "Sezze, i Monti Lepini e il basso Lazio tra Preistoria e Protostoria". Museo Archeologico – Sezze (LT) Domenica 22 aprile 2018, 2019
Lo studio delle capanne e di altre strutture nei contesti agro-pastorali "moderni" rappresenta un... more Lo studio delle capanne e di altre strutture nei contesti agro-pastorali "moderni" rappresenta uno strumento importante per recuperare informazioni preziose alla comprensione di contesti più antichi. L'obiettivo di questo lavoro è di evidenziare le potenzialità per studi etnoarcheologici del contesto dei Monti Lepini, che ancora oggi è segnato nel paesaggio dai resti di tali strutture, attraverso l'incrocio e la sintesi delle informazioni raccolte nelle diverse ricerche realizzate sul territorio.
IpoTesi di Preistoria, 11 - Atti del 1° Incontro di Studi "Sezze, i Monti Lepini e il basso Lazio tra Preistoria e Protostoria". Museo Archeologico – Sezze (LT) Domenica 22 aprile 2018, 2019
Nel presente lavoro si espongono alcune considerazioni sul sito di Monte del Cerro, posto sulla v... more Nel presente lavoro si espongono alcune considerazioni sul sito di Monte del Cerro, posto sulla vetta dell'omonimo rilievo a circa 648 m s.l.m., in una zona subito all'interno dei preappennini (Monti Lepini, Lazio). Il sito è caratterizzato da un imponente muro di cinta che fa di questo contesto, allo stato attuale della ricerca, un unicum nel territorio in esame.
OpenScience – Published by ISTE Ltd. London, UK, 2019
As part of the Tunisian-Italian archaeological joint mission to the Sahara, a research project (s... more As part of the Tunisian-Italian archaeological joint mission to the Sahara, a research project (survey and excavation) has focused since 2015 on the study of the funerary archaeology of the prehistoric and historical communities of southern Tunisia. The surveyed area, located along the southern and eastern edges of Chott el Jerid (governorate of Kebili), was selected, after scrutinizing the information collected by the “Service Géographique de l’Armée Française” during the early 20th century about the funerary structures. In this paper, we present two main archaeological funerary contexts and the methodology applied for the photogrammetric documentation of the architectural features of the structures. Then we present the post-processing of the point clouds carried out to obtain a complete data-set for the remote analysis of the excavation sequence of each tumulus. By adopting a multi-scalar approach, from GIS remote analysis to photogrammetric documentation of individual funerary structures, we have tried to optimize the chances of fieldwork activity, taking into consideration whilst so doing the contingencies due to the fluctuating socio-political situation that characterizes some countries of North Africa in recent years.
Il Seminario della Scuola di Dottorato in Archeologia (SSDA) della Sapienza Università di Roma co... more Il Seminario della Scuola di Dottorato in Archeologia (SSDA) della Sapienza Università di Roma costituisce un ampio e fondamentale momento di incontro e di scambio fra i dottorandi della Scuola e di confronto con la comunità scientifica accademica ed extra-accademica. Il Seminario è un'iniziativa degli stessi dottorandi della Scuola e nel 2020 è giunto alla sua VII edizione. L'eterogeneità dei progetti di ricerca dei dottorandi in Archeologia risulta essere un valore aggiunto ed uno stimolo per il confronto e per il dibattito in termini inter-curriculari ed inter-disciplinari.
I progetti di ricerca dei dottorandi in archeologia della Sapienza - Università di Roma affrontan... more I progetti di ricerca dei dottorandi in archeologia della Sapienza - Università di Roma affrontano un'ampia varietà di tematiche di studio e problemi archeologici attraverso approcci metodologici diversi. L'annuale seminario nasce, a partire dal 2015 e per la stessa volontà dei dottorandi, con l'intento di costruire un momento di ampio confronto con la comunità scientifica accademica ed extra-accademica. A tal fine, ai dottorandi relatori spetta il compito di selezionare, nell'ambito delle ricerche in corso, argomenti utili ad alimentare il dibattito in termini inter-curriculari e inter-disciplinari.
I progetti di ricerca dei dottorandi in archeologia della Sapienza - Università di Roma affrontan... more I progetti di ricerca dei dottorandi in archeologia della Sapienza - Università di Roma affrontano un'ampia varietà di tematiche di studio e problemi archeologici attraverso approcci metodologici diversi. L'annuale seminario nasce, a partire dal 2015 e per la stessa volontà dei dottorandi, con l'intento di costruire un momento di ampio confronto con la comunità scientifica accademica ed extra-accademica. A tal fine, ai dottorandi relatori spetta il compito di selezionare, nell'ambito delle ricerche in corso, argomenti utili ad alimentare il dibattito in termini inter-curriculari e inter-disciplinari.
The cultural landscape of Southeast Italy results from long-term interactions between human socie... more The cultural landscape of Southeast Italy results from long-term interactions between human societies and the diverse ecological niches characterising the region. Starting from 4000 years ago, it has been progressively shaped by the increasing impact of human activities. The combining of archaeological, palaeoeconomic and ecological analyses represents the most effective way to understand these human-environment interactions, providing meaningful insights into historical questions and to future sustainability of societies, ecosystems and physical landscape. However, this interdisciplinary approach has never been adopted for Southeast Italy where current understanding of human-environment interaction relies on pollen studies. We lack knowledge regarding the anthropogenic landscape formation processes from a spatial perspective, capable of defining which were the places the prehistoric communities were tied to, what type of economic activities they performed there, and how much such practices physically impacted on those places. The project ModLand (funded by the Next-Generation-EU) aims at filling this gap, deepening the understanding of human-landscape interaction in Southeast Italy during the 3rd (LCA, Late Copper Age) and 2nd mill. BC (BA, Bronze Age), especially by revealing its diversity over space and time by implementing the MaxEnt modelling technique. This presentation will outline the project's methodology and first data analysis, with a special focus on two, highly environmentally diversified, sample areas of South-East Italy. The first one encompasses a particular inland/upland territory of the Apennine mountains, which saw the presence of one the largest waterbodies of the Italian peninsula until the mid-19th century AD (the Fucino Lake); while the second focuses on Northern Apulia, which is characterised by a convergence of diverse ecological niches, ranging from the dynamic ecosystems of the coastal and wet areas to the uplands and rough mountain valleys of the Gargano promontory.
Starting from the ‘80s, the development of “cultural geography” (Cosgrove, 1984) rejected the con... more Starting from the ‘80s, the development of “cultural geography” (Cosgrove, 1984) rejected the concept of surroundings as a neutral backdrop. By adding a social dimension to the landscape, this became a meaningful medium, emphasising the mutual influence between people and surrounding material world. A place can be thought as a “relational concept” (Thomas, 2001, p.173), a location embedded into human behaviours. Yet distinct groups may conceive the same landscape in diverse way. Thus exploring such diversification over space and time is crucial to understand regional historical trajectories. The emergence of fortified settlements during the 2nd millennium BC became the catalyst behind a significant transformation of the landscape from an environmental perspective—such communities harder exploited their surroundings—and social perspective—since they were landmarks into the long-range exchange network. Alongside this phenomenon, smaller communities, characterised by sparse, short-life hamlets and focusing more on agricultural and animal breeding economy than on exchange, persisted across diverse ecosystems. Thus, socio-economically differentiated societies interacted in the same landscape, each constructing its own “lifeworld” (Ingold, 2000, p.14). Computing has incredibly expanded our capacity to model human behaviours into the landscape, allowing to explore “the range of possibilities associated with certain processes or actions” (Llobera, 2012, p.505). But how can we comprehend the coexisting conceptions of surroundings? Focusing on the rich palimpsest of archaeological data for Southeast Italy, this presentation will explore dimensions of diverse cultural landscapes during the 2nd
The spatial interplay between artefacts and bioarchaeological remains represents a pivotal resear... more The spatial interplay between artefacts and bioarchaeological remains represents a pivotal research line for the understanding of activities organisation of prehistoric societies. Such analyses are becoming common for Late Prehistoric contexts, bringing new insights into the socio-economic behavioural patterns of these communities. At the same time, the increasing use of geostatistics allows us to combine different types of data for the construction of interpretive model(s) and to go beyond cognitive bias, exploring latent spatial-functional connections between remains. The Bronze Age fortified settlement of Coppa Nevigata (Southern Italy) has been the subject of integrated spatial analysis (Recchia et al., 2021) which have highlighted both the functional variability of spaces and changes of the settlement fabric over time related to socio-economic transformations. The most recent explorations at the site have brought to light a portion of the 12th century BC settlement, characterised by domestic and functional structures. In this presentation we will discuss the integrated spatial analysis of one of these, which for its structural features (the perimeter is defined by a clay bench where 11 clay rings are arranged) and patterns of use stands out from the coeval structures both in the settlements and in other coeval centres (Cazzella and Recchia, 2018). Archaeological evidence suggests that the structure was devoted to the preparation of meals, possibly with a strong symbolic meaning (feasting?). Yet, an integrated functional and spatial analysis of artefacts and bioarchaeological remains will allow to get and in-depth understanding of the activities performed there, its overall function(s) and thus its social meaning. To achieve this aim, the analysis will combine diverse types of geostatistics using open-source software, which will enable to fully explore spatial data and contextualise them within the settlement context.
Negli ultimi anni le indagini archeologiche preventive dirette dall’allora Soprintendenza per i b... more Negli ultimi anni le indagini archeologiche preventive dirette dall’allora Soprintendenza per i beni archeologici del Molise hanno portato alla luce nuove evidenze archeologiche sul territorio venafrano. Tra il 2014 e il 2015 dall’attività di sorveglianza archeologica ai lavori di scavo per la realizzazione del metanodotto Busso-Paliano (tratto B), in località Ficora della Morra, sono emerse interessanti evidenze riconducibili alla Preistoria recente.
The fortified costal settlement of Coppa Nevigata (southern Italy) is one of the most extensively... more The fortified costal settlement of Coppa Nevigata (southern Italy) is one of the most extensively excavated Bronze Age sites in Italy. Being continuously occupied for one millennium (18th - 8th centuries BC), with only occasional episodes of destruction/ sudden collapses, its archaeological record reflects the repeated use and reorganisation of spaces and structures over the time. Cycles of use and discarding of pottery at the site produced a massive amount of shards, whose primary deposition has been subject to alteration by anthropic and natural processes. Pottery productions are indeed a significant source for the understanding of socio-economic dynamics, besides their potential as chronological markers. Quantitative analyses have been applied to investigate different dimensions of the pottery assemblages from Coppa Nevigata, ranging from stylistic variability through time, to synchronic stylistic variability among different areas of the settlement, to pottery function and archaeometric analyses. However, most of the ceramic record at the site consists of non-diagnostic fragments. How can we fully exploit their potential as indicators for depositional processes? To what extent are they significant for the understanding of the patterns of use of settlement areas? We will present the spatial analysis of a case study area from the site, belonging to the Late Bronze Age (12th century BC). Through a multi-scalar approach to the quantitative analysis of pottery distribution -including non-diagnostic shards, we seek to recognise patterns of activities and use of spaces. Statistic-based quantitative analyses are adopted to define potsherd size groups and identify patterns of pottery disposal, categories of pottery refuse and depositional processes, also considering variables such as the intended function of pottery and the nature of deposits.
Inland areas of central-southern Italy preserve an incredible cultural palimpsest, ranging from P... more Inland areas of central-southern Italy preserve an incredible cultural palimpsest, ranging from Paleolithic sites to traditional pastoral structures. In fact, until the mid of the last century transhumant pastoralism represented a significant resource for the local communities’ economy, influencing social and cultural aspects. The high mobility associated to this practice is testified by a dense and wide network of communication routes that connect mountainous areas to inland and coastal plains. The importance of pastoralism for the Bronze Age economy is well known, hence, the spread of models of material culture in that period could reflect an accentuated dynamism also for the communities of the 2nd millennium BC. Starting from 2015, the Molise Survey Project has focused on the human exploitation of mountainous inland areas of the central-southern Adriatic Italy over the prehistoric periods. A remarkable number of sites, scattered across the whole researched area, has been recognized that mostly belongs to the 2nd millennium BC. Bronze Age sites are mostly located along ancient communication routes and/or in strategic high-altitude grazing land. They have yielded a huge number of diagnostic pottery sherds linked to production, transformation and consumption of primary goods. In this presentation we will propose an integrated analysis of the 2nd millennium BC settlement pattern and the historic evidences linked to transhumant pastoralism, with a focus on the relationship between the Bronze Age sites and the communication network represented by the “tratturi”. By means of GIS elaboration we will try to understand patterns of mobility across inland areas during the 2nd millennium BC, challenging the traditional model of mobility based exclusively on the large valleys connecting the coastal area to the inland.
The relationship between spatial organization and social life is a meaningful scope of investigat... more The relationship between spatial organization and social life is a meaningful scope of investigation for social science. Cross-influences between space organisation and cultural choices reflect a wide range of social behaviours; in this sense, considering the space in social theory we have a key feature to move from material culture to theoretical social models. Over the last few decades, spatial analysis has stepped-up our knowledge about settlements and communities of the 2nd millennium BC in Italy and the central Mediterranean. Analyses have been carried out on different kind of archaeological contexts, from those affected by sudden destructive events, falling into the “Pompeii premise” cases (Binford 1981), to those resulting from the progressive growth of refusal elements, apparently affected by a high degree of entropy. While the first yield significant information about organization of the space, the latter reflect repeated activities performed in a given space. Therefore, different methodological approaches to distribution analysis, from simple graphical representation to geostatistical analysis, have prompted different interpretative models of the spatial organization and patterns of use. However, the vast majority of the studies have focused on well-preserved suddenly destroyed contexts close to the “Pompeii premise”. This presentation seeks to give a critical review of the use of intra-site spatial analysis to understand social patterns of behaviour. Cases-study from Italy and the central Mediterranean, either characterized by sudden destructive events or progressive growth of refusal elements, will be specifically discussed. The significance and suitability of both types of contexts as pointers for socially accepted behavioural patterns will be also investigated. Furthermore, a focus will be addressed to the spatial analysis of botanical and faunal refuse, proxy data for a wide range of human activities of production and management of primary and secondary goods.
Reconstructing ancient social dynamics through the lens of material culture lies at the core of a... more Reconstructing ancient social dynamics through the lens of material culture lies at the core of archaeological interpretation. Evidence of people’s actions and natural events materialize in concentrations of artefacts and ecofacts that enable us to trace human past behaviors. Not surprisingly, quantification methods are a recurrent issue in archaeological research about all categories of objects, their typologies and distributions. Traditionally, much attention has been paid to the development of increasingly sophisticated techniques of quantitative analysis, greatly expanding the amount of data at our disposal. Yet, the lack of uniformity in their application does not always allow for comparison, making therefore those datasets not fully usable (Orton 1993; Arcelin&Tuffreau-Libre 1998). This lack of unified quantifying methods is not only a hindrance to the interpretation of datasets, but also to engaging with formation biases, which are essential for understanding whether these analyses are valid in the first place. This session aims to go beyond diverging enumeration methods of observed evidence in the present, and take a step to develop more synergy within the fragmented landscape of quantification in material studies. To do so we seek to gather a variety of case studies across Europe, the Mediterranean and beyond that illustrate innovative approaches to artefacts quantification, but that also go into the direction of setting common baselines against which different data can be more efficiently compared and measured. Topics to be explored could include, but are not limited to: - sampling strategies and their impact on the amount of information allowing reasonable interpretation of assemblages; - quantification of surface finds collected in field surveys and the effects of applied methodology on research results; - applicability of diversity measurements for tracing change in the material record, craft production and consumption patterns; - determining relative abundance: assessment of innovative and well-established mathematical models.
We encourage contributions that provide (new) quantitative frameworks to investigate the material record, engage with methodological issues in quantifying material assemblages, foster to quantitatively integrate different datasets as well as discuss the problems and the needs for doing so.
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, Archaeological Survey, 10, 2019
This paper presents the results of the survey project carried out in 2016 and 2017 in the high Mo... more This paper presents the results of the survey project carried out in 2016 and 2017 in the high Molise by a team of the Sapienza University of Rome. The project's aim is an advanced knowledge of human presence in the prehistoric phases in the inland areas of the peninsula, on the reliefs and close to small mountain lakes. Indeed, the territories above 1000 m a.s.l. are poorly known and the information available refers mostly to sporadic findings and, to a lesser extent, to the results of systematic surveys. The investigation has dealt with the global understanding of the evidence relating to human occupation developed at high altitude during the various prehistoric phases in a small area of the Molise region. Moreover, by an ethno-archaeological approach, we are trying to investigate a phenomenon that has characterized the economy of the Apennines from recent prehistory onwards: pastoralism.
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Books by Enrico Lucci
La ricerca esposta in questo lavoro ha avuto al centro questa sfida scientifica e l’ha affrontata attraverso un approccio interdisciplinare e una lettura contestuale, in chiave funzionale e della distribuzione spaziale, dei manufatti e dei resti bioarcheologici provenienti da uno dei contesti dell’età del Bronzo più importanti del Mediterraneo centrale nel quadro del II millennio a.C.: l’insediamento fortificato di Coppa Nevigata.
Papers by Enrico Lucci
investigating the changing settlement patterns in inland areas of south-eastern Italy and exploring both
short- and long-range social interactions between communities during the Late Prehistory. The focus is the
study of Late prehistoric communities settled in the inland-upland territories of the Alta Murgia system
(Southeastern Italy).
This paper presents the preliminary results of the 2023 systematic filed survey, which have encompassed a
transect located at the southern edge of the Murge upland: the Garagnone Castle valley. Probing trenches
related to rescue excavations were carried out there in the ’90s of the last century by the local Superintendence,
bringing to light traces related to an Early Bronze Age settlement (Palma Campania/Protoapennine
facies). Data resulting from the 2023 surveys have significantly enlarged the knowledge on the patterns of
human occupation in this area during the 2nd millennium BC, revealing the possible existence of more than
one dwelling area belonging to the Early Bronze Age. A shift in the settlement strategy within this environmental
niche between the early and mid-2nd millennium BC has also been detected.
This paper presents an integrated spatial analysis of a long-occupied area of the Coppa Nevigata settlement from the Late Bronze Age. It is a trial, aimed at both building a viable methodology to deal with ‘dynamic’ deposits and verifying the potential of the observed record in terms of activity areas and fossilised patterns of behaviour.
as indicated by different systematic research projects undertaken so far. Starting from a
very low baseline of previous archaeological research, and as part of a comprehensive research
programme focussed on northern Sahara, we launched in 2015 a territorial investigation of
stone monuments of the pre-protohistory and early history of southern Tunisia. To do this,
we selected a sample study area east and south-east of the Chott el Jérid depression (Kebili region)
where to conduct field research. In this paper we present the research strategy adopted,
planned to address some issues such as the poor state of preservation of the monuments or
their uncertain chronology, also known from other parts of the Sahara. Our results, based on
the combination of remote sensing analysis, field survey and selected excavations, highlight
a dense occupation of this area of northern Sahara, where monumental buildings of possible
funerary function tentatively trace back to the late pre-protohistory up to the roman age. The
persistent use of the area across a long-time span corroborates its pivotal location in ancient
trans-Saharan connection routes.
La ricerca esposta in questo lavoro ha avuto al centro questa sfida scientifica e l’ha affrontata attraverso un approccio interdisciplinare e una lettura contestuale, in chiave funzionale e della distribuzione spaziale, dei manufatti e dei resti bioarcheologici provenienti da uno dei contesti dell’età del Bronzo più importanti del Mediterraneo centrale nel quadro del II millennio a.C.: l’insediamento fortificato di Coppa Nevigata.
investigating the changing settlement patterns in inland areas of south-eastern Italy and exploring both
short- and long-range social interactions between communities during the Late Prehistory. The focus is the
study of Late prehistoric communities settled in the inland-upland territories of the Alta Murgia system
(Southeastern Italy).
This paper presents the preliminary results of the 2023 systematic filed survey, which have encompassed a
transect located at the southern edge of the Murge upland: the Garagnone Castle valley. Probing trenches
related to rescue excavations were carried out there in the ’90s of the last century by the local Superintendence,
bringing to light traces related to an Early Bronze Age settlement (Palma Campania/Protoapennine
facies). Data resulting from the 2023 surveys have significantly enlarged the knowledge on the patterns of
human occupation in this area during the 2nd millennium BC, revealing the possible existence of more than
one dwelling area belonging to the Early Bronze Age. A shift in the settlement strategy within this environmental
niche between the early and mid-2nd millennium BC has also been detected.
This paper presents an integrated spatial analysis of a long-occupied area of the Coppa Nevigata settlement from the Late Bronze Age. It is a trial, aimed at both building a viable methodology to deal with ‘dynamic’ deposits and verifying the potential of the observed record in terms of activity areas and fossilised patterns of behaviour.
as indicated by different systematic research projects undertaken so far. Starting from a
very low baseline of previous archaeological research, and as part of a comprehensive research
programme focussed on northern Sahara, we launched in 2015 a territorial investigation of
stone monuments of the pre-protohistory and early history of southern Tunisia. To do this,
we selected a sample study area east and south-east of the Chott el Jérid depression (Kebili region)
where to conduct field research. In this paper we present the research strategy adopted,
planned to address some issues such as the poor state of preservation of the monuments or
their uncertain chronology, also known from other parts of the Sahara. Our results, based on
the combination of remote sensing analysis, field survey and selected excavations, highlight
a dense occupation of this area of northern Sahara, where monumental buildings of possible
funerary function tentatively trace back to the late pre-protohistory up to the roman age. The
persistent use of the area across a long-time span corroborates its pivotal location in ancient
trans-Saharan connection routes.
Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut Rome (KNIR) and International Association of Classical Archaeology (AIAC)
http://www.fastionline.org/survey/micro_view.php?item_key=sur_cd&sur_cd=AIAC_415
Il Seminario è un'iniziativa degli stessi dottorandi della Scuola e nel 2020 è giunto alla sua VII edizione.
L'eterogeneità dei progetti di ricerca dei dottorandi in Archeologia risulta essere un valore aggiunto ed uno stimolo per il confronto e per il dibattito in termini inter-curriculari ed inter-disciplinari.
https://sites.google.com/uniroma1.it/semdottoratoarcheosap/
Facebook: SSDA- Seminario della Scuola di Dottorato in Archeologia Sapienza
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SSDASapienza
https://sites.google.com/uniroma1.it/semdottoratoarcheosap/
LINK al sito dell'evento:
https://sites.google.com/uniroma1.it/semdottoratoarcheosap/home?authuser=1
The project ModLand (funded by the Next-Generation-EU) aims at filling this gap, deepening the understanding of human-landscape interaction in Southeast Italy during the 3rd (LCA, Late Copper Age) and 2nd mill. BC (BA, Bronze Age), especially by revealing its diversity over space and time by implementing the MaxEnt modelling technique.
This presentation will outline the project's methodology and first data analysis, with a special focus on two, highly environmentally diversified, sample areas of South-East Italy. The first one encompasses a particular inland/upland territory of the Apennine mountains, which saw the presence of one the largest waterbodies of the Italian peninsula until the mid-19th century AD (the Fucino Lake); while the second focuses on Northern Apulia, which is characterised by a convergence of diverse ecological niches, ranging from the dynamic ecosystems of the coastal and wet areas to the uplands and rough mountain valleys of the Gargano promontory.
as a neutral backdrop. By adding a social dimension to the landscape, this became a meaningful medium, emphasising
the mutual influence between people and surrounding material world. A place can be thought as a “relational concept”
(Thomas, 2001, p.173), a location embedded into human behaviours. Yet distinct groups may conceive the same landscape
in diverse way. Thus exploring such diversification over space and time is crucial to understand regional historical
trajectories.
The emergence of fortified settlements during the 2nd millennium BC became the catalyst behind a significant
transformation of the landscape from an environmental perspective—such communities harder exploited their
surroundings—and social perspective—since they were landmarks into the long-range exchange network. Alongside this
phenomenon, smaller communities, characterised by sparse, short-life hamlets and focusing more on agricultural and
animal breeding economy than on exchange, persisted across diverse ecosystems. Thus, socio-economically differentiated
societies interacted in the same landscape, each constructing its own “lifeworld” (Ingold, 2000, p.14).
Computing has incredibly expanded our capacity to model human behaviours into the landscape, allowing to explore “the
range of possibilities associated with certain processes or actions” (Llobera, 2012, p.505). But how can we comprehend the
coexisting conceptions of surroundings? Focusing on the rich palimpsest of archaeological data for Southeast Italy, this
presentation will explore dimensions of diverse cultural landscapes during the 2nd
understanding of activities organisation of prehistoric societies. Such analyses are becoming common for Late Prehistoric
contexts, bringing new insights into the socio-economic behavioural patterns of these communities. At the same time, the
increasing use of geostatistics allows us to combine different types of data for the construction of interpretive model(s)
and to go beyond cognitive bias, exploring latent spatial-functional connections between remains.
The Bronze Age fortified settlement of Coppa Nevigata (Southern Italy) has been the subject of integrated spatial analysis
(Recchia et al., 2021) which have highlighted both the functional variability of spaces and changes of the settlement fabric
over time related to socio-economic transformations. The most recent explorations at the site have brought to light a
portion of the 12th century BC settlement, characterised by domestic and functional structures. In this presentation we will
discuss the integrated spatial analysis of one of these, which for its structural features (the perimeter is defined by a clay
bench where 11 clay rings are arranged) and patterns of use stands out from the coeval structures both in the settlements
and in other coeval centres (Cazzella and Recchia, 2018).
Archaeological evidence suggests that the structure was devoted to the preparation of meals, possibly with a strong
symbolic meaning (feasting?). Yet, an integrated functional and spatial analysis of artefacts and bioarchaeological remains
will allow to get and in-depth understanding of the activities performed there, its overall function(s) and thus its social
meaning. To achieve this aim, the analysis will combine diverse types of geostatistics using open-source software, which
will enable to fully explore spatial data and contextualise them within the settlement context.
Tra il 2014 e il 2015 dall’attività di sorveglianza archeologica ai lavori di scavo per la realizzazione del metanodotto Busso-Paliano (tratto B), in località Ficora della Morra, sono emerse interessanti evidenze riconducibili alla Preistoria recente.
Being continuously occupied for one millennium (18th - 8th centuries BC), with only occasional episodes of destruction/ sudden
collapses, its archaeological record reflects the repeated use and reorganisation of spaces and structures over the time. Cycles
of use and discarding of pottery at the site produced a massive amount of shards, whose primary deposition has been subject to
alteration by anthropic and natural processes.
Pottery productions are indeed a significant source for the understanding of socio-economic dynamics, besides their potential as
chronological markers. Quantitative analyses have been applied to investigate different dimensions of the pottery assemblages
from Coppa Nevigata, ranging from stylistic variability through time, to synchronic stylistic variability among different areas of the
settlement, to pottery function and archaeometric analyses. However, most of the ceramic record at the site consists of non-diagnostic
fragments. How can we fully exploit their potential as indicators for depositional processes? To what extent are they significant
for the understanding of the patterns of use of settlement areas?
We will present the spatial analysis of a case study area from the site, belonging to the Late Bronze Age (12th century BC). Through
a multi-scalar approach to the quantitative analysis of pottery distribution -including non-diagnostic shards, we seek to recognise
patterns of activities and use of spaces. Statistic-based quantitative analyses are adopted to define potsherd size groups and
identify patterns of pottery disposal, categories of pottery refuse and depositional processes, also considering variables such as
the intended function of pottery and the nature of deposits.
Starting from 2015, the Molise Survey Project has focused on the human exploitation of mountainous inland areas of the central-southern Adriatic Italy over the prehistoric periods. A remarkable number of sites, scattered across the whole researched area, has been recognized that mostly belongs to the 2nd millennium BC. Bronze Age sites are mostly located along ancient communication routes and/or in strategic high-altitude grazing land. They have yielded a huge number of diagnostic pottery sherds linked to production, transformation and consumption of primary goods.
In this presentation we will propose an integrated analysis of the 2nd millennium BC settlement pattern and the historic evidences linked to transhumant pastoralism, with a focus on the relationship between the Bronze Age sites and the communication network represented by the “tratturi”. By means of GIS elaboration we will try to understand patterns of mobility across inland areas during the 2nd millennium BC, challenging the traditional model of mobility based exclusively on the large valleys connecting the coastal area to the inland.
This presentation seeks to give a critical review of the use of intra-site spatial analysis to understand social patterns of behaviour. Cases-study from Italy and the central Mediterranean, either characterized by sudden destructive events or progressive growth of refusal elements, will be specifically discussed. The significance and suitability of both types of contexts as pointers for socially accepted behavioural patterns will be also investigated. Furthermore, a focus will be addressed to the spatial analysis of botanical and faunal refuse, proxy data for a wide range of human activities of production and management of primary and secondary goods.
- sampling strategies and their impact on the amount of information allowing reasonable interpretation of assemblages;
- quantification of surface finds collected in field surveys and the effects of applied methodology on research results;
- applicability of diversity measurements for tracing change in the material record, craft production and consumption patterns;
- determining relative abundance: assessment of innovative and well-established mathematical models.
We encourage contributions that provide (new) quantitative frameworks to investigate the material record, engage with methodological issues in quantifying material assemblages, foster to quantitatively integrate different datasets as well as discuss the problems and the needs for doing so.