The dissertation shows the results of a study on the experimental reproduction of a specific type of macro-lithic tool, traditionally called testa di mazza, peculiar of the Nuragic phase in Sardinia (17th-9th century BC). The author analysed a sample collected during the Capo Mannu Project in the area of northern Sinis – in the western-central part of the island, in order to reconstruct the sequence of ‘technological actions’ required to produce new copies of the object. At this point, two experimental copies were realised, documenting the process and especially the micro-traces left on the surface of the instruments, which were used to make comparisons with the archaeological data.
The dissertation discusses the results of a study on the site of Chiancarelle, located on a Pleistocene terrace nearby the Fondi Lake, in West-Central Italy. The formation of this sedimentary complex is related to a lower stand of the Thyrrenian sea during the last ice age. Techno-typological analysis of the lithic artifacts, collected on the surface of this terrace, has shown similar features with Typical Aurignacian industry of the Fossellone Cave of Monte Circeo, 20 km far from the site. The author, through the use of an experimental protocol, shows the high variability of core reductions of the flint pebbles that were used as raw material in the site and compares them to the other Upper Paleolithic sites of the region.
The present dissertation is focused on the ‘hypogeic phenomenon’ that spread across the south-eastern part of Italy during the Bronze Age. Two main discussion areas are covered: the shift from cultual to funerary use of the hypogeic structures, and their social value. During the IV – III millennium a.C, hypogeic structures were probably used by some households as locations related to some sort of ancestors’ cult. The author argues that, eventually, during the Bronze Age these places were re-used as funerary spots due to the competition between families for supremacy among the community. Grave goods indirectly seem to confirm this assertion: in some of these structures it was possible to find burials with a rich supply in the central area, while individuals placed in more peripheral zones of the structure were not associated with any grave-goods. In the Late Bronze Age, the deposition of grave-goods stopped, and in this same period communities started to adopt incineration as primary funerary rite. The author thinks that the social context that produced these structures was featured by a a stable differentiation between ruling members and subordinated people.
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The dissertation explores and updates the work of the scholar Pier Luigi Calore, who investigated the archaeological landscape of the northern part of the Pescara valley in Abruzzo, Italy, between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. In the first part of the thesis, the author analyses several original papers by Calore, carrying out a proper review of the whole documentation about the archaeological evidence of the region. He reorganises and uses these data – together with more recent stratigraphic indications – to discuss settlement patterns of the territories of Castiglione a Casauria, Pescosansonesco and Torre dei Passeri during the 1st millennium BC with the use of GIS technology.
The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the subsistence strategies of Late Egyptian prehistoric human groups and the relations between them and their environment through the analysis of fish remains from two different areas: the Fayum Oasis in Lower and Wadi Kubbanya in Upper Egypt. The author redefined the evolution of fishing techniques and methods from the Late Palaeolithic since the last Epipalaeolithic coming to an innovative conclusion which involves paleo-environmental and climatic changes. The first section of the work focuses on the paleo-climate and geology, in particular on the environmental changes occurred in the two regions in the last 17000 years. In the Fayum Oasis, such changes strongly influenced the water level of the lake and its size as well as the salinity values. In Wadi Kubbaniya, where human occupations were localized close to the wadi edges, in order to avoid Nile flooding by human groups, the water level increased and little basins were filled up. This phenomenon allowed the populations to catch the fishes which took refuge in the basins. Clariias species were the most copious taxa found in both the Fayum and Wadi Kubbaniya sites. Yet, while Late Palaeolithic sites as Wadi Kubbaniya and Makhadma show the presence of only shallow water species remains (Clariias and Tilapia), Epipalaeolithic sites – as Fayum Oasis, Elkab in Egypt and Aneibis, Abu Darbein and El-Damer in Northern Sudan – show the predominant presence of deep water species remains instead (Lates, Synodontis and Bagrus), associated with the use of different fishing techniques. Therefore, fishing techniques and species caught changed during the Epipalaeolithic phase. This change depended by several different factors, which are explained in the conclusions of the study.
The aim of this work was to investigate the Roman-phase sites and archaeological remains in the area of Siniscola, on the coast of north-eastern Sardinia. Based on a literature review of the evidence, the author carried out a series of surveys on 35 archaeological sites, from the summer of 2008 to the spring of 2009, to verify their actual existence and the presence of scattered finds belonging to the Roman period on the ground. Such archaeological materials – essentially pottery – were then collected and analysed to obtain a valid dating for every site. The most important general conclusion of the work is that the region of Siniscola is featured by a relevant continuity of occupation, for most of the settlements belonging to the Roman phase were located on former prehistoric sites, both nuraghi and settlements.
The aim of this dissertation is the investigation of Bronze age settlement patterns in the territory of Siniscola, in north-eastern Sardinia. Starting from a literature review, the author first created a database and an archaeological map to undertake two types of geographical analysis, carrying out a series of surveys on the field and collecting the GPS coordinates of each one of the 35 considered sites. At this point, a Thiessen Polygons analysis was carried out using the software ArcGIS v. 10, and comparisons were made with the results of the same method applied to the close territory of Lodè. The work has led to two main conclusions, one methodological and one related to the actual evidence. The first one is that Thiessen Polygons analysis has revealed to be too abstract and essentially ineffective in the investigation, probably due a couple of reasons: (1) the fact that the definition of a standard type of ‘settlement’ is difficult in this period and region, and (2) the fact that it does not take into the right account specific adaptions to local morphology, especially in a case like Siniscola, in which settlements seems to be related more to routes than to spaces. In fact, the second conclusion is that Bronze Age settlements in the area can be divided in three main settlement ‘clusters’, which probably reflect in some way the existence of different social macro-units, every one of which controlled different strategic routes that allow access to the inland to the S and to the area of Posada to the N.
The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age settlement in the area of Fucino, which hosted one of the largest lakes on the Italian peninsula until 1865. The introduction summarizes briefly the history of the archaeological and geological research on the Fucino basin, which started in the late nineteenth century. The second chapter provides a geographical, environmental and paleoenvironmental background to the investigation. Finally, the last two chapters deal with the main dissertation topic: excavation sites and their materials are examined, together with their connections with surroundings areas and data on the ancient environment. The analysis is focused on two main issues: first, the relationship between the Fucino basin communities and the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Eneolithic cultural developments; second, the Eneolithic-Bronze Age transition in the region.
The dissertation consists of a collection and discussion of all the available data on southern Italy’s Bronze Age fortified settlements. The first section describes the study area, its main characteristics and paleo-environmental features; on this basis the author hypotesizes the existence of a precise settlement model consisting in medium-large size settlements located on the coastal or sub-coastal zone, and smaller sites in the interior, with some exceptions such as Masseria Chiancudda.
The sites of Coppa Nevigata and Roca Vecchia in Puglia are analysed in greater detail, for the presence of a better archaeological documentation that reveals the great complexity of Bronze Age defensive systems. Both the sites gave clear evidence of war-related events. The author compares the fortifications of the two settlements, analyzing in detail the different architectural features, discussing similarities and differences. Then, on the basis of this analysis, and comparing the results with the weaponry coming from southern Italy’s warrior burials, she makes an attempt of reconstructing Bronze Age war techniques employed in the attack and defense of the settlements. In conclusion, evidence from Puglia is compared with data from Broglio di Trebisacce and Torre Mordillo (Calabria), and Thapsos and Ustica (Sicily).
The work shows the results of a study of the underwater archaeological evidence coming from the area of Oristano, dating to Phoenician, Punic and Roman phases (VIII cent. BC – V sec AD). A first important result of the analysis is the identification of the presence of a well-established Archaic trade dating back to the late seventh and early sixth century BC, carried out by Phoenician ships. Etruscan and Ionic imports are the best indicators of this trade.
The most ancient shipwrecks in the area belong to the Punic period, which followed the Carthaginian conquest of Sardinia – VI-V centuries BC. These ships carried several containers which can be dated with a high degree of precision, thanks to their diffusion and high level of standardisation. The Roman conquest, after the end of the First Punic War in 238/7 BC, changed the balance of maritime trade, moving the focus on the Tyrrhenian routes. The main indicator of this process is the presence of containers containing the products of Lazio and Campania, such as the Dressel 1 and 2-4 types.
The liveliness of maritime commerce continues to be proven, during the Giulio-Claudia to the Severiana phases, by the presence of amphorae from Narborense, Tarraconense and Baetica, containing wine, olive oil and fish sauce. During the IV and V centuries AD no inflection in trades can be noticed, yet a special relationship with Africa is clear.
The last part of the dissertation is a catalogue of anchors and other similar artifacts found in the area.
In this work the author analyses the development of metallurgy during the late fourth and early third millennium BC – between the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age I – in the main sites of the Upper and Middle Euphrates.
The processing and use of metals, for which we have evidence from the eighth-seventh millennia BC in the Near East, undergoes pivotal changes in the second half of the fourth millennium BC. It is in this period that new and more sophisticated working techniques arise, with an increase in the extraction and use of different minerals, the emergence of the first metal alloys, and the increase in typologies of objects such as complex ornaments, working tools and weapons.
The study analyses which minerals or metal alloys were used in the production of objects and the provenance of these raw materials. It also explores what happened to the communities that populated this area during this period following a break with previous forms of socio-political organization and the arrival, in some areas, of foreign populations from the Caucasus region.
The sites considered in the work are: Korucutepe, Arslantepe, Korukutepe, Norusntepe, Tepecik, Taskun Mevkii and Hassek Höyük on the Upper Euphrates and Birecik, Carchemish and Kurban Höyük on the Middle Euphrates.
In this work the author investigates the relationships between the Nuragic civilisation and Mediterranean peoples during the Iron Age phase. It is essentially a review and discussion of the archaeological knowledge on the matter, focusing on those archaeological sites, located both in Sardinia and across the entire Mediterranean area, which offer some evidence of interactions between Sardinians and other groups. Sites are discussed one by one, in two different catalogues, in chapters II and III – one for Sardinian and one for Mediterranean ones. The subsequent two chapters discuss the material evidence, formed of those artifacts which are proof of interactions and physical contacts between Mediterranean populations in this phase.
In this work the author investigates the Neolithic-Calcolithic transition that took place in the first centuries of the V millennium B.C. in Upper Mesopotamia. During this phase, the Ubaid culture, which had led to a progressive hierarchisation within the communities, spread from the southern region of the alluvium to the Jezira area and beyond, provoking instabilitiy on a broad scale and the break up of traditional egalitarian structures of Halaf neolithic groups.
The author analyses these transformations from the point of view of settlement, taking into consideration internal organisation, functional aspects of the buildings, material culture and territorial distributional patterns. This approach is based on the idea that there is a natural relationship between material expression and modes of living, rendering tradition – the ritual repetion of shared beliefs/schemata – the vehicle of social identity.
The main aim of this research is therefore to study and reconstruct a specific ritual behaviour, that expressed in the settlements’ internal patterns of organisation, and in the territorial distribution of both Halaf and Ubaid communities between VI and V millennia, showing how it is involved in changes and relationships between different groups in Upper Mesopotamia.
The object of this research is the seal, a material culture product which represents a privileged tool for the analysis of economic and administrative features of past societies. The author investigates the role of this tool in relation to the structural changes that affected Near Eastern communities at the turn of the late IV and early III millennium B.C.
The second half of the fourth millennium represents a pivotal moment in the history of Mesopotamia named the “urban revolution” by Gordon Childe, an expression that refers to major technological, demographic and organisational changes leading to the formation of the first proto-statual organisations. This ‘revolution’ spread from Lower Mesopotamia to the whole Near Eastern region, influencing local communities in several ways.
At the beginning of the III millennium B.C.in the northern regions – such as southern Anatolia, the urban experience came to a sudden halt, as did any contact with the southern communities. A process of cultural regionalization followed this, giving birth to an interesting patchwork of heterogeneous socio-economic situations. The choice of Upper Mesopotamia and Eastern Anatolia as the main study settings was dictated by these regions’ richness: they represent a peripheral area that was diversely affected by the social changes taking place in southern territories, and these differences are reflected in the modes of manufacture and use of seals.
In this dissertation the author illustrates the results of a study of the funerary evidence arising in the Sicilian eneolithic contexts of Piano Vento, Roccazzo and Uditore.
The archaeological features that have been analysed and compared include the typology of tombs, the position, sex and age of death of the individuals, the presence and nature of grave goods, and the use of red ochre.
The aim of the work is to discuss the socio-economic characterization of Sicilian society in the III millennium B.C. throughout the comparison of the evidence from the three sites.
The author presents the results of an analysis on the use-wear produced by plant processing on flint tools from the two Italian Neolithic contexts of Masseria Candelaro (Foggia) and Fondo Azzollini (Brindisi) and from the site of Çayönü, eastern Anatolia (Turkey). The aim of the study was the comparison between use-wear produced in contexts of both first and full domestication of plants.
The first part of the study consisted in an experimental reproduction of a number flint tools – mostly sickles – and their practical utilisation in plant processing. During the experiments, different types of plants were processed, and a number of further aspects of the experimental process were recorded, such as typology of the cut and experiment duration.
At this point, the author carried out a detailed analysis of the experimentally-produced use-wear using an innovative methodology of investigation based on giving more importance to the traces on the internal areas of the tools away from the margin instead of focusing just on the edge of the instrument. Such a procedure reduces the possibility of erroneous interpretations.
The second part of the work focus on the comparison between archaeological and experimental data. An important result of the study is the recognisation of evolution in the exploitation of plant resources within every one of the case studies in relation to different phases: this is evident given the difference in the percentage of the typology of plants that were cut.
Besides, thanks to his analysis, the author has been able to isolate the noteworthy presence of tools that were utilised only for wild cereals processing in the site of Çayönü, conferming the possibility of utilising this methodology to study the process of domestication of plant in a variety of archaeological situations around the World.
The author analyses the functionality of typical Oldowan stone tools, using an experimental approach, followed by use wear analysis. The work focuses on the observation of a sample of Early Stone Age rhyolite objects from the Oldowan site of Kanjera South.
The first part of the study concerns the use of rhyolite experimental replicas on different types of organic materials, such as wood, bone, flesh and hide and for different purposes e.g bark removal and flesh cutting, to test the efficiency of the tools and create a macro use wear comparison collection.
The results coming from this experimental phase of the study yielded interesting information about:
– the efficiency of stone tools made of Rhyolite
– the dramatic affection of phenocristals in the use wear development and on the durability of the object margins
– the relationship between size and functionality
– the typology of macro use wears produced by different types of material and actions
In a following phase of the analysis an archaeological sample of rhyolite stone tools coming from Kanjera South was examined with the aim to individuate and describe possible macro use wear traces present on the object margins.
The results, compared with the data from the observation of the experimental objects, confirmed the former hypothesis regarding the role of phenocristals in use wear development and object efficiency, the relationship between size of the tool and functionality and also yielded information about the type of materials the tools were used on.
In this paper the author analyses neolithic lithic artifacts from the oasis of Fayum, in the Egyptian Western Desert. She illustrates the results of a study on a sample from the excavations of S.M.Puglisi in the Qasr El-Sagha region (1960s). Such findings are compared with the Epipaleolithic evidence and with other neolithic cultural horizons.
The Neolithic period of the central Mediterranean (6100BC – 3500BC) is characterised by the first occupation of offshore islands. In this essay the author explores the idea that the Central Mediterranean Neolithic was a period with increased maritime activity as a result of more marine inclined cultures. The subject is tackled by exploring Neolithic boat technology using experimental archaeology and relating the boat ranges with settlement locations; the extent of marine resource collection for subsistence and the displacement of materials between islands and mainland are also point of discussion.
In conclusion it is clear that the sea played an important role within the Neolithic cultures with some regions such as eastern Sicily and the Aeolian islands being identified as having a greater inclination towards seafaring.
The dissertation shows the results of a one year study on part of the evidence from the prehistoric settlement of Sa Osa (Cabras, OR, Western Sardinia, Italy).
The archaeological interest of this locale is noteworthy: it testifies a strong continuity in the occupation of the surrounding area, from the Neolithic to the Middle Age.
The data analysed in the paper come from four of the 10X10 southern squares of the excavation area – which extends over about 4900 square meters – and have mostly been dated to the Recent Bronze Age phase.
Recent archaeological findings from Africa testify an early development of the cognitive and anatomic features of H.sapiens in this continent. In this work the author analyses a number of findings from African Middle Stone Age that show features of symbolic skills. These elements are related and compared with the European archaeological record to demonstrate the role of African sapiens in the development of symbolic skills many millenniums before the European “Revolution” of the Late Paleolithic.
In this work the author analyses the dolmenic structures of Bronze Age Puglia. The highest concentration of these sites belong to three areas located on the coastal strip of Bari, along the Ionian coast and in the hinterland of Taranto. Each structure has been fully described and inserted in a database in order to compare the evidences of the different areas. Thirteen dolmenic structures were compared to each other taking in count as main variables their geographic position, structural characteristics, number of burials and any eventual ritual indications, in order to understand their significance and use.
In this paper the author analyses the data on the body treatment from three italian eneolithic cemeteries: Pontecagnano in Campania, Selvicciola in Lazio and Piano Vento in Sicily. He describes the general features of the burial sites paying particular attention to the burial forms, the internal disposition of the ambients inside the tombs and the steps of the funeral ritual. He also utilises the anthropological data available on single individuals and on the presence of animal bones in ritual pits, comparing them to other neolithic burial sites.
This dissertation consists in a structured comparison of Bronze Age expositions in english and italian museums to highlight the main problems of museal communication in the later state. The method used to analise these museums (Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Egnazia, Museo delle Origini della Sapienza, Museo Civico Archeologico Etnologico di Modena, British Museum and the Ashmolean Museum) differs from most because the point of view used is not that of a scholar but of an occasional tourist or visitor. The conclusive chapters sum up the museal criticism and offer various ideas for future expositions.
Analysis of material culture and architectural evidence of the settlements along the Anatolian coast, the islands nearby, Cyclades and Crete led to identify different socio-economic patterns in the Central and Oriental Aegean during the Early Bronze Age. In these areas the sea had been an important scenario of trade and connections between communities, becoming a vehicle of social interaction. A number of observations clearly show the high level of mobility between human settlements and the consequent network of exchanges.
This study aims at analysing the spatial and cronological distribution of particular pottery shapes, such as dépa amphikypella, tankards, sauceboats, frying pans, bell cups, amphorae for trading, etc., and some metal artifacts.
The scope of the study will be mainly focused on the settlements of the Anatolian coast, the islands nearby, Cyclades and Crete.
The archaeological dig at the coastal site of Su Pallosu in central west Sardinia has revealed the presence of a Late Bronze Age deposit of nuragic pottery in a probably ancient pond behind a sand dune. Most of the ceramic vessels are multi handled little jars with their lids. In this dissertation the author analyses the features of the ceramic archaeological record, in order to find the contextual significange of the deposition. He also compares the types of vessels with the archaeological record from protohistoric Sardinia and Italy in order to provide the site with a precise chronological location in the Late Bronze Age of Sardinia. He suggests an interpretation of the deposit as a cultual feature.
