Prehistory and Protohistory | Research Group
The studies of Prehistory and Protohistory have always been one of the main foci of archaeological research at the Italian CNR. The group includes 11 ISPC researchers based in Catania, Potenza, and Rome.
From a geographical point of view, the research of the group focuses primarily on the Mediterranean basin and the regions immediately adjacent to it. Particular attention is devoted to the Italian peninsula; Greece and the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean islands; the Anatolian peninsula; the Levant; Mediterranean Africa, from Egypt to Morocco; the Sahara; Central Europe; the Caucasian regions; and Western Iran. Further research areas have also developed in relation to the regions of East Africa.
A marked historical depth characterizes the research lines of the Prehistory and Protohistory Research Group, which operates across a broad chronological span ranging from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Iron Age.
Research lines
The variety of documentary sources employed by the research group, together with the scientific and disciplinary traditions on which it is grounded, is reflected in a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches to pre-protohistoric research adopted. Research interests include the dynamics of social and palaeoenvironmental change; the relationship between humans and the landscape (understood in its various physical and cultural components); the study of settlement systems; the procurement and exploitation of resources; the archaeology of food; the transition from hunting-gathering economies to the earliest production systems; human mobility at different scales; the emergence of complex systems; cultural, ideological, and commercial exchanges; funerary archaeology; the negotiation of identities; archaeozoology; and the enhancement and valorisation of prehistoric and protohistoric museum heritage.
Among the group's traditional lines of research is one that examines social complexity and the formation processes of palatial societies and state entities, particularly in terms of administrative, cultural, and production aspects. Research interests also extend to writing systems (Cretan hieroglyphics, Linear A, Linear B, Cypriot-Minoan scripts).
Particular attention is also paid to the history of archaeological thought in the framework of Italian (and global) prehistory and protohistory, and to gender studies in archaeology. Topics covered also include social archaeology; public archaeology; cultural anthropology and Heritage Studies. In the framework of the ‘Valorization’ macro-area, members of the Group belonging to the Digital Heritage Innovation Lab develop themes of archaeology and virtual museums, and digital storytelling, via the application of IT and multimedia solutions. Members of the Group have also contributed to the development of programs focused on the enhancement of historical-artistic and archaeological heritage, and training programs for local communities in the protection of cultural heritage, also based on analyses and conservation activities of rock art sites.
Methodologies
The Prehistory and Protohistory Research Group is characterized by a strong multi- and interdisciplinary approach, fully aligned with the current directions of the ISPC. Fieldwork investigation methods include stratigraphic analysis and the study of the formation processes of archaeological deposits; geoarchaeological analyses; geomorphological survey; geophysical investigations (conducted within the Geophysics Lab); remote sensing; and aerial UAV photogrammetry. Particular attention is also devoted to the development of information systems, both for the collection of data from surveys and excavations and for data management and analysis, including in the field of digital epigraphy. The analysis of the emergence of complex systems and the study of human behaviour are also carried out through the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Network Analysis, and Agent-based Modeling (Modelling Archaeo Data Research Group)
An overarching holistic interest in material culture is shared by all members of the Prehistory and Protohistory Research Group; analytical investigations include techno-typological, archaeometric, and functional studies, conducted primarily on lithic industries, ceramics and clay materials, hard animal-derived materials, and metals. Part of the archaeometric analyses is carried out at the CNR ISPC XRAYLab based in Catania. In this laboratory, XRF and XRD techniques are applied to the analysis of pigments, metals, obsidian, ceramics, and other glassy matrices in order to obtain information on the nature of the materials, their areas of provenance, and production technologies.
Archaeozoological studies involve the identification and analysis of faunal remains, through comparison with atlases and reference collections, in order to understand the different forms of interaction between humans and animals over time.
Research Notes
CNR Newsletter Special Issue
Here you will find all the issues curated by the Prehistory and Protohistory Research Group.
A regular opportunity to discover the expertise, fieldwork, outreach activities, publications, ideas, and collaborations that bring our scientific network to life. A highlight not to miss is the series of interviews among group members, offering an inside look at key topics and the most fascinating aspects of their research.
CNR ISPC editorial products
Within the Prehistory and Protohistory Research Group, are published:
- Incunabula Graeca is a series dedicated to the Aegean proto-history. It was founded in 1961 by Carlo Gallavotti, and it is currently directed by Marco Bettelli and Maurizio Del Freo.
- The journal Studi Micenei ed Egeo-Anatolici Nuova Serie (SMEA NS), dedicated to the Aegean and Anatolian civilizations of the pre-classical period. The journal, founded in 1966 by Carlo Gallavotti, is currently directed by Maurizio Del Freo.
Teaching activity and higher education
Researchers of the Group teach courses of Prehistory and Protohistory; Aegean Archaeology; Computational Archaeology; Geoarchaeology and Pedology, at the following universities:
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz;
- Sapienza University of Rome;
- University of Basilicata;
- Università degli Studi di Firenze;
- University of Milan;
- University of Naples Federico II;
- University of Naples L’Orientale;
- University of Palermo;
- Università del Salento;
- Scuola Interateneo di Specializzazione in Beni Archeologici OR.SA. (Università degli Studi di Napoli L’Orientale e Università degli Studi di Salerno.
Members of the Prehistory and Protohistory Research Group are also on the boards of the following PhD programmes:
- Beni culturali, formazione e territorio (University of Rome Tor Vergata);
- Programme in Mediterranean Archaeological, Historical, Architectural and Landscape Heritage: Integrated systems of knowledge, planning, preservation and promotion. (National Research Council of Italy; Polytechnic University of Bari; University of Bari Aldo Moro);
- Scienze e tecnologie agrarie, forestali e degli alimenti (University of Basilicata).
Staff Prehistory and Protohistory
Associated with the Prehistory and Protohistory Research Group
Mirella Cipolloni Sampò, Università della Tuscia; Federica Ugliano, Museo delle Antichità Egizie di Torino
How to contact us
Research Group Coordinator: Andrea Di Renzoni →
ppgroup@ispc.cnr.it
Projects and Research activities
The project, directed by Marco Bettelli, aims to reconstruct the multiple aspects of the relationships between the communities of the Italian Bronze Age and the Aegean world through the archaeological and archaeometric analysis of the artefacts, in particular ceramics, and the analysis of the contexts. The project operates in collaboration with the MIBAC, the University of Glasgow (Richard Jones) and the Hunter College, of the City University of New York (Sara T. Levi).
The outcome of this project, coordinated by Augusto Palombini, is located inside the Museum of the famous Pleistocene deposit, near Isernia. It allows an immersive experience in the ancient landscape of the area, with the fauna and vegetation reconstructed through an accurate scientific documentation, and at the same time, it envelops visitors in today's landscapes of uncontaminated areas of the region, which have characters similar to those of hundreds of thousands of years ago.
The multidisciplinary research project, coordinated by the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris (Marie-Hélène Moncel), is run in collaboration with a number of Italian and foreign institutions, including the ISPC (Maurizio Lazzari). It aims to clarify the chronology of occupations, and further investigate Notarchirico, the oldest Acheulean site in Italy, dated between 610 and 675 Ka, with the presence of Homo heilderbengensis.
The project, directed by Lucia Alberti, aims to analyze the social dynamics and ideology of death in Crete and mainland Greece during the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC). The analysis of the funerary customs (location and architecture of the tombs, grave goods, depositions) is compared with the historical-archaeological context of the sites under study.
For further information on ISPC research activities click the button.
Main collaborations
Universities
- Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran
- Hunter College, The City University of New York, Stati Uniti d’America
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Graduiertenkolleg 1876 “Frühe Konzepte von Mensch und Natur”, Germania
- New York University, Institute of Fine Art, Stati Uniti d‘America
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Institut für Archäologie und Kulturanthropologie, Germania
- Sapienza Università di Roma, Dip. di Scienze dell’Antichità, Italia
- Sapienza Università di Roma, Dip. di Biologia Ambientale, Italia
- Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Laboratorio di Storia, Archeologia, Epigrafia, Tradizione dell’antico (SAET), Italia
- The Cyprus Institute, Cipro
- Università di Pisa, Italia, Dip. Civiltà e Forme del Sapere, Italia
- Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Dip. Studi Umanistici, Italia
- Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Dip. Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Italia
- Università degli Studi di Napoli L’Orientale, Dip. Asia, Africa e Mediterraneo, Italia
- Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali: Archeologia, Storia dell’Arte, del Cinema e della Musica (dBC), Italia
- Università degli Studi di Perugia, Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Italia
- Università degli Studi di Sassari, Centro Internazionale per la Ricerca sulle Civiltà Egee (CIRCE), Oristano, Italia
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento Beni Culturali, Italia
- University of Bristol, School of Chemistry, Regno Unito
- University of Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Regno Unito
- University of Glasgow, School of Humanities, Regno Unito
Museums
- Adana Archaeological Museum, Turchia
- Archaeological Museum of Rethymno, Creta, Grecia
- Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Creta, Grecia
- MUGEPA, Museo Geopaleontologico e Archeologico di Rotonda, Rotonda, Italia
- Museo Archeologico Luigi Bernabò Brea, Lipari, Italia
- Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Bracciano, Italia
- Museo di Casal de’ Pazzi, Roma, Italia
- Museo Egizio, Torino, Italia
- Museo Nazionale del Paleolitico di Isernia, Italia
- Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Rocca Albornoz, Viterbo, Italia
- Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Roma, Italia
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Département Homme et Environnement, Paris, Francia
- Museum of Cycladic Arts, Atene, Grecia
- National Archaeological Museum, Atene, Grecia
- Sanandaj Museum, Iran
- Šibenik City Museum, Croazia
Istitutions
- Archaeological Institute of America (Archaeomusicology Interest Group), Stati Uniti d’America
- Associazione Internazionale di Studi sul Mediterraneo e l’Oriente (ISMEO), Italia
- CNRS, Istitut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, Francia
- CNRS, UMR 7041 ArScAn, Equipe de Protohistoire égéenne, Nanterre, Francia
- Direzione Regionale Musei Lazio, Italia
- Ecole française d’Athènes, Grecia
- École française de Rome, Italia
- Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS), Parigi, Francia
- Institut National du Patrimoine (INP), Tunisia
- Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP), Marocco
- Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria (IGAG), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italia
- Istituto per la Bioeconomia (IBE), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italia
- Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR), Iran
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Archäologie des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums (RGZM), Mainz, Germania
- Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (MAECI), Italia
- Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, Egitto
- Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene (SAIA), Grecia
- Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Cartagine (SAIC), Italia
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la Città Metropolitana di Torino (SABAP-TO), Italia
- Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la provincia di Viterbo e per l’Etruria meridionale, Italia
- Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Caltanissetta, Italia
- Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Enna, Italia
Main publications
L. Alberti, Over the rainbow: Places with and without memory in the funerary landscape of Knossos during the II millennium BC, in R. Häussler, G.F. Chiai (eds.), Sacred Landscapes in Antiquity: Creation, manipulation, transformation, Oxford, Oxbow, 2020, 97-109.
A. Arnoldus-Huyzendveld, A. Palombini, E. Pietroni, V. Sanna, S. Zanni, F. Remondino, Verso una metodologia condivisa per l’analisi del paesaggio antico: il progetto “Valle del Tevere”, ‘Archeologia e Calcolatori’, 4, 2013, 104-111.
A. Babbi, A. Celant (2022), Danzando con Dioniso a nuova vita: Transkulturalität, Worlds in-between e ‘Politics of Distance’ tra Bisenzio ed Eretria nell’avanzato VIII sec. a.C., in Mediterranea. Studi e ricerche sul Mediterraneo antico, Supplementary volume n.s. 2, 2022 (2023), Roma: CNR Edizioni, pp. 43-73. ISSN 1827-0506; ISBN 978-88-8080-550-2.
A. Binandeh, S. Di Paolo, N. Macchioni, Revisioning the Plant-human Interaction in Iran and Beyond. From Microscope to Relational Practices: The Case of Juglans Regia at Tepe Qaleh Naneh, in: S. Di Paolo, G. Zisa (eds.), Plants and People in the Ancient Near East. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Interspecific Relationships, Münster, Zaphon, 69-100.
C.A. Corbino, J. De Grossi Mazzorin, C. Minniti, U. Albarella, 2022, The earliest evidence of chicken in Italy, in Albarella U., Baker P., Browaeys E., Corbino C.A., Mulville J., Poland G, Worley F. (eds.), The Archaeology of Human-bird interactions: Essays in honour of Dale Serjeantson Part II, Quaternary International, pp. 80-86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2021.04.006
M. Cultraro, Tracing a model of proto-urbanization in Northern Aegean and Western Anatolia in the late 4th millennium BC, in F. Balossi-Restelli, A. Cardarelli, G.M. Di Nocera, L. Manzanilla, L. Mori, G. Palumbi, H. Pittman (eds.), Pathways though Arslantepe. Essays in Honour of Marcella Frangipane, Roma, Università La Sapienza Roma, 2020, 409-422.
E. Dalla Longa, M. Dal Corso, D. Vicenzutto, C. Nicosia, M. Cupitò, The Bronze Age settlement of Fondo Paviani (Italy) in its territory. Hydrography, settlement distribution, environment and in-site analysis, Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports, 28 (2019). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.102018.
M. Del Freo, J. Zurbach, Recueil des inscriptions en linéaire A. Supplément 1 (Etudes crétoises XXI.6), Paris 2024.
A. Di Renzoni, D. Brunelli, S.T. Levi, A. Renzulli, M. Rosi, D. Yoon, Should I stay or should I go, 6000 yrs of human presence and abandonments at Stromboli volcano, ‘Annals of Geophisics’, 2021 (in stampa).
R. Jones, S.T. Levi, M. Bettelli, V. Cannavò, Italo-Mycenaean and other Aegean-influenced pottery in Late Bronze Age Italy: the case for regional production, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 13:23, pp. 1-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-020-01245-5.
G. Lucarini, A. Radini, First direct evidence of wild plant grinding process from the Holocene Sahara: Use-wear and plant micro-residue analysis on ground stone tools from the Farafra Oasis, Egypt, ‘Quaternary International’, 555, 2020, 66-84.
A. Paladini, M. Lazzari, 2025, Mediterranean eustatic and climatic variations vs the Phoenician-Punic settlement/abandonment phases, Proceedings of 2025IMEKO TC26 International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Bergamo, Italy, October 15-17, 2025, pp. 397-402.
