Alexander J Smith
State University of New York @ Brockport, Anthropology, Faculty Member
- I am an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Brockport as an archaeologist of the Western Mediterranean (Balea... moreI am an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Brockport as an archaeologist of the Western Mediterranean (Balearic Islands) and Western New York (Finger Lakes Region). I'm the director of Frost Town Archaeology (frosttownarchaeology.com) and a co-director of the Menorca Archaeological Project.edit
Edited By Daniel Fisher-Livne, Michelle May-Curry Archaeological practice is generally not accessible to the public. Despite the popularity of archaeology in film and television, the process of excavation has traditionally been... more
Edited By Daniel Fisher-Livne, Michelle May-Curry
Archaeological practice is generally not accessible to the public. Despite the popularity of archaeology in film and television, the process of excavation has traditionally been closed-off to non-experts. Among those most frequently excluded are young students, local community members, and even descendant groups. In the last 30 years, academic archaeology has tried to push against this through public outreach programs and accessible excavations. Yet many barriers to entry remain for the discipline, including costs of participation for students, requisite credentials that preclude many community members, and a dearth of professional archaeologists willing to engage in public archaeology.
In response to these barriers to entry, Frost Town Archaeology (FTA) was established in 2017 to engage with publics outside of academia and to foster bridges between university structures of learning and local, accessible heritage in New York’s Finger Lakes Region. Frost Town was a small Euro-American logging settlement that witnessed the ecological destruction of the region in the 19th century. The town was abandoned by the early 20th century due to the failure of commercial agriculture after the forests were logged out. Today, the remains of Frost Town are clustered in and around the property of the Cumming Nature Center in South Bristol, New York.
Working closely with the Cumming Nature Center, FTA has developed multiple avenues of public engagement, including archaeological summer camps for ages 9-15 and family archaeology weekends open to the local rural community. Since 2019, the project has offered a biannual, low-cost field school for students at SUNY Brockport where they are shown the basic techniques of archaeological practice, including public pedagogy.
This chapter will discuss the creation of FTA as a project that challenges the exclusionary nature of academic archaeological praxis while building a community of scholars, students, locals, and descendants around the archaeology of Frost Town.
Archaeological practice is generally not accessible to the public. Despite the popularity of archaeology in film and television, the process of excavation has traditionally been closed-off to non-experts. Among those most frequently excluded are young students, local community members, and even descendant groups. In the last 30 years, academic archaeology has tried to push against this through public outreach programs and accessible excavations. Yet many barriers to entry remain for the discipline, including costs of participation for students, requisite credentials that preclude many community members, and a dearth of professional archaeologists willing to engage in public archaeology.
In response to these barriers to entry, Frost Town Archaeology (FTA) was established in 2017 to engage with publics outside of academia and to foster bridges between university structures of learning and local, accessible heritage in New York’s Finger Lakes Region. Frost Town was a small Euro-American logging settlement that witnessed the ecological destruction of the region in the 19th century. The town was abandoned by the early 20th century due to the failure of commercial agriculture after the forests were logged out. Today, the remains of Frost Town are clustered in and around the property of the Cumming Nature Center in South Bristol, New York.
Working closely with the Cumming Nature Center, FTA has developed multiple avenues of public engagement, including archaeological summer camps for ages 9-15 and family archaeology weekends open to the local rural community. Since 2019, the project has offered a biannual, low-cost field school for students at SUNY Brockport where they are shown the basic techniques of archaeological practice, including public pedagogy.
This chapter will discuss the creation of FTA as a project that challenges the exclusionary nature of academic archaeological praxis while building a community of scholars, students, locals, and descendants around the archaeology of Frost Town.
Research Interests:
Following the Muslim conquest of the Balearic Islands by ʿIsam al- Ḫawlāni in 902 AD, a new population migrated to the island, primarily from al-Andalus. Drawing on excavation data from two archaeological sites on Menorca, Torre d’en... more
Following the Muslim conquest of the Balearic Islands by ʿIsam al- Ḫawlāni in 902 AD, a new population migrated to the island, primarily from al-Andalus. Drawing on excavation data from two archaeological sites on Menorca, Torre d’en Galmés and Torrepetxina, this study shows how Andalusian farming groups settled among the prehistoric Talayotic ruins and built clusters of houses following the characteristic structure of an Islamic house.
Research Interests:
Following the Muslim conquest of the Balearic Islands by ʿIsam al- Ḫawlāni in 902 AD, a new population migrated to the island, primarily from al-Andalus. Drawing on excavation data from two archaeological sites on Menorca, Torre d’en... more
Following the Muslim conquest of the Balearic Islands by ʿIsam al- Ḫawlāni in 902 AD, a new population migrated to the island, primarily from al-Andalus. Drawing on excavation data from two archaeological sites on Menorca, Torre d’en Galmés and Torrepetxina, this study shows how Andalusian farming groups settled among the prehistoric Talayotic ruins and built clusters of houses following the characteristic structure of an Islamic house.
Research Interests:
Una nova campanya d’excavació a Torre d’en Galmés ha tret a la llum dues cases medievals andalusines, una d’elles construïda sobre una estructura talaiòtica. Això ha permès dibuixar millor l’alqueria medieval del poblat i definir com eren... more
Una nova campanya d’excavació a Torre d’en Galmés ha tret a la llum
dues cases medievals andalusines, una d’elles construïda sobre una
estructura talaiòtica. Això ha permès dibuixar millor l’alqueria medieval
del poblat i definir com eren les cases dels habitants entre els segles XII i
XIII. Els edificis i el material superposat de diferents cultures demostra,
una vegada més, la riquesa d’un jaciment tan espectacular com aquest,
ocupat, abandonat i reutilitzat al llarg de més de tres mil anys
dues cases medievals andalusines, una d’elles construïda sobre una
estructura talaiòtica. Això ha permès dibuixar millor l’alqueria medieval
del poblat i definir com eren les cases dels habitants entre els segles XII i
XIII. Els edificis i el material superposat de diferents cultures demostra,
una vegada més, la riquesa d’un jaciment tan espectacular com aquest,
ocupat, abandonat i reutilitzat al llarg de més de tres mil anys
Research Interests:
The Balearic Islands are the western-most group of islands in the Mediterranean, located just east of the Iberian Peninsula. The group is composed of four major islands: Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca, and Menorca. The northern two Balearic... more
The Balearic Islands are the western-most group of islands in the Mediterranean, located just east of the Iberian Peninsula. The group is composed of four major islands: Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca, and Menorca. The northern two Balearic Islands, Menorca and Mallorca, have been characterised as a unit since ancient authors described the island pair as the Gymnasiae or Baleares. Since these first descriptions, the pre- or protohistoric populations of these two islands are often discussed in tandem and as exhibiting a singular cultural identity, especially when considering their interactions with trading networks and external cultural influences.
With numerous excavations on both islands taking place from the late 20th cent. to the present, it is now clear that cultural variation existed across and between the islands, which may be indicative of multiple discrete or distinctive cultural identities. Yet generalist scholars of the Mediterranean often maintain the idea that the Talayotic and then Late Talayotic cultures extended across both islands as a single cultural identity during the 1st mill. BCE (Kolb 2005). Simultaneously, many scholars of the Balearic Islands maintain implicitly if not explicitly (Plantalamor 1997) that the two islands had different cultures in the 1st mill. BCE.
Recognising these different understandings of the relationship between the islands, this paper seeks to explicitly address how Menorca and Mallorca are both connected to and isolated from one another.
This paper will approach the similarities and differences in funerary culture on Menorca and Mallorca in the Late Iron Age (defined here as 550 BCE to roughly 100 CE) as an entry point to begin discussions of island cultural variation. The way the ancient islanders constructed their tombs and buried their dead shows subtle variability across Mallorca and Menorca during this timeframe, which simultaneously indicates some cultural similarities and some important differences in Balearic life. Through an analysis of case studies from Mallorca and Menorca, this paper will explore the prospect of disentangling the relationship between the islands while considering the implications of isolation, connectivity, local identities, and engagement with the Mediterranean world. Finally, this paper considers the pitfalls of trying to understand Menorcan and Mallorcan Late Talayotic cultures as either detached or connected, presenting the complicated nature of the islands’ dynamic in antiquity.
With numerous excavations on both islands taking place from the late 20th cent. to the present, it is now clear that cultural variation existed across and between the islands, which may be indicative of multiple discrete or distinctive cultural identities. Yet generalist scholars of the Mediterranean often maintain the idea that the Talayotic and then Late Talayotic cultures extended across both islands as a single cultural identity during the 1st mill. BCE (Kolb 2005). Simultaneously, many scholars of the Balearic Islands maintain implicitly if not explicitly (Plantalamor 1997) that the two islands had different cultures in the 1st mill. BCE.
Recognising these different understandings of the relationship between the islands, this paper seeks to explicitly address how Menorca and Mallorca are both connected to and isolated from one another.
This paper will approach the similarities and differences in funerary culture on Menorca and Mallorca in the Late Iron Age (defined here as 550 BCE to roughly 100 CE) as an entry point to begin discussions of island cultural variation. The way the ancient islanders constructed their tombs and buried their dead shows subtle variability across Mallorca and Menorca during this timeframe, which simultaneously indicates some cultural similarities and some important differences in Balearic life. Through an analysis of case studies from Mallorca and Menorca, this paper will explore the prospect of disentangling the relationship between the islands while considering the implications of isolation, connectivity, local identities, and engagement with the Mediterranean world. Finally, this paper considers the pitfalls of trying to understand Menorcan and Mallorcan Late Talayotic cultures as either detached or connected, presenting the complicated nature of the islands’ dynamic in antiquity.
Research Interests:
The Islamicate period of the island of Menorca lasted almost four centuries (903-1287 AD). The impact on the landscape was great in large part due to the agricultural exploitation of the island’s fertile ravines and the reoccupation of... more
The Islamicate period of the island of Menorca lasted almost four centuries (903-1287 AD). The impact on the landscape was great in large part due to the agricultural exploitation of the island’s fertile ravines and the reoccupation of Talayotic sites. These Iron Age settlements offered ideal con-ditions for later medieval occupation: raw materials, locations close to ravines and existing structures for many different activities. This article presents the results of research carried out on the Islamic reoccupation of Torre d’en Galmés (Alaior, Menorca). The study emphasizes a diachronic analysis of the site for a better understanding of the use of space during the medieval period as well as help determine patterns of Talayotic urbanism in the first millennium BC.
Research Interests:
Over the past 20 years, Menorcan megalithic houses dating to the Late Talayotic Culture (roughly the end of the 6th to 1st centuries BCE) have been subject to multiple excavation campaigns, resulting in a wealth of information regarding... more
Over the past 20 years, Menorcan megalithic houses dating to the Late Talayotic Culture (roughly the end of the 6th to 1st centuries BCE) have been subject to multiple excavation campaigns, resulting in a wealth of information regarding Late Iron Age domestic architecture and practices. Exhibiting both a circular ground plan and megalithic construction methods, the material culture in many of these structures can be dated to as late as the 1st centuries BCE or CE.
This study will argue that in the face of increased exposure to external influences indigenous elements within these household structures were emphasized or hyperbolized, pointing to a sense of indigenous identity or indigeneity among the islanders. Such elements included circular ground plans, hypostyle halls, and megalithic roof supports that referenced cult sites, all of which were associated with large, elite dwellings. During this period much of Menorca’s extra-island interaction stemmed from Carthaginian and Roman contacts as the island was gradually exposed to and integrated into the networks of these global powers. As a whole, the domestic evidence showcases a culture that was persistent during a time of change in the western Mediterranean, but also self-referential and creative, emphasizing its local traditions while utilizing foreign material culture. In considering themes of globalization and the local experience through the lens of Late Talayotic Menorca, this study will conclude by discussing the concept of indigeneity from an anthropological perspective and its potential application to Mediterranean archaeology in the Late Iron Age.
This study will argue that in the face of increased exposure to external influences indigenous elements within these household structures were emphasized or hyperbolized, pointing to a sense of indigenous identity or indigeneity among the islanders. Such elements included circular ground plans, hypostyle halls, and megalithic roof supports that referenced cult sites, all of which were associated with large, elite dwellings. During this period much of Menorca’s extra-island interaction stemmed from Carthaginian and Roman contacts as the island was gradually exposed to and integrated into the networks of these global powers. As a whole, the domestic evidence showcases a culture that was persistent during a time of change in the western Mediterranean, but also self-referential and creative, emphasizing its local traditions while utilizing foreign material culture. In considering themes of globalization and the local experience through the lens of Late Talayotic Menorca, this study will conclude by discussing the concept of indigeneity from an anthropological perspective and its potential application to Mediterranean archaeology in the Late Iron Age.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract: Isla del Rey is a small off shore islet, located in the harbor of Mahón on the Spanish Balearic Island of Menorca. Nicknamed “Bloody Island” in the 18th century, the island is well known for a British Naval Hospital, constructed... more
Abstract: Isla del Rey is a small off shore islet, located in the harbor of Mahón on the Spanish Balearic Island of Menorca. Nicknamed “Bloody Island” in the 18th century, the island is well known for a British Naval Hospital, constructed over multiple periods of British occupation in the eighteenth century. In 2013, the Boston University Field School in Archaeology and Heritage Management began investigating the island, which had not been previously archaeologically explored. The goal of the survey and excavation was to provide a systematic analysis, to complete the archaeological picture of the islet, and to educate field school students. This paper presents the preliminary results of our investigation, and wants to raise awareness about the need of doing archaeology for recent time periods in the Mediterranean.
Research Interests:
Building on Richard Bradley’s notion of the ‘afterlife of monuments’ (1987) and fueled by chance and survey finds of Classical and Roman pottery in and around nuraghi and talayots, it has been noted for some time that the great... more
Building on Richard Bradley’s notion of the ‘afterlife of monuments’ (1987) and fueled by chance and survey finds of Classical and Roman pottery in and around nuraghi and talayots, it has been noted for some time that the great prehistoric monuments of the West Mediterranean islands continued to be occupied well beyond prehistory; in one way or another, they may have remained in use until the present day, albeit it more often as a field shelter than a monumental dwelling (e.g. Pala 1990; Blake 1998).
Ongoing fieldwork has begun to demonstrate that both the chronologies and trajectories of building, use, adaptation, reconfiguration, abandonment, and reoccupation of these monuments were not only quite complex but also very different across the various islands and among the various types of monuments. This emerging observation is important in our view, because it belies any easy equation between nuraghi, torri, talayots, tombe di giganti, taulas and navetas beyond the evident similarities of size and building materials.
Variability and difference need not impede comparison, however, and in this contribution we explore how local inhabitants and foreign settlers on Sardinia, Mallorca and Menorca organized their lives and encounters in and around nuraghi and talayots. Drawing on recent evidence from key sites like nuraghe S’Urachi and Torre d’en Galmes, we examine the physical and symbolic roles that these monuments continued to play, albeit in very different ways, in the daily lives of these islanders throughout much of the first millennium BCE.
Blake, E.
1998 Sardinia's nuraghi: four millennia of becoming. World Archaeology 30.1: 59-71.
Bradley, R.
1987 Time regained - the creation of continuity. Journal of the British Archaeological Association 140: 1-17.
Pala, P.
1990 Osservazioni preliminari per uno studio della riutilizzazione dei nuraghi in epoca romana. In A. Mastino (ed.), L'Africa Romana VII. Atti del 7o Convegno di Studio, Sassari, 15-17 dicembre 1989. 549-56. Sassari: Edizioni Gallizzi.
Ongoing fieldwork has begun to demonstrate that both the chronologies and trajectories of building, use, adaptation, reconfiguration, abandonment, and reoccupation of these monuments were not only quite complex but also very different across the various islands and among the various types of monuments. This emerging observation is important in our view, because it belies any easy equation between nuraghi, torri, talayots, tombe di giganti, taulas and navetas beyond the evident similarities of size and building materials.
Variability and difference need not impede comparison, however, and in this contribution we explore how local inhabitants and foreign settlers on Sardinia, Mallorca and Menorca organized their lives and encounters in and around nuraghi and talayots. Drawing on recent evidence from key sites like nuraghe S’Urachi and Torre d’en Galmes, we examine the physical and symbolic roles that these monuments continued to play, albeit in very different ways, in the daily lives of these islanders throughout much of the first millennium BCE.
Blake, E.
1998 Sardinia's nuraghi: four millennia of becoming. World Archaeology 30.1: 59-71.
Bradley, R.
1987 Time regained - the creation of continuity. Journal of the British Archaeological Association 140: 1-17.
Pala, P.
1990 Osservazioni preliminari per uno studio della riutilizzazione dei nuraghi in epoca romana. In A. Mastino (ed.), L'Africa Romana VII. Atti del 7o Convegno di Studio, Sassari, 15-17 dicembre 1989. 549-56. Sassari: Edizioni Gallizzi.
Research Interests:
Satellite imagery has long been recognized as well suited for the regional and ecological questions of many archaeological surveys. One under explored aspect of such data is their temporal resolution. It is now possible for areas to be... more
Satellite imagery has long been recognized as well suited for the regional and ecological questions of many archaeological surveys. One under explored aspect of such data is their temporal resolution. It is now possible for areas to be imaged on an almost daily basis, and this resolution offers new opportunities for studying landscapes through remote sensing in parallel with ground-based survey. This article explores the applications of these data for visibility assessment and land-cover change detection in the context of the Sinis Archaeological Project, a regional archaeological survey of west-central Sardinia. We employ imagery provided by Planet, which has a spatial resolution of 3 m, in four spectral bands, and is collected daily. Using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values calculated for each survey unit, we find that there is a relationship between NDVI values and field-reported visibility in general, though the strength of this correlation differs according to land-cover classes. We also find the data to be effective at tracking short-term changes in field conditions that allow us to differentiate fields of similar land cover and visibility. We consider limitations and potentials of these data and encourage further experimentation and development.
Las imágenes de satélite han sido reconocidas como herramientas adecuadas de las prospecciones arqueológicas para ayudar a contestar preguntas regionales y ecológicas. Un aspecto poco explorado de este tipo de datos es su resolución temporal. Hoy en día es posible recopilar imágenes de diferentes áreas diariamente y esta resolución ofrece nuevas oportunidades para estudiar el paisaje a través de sensores remotos junto con prospecciones pedestres. Este artículo explora las aplicaciones de estos datos para evaluar su visibilidad y la detección del cambio de la cubierta terrestre en el contexto del Sinis Archaeological Project, una prospección arqueológica regional del centro-oeste de Cerdeña. Se utilizaron imágenes proporcionadas por Planet, con una resolución espacial de 3 m, en cuatro bandas espectrales y recolectadas diariamente. Utilizando valores del Índice de Vegetación de Diferencia Normalizada (NDVI, por sus siglas en inglés) calculados para cada unidad de prospección, se encontró que hay una relación entre los valores de NDVI y la visibilidad del campo reportada en general. Sin embargo, la fuerza de esta correlación difiere de acuerdo con las clases de cobertura de suelo. Asimismo, se encontró que los datos fueron efectivos para rastrear los cambios a corto plazo en las condiciones del suelo que permitieron diferenciar campos con cubierta de suelo y visibilidad similar. Se consideran las limitaciones y potenciales de estos datos y se promueve futuros desarrollos y experimentaciones.
Las imágenes de satélite han sido reconocidas como herramientas adecuadas de las prospecciones arqueológicas para ayudar a contestar preguntas regionales y ecológicas. Un aspecto poco explorado de este tipo de datos es su resolución temporal. Hoy en día es posible recopilar imágenes de diferentes áreas diariamente y esta resolución ofrece nuevas oportunidades para estudiar el paisaje a través de sensores remotos junto con prospecciones pedestres. Este artículo explora las aplicaciones de estos datos para evaluar su visibilidad y la detección del cambio de la cubierta terrestre en el contexto del Sinis Archaeological Project, una prospección arqueológica regional del centro-oeste de Cerdeña. Se utilizaron imágenes proporcionadas por Planet, con una resolución espacial de 3 m, en cuatro bandas espectrales y recolectadas diariamente. Utilizando valores del Índice de Vegetación de Diferencia Normalizada (NDVI, por sus siglas en inglés) calculados para cada unidad de prospección, se encontró que hay una relación entre los valores de NDVI y la visibilidad del campo reportada en general. Sin embargo, la fuerza de esta correlación difiere de acuerdo con las clases de cobertura de suelo. Asimismo, se encontró que los datos fueron efectivos para rastrear los cambios a corto plazo en las condiciones del suelo que permitieron diferenciar campos con cubierta de suelo y visibilidad similar. Se consideran las limitaciones y potenciales de estos datos y se promueve futuros desarrollos y experimentaciones.
Research Interests:
Undergraduate Senior Honors Thesis for Brandeis University's Department of Classical Studies, 2009.
Research Interests:
Society for American Archaeology 2019 The Cumming Nature Center of Naples, New York contains a significant portion of the remains of a 19 th century logging settlement, once known as Frost Town. The site, home to many Euro-American... more
Society for American Archaeology 2019 The Cumming Nature Center of Naples, New York contains a significant portion of the remains of a 19 th century logging settlement, once known as Frost Town. The site, home to many Euro-American settlers throughout the 19 th century, saw the rapid rise of a logging-based economy associated with the growing industrialization of Western New York, following the construction of the Erie Canal. Frost Town subsequently saw the decline of this industry as environmental circumstances changed and the old-growth forests disappeared due to over-logging. This led to some failed attempts at farming, followed by the eventual abandonment of the site in the early 20 th century. The Cumming Nature Center is part of the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC). In recent years, the center has increased its efforts to engage with the museum’s public via Family Archaeology Weekends and collaborations with the College at Brockport. This poster will showcase the work being done at Frost Town by undergraduate archaeology majors, local archaeology enthusiasts and area children during our outreach events. This poster and project will add to the continuing conversations on how best to responsibly integrate students and the public into archaeological excavations at Frost Town and beyond.
Research Interests:
The nuraghe of S’Urachi is a Bronze Age stone monument that has served a central place in the landscape of west-Central Sardinia for millennia. Since 2013, the archaeological site has been the subject of an ongoing investigation into the... more
The nuraghe of S’Urachi is a Bronze Age stone monument that has served a central place in the landscape of west-Central Sardinia for millennia. Since 2013, the archaeological site has been the subject of an ongoing investigation into the daily lives of local inhabitants living around the nuraghe from the Bronze Age through the Roman period. The project—a joint effort of an international team funded by Brown Universtiy and the Comune di San Vero Milis—has investigated the immediate surroundings of S’Urachi through micro-topographical, soil, and geophysical survey as well as targeted excavation. In complement to this research, we carried out intensive pedestrian survey in 2015 to investigate the long-term trends in occupation and use of the site. The unplowed landscape with heavy vegetation required an innovative, more intrusive survey approach than is traditionally used in Mediterranean survey. The results shed light on trends of occupation in the late Iron Age and Roman periods and patterns of garbage deposition from the Early Modern period onwards. This poster presents our preliminary results, highlighting the methodology developed for coping with the environmental challenges at S’Urachi and the future plans for prospection in and around the site.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
[Society for American Archaeology 2020] The Sinis Archaeological Project (SAP) investigates the landscapes of the Sinis Peninsula and portions of the Campidano di Milis in West-Central Sardinia, focusing on understanding the areas... more
[Society for American Archaeology 2020] The Sinis Archaeological Project (SAP) investigates the landscapes of the Sinis Peninsula and portions of the Campidano di Milis in West-Central Sardinia, focusing on understanding the areas surrounding such famous archaeological sites as Nuraghe S’Urachi, Tharros, and Monte Prama. The region is known for its rich archaeological landscape, but excavation has been more common than landscape survey. Striving to fill this gap, SAP is dedicated to understanding and documenting occupation and use of these dynamic landscapes from antiquity to the modern era.
Since 2018, SAP used multi-scalar survey to investigate the area immediately surrounding the Bronze Age site of S’Urachi (Zone A), a low-lying plain used for agriculture, the first of four planned zones of intensive survey in the wider region. These methods included pedestrian fieldwalking and features recording, complemented by the use of satellite-based Normalized Differential Vegetation Indices (NDVI), drone-based landscape imagery, and photogrammetry. Our survey as provided a wealth of high-resolution data that clarify the diachronic occupation of the landscape around S’Urachi and its use for agrarian purposes. This poster presents the preliminary results of survey in Zone A and plans for expanding SAP in 2020 to Zone B, located in the northwestern coast of the Sinis Peninsula.
Since 2018, SAP used multi-scalar survey to investigate the area immediately surrounding the Bronze Age site of S’Urachi (Zone A), a low-lying plain used for agriculture, the first of four planned zones of intensive survey in the wider region. These methods included pedestrian fieldwalking and features recording, complemented by the use of satellite-based Normalized Differential Vegetation Indices (NDVI), drone-based landscape imagery, and photogrammetry. Our survey as provided a wealth of high-resolution data that clarify the diachronic occupation of the landscape around S’Urachi and its use for agrarian purposes. This poster presents the preliminary results of survey in Zone A and plans for expanding SAP in 2020 to Zone B, located in the northwestern coast of the Sinis Peninsula.
Research Interests:
Society for American Archaeology 2019 The Cumming Nature Center of Naples, New York contains a significant portion of the remains of a 19 th century logging settlement, once known as Frost Town. The site, home to many Euro-American... more
Society for American Archaeology 2019
The Cumming Nature Center of Naples, New York contains a significant portion of the remains of a 19 th century logging settlement, once known as Frost Town. The site, home to many Euro-American settlers throughout the 19 th century, saw the rapid rise of a logging-based economy associated with the growing industrialization of Western New York, following the construction of the Erie Canal. Frost Town subsequently saw the decline of this industry as environmental circumstances changed and the old-growth forests disappeared due to over-logging. This led to some failed attempts at farming, followed by the eventual abandonment of the site in the early 20 th century.
The Cumming Nature Center is part of the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC). In recent years, the center has increased its efforts to engage with the museum’s public via Family Archaeology Weekends and collaborations with the College at Brockport. This poster will showcase the work being done at Frost Town by undergraduate archaeology majors, local archaeology enthusiasts and area children during our outreach events. This poster and project will add to the continuing conversations on how best to responsibly integrate students and the public into archaeological excavations at Frost Town and beyond.
The Cumming Nature Center of Naples, New York contains a significant portion of the remains of a 19 th century logging settlement, once known as Frost Town. The site, home to many Euro-American settlers throughout the 19 th century, saw the rapid rise of a logging-based economy associated with the growing industrialization of Western New York, following the construction of the Erie Canal. Frost Town subsequently saw the decline of this industry as environmental circumstances changed and the old-growth forests disappeared due to over-logging. This led to some failed attempts at farming, followed by the eventual abandonment of the site in the early 20 th century.
The Cumming Nature Center is part of the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC). In recent years, the center has increased its efforts to engage with the museum’s public via Family Archaeology Weekends and collaborations with the College at Brockport. This poster will showcase the work being done at Frost Town by undergraduate archaeology majors, local archaeology enthusiasts and area children during our outreach events. This poster and project will add to the continuing conversations on how best to responsibly integrate students and the public into archaeological excavations at Frost Town and beyond.
[Society for American Archaeology 2019] The Sinis Archaeological Project is a new regional survey in west-central Sardinia that explores the landscapes of the Sinis Peninsula and adjacent territories from multi-scalar, diachronic... more
[Society for American Archaeology 2019] The Sinis Archaeological Project is a new regional survey in west-central Sardinia that explores the landscapes of the Sinis Peninsula and adjacent territories from multi-scalar, diachronic perspectives. The region is a diverse landscape of agricultural plains, coastal areas, and mountainous territory. In antiquity, it was inhabited by both local Nuragic people and foreign colonizers (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans) who exploited its rich resources, ranging from salt and other marine resources, to metals, to agricultural products. Our aim is to understand the diverse social and environmental factors impacting resource extraction, settlement patterns, and colonial interactions in this varied and dynamic landscape in the 1st millennium BCE through late antiquity, as well as the impacts of modern landscape use on the archaeological record. We focused our first season of work in June 2018 on the territory surrounding the site of S’Urachi, a major indigenous inland site of the 1st millennium BCE located in an agricultural plain. We incorporated traditional Mediterranean pedestrian survey alongside multi-scalar remote sensing techniques, including multispectral satellite and drone reconnaissance. This poster details the results of our first season and discusses the benefits of our multi-scalar methodology for understanding this and other varied ecological landscapes.
Research Interests:
The Sinis Archaeological Project is a new regional survey in west-central Sardinia that explores the landscapes of the Sinis Peninsula and adjacent territories from multi-scalar, diachronic perspectives. This island was home to the Bronze... more
The Sinis Archaeological Project is a new regional survey in west-central Sardinia that explores the landscapes of the Sinis Peninsula and adjacent territories from multi-scalar, diachronic perspectives. This island was home to the Bronze Age Nuragic people who constructed monumental stone towers across the landscape, and later to foreign colonizers (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans) who came to exploit rich resources there. Our survey explores the diverse social and environmental factors impacting resource extraction, settlement patterns, and colonial interactions in this varied and dynamic landscape in the 1st millennium BCE through the present. We are investigating four distinctive environmental zones: the large inland agricultural plains, the coastal region with its seasonal lakes and salt flats, the metal-rich Monte Ferru mountains, and the hill crests that separate the coast and inland plains.
In summer 2018, we held our inaugural season, focusing on the agricultural zone (Zone A). In this poster, we discuss our integration of traditional Mediterranean pedestrian survey suitable for agricultural landscapes with multi-scalar remote sensing. Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), we documented structures that were otherwise difficult to access or measure due to terrain and vegetation. This allowed us not only to document the location of these features within the landscape but also record multi-component sites whose interrelated, but dispersed features are critical to understanding their function and spatial connections. Additionally, the utilization of both true color and infrared sensors allowed us to explore spectral properties of the vegetation that may be indicative of buried subsurface features, which were then compared to the results of pedestrian survey. Integrating daily UAV operations was helpful for understanding microtopography and spatial distribution of features both within the intensive survey units and in the broader extensive survey zone.
In order to achieve a broader perspective on the landscape of Zone A, we employed high spatial and temporal resolution satellite remote sensing. This allowed us to evaluate differences in visibility resulting from variance in the agricultural cycle, prioritizing areas where intensive pedestrian survey would be most effective. Following the season, we compared vegetation indices derived from satellite imagery to self-reported visibility and finds counts of the walkers. Through this analysis, we evaluate the effectiveness of our survey strategies and reported results.
Ultimately the integration of these various methods provides a more comprehensive view of diverse landscapes and their histories in Sardinia. Further, this strategy can improve and enhance survey work in the Mediterranean more broadly.
In summer 2018, we held our inaugural season, focusing on the agricultural zone (Zone A). In this poster, we discuss our integration of traditional Mediterranean pedestrian survey suitable for agricultural landscapes with multi-scalar remote sensing. Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), we documented structures that were otherwise difficult to access or measure due to terrain and vegetation. This allowed us not only to document the location of these features within the landscape but also record multi-component sites whose interrelated, but dispersed features are critical to understanding their function and spatial connections. Additionally, the utilization of both true color and infrared sensors allowed us to explore spectral properties of the vegetation that may be indicative of buried subsurface features, which were then compared to the results of pedestrian survey. Integrating daily UAV operations was helpful for understanding microtopography and spatial distribution of features both within the intensive survey units and in the broader extensive survey zone.
In order to achieve a broader perspective on the landscape of Zone A, we employed high spatial and temporal resolution satellite remote sensing. This allowed us to evaluate differences in visibility resulting from variance in the agricultural cycle, prioritizing areas where intensive pedestrian survey would be most effective. Following the season, we compared vegetation indices derived from satellite imagery to self-reported visibility and finds counts of the walkers. Through this analysis, we evaluate the effectiveness of our survey strategies and reported results.
Ultimately the integration of these various methods provides a more comprehensive view of diverse landscapes and their histories in Sardinia. Further, this strategy can improve and enhance survey work in the Mediterranean more broadly.
Research Interests:
This poster introduces the Sinis Archaeological Project, a new multi-scalar regional survey that explores the impacts of colonial interactions on resource exploitation, landscape use, and settlement patterns in ancient west-central... more
This poster introduces the Sinis Archaeological Project, a new multi-scalar regional survey that explores the impacts of colonial interactions on resource exploitation, landscape use, and settlement patterns in ancient west-central Sardinia. In antiquity, this island was home to the Nuragic people who constructed monumental stone towers across the landscape, and later to foreign colonizers and traders (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans) who came to exploit the island's rich resources during the 1st millennium BCE. Most investigations of colonial presence on the island have focused on urban centers, and especially port cities. Our project, by contrast, investigates the colonial impact on land use and the extraction of resources in the rural landscapes using the Sinis Peninsula as a case study. Over the next five years, we will survey four distinctive environmental zones: the agricultural plains surrounding the largest prehistoric site called S'Urachi, the coastal region with its seasonal lakes and salt flats, the metal-rich Monte Ferru mountains, and the hill crests that separate the coast and inland plains. In doing so, we hope to shed light on the complex and varied roles that resource exploitation played in the negotiation of colonial settlement and trade, as well as the long-term impacts that ancient exploitation had on the Sardinian landscape.
Research Interests: Environmental History, Sardinia (Archaeology), Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Coastal and Island Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, and 11 morePhoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeological survey, archaeology of Sardinia in phoenician age, Sardinian Nuragic, Natural Resource Extraction, Sardegna, Arqueología romana / Roman archeology, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica E Nuragica in Sardegna, Sardinian Archaeology, Roman Archaeology, and Islands Archaeology
The nuraghe S’Urachi is a monumental stone construction in the landscape of west-central Sardinia. It served as a central inland place for local Nuragic people as well as Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans over the course of the 1st... more
The nuraghe S’Urachi is a monumental stone construction in the landscape of west-central Sardinia. It served as a central inland place for local Nuragic people as well as Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans over the course of the 1st millennium BCE. Since 2013, the Progetto S’Urachi has sought to better understand the daily lives of local inhabitants at this site in antiquity, and the cultural and economic links between them and the wider Mediterranean world. This poster details the results of our intensive site-based survey that we have conducted as part of this wider research in an effort to better understand settlement patterns and land use in the wider landscape around the nuraghe.
Our investigation consisted of microtopographical, geophysical, and an intensive pedestrian survey. During the past two years, we excavated a series of four test trenches to ground truth the results of these various survey methods. The combined results of these interventions have pinpointed the area north of the nuraghe as the location of the earliest settlement at S’Urachi, dating at least to the Late Bronze Age. We also uncovered evidence of later occupation of the site and new domestic architectural construction in the Punic and Roman periods. In this poster, we present the new evidence of settlement at S’Urachi and outline some of the later processes—from garbage deposition to flooding—that have impacted the wider landscape. We also detail our methodology, highlighting the utility of integrating both survey and excavation at the site level.
Finally, this poster will introduce our plans for a large-scale regional survey in west-central Sardinia, encompassing both coastal and inland areas around the Sinis Peninsula. The survey will investigate four primary nodes in the landscape: the agricultural plains in which S’Urachi is located; the coastal region with its seasonal lakes and salt flats; the metal-rich Monte Ferru mountains; and the hill crests that separate the coast and inland plains. These various locations were all inhabited and exploited during the 1st millennium BCE through the Late Roman period and beyond. Our intensive survey of these diverse landscapes will begin in summer 2018 with the goal of illuminating the social and environmental factors that influenced colonial and local settlement patterns in west-central Sardinia in antiquity. The regional investigation will also situate our small-scale S’Urachi site survey in its wider geographic context, demonstrating the benefits of combining survey and excavation at different scales of analysis.
Our investigation consisted of microtopographical, geophysical, and an intensive pedestrian survey. During the past two years, we excavated a series of four test trenches to ground truth the results of these various survey methods. The combined results of these interventions have pinpointed the area north of the nuraghe as the location of the earliest settlement at S’Urachi, dating at least to the Late Bronze Age. We also uncovered evidence of later occupation of the site and new domestic architectural construction in the Punic and Roman periods. In this poster, we present the new evidence of settlement at S’Urachi and outline some of the later processes—from garbage deposition to flooding—that have impacted the wider landscape. We also detail our methodology, highlighting the utility of integrating both survey and excavation at the site level.
Finally, this poster will introduce our plans for a large-scale regional survey in west-central Sardinia, encompassing both coastal and inland areas around the Sinis Peninsula. The survey will investigate four primary nodes in the landscape: the agricultural plains in which S’Urachi is located; the coastal region with its seasonal lakes and salt flats; the metal-rich Monte Ferru mountains; and the hill crests that separate the coast and inland plains. These various locations were all inhabited and exploited during the 1st millennium BCE through the Late Roman period and beyond. Our intensive survey of these diverse landscapes will begin in summer 2018 with the goal of illuminating the social and environmental factors that influenced colonial and local settlement patterns in west-central Sardinia in antiquity. The regional investigation will also situate our small-scale S’Urachi site survey in its wider geographic context, demonstrating the benefits of combining survey and excavation at different scales of analysis.
Research Interests:
Digital media provide archaeologists with the ability to document, archive, and evaluate data seemingly ad infinitum. Simultaneously, the inherent capacity to share and connect via new platforms of digital engagement has dramatically... more
Digital media provide archaeologists with the ability to document, archive, and evaluate data seemingly ad infinitum. Simultaneously, the inherent capacity to share and connect via new platforms of digital engagement has dramatically changed the way we as a discipline access archaeological data around the world. Yet these innovations are just part of the picture. While we recognize the increasing connectivity of the archaeological community, archaeologists also at least subconsciously understand the implications for public engagement for a world once relegated to the ivory tower. We are emerging as a public discipline with new arenas for rapid engagement. And while we may understand that our public face is reflected in popular media, we are perhaps only beginning to understand how public perception of and access to archaeology are changing the core of our discipline simultaneously. This session will gather scholars engaging with emerging forms of digital media, such as video games, online video platforms (YouTube), social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and web-based journalism (Buzzfeed, Reddit). The papers in this session will examine the role of these emerging media in conversations regarding public archaeology, educational outreach, heritage management, indigenous communities, local engagement, and archaeology's integration with museum resources. Archaeologists are not simply riding the crest of digital innovation. These emerging forms of connectivity and engagement with the past can no longer be understood as peripheral pop-culture distractions, but fundamentally important for the construction and future of the discipline. In today's world, archaeology can be a potent societal force, fulfilling the inherent academic goals of widespread dissemination and public understanding. On the other hand, it can also be a source of confusion and mystery for the layman, leaving many to remain suspicious as to its true purpose or even its necessity in the contemporary world. This session will explore the role of emerging media in making archaeology relevant to contemporary and future generations of those within and outside academia. Format: This session will be a collection of 6 speakers, giving 15 minute presentations, followed by a concluding panel discussion.
Research Interests:
The nuraghe of S’Urachi is a Bronze Age stone monument that has served a central place in the landscape of west-Central Sardinia for millennia. Since 2013, the archaeological site has been the subject of an ongoing investigation into the... more
The nuraghe of S’Urachi is a Bronze Age stone monument that has served a central place in the landscape of west-Central Sardinia for millennia. Since 2013, the archaeological site has been the subject of an ongoing investigation into the daily lives of local inhabitants living around the nuraghe from the Bronze Age through the Roman period. The project—a joint effort of an international team funded by Brown Universtiy and the Comune di San Vero Milis—has investigated the immediate surroundings of S’Urachi through micro-topographical, soil, and geophysical survey as well as targeted excavation. In complement to this research, we carried out intensive pedestrian survey in 2015 to investigate the long-term trends in occupation and use of the site. The unplowed landscape with heavy vegetation required an innovative, more intrusive survey approach than is traditionally used in Mediterranean survey. The results shed light on trends of occupation in the late Iron Age and Roman periods and patterns of garbage deposition from the Early Modern period onwards. This poster presents our preliminary results, highlighting the methodology developed for coping with the environmental challenges at S’Urachi and the future plans for prospection in and around the site.
Research Interests:
The Iberian Peninsula is rich in archaeological remains of global importance from Neanderthal tools to Phoenician ports and from Roman arches to mass graves from the Spanish Civil War. In spite of this, the archaeology of Iberia is little... more
The Iberian Peninsula is rich in archaeological remains of global importance from Neanderthal tools to Phoenician ports and from Roman arches to mass graves from the Spanish Civil War. In spite of this, the archaeology of Iberia is little studied outside of the peninsula itself. Political and linguistic factors have resulted in relatively isolated academic and archaeological communities in Spain and Portugal in stark contrast to other Mediterranean nations, such as Italy and Greece, with long histories of international collaboration. In recent decades, however, the involvement of international scholars in cooperative projects in Iberia has increased notably; indeed, Brown University has been a part of that development, with its recently concluded fieldwork project at the Iron Age and Roman site of Tongobriga in northwest Portugal. Nonetheless, there remain some stubborn divisions amongst Iberian archaeologists that hinder progress — for example, about the most appropriate types of archaeological method and theory, or between differing traditions in prehistoric and Classical archaeology. The time is ripe for conversation and debate about such issues. From February 27th-March 1st (2014), Linda Gosner and Alexander Smith (Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World) will host a three-day conference and seminar series called “Archaeology of Iberia: State of the Field.” The event will provide a forum for international scholars across disciplines, temporal foci, and theoretical schools to discuss ongoing obstacles and future directions in the archaeology of this region.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Spanish archaeology, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Iberian Prehistory (Archaeology), and 6 moreArchaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, Portuguese Archaeology, Baleares /Balearic Islands, Archaeology of Roman Hispania, Mediterranean archaeology, and Roman Spain
Isla del Rey is a small islet located in the harbor of Mahón on Menorca. The island is well known for a historical naval hospital as well as a Paleochristian basilica, roughly dating to the late sixth to early seventh centuries C.E. The... more
Isla del Rey is a small islet located in the harbor of Mahón on Menorca. The island is well known for a historical naval hospital as well as a Paleochristian basilica, roughly dating to the late sixth to early seventh centuries C.E. The hospital is now home to a museum, primarily highlighting the British occupation and Spanish possession of the island, which was used as a hospital until the 1960s. Although much of the island is covered with military buildings or is a cordoned off archaeological zone surrounding the basilica, approximately one third of the islet does not have any standing structures, nor does it have any particular historical or archaeological evidence attributed to it.
In 2013, the Boston University Field School in Archaeology and Heritage Management began investigating this northern third of the island. The resulting survey was a collaborative effort that brought together students from Boston University and Brown University who worked along with the staff of the Amics de la l’Illa del l’Hospital. With a mix of prehistoric, Roman, and historical archaeological experience, our team began to produce a diachronic picture of the previously unexplored portion of the island through systematic analysis. This poster will showcase the survey project’s methodology, analytical techniques and some results from the 2013 season, and will look ahead toward Boston University’s 2014 operations.
In 2013, the Boston University Field School in Archaeology and Heritage Management began investigating this northern third of the island. The resulting survey was a collaborative effort that brought together students from Boston University and Brown University who worked along with the staff of the Amics de la l’Illa del l’Hospital. With a mix of prehistoric, Roman, and historical archaeological experience, our team began to produce a diachronic picture of the previously unexplored portion of the island through systematic analysis. This poster will showcase the survey project’s methodology, analytical techniques and some results from the 2013 season, and will look ahead toward Boston University’s 2014 operations.
Research Interests:
The Iberian Peninsula is rich in archaeological remains of global importance from Neanderthal tools to Phoenician ports and from Roman arches to mass graves from the Spanish Civil War. In spite of this, the archaeology of Iberia is little... more
The Iberian Peninsula is rich in archaeological remains of global importance from Neanderthal tools to Phoenician ports and from Roman arches to mass graves from the Spanish Civil War. In spite of this, the archaeology of Iberia is little studied outside of the peninsula itself. Political and linguistic factors have resulted in relatively isolated academic and archaeological communities in Spain and Portugal in stark contrast to other Mediterranean nations, such as Italy and Greece, with long histories of international collaboration. In recent decades, however, the involvement of international scholars in cooperative projects in Iberia has increased notably; indeed, Brown University has been a part of that development, with its recently concluded fieldwork project at the Iron Age and Roman site of Tongobriga in northwest Portugal. Nonetheless, there remain some stubborn divisions amongst Iberian archaeologists that hinder progress — for example, about the most appropriate types of archaeological method and theory, or between differing traditions in prehistoric and Classical archaeology. The time is ripe for conversation and debate about such issues. In March 2014, Linda Gosner and Alexander Smith (Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World) will host a three-day conference and seminar series called “Archaeology of Iberia: State of the Field.” The event will provide a forum for international scholars across disciplines, temporal foci, and theoretical schools to discuss ongoing obstacles and future directions in the archaeology of this region.
Research Interests:
Cumberlandite is an iron ore located primarily in Cumberland, Rhode Island. During the Colonial era, the ore became a significant source of raw iron in New England. Rich in titanium, cumberlandite presents a unique opportunity to source... more
Cumberlandite is an iron ore located primarily in Cumberland, Rhode Island. During the Colonial era, the ore became a significant source of raw iron in New England. Rich in titanium, cumberlandite presents a unique opportunity to source excavated ore samples, byproducts, and artifacts. Using both XRF and SEM-EDS analyses, we have established a basic fingerprint of cumberlandite to analyze a set of samples from two early iron manufacturing sites in Rhode Island. Due to the singular concentration of the ore in Cumberland, these analyses may highlight patterns of iron distribution within Rhode Island, and with future application, throughout New England.
Research Interests:
"“The mode of being of the new intellectual can no longer exist in eloquence, which is an exterior and momentary mover of feelings and passions, but in active participation in practical life, as constructor, organizer, ‘permanent... more
"“The mode of being of the new intellectual can no longer exist in eloquence, which is an exterior and momentary mover of feelings and passions, but in active participation in practical life, as constructor, organizer, ‘permanent persuader’ and not just a simple orator.” -Antonio Gramsci (1971)
Archaeology is engrained in the socio-political fabric of modern nation-states. Its consequences are frequently subtle, however, when archaeology becomes the focus of contested claims of nationality, social identity, or possession, it takes on a significance beyond the bounds of academia. Under such circumstances, academics are often tempted to retreat to the sidelines and claim an apolitical objectivity in presenting their research. This TAG session will examine the intersection of archaeology and politics within divergent political ‘truth-claims.’ It will also seek to address the responsibility of the archaeologist to recognize the wider political implications of their work and the ethical demands created by such engagement."
Archaeology is engrained in the socio-political fabric of modern nation-states. Its consequences are frequently subtle, however, when archaeology becomes the focus of contested claims of nationality, social identity, or possession, it takes on a significance beyond the bounds of academia. Under such circumstances, academics are often tempted to retreat to the sidelines and claim an apolitical objectivity in presenting their research. This TAG session will examine the intersection of archaeology and politics within divergent political ‘truth-claims.’ It will also seek to address the responsibility of the archaeologist to recognize the wider political implications of their work and the ethical demands created by such engagement."
Research Interests: Phoenicians, Mediterranean Studies, Phoenician, Northwest Semitic Epigraphy, Mediterranean archaeology, and 6 morePhoenician Punic Archaeology, Phoenician & Punic Epigraphy, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Phoenician-Punic language and Epigraphy, and Phoenician Punic Religion
The nuraghe S’Urachi and adjoining site of Su Padrigheddu are a monumental stone tower complex and settlement located in west-central Sardinia. The site has been subject to periodic excavations beginning in the 1940s and has been... more
The nuraghe S’Urachi and adjoining site of Su Padrigheddu are a monumental stone tower complex and settlement located in west-central Sardinia. The site has been subject to periodic excavations beginning in the 1940s and has been excavated since 2013 by the Progetto S’Urachi. These latest excavations have revealed new evidence for habitation at the site from the Bronze Age through the late Roman period, confirming that S’Urachi was an important regional center in antiquity. In conjunction with this work, a multi-phase site survey was carried out to explore wider settlement patterns and land use away from the immediate vicinity of the nuraghe. This included geophysical and microtopographical surveys (2014), an intensive survey using point-sampling (2015), and targeted excavation (2016-2017). This article details the final phase of the site-based survey: the excavation of a series of five trenches, the locations of which were selected on the basis of our survey results. We present the excavation results and their implications for understanding long-term settlement patterns and formation processes at S’Urachi and Su Padrigheddu. We also discuss the relationship between surface and subsurface finds and the methodological implications of these results for survey archaeology at the site and regional scales.
Research Interests:
The nuraghe S’Urachi is a monumental stone tower complex that has served as regional center in the landscape of west-central Sardinia from the Bronze Age to the present day. The site was subject to investigations in the 1940s and 1980s,... more
The nuraghe S’Urachi is a monumental stone tower complex that has served as regional center in the landscape of west-central Sardinia from the Bronze Age to the present day. The site was subject to investigations in the 1940s and 1980s, producing evidence of the construction of the towers as well as for later domestic occupation outside the tower walls in the Punic periods. In-vestigations of the site were re-initiated in 2013, when the Progetto S’Urachi (Brown University, Comune di San Vero Milis) began a collaborative research project aimed at understanding co-lonial encounters and daily life at the nuraghe in the Iron Age and Roman period. In conjunction with the Progetto S’Urachi, a multi-phase site survey was carried out consisting of a geophysical survey (2014), microtopographical survey (2014), intensive survey (2015), and a series of test trenches to confirm survey findings (2016-2017). The goal of the survey was to better understand settlement patterns and land use in the wider landscape surrounding the nuraghe. This article details the results of the first two seasons of site survey, which show that settlement extended far beyond the limits of the modern archaeological site boundaries and that the site was heavily occupied in the Punic and early Roman periods.
Research Interests:
Book Review of "Insularity and Identity in the Roman Mediterranean" Edited by Anna Kouremenos, Oxbow: 2018.
https://www.ajaonline.org/book-review/3847
https://www.ajaonline.org/book-review/3847