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CHRONOLOGY AND CULTURES OF THE ITALIAN MESOLITHIC AND NEOLITHIC

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Versione italiana
Academic year
2022/2023
Teacher
ANNALUISA PEDROTTI
Credits
6
Didactic period
Secondo Semestre
SSD
L-ANT/01

Training objectives

The course aims to provide students with the technical language, methodological knowledge, and base concepts of Mesolithic and Neolithic studies.
First part: acquisition of main knowledge about specific subjects of Mesolithic research Second part: acquisition of main knowledge about specific subjects of Neolithic research.

Prerequisites

A general knowledge on the theories and methods for archaeological research and the terminology used for the description of lithic artefacts and pottery is required. For those who do not have this preparation reading the handbook of Manuela Cocchi (2009), Preistoria, Qui Edit, chapter 1 p. 11- 53 will help to fill the gap.

Course programme

The course consists of two parts: 1) Synthesis of the main aspects of the Mesolithic and of the spread of agriculture from the Near East to the European continent, with a particular focus on the Italian peninsula; for both periods the following topics will be discussed: chronology, cultural aspects, technology, settlements, economy and symbolic behaviour; 2) close examination of Mesolithic and Neolithic aspects in agreements with students.

Didactic methods

The course is articulated into lectures and seminars. The topics covered in the sessions will be supported by individual and group presentations aimed at promoting the active participation of students. For example, students will have to organize a workshop dedicated to the oral presentation of their essays (max 15 minutes). The topic will be agreed with the teachers. Lectures can be integrated with exercises in the "B.Bagolini" laboratory and visits to archaeological exhibitions.

Learning assessment procedures

A written examination is foreseen including the following parts:
3 open questions of a general character (12 points)
6 True or False questions (6 points)
6 short open questions (max 4000 characters for the answer) concerning some specific topics that are part of the program (6 points)
Chronological and cultural definition of 8 archaeological items from a table of drawings/pictures(tot 4 points). The final note is calculated by summing up the evaluation obtained in the written text (max 28 points) to that of a short written paper (tesina) concerning a specific topic selected in accordance with the teacher and which must be delivered before the written exam (max 3 points). The commission may assign a bonus of max 2 points in order to increase the final note. The conditions required are the following: get a total of 12 points in the 3 open questions altogether and of 3 points in the short written paper (tesina).
All students must submit: a PowerPoint and a written report, on the topic agreed with the teachers, accompanied by a detailed bibliography on the same topic. The report must not exceed 10 pages (1 page ca. 2800 characters) excluding bibliography and images/tables. The written report must be sent to the teachers (annaluisa.pedrotti@unitn.it and federica.fontana@unife.it) at least one week before the presentation. The PowerPoint presentation will last 15 minutes. It is mandatory to always mention where the images used are extracted from (Ex: from Bernabò Brea L.1956 p. 70 fig.3); quoted sentences and concepts (which are not the direct result of the personal reflection / elaboration of the student) must be reported in quotation marks and the source from which they are extracted must indicated as follows (Ex: Bernabò Brea L.1956 p.60). The last slide of the PowerPoint should mention the texts used.

Reference texts

Modulo Mesolitico/Mesolithic (prof.ssa Federica Fontana) Tre articoli a scelta tra i seguenti/Your are asked to read three papers among the following: - Crombe´ P., Robinson E., 2014. European Mesolithic: Geography and Culture. In C. Smith (ed.) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, New York: pp. 2623-2645 (PDF). Marchand G., Perrin T., 2017. Why this revolution? Explaining the major technical shift in Southwestern Europe during the 7th millennium cal. BC. Quaternary International, 428, 73-85 (PDF). * Fontana, F., Govoni, L., Guerreschi, A., Padoanello, S., Siviero, A., Thun Hohenstein, U., Ziggiotti, S., 2009. L'occupazione sauveterriana di Mondeval de Sora 1, settore I (San Vito di Cadore, Belluno) in bilico tra accampamento residenziale e campo da caccia. Preistoria Alpina 44, 207-226. (PDF) - Fontana F., Visentin D. 2015. Between the Venetian Alps and the Emilian Apennines (Northern Italy): highland vs. lowland occupation in the early Mesolithic. Quaternary International -http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.12.014. (PDF) - Lo Vetro D., Martini F. 2016. Mesolithic in Central-Southern Italy: Overview of lithic productions. Quaternary International - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.12.043. (PDF) **Martini F., 2006. Sepolture e riti funerari del Mesolitico in Italia. In Martini F. (a cura di) La cultura del morire nelle società preistoriche. Studio interdisciplinare dei dati e loro trattamento informatico. Origines, Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria, pp. 67-86. (PDF)
- Fontana F., Cristiani E., BertolaS., Briois F., GuerreschiA., ZiggiottiS. (2020) A snapshot of Late Mesolithic life through death: An appraisal of the lithic and osseous grave goods from the Castelnovianburial of Mondevalde Sora (Dolomites, Italy). PLoSONE 15(8): e0237573. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237573 * FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS TO REPLACE with Fontana et al 2009: Fontana F. et al. 2011. The Early Mesolithic occupation of Mondeval de Sora (Belluno, Dolomites): a residential site or a hunting camp? In XIX Congresso dell’Associazione Antropologica Italiana. Torino, 21-24 settembre 2011, Journal of Biological Research, LXXXIV (2011), 1, pp. 80-84. (PDF) ** FOR FRENCH SPEAKING STUDENTS TO REPLACE with Martini 2006: Gazzoni V., F. Fontana, 2011. Quelle mort ? Quelle vie ? Pratiques funéraires et organisation sociale des chasseurs–cueilleurs de la péninsule italienne - What death? What life? Mortuary practices and social organisation of hunter-gatherers in the Italian peninsula. Bull. Mém. Soc. Anthropol. Paris, DOI 10.1007/s13219-010-0028-5 (PART ON THE MESOLITHIC) (PDF) PDF of the papers will be provided to the students
- Fontana F., Cristiani E., BertolaS., Briois F., GuerreschiA., ZiggiottiS. (2020) A snapshot of Late Mesolithic life through death: An appraisal of the lithic and osseous grave goods from the Castelnovianburial of Mondevalde Sora (Dolomites, Italy). PLoSONE 15(8): e0237573. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237573 * FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS TO REPLACE with Fontana et al 2009: Fontana F. et al. 2011. The Early Mesolithic occupation of Mondeval de Sora (Belluno, Dolomites): a residential site or a hunting camp? In XIX Congresso dell’Associazione Antropologica Italiana. Torino, 21-24 settembre 2011, Journal of Biological Research, LXXXIV (2011), 1, pp. 80-84. (PDF) ** FOR FRENCH SPEAKING STUDENTS TO REPLACE with Martini 2006: Gazzoni V., F. Fontana, 2011. Quelle mort ? Quelle vie ? Pratiques funéraires et organisation sociale des chasseurs–cueilleurs de la péninsule italienne - What death? What life? Mortuary practices and social organisation of hunter-gatherers in the Italian peninsula. Bull. Mém. Soc. Anthropol. Paris, DOI 10.1007/s13219-010-0028-5 (PART ON THE MESOLITHIC) (PDF) PDF of the papers will be provided to the students
The Neolithic (prof.ssa Annaluisa Pedrotti)
You are asked to read about Neolithic in Italy the following papers:
- Natali E., Forgia V. (2018), The beginning of the Neolithic in Southern Italy and Sicily, Quaternary International 470, B: 253-269
- Radi G., Petrinelli Pannocchia C. (2018), The beginning of the Neolithic era in Central Italy, Quaternary International 470, B: 270-284
- Luglié Carlo, (2018) ,Your path led trough the sea . The emergence of Neolithic in Sardinia
and Corsica, Quaternary International 470, B: 285-300
- Starnini E., Biagi P., Mazzucco N. (2018), The beginning of the Neolithic in the Po Plain (northern Italy): Problems and perspectives, Quaternary International 470, B: 301-317
- Mazzucco N., Capuzzo G. et alii, (2018), Harvesting tools and the spread of the Neolithic into the
Central-Western Mediterranean area, Quaternary International 470, B: 511-528