The settlement of Monte Croce Guardia is one of the most important Italian LBA (Late Bronze Age: 12th /10th centuries BC) sites. It occupies a large naturally defended hilltop plateau, which overlooks the surrounding territory from the Adriatic coast to the Apennine ridge. In 2015 the Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Antiquity started new systematic excavations at the site which are ongoing. The results have been extensively published in the scientific journals "Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche" 2017 and Origini 2018/2 forthcoming (rated A by the National Scientific Agency).
The explorations have provided remarkable data: 1) several large rectangular huts and significant traces of metallurgic activity have been identified; 2) the complexity and total extension of the settlement (ca. 25 ha.) have been ascertained; 3) three distinct chronological phases of the settlement have been defined; 4) the foundation of Monte Croce Guardia hillfort is related to a wider transformation of the settlement pattern in LBA Italy. Concurrently with the establishment of this new center, predating settlements located in the lower areas near the mountain were abandoned; 5) Geophysical investigation, conducted in collaboration with the Ghent University (Belgium), have highlighted the occurrence at the site of a number of hidden large huts and other functional structures. Thus, the excavation at Monte Croce Guardia has become strategic to understand the organization of the villages and societies during the crucial phase of the LBA.
The Monte Croce Guardia settlement represents a pivotal context for the investigation of some crucial aspects related to the LBA in Italy. The results of the ongoing field research will significantly contribute to the advancement of the knowledge on the following themes:
A) The site is illustrative of the processes of transformation of the settlement and political patterns that took place during the 12th century BC.
In the period preceding the foundation of this settlement hamlets and villages of the region encompassing Emilia-Romagna and Marche were mostly located in both plain and foothill areas, following a pattern that was principally oriented towards advantageously exploiting agricultural resources. Around 1150 BC this well-established settlement pattern came to an end. The vast area stretching from the Po plain to the Marches foothills depopulated, while the settlement of the Apennine areas of these regions sharply increased. This was a momentous change, possibly correlated with a general situation of instability in the Aegean and central Mediterranean, that impacted on other Italian regions too.
As far as the territory of Monte Croce Guardia is concerned, concurrently with the foundation of the fortified settlement, at least five Recent Bronze Age settlements located in the area surrounding the site were abandoned. From then onwards the site was included in a territorial system centred on the Esino and Sentino valleys that also comprised the largest Proto-Villanovan cremation cemetery known so far, that is Pianello di Genga.
Thus, the research at Monte Croce Guardia offers many possibilities for understanding the dynamics that led to the collapse of the old socio-economic system and the rise of new political and territorial structures that at the threshold of the 1st millennium BC would develop into the establishment of the first proto-urban centres and formation of large political and ethnical entities.
B) A significant and innovative aspect for the Italian archaeology is the possibility to extensively explore a wide portion of a large LBA settlement where structural features are well preserved. This opportunity is almost unique in the context of LBA central Italy and will provide critical evidence as regards the demography and socio-economic organisation of these communities.
C) A further factor that makes the excavations at Monte Croce Guardia of particular importance is the possibility to clearly define the chronology and cultural aspect of middle-Adriatic LBA and to compare and contrast this with central Tyrrhenian and southerm-Adriatic cultural aspects, which were differently connoted and developed into different historic trajectories. Particularly in the central Tyrrhenian regions the abandonment of LBA settlements would firstly lead to the establishment of large proto-urban centres and then to the rise of city-states.
D) The remarkable results obtained with the remote-sensing analyses make the site of Monte Croce Guardia one of the best candidates to deepen the potentials of integrated analytical methodologies. Through both stratigraphic excavations and geoarchaeological analyses aimed at understanding the nature of the archaeological deposits and their diverse response to geophysical testing we will acquire useful data to fully explore the capacity of geophysics for the reconstruction of hidden traces.
E) The presence of well-preserved structural features at the site and the fact that it is planned to become an archaeological park constitute added values for the research project and the excavations, which have been fostered and supported by the Arcevia Municipality and the Unione Montana Esino-Frasassi.
The research project is deeply committed to public archaeology and public engagement. It represents an excellent example of integration between research and valorisation, especially as regards the dissemination of the knowledge acquired through the research work. Such a task cannot be detached from the political engagement of Archaeology.
The Regione Marche has granted a funding to the Arcevia Municipality for the realisation of an Archaeological Park at the site, which will be jointly planned and developed with the Sapienza University of Rome under a specific agreement. The project includes the use of 3D reconstructions and augmented reality, footages and other means for the dissemination to the public, which will significantly widen the role of both the Department of Antiquities and the Sapienza University in the field of public engagement (the so-called "Third Mission" of the academic system).
The Monte Croce Guardia research project fully accomplishes the tasks of advancing the knowledge about Italian and European Protohistory and enhancing the dissemination of the scientific results through significant project devoted to the valorisation of the archaeological site