Sapienza investigations at Jericho, resumed in 2009 (ranked among the "Great Digs" since 1997), with systematic excavations in 16 areas over 20 years provided fresh data for the study of a paramount site of the Near East with one of the longest sequences, ranging from the Mesolithic/Natufian and Neolithic to the Ottoman Period (from 10,500 BC to 1918 AD).
The joint Italian-Palestinian Expedition constantly and continuously funded also by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considered a model of non-colonial archaeology, being based on a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Palestine which recognises the leading scientific role of Sapienza.
The extraordinary results achieved so far, with the discovery of the Palace and temple of the Early and Middle Bronze Ages, the finding of a hoard of Nilotic nacreous shells imported from Egypt in the Early Dynastic Period (Nigro 2017), as well as the new investigation of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement with the retrieval of a separated skull and connected aDNA analyses (Nigro 2018) launch a further challenge towards a re-appraisal of this extraordinary site and its historical-archaeological legacy.
The Expedition scientific goals are :
1. PRE-POTTERY NEOLITHIC ¿ renewed exploration of PPNA and PPNB layers and collecting organic samples for aDNA analyses (food plants, animals, humans).
2. EARLY BRONZE AGE ¿ CITY-WALLS: why and when Jericho was given a monumental fortification line? Which are the main architectural features of its city-walls?
3. PALACE G AND THE SOCIO_ECONOMY OF EBA JERICHO during the 3rd mill. BC
4. THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE CITY: ramparts, gate and temple
5. THE 'HYKSOS' PALACE¿: its structure, the élite tombs underneath
6. TOWER A1 structure and functions in the Lower City
7. STUDY OF THE JERICHO SOCIETY through a DEMOGRAPHIC MODEL matching data from the site and its rich necropolis
ANALYSES in specialized LABS will provide necessary data to deepen archaeological investigations
INNOVATION BEYOND THE STATE OF ART
Jericho preserves a huge amount of key information on the archaeology and history of the ancient Near East. INNOVATION of SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS AND APPROACHES in a number of research fields (archaeology, history, botany, geophysics, geomatics, chronology, etc.) may enlightening many aspects of ancient life:
1. INNOVATIONS IN EXCAVATIONS TECHNIQUES & ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA MANAGEMENT
1.1 Paleo-environmental reconstruction through pollen analyses and geomorphological reconstruction of the Oasis - L Sadori
1.2 Reconstruction of stratigraphy with an updated GPR, at different depths - a non-invasive tool for the identification of underground features - P Lombardo
1.3 Micromorphology of selected stratigraphic contexts for reconstructing ancient climate, macro-events (destructions, etc.) - D Montanari
1.4 DRONE AIDED SURVEYING (also infrared): with its high-resolution camera, infrared drone traces the aerial mapping of archaeological areas and ortho-photographs for architecture documentation - P Izzo
1.5 Geomatic surveying and 3D modeling of excavated areas and monuments - M Crespi
2. RECORDING & PROCESSING
2.1 Records of layers, pottery, small finds, samples etc. are INTEGRATED into an ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATABANK, a GIS platform filled up by team members - S Sabatini
2.2 3D Optical Scanner enables fast 3D replicas of finds with a high degree of accuracy (FabLab Saperi & Co) - L Fattore R Ravanelli
2.3 BIOSENSORS for identification of organic stuffs originally contained into pottery vases - R Ragno T Rinaldi
2.4 STABLE ISOTOPE CHARACTERIZATION of revetments on Specialized Pottery Wares in order to distinguish importations from local productions - C De Vito L Patrizi
2.5 SEM PETROGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION of pottery wares to infer provenances L Fabrizi S Mignardi
3. ABSOLUTE CHRONOLOGY
3.1 RADIOCARBON DATING: stratified samples check & radiocarbon dating; creation of a verified chronological grid: in coop. University of Salento CEDAD L Calcagnile G Quarta E Gallo
3.2 THERMOLUMINISCENCE & PHOTOSENSOR applied to ceramics to implement the chronological setting: F Spagnoli
3.3 CALIBRATION of dated sequences through Bayesian statistics matching different dating methods (Radiocarbon, TLC, PhDAM) - F Hoeflmayer
4. ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN STUDIES
4.1 ANCIENT HUMAN DNA: characterization of aDNA of Jericho's population through time: Neolithic, Early & Middle Bronze Age. Jericho samples are of the utmost importance because of their antiqueness and good state of preservation - P Zalloua - L Matisoo-Smith
4.2 ANCIENT LANDSCAPE & HUMAN IMPACT: PLANTS AND ANIMALS aDNA EXTRACTION to chase back DOMESTICATION and characterize the BIODIVERSITY OF THE JERICHO OASIS ¿ L Sadori, C Moricca, M Bou Dagher
4.3 ANCIENT DEASEAS tracing from human remains from the Jericho Necropolis ¿ one of the largest of the ancient Near East - through anthropological analyses - A Guari
4.4 DEMOGRAPHIC MODEL of Jericho and its Oasis from the Neolithic to the Iron Age, population, resources, land use and progressive growth giving back a figure to double-check archaeological reconstruction - L Benvenuti L Farina A Catastini
5. MATERIALS & TECHNIQUES FOR RESTORATION
5.1 Experimental techniques for RESTORATION OF MUD-BRICKS AND ADOBE ARCHITECTURE with ancient-like mortars in collaboration with ISCR of Rome - S Ferrari
5.2 METALLURGICAL ANALYSES for study and restoration of artifacts: collection of minute samples and thin and ultra-thin cross-sections for alloys composition and micro-structure metal analysis - S Mignardi
5.3 CHEMO-PHYSICAL ANALYSES on archaeological materials, pottery and metals (XRF, XRD, SEM) - F Mura CNIS
6. DISSEMINATION & OUTREACH
6.1 Open access to research outcomes and products in the Jericho Sapienza Expedition and PADIS (Palestine Archaeological Databank and Information System) Website
6.2 Scientific results available online in journals & free download from www.lasapienzamozia.it and academia.edu; site history and archaeology illustrated in a MOOC on Coursera.org F Micale
6.3 Reports publication in the journal Vicino Oriente and the series ROSAPAT (Rome Sapienza Expedition to Palestine & Transjordan)
7. VALORIZATION, TOURISM & SITE MANAGEMENT
7.1 Development of the JERICHO ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK MOBILE DEVICE: free web-available contents and archaeo-tour guide for the visit - R Ravanelli L Lastilla
7.2 VIDEO RECONSTRUCTION / DOCU-FILM on monuments and events of Jericho history for tourist exploitation in cooperation with the MOTA-DACH and JAICA (Japanese Cooperation)
7.3. MANAGEMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES & FUND RAISING:
Jericho is a tourist attraction: the centre of the JOAP (Jericho Oasis Archaeological Park) by the site can implement public involvement into research results; furthermore, the Pilot Project of Archaeological Excavation at Jericho by Sapienza and MOTA-DACH can be a recipient of special funds from Europe, UNESCO (Tell es-Sultan is listen n.3 of Unesco World Heritage Sites in Palestine) A Billi