Sapienza excavations at Tell es-Sultan/Jericho - resumed in 2009 (ranked Great Excavation since 1997) in 16 areas over 20 years provided fresh data on a paramount site of the Near East witnessing human cultures from the Mesolithic/Natufian and Pre-Pottery Neolithic to the Ottoman Period (12,500 BC to 1918 AD). Jericho is a key-site for the Neolithic, but also the Bronze Age (rise of urban models and complex societies) and Iron Age (birth of nation-states).
The Italian-Palestinian Expedition is a successful example of non-colonial archaeology, thanks to a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities of Palestine which does not imply deliverance of any duty and keeps the leading scientific role of Sapienza over a multidisciplinary international team of about 50 scholars.
Results achieved so far, with the discovery of the Palaces of the Early and Middle Bronze Ages (Nigro 2016), the finding of a hoard of precious shells imported from Egypt (Nigro et al 2018), as well as the new investigation of Pre-Pottery Neolithic strata with the retrieval of a separated skull (Nigro 2018) and connected aDNA analyses prompted a comprehensive re-appraisal of this extraordinary site.
Main goals are:
1. PRE-POTTERY NEOLITHIC renewed exploration of PPNA and PPNB layers and collecting samples for aDNA analyses (food plants, animals, humans).
2. EARLY BRONZE AGE CITY-WALLS: why and when Jericho was given a monumental fortification? Which are its main architectural features?
3. PALACE G AND THE SOCIO-ECONOMY OF EBA JERICHO during 3rd mill BC
4. THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE CITY: ramparts, gate and Temple P
THE 'HYKSOS' PALACE: structure, élite tombs underneath
6. MB TOWER in Lower City: architecture and functions
7. Late Bronze and Iron Age occupation on the Spring Hill
8. STUDY OF SOCIETY through a DEMOGRAPHIC MODEL matching data from the site and its rich necropolis
9. ANALYSES in specialized LABS to reconstruct paleoenvironment, subsistence models, social relationships
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 (prehistory, archaeology, history, epigraphy, botany, geophysics, geology) may enlighten 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 - C Moricca
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 - G Cecconi
2.2 3D Optical Scanner enables fast 3D replicas of finds with a high degree of accuracy (FabLab Saperi & Co) - L Fattore
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 - L Fabrizi I Liritzis
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 age and good state of preservation - P Zelloua - 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 C Moricca, M Bou Dagher Kharrat
4.3 ANCIENT DECEASES tracing from human remains from the Jericho Necropolis one of the largest of the ancient Near East - through anthropological analyses - T Rinaldi F Zielli
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
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 F Mura
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 C De Vito
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 P Izzo
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 R Francia
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 - C Clemente S Lucibello
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) M Casari
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 listed among World Heritage Sites in Palestine) A Billi