Ricerc@Sapienza

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 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 that continued in 2016 and 2017. The results have been extensively published in the scientific journal `Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche¿ (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. 22 ha.) have been ascertained and traces of the massive fortification lines have been brought to light in 2017; 3) three distinct chronological phases of the settlement have been defined.
The foundation of Monte Croce Guardia hillfort is related to a wider transformation of the settlement pattern in Late Bronze Age Italy. Concurrently with the establishment of this new centre, predating settlements located in the lower areas near the mountain were abandoned and more strategic places were preferred, such as hilltop spots. This evidence indicates that the beginning of the LBA in mainland Italy was a period of socio-economic instability that gave rise to significant historical transformations.
The aims of the excavation project are:
A- Identify the spatial organisation of the settlement, in order to define both the demography and socio-economic structure of one of the largest LBA centres. These aspects in fact are very scarcely known as regards Central Italian Bronze Age settlements.
B - Compare and contrast the data from the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian sides of Italy during the LBA.
C - Improve the knowledge of the historical phenomena of socio- economic and cultural transformations characterising the LBA.