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.
