98916 - Prehistoric Ecology and Neolithic Archaeology (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

After completing the course the student, through a multidisciplinary approach, learns and knows the chronological framework of the Quaternary. He/She is able to analyze the relationship between people and the environment during the past, in particular the influence of climate changes on human evolution. The student, at the end of the course, acquires specific skills about the methodologies for the integrated reconstruction of the prehistoric paleoenvironment and the interpretation of the settlement choices, the subsistence strategies, resource use and technological innovation.

Course contents

• Human paleoecology and metodology of the paleoecological research
• Quaternary Ecology
• Prehistoric economiy: from foraging to farming
• Archaeological cultures: Neolithic cultures in Italy

Readings/Bibliography

Students who attend at least 75% of the course lectures are required to prepare the core texts listed in the bibliography, together with one additional reading of their choice from the suggested readings.

Students who attend less than 75% of the course lectures are required to prepare the core texts listed in the bibliography, together with two additional readings of their choice from the suggested readings.

The selected readings should preferably address different thematic areas, such as subsistence, environment and diet, on the one hand, and ritual practices, funerary behaviour or regional case studies, on the other.

Core texts

De Grossi Mazzorin, J. 2009, Archeozoologia. Lo studio dei resti animali in archeologia, Laterza.

Di Pasquale, G. 2011, Che cos’è l’archeobotanica, Carocci.

Pessina, A., Tiné, V. 2022, Archeologia del Neolitico. L’Italia tra il VI e il IV millennio a.C., Carocci.

Additional readings

 Antolín, F., Salvador-Baiges, G., Gerling, C., Soteras, R., Martínez-Grau, H., Pratdesaba, A., Ocaña, M., Ollich, I., de Rocafiguera, M., Jaggi, M., Bernasconi, S. M. 2025, “Manured or not manured? New baselines for re-interpreting cereal C and N stable isotope data from Neolithic sites in the NW Mediterranean”, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 68, 105470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105470

Breglia, F., Prillo, V. G., Dal Corso, M., Manfrin, M. S., D’Aquino, S., Polisca, F., Germinario, L., Piazzalunga, G., Salzani, P., Nicosia, C. 2025, “Reassessing neolithic subsistence in Northern Italy through a critical review and new evidence from Molino Casarotto”, Scientific Reports, 15, 44494. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-28005-6

Castiello, M. E., Russo, E., Martínez-Grau, H., Jesus, A., Prats, G., Antolín, F. 2025, “Understanding the spread of agriculture in the Western Mediterranean (6th–3rd millennia BC) with Machine Learning tools”, Nature Communications, 16, 678. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55541-y

Conati Barbaro, C. 2019, Il fuoco e la memoria. I forni neolitici di Portonovo, Studi di Archeologia Preistorica, Museo e Istituto Fiorentino di Preistoria “Paolo Graziosi”, Firenze.

Farese, M., Soncin, S., Robb, J., Tafuri, M. A. 2024, “Prehistoric Italian foodways: Meta-analysis of stable isotope data from the Neolithic to the Iron Age”, Quaternary Science Reviews, 345, 109056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109056

LaPolice, T. M., Williams, M. P., Huber, C. D. 2025, “Modeling the European Neolithic expansion suggests predominant within-group mating and limited cultural transmission”, Nature Communications, 16, 7905. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63172-0

Larentis, O., Capuzzo, G., Maccarinelli, A., Marconi, S., Gorini, I., Pedrotti, A. 2025, “Transformed by fire: a ritual practice dating back to the Early Neolithic in Italy. Interdisciplinary analysis of burnt bone remains in Lugo di Grezzana (Veneto), 5000-4850 cal BCE”, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 17, 206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02326-z

Mariotti, V., Muntoni, I. M., Belcastro, M. G. 2020, “New insights into the funerary rituals of the Neolithic site of Passo di Corvo (Apulia, Italy): The study of the human remains”, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 34, 102643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102643

Mottes, E. 2025, “Connections with Neolithic societies in northern Italy: the funerary practices of the VBQ Culture”, in B. Morell-Rovira, F. X. Oms, G. Remolins, J. F. Gibaja, eds., Exploring Death. Understanding the Life of Neolithic Societies in the Western Mediterranean, Studies in Funerary Archaeology 18, Oxbow Books, Oxford-Philadelphia, 194-202.

Natali, E., Forgia, V. 2018, “The beginning of the Neolithic in Southern Italy and Sicily”, Quaternary International, 470, 253-269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.07.004

Quagliariello, A., Modi, A., Innocenti, G. et al. 2022, “Ancient oral microbiomes support gradual Neolithic dietary shifts towards agriculture”, Nature Communications, 13, 6927. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34416-0

Radi, G., Petrinelli Pannocchia, C. 2018, “The beginning of the Neolithic era in Central Italy”, Quaternary International, 470, 270-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.063

Speciale, C. 2024, “Sicily and the process of Neolithisation: a review of the archaeobotanical data”, Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 33, 185-194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-023-00963-9

Tafuri, M. A., Soncin, S., Panella, S., Thompson, J. E., Tiberi, I., Fabbri, P. F., Sivilli, S., Radina, F., Minozzi, S., Muntoni, I. M., Fiorentino, G., Robb, J. 2023, “Regional long-term analysis of dietary isotopes in Neolithic southeastern Italy: new patterns and research directions”, Scientific Reports, 13, 7914. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-34771-y

Thompson, J. E., Panella, S., Soncin, S., McLaughlin, R., Muntoni, I. M., Alhaique, F., Candilio, F., Sperduti, A., Knüsel, C. J., Tafuri, M. A., Robb, J. E. 2025, “The Use-Life of Ancestors: Neolithic Cranial Retention, Caching and Disposal at Masseria Candelaro, Apulia, Italy”, European Journal of Archaeology, 28(1), pp. 3-23.

Teaching methods

The course is based on lectures dealing with the program topics.

Assessment methods

Seven to nine examination sessions are scheduled throughout the academic year, generally on a monthly basis.

Students are considered attending students if they have attended at least 75% of the scheduled classes.

The assessment consists of an oral examination covering the topics included in the course syllabus. Students are expected to demonstrate adequate, systematic knowledge of the subject matter, as well as mastery of the scientific and methodological tools required to critically and coherently discuss the topics addressed during the course.

Final grade criteria

• 30–30 with honours: Comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of the topics covered in the course, excellent critical and analytical skills, and confident and accurate use of specialist archaeological terminology.
• 27–29: Thorough knowledge of the topics covered in the course, good analytical and critical skills, and appropriate command of specialist archaeological terminology.
• 23–26: Generally adequate knowledge of the course content and satisfactory analytical skills, although the discussion may not always be fully developed. The student communicates using clear and generally correct language.
• 18–22: Basic but sufficient knowledge of the course content and limited analytical skills. The student communicates using language that is only partially accurate but remains sufficiently clear and formally acceptable.

Teaching tools

Lectures will be illustrated with powerpoint presentations.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Antonio Curci