C9400 - Networks And Mobility in Archaeology (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have learnt the basic principles and applications of the methodologies for studying social interactions and mobility in archaeological research. The first half of the course is dedicated to introducing the methodologies of network analysis while the second half offers a first introductioin to bio-archaeological methodologies for the study of mobility. The knowledge acquired will enable students to understand the basics of network and bio-archaeological methodologies geared to the study of mobility.

Course contents

• Theory of mobility, migration and permeability of boundaries in archaeology
• Introduction to network analysis applied to archaeology
• The process of Neolithisation in Europe: demic diffusion or spread of ideas?
  
• A critical perspective on the reappraisal of the theory of (Proto-)Indo-European expansion
  
• The genetic "origin" of the Etruscans
• Mobility in Imperial Rome
• Individual mobility: isotopes in archaeology
• Female exogamy and fosterage practices
• Mobility of people, things and raw materials in Bronze Age Europe (obsidian, greenstone, amber, pottery, metals, glass)
• Moving metals between Europe and Near East
• Mobility of ideas: the spread of religious beliefs and feunrary ideology
• Mobility of animals: transhumance, subsistence practices, social interaction
  

  The course will be taught entirely in English. Prior knowledge of human biology, chemistry, and, more generally, of the methodologies employed in archaeometry and archaeological science is advantageous.

Readings/Bibliography

Volumes for the exam:

Reich D. 2018, Who We Are and How We Got Here, Oxford.

Knappett K. 2013, Network Analysis in Archaeology: New Approaches to Regional Interaction, Oxford.

 

Suggested readings:

Collar A. 2022, Networks and the Spread of Ideas in the Past. Strong Ties, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange, London and New York.

Anthony, D. W. (1990). Migration in archaeology: the baby and the bathwater. American Anthropologist, 92, 895–914.

Capecci, E., Mateyka, T. D., Cecconi, V., & Cavazzuti, C. (2024). Infant burials from Early to Final Bronze Age (2200-950 BCE) in the central Po Plain (Northern Italy) and their significance for the reconstruction of rituals, social stratification and demographic cycles. Origini, 48, 103–132.

Cavazzuti, C. (2025). Human mobility. A reflection on the use of strontium isotope data. Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche, 75, 57–69.

Cavazzuti, C., Arena, A., Cardarelli, A., Fritzl, M., Gavranović, M., Hajdu, T., et al. (2022). The First ‘Urnfields’ in the Plains of the Danube and the Po. Journal of World Prehistory. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10963-022-09164-0

Cavazzuti, C., Hajdu, T., Lugli, F., Sperduti, A., Vicze, M., Horváth, A., et al. (2021). Human mobility in a Bronze Age Vatya ‘urnfield’ and the life history of a high-status woman. PLOS ONE, 16(7), e0254360. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254360

Cavazzuti, C., Skeates, R., Millard, A. R., Nowell, G., Peterkin, J., Bernabò Brea, M., et al. (2019). Flows of people in villages and large centres in Bronze Age Italy through strontium and oxygen isotopes. PLoS ONE, 14(1), 1–43. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209693

Ling, J., Hjärthner-Holdar, E., Grandin, L., Stos-Gale, Z., Kristiansen, K., Melheim, A. L., et al. (2019). Moving metals IV: Swords, metal sources and trade networks in Bronze Age Europe. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 26(April), 101837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.05.002

Mittnik, A., Olalde, I., Cavazzuti, C., & Haak, W. (2025). Tracing the Bell Beaker phenomenon through ancient DNA studies. In F. Nicolis, G. Kulcśar, & V. Heyd (Eds.), The Transformation of Europe in the Third Millennium BC. Budapest: Archaeolingua.

Teaching methods

Teaching is based on lectures supported by PowerPoint presentations, which constitute an essential component of the course and should be regarded as a key resource for learning. Regular attendance is strongly recommended and will be positively considered in the final assessment.

Students are expected to have a working knowledge of English, particularly reading skills, in order to engage with the international scholarly literature.

Assessment methods

For attending students, assessment consists of an oral examination covering the topics discussed during the lectures and the assigned readings. Attending classes will make passing the exam easier. A student is considered to be attending if they participate in at least 75% of the lessons. Non-attending students are required to contact the instructor to agree on an alternative examination programme.

The assessment evaluates students' understanding of the course topics, their ability to critically engage with the assigned bibliography, and their knowledge of the geographical contexts examined. Outstanding performance will demonstrate a thorough command of the subject matter, the ability to discuss the topics critically, and the appropriate use of disciplinary terminology.

The exam will be organized in two parts:

1. Individual oral exam on the power points and papers discussed during lectures (c. 45 minutes)

2. Group presentation (3 students per group, ideally) of a topic related to mobility, which has been targeted by one or more published papers. The group should choose a subject that has been explored through the methodologies discussed in the module (distribution of specific objects, isotope or aDNA analyses, etc.) but focused on a different chronological and geographical context (c. 30 minutes)

Students must collect appropriate references and present the subject as it were the scientific outcome of their own teamwork. The presentation should be divided in three parts:

a) introduction (with theoretical assessment of the general research questions, previous contributions on the subjects); b) materials, methods and results (analysed materials, applied analytical/statistical methods and techniques, results of the analysis); c) discussion and conclusions (discussion of the results in the broader panorama, limitations of the results, caveats, and future developments).

Each of the three students must present one of the three parts (max 10 minutes each). The mark will be nonetheless individual and will take into account both the collective work in structuring the presentation and the ability in presenting the individual section.

Grades are awarded on a scale of 30 according to the following criteria:

• 18–19: Knowledge of only a very limited number of the topics covered in the course; analytical skills demonstrated only with the instructor’s guidance; overall appropriate use of academic language.
• 20–24: Knowledge of a limited number of the topics covered in the course; ability to conduct independent analysis only with regard to straightforward procedural issues; appropriate use of academic language.
• 25–29: Knowledge of a broad range of the topics covered in the course; ability to carry out independent critical analysis; sound command of the relevant disciplinary terminology.
• 30–30 cum laude: Thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the topics covered in the course; ability to conduct independent critical analysis and establish meaningful connections across topics; full command of the relevant disciplinary terminology, together with well-developed argumentation and critical self-reflection skills.

The exam sessions will be held once a month throughout the entire academic year.

With regard to the assessment of learning, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is prohibited. Any use of AI constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

The PowerPoint presentations used during the lectures will be made available through the instructor's online course portal.

Students who require accommodations due to a disability or a specific learning disorder (SLD) should first contact the University's Disability and Specific Learning Disorders Support Office in order to arrange the appropriate support measures.

Office hours

See the website of Claudio Cavazzuti