Abstract
The project intends to investigate the sculptural production in clay and stucco that, from about the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE, developed across Iraq, Iran, Central Asia and the north of the Indian subcontinent (Fig. 1) and implement a multifunctional virtual data centre for the collection, preservation and dissemination of information as well as for the promotion of active research and training. Despite its significance, this formidable tradition, with its wealth of meanings, technical and material knowledge, local and trans-regional aspects, remains only vaguely known due to the poor preservation of its physical remains (Figs 2-3). The political problems that affect some of the areas under investigation, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and more recently the pandemic, add further challenges to not only the direct inspection of materials but also to the preservation of the artefacts themselves. This makes all the more urgent the demand for a strong preventive action of documentation and study that can only be met by a team of scholars who are already active in this field, connected with local counterparts, and supported by a wide network of international collaborations. The project builds on an integrated approach, multi-disciplinary and trans-regional, which is not solely concerned with best preserved forms but also with the informative potential of any relevant archaeological trace and fragment (often underestimated and therefore more at risk of being lost). Based on a solid nucleus of data (already partly available to the team) and with the aid of archaeometric investigations, hypothetical reconstructions will be attempted of iconographic motifs and decorative programmes, as well as of the technical aspects of production. The collected data will be made available in the form of a user-friendly digital catalogue and used within the same platform to create a virtual museum, as a space where research and dissemination meet. While research aims at revivifying the historical and artistic importance of still largely neglected productions by bringing to light specificities, interconnections, artisans’ mobility, transmission of models, adaptive equipments, and environmental accommodations, dissemination works towards enhancing the protection of this fragile cultural heritage by enabling people to smoothly explore and experience its value. The team is composed of 3 research units, with specific and internationally recognised expertise: 1) University of Naples “L’Orientale” for the area of Afghanistan/Pakistan (PI Prof. A. Filigenzi); 2) Sapienza University of Rome for ancient Tokharestan and Khotan oasis (Resp. Prof. C. Lo Muzio); 3) Bologna University for Iraq and Iran (Resp. Dr L. Colliva).
Results achieved
The PRIN 2022 Project 2022JL5HLY eartHeritage investigates one of the least explored yet most significant artistic traditions of ancient Asia: the production of clay and stucco sculpture that flourished between the 3rd century BCE and the 8th century CE across Iraq, Iran, Central Asia and the northern Indian subcontinent. Among the project's most significant outcomes is the development of an integrated digital platform, designed according to FAIR principles, combining a relational database with a virtual museum based on a georeferenced interactive map. More than a digital repository, the platform enables users to explore archaeological contexts, reconstruct original appearances and decorative programmes, and investigate the technological characteristics of the artefacts, providing an innovative environment for research, documentation and public dissemination. The project was organised into three research units coordinated respectively by the University of Naples "L'Orientale", Sapienza University of Rome, and Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna. The Naples Unit Coordinated by Prof. Anna Filigenzi, with Dr Giulia Forgione as research fellow, the Naples Unit was responsible for the study of clay and stucco production from present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan while coordinating the overall scientific activities of the project. Research focused on the critical reassessment of archaeological documentation from key Buddhist sites—including Tapa Sardar, Tepe Narenj, Qol-e Tut and Butkara I—through the systematic study of archival materials, museum collections and photographic documentation. The unit played a leading role in disseminating the project's results through the organisation of the final international conference Re-materialising the Ephemeral: The Clay and Stucco Artistry of Ancient Asia (Naples, September 2025) and the co-organisation, together with ISMEO and the Accademia Vivarium Novum, of the international conference Pratibimba – Discourses on Indian Art and Archaeology in Memory of Prof. Maurizio Taddei (Frascati–Naples, February 2026). The Rome Unit Directed by Prof. Ciro Lo Muzio, with Dr Cristiano Moscatelli as research fellow, the Rome Unit investigated clay and stucco production in ancient Tokharistan and the Khotan oasis, focusing on artistic production, chronology, ritual contexts and cultural exchanges across Central Asia. Research was complemented by study missions to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and by the organisation of the workshop Matter and Form: Clay and Stucco in the Art of Iran, Gandhāra and Central Asia (Rome, February 2025). The Bologna Unit The Bologna Unit was responsible for the scientific investigation of the Iranian and Iraqi contexts, with particular emphasis on Parthian and Sasanian clay and stucco production. Coordinated until June 2025 by Dr Luca Colliva and subsequently by Prof. Raimondo Secci, with Dr Serenella Mancini as research fellow, the unit also acted as the project's central hub for the design of its digital infrastructure and for the coordination of shared cataloguing activities, ensuring methodological consistency and interoperability among the three research units. Research activities combined the systematic reassessment of published and unpublished archaeological evidence with the direct investigation of newly excavated materials. A comprehensive corpus of clay and stucco artefacts from major Iranian and Mesopotamian sites—including Nisa, Qala-ye Yazdegerd, Kish, Ctesiphon and Hajiabad—was critically reviewed and integrated with evidence from recently investigated contexts such as Gawr Tepe in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Barz Qawāleh in western Iran, providing an updated framework for comparative analyses across the Iranian world. A distinctive contribution of the Bologna Unit was the study of previously unpublished archaeological materials from Gawr Tepe, investigated within the framework of the Italian Historical-Archaeological Mission in Kurdistan (MiSAK). Located on the Khani Masi Plain, approximately eight kilometres south of Kalar in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the site has revealed a monumental architectural complex provisionally attributed to the Sasanian period. Archaeological investigations have documented continuous occupation at least until the thirteenth–fifteenth centuries CE, followed by subsequent reuse of the area—including episodes of looting—possibly extending into the Ottoman period. Preliminary analyses identified at least two distinct types of stucco production, distinguishable by the composition of the plaster mixtures and by their decorative features. These observations formed the basis for the development of an integrated analytical protocol designed to investigate manufacturing technologies, material variability and conservation processes. Developed in collaboration with the Diagnostic Laboratory for Cultural Heritage of the University of Bologna, the protocol combines mineralogical characterisation through X-ray diffraction (XRD) with optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), allowing the investigation of raw materials, production technologies and post-depositional alteration processes. Beyond improving our understanding of Parthian and Sasanian stucco production, these analyses provide an important methodological framework for the study and conservation of earthen architectural decoration across the broader Near Eastern and Central Asian regions. Alongside its archaeological research, the Bologna Unit led the design and implementation of both the project's relational database and website, working in collaboration with the PAST Laboratory of the Department of Cultural Heritage and with ISMEO, in close coordination with the Naples and Rome units. The resulting digital infrastructure integrates archaeological documentation, analytical data and multimedia resources within a shared environment based on common cataloguing standards and advanced interoperability. Conceived as both a research and dissemination tool, the platform represents one of the project's principal scientific outcomes and provides a sustainable framework for the long-term documentation, analysis and public accessibility of clay and stucco cultural heritage across the ancient Iranian world and Central Asia. The Bologna Unit has also contributed significantly to the dissemination of the project's scientific results through dedicated publications, including studies by Bellucci, Colliva and Mancini on the project's digital database and by Colliva and Mancini on the stucco production from Gawr Tepe, further consolidating the methodological and scientific legacy of the project beyond its funded duration.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Raimondo Secci
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Beni Culturali
Coordinatore:
Istituto Universitario Orientale di NAPOLI(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 61.440,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
28/09/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
