Papers by Valeria Acconcia
EX NOVO Journal of Archaeology, Volume 6
Starting from personal observations about contemporary expressions of gender / age / status-based... more Starting from personal observations about contemporary expressions of gender / age / status-based exclusion and disparity, the paper aims at synthetizing the most relevant theoretical issues about possible ways of self-representation in "traditional" and ancient societies, through the analysis of case-studies from pre-roman communities in Central Italy, focusing on the role of the individuals, as they emerge mainly from the funerary record. After a brief review of the research history, the paper analyses the differences between the Middle-Thryrrenian peoples (as Etruscans, Faliscans and Latins) and those settled along the Middle-Adriatic coast. The formers are characterized by princely burial habits, which probably reflect the role of exceptionally rich individuals (both males and females); on the other hand, in the "Italic" regions of Abruzzo and Molise, the archaic communities seem to be organized on an egalitarian basis and with a lower visibility for adult women, although this may reflect a "contrastive" intent, emphasizing the differences with the wealthy Tyrrhenian lifestyle. Then, the paper outlines cases of inequality and abuse from the Veneto region and from Etruria and Latium vetus, connecting them also to the phenomenon of ancient and modern slavery and evidencing the impact of individual suffering as a possible incentive towards social change.
Ricerche su Ostia e il suo territorio, 2018
Κῆπος ἀειθαλής Studi in ricordo di Augusta Acconcia Longo I a cura di Francesco D’AIUTO - Santo LUCÀ - Andrea LUZZI, 2017
L'età delle trasformazioni l'Italia medio-adriatica tra il V e il IV secolo a.C. nuovi modelli di autorappresentazione delle comunità a confronto e temi di cultura materiale a cura di Valeria Acconcia atti del workshop internazionale chieti, 18-19 aprile 2016
crisis and transformation * Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e per il Turismo-Direzi... more crisis and transformation * Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e per il Turismo-Direzione Generale Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio, Istituto Centrale per l'Archeologia.
M. Arizza, "Società e pratiche funerarie a Veio Dalle origini alla conquista romana", 2019
Mediterranea, 2019
The necropolis of Bazzano is edited for its Late Iron Age, Orientalizing and Archaic/post-Archaic... more The necropolis of Bazzano is edited for its Late Iron Age, Orientalizing and Archaic/post-Archaic phases: Weidig 2014. The necropolises of Capestrano are going to be published completely: d'Ercole et al. 2018. For the necropolis of Alfedena, excavated at the end of the XIX century-beginning of the XX century, and then in 1974-1979: Parise Badoni, Ruggeri Giove 1980. For a history of researches: Acconcia 2014a. 3 Acconcia, Ferreri forthcoming.
Armarsi per comunicare con gli uomini e con gli Dei Le armi come strumenti di attacco e di difesa, status symbol e dono agli Dei Ricerche e scavi, 2018
L'età del ferro L'inizio del I millennio a.C. vede l'affermarsi in Italia centrale delle organizz... more L'età del ferro L'inizio del I millennio a.C. vede l'affermarsi in Italia centrale delle organizzazioni statali, declinate secondo il modello centralistico della città-stato di tradizione orientale nel versante tirrenico, mentre un concetto di stato-territorio policentrico vicino agli sviluppi dell'area centro-europea viene adottato nel comparto adriatico ed appenninico (d'Ercole et alii 2002, pp. 127-136). A prescindere dal loro sistema organizzativo e ideologico, gli Stati necessitano di eserciti ordinati, di regola, per specializzazioni: fanteria (leggera e pesante), artiglieria (arcieri 1 , frombolieri e macchine da assedio), truppe montate a cavallo o su carro (Bradfort 2007). Se l'uso dei carri in Occidente non ha avuto la rilevanza attestata nel Vicino Oriente (Keegan 1993), soprattutto a causa delle diversità geomorfologiche (umido, boscoso ed altimetricamente variabile il territorio occidentale, arido e pianeggiante l'altro) e dell'assenza di organizzazioni statali su vasta scala (come in Egitto e nel Vicino Oriente) in grado di produrre e mantenere in efficienza un cospicuo "parco-macchine" da guerra, lo stesso non si può dire della cavalleria. Essa si diffonde dall'Asia centrale in Europa tra il 1000 e il 900 a.C. (Drews 2004), come risulta ampiamente dimostrato nel record archeologico villanoviano dalle rappresentazioni di cavalieri (askós tomba 525 Benacci; figurine sui tripodi bronzei da Vetulonia), dai morsi di cavallo nelle sepolture e, soprattutto, dalla conformazione di alcuni tipi di armi, ad esempio gli elmi e le spade. La cresta in doppia lamina di bronzo che sormonta molti elmi villanoviani serve essenzialmente ad attutire l'impatto di un colpo portato dall'alto sulla testa del nemico, smorzandone ed assorbendone la forza prima che possa raggiungere la calotta e, quindi, il cranio del guerriero (Martinelli 2004). È plausibile che in battaglia la maggior parte dei colpi provenissero dall'alto, obbligando i guerrieri ad indossare elmi certamente più pesanti a causa della cresta, ondeggianti e scomodi, ma in grado di fornire una duplice protezione. Elmi
Abruzzo: sites and paths of men in armour The Abruzzo region is a problematic case-study, when co... more Abruzzo: sites and paths of men in armour The Abruzzo region is a problematic case-study, when compared to what we know about the development of the city-state pattern in Central Tyrrhenian Italy (especially Etruria and Latium vetus). Alread from the first half of the 1st millennium BC, the archaeological record in Abru-zzo lacks any evidence of a proper urban model, which is clearly recognisable only from the second half of the 4th century BC, with the beginning of the Romanisation process. Before this period, a significant number of hilltop sites, enclosed by irregular stone walls, with varying dimensions and chronologies (from the Final Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period) occupied strategic points for the control of the landscape, Some of these sites have been interpreted as permanent settlements; the smallest ones have been interpreted as seasonal shelters for pastoral activities. Only a few sites were inhabited for a much longer period, dating back to the Bronze Age or to the Neolithic period, such as the sites of Tortoreto and Teramo: these sites usually had larger internal dimensions, and could be delimited by nearby funerary areas. Scholars have debated about this topic and adapted the settlement evidence to the historical sources about the period of the Samnite wars, often using archaic epigraphical texts to interpret the political and social framework of pre-Roman Abruzzo (especially the Penna Sant'Andrea's stelae). This approach has determined the interpretation of the so-called " pagano-vicanico " system (very far from the urban one) as a typical " Italic " settlement pattern. Recently, St. Bourdin, M. Tarpin and L. Capogrossi Colognesi have tried to review the historical sources, distinguishing their stylistic and original characters from the archaeological data. This paper collects the most important examples of major settlements in Abruzzo, relating them to the nucleated pattern of the fortified hilltop sites and to the funerary evidence, comparing for instance the examples of Sulmo and Corfinium in the Paelignan valley to those of Peltuinum or Navelli, east of L'Aquila. As a proper example of the " Italic " urban formation, the 4th century BC site of Monte Pallano is compared to the archaic sparse settlement system of the Sangro Valley, with the Curino and Castel di Sangro fortified hilltop sites, connected with the large necropolis of Alfedena. The Abruzzo region shows a variety of approaches in landscape use during the first half of the 1st millennium BC, which are almost never as complex as the Early State module recognised for the Tyrrhenian area. Probably, other socio-political patterns fit better to this particular region, such as for instance the " complex chiefdom " , as it has been recently defined by L. Grinin.
Questo contributo nasce dall'analisi condotta sull'interazione tra modelli insediativi e sviluppo... more Questo contributo nasce dall'analisi condotta sull'interazione tra modelli insediativi e sviluppo della metallurgia dall'età del Bronzo Finale al primo Ferro nell'area compresa tra l'arcipelago toscano e le colline del Campigliese, ricca di giaci-SUMMARY -The San Martino hoard and the elban metallurgy between the Final Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. This paper suggests a comparative analysis of settlement patterns and metallurgy development from the Final Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age in the area between the Tuscan Islands and the Colline Metallifere of Campiglia Marittima. Especially in the Elba Island, the 19 th century research has brought to light a relevant goup of bronze hoards dating to the early centuries of the first millennium BC. For Final Bronze Age, the San Martino hoard is the only relatively reliable in its composition, thanks to the careful reconstruction of Filippo Delpino: it was composed by axes, knives, fibulae, bracelets, chains and various fragments of aes rude. During the same period, bronze working on the Elba Island widely flourished, open to contacts with nearby traditions. During the Early Iron Age, we have a greater amount of information, but the materials remain largely devoid of context. This chronological horizon shows merely one step in a long-time development of natural resources exploitation and patterns of land management. During the Final Bronze Age, a nucleated settlement system can be recognized on the Elba Island, with a direct relationship between metals hoarding and minerals availability. By the Early Iron Age, the growing of Populonia as a real "central place" fits with the first indicators of a concentrated metals production around the future town, but it is still related to the copper minerals exploitation, as Elban hematite was intensively worked only from the 6 th century BC. However, in this period we can recognize the starting point of the growing of Populonia as the main center of iron metallurgy in the upper and middle Tyrrhenian area. Since the 8 th century, small hematite's amount began to circulate, especially toward Pithecusa. The contact with the Euboean world (during a still flourishing moment for bronze working) could have been crucial to transfer technological innovations in iron working and, therefore, to start the exploitation of Elban hematite. We can see during this period, the result of long-time contacts among Etruria, Sardinia and Corsica, which helped create a trading system: this initially didn't include both Greeks and Phoenicians. The collapse of this model, probably connected to internal Sardinian socio-economic developments, attracted new peoples in the routes to the mining district.
Roma n. 104 del 4 aprile 2011 Volume stampato con contributo di Sapienza -Università di Roma Arch... more Roma n. 104 del 4 aprile 2011 Volume stampato con contributo di Sapienza -Università di Roma Archeologia classica : rivista dell'Istituto di archeologia dell'Università di Roma. -Vol. 1 (1949). -Roma : Istituto di archeologia, 1949. -Ill. ; 24 cm. -Annuale. -Il complemento del titolo varia. -Dal 1972: Roma: «L'ERMA» di Bretschneider. ISSN 0391-8165 (1989) CDD 20. 930.l'05 Comitato Scientifico pierre gros, sybille haynes, tonio hölscher, mette moltesen, stéphane verger Il Periodico adotta un sistema di Peer-Review p.
by Marijke Gnade, Martina Revello Lami, Loes Opgenhaffen, Valeria Acconcia, Peter Attema, Tymon de Haas, Wieke de Neef, Jesus Garcia Sanchez, Alessandro Maria Jaia, Evelien Witmer, Tim Clerbaut, Albert Nijboer, Rosita Oriolo, Amanda Sengeløv, and Agostino Sotgia Abstracts International Conference "Tracing Technology. Celbrating 40 years of Archaeological Res... more Abstracts International Conference "Tracing Technology. Celbrating 40 years of Archaeological Research at Satricum"- Roma 25-28 Ottobre 2017
This paper presents a territorial analysis focused on a sample area in the inner region of Abruzz... more This paper presents a territorial analysis focused on a sample area in the inner region of Abruzzo, delimited by the Gran Sasso and the Sirente mountain ranges and characterised by strong geomorphological irregularities. Archaeological data from the Final Bronze Age/Early Iron Age to the beginning of the Romanization process are analysed through a computer-based approach, using CAD, DBMS and GIS. Published data about this region are quite disjointed, both for methodological reasons and for various interferences in the archaeological record. These aspects influenced the landscape analyses proposed in previous studies and the hypothesis about the territorial exploitation patterns during the pre-Roman times. Research has been mainly concentrated on sites with better visibility, such as fortified hilltop sites and necropolises, frequently compared to the Roman settlement pattern, based on valley floor sites along the main pathways. Nevertheless, recent surveys suggest that these data should be reconsidered, taking into account both the presence of other kinds of sites (such as the Iron Age/Archaic period small rural sites localised in the valley floor) and continuity in the settlement pattern up to Roman times. The available archaeological data have been processed within a GIS, in order to investigate placement and visibility/intervisibility factors in hilltop fortified sites, starting from an expressly projected DEM. The territorial sample has been filtered using qualitative and quantitative parameters, proving that hilltop sites during the pre-Roman times were likely to control the natural catchment area. In Roman times, this pattern lost its mainly defensive character, with hilltop sites being abandoned, and was incorporated in the so-called “paganus-vicanicus” system, connected to the administrative subdivision gravitating on urban centres (coloniae and then municipia) and on new monumental cult places.
La produzione e la circolazione del bucchero in area medio-adriatica
Officina di Etruscologia” 1, 2009, pp. 129-146
a cura di Francesco Ghizzani Marcìa e Carolina Megale Scavi e reperti dall'acropoli e dalla spiag... more a cura di Francesco Ghizzani Marcìa e Carolina Megale Scavi e reperti dall'acropoli e dalla spiaggia Strategie di rilievo delle tombe a San Cerbone Venere e la prostituzione sacra nel Mediterraneo Un imperatore a caccia nei boschi dell'Etruria costiera Provincia di Livorno Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana
Cascino R., Fusco U., Smith C. (a cura di), Novità nella ricerca archeologica a Veio. Dagli studi di John Ward Perkins alle ultime scoperte, Atti della giornata di Studi (British School at Rome; 18 Gennaio 2013), Roma 2014, pp. 9-15
La traduzione, l'adatamento totale o parziale, la riproduzione con qualsiasi mezzo compresi micro... more La traduzione, l'adatamento totale o parziale, la riproduzione con qualsiasi mezzo compresi microilm, ilm, fotocopie , nonché la memorizzazione eletronica, sono riservati per tuti i Paesi. L'editore è a disposizione degli aventi dirito con i quali non è stato possibile comunicare, per eventuali involontarie omissioni o inesatezze nella citazione delle fonti e/o delle foto.
Rendiconti della Pontificia Accademia LXXXVI, 2013-2014, pp. 274-288
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Papers by Valeria Acconcia
New research and field results about the 5th-4th century BC in Central Italy, with special attention to the Middle-Adriatic area. To discuss this "crytical" period from an historical and archaeological point of view.