Università Roma Tre

This course introduces the major social and cultural transformations that shaped Europe—especially Italy—from the later prehistoric period into the beginnings of protohistory. Moving through the Bronze Age and into the early Iron Age, it offers students a clear chronological and conceptual framework for understanding material culture, burial practices, settlement forms, and changing landscapes.

The course combines “classic” archaeological reading with selected modern approaches, showing how interpretations emerge from the interaction between evidence, methods, and research questions—and how present-day perspectives inevitably influence the way we reconstruct the past. Special attention is given to broad themes such as mobility, long-distance contacts, the circulation of goods and technologies, productive specialization, and conflict, in order to explore how economic and social networks form and transform at different scales.

Overall, the course aims to develop students’ critical reading skills and familiarity with the key concepts and language of prehistoric and protohistoric archaeology, providing a solid foundation for engaging with current scholarship and debates.

ATTENDING STUDENTS
The required readings will be introduced, discussed, and assigned during the course, ensuring a targeted selection consistent with the topics covered in the program.

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
The texts required for the exam are indicated below.