Pietragalla (Italy) workcamp-school

The Pietragalla Project is a Franco-German research programme conducted by the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The aim of the Project is the archaeological study and heritage enhancement of the fortified hilltop settlement of Monte Torretta di Pietragalla. Monte Torretta is located in the northern part of ancient Lucania (Basilicata, Italy), a few kilometres from the source of the Bradano River, and is a strategic passageway between the mountainous region of Lucania and the plains of Apulia.

The Pietragalla Project is a Franco-German research programme conducted by the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The aim of the Project is the archaeological study and heritage enhancement of the fortified hilltop settlement of Monte Torretta di Pietragalla. Monte Torretta is located in the northern part of ancient Lucania (Basilicata, Italy), a few kilometres from the source of the Bradano River, and is a strategic passageway between the mountainous region of Lucania and the plains of Apulia.

Fig.1 – Aerial view of the site by drone (Effenove company)

The site was settled from the end of the Bronze Age onwards, and was transformed into a monumental double fortified enclosure in the 4th century BC, before being abandoned in the 2nd century after the arrival of the Romans in southern Italy.

Fig. 2 – Wall of the acropolis (P. Lévy, Paris 1)

In addition to the archaeological research carried out as part of a more general reflection on ancient Lucania, the Pietragalla workcamp-school is also intended to enhance heritage and promote responsible eco-management of the archaeological site, involving students of the Master’s degree in Heritage and Museums of the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and various local stakeholders in the cultural economy. In this context, we are also preoccupied with the notion of “sustainable archaeology“, which is emerging in the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian worlds, but also in Spain and Italy.

Fig. 3 – Test pit (P. Lévy, Paris 1)
Fig. 5 – Figurine of Heracles (Potenza provincial archaeological Museum)
Fig. 4 – Antefix (Potenza provincial archaeological Museum)

Project website: http://pietragallaproject.eu

See also in «Current projects»

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