CV

Curriculum

Current position

Associate Professor in Palaeolithic Archaeology, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità, Università La Sapienza, Rome.

Academic Appointments

2016 – 2018 Researcher, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità, Università La Sapienza, Rome.

2015 Research Associate, Leverhulme Centre For Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, Cambridge University, UK.

2013-2014 Research Associate, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Department of Human Evolution, Leipzig, Germany.

2011-2013 Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Department of Human Evolution, Leipzig, Germany.

2009-2011 Marie Curie Incoming International Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Department of Human Evolution, Leipzig, Germany.

Education

2004-2008 European PhD (with honors) in Prehistoric Archaeology, La Sapienza University and Bordeaux 1 University (Institute of Prehistory and Geology of the Quaternary, Bordeaux, France). Dissertation: Technologie lithique et circulation des matières premières au Paléolithique moyen dans le Salento (Pouilles, Italie) : perspectives comportementales. Directors: Prof. A. Bietti, M. Piperno and. J. Jaubert.

2003-2004 M.A. (1st class) Paleoanthropology and Prehistory, Bordeaux 1 University (France). Dissertation: The anvil percussion in Central Italy. Director: Prof. J. Jaubert.

2002 B.A. (1st class with honors) Prehistoric Archaeology, Dep. of Archaeology, Rome “La Sapienza” University, Rome. Dissertation: A multidisciplinary approach to the study of Last Neanderthals: new data on the final Mousterian site of Grotta Breuil (Lazio, Italy). Director: Prof. A. Bietti.

1995-2002 Prehistoric Archaeology at Rome “La Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy.

Teaching

2020-2021: Archeologia del Paleolitico, Scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia, Roma La Sapienza.

2019-present: Archeologia e Culture del Paleolitico, LT&LM; Tecnologia Litica, LM, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità, Roma La Sapienza.

2018-2019: Archeologia Sperimentale Avanzato, LM, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità, Roma La Sapienza.

2016-present: Tecnologia Litica, LT, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità, Roma La Sapienza.

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

2015 – Faculty member, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

2009 – Member of a Doctoral committee in Archaeology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

REVIEWING ACTIVITIES

2012 – Reviewer for peer review Journals (e.g. QI, QSR, JHE, JAS, PlosOne)

MEMBERSHIPS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

2012 – Member, SAFA (Society for Africanist Archaeologists)

2010 – Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria

2004 – Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana

RESEARCH PROJECTS

PI

2020 – Principal investigator “Towards Homo sapiens in East Africa: biological and cultural transitions in Danakil Eritrea over the last million years.”, Grandi Scavi Sapienza.

2014 – 2020Principal Investigator in the (H)Origin project, on origin of MSA in East Africa.

2014 - 2016 Principal Investigator in the TRANSITION project. Excavation and analysis of Uluzzo C and Uluzzo sites, Salento, Apulia, Italy.

2009-2011 – principal investigator of the ATERIAN project, on the behavioral aspect of MSA in North Africa.

2009 PI, Middle Paleolithic site of Bénazit, in Cazères-sur-l'Adour, (Landes, Aquitaine, France).

2004-2006 P.I Salento Project Survey, Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, “Roma la Sapienza” University.

Supervision

2020-2022 Project coordinator, IF Marie Curie Fellow, Techno-C-Cap- “Technological Cultures in Capuchin Monkeys: an Archeological and Behavioural exploration”, Dr. Giulia Sirianni.

Team member and collaborations

2016–present ERC SUCCESS, “The Earliest migration of Homo sapiens in southern Europe” PI Prof. Stefano Benazzi (Bologna University).

2019- 2020 “The origin of tribal alliances and social complexity in eastern Arabia: the archaeological evidence from the late bronze age/iron age Daba burial complex (ii/i mill BC, Musandam peninsula, sultanate of Oman)”. PI Prof. Marco Ramazzotti, Sapienza University).

2019-2020 “Conseguenze della frammentazione etnica sul potere identificativo di marcatori genetico-forensi in popolazioni dell'Africa sub-Sahariana”. (PI Prof. Fulvio Cruciani, Sapienza University).

2018-2019 “Origine genetica delle odierne popolazioni caraibiche: analisi della regione maschio-specifica del cromosoma Y umano mediante next generation sequencing”. (PI Fulvio Cruciani, Sapienza University).

2018 “Towards Homo sapiens: continuity and biological and cultural transitions in Danakil Eritrea over the last million years”, PI Prof. Alfredo Coppa (Sapienza University).

2016- 2018 RRI-net, “Responsible research Innovation: limiti e potenzialità di un quadro interpretativo per la progettazione europea” PI Prof. Giovanni Destro-Bisol (Sapienza University).

2015 – 2019 “Scavi archeologici nella Dancalia eritrea: una storia di un milione di anni”, PI Prof. Alfredo Coppa (Sapienza University).

2013 – 2017 “In Africa: The role of East Africa in the evolution of human diversity”. PI M. Mirazon Lahr (Cambridge University).

2012 – 2014 “Missione archeologica italiana a Melka Kunture e Balchit (Etiopia).” PI M. Mussi (Roma- La Sapienza University, Italy).

2009-2012 “Missione Congiunta Italo-Libica nel Jebel Gharbi – Libia”. PI E. Garcea (Cassino University, Italy) and B.E. Barich (Roma- La Sapienza University, Italy).

2006-2010 Co-PI in Riparo Mochi (Balzi Rossi di Grimaldi) research team. In charge of spatial analysis and refitting. Responsible of excavation method, lithic analysis and refitting. Bordeaux University and Trento University, Soprintendenza della Liguria.

2006-2008 Collaboration in field and laboratory research, Soprintendenza Archeologica della Puglia, Dott. M. A. Gorgoglione.

2000-2006 Collaboration in projects financed by “Ministero per l'Università e la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica (MIUR)”, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell’Uomo, University “Rome- La Sapienza”, PI prof. A. Bietti.

GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

2018 Maria Skłodowska Curie TechnoC-Cap H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, PI Dr. Giulia Sirianni (Enza E. Spinapolice, coordinator) (€183,473.28).

2015 Rita Levi Montalcini Grant, Italian Ministry of Education (210.373 €).

2015 SIR, “Scientific independence of young researchers”, Italian Ministry of Education (379.282 €).

2015 Leakey Grant, Uluzzian Project (25000 $, PI Marco Peresani, Ferrara University).

2009-2011 Intra-European Fellowship (Call: FP7-PEOPLE-2008-1EF), People - Marie Curie Actions - Seventh Framework Programme, European Union (161.686,39 €).

2004-2007 University Grant for the European Ph.D (10.000 €).

2004-2007 Full tuition scholarship for Doctoral studies, University Rome - La Sapienza (First Place) (30.000 €).

2003 1st Prize Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria: Award for the best BA Dissertation of the year and Grant to prolong research on the subject. (5.000 €)

1999- 2001 Annual Grant to collaborate with Dipartimento di Paletnologia, University of Rome - La Sapienza.

MAIN FIELD EXPERIENCE

Principal Investigator & field director

2019-Present, Buia, Eritrea, Paleoantropological and Archaeological site, Eritrea.

2015- Present Yabelo - MSA/LSA/Pastoral site, Borana Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

2015- Present Gotera - MSA site, Borana Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

2015- Present Uluzzo C - Middle to Upper Palaeolithic site– Nardò (Lecce) Italy.

2017-2018: Al Jamrab, Middle Stone Age site (Sudan).

2016-2018: Buia, Eritrea, Middle Stone Age.

2013-2015: West Turkana, Kenya, Middle Stone Age.

2007-2010 Riparo Mochi, Balzi Rossi, Grimaldi. Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. Directors Dr. S. Grimaldi (Trento University) and A. del Lucchese (Soprintendenza Archeologica Liguria).

2005-2006 Salento (Apulia, Southern Italy) geo-archaeological survey promoted by Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana (ISIPU).

Joint Director

2000-2006 Riparo Mochi, Balzi Rossi, Middle-Upper Palaeolithic. Director Prof. A. Bietti (La Sapienza University) and A. del Lucchese (Soprintendenza Archeologica Liguria).

2003 Grotta Breuil, Latium, Central Italy, Middle Palaeolithic. Director Prof. A. Bietti (La Sapienza University).

Contract archaeology

2009 Principal investigator in Acheulean site of Benazit, Landes, France. Paleotime SARL.

2003-2007 Rome, Fiumicino, field evaluation and excavation of Middle Bronze, Iron and Roman age features in humid environment (marshy areas with peat). Excavation of wood and other organic features. Direction of Soprintendenza Archeologica di Ostia (Dr. A. Morelli).

2002-2007 Rome, archaeological evaluations in urban contexts. Director Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma.

Main Participations

2002-2005 Grotta S. Angelo, Abruzzo, Central Italy, Upper Palaeolithic. Director Prof. A. Bietti (La Sapienza University) and Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana. 32000 Lanné Darré, Midi Pirenées, France, Lower Palaeolithic. Director Dr. D. Colonge.

1999 Grotta S. Maria, Abruzzo, Central Italy, Final Upper Palaeolithic. Director Prof. A. Bietti (La Sapienza University) and Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana.

1998 Toppo Daguzzo, Basilicata, Eneolithic. Direction Prof. M. Cipolloni (Université de Urbino).

1998 Grotta Breuil, Latium Central Italy, Middle Palaeolithic. Director Prof. A. Bietti (La Sapienza University) and Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana.