CATERINA AURELI

PhD Student

PhD program:: XXXVIII
email: caterina.aureli@uniroma1.it




supervisor: Enza Elena Spinapolice
advisor: Savino Di Lernia
co-supervisor: Elena Maini

Research: Animal resource exploitation strategies in Africa in the Late Pleistocene: analysis of the archaeozoological record of Ethiopian contexts during the MIS3 (59-29 ka)

Education:
From November 2022 PhD student in prehistoric archaeology. “La Sapienza” University of Rome.
Supervisor: Prof. Enza Elena Spinapolice
Thesis: “Animal resource exploitation strategies in Africa in the Upper
Pleistocene: analysis of the archaeozoological record of Ethiopian contexts
during MIS3 (59-29 ka)”
From 2019 – 2020 Master Degree in Archaeology. “La Sapienza” University of Rome
To 2021-2022 Thesis: “"MIS 3 in East Africa: faunal analysis of the GOT 10 site, Southern Ethiopia".
Supervisor: Prof. Enza Elena Spinapolice
Co-Supervisor: Marina Gallinaro
Final Mark: 110/110 cum laude
From 2014 – 2015 Bachelor Degree in Archaeological Sciences. “La Sapienza” University of Rome
To 2018 - 2019 Thesis: "Archaeozoological analysis of the faunal remains of Grotta del Fossellone,
Monte Circeo (LT): new results from the lateral caverns"
Supervisor: Prof. Cecilia Conati Barbaro
Final Mark: 104/110

Experiences of academic excavation:
January 2023: Woito area (Upper omo valley), Ethiopia.
PI: Prof. Enza Elena Spinapolice (University of Rome "La Sapienza")
PhD candidate: Marianna Fusco
Duties: Survey.
July 2022: Gotera, Ethiopia. Middle Stone Age.
PI: Prof. Enza Elena Spinapolice (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
Principal jobs: fieldwork, survey with GPS, excavation, sieving, OSL sampling, pollen sampling, geological
sampling, database creation and use, study of the faunas at the ARCCH
February 2020: Cannatello (AG), Sicily, Italy. Bronze Age.
PI: Prof. Alessandro Vanzetti (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
Principal jobs: excavation, sieving, sedimentological sampling, preliminary study of materials
October-November 2019: Wadi Lazalim, Tunisia. Middle Stone Age.
PI: Prof. Savino di Lernia (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
Principal jobs: fieldwork, sieving, OSL sampling, pollen sampling, sedimentological sampling,
photogrammetry for the 3D reconstruction of the site, database use, preliminary study of the materials at the
INP (Institute National Du Patrimoine Tunisie)
July 2018: Gotera, Ethiopia. Middle Stone Age.
PI: Prof. Enza Elena Spinapolice (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
Principal jobs: fieldwork, survey with GPS, excavation, sieving, OSL sampling, pollen sampling, geological
sampling, database creation, and use, study of the faunas at the ARCCH.
July 2017: Uluzzo C, Nardò (Lecce, Puglia, Italy). Upper/Middle Paleolithic. ERC Project: Success.
PI: Prof. Stefano Benazzi (University of Bologna)
Principal jobs: excavation, sieving, sediment sampling for DNA analysis
June 2016 & 2017: Valle Giumentina, Abbateggio (PE, Abruzzo, Italy). Lower Paleolithic.
École française de Rome
PI: Dr. Elisa Nicoud (CNRS; École française de Rome)
Principal jobs: excavation and preliminary study of the materials
September 2016: Monte Croce-Guardia, Arcevia (AN, Marche, Italy). Bronze Age.
PI: Prof. Andrea Cardarelli (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
Principal jobs: excavation, sieving, preliminary study of the materials

Laboratories and further training courses:
- February 24, 2023: Quantification in Zooarchaeology: Calculating andCritiquing NISP, MNI, and MNE [Deeper Digs].
Instructor: Gillian Wong, PhD, RPA, University of Tuebingen and Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City.
Organized by SSA (Society for American Archaeology).
- January-February 2023: Analysis of the faunal assemblage from the GOT10 site (Gotera, Ethiopia) at the ARCCH (Authority and Research for Conservation of Cultural Heritage) of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- July 2022: Analysis of faunal assemblage from the GOT10 (Gotera) at the ARCCH (Authority and Research for Conservation of Cultural Heritage) of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- April 2022: TIFA – Statistics for archaeologists. Course 1 - An Introduction to Statistics and Uni-variate Analysis. Trainers: Dr. Alex Wilshaw & Dott. João Cascalheira. University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal 6-9 April 2022.
- October-November 2021: Analysis of faunal assemblagefrom GOT10 (Gotera) at the ARCCH (Authority and Research for Conservation of Cultural Heritage) of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- 2019-2020: Lithic technology. Organized in the frame of the Paleolithic Archaeology and Culture course (Prof. E.E. Spinapolice) and coordinated by Dr. Marianna Fusco (University of Rome “La Sapienza”).
- November 2019: Preliminary analysis of the fauna assemblage from Wadi Lazalim at INP (Institute National Du Patrimoine Tunisie) of Tunisi, Tunisia.
- 2018-2019: Laboratory of Archaeozoology. Dr. Francesca Alhaique (Museo delle Civiltà, Ex Museo Etnografico L.Pigorini, Rome).
- August 2018: Analysis of faunal assemblage from GOT10 at the ARCCH (Authority and Research for Conservation of Cultural Heritage) of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- 2018: Laboratory of Archaeozoology, organized in the frame of the Archaeology course, Dr. Francesca Alhaique (University of “Studi della Tuscia”, Viterbo, Italy).
- Dicember 2017: Attendence of the workshop “Archaeology in Africa – “Potential and perspectives on laboratory & fieldwork research”, organized by Prof. Savino Di Lernia (University of Rome “La Sapienza”) & Prof. Marina Gallinaro (University of Rome “La Sapienza”). First edition; Rome, 6-7 Dicember 2017.
- 2016: Lithic technology and chipping, organized in the frame of Paleolithic Archaeology and Culture course (Prof. M. Mussi) and coordinated by Dr. Flavio Altamura (University of Rome “La Sapienza”).
- 2016: Experimental Archaeology, organized in the frame of the Experimental Archaeology course, Prof. Cristina Lemorini (University of Rome “La Sapienza”).
- February 2016: School of Paleoanthropology, Perugia, Italy. Sixth edition, first level. 22-27 February 2016.
- 2015: Experimental Archaeology, organized in the frame of the Experimental Archaeology course, Prof. Cristina Lemorini (University of Rome “La Sapienza”).

Conferences, Workshop e Seminars:
- July 2023: Asrat S., Aureli C., Fusco M., Tafuri M.A., Spinapolice E.E.. “New insights into the late Pleistocene paleoecology using δ13C and δ18O enamel isotope evidence from Gotera, Southern Ethiopia.”
Oral contribution for the session “African Quaternary Anthro-environments: Palaeoecology and cultural responses to environmental variance” organized by Jacopo Niccolò Cerasoni, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany and Emily Yuko Hallett, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
XXI INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) Congress- time for change, Rome, 14-20 July 2023.
- July 2023: Aureli C., Asrat S., Sahleselasie M., Fusco. M, Spinapolice E.E.. “Homo sapiens behavior and adaptation in East Africa. New evidence from an open-air site in a modern Ethiopian savannah environment: the GOT10 site.”
Oral contribution for the session “Mapping Ancient Africa: Climate, Vegetation & Humans” organized by William Gosling, University of Amsterdam, Stephanie Kaboth-Bahr, University of Potsdam, Germany, Rahab Kinyanjui, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa and Sarah Ivory, Penn State University, USA.
XXI INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) Congress- time for change, Rome, 14-20 July 2023.
- February 2023: Aureli C., “Strategies of exploitation of animal resources in Africa in the Late Pleistocene: analysis of the archaeozoological record of Ethiopian contexts during the MIS3 (59-29 ka)”
Poster contribution for the Seminar of the Doctoral School in Archeology (SSDA) organized by “La Sapienza” University of Rome.
22-24 February 2023
- August 2022: Aureli C., Asrat S., Sahleselasie M., Fusco. M, Spinapolice E.E.. “Gotera area, Southern Ethiopia: refuge area of East Africa? Insights from the MSA faunal evidence.”
Oral contribution for the session “Early human responses to major natural disasters in Africa.”, organized by Pamela Willoughby; 16th Congress PAA (Pan African Archaeological Association for Prehistory and Related Studies), Zanzibar, Tanzania. 7-12 August 2022.
- August 2022: Fusco M., Asrat S., Aureli C., Bucci Casari F., Talamo S., Urban S., Meyer M., Gallinaro M., Zerboni A., Spinapolice E.E.. “The Middle Stone Age site of GOT10, Gotera, Southern Ethiopia, in its cultural, chronological and environmental context.”
8th Biennial Conference EAAPP (Eastern African Association for Palaeoanthropology and Palaeontology), Arusha, Tanzania. 31 July – 4 August 2022.
- July 2022: Aureli C.. “The relationship between humans and environment during the MIS3: a look at the faunal remains from GOT10 site, Southern Ethiopia.”
Contribution to the Italo-Ethiopian conference “Human evolution and Archaeology, new research activities of the University of Rome La Sapienza”. University of Addis Ababa, Institute of Ethiopian Studies. 28 July 2022.
- February 2018: IV Annual meeting of Prehistory and Protohistory, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. 7-8 February 2018.

Grant & Awards:
February 2022: Scholarship for research activities at the Department of Ancient Sciences of the "Sapienza" University
of Rome ".
Thesis "Zooarchaeological Analysis of Faunas from Gotera (Southern Ethiopia)".
Three months, 1 Dicember 2021 - 28 February 2022.

November 2020: CFEE (Centre français des études éthiopiennes) Fielwork grant 2020.
Aureli C., “MIS 3 in East Africa: the relationship between human and environment at the GOT10 site,
South Ethiopia.”

Experiences of contract archaeology:
- May-September 2021: Contract archaeology, Assistant archaeologist for Archeodomus S.r. l. s. excavation monitoring and responsible of relate documentation, Rome (Italy).
- June 2021: Contract archaeology, Assistant archaeologist for the professional archaeologist, excavation monitoring and responsible of relate documentation, Pero de Santi (Civita D’Antino, AQ, Abruzzo, Italy), San Vincenzo Valle Roveto (AQ, Abruzzo, Italy), Santa Restituta (San Vincenzo Valle Roveto, AQ, Abruzzo, Italy).
- June-July & September 2020: Contract archaeology, Assistant archaeologist for the professional archaeologist, excavation monitoring and responsible of relate documentation, Pereto & Carsoli (AQ, Abruzzo, Italy).

Languages:
Italian Native speaker
English Good speaking and reading
French Good reading

Technical Skills:
 Good knowledge of several software packages (Office suite; Adobe Photoshop; Adobe Illustrator; Agisoft Photoscan; Qgis)
 Knowledge of digital photographic and 3D photogrammetry techniques.
 ECDL certification

Research products

11573/1696923 - 2023 - δ13C and δ18O enamel isotope insights into the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic context of MSA humans from Gotera, southern Ethiopia
Asrat, Seminew; Aureli, Caterina; Fusco, Marianna; Anne Tafuri, Marry; Gallinaro, Marina; Spinapolice, Enza Elena - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: XXI INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) Congress- time for change (Sapienza University of Rome)
book: International Union for Quaternary Research - INQUA - ()

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