Phd in PHD SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY

Thesis title: La necropoli di Granarolo dell'Emilia (BO) nel quadro del villanoviano bolognese orientale: studio della ritualità funeraria entro e fuori le sepolture

This research focuses on the analysis of a Villanovan funerary context identified at Granarolo dell’Emilia (BO) during excavations conducted between 2011 and 2013. The investigations brought to light small clusters of burials adjacent to an area of difficult interpretation, characterised by deep pits and cavities. This evidence fits within a settlement pattern widely attested across the eastern Felsinean plain between the 8th and 7th centuries BC, and displays close affinities with other sites belonging to the same cultural horizon. The study integrates multiple levels of analysis, ranging from the reconstruction of the ancient landscape and hydrographic network to the systematic re-examination of excavation records and the assessment of the associated material culture. A broad programme of interdisciplinary investigations (anthropological, faunal and archaeobotanical analyses, organic residue analysis, and 14C dating) has made it possible to explore the characteristics of the funerary rite and the patterns of occupation of the area. Through comparison with other funerary groups in the eastern Bolognese plain and the application of quantitative approaches to published grave assemblages, the research contributes to defining the social articulation and strategies of representation adopted by rural gentilitial communities, situating the case of Granarolo within a broader framework of territorial exploitation and occupation, with particular attention to practices connected to the funerary sphere.