Thesis title: Porto Perone-Satyrion e Torre Castelluccia (TA). Recupero di contesti da scavi storici per una nuova gestione della documentazione
Archaeological research in the Taranto area, initiated by the excavation of Scoglio del Tonno at the beginning of the twentieth century, brought to light a system of fortified coastal settlements whose occupation is documented from the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1700–1300 BC). Among these are Torre Castelluccia and Porto Perone–Satyrion, located along the south-eastern sector of the Taranto territory. Their strategic topographical setting –on headlands flanked by natural bays, in highly accessible and therefore privileged landing positions– facilitated their integration, throughout the Bronze Age, into regional (within the Gulf of Taranto) and interregional (in the Central Mediterranean and the Aegean) networks.
Despite their recognised historical significance and interpretative potential, knowledge of Torre Castelluccia and Porto Perone-Satyrion has long relied on fragmented and unevenly accessible data. A significant portion of the documentation deriving from mid-twentieth-century excavations remained unpublished or only partially edited, thereby limiting the reliability of the existing interpretative framework.
This study presents a systematic re-evaluation of these contexts through the renewed analysis of archival records and the reassessment of archaeological materials. The recovery enabled a comparative reconstruction of the developmental trajectories of the two settlements and a refined understanding of settlement dynamics in the Taranto region between the Middle Bronze Age and the onset of Greek colonisation (ca. 1700–700 BC). At the same time, first-hand experience in retrieving information from these sites led to the formulation of transferable guidelines for the recovery, management, and dissemination of legacy excavation data.