Archaeology at Ca' Foscari

Research

Highlights

Archaeology and innovation

Archaeology means the study of the human past, encompassing all its social and cultural disparities.
Ca’ Foscari University’s fieldwork activities are directed by a prominent and multidisciplinary team of researchers and scholars. The aim to foster research and innovation in the very crucial moments of the archaeological excavation, bridging fieldwork practices with archaeological theory, scientific methods, sustainability in cultural heritage promotion, and an ethical and innovative framework.

Archaeology and sustainability

Archaeology is not merely excavation. Archaeology means interpreting the past and understanding the present.
The goal of fieldwork is to engage as many young scholars, students, archaeology enthusiasts, and local communities as possible. Together we aim to share the fascinating discoveries of ancient worlds, while keeping the focus on our present days.
Archaeological fieldwork offers students the opportunity to consolidate research methods, applying them in the framework of high ethical and scientific standards. This high-grade fieldwork trains excellent archaeologists and cultural heritage practitioners, who will be ready to face the challenges of the future.

Archaeology and community

Ca’ Foscari’s mission is to instruct future cultural heritage practitioners and scientists, who will be leaders in the enhancement and promotion of archaeological heritage, positively engaging the communities in the design of shared cultural projects. Fieldwork archaeology trains students in the processes of the construction of global cultural heritage.

Research areas and techniques

1. The great ages of human history
  • Prehistory and Protohistory, From the origins of man to the first cities
  • The Great Preclassic Civilisations, From the first cities to the great transnational empires
  • Archaeology of the classical world, From the Poleis to the Roman Empire
  • Postclassical Archaeology, From the Middle Ages to the Contemporary World
2. Geographical macro-areas
 
  • Egypt and the Near East, The complex mosaic of civilisations and cultures from the Nile to the Indus, from the Caucasus to Arabia
  • Central Asia, “The Silk Roads”: archaeology of relations between East and West
  • Mediterranean, Relations, exchanges and cultural crossings across the sea
  • Continental Europe, The Formation of European Civilisations
  • Italian Peninsula, Italy in the third millennium and its memory: excavations, protection and enhancement of the territory
  • Venice and its lagoon, Origins, Environment and Identity
3. Methods and techniques
 
  • Theory and Methods of Archaeology, Innovation in archaeological practice: GIS, underwater archaeology and Digital Archaeology, etc.
  • Archaeometry, The forms of matter of what and how it is made and here it comes from.
  • Archaeobiologies, Not only artefacts, the archaeology of organic remains: physical anthropology, archaeozoology, archaeobotany
  • Public archaeology, Contemporary society and communities and forms of re-appropriation of memory
  • Heritage Studies, Sustainability and conservation: challenges around archaeological heritage