Rennes 2 University
Type d'article
In-Depth

A Discussion with: Mario Denti

Contenu sous forme de paragraphes
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We recently had the chance to sit down and speak with Mario Denti, Director of the excavation mission at the archaeological site Incoronata (in the Gulf of Taranto, Italy) and Professor of Archeology and History of Ancient Art at Rennes 2.

The project, which has been active for 15 years, seeks to better understand the interactions between the indigenous communities of the Iron Age and the first groups of Greeks from the Aegean, at the beginning of the 7th century BC.

Mario Denti
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The excavation project at Incoronata began in 2002. It is a key site of the Mediterranean archeology of the Iron Age which is located in a beautiful but completely unknown region, Basilicata. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was excavated by the universities of Milan and Texas, and then we took over.

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Each year, usually during the month of September, Mario Denti welcomes a team of approximately 15 students (mostly from Rennes 2 University, but also Italian and Parisian students) to the dig site, where for a period of 4-5 weeks, they are trained in archaeological research in the field: stratigraphy, drawing, photography, topography, data processing and computerization, etc.

He told us more about the history and objectives of the site and excavation, the specifics of what a typical day is like for them, the objects they have found on-site and their state of preservation. He also discussed some of the challenges of leading a site such as this and some of his ...

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The Incoronata [site] is a laboratory of extraordinary richness to study the phenomena of interaction between Greeks and non-Greeks, and a very interesting model of historical-cultural integration.

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To read the full interview (in French), please go here.

The excavation is being conducted by Rennes 2 University and the the Laboratory of Archeology and History - Merlat (LAHM, UMR 6566 CReAAH). Mario Denti is also Director of the Laboratory LAHM (Laboratory of Archeology and History Merlat), UMR 6566 and Deputy Director of UMR 6566 CReAAH.

The LAHM’s website on the topic is available here.

Mario Denti and Clement Bellamy have also written a book titled, La céramique dans les espaces archéologiques « mixtes », Autour de la Méditerranée antique. It is available through the Presse Universitaire de Rennes.

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