OVERVIEW

The sciences that investigate Prehistory and Protohistory aim to analyze the biological and cultural processes that characterized the origin and development of our species until the urban revolution, when writing began to spread. The course aims to provide the basic knowledge about human evolution and related human cultures between Lower Paleolithic to the end of the Bronze Age.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching of "Prehistory and Protohistory" aims to provide a general picture of the development of the human cultures from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Late Bronze Age, starting from the key concepts for each Period and then focusing on the cultures that characterized the Italian Peninsula.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to illustrate the human evolution and to provide an overview of the development of cultures from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age, starting from the more general issues of the discipline, and then focusing on the cultural aspects that characterized the different phases of the Prehistory and the Protohistory in Italy. In addition to a good knowledge of the topics treated, a good capacity for exposure and critical analysis of the problems underlying the palethnological sciences is also required.

PREREQUISITES

None.

Teaching methods

Online classes on Teams platform with the use of PPT, videos and other material. Teams channel: "Preistoria e Protostoria" - Teams Code:  d5wekep

All students (non-attending too) must registered to aul@web.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course aims to provide a basic knowledge on the origin and evolution of man and the development of its cultures in the period between the Lower Palaeolithic and the end of the Bronze Age. It follows an anthropological perspective, useful for understanding and defining the processes that have characterized the evolution and transformation of human communities and their cultures during Prehistory and Protohistory, also in relation to climatic changes and environment. In particular it deals with the process of hominization, the Early Palaeolithic cultures, the Neanderthal man and his disappearance, the origin and spreading out of Africa of the anatomically modern man (Homo sapiens), the hunter-gatherer societies of the Upper Palaeolithic and of the Mesolithic, the symbolic thought and the emergence of art, the sedentarization and the introduction of agriculture during the Neolithic, the discovery of the metallurgy, the birth of the first urban settlements and the beginning of the “historic” times. Although particular attention is given to what happened in the Italian Peninsula, the archaeological evidence of other Mediterranean and extra-European areas are also presented in order to understand the origin and extent of certain phenomena. Finally, information on cutting-edge technologies and most updated methodologies, which is necessary to adequately assess the archaeological data, is also provided.

The 6-credit (CFU or University Educational Credit) program will be focused exclusively on the chronological period between the Upper Palaeolithic and the Late Bronze Age, as well as the methodological basis of the discipline.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography for the 9-credit program

- Giorgio Manzi, 2013. Il grande racconto dell'evoluzione umana. Il Mulino, Bologna.

- Marco Peresani, 2018. Come eravamo. Viaggio nell'Italia paleolitica. Il Mulino, Bologna.

- Daniela Cocchi Genick, 2009. Preistoria. QuiEdit, Verona. (Neolithic, Copper and Bronze Ages only)

A book of your choice between:

- Vincenzo Formicola, 2016. Dal Neandertal allo Hobbit - Fossili e idee controcorrente. Oltre edizioni, Sestri Levante.

- Silvana Condemi, François Savatier, 2017. Mio caro Neanderthal - Trecentomila anni di storia dei nostri fratelli. Bollati Boringhieri, Torino.

- Colin Renfrew, 2011. Preistoria – L’alba della mente umana. Einaudi, Torino.

- Richard C. Francis, 2016. Addomesticati - L'insolita evoluzione degli animali che vivono accanto all'uomo. Bollati Boringhieri, Torino.

Further bibliography will be indicated during the course.

I can also provide english bibliography for those who are not able to read Italian texts.

Bibliography for the 6-credit program

- Daniela Cocchi Genick, 2009. Preistoria. QuiEdit, Verona. (Neolithic, Copper and Bronze Ages only).

- Vincenzo Formicola, 2016. Dal Neandertal allo Hobbit - Fossili e idee controcorrente. Oltre edizioni, Sestri Levante. (Chapter 4 only).

A book of your choice between:

- Colin Renfrew, 2011. Preistoria – L’alba della mente umana. Einaudi, Torino.

- Richard C. Francis, 2016. Addomesticati - L'insolita evoluzione degli animali che vivono accanto all'uomo. Bollati Boringhieri, Torino.

Further bibliography will be indicated during the course.

I can also provide english bibliography for those who are not able to read Italian texts.

Exam Board

FABIO NEGRINO (President)

ANTONINO FACELLA

FABRIZIO BENENTE (Substitute)

Teaching methods

Online classes on Teams platform with the use of PPT, videos and other material. Teams channel: "Preistoria e Protostoria" - Teams Code:  d5wekep

All students (non-attending too) must registered to aul@web.

LESSONS START

October 6th, 2020.

ORARI

PREHISTORY AND PROTOHISTORY

Exam description

Oral exam.

Non-attending students are required to agree on the exam program with the teacher and to contact him as soon as possible (by e-mail, by phone or by presenting themselves during his office hours).

Assessment methods

The oral exam will allow to verify if the student has acquired a good knowledge of the subject-matter dealt with. His speaking ability and his competence in analysing some historical processes will also be verified, placing them in a correct chronological framework and exposing them in a clear manner and with an adequate terminology.