I am a researcher at Sapienza University of Rome, specialised in prehistoric archaeology and material culture analysis

My research focuses on archaeological evidence, particularly ceramics and perishable materials such as fibers, textiles, and wooden objects. My aim is to reconstruct the social and cultural dynamics of prehistoric communities, with a chronological emphasis on the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Bronze Age. My work spans a wide geographical area, including Europe and the Near East, with a focus on Mediterranean regions (Italian Peninsula, Spain, Egypt), and experience also in the Balkans, Iraq, and British contexts.

My approach to research has been shaped by international training that combines diverse archaeological traditions and integrates theoretical, empirical, and advanced technological aspects.

I draw on the sociology and anthropology of technology to interpret human behaviors associated with the production and use of artifacts. I combine theory with empirical studies of the archaeological evidence integrating manufacturing and use-wear analysis, using microscopy at various magnifications and archaeometric methods as petrographic, mineralogical, and chemical investigations  to characterize materials and reconstruct production processes. 

Experimental archaeology also plays a key role in my research providing reference collections to interpret material culture.

This multidisciplinary approach allows me to address complex themes, such as the organization of production, craft specialization, and related social complexity and cultural interactions on both synchronic and diachronic scales.

Over the last years, my research extended beyond ceramic vessels to include other clay artefacts, such as figurines, exploring their symbolic and practical roles in different contexts and reconstructing the profile of their makers through fingerprint analysis.

Recently, I have initiated an innovative research line that integrates archaeology with cognitive neuroscience. This pioneering approach, still largely unexplored in Italy, has enabled collaborations with neuroscience and cognitive science experts of italian research institutions as Sapienza, University of Padova and University of Chieti-Pescara. This recent collaboration explores the impact of ceramic technology on early Neolithic potters and how the development of new motor skill influence the variability of material culture analyzed by archaeologists. This perspective opens new avenues for understanding the relationships between technology, human behavior, and social development. It also provides a novel lens for examining craft specialization, not only in terms of material production but also in characterizing specialists from a cognitive standpoint.