PREISTORIA E PROTOSTORIA CON LAB. DI PROMOZIONE DEI BENI ARCHEOLOGICI
Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: ORAZIO PALIOExpected Learning Outcomes
The course aims to achieve the following learning outcomes:
DD1
- The student will understand the general framework and development of the various phases of Mediterranean prehistory from the end of the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age; he or she will also be able to identify the main groups in terms of craft production, domestic and funerary structures.
- The student will understand the issues related to settlement systems, territorial organization, and the economic and symbolic systems of prehistoric human groups.
DD2
- The student will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to the construction of thematic itineraries aimed at illustrating the salient aspects of prehistory.
- The student will be able to recognize, describe, and communicate the main prehistoric contexts of Sicily and southern Italy.
DD3
- The student will be able to independently study and analyze a prehistoric archaeological context, highlighting the elements that characterize its organization and functioning.
DD4
- The student will be able to communicate the knowledge acquired, exploring in depth the topics presented during the course.
DD5
- The student will be able to construct thematic paths around which to build a communication project for archaeological heritage.
Course Structure
Required Prerequisites
Attendance of Lessons
Detailed Course Content
Methodology and history of prehistoric research; definitions and concepts.
Chronological development and dating elements.
Archaeological facies: definition and characteristics.
The Italian peninsula and Sicily between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age; territory, settlements and social organization.
Textbook Information
Sebastiano Tusa, La Sicilia nella Preistoria, Sellerio, Palermo.
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | definition of the concept of prehistory | |
| 2 | chronological development | |
| 3 | Migration and/or acculturation. The neolithization process. | |
| 4 | The Neolithic in Sicily, Aeolian Islands and peninsular Italy | |
| 5 | The Transition to the Copper Age. Problems of chronology and definition of characteristics | |
| 6 | The Copper Age in Peninsular Italy and Sicily. Relations with the Eastern Mediterranean | |
| 7 | The Bronze Age. The development of social diversity | |
| 8 | Communication and promotion of prehistoric archaeological assets |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
The oral exam is intended to test and evaluate knowledge of the prehistory and protohistory of Sicily and peninsular Italy, both theoretically (origin and development of the main phenomena, social organization and reconstruction of the symbolic and ideological environment of the human groups examined, subsistence, economic, and social activities) and practically (reconstruction of temporal and cultural sequences, description of sites, monuments, and artifacts). The assessment also includes the student's communication and presentation skills, use of the Italian language, variety and appropriateness of terminology, and ability to organize and express concepts and ideas, even complex ones.
A test will be administered approximately halfway through the lessons to assess student learning and the effectiveness of the teaching activity. Students will also be given a presentation on a project to communicate Sicilian prehistoric contexts. This project will focus on a specific phase of prehistory or a specific cultural aspect, its spatial and temporal location, and the description of two or three sites.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
1 - Description of prehistoric sites and their placement in the geographical, chronological, socio-cultural context to which they belong
2 - Topographical, chronological and/or cultural relationship between different archaeological contexts
3 - Exposition of the most important stratigraphic sequences
4 - Explanation of theoretical concepts relating to the social or economic structure of prehistoric contexts