From the Field: Industria (Monteu da Po), Northern Italy

The project Ancient and Modern Communities at Industria  is a research effort of the Cotsen Institute at UCLA, Kent University (UK), Newcastle University (UK), and the Politecnico di Torino (Turin, Italy). The main focus of the project is a diachronological study of communities and their environment. Starting with present day Monteu da Po, ancient Industria, in northern Italy, we aim to learn about traditional farming, industry, and daily life of the inhabitants of the region through time, going back to the Roman Period (first century AD). Through a dialogue with the community, literature study, and archaeology, we will expand our understanding of ancient Industria and modern Monteu da Po and neighboring communities. The project also hopes to contribute to the economic development of the region. In our first field season we employed various non-destructive techniques near the ruins of the church of San Giovanni di Dustria, just north of the ancient city center.

Submitted by Hans Barnard, associate researcher, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology and associate adjunct professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Culture This project was performed with the permission and cooperation of the Direzione generale archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio, Ministero della cultura.