Publications by authors named "Andrea Dolfini"
The article discusses results of organic residue analysis performed on ten copper-alloy daggers from Bronze Age Pragatto, Italy, c.1550-1250 BCE. Metal daggers are widespread in Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Europe, yet their social and practical roles are still hotly debated.
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- Scientists studied ancient DNA from people in Italy who lived between 3200 and 1500 BCE to understand their ancestry.
- They found that a new type of ancestry from the Steppe region started appearing in Central Italy around 1600 BCE and increased over time.
- Their research showed that while there were changes in population and family ties, the arrival of Steppe ancestry didn't change many physical traits, which were affected more by events that happened after the Roman Empire.
The paper discusses results of an interdisciplinary research project integrating lead isotope, chemical, and archaeological analysis of 20 early metal objects from central Italy. The aim of the research was to develop robust provenance hypotheses for 4th and 3rd millennia BC metals from an important, yet hitherto neglected, metallurgical district in prehistoric Europe, displaying precocious copper mining and smelting, as well as socially significant uses of metals in 'Rinaldone-style' burials. All major (and most minor) ore bodies from Tuscany and neighbouring regions were characterised chemically and isotopically, and 20 Copper Age axe-heads, daggers and halberds were sampled and analysed.
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