Terra Masseta: verlaten land

Samenvatting

Terra Masseta, a deserted land. In this article we present the research history and current archaeological investigations of an atypical protohistoric settlement in the remote mountain valley of Terra Masseta (Calabria, Italy). Site T115a, occupied between the Late Neolithic and the Iron Age, was discovered in the early 1990’s. In previous years, GIA researchers mapped protohistoric surface remains and documented the section of a gully cutting through the site, but no archaeological features were ever found. Within the Rural Life in Protohistoric Italy project, the current GIA research program into protohistoric settlement and land use in northern Calabria (2010-2015), different geophysical techniques were applied for prospection of subsurface remains. The gully section was also re-investigated and manual augerings were conducted on site. We argue that the systematic integration of multidisciplinary datasets yields new insights into the formation of this remote site.