Marco PRETE

PhD Student
PhD in - XXXVI cycle
Tutor: Simona Venera TODARO

Marco Prete graduated at the University of Turin with a thesis entitled Cnosso e il panorama politico cretese nel periodo neopalaziale (110/110 summa cum laude and special mention from the Academic Senate). In 2018 he joined a 3-months session of the Curatorial Project at the Knossos Research Centre (The British School at Athens, British School at Athens – An Institute for Advanced Research (bsa.ac.uk)), later becoming member of the Galatàs Pediada Project in 2019 under the direction of Dott. Giorgos Rethemiotakis (Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports) and Dott. Kostis Christakis (British School at Athens). Within the latter, he is now in charge for the study and final publication of some buildings and contexts of the Galatàs archaeological site. His main interest lies in the study of socio-political and economic dynamics of Minoan Crete within the proto and neopalatial periods, mainly focusing on the Pediada region.

Research project

Social, political and economic dyniamics in the Pediada region of Minoan Crete: towards a reassesment of the data from the case-study of Building 3/5 in Galatàs Pediados.

This project aims to reconstruct the social, political and economic dyniamics in the Pediada region of Minoan Crete towards the study and contextualization of new data from Building 3/5 in Galatàs Pediados. The complex appears to be the most important excavated so far within the site, with the only ecception of the central compound known as the palace. The area of Building 3/5 shows evidence of different period of occupation from MM IB  (1900-1800 a.C. circa) to the end of Late Minoan IB (1450 a.C. circa), resulting as a valuable source to understand processes occurring both at the micro (building), meso (settlement) and macro (region) scale of analysis. This research is inteded to provide both a scientific advancement of knowledge on the Minoan occupation of the area during the protopalatial and neopalatial periods and a contribution to increase the awareness and consciousness of the local cultural heritage within the area. 


Other activities during the Phd course

2019 - To date Member of the Galatàs Pediada Project under the direction of Dott. Giorgos Rethemiotakis (Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports) and Dott. Kostis Christakis (The British School at Athens). Since 2020, in charge for the study and final publication of some buildings and contexts of the Galatàs archaeological site. 

2020:  Specialist Editor for “Rosetta Journal” (University of Birmingham). http://www.rosetta.bham.ac.uk/committee.html

2021: Supervisor (october-november 2021) for the University of Catania to the operations taking place in the archaeological site of Haghia Triada (Crete) within the progect for the management of rainwater and for the realisation of test pits preliminary to the extention of Minoan Villa's roof coverage. 

2022: Organizer and Executive Board Member of CHAIN - CULTURAL HERITAGE ACADEMIC INTERDISCIPLINARY NETWORK  (Home (chain-conference.com)).

2022: Participant in the Festòs excavation campaign 2022  (Unict, Unive, CNR-ISPC)  in Crete (NSA(IA). Notizie degli Scavi della Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene (2022) 1 (scuoladiatene.it). Supervisor for the topographic documentation of Trench 3 (scientific direction Prof.ssa S.V. Todaro).  

2022: Participation in the Workshop Household Archaeology in the Mediterranean (Unict e Universidad de Alicante) held in Catania, Palazzo Ingrassia, 12/12/2022 (Incontro di studio: Archeologia dell’abitare | Dottorato in Scienze per il Patrimonio e la Produzione Culturale (unict.it))

M. Prete, 'Crisis, Cultural Heritage, and Archaeology: Narratives about the Past as Resources to Overcome Critical Times. Some “Minoan” Examples', in Atti del Convegno Chain (Catania, 18-20 maggio 2022), forthcoming.

M. Prete, 'Crisis, An Ancient Art in a Modern World: the Challenge of Thrapsanò Traditional Potters in Crete'Cronache di Archaeologia, forthcoming.