November 19, 2024
7:30 p.m. ET
Davidson College
Belk Visual Arts Center 117
Free and open to the public

Luca Lai, “Beyond the stone giants: an isotopic perspective on life and death of the people buried at Mont’e Prama”

About the lecture:
The accidental 1974 discovery of tens of fragmentary statues at Mont’e Prama, in central-western Sardinia, led to one of the most unexpected discoveries in recent Mediterranean archaeology: A unique necropolis with thousands of fragments of stone warriors and athletes representing one of the earliest examples of life-sized 3D figures west of the Aegean.
After a brief summary of the monumental aspects and the main interpretations of the site’s meaning, the talk will explore the less-publicized insights into the chronology, burial ritual, health, diet, and mobility as they begin to take shape from mortuary archaeology, osteology, and especially the isotopic analyses of their bones. This will also provide an opportunity to discuss the site’s role in today’s public debates surrounding the archaeology of the Nuragic culture and its special place in shaping modern Sardinian identity.

About the speaker:
Luca Lai, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at UNC Charlotte, specializes in stable isotopes, Western Mediterranean prehistory and particularly Sardinia, and human-environment interactions. He has conducted research on paleodiet and paleoclimate in prehistoric Sardinia from the fifth through the first millennium BCE, focusing on long-term continuity and change, and on differential access to resources based on social status and gender. He grew up in Sardinia and has also lived in Ireland, the US, England, and Lesotho. He has worked on favoring the dissemination of archaeology, culture and current events awareness with special attention to the perspectives of minorities.