Simone Mantellini
Biographic Data
| ID | 2334068 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Simone Mantellini |
| GIVEN NAMES | Simone |
| FAMILY NAME | Mantellini |
| SIGNATURE | MANTELLINI S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bologna |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8261-6500 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 42 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
From Tamerlane's tableware to everyday pottery
Tracing herding strategies in the Samarkand Oasis
The archaeological complex of Kafir Kala is one of the most important sites in the Samarkand oasis, strategically located just a few miles from the main city and along the major junction of the Silk Road. After more than twenty years of systematic archaeological investigation, the importance of Kafir Kala as a nodal point within the broader Eurasian connection network was recognised by its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023 as pa…
Development of water management strategies in southern Mesopotamia during the fourth and third millennium B.C.E
The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management in southern Mesopotamia. Thanks to many geoarchaeological research projects conducted throughout the central and southern Iraqi floodplains, a general understanding of the macrophases of anthropogenic manipulation of this vast hydraulic landscape has been achieved. However, current narratives mostly rely on studies at a regional scale and are based on …
Glass from the Silk Roads. Insights into new finds from Uzbekistan
The paper provides insights into an assemblage of glass finds from the citadel of Kafir Kala and the site of Cholaktepa both in the proximity of Samarkand (Uzbekistan). Located along one of the major Eurasian branches of the Silk Roads, passing through Samarkand, Kafir Kala is among the most relevant centres to better understand the Islamization of the Middle Zeravshan Valley in the early 8th century. During the excavations, hundreds of fragments…
Glass from the Silk Roads. Insights into New Finds from Uzbekistan
Beyond the Fortified Town
The site of Banbhore is located in the western delta of the Indus river (Sindh, Pakistan), identified as the harbor town of Daybul mentioned in pre-Islamic and Early Islamic written sources. The archaeological activities conducted here since the beginning of the past century revealed a long and uninterrupted occupation and complex urban planning (1st century BCE-early 13th century CE). A systematic field survey was carried out for the first time …
Evaluating the human impact on the archaeological landscape of Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Landscape Archaeology and Irrigation Systems in Central Asia
Change and Continuity in the Samarkand Oasis
The archaeological complex of Kafir Kala is one of the largest and most important sites in the Samarkand Oasis. After some preliminary works in the last century, the site has been the object of systematic investigation by the Italo-Uzbek Archaeological Expedition since 2001. The extraordinary discovery of 500 clay sealings is witness to the major role played by Kafir Kala in the rich trade along the “Silk Road”. Evidence of the Pre-Islamic occupa…
The implications of water storage for human settlement in Mediterranean waterless islands
Consistent water supply is a common issue in the history of Mediterranean civilizations, where hydraulic solutions, such as cisterns, wells, reservoirs and aqueducts, were adopted for private and public supply. In this context, the island of Pantelleria, where surface freshwater is virtually non-existent, represents a unique case for understanding human–environment interaction in waterless environments. Here, in historical times, year-round water…
Ancient Irrigation Systems of the Aral Sea Area
Dating the Irrigation System of the Samarkand Oasis
The oasis of Samarkand in the Middle Zeravshan Valley (modern Uzbekistan) was a major political and economic center in ancient western Central Asia. The chronology of its irrigation system was, until now, only constrained by the quality and quantity of archaeological findings and several different hypotheses have been proposed for it. We use a new approach combining archaeological surveying, radiocarbon dating, sedimentary analysis, and the numer…
Canals versus horses
At the heart of Central Asia, the Middle Zeravshan Valley and the city of Samarkand are \ncrisscrossed by a complex system of canals derived from the Zeravshan river (Fig. 1). In agreement \nwith the traditional theories proposed by soviet scholars and defended, in another context, by \nWittfogel, it is usually assumed that a strong, long-term association exists between the management \nof this irrigation system and some form of centralized polit…
Archaeological Explorations in the Sogdian Fortress of Kafir Kala (Samarkand Region, Republic of Uzbekistan)
The papers concerns the first topographical investigation around the major settlement of Kafir Kala (Samarkand, Uzbekistan). The research started with the recovery of the data from the previous investigations in the area. New focused field activities, such as the reconnaissance of the site and the excavation of the citadel, are planned for the next seasons within the activities of the Uzbek-Italian expedition
Canals versus horses
At the heart of Central Asia, the Middle Zeravshan Valley and the city of Samarkand are \ncrisscrossed by a complex system of canals derived from the Zeravshan river (Fig. 1). In agreement \nwith the traditional theories proposed by soviet scholars and defended, in another context, by \nWittfogel, it is usually assumed that a strong, long-term association exists between the management \nof this irrigation system and some form of centralized polit…
The implications of water storage for human settlement in Mediterranean waterless islands
Consistent water supply is a common issue in the history of Mediterranean civilizations, where hydraulic solutions, such as cisterns, wells, reservoirs and aqueducts, were adopted for private and public supply. In this context, the island of Pantelleria, where surface freshwater is virtually non-existent, represents a unique case for understanding human–environment interaction in waterless environments. Here, in historical times, year-round water…
Archaeological Explorations in the Sogdian Fortress of Kafir Kala (Samarkand Region, Republic of Uzbekistan)
The papers concerns the first topographical investigation around the major settlement of Kafir Kala (Samarkand, Uzbekistan). The research started with the recovery of the data from the previous investigations in the area. New focused field activities, such as the reconnaissance of the site and the excavation of the citadel, are planned for the next seasons within the activities of the Uzbek-Italian expedition
Change and Continuity in the Samarkand Oasis
The archaeological complex of Kafir Kala is one of the largest and most important sites in the Samarkand Oasis. After some preliminary works in the last century, the site has been the object of systematic investigation by the Italo-Uzbek Archaeological Expedition since 2001. The extraordinary discovery of 500 clay sealings is witness to the major role played by Kafir Kala in the rich trade along the “Silk Road”. Evidence of the Pre-Islamic occupa…
Ancient Irrigation Systems of the Aral Sea Area
Glass from the Silk Roads. Insights into new finds from Uzbekistan
The paper provides insights into an assemblage of glass finds from the citadel of Kafir Kala and the site of Cholaktepa both in the proximity of Samarkand (Uzbekistan). Located along one of the major Eurasian branches of the Silk Roads, passing through Samarkand, Kafir Kala is among the most relevant centres to better understand the Islamization of the Middle Zeravshan Valley in the early 8th century. During the excavations, hundreds of fragments…
Dating the Irrigation System of the Samarkand Oasis
The oasis of Samarkand in the Middle Zeravshan Valley (modern Uzbekistan) was a major political and economic center in ancient western Central Asia. The chronology of its irrigation system was, until now, only constrained by the quality and quantity of archaeological findings and several different hypotheses have been proposed for it. We use a new approach combining archaeological surveying, radiocarbon dating, sedimentary analysis, and the numer…
Archaeological Explorations in the Sogdian Fortress of Kafir Kala (Samarkand Region, Republic of Uzbekistan)
The papers concerns the first topographical investigation around the major settlement of Kafir Kala (Samarkand, Uzbekistan). The research started with the recovery of the data from the previous investigations in the area. New focused field activities, such as the reconnaissance of the site and the excavation of the citadel, are planned for the next seasons within the activities of the Uzbek-Italian expedition
Canals versus horses
At the heart of Central Asia, the Middle Zeravshan Valley and the city of Samarkand are \ncrisscrossed by a complex system of canals derived from the Zeravshan river (Fig. 1). In agreement \nwith the traditional theories proposed by soviet scholars and defended, in another context, by \nWittfogel, it is usually assumed that a strong, long-term association exists between the management \nof this irrigation system and some form of centralized polit…
Dating the Irrigation System of the Samarkand Oasis
The oasis of Samarkand in the Middle Zeravshan Valley (modern Uzbekistan) was a major political and economic center in ancient western Central Asia. The chronology of its irrigation system was, until now, only constrained by the quality and quantity of archaeological findings and several different hypotheses have been proposed for it. We use a new approach combining archaeological surveying, radiocarbon dating, sedimentary analysis, and the numer…
Ancient Irrigation Systems of the Aral Sea Area
The implications of water storage for human settlement in Mediterranean waterless islands
Consistent water supply is a common issue in the history of Mediterranean civilizations, where hydraulic solutions, such as cisterns, wells, reservoirs and aqueducts, were adopted for private and public supply. In this context, the island of Pantelleria, where surface freshwater is virtually non-existent, represents a unique case for understanding human–environment interaction in waterless environments. Here, in historical times, year-round water…
Change and Continuity in the Samarkand Oasis
The archaeological complex of Kafir Kala is one of the largest and most important sites in the Samarkand Oasis. After some preliminary works in the last century, the site has been the object of systematic investigation by the Italo-Uzbek Archaeological Expedition since 2001. The extraordinary discovery of 500 clay sealings is witness to the major role played by Kafir Kala in the rich trade along the “Silk Road”. Evidence of the Pre-Islamic occupa…
Landscape Archaeology and Irrigation Systems in Central Asia
Evaluating the human impact on the archaeological landscape of Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Glass from the Silk Roads. Insights into New Finds from Uzbekistan
Beyond the Fortified Town
The site of Banbhore is located in the western delta of the Indus river (Sindh, Pakistan), identified as the harbor town of Daybul mentioned in pre-Islamic and Early Islamic written sources. The archaeological activities conducted here since the beginning of the past century revealed a long and uninterrupted occupation and complex urban planning (1st century BCE-early 13th century CE). A systematic field survey was carried out for the first time …
Glass from the Silk Roads. Insights into new finds from Uzbekistan
The paper provides insights into an assemblage of glass finds from the citadel of Kafir Kala and the site of Cholaktepa both in the proximity of Samarkand (Uzbekistan). Located along one of the major Eurasian branches of the Silk Roads, passing through Samarkand, Kafir Kala is among the most relevant centres to better understand the Islamization of the Middle Zeravshan Valley in the early 8th century. During the excavations, hundreds of fragments…
Development of water management strategies in southern Mesopotamia during the fourth and third millennium B.C.E
The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management in southern Mesopotamia. Thanks to many geoarchaeological research projects conducted throughout the central and southern Iraqi floodplains, a general understanding of the macrophases of anthropogenic manipulation of this vast hydraulic landscape has been achieved. However, current narratives mostly rely on studies at a regional scale and are based on …
From Tamerlane's tableware to everyday pottery
Tracing herding strategies in the Samarkand Oasis
The archaeological complex of Kafir Kala is one of the most important sites in the Samarkand oasis, strategically located just a few miles from the main city and along the major junction of the Silk Road. After more than twenty years of systematic archaeological investigation, the importance of Kafir Kala as a nodal point within the broader Eurasian connection network was recognised by its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023 as pa…
Geography (12 works) · Eurasian Exchange Networks (11 works) · Archaeology (9 works) · Ancient history (5 works) · History (5 works) · History (5 works) · Archaeology and Historical Studies (4 works) · Geology (4 works) · Irrigation (4 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (3 works)