Federica Sulas
Biographic Data
| ID | 631629 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Federica Sulas |
| GIVEN NAMES | Federica |
| FAMILY NAME | Sulas |
| SIGNATURE | SULAS F |
| AFFILIATIONS | Aarhus University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1825-8133 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 137 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
(In-)formal settlement to whom? Archaeology and old urban agendas for sustainability transitions in Ethiopia
African urban populations are growing predominantly through types of settlement commonly referred to as ‘informal’– settlements constructed outside the control of city or state governments. For the UN New Urban Agenda, informal settlement presents a challenge to developing sustainable cities. Settlement qualification in urban development discourse often relies on prescriptive formal models and considers anything not complying to these as ‘informa…
Developer-Led Excavations, Geoarchaelogy & Bayesian Modelled Chronology of a Guild House and the Main Street at Medieval Odense
In Scandinavia, archaeological investigations have made much progress in detailing the characteristics of the earliest towns. Yet, understanding of urban stratigraphies remains limited, and this gap hampers our ability to define site formation processes and develop contextual palimpsests of town life at a formative time of urban development. This paper presents the results of a multi-scale analytical program applied to developer-led excavations o…
The prehistoric site of Oued Beht, Khémisset, Morocco: An interpretative report on 2021–2022 fieldwork and associated research
This report presents the first in-depth publication of preliminary data from Oued Beht, northwest Morocco, a remarkable site initially identified in the 1930s and now newly investigated. It is based on fieldwork undertaken in 2021–2022 (photogrammetry, survey and excavation), and associated study and analyses. Oued Beht is shown to be a large site of ca. 9–10 hectares in main extent, with many deep pits and convincing evidence for a full package …
The Conundrum of Great Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe (ad 1100-1700) was a substantial settlement comprising elite residences and non-elite housing, largely characterized by complexes of massive stone-walled structures. Its growth had an impact on energy resources within its immediate and broader environment, with water playing a key role in the development and persistence of the settlement. The settlement layout that extends beyond the monumental structures comprises water reservoirs…
Geospatial Science
Revealing the invisible dead: Integrated bio-geoarchaeological profiling exposes human and animal remains in a seemingly ‘empty’ Viking-Age burial
Recent investigations of an apparently ‘empty,’ partly disturbed Viking chamber grave in Denmark (Fregerslev II, dated around the mid-10th century CE) provided an opportunity to develop a novel multi-scale and multi-method analysis of burial and post-burial processes. To overcome the limitations of poor preservation of artefacts and bones, and the lack of a clear macrostratigraphic sequence, we integrated multi-proxy analyses of organic and inorg…
Expanding Space and Time at Igbo-Ukwu: Insights from Recent Fieldwork
Integrating spatial and legacy data to understand archaeological sites in their landscape. A case study from Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Spatial analysis is paramount for understanding, monitoring, and conserving ancient settlements and cultural landscapes. Advancing remote sensing and prospection techniques are expanding the methodological frame of archaeological settlement analysis by enabling remote, landscape‐scale approaches to mapping and investigation. Whilst particularly effective in arid lands and areas with sparse or open ground cover, such as vegetation and buildings, t…
Climate-smart harvesting and storing of water: The legacy of dhaka pits at Great Zimbabwe
Understanding past water management is crucial to address contemporary human-environmental challenges in \nsub-Saharan Africa, where urban growth is impacting upon water availability and supply. This study integrates \nsoil profiles, high-resolution topographic data, historical sources, and socioecological memory to reconstruct \nhow the ancient urban society at Great Zimbabwe negotiated water security. New evidence shows for the first \ntime tha…
Mapping the Invisible Traces: Soil geochemistry of the Fregerslev II burial floor
Mapping the Invisible Traces: Soil micromorphology at Fregerslev II
Aksum: Environmental Archaeology
From Centre-Periphery Models to Textured Urban Landscapes: Comparative Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa
The role of peripheries and satellite settlements around ancient cities is a critical issue in understanding past urban phenomena. The relations between core urban centres and other settlements have often been considered using centre-periphery models. The limitations of such approaches are now emerging as new evidence for interdependency, fluidity, and changeability between cities and their surroundings increases in quality and complexity. This p…
Urban Chronology at a Human Scale on the Coast of East Africa in the 1st Millennium a.d
This paper presents a new high-resolution excavation sequence of a house at the 1st millennium a.d. site of Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar, with implications for a new and detailed understanding of the period between the 7th and 9th centuries a.d. on the East African coast. This is an important period associated with a broad and distinctive cultural tradition, often seen as a pre- or proto-urban phase. Household excavations at Unguja Ukuu revealed two occ…
Soils, Plants, and Texts: An Archaeologist’s Toolbox
Archaeologists are increasingly used to producing and synthesizing multidisciplinary data, particularly where threats to environmental conservation and subsistence have led to calls for applied research. This chapter explores how environmental, geoarchaeological, and historical information can help us understand the long-term impact of farming in northern Ethiopia. Here, the expansion of farming communities and, later, the rise of the kingdom of …
Soil geochemistry, phytoliths and artefacts from an early Swahili daub house, Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Aksum: Environmental Archaeology
Expanding the research parameters of geoarchaeology: Case studies from Aksum in Ethiopia and Haryana in India
Geoarchaeology of urban space in tropical island environments: Songo Mnara, Tanzania
Deciphering public spaces in urban contexts: Geophysical survey, multi-element soil analysis, and artifact distributions at the 15th–16th-century AD Swahili settlement of Songo Mnara, Tanzania
Foundations of an African Civilisation: Aksum and the northern Horn, 1000 BC-1300 AD
The northern Horn fits few categories. So does this new wide-ranging synthesis of the history and archaeology of a unique, African civilization that flourished in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea during the first millennium AD, with important resonances for the Classical and medieval worlds as well as for today. Over a decade after the publication of his seminal study Ancient Ethiopia (1998), David Phillipson offers this compelling read. Ethiopians …
Archaeology at the micro-scale: Micromorphology and phytoliths at a Swahili stonetown
Barbara E. Barich Antica Africa: Alle origine delle società (Studia Archaeologica 171). 432 pages, 126 illustrations, 17 colour plates, 5 tables. 2010. Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider; 978-88-8265-547-1…
Barbara E. Barich Antica Africa: alle origine delle società (Studia Archaeologica 171). 432 pages, 126 illustrations, 17 colour plates, 5 tables. 2010. Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider; 978-88-8265-547-1 hardback €95. - Volume 85 Issue 328
Africa’s Fragile Heritages: Introduction
PhD ABSTRACTS
Archaeology at the micro-scale: Micromorphology and phytoliths at a Swahili stonetown
Soil geochemistry, phytoliths and artefacts from an early Swahili daub house, Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Deciphering public spaces in urban contexts: Geophysical survey, multi-element soil analysis, and artifact distributions at the 15th–16th-century AD Swahili settlement of Songo Mnara, Tanzania
State formation and water resources management in the Horn of Africa: The Aksumite Kingdom of the northern Ethiopian highlands
Intensification of agriculture and irrigation are often considered triggers for both the flourishing and demise of civilizations. Was irrigation a key factor of state formation and urban development in northern Ethiopia? We argue that a household-based management of farmland and water would have provided a strategy sustainable over the long term and flexible enough to adjust to population expansion and contraction at the ancient capital of the Ki…
Geoarchaeology of urban space in tropical island environments: Songo Mnara, Tanzania
Revealing the invisible dead: Integrated bio-geoarchaeological profiling exposes human and animal remains in a seemingly ‘empty’ Viking-Age burial
Recent investigations of an apparently ‘empty,’ partly disturbed Viking chamber grave in Denmark (Fregerslev II, dated around the mid-10th century CE) provided an opportunity to develop a novel multi-scale and multi-method analysis of burial and post-burial processes. To overcome the limitations of poor preservation of artefacts and bones, and the lack of a clear macrostratigraphic sequence, we integrated multi-proxy analyses of organic and inorg…
Expanding the research parameters of geoarchaeology: Case studies from Aksum in Ethiopia and Haryana in India
Cultural Continuity in Aksumite Lithic Tool Production: The evidence from Mai Agam
Detailed study of lithic assemblages from Mai Agam and other sites at Aksum, Ethiopia, demonstrates cultural continuity from prehistoric times and the adaptation of an earlier Late Stone Age technology to meet the needs of a complex, urban society
Integrating spatial and legacy data to understand archaeological sites in their landscape. A case study from Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Spatial analysis is paramount for understanding, monitoring, and conserving ancient settlements and cultural landscapes. Advancing remote sensing and prospection techniques are expanding the methodological frame of archaeological settlement analysis by enabling remote, landscape‐scale approaches to mapping and investigation. Whilst particularly effective in arid lands and areas with sparse or open ground cover, such as vegetation and buildings, t…
Urban Chronology at a Human Scale on the Coast of East Africa in the 1st Millennium a.d
This paper presents a new high-resolution excavation sequence of a house at the 1st millennium a.d. site of Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar, with implications for a new and detailed understanding of the period between the 7th and 9th centuries a.d. on the East African coast. This is an important period associated with a broad and distinctive cultural tradition, often seen as a pre- or proto-urban phase. Household excavations at Unguja Ukuu revealed two occ…
Climate-smart harvesting and storing of water: The legacy of dhaka pits at Great Zimbabwe
Understanding past water management is crucial to address contemporary human-environmental challenges in \nsub-Saharan Africa, where urban growth is impacting upon water availability and supply. This study integrates \nsoil profiles, high-resolution topographic data, historical sources, and socioecological memory to reconstruct \nhow the ancient urban society at Great Zimbabwe negotiated water security. New evidence shows for the first \ntime tha…
Africa’s Fragile Heritages: Introduction
(In-)formal settlement to whom? Archaeology and old urban agendas for sustainability transitions in Ethiopia
African urban populations are growing predominantly through types of settlement commonly referred to as ‘informal’– settlements constructed outside the control of city or state governments. For the UN New Urban Agenda, informal settlement presents a challenge to developing sustainable cities. Settlement qualification in urban development discourse often relies on prescriptive formal models and considers anything not complying to these as ‘informa…
The prehistoric site of Oued Beht, Khémisset, Morocco: An interpretative report on 2021–2022 fieldwork and associated research
This report presents the first in-depth publication of preliminary data from Oued Beht, northwest Morocco, a remarkable site initially identified in the 1930s and now newly investigated. It is based on fieldwork undertaken in 2021–2022 (photogrammetry, survey and excavation), and associated study and analyses. Oued Beht is shown to be a large site of ca. 9–10 hectares in main extent, with many deep pits and convincing evidence for a full package …
Expanding Space and Time at Igbo-Ukwu: Insights from Recent Fieldwork
Cultural Continuity in Aksumite Lithic Tool Production: The evidence from Mai Agam
Detailed study of lithic assemblages from Mai Agam and other sites at Aksum, Ethiopia, demonstrates cultural continuity from prehistoric times and the adaptation of an earlier Late Stone Age technology to meet the needs of a complex, urban society
State formation and water resources management in the Horn of Africa: The Aksumite Kingdom of the northern Ethiopian highlands
Intensification of agriculture and irrigation are often considered triggers for both the flourishing and demise of civilizations. Was irrigation a key factor of state formation and urban development in northern Ethiopia? We argue that a household-based management of farmland and water would have provided a strategy sustainable over the long term and flexible enough to adjust to population expansion and contraction at the ancient capital of the Ki…
PhD ABSTRACTS
Barbara E. Barich Antica Africa: Alle origine delle società (Studia Archaeologica 171). 432 pages, 126 illustrations, 17 colour plates, 5 tables. 2010. Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider; 978-88-8265-547-1…
Barbara E. Barich Antica Africa: alle origine delle società (Studia Archaeologica 171). 432 pages, 126 illustrations, 17 colour plates, 5 tables. 2010. Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider; 978-88-8265-547-1 hardback €95. - Volume 85 Issue 328
Africa’s Fragile Heritages: Introduction
Archaeology at the micro-scale: Micromorphology and phytoliths at a Swahili stonetown
Foundations of an African Civilisation: Aksum and the northern Horn, 1000 BC-1300 AD
The northern Horn fits few categories. So does this new wide-ranging synthesis of the history and archaeology of a unique, African civilization that flourished in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea during the first millennium AD, with important resonances for the Classical and medieval worlds as well as for today. Over a decade after the publication of his seminal study Ancient Ethiopia (1998), David Phillipson offers this compelling read. Ethiopians …
Deciphering public spaces in urban contexts: Geophysical survey, multi-element soil analysis, and artifact distributions at the 15th–16th-century AD Swahili settlement of Songo Mnara, Tanzania
Geoarchaeology of urban space in tropical island environments: Songo Mnara, Tanzania
Expanding the research parameters of geoarchaeology: Case studies from Aksum in Ethiopia and Haryana in India
Aksum: Environmental Archaeology
Soils, Plants, and Texts: An Archaeologist’s Toolbox
Archaeologists are increasingly used to producing and synthesizing multidisciplinary data, particularly where threats to environmental conservation and subsistence have led to calls for applied research. This chapter explores how environmental, geoarchaeological, and historical information can help us understand the long-term impact of farming in northern Ethiopia. Here, the expansion of farming communities and, later, the rise of the kingdom of …
Soil geochemistry, phytoliths and artefacts from an early Swahili daub house, Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Aksum: Environmental Archaeology
From Centre-Periphery Models to Textured Urban Landscapes: Comparative Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa
The role of peripheries and satellite settlements around ancient cities is a critical issue in understanding past urban phenomena. The relations between core urban centres and other settlements have often been considered using centre-periphery models. The limitations of such approaches are now emerging as new evidence for interdependency, fluidity, and changeability between cities and their surroundings increases in quality and complexity. This p…
Urban Chronology at a Human Scale on the Coast of East Africa in the 1st Millennium a.d
This paper presents a new high-resolution excavation sequence of a house at the 1st millennium a.d. site of Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar, with implications for a new and detailed understanding of the period between the 7th and 9th centuries a.d. on the East African coast. This is an important period associated with a broad and distinctive cultural tradition, often seen as a pre- or proto-urban phase. Household excavations at Unguja Ukuu revealed two occ…
Mapping the Invisible Traces: Soil geochemistry of the Fregerslev II burial floor
Mapping the Invisible Traces: Soil micromorphology at Fregerslev II
Revealing the invisible dead: Integrated bio-geoarchaeological profiling exposes human and animal remains in a seemingly ‘empty’ Viking-Age burial
Recent investigations of an apparently ‘empty,’ partly disturbed Viking chamber grave in Denmark (Fregerslev II, dated around the mid-10th century CE) provided an opportunity to develop a novel multi-scale and multi-method analysis of burial and post-burial processes. To overcome the limitations of poor preservation of artefacts and bones, and the lack of a clear macrostratigraphic sequence, we integrated multi-proxy analyses of organic and inorg…
Expanding Space and Time at Igbo-Ukwu: Insights from Recent Fieldwork
Integrating spatial and legacy data to understand archaeological sites in their landscape. A case study from Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Spatial analysis is paramount for understanding, monitoring, and conserving ancient settlements and cultural landscapes. Advancing remote sensing and prospection techniques are expanding the methodological frame of archaeological settlement analysis by enabling remote, landscape‐scale approaches to mapping and investigation. Whilst particularly effective in arid lands and areas with sparse or open ground cover, such as vegetation and buildings, t…
Climate-smart harvesting and storing of water: The legacy of dhaka pits at Great Zimbabwe
Understanding past water management is crucial to address contemporary human-environmental challenges in \nsub-Saharan Africa, where urban growth is impacting upon water availability and supply. This study integrates \nsoil profiles, high-resolution topographic data, historical sources, and socioecological memory to reconstruct \nhow the ancient urban society at Great Zimbabwe negotiated water security. New evidence shows for the first \ntime tha…
The Conundrum of Great Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe (ad 1100-1700) was a substantial settlement comprising elite residences and non-elite housing, largely characterized by complexes of massive stone-walled structures. Its growth had an impact on energy resources within its immediate and broader environment, with water playing a key role in the development and persistence of the settlement. The settlement layout that extends beyond the monumental structures comprises water reservoirs…
Geospatial Science
The prehistoric site of Oued Beht, Khémisset, Morocco: An interpretative report on 2021–2022 fieldwork and associated research
This report presents the first in-depth publication of preliminary data from Oued Beht, northwest Morocco, a remarkable site initially identified in the 1930s and now newly investigated. It is based on fieldwork undertaken in 2021–2022 (photogrammetry, survey and excavation), and associated study and analyses. Oued Beht is shown to be a large site of ca. 9–10 hectares in main extent, with many deep pits and convincing evidence for a full package …
Archaeology (21 works) · Geography (21 works) · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories (9 works) · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies (8 works) · African history and culture analysis (7 works) · Art (7 works) · Geology (7 works) · History (7 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Archaeological Research and Protection (5 works)