Methods and Practices in Studies of the Economy of Messapia

The paper will discuss some aspects of archaeological research that allow to reconstruct the economic and relational framework of the Salento peninsula during the pre-Roman period. 1) Study of interaction and exchange. From quantitative analysis to the latest cognitive approaches, the research in this field led to a radical revision of the concepts traditionally used to describe the relationships and contacts with neighboring cultural systems (especially with the Greek world). 2) Settlements, landscapes, communities. The global approach to the study of the territory has allowed to reconstruct the development of settlement system over time. Numerous ongoing projects are aimed at reconstructing the cultural landscapes of the region, with specific attention to the human-environment relationship and the processes of definition and socio-political organization of local communities. Experimental archaeology and organization of individual and collective work. 3) Production and consumption of food. From the materiality of objects to their symbolic value in order to reconstruct the economic and social features related to production and distribution of agricultural resources. The contribution of archaeometry, social anthropology and ethnographic research. New projects on production and processing techniques of commodities (wheat, oil and wine).