Khashuri Natsargora: The Early Bronze Age Graves. Publications of the Georgian-Italian Shida Kartli Archaeological Project, Vol. I  (PUBLISHED 2012)

The Early Bronze Settlement & Cemetery of Khashuri Natsargora Vol II

Elena Rova is associate professor of "Near Eastern Archaeology" at Ca' Foscari University of Venice (2015-), where she previously (2001-2015) was researcher and lecturer. She obtained a MA at Padua University (1983) and a PhD at Roma “La Sapienza” University (1991); was post-PhD fellow at Ca’ Foscari (1997/98) and Alexander-von-Humboldt fellow at Würzburg (2001/2002). Her research activity focuses on the urban societies of the ancient Near East, in particular of Upper Mesopotamia, and on their northern neighbours (the ancient cultures the Southern Caucasus and Anatolia), during the Chalcolitic, Bronze and Iron Age (V-I mill. BC). Among her main research themes are: comparative chronology, the relations between the different areas of the Near East, and the analysis (both with traditional methods and with the help of mathematical-statistical tools) of pottery and glyptic finds. Since the 1980s, her field activities were devoted to the same areas, beginning with the participation to excavations in Northern Iraq (Tell Karrana, Eski Mosul region, 1984-1986), and south-eastern Turkey (Arslantepe/Malatya, 1990), continuing with two decades of excavations and surface surveys in the Khabur region of north-eastern Syria (Tell Leilan, 1989-1997, Tell Beydar, 1997-2010) and with the more recent activities in the Southern Caucasus (Georgia, Shida Kartli and Lagodekhi regions, 2009-). Between 1997and 2010 she was vice-director of the Ca' Foscari University team at the Syro-European excavation of Tell Beydar (Syria) and since 2009 is co-director of the joint Georgian-Italian “Shida Kartli” and “Lagodekhi” Archaeological Projects (excavations at Natsargora, Okherakhevi, Aradetis Orgora/Doghlauri, Tsiteli Gorebi 5). She is the author, or co-author, of 6 monographic studies and ca 110 among articles and reviews in scientific journals, congress proceedings and miscellaneous volumes; the editor (or co- editor) of 4 volumes of congress proceedings and miscellaneous studies. She was team leader of the international ARCANE project (European Science Foundation, 2006-2011), local coordinator of an Italian National project (PRIN 2009, 2010-2012), and principal investigator of two Ca’ Foscari projects (2014-2015 and 2019-2021). She organised the international congress Humboldt Kolleg "At the Northern Frontier of Near Eastern Archaeology: Recent Research on Caucasia and Anatolia in the Bronze Age/An der Nordgrenze der vorderasiatischen Archäologie: Neue Forschung über Kaukasien und Anatolien in der Bronzezeit" (Venice, 09-11/01/2013, with M. Tonussi), and the international workshop "Georgia and Armenia: new Perspectives on the Archaeology of the Southern Caucasus" (Venezia, 17/05/2016, with A. Gilibert). She is General Editor of the "Araxes" series (Brepols publishers) dedicated to the archaeology of the Caucasus, and peer reviewer of numerous international journals and institutions.