ASH: Archaeology and Soil Heritage. A PRIN PNRR research project on the role of Andosols from Late Prehistory to Antiquity

ASH investigates the role of Andosols, i.e. volcanic-ash soils, in four case studies in central and southern Italy (Southern Etruria/Northern Latium, the Campanian Plain, the Poro highplain in Calabria, and the Ionian–Etnean area of Sicily). It studies how the distribution and properties of these soils shaped agricultural productivity, settlement systems, and long-term landscape use from Late Prehistory to Antiquity. The research combines archaeological records (new fieldwork and legacy data) with pedological and archaeobotanical studies and multi-temporal remote sensing (historical satellite images, multispectral imagery, spectral indices mapping, sampling, integrated machine-learning and deep-learning analyses). A standards-based GIS supports cross-domain integration and spatial modelling. The project advances knowledge of human-environment relations, highlighting the strategic importance – and vulnerability – of volcanic-ash soils as a crucial subsistence resource. It also establishes a basis for transdisciplinary work linking archaeology, remote sensing, pedology, and environmental research, and provides evidence to inform responsible management of soil and landscape heritage today. Newly collected datasets and GIS mapping enable reproducible analyses and open deposition to benefit future research and heritage governance.