Terra Masseta: a deserted land

In this article we present the research history and current archaeological investigations of protohistoric settlement in the remote mountain valley of Terra Masseta (Calabria, Italy). Site T115a, occupied between the Late Neolithic and the Iron Age, was discovered in the early 1990’s. In the following years, GIA researchers mapped protohistoric surface remains and documented the section of a gully intersecting the site, but preserved archaeological features could never be located. Within the Rural Life in Protohistoric Italy project, the current GIA research programme into protohistoric settlement and land use in northern Calabria (2010-2015), different geophysical techniques were applied for prospection of subsurface remains. The gully section was also re-investigated and manual augerings were conducted on site. We argue that the systematic integration of multidisciplinary datasets yields new insights into the formation of this remote site