This course is organised in 3 modules (2+2+2) and aims to address core themes across three major periods of human presence in the Mediterranean: (1) Prehistory (2) Classical Antiquity (3) the Medieval Age. Each module will establish a chronological framework and address issues of societal developments and the use of landscape. The location of prehistoric/classical/medieval sites in the Mediterranean, in terms of both ancient and modern geography, is fundamental: we will explore the reasons for the discovery, excavation, conservation, restoration and presentation of key sites for each period, and the research questions that led the work in each of these steps. Each module will include a discussion of how and why these sites are valorised (or ignored) by the current nation states in which they are located, and how this impacts on their visibility and accessibility to modern tourists. Each module will conclude with specific case studies of selected sites covering issues such as how they are presented today; how they can be visited; and how tourist programs and guides can present them and make them more accessible to the public in a way that adds to the resources available on site.
