Lorenzo Castellano

Lorenzo Castellano is a Postdoctoral Scholar at UCLA's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology specializing in environmental archaeology and paleoethnobotany. He coordinates activities at the Ancient Agriculture and Paleoethnobotany Laboratory (AAPL) and directs excavations at Niğde-Kınık Höyük in Turkey. Previously, he served as a Postdoctoral Lecturer in Archaeology at NYU's Department of Anthropology and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World.

• 2022 PhD – Ancient Studies, New York University, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
• 2017 MPhil – Ancient Studies, New York University
• 2012 MA – Archaeology (summa cum laude), University of Milan
• 2008 BA – Cultural Heritage Studies (summa cum laude), University of Milan

Castellano's research focuses on ancient agricultural systems in Western Asia, particularly examining the relationship between agricultural strategies and political complexity, the impact of climatic and environmental change on farming practices, and long-term patterns of landscape transformation. His work is strongly interdisciplinary, drawing on Archaeological Methods and Theory, Archaeobotany, Paleoenvironmental Research, and Western Asia Archaeology and History.

His publications reveal a strong focus on Anatolian archaeology across multiple time periods, with particular attention to Bronze and Iron Age agricultural systems. He has made significant contributions to understanding ancient viticulture in pre-Roman Anatolia, the emergence and collapse of Late Bronze Age agricultural landscapes, and long-term environmental changes in Cappadocia. His research spans multiple geographical regions including Turkey, Italy, and China, demonstrating methodological versatility across different archaeological contexts.

Castellano has participated in archaeological fieldwork across diverse chronological and cultural contexts in Italy, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Since 2015, he has directed excavations at Niğde-Kınık Höyük in Turkey. His laboratory work at the Ancient Agriculture and Paleoethnobotany Laboratory (AAPL) focuses on investigating past agricultural systems and studying archaeological plant remains, providing resources for researchers interested in plants and people in ancient contexts.