Elena Rova

Elena Rova is an Associate Professor at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, affiliated with the Department of Humanities. She specializes in the Archaeology and Art History of Ancient Western Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean (STAA-01/E sector). Her research focuses on the civilizations of the Near East, particularly Upper Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and the South Caucasus from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Ages. She leads archaeological projects in Georgia and Syria, including the Georgian-Italian Shida Kartli and Lagodekhi Archaeological Projects. Rova holds a PhD in Archaeology-Prehistory (1991) and has been a scholarship recipient (MAE, DAAD, Humboldt). She serves on editorial boards of journals like Rivista di Archeologia and coordinates international collaborations, including Erasmus exchanges.

Her teaching includes courses on Near East archaeology for undergraduate and graduate programs. Research interests span ceramic analysis, microarchaeology, and chronological studies in the Near East. She has directed excavations at sites like Tell Beydar (Syria) and Natsargora (Georgia). Grants include PRIN projects and funding from the Shelby White-Leon Levy Foundation. Rova’s work emphasizes interdisciplinary methods, integrating archaeometry and digital heritage.

• Education: Literature (Padua 1983), Postgraduate in Oriental Archaeology (Rome 1986), PhD in Archaeology-Prehistory (Rome 1991).
• Key Projects: Georgian-Italian Archaeological Missions in Shida Kartli and Lagodekhi, Tell Beydar excavations (1997–2010).
• Grants: PRIN 2022 ESPREMO, MAECI, and White-Levy Program funding.

Her publications include seven monographs and over 140 articles, with a focus on Near Eastern chronology and cultural interactions. She organizes international conferences and mentors researchers in archaeological field methods.