Every archaeological site is also a geological one. The sediments that buried and preserved ancient bones and tools are themselves archives, layered records of climate shifts, animal activity, and human presence. Greta Brancaleoni’s work for INASIA is about learning to read those archives, reconstructing what happened in a cave or rockshelter not just when people were there, but across the history of its formation, with a particular focus on the Pleistocene-Holocene transition and the Holocene.
Within INASIA, Greta brings this geological perspective to cave sites in Central Asia, with approaches that range from field observation to microscopic and geochemical analysis of sediments to investigate how archaeological layers formed, how well they have been preserved, and whether natural processes (e.g., erosion, freeze-thaw cycles, animal burrowing) or anthropogenic ones (e.g., burning) may have disturbed or moved the evidence over time. This kind of contextual reading is essential to understand whether an artefact found in a particular layer truly belongs there.
Her work gives INASIA a foundation for interpreting everything else the project uncovers. By distinguishing traces of human behaviour from the background noise of natural processes, and by reconstructing how mountain environments shaped the preservation of Palaeolithic remains, Greta helps ensure that the project’s conclusions rest on solid ground.
Education & Research
Greta holds a PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, awarded cum laude in 2024, with doctoral research focused on the reconstruction of site formation processes at Obishirian sites in Central Asia, with particular attention to archaeological contexts in Kyrgyzstan. She also holds postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in Geology from the University of Bologna, and professional training in seismic analysis at the University of Perugia.
Greta is currently a Research Assistant at the Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, where she integrates geological and geoarchaeological research with her work in INASIA. In 2025, she was a visiting researcher at the University of Tübingen, Germany. She has previously worked as a technician at the Stable Isotope Laboratory ISOLAB, gained professional experience as a geologist and GIS analyst in Italy, and completed an internship at the British Geological Survey in the United Kingdom.
Her research has focused on site formation processes, microstratigraphy, human–environment interactions in Central Asia and Central Europe. Her fieldwork spans cave and rockshelter sites across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Poland, including work at Kuksaray-2, Istykskaya Cave, Kurteke Rockshelter, Keptesh Cave, Sel’Ungur Cave, Obishir sites, Raj Cave, and Biśnik Cave. This gives her direct, hands-on experience for tackling the geoarchaeological questions at the heart of INASIA.
Link to ResearchGate