Unit 1
The course aims at presenting the soil resource as central in human life which favoured the achievement of mankind history.
The course focuses on the conservation concept either as active or passive: soil that conserves archaeological remains and soil that should be conserved as a vulnerable fragile resource.
For the first aspect soil is presented through the description of its physical, chemical and biological properties. Basic concepts of soil science are given.
For the second aspect the course explores the possibility to use visual arts (particularly painting and installations) as innovative tools to vehicle and spread soil knowledge, valorisation and ultimately a soil culture.
In particular the course aims at:
1) favouring knowledge and understanding of soil functions and properties
2) learning how to apply soil science techniques to archaeological sciences
3) making judgments about soil's attitude to conserve archeological remains
4) learning soil science terms and communication tools
5) increasing learning skills by means of visual arts

Unit 2
The soil survey in archaeological research finds its application analysis of pedogenetic processes that act intensely on the Earth's surface by gradually erasing or changing the direct and indirect effects of human settlements or vice versa in the analysis of buried pedons for understanding the factors that characterized pedogenesis in the ancient environment.
The aim of the course is to provide the basic knowledge of pedology to be able to give the interpretative keys of which natural and anthropic processes may have characterized the ancient environment whose imprint is present in soils "sealed" by natural sedimentation or eruptions volcanic in the study.