Articles by Marta Arzarello

The aims of TPAA Project (Traces Prehistoric in the Alpine Environment) are the research, promotion and protection of the archaeological heritage in the Lanzo Valleys in Graian Alps, Western Alps (Turin, Piedmont, Northwest Italy). This paper illustrates the GIS predictive model results for the identification of archaeological sites in Lanzo Valleys and the 2019-2020 field survey. The archaeological data stem from occasional findings or traces of rock art. The aim of the GIS predictive model is to identify Potential Archaeological areas for the presence of archaeological sites and to hypothesize any reconstruction of human frequentation dynamics in Western Alps. Predictive GIS model has been elaborated through the interpolation and interpretation of the different environmental and archaeological data available. In the GIS predictive model, criteria such as the geomorphology, distance to water resources, aspect, slope and the use of land were considered. Also, the methodology is an evolution of the one that has already been successfully employed in the Sessera Valley. The results of the GIS model are compared with archaeological data collected during field surveys in the Potential Archaeological areas.

The number of scientific articles published each year is on the rise, but the current system, which is dominated by a few for-profit publishers, has become prohibitively expensive for many institutions. This model of publishing is increasingly being criticized for its serious flaws. The deposit of preprints in open archives is a solution for the rapid dissemination of research. However, the quality of these preprints must be ensured. This is where Peer Community In (PCI) comes in, by organizing communities of researchers to assess the quality of the work deposited in open archives. In 2020, a PCI dedicated to Archaeology was established, with over 100 archaeologists acting as recommenders. These recommenders handle the submitted preprints as associate editors would in traditional journals, but at the end of the process, they write a recommendation text, and the entire editorial process is published with it. So far, PCI Archaeology has received 45 submissions, mostly pertaining to Prehistoric periods, and from authors located in different regions of the world. This open process has been widely accepted by reviewers, but there is still a need to promote the use of preprints in the community of archaeologists.