Roberto Arciero
PhD candidate
- Name
- Dr. R. Arciero MA
- Telephone
- 071 5272727
- r.arciero@arch.leidenuniv.nl

Roberto Arciero is a Research Affiliate at the Faculty of Archaeology, specializing in the archaeology of West and Central Asia, with additional research interests in Contemporary Archaeology.
More information about Roberto Arciero
Leiden Archaeology Blog
Office days
Available on appointment
Research
Roberto Arciero is a Research Affiliate at Leiden University, Department of World Archaeology. At Leiden University, he is conducting research on the island of Lampedusa (Italy) within the framework of the RESPIRE Project (funded by the National Geographic Society). His contemporary archaeological research explores modern macroplastic debris on three case-study beaches on the island of Lampedusa.
Applying archaeological methodologies, Roberto examines macroplastic assemblages to reconstruct their origin, distribution, and broader socio-cultural and environmental implications for the island. Likewise, given Lampedusa’s position at the center of Mediterranean migration routes, a key aspect of the project is the study of plastic materials associated with migrant crossings. The aim is to identify which plastic objects are associated by migrants, exploring their functional and symbolic significance. Furthermore, through semi-structured interviews with people with migrants background who arrived in Lampedusa, the project seeks to document the personal histories attached to these objects, offering insights into their materiality, use, and emotional significance. By integrating archaeological and ethnographic approaches, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the interplay between the island's material culture, human mobility, and environmental impact in both migration and non-migration contexts
In parallel with the Lampedusa project, he is currently investigating the ancient hydrological and agricultural system of the Paskurt Valley in southern Uzbekistan as part of the Franco-Uzbek Archaeological Mission in Protohistoric Bactria, conducted at MOM-Archéorient, CNRS (UMR 5133), Lyon.
For his doctoral research at Leiden University, Roberto investigated human-water dynamics and agricultural practices of the Oxus Civilization (Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex) between the 3rd and 2nd millennium BCE, focusing on the Murghab region in southern Turkmenistan. This area, a key center of early urban development in Central Asia, has been largely overlooked by Western scholars. His research examined the role of irrigation and agricultural systems in the emergence of proto-state society, addressing questions of water management, and impact on settlement dynamics. Through the Murghab Water Project (MWP), Roberto applied a multidisciplinary approach, using remote sensing, traditional surveys, and geoarchaeological methods. Additionally, carbon isotope analysis of botanical remains, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute in Jena, provided insights into past agricultural strategies.
His Ph.D. research was funded by the National Geographic Society/Early Career Grant, the Elise Mathilde Fund/LUF Grant, and the Asian Modernities and Tradition Grant (Leiden University).
Teaching activities
Roberto Arciero worked as a Teaching Assistant between 2017 and 2021 for several BA1 courses at the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University. Specifically - along with teachers - Roberto taught, coordinated, and designed campus-based and online tutorials. Moreover, along with Dr. Victor Klinkenberg Roberto taught the course “Designing Archaeological Research” for BA3. In 2021, Roberto obtained the University Teaching Qualification (Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs, BKO).
Curriculum vitae
Roberto Arciero is a Research Affiliate at Leiden University and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée – Archéorient Laboratory, CNRS (UMR 5133) in Lyon.
He earned a BA in Ancient History from Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (Italy), where he also completed a two-year Master’s degree in Archaeology cum laude, specializing in Near Eastern Archaeology. In 2024, he successfully defended his PhD at the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, focusing on water and agricultural management, settlement systems, and social transformations of the Oxus Civilization in Central Asia. He currently serves as Field Director of the TAP-Togolok Archaeological Project in Turkmenistan.
Since 2007, Roberto has participated in numerous archaeological field surveys and excavations across Italy, Greece, Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), the Arabian Peninsula (Oman), and East Africa (Eritrea). Additionally, he worked for three years as a contract archaeologist in Italy.
Roberto Arciero is a National Geographic Explorer.
PhD candidate
- Faculty of Archaeology
- World Archaeology
- Archaeology of the Near East
- Arciero R. (6 December 2024), Irrigating the desert: water management, agricultural practices, and social complexity in Southern Turkmenistan during the Bronze Age (Dissertatie, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University) Archaeological Studies Leiden University no. 54. Supervisor(s) and Co-supervisor(s): Düring B.s., Akkermans P.M.M.G.
- Forni L & Arciero R. (2022), Identity and interaction at Togolok 1 in the Murghab region (Southern Turkmenistan) during the Bronze Age. In: Coppini C., Cyrus G. & Golestaneh H. (Eds.) Bridging the gap: disciplines, times, and spaces in dialogue. Sessions 4 and 6 from the conference Broadening Horizons 6 held at the Freie Universität Berlin, 24-28 June 2019. no. 3 Oxford: Archaeopress Publishing.
- Billings T. N., Cerasetti B., Forni L., Arciero R., Dal Martello R., Carra M., Rouse L.M., Boivin N. & Spengler R.N. (2022), Agriculture in the Karakum: an archaeobotanical analysis from Togolok 1, southern Turkmenistan (ca. 2300–1700 B.C.) , Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution : 10.
- Arciero R., Water in the desert? The Oxus Civilization and the role of the irrigation system. Leiden Archeology Blog. Leiden: Leiden University. [blog entry].
- Cerasetti B., Arciero R., Billings T.N., Cattani M., D’Ippolito L., Forni L., Luneau E., Olson K.G., Potenza A.C., Rouse L.M. & Spengler R.N. (2022), The rise and decline of the desert cities: the last stages of the BMAC at Togolok 1 (Southern Turkmenistan). In: Baumer C., Novák M. & Rutishauser S. (Eds.), Cultures in contact: central Asia as focus of trade, cultural exchange and knowledge transmission. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag.
- Cerasetti B., Arciero R., Carra M., Curci A., De Grossi Mazzorin J., Forni L., Luneau E., Rouse L.M. & Spengler R.N. (2019), Bronze and Iron Age Urbanisation in Turkmenistan. Preliminary results from the excavation of Togolok 1 on the Murghab alluvial fan. Baumer C. & Novak M. (Eds.), Urban Cultures of Central Asia from the Bronze Age to the Karakhanids: Learnings and conclusions from new archaeological investigations and discoveries. Proceedings of the First International Congress on Central Asian Archaeology held at the University of Bern, 4–6 February 2016. First International Congress on Central Asian Archaeology 4 February 2016 - 6 February 2016. Bern: Harrassowitz Verlag. 63-72.
- Arciero R. & Forni L. (2018), La prima urbanizzazione in Turkmenistan: coesistenza tra nomadi e sedentari nel delta interno del fiume Murghab Risultati preliminari delle indagini archeologiche ed etnografiche presso il sito di Togolok 1. Ferrari A., Pupulin E., Ruffilli M. & Tomelleri V. (Eds.), Armenia, Caucaso e Asia Centrale - Ricerche 2017. no. 7. Venezia: Edizioni Ca’ Foscari.
- Arciero R. (2016), Nuove scoperte lungo la Via della Seta, Archeologia Viva 178(Jul-Aug): 46-56.