Lorenzo Nigro
Italian archaeologist and Full Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, whose 2022 reinterpretation of a Phoenician structure at Motya, Sicily, as a sacred pool rather than a harbor drew international coverage.
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- Country
- Italy
- Field
- Near Eastern and Phoenician-Punic archaeology
- Doctorate
- Sapienza University of Rome, 1997
- Current role
- Full Professor, Department of Classics, Sapienza University of Rome (since 2021)
- Excavations directed
- Motya (Sicily, since 2002); Tell es-Sultan/Jericho (since 2005); Khirbet al-Batrawy (Jordan)
- Recognition
- Silvia Dell'Orso Prize, 2019
Overview
Lorenzo Nigro is an Italian archaeologist specialising in the archaeology of the Near East and the Phoenician-Punic world. He graduated cum laude in Archaeology and History of Art of the Ancient Near East from Sapienza University of Rome in 1992 and completed his PhD there in 1997 (Sapienza University of Rome). From 1998 to 2005 he served as Curator of the Gregorian Egyptian Museum at the Vatican Museums, before returning to Sapienza, where he became Associate Professor in 2005 and was promoted to Full Professor in the Department of Classics in 2021 (Sapienza University of Rome).
Since 2002 he has directed the Sapienza archaeological mission at Motya, the ancient Phoenician city on an island off the west coast of Sicily, and since 2005 he has directed the Sapienza expedition to Tell es-Sultan, the site of ancient Jericho in the West Bank (Sapienza University of Rome). He has also directed excavations at Khirbet al-Batrawy, an Early Bronze Age fortified city roughly 25 kilometres north of Amman, Jordan (Jordan Times).
The Motya “sacred pool” finding
In a 2022 paper in the journal Antiquity, Nigro proposed a reinterpretation of a large rectangular basin at Motya long identified as an artificial harbor, or “kothon.” He argued instead that the structure was a sacred freshwater pool at the centre of a monumental circular sanctuary housing three temples, fed by underground springs and never connected to the sea during the Phoenician city’s occupation between the 8th and 5th centuries BC (Antiquity). The finding drew international press coverage. Science News reported that the pool, built between roughly 550 and 520 BC, once held a statue of the god Ba’al and appeared to align with specific stars and constellations on solstices, suggesting a use in astronomical observation as well as worship (Science News). Smithsonian Magazine quoted Nigro telling The Guardian that “the only good mirror in antiquity is water,” in reference to the pool’s likely use for observing star positions reflected on its surface (Smithsonian Magazine).
Jordan: Khirbet al-Batrawy
Discussing his excavation of Khirbet al-Batrawy with the Jordan Times in 2017, Nigro described a fortified hilltop settlement, established around 3000 BC, with a four-line defensive wall system, a palace, and evidence of long-distance trade reaching Egypt: “People living in rural villages along the banks of the Zarqa River… chose a hilltop site as the seat of a communal temple and the palace of a ruling institution, which organised long-distance trade [up to Egypt as finds demonstrated]” (Jordan Times).
Recognition
In 2019, the arts publication Finestre sull’Arte reported that Nigro won the Silvia Dell’Orso Prize for his book “Jericho. The Prehistoric Revolution” (Edizioni Il Vomere), selected by the prize’s scientific committee from 18 nominations submitted from across Italy (Finestre sull’Arte).
What this profile does not claim
Several awards and editorial roles reported only in a self-supplied conference speaker biography — including three prizes said to date from 2010 and a run of journal-editor positions — are not repeated here, since no independent source confirming them was found.
Timeline
- 1992
- Graduates in Archaeology and History of Art of the Ancient Near East from Sapienza University of Rome, cum laude.
- 1997
- Completes his PhD in Archaeology of the Ancient Near East at Sapienza University of Rome.
- 1998
- Becomes Curator of the Gregorian Egyptian Museum at the Vatican Museums, a post he holds until 2005.
- 2002
- Begins directing the Sapienza archaeological mission at Motya, Sicily.
- 2005
- Becomes director of the Sapienza archaeological expedition to Tell es-Sultan/Jericho, and Associate Professor.
- 2017
- Discusses the excavation of Khirbet al-Batrawy, Jordan, with the Jordan Times.
- 2019
- Wins the Silvia Dell'Orso Prize for his book "Jericho. The Prehistoric Revolution", selected from 18 nationwide nominations.
- 2021
- Promoted to Full Professor at Sapienza University of Rome.
- 2022
- Publishes a reinterpretation of the "Kothon" at Motya as a sacred pool rather than a harbor, in the journal Antiquity; the finding is covered internationally by CNN, Smithsonian Magazine and Science News.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- A speaker-bio page for a museum event lists three additional awards said to date from 2010, for his work at Khirbet al-Batrawy. No independent (non-self-supplied) confirmation of these was found, so they are not stated here.
- The same bio lists several journal editorial roles (including editor of Vicino Oriente, 2008–2009). These are not independently corroborated and are not stated here.
Sources
6 sources (3 tier 1, 2 tier 2, 1 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.
Each source below was fetched and read against the claim it supports. Career and education dates are drawn from Sapienza University's own PhD-programme page; the 2022 Motya finding and its press coverage were each verified directly. Claims resting only on a self-supplied conference-organiser bio (including three reported 2010 prizes) are excluded, since no independent confirmation of them was found.
- The sacred pool of Ba'al: a reinterpretation of the 'Kothon' at Motya Supports: The peer-reviewed reinterpretation of the Motya structure as a sacred pool, sole-authored.
- This ancient sacred pool may have been used to worship the stars Supports: Independent coverage of the Motya finding and a direct quote from Nigro.
- This sacred pool helped ancient seafarers navigate the largest sea in the Mediterranean Supports: Independent corroboration of the Motya finding, its dating, and a direct quote from Nigro.
- Excavation at Khirbet al-Batrawy gives clues to ancient urban centre Supports: His role directing the Khirbet al-Batrawy excavation in Jordan, and a direct quote.
- Archaeologist Lorenzo Nigro wins the Silvia Dell'Orso Prize 2019 Supports: The 2019 Silvia Dell'Orso Prize for his book "Jericho. The Prehistoric Revolution", and his teaching/expedition-directing role since 2000 and 2005 respectively.
- PhD School of Archaeology: Lorenzo Nigro Supports: Full education and career timeline, from his 1992 degree through his 2021 promotion to Full Professor.
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