The fall of the Berlin Wall and, subsequently, of communism in Europe had profound consequences for the social and political environment of many European countries, including Italy. In this paper I discuss the impact that these, now historical, events and the new socio-political arena that emerged in their aftermath had upon Italian Early Medieval Archaeology from two interconnected perspectives. On the one hand I consider the history of a discipline that, although strongly characterised by a Marxist approach at its birth, appears not to have been subject to significant changes in its theoretical outlook as a consequence. On the other, through a consideration of the changing character of major exhibitions on the Lombard period, I explore the role that archaeology has played in the construction of a trans-national European narrative in a post-communist Europe while maintaining a central role in the negotiation of local identities. The ultimate aim of this paper is to re-evaluate the latest developments in Italian archaeology from a fresh perspective, considering the impact that major contemporary events can have on our perception, interpretation and narration of the past.
Saxon Obsequies: the Early Medieval Archaeology of Richard Cornwallis Neville