Joan Sanmartí Grego
Department of Romance Languages and Literatures
1115 E. 58th Street.
Chicago, IL 60637
Office: Wieboldt 217
Email: sanmarti@ub.edu
Joan Coromines Visiting Professor of Catalan, Universitat de Barcelona
Joan Sanmartí Grego is currently Full Professor (catedràtic d’universitat) of Archaeology at the Department of Prehistory, Ancient History, and Archaeology of the University of Barcelona. He is Ordinary Fellow of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (Union Académique Internationale-International Union of Academies).
Joan Sanmartí’s research agenda has focused on the study of the Western Mediterranean Protohistory, most particularly on the processes of social change that led to the formation of early states in that area. Within this main scope, one particular subject of study has been the role of Greek and Phoenician-Punic colonization and trade, but he has also paid attention to the analysis of internally generated processes that are relevant for any approach to social complexity –such as regional population density and measures of sociopolitical integration and of division of labor– and has devoted considerable effort to the recovery of empirical data concerning the issues abovementioned. Most of his field work (survey and excavation) has been carried out in Catalonia, but he has also worked in the Balearic Islands (Mallorca and Minorca) and he currently co-directs (with Nabil Kallala) a research project in Tunisia on the formation of the ancient Numidian state. He is the author of several books, among which Els Ibers del Nord (2004, with J. Santacana), L’assentament del bronze final i la primera edat del ferro del Barranc de Gàfols (Ginestar, Ribera, d’Ebre) (2000), El poblat ibèric d’Alorda Park (1992), El jaciment protohistòric d’Aldovesta i el comerç fenici arcaic a la Catalunya meridional (1991). He has also organized and published as scientific editor several international meetings on Western Mediterranean Protohistory (the last one, De les comunitats locals als estats arcaics: la formació de les societats complexes a la costa del Mediterrani occidental, with M.C. Belarte, 2007). His teaching at the University of Barcelona is focused on archaeological theory and method, as well as the Protohistory of the Western Mediterranean and Greek Archaeology.