Dr Jacqueline K. Ortoleva
I am a cognitive archaeologist with particular interest in critical heritage at southern Mediterranean archaeological contexts. My former background as a Psychotherapist in experimental psychology and neuroscience has influenced my approach to the archaeological record.
My current postdoctoral Leverhulme project, 'Sounds of silence: how auditory experience protects at-risk cultural landscapes' investigates the role that ancient soundscapes can play in fostering cultural engagement while enhancing climate resilience efforts through direct sensory experience.
Other recent studies include the development of methodologies involving auditory (archaeoacoustics) and visual perception in the pre-Roman archaeological record and the investigation of Etruscan funerary ritual from the perspective of light, sound, and burial objects.
I hold a PhD in archaeology from the University of Birmingham as well as two Masters degrees in the behavioural sciences and an additional Masters in the humanities. I presently serve as Associate Editor for the Journal of Etruscan and Italic Studies https://www.degruyterbrill.com/JEIS.
Research interests:
Critical heritage, archaeoacoustics, cognitive archaeology, pre-Roman archaeology, sensory approaches to the archaeological record particularly those involving digital technologies, (photogrammetry, ArcGIS, and acoustic science platforms). Etruscan funerary ritual, cultural identity and landscape environments are of further interest.
Links:
Google scholar: Google Scholar: JKOrtoleva
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1414-8191
Researchgate: Resgate: JKOrtoleva
Journal of Etruscan and Italic Studies: https://www.degruyter.com_JEIS
Select publications:
Ortoleva, J.K. 2025. 'Sounds Beneath the Surface.' In: A New Etruscan Archaeology: 21st-Century Techniques and Methods, M. Forte (ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press.DOI: 10.1093/9780197582053.003.0006
Ortoleva, J.K. 2025. 'More than one can see: aural and visual experience and the Etruscan painted tomb space.' In: Sensing the past: current practices in applied sensory archaeology and heritage assessment, P. Jordan, S. Mura & S. Hamilton (eds.) London: UCL Press. DOI: doi.org/10.14324/111.9781800088696
Ortoleva, J.K. 2024. 'Light and vision inside the Tomba degli Hescanas, Orvieto (Porano), c. 350-325 BCE.' Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, Special Edition, 53: 104286. DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104286
Ortoleva, J.K. 2023. 'Visions of light: an investigation of visual perception inside the Etruscan painted tomb space.' Journal of Archaeological Science. 160: 105887, 1-18. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2023.105887
Ortoleva, J.K. 2023. 'Sounds of the blue daemon: a new aural study of the Etruscan Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri, 450-430 BCE.' Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 49:104000, 1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104000
Ortoleva, J.K. 2022. 'Making Sense of Landscape: A New Study of Sound Propagation between Tarquinian Funerary and Habitation Settings.' Etruscan and Italic Studies, 25: 1-2,79-112. DOI: 10.1515/etst-2022-0004
Ortoleva, J. K. 2021. 'Sounds of Etruria: Aural characteristics of the Tomba dell' Orco, Tarquinia.' Antiquity, 95: 383, 1179-1194. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2021.111
Ortoleva, J.K. 2023. (review). 'A Short History of the Etruscans by C. Riva.' Bloomsbury Academic. Etruscan and Italic Studies, January 2023. DOI: 10.1515/etst-2023-0004
Nguyen, TT, Wong, TY, Islam, FM, Hubbard L, Miller (Ortoleva) J., Haroon, E., Darwin, C.,Esser, B. & Kumar A. 2008. 'Is Depression Associated with Microvascular Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.' Depress Anxiety. 25:11, E158-62. DOI: 10.1002/da.20427
Olusola Ajilore, Haroon, E., Kumaran, S., Darwin, C., Binesh, N., Mintz, J., Miller (Ortoleva), J., Thomas, M.A. & Kumar, A. 2007. 'Measurement of Brain Metabolites in Patients with type 2 Diabetes and Major Depression Using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. 'Neuropsychopharmacology, 32: 6, 1224-31. DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301248
Watari, K., Elderkin-Thompson, V., Haroon, E., Miller (Ortoleva), J., Darwin, C, Kumar, A. 2006. 'Cognitive Function in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes and Major Depression.' ArchClin. Neuropsychology. Dec. 21: 8, 787-06. DOI: 10.1016/j.acn.2006.06.014
