ABSTRACT
Any attempt to study the scope of an archaeology of gender in the context of the Italian data is subject to what I perceive as three formidable challenges. The first is that what is now beginning to be known as ‘Gender Archaeology’ remains an ill-defined entity, still in the making. Secondly this blurred concept of Gender Archaeology has been mainly developed in the Anglo-American archaeological world, rather than in Italy, traditionally far more preoccupied with what could be generally termed the positivist aspects of archaeology. Thirdly, the body of archaeological information for Italy is so rich and meaningful that any attempt to study it constitutes, without a doubt, a challenging and complex task. On attempting such an study, therefore, it becomes necessary first to deal with these three challenges.
