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Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Vincenzo Timpano!

Vincento Timpano, BerGSAS im Programm Landscape Archaeology and Architecture | Foto: © Privat

1. Vincenzo Timpano, the topic of your dissertation is “The Archaeology of Ritual in Early Rome. Investigating the role of ritual practices in the life cycles of sacro-political places”. Why did you choose this topic and what did you hope to find out?
I have always been fascinated by religion and related rituals, practices that I was fortunate enough to observe quite frequently, having grown up in a small mountain village in southern Italy. During my university studies, I developed this interest in relation to my area of specialisation, central Tyrrhenian Italy, and it was therefore quite spontaneous to analyse these topics. More specifically, in the case study analysed for my PhD – i.e., early Rome –, the idea was to deepen my understanding of the significance of ritual behaviour in connection with the construction and evolution of cult buildings / sacred sites, and thus with the sacred cityscape in the course of the urbanisation process.

2. You were a doctoral student in BerGSAS and you have successfully completed the program “Landscape Archaeology and Architecture (LAA)”. In your experience, what are the benefits of a structured PhD program?
Being part of a structured PhD program was an advantage, primarily because there were courses and activities to attend in order to obtain the credits needed to complete your CV, thereby improving your scientific knowledge and soft skills. This certainly helped to maintain a steady pace of work and commitment, especially during difficult periods, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Being a member of a structured program within BerGSAS also allowed me to take part in a fruitful academic exchange in England, for which it would otherwise have been difficult to obtain the necessary funds. But even more important was the opportunity that such a program offered me to meet several other students engaged in the same path as me, dedicated and passionate people, whose company facilitated my scientific and personal development.

3. What do you take away from your time as a doctoral student at BerGSAS?
One of the most important lessons I have learned from this experience is undoubtedly the awareness that constant commitment and the ability to take your time, and sometimes even to be slow, are the key to completing the path. Furthermore, I have learned to consider a PhD as a job – although it is not considered as such, particularly in terms of remuneration, a PhD is, to all intents and purposes, a job –, and as such, it involves set hours, breaks and days off.

4. What advice would you give to students who are about to begin their PhD program?
Cf. supra, the second part of the answer to the previous question, i.e. constant commitment without rushing, without forgetting that a PhD is a job, so time off is essential to successfully complete the project.

5. On November 21st, you and other graduates received your certificates at the ceremony “Berlin Antiquity in the James Simon Gallery”. What’s next for you? What are your plans?
I would like to continue doing research, which is why I am applying for postdoctoral positions, both in Germany and elsewhere.


OpenEdition schlägt Ihnen vor, diesen Beitrag wie folgt zu zitieren:
teamredaktion (25. November 2025). Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Vincenzo Timpano! Berliner Antike*-Blog. Abgerufen am 10. April 2026 von https://doi.org/10.58079/157e7


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