LAMAP

The Lakaton’i Anja Archaeological Project (LAAP) is an international research and training initiative led by the University of Milan in collaboration with the University of Antsiranana and the University of Toliara.

This project establishes a binational, interdisciplinary field school centered on the archaeological and cultural landscape of Lakaton’i Anja, in Antsiranana, northern Madagascar. It combines scientific research, field-based training, and heritage-oriented engagement, within a framework explicitly designed to counter extractive research models and promote equitable knowledge production.

The project constitutes the pilot phase of a longer-term collaboration between Malagasy and Italian institutions and is conceived as a replicable model for future field schools in Madagascar.

Participants will first take part in a preparatory symposium involving international scholars in archaeology, anthropology, and the social sciences of Madagascar, before engaging in an 18-day immersive field experience in northern Madagascar.

Based in Antsiranana, the program integrates scientific research and field-based training (encompassing daily archaeological fieldwork, data processing, interpretation, and collaborative discussion) alongside heritage-oriented engagement, within a framework explicitly designed to counter extractive research models and promote equitable knowledge production. Participants are directly involved in all stages of the research process, developing practical skills in field methods, documentation, and team-based scientific work.

The experience is further enriched through interaction with local institutions and communities, as well as opportunities to contribute to the project’s scientific outputs. Conducted in a demanding tropical environment, the program fosters both technical competence and adaptability, offering a truly immersive and professionally valuable experience within an international research framework.

Lakaton’i Anja, located in the Andavakoera gorge, is one of the key sites in discussions of the earliest human presence in Madagascar. From a scientific point of view, however, the evidence remains complex and in several respects still contested. Radiocarbon dating carried out on charcoal fragments from the site has yielded dates no earlier than the 1st millennium AD, more specifically between 1050 and 1350 AD, although this chronological framework must be treated with caution because the stratigraphy is heavily disturbed (Dewar et al. 2013; Anderson 2019).

The archaeological assemblage is particularly remarkable. It includes stone artefacts such as microliths, microlades, and retouched tools, characterised by a lithic technology otherwise unknown in Madagascar and interpreted as being associated with a foraging-based subsistence model (Dewar et al. 2013; Anderson 2019). These finds are accompanied by faunal remains and by imported ceramics from the Middle East and China, which confirm the existence of long-distance connections between the 11th and 14th centuries AD (Dewar et al. 2013).

Research at the site developed mainly between the 1990s and the 2000s. The principal excavations were published first in 1992 and later reconsidered in greater detail in subsequent work, especially in Dewar et al. (2013), while the broader implications of the site were reassessed by Anderson (2019).

What makes Lakaton’i Anja especially important is that it has been used to suggest the possibility of human presence in Madagascar as early as 2000 BC, which would nearly double the currently accepted duration of occupation on the island. At the same time, this interpretation remains far from secure, because the available evidence is still insufficient and requires more precise dating before such an early chronology can be accepted (Anderson 2019; Mitchell 2019).

The initiative is aimed at UniMi students regularly enrolled in the third year of the BA in Cultural Heritage, the MA in Archaeology, the Specialization School in Archaeological Heritage (SSBA), and students enrolled in other equivalent Italian Master’s degree programs.

Period 

The scheduled period —barring circumstances beyond the organizers' control— will be between mid-October and mid-December 2026.

Participation and credits recognition

A maximum of 15 students will be admitted through a selection procedure. Participants (UniMi only) will be awarded 3 credits (CFU) for excavation laboratory activities and specific seminar sessions.

Estimated Travel Expenses

Currently, the estimated cost may be affected by logistical constraints linked to the current situation in the Middle East!

Key Dates and Deadlines

Detailed information on how to apply will be published on this website and and through official UniMi channels by April.

• May: application period.

• June: announcement of admitted students.

• July: deadline for eligible candidates to complete the registration process to be considered official members.