Professional profile
Archaeologist | Phoenician and Punic Culture | History of Religions | Cultural Anthropology
Graduated in the University of Viterbo with a thesis in Phoenician-Punic archaeology, dedicated to the temple of Antas (Sardinia), he obtained in 2000 a specialisation in “Religious Studies” from the Faculty of Education Sciences at the University of Roma – Tre (thesis on: “The perception of the divine in Greece: The question of visiting gods”) and, subsequently, in 2006, a PhD in “The Mediterranean in the Classical Age: History and Cultures” at the Department of History of the University of Sassari.
In 2009, he took on the role of Level III Researcher at the National Research Council (in the ISCIMA, which later became ISMA, now ISPC) and since 2023 he has been a Level II Researcher (Senior Researcher). As part of his institutional initiatives, he coordinates the projects “Mago. Making Gods: The role of ritual practice in the construction of divinities”, “Dialogues for History” and “IPlaP – Project”, the latter dedicated to the study of the archaeological documentation from the Illa Plana, Ibiza (Spain), in collaboration with MAEF – Museo Arqueológico de Ibiza y Formentera (the research received institutional recognition in 2024 and 2025 from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation).
He has participated in numerous archaeological excavation campaigns, particularly in Sardinia (Nora, Monte Sirai) and Tunisia (Kerkouane, Althiburos) and is a member of several national and international projects, including the archaeological mission dedicated to the Phoenician and Punic site of Pani Loriga of Santadi (Sardinia), scientifically directed by Massimo Botto (ISPC), and the research “Terracotas y comunidades en el Este peninsular durante la Edad del Hierro”, directed by Mireia López Bertran (University of Valencia). Between April and June 2023, he was an Invited Scholar at the Getty Villa/Museum (Los Angeles – USA) with the research project “Gods and culture. Forms of social expression through the cults and divine morphologies in Phoenician context”.
He has published numerous works devoted mainly to the study of Phoenician and Punic religion. Among them, the following monographs stand out: “Religione votiva. Per un'interpretazione storico-religiosa delle terrecotte votive nella Sardegna punica e tardo-punica” (Pisa-Rome 2008) and “Al di là. Gli uomini, gli dèi, la morte in contesto fenicio” (Rome 2022). In addition to the study of religion, his research focuses on the theme of cultural identity, with specific attention to the observation of the real applicability of the term/concept of identity to the communities of the ancient world (Phoenician in particular). In relation to these issues, he coordinated, together with Tatiana Pedrazzi, the project “TCM – Transformations and Crises in the Mediterranean. ‘Identity’ and Interculturality in the Levant and Phoenician West” and has produced various publications, including the article “Phoenician ‘identity’: Methodological approach, historical perspective”, in Semitica et Classica 14, 2021, pp. 19-31.
He is a member of several editorial committees (e.g. Rivista di Studi Fenici and Collezione di Studi Fenici – ISPC) and scientific committees (SPAL monografía arqueología, University of Seville; Ethics and Cultural Heritage – Interdepartmental Centre for Ethics and Integrity in Research, CNR; CAPP – Corpus of Phoenician and Punic Antiquities). Together with Tatiana Pedrazzi, he edits the series “TCM – Transformations and Crises in the Mediterranean”, published by CNR edizioni.
CNR Disciplinary Fields and Research Management Sectors
- SH6_3 Archaeology of early literate societies and early civilizations
- SH6_12 Social, economic, religious and political history
- SH6_13 Cultural history, intellectual history
MUR Italian Scientific-Disciplinary Sector
- 10/N1 Cultures of the Ancient Near East, the Middle East, and Africa
- STAA-01/F Phoenician-Punic Archaeology
Groups & Labs CNR ISPC
Phoenician and Punic Research Group →
Mediterranean of Myths Research Group →
Publications
Highlight
G. Garbati (2024). The Making of a God. The Baal Oz of the Trophy Inscription (Larnaka, Cyprus). Civiltà e Religioni 10, pp. 29-52. ISSN: 2421-3152.
G. Garbati (2022). Al di là. Gli uomini, gli dèi, la morte in contesto fenicio: Quasar edizioni, Roma. ISBN: 978-88-5491-306-6.
G. Garbati (2021). Phoenician “identity”: Methodological approach, historical perspective. Semitica et Classica 14, pp. 19-31. ISSN: 2031-5937. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1484/J.SEC.5.129516
