Massimo Vidale is Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Padua where he lectures on ancient crafts and cultures. An internationally prominent scholar of the archaeology and material culture of the Bronze Age, he has held Chairs at the universities of Bologna, Genoa and Rome. His previous books, published in English and Italian, include The Archaeology of Indus Crafts (2000), What is Ethnoarchaeology? (2004) and Ceramics and Archaeology (2007).