Maria Taloni is a researcher at the National Research Council – Institute of Heritage Science, specialising in the archaeology of early literate societies and early civilisations, as well as in the management and enhancement of archaeological heritage. She graduated in 2006 and completed her PhD in 2011 at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, with specialisation in Etruscology and Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, with a focus on the Mediterranean context of the Orientalising period. This research was further developed during her postdoctoral fellowships in Germany and Greece. Until 2023, she worked as an archaeological officer at the Italian Ministry of Culture, contributing to cultural heritage policies. Since 2020, she has also served on the European Association of Archaeologists’ Executive Board.