The archaeological heritage is recognized “as a source of European collective memory and a tool for historical and scientific study. For this purpose, all finds, goods and other traces of man’s existence in the past are considered to constitute the archaeological heritage: the protection and study of which allow us to describe the evolution of man’s history and his relationship with nature ; whose main means of information are excavations and discoveries, as well as other means of research concerning man and his surrounding environment. (…)”.

The archaeological heritage includes structures, constructions, architectural complexes, explored sites, movable assets, monuments of other types and their context, whether found in the ground or underwater (art. 1, European Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage, Valletta, 16 January 1992).

The Superintendence for the provinces of Chieti and Pescara inherits the consolidated activity of the previous Archaeological Superintendency of Abruzzo in the context of the protection and valorisation of the archaeological heritage spread across the territory.

Safeguarding, knowledge, protection, supervision, research, study, cataloguing, conservation, maintenance, prevention, restoration, valorisation, dissemination, usability and promotion are the tasks of the Superintendency in relation to the archaeological sector. The archaeological heritage of the territory of competence includes, among the main elements that characterize it: the areas of potential archaeological interest preserved underground, the archaeological sites that can be visited, the archaeological finds coming from excavations and kept in deposits, the public and private collections of goods archaeological sites, the contexts investigated under the concession of research excavations, the paleontological assets, the sheep track network.