Papers by Nicola Degasperi
Archaeopress Publishing Ltd eBooks, Dec 16, 2021
The Early Neolithic site of Lugo di Romagna (Northeastern Italy) has been found during quarry wor... more The Early Neolithic site of Lugo di Romagna (Northeastern Italy) has been found during quarry works at about 13 m under the terrain surface. This circumstance allowed the preservation of part of the ancient village soil surfaces and of the complete collapse of a dwelling. This finding was at all exceptional for Northern Italy, where the remains of Early Neolithic soil surfaces are extremely rare and scarcely preserved. During the excavation (1983-2001) a section of the fence structures of the village has been brought to light. They consist of a ditch and, in a first phase, an earth bank, replaced in the following phase by a palisade. The hut, rectangular in shape, measures 10 x 7 m and is divided into two rooms. The perimeter walls have a shallow foundation trench, in which were planted stakes that supported a texture of smaller woods covered with clay daub (wattle and daub technique). On the floor of the house, consisting of a layer of earth, there are the holes for the roof support poles. In the house there were a central hearth and an oven which, together with other accessory structures, constitute a real integrated fire management system. The house was destroyed by a fire. In the excavation the collapse mass of the daub of the walls was recognized, which is only partially permanently sintered, while it is mostly only reddened by heat or not cooked. It is therefore likely that the fire was not intended to transform the daub, but it was an accidental episode or may be a destructive act. The circumstances of preservation of the archaeological context-a house in full operation destroyed by fire and immediately buried by a flood-allowed to see directly a house context of the early Neolithic, thus being able to document-unique case in northern Italy-the functional articulation of the spaces inside and outside the house.
Fare Rame. La metallurgia estrattiva della tarda età del Bronzo in Trentino: nuovi scavi e stato dell’arte della ricerca sul campo, 2021
Fare Rame. La metallurgia estrattiva della tarda età del Bronzo in Trentino: nuovi scavi e stato dell’arte della ricerca sul campo, 2021
Nell'estate del 2014 lavori forestali hanno messo in luce un deposito di scorie, dando inizio ad ... more Nell'estate del 2014 lavori forestali hanno messo in luce un deposito di scorie, dando inizio ad un breve intervento di scavo durato circa 3 settimane lungo il tragitto della costruenda strada forestale. È stata individuata una situazione molto interessante, in particolare per quanto riguarda le strutture e l'organizzazione degli spazi di lavoro. A
causa della pendenza infatti il sito è stato insediato su un terrazzo artificiale realizzato contenendo il versante con un muro a secco. Sul piano di lavoro sono state individuate due strutture fusorie a poca distanza l'una dall'altra, con gli alzati distrutti probabilmente già in antico, con muretto in pietra su tre lati e evidenza di varie fasi di rifacimento e riutilizzo. Un'altra importante evidenza è una fossa di forma ovale (90 x 50 cm circa, profondità 50 cm) riempita con scorie e una lente carboniosa sul fondo, ma senza tracce di scottatura sulle pareti. I pochi materiali datanti collocano il sito nella fase Luco/Laugen A (BR 2-BF 1/2). Delle tre datazioni radiocarboniche effettuate, una sembra non essere coerente con le altre ed è probabilmente da escludere. Le altre due si collocano in un range considerevolmente ampio, compreso tra metà XV e prima metà dell’XI sec.a.C.
This paper presents palynological data obtained from a trench excavated at the Neolithic pile-dwe... more This paper presents palynological data obtained from a trench excavated at the Neolithic pile-dwelling archaeological site of Palù di Livenza (northeastern Italy). The site is in a wetland located in a tectonic basin at the foot of the Cansiglio plateau, crossed by the Livenza river. Environmental
conditions have made this wetland a suitable area for settlements since prehistoric times. Thanks to the peaty sediments that characterise the area, archaeological materials and botanical remains have been exceptionally well preserved. Their study has shed light on a Neolithic piledwelling
settlement that developed in various phases between c. 6350 and 5600 cal BP (c. 4400 and 3650 BC), and has also allowed for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the surrounding environment. A vertical sequence of 20 samples was analysed to study pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoals. An age-depth model was performed based on three radiocarbon dates. The palynological analysis provided insight into the response of vegetation to environmental changes caused by both climatic fluctuations and human pressure. In this sense, it was possible to highlight
differences in vegetation cover, some fires, the use of woody resources, the spread of cereal fields, as well as the presence of other cultivated plants and plant processing by the people within the village
Caramella, L.A.R. (ed.) Dall’acqua alla terra: cambiamenti nell’occupazione del territorio, Sibrium – Atti, 1. Varese, Centro di Studi Preistorici e Archeologici: 26-61, 2023
Palù di Livenza is a wetland that extends into the Municipalities of Caneva and Polcenigo in the ... more Palù di Livenza is a wetland that extends into the Municipalities of Caneva and Polcenigo in the Pordenone Piedmont Zone at the foot of the Cansiglio plateau. Archaeological research directed by the Superintendency and conducted since 1981 has made it possible to identify an important Neolithic settlement. Thanks to its potential, Palù di Livenza is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in the transnational serial site “Prehistoric pile-dwelling sites in the Alpine arc”. In 2013, the Superintendency resumed research in the area called Sector 3, with the aim of outlining a stratigraphy of the deposit with its various stages of attendance, of having short-lived samples available to define a reliable chronology and of collecting new
data on the material culture. This paper presents the preliminary results of the five excavation campaigns in Sector 3 completed during the summer of 2021.
In Asta, A. and M. Capulli (eds.) Per aquam ad astra. Studi di archeologia delle acque in onore di Luigi Fozzati. Mantova: SAP Società Archeologica s.r.l.: 191-206., 2022
Preistoria Alpina, 2001
Abstract: Excavations at the site of Isera "La Torretta" (TN) brought to light an imposing strati... more Abstract: Excavations at the site of Isera "La Torretta" (TN) brought to light an imposing stratigraphic sequence that documents the occupation of the hillock from the Late Neolithic through to the beginning of the Copper Age. A first examination of the excavation data and the typological study of the materials helped to identify five different phases of occupation.
Key Words: Isera "La Torretta", Trento, Late Neolithic, Copper Age.
Quaternary
This paper presents palynological data obtained from a trench excavated at the Neolithic pile-dwe... more This paper presents palynological data obtained from a trench excavated at the Neolithic pile-dwelling archaeological site of Palù di Livenza (northeastern Italy). The site is in a wetland located in a tectonic basin at the foot of the Cansiglio plateau, crossed by the Livenza river. Environmental conditions have made this wetland a suitable area for settlements since prehistoric times. Thanks to the peaty sediments that characterise the area, archaeological materials and botanical remains have been exceptionally well preserved. Their study has shed light on a Neolithic pile-dwelling settlement that developed in various phases between c. 6350 and 5600 cal BP (c. 4400 and 3650 BC), and has also allowed for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the surrounding environment. A vertical sequence of 20 samples was analysed to study pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoals. An age-depth model was performed based on three radiocarbon dates. The palynological analysis provided...
Quaternary, 2023
Abstract: This paper presents palynological data obtained from a trench excavated at the Neolithi... more Abstract: This paper presents palynological data obtained from a trench excavated at the Neolithic
pile-dwelling archaeological site of Palù di Livenza (northeastern Italy). The site is in a wetland
located in a tectonic basin at the foot of the Cansiglio plateau, crossed by the Livenza river. Environmental conditions have made this wetland a suitable area for settlements since prehistoric times.
Thanks to the peaty sediments that characterise the area, archaeological materials and botanical
remains have been exceptionally well preserved. Their study has shed light on a Neolithic piledwelling settlement that developed in various phases between c. 6350 and 5600 cal BP (c. 4400 and
3650 BC), and has also allowed for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the surrounding environment. A vertical sequence of 20 samples was analysed to study pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs
and microcharcoals. An age-depth model was performed based on three radiocarbon dates. The
palynological analysis provided insight into the response of vegetation to environmental changes
caused by both climatic fluctuations and human pressure. In this sense, it was possible to highlight
differences in vegetation cover, some fires, the use of woody resources, the spread of cereal fields, as
well as the presence of other cultivated plants and plant processing by the people within the village.
Keywords: pollen; biodiversity; palaeoecology; environment; Neolithic; pile-dwelling; UNESCO;
Northeast Italy; Italian Alps
Archeoalp – Archeologia delle Alpi, vol. 6, pagg. 25-45, 2002
Atti della XXXIII Riunione Scientifica dell’Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria, 2002
Atti della XXXIII Riunione Scientifica dell’Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria, 2002
Atti della XXXIII Riunione Scientifica dell’Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria, 2002
Studi Trentini di Scienze Naturali - Preistoria Alpina, 35, 2001
The site is situated to the north ofTrento, on hydrographic right of Torrente Noce, at about 250 ... more The site is situated to the north ofTrento, on hydrographic right of Torrente Noce, at about 250 meters above sea level. Emergency excavations in the spring of 1992 brought to light part of a settlement structure attributable to the early Bronze Age. Several phases of use and restructuring were evident. From 1995 a wider area around the one mentioned above was excavated. The anthropic deposits provided evidence of a structured settlement system which documents continual habitation at least up to the early Iron Age.
Bollettino del Gr.A.Po., anno XX (2023), maggio, n.20, pp. 3-10., 2023
Nel 1879, l’archeologo modenese Carlo Boni (1830-1894) – fondatore del Museo civico di Modena e f... more Nel 1879, l’archeologo modenese Carlo Boni (1830-1894) – fondatore del Museo civico di Modena e famoso per gli scavi intrapresi nella terramara del Montale – pubblicava (“a spese dell’autore”, come precisa in calce al frontespizio) un breve opuscolo intitolato Delle cure necessarie pegli oggetti d’antichità eventualmente scoperti e significativamente sottotitolato Istruzione agli agricoltori...
IpoTESI di Preistoria, 2016
Since the last decades of XIX century, the term “terramare” denotes the Bronze Age settlement in ... more Since the last decades of XIX century, the term “terramare” denotes the Bronze Age settlement in the central Po plain and in recent scientific works it has been used as representative word to indicate the whole civilization of Middle and Recent Bronze Age. When Pigorini and Strobel in 1862 introduced this term they referred to the organic soil exploited as fertilizer connected to the marl well known in other european countries. This paper deals with the etymology of the term and, recovering old hypothesis advanced in early twentieth century, it suggests a different interpretation of his origin. Following the fortune of the term among all the scholars of the successful phase of research in XIX century, the papers concludes with a proposal of a well studied opportunity chosen by Luigi Pigorini to take advantage with a word new and pivot, but at the same time tied to solid and old roots.
XXXIII Riunione Scientifica dell'Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria- Preistoria Alpina v.33, 2001
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Papers by Nicola Degasperi
causa della pendenza infatti il sito è stato insediato su un terrazzo artificiale realizzato contenendo il versante con un muro a secco. Sul piano di lavoro sono state individuate due strutture fusorie a poca distanza l'una dall'altra, con gli alzati distrutti probabilmente già in antico, con muretto in pietra su tre lati e evidenza di varie fasi di rifacimento e riutilizzo. Un'altra importante evidenza è una fossa di forma ovale (90 x 50 cm circa, profondità 50 cm) riempita con scorie e una lente carboniosa sul fondo, ma senza tracce di scottatura sulle pareti. I pochi materiali datanti collocano il sito nella fase Luco/Laugen A (BR 2-BF 1/2). Delle tre datazioni radiocarboniche effettuate, una sembra non essere coerente con le altre ed è probabilmente da escludere. Le altre due si collocano in un range considerevolmente ampio, compreso tra metà XV e prima metà dell’XI sec.a.C.
conditions have made this wetland a suitable area for settlements since prehistoric times. Thanks to the peaty sediments that characterise the area, archaeological materials and botanical remains have been exceptionally well preserved. Their study has shed light on a Neolithic piledwelling
settlement that developed in various phases between c. 6350 and 5600 cal BP (c. 4400 and 3650 BC), and has also allowed for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the surrounding environment. A vertical sequence of 20 samples was analysed to study pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoals. An age-depth model was performed based on three radiocarbon dates. The palynological analysis provided insight into the response of vegetation to environmental changes caused by both climatic fluctuations and human pressure. In this sense, it was possible to highlight
differences in vegetation cover, some fires, the use of woody resources, the spread of cereal fields, as well as the presence of other cultivated plants and plant processing by the people within the village
data on the material culture. This paper presents the preliminary results of the five excavation campaigns in Sector 3 completed during the summer of 2021.
Key Words: Isera "La Torretta", Trento, Late Neolithic, Copper Age.
pile-dwelling archaeological site of Palù di Livenza (northeastern Italy). The site is in a wetland
located in a tectonic basin at the foot of the Cansiglio plateau, crossed by the Livenza river. Environmental conditions have made this wetland a suitable area for settlements since prehistoric times.
Thanks to the peaty sediments that characterise the area, archaeological materials and botanical
remains have been exceptionally well preserved. Their study has shed light on a Neolithic piledwelling settlement that developed in various phases between c. 6350 and 5600 cal BP (c. 4400 and
3650 BC), and has also allowed for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the surrounding environment. A vertical sequence of 20 samples was analysed to study pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs
and microcharcoals. An age-depth model was performed based on three radiocarbon dates. The
palynological analysis provided insight into the response of vegetation to environmental changes
caused by both climatic fluctuations and human pressure. In this sense, it was possible to highlight
differences in vegetation cover, some fires, the use of woody resources, the spread of cereal fields, as
well as the presence of other cultivated plants and plant processing by the people within the village.
Keywords: pollen; biodiversity; palaeoecology; environment; Neolithic; pile-dwelling; UNESCO;
Northeast Italy; Italian Alps
causa della pendenza infatti il sito è stato insediato su un terrazzo artificiale realizzato contenendo il versante con un muro a secco. Sul piano di lavoro sono state individuate due strutture fusorie a poca distanza l'una dall'altra, con gli alzati distrutti probabilmente già in antico, con muretto in pietra su tre lati e evidenza di varie fasi di rifacimento e riutilizzo. Un'altra importante evidenza è una fossa di forma ovale (90 x 50 cm circa, profondità 50 cm) riempita con scorie e una lente carboniosa sul fondo, ma senza tracce di scottatura sulle pareti. I pochi materiali datanti collocano il sito nella fase Luco/Laugen A (BR 2-BF 1/2). Delle tre datazioni radiocarboniche effettuate, una sembra non essere coerente con le altre ed è probabilmente da escludere. Le altre due si collocano in un range considerevolmente ampio, compreso tra metà XV e prima metà dell’XI sec.a.C.
conditions have made this wetland a suitable area for settlements since prehistoric times. Thanks to the peaty sediments that characterise the area, archaeological materials and botanical remains have been exceptionally well preserved. Their study has shed light on a Neolithic piledwelling
settlement that developed in various phases between c. 6350 and 5600 cal BP (c. 4400 and 3650 BC), and has also allowed for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the surrounding environment. A vertical sequence of 20 samples was analysed to study pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoals. An age-depth model was performed based on three radiocarbon dates. The palynological analysis provided insight into the response of vegetation to environmental changes caused by both climatic fluctuations and human pressure. In this sense, it was possible to highlight
differences in vegetation cover, some fires, the use of woody resources, the spread of cereal fields, as well as the presence of other cultivated plants and plant processing by the people within the village
data on the material culture. This paper presents the preliminary results of the five excavation campaigns in Sector 3 completed during the summer of 2021.
Key Words: Isera "La Torretta", Trento, Late Neolithic, Copper Age.
pile-dwelling archaeological site of Palù di Livenza (northeastern Italy). The site is in a wetland
located in a tectonic basin at the foot of the Cansiglio plateau, crossed by the Livenza river. Environmental conditions have made this wetland a suitable area for settlements since prehistoric times.
Thanks to the peaty sediments that characterise the area, archaeological materials and botanical
remains have been exceptionally well preserved. Their study has shed light on a Neolithic piledwelling settlement that developed in various phases between c. 6350 and 5600 cal BP (c. 4400 and
3650 BC), and has also allowed for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the surrounding environment. A vertical sequence of 20 samples was analysed to study pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs
and microcharcoals. An age-depth model was performed based on three radiocarbon dates. The
palynological analysis provided insight into the response of vegetation to environmental changes
caused by both climatic fluctuations and human pressure. In this sense, it was possible to highlight
differences in vegetation cover, some fires, the use of woody resources, the spread of cereal fields, as
well as the presence of other cultivated plants and plant processing by the people within the village.
Keywords: pollen; biodiversity; palaeoecology; environment; Neolithic; pile-dwelling; UNESCO;
Northeast Italy; Italian Alps
In Val di Sole, interdisciplinary interventions of natural and archaeological nature have been conducted in recent years with the aim of contributing to the reconstruction of the complex framework of human impact on the mountain environment. In the Lake of Celentino area, probable evidence of fire deforestation are dating back to the Middle Neolithic (4800-4530 cal BC) and to the Late Copper Age (2580-2300 cal BC). Direct evidence of human presence during the Final Bronze Age-Early Iron Age (1230-940 BC) is a hearth where a flint blade with heat alteration has been found. The important archive of the peat at Passo del Tonale has allowed to investigate the development of the
forest ecosystem over a period of 9522 years. Strong deforestation phases have been identified around 1400 AD, during which throughout the Val di Sole coal production for iron processing is documented.
The find in San Rocco di Pejo of a large melting furnace dated to the Late Iron Age shows the development of an important metallurgical activity with a clear impact on the exploitation of the forestry resource
as a fuel. The traces of a World War I bivouac, found under a large boulder at Doss dei Cembri, on the track of the new ski run, shows how a painful site of our past has turned into a place of sport and fun.
The Nogarole di Mezzolombardo (Trento) site is situated on the eastern side of the Adige Valley, at the summit of an alluvial fan located at the base of the imposing rock face of the Fai della Paganella tableland. It is already known due to the finding of the rock shelters known as 2 and 3 and the recovery of significant burial objects dating back to the Copper and Early Bronze Age.
In December 2016, slightly to the south of the known area, work was carried out to recover another burial structure in a small niche along the rock face, referred to as shelter 4. This is a secondary burial site for an adult female and it can be dated to the first half of the 3rd millennium cal BC on the basis of AMS radiocarbon dating.
Anthropological investigations carried out on the remains of the skeleton have made it possible to acquire important information regarding the biological profile of the individual and the pathological context. Osteological analysis of the injuries has also highlighted the presence of some trauma to the skeleton, which could be related to an episode of interpersonal violence.