Papers by Mara Migliavacca
S. Marchesini (a cura di), RHAETI & CO nuovi scenari sulla questione tirrenica new scenarios on the Tyrrhenian issue., 2024
The paper aims to contribute to the Rhaeto-Etruscan question
dealing with the archaeological rema... more The paper aims to contribute to the Rhaeto-Etruscan question
dealing with the archaeological remains of the dwellings used during the Iron Age in the eastern
Alps compared with the Etruscan domestic architecture attested both in central Italy and in the
Po Valley (Padanian Etruria).
The domestic space is the product of a series of natural, functional and cultural factors, that
modify each other in a systemic context. In the paper, a particular attention will be devoted to
decoding the culturally fixed factors, that are the most important determinants of architectural
form and use, but are often the least recognisable in the remains of the distant past. Although
we should not expect archaeological remains to correlate completely with linguistic, historical
and genetic data, cultural conventions clarified by the study of ancient architecture can suggest
something about the relationships among Alpine and Etruscan populations.
The analysis will be broadened to other geographical and cultural contexts, such as the Iron age
villages in eastern (Slovenia) and western (Golasecca culture) Alps, and in the Apennines region,
without forgetting the Paleo-Venetian remains of dwellings in the Po valley.
FOOD AND WINE IN ANCIENT VERONA CIBO E VINO NELLA VERONA ANTICA, 2024
Le scelte economiche e alimentari di chi viveva negli insediamenti protostorici del Veronese sono... more Le scelte economiche e alimentari di chi viveva negli insediamenti protostorici del Veronese sono strettamente
interrelate alle risorse offerte dall’ambiente, e l’ambiente a sua volta è stato plasmato dalle scelte umane.
Per questo motivo i siti di indagine protostorici oggetto del progetto Food and Wine in ancient Verona
sono stati selezionati in base alla loro appartenenza a una delle ecozone in cui possiamo dividere il territorio
della provincia di Verona: la pianura, che si distingue a sua volta in alta e bassa pianura; l’area montana,
che possiamo dividere in area subalpina (fino agli 800 m di quota) e area prealpina, propriamente montana
(sopra gli 800/1000 m di quota). Infine si sono selezionati alcuni dei – purtroppo ancora poco noti – rinvenimenti
protostorici fatti nell’area di Verona città.
Per ogni epoca protostorica considerata si è posta attenzione a una serie di temi, connessi all’alimentazione,
quali le strategie insediative, i dati ambientali derivanti da eventuali analisi paleobotaniche, i dati
riferibili a coltivazioni e immagazzinamento/stoccaggio del raccolto; i dati relativi ad allevamento e caccia,
la preparazione/lavorazione e consumo dei cibi, la preparazione e il consumo delle bevande. Non riusciamo
in questo contributo invece a entrare in problematiche connesse al significato simbolico e rituale del cibo,
che pure sono molto importanti.
Alle analisi svolte in modo specifico all’interno di questo progetto si è cercato di collegare i dati già noti
derivanti da altri studi e ricerche. Le analisi svolte grazie al progetto In Veronensium mensa sono state volutamente
concentrate sui reperti databili all’età del Ferro; per l’età del Bronzo, già esistono pubblicazioni sul
tema1, che si raccolgono e confrontano in questo contributo per offrire un quadro di sintesi, pur nei limiti
delle possibilità di ricostruzione della vita quotidiana di epoche così lontane.
Accordia Research Papers, 2024
In this paper, the inscribed tools related to weaving and spinning in the Raetic area will be ana... more In this paper, the inscribed tools related to weaving and spinning in the Raetic area will be analysed. They constitute almost 30% of all Raetic inscribed objects, if we consider together the iscriptions published in the Monumenta Linguae Raeticae (MLM) and the loom weights from Monte Loffa (MLR; Marchesini & Migliavacca 2016; 2018), thus representing an interesting connection between weaving and writing. In order to explore the possible connections between writing and textile activity, we considered all Raetic inscribed objects within the corpus that seem to be connected with spinning or weaving activities. For some of them, given their exceptionality and uniqueness in the Raetian area and pre-Roman epigraphic culture in general, we have proposed a possible relevance to the theme. This relevance may be confirmed or denied in the future, but their publication will at least allow them to be used to compare future studies or discoveries.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024
The study examines for the first time the available archaeological data on salt production and us... more The study examines for the first time the available archaeological data on salt production and use in Later
Prehistory in the Veneto region and exploits the close connection between salt use and livestock keeping on
which Veneto historically relied as a crucial resource during protohistoric and Roman times. The region was one
of the most significant areas of the central Mediterranean during Later Prehistory, as it provides evidence of rich
central places and long-distance trading between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Despite the absence of
salt mines, this area had access to abundant sal marinus from its extensive lagoons, which were natural environments
for salt production and winter pastures, as supported by archaeological evidence from the Bronze Age,
Roman times, and late antiquity. Topographic, ethnographic, and historical data demonstrate that the pastoral
routes from the mountains grazed the coastal lagoon areas, creating connections between diverse ecosystems
within the region and its surrounding areas. While pinpointing the exact movement of salt remains speculative,
considering the available data, this preliminary study suggests that during the Bronze Age, sea salt from the coast
was the primary source of salt especially in eastern Veneto, whereas rock salt from the Alps’ significant mines
was likely to arrive in the western Venetian mountains from the Iron Age onwards. Thus, at least two distinct
circuits for salt production, trade, and distribution likely coexisted in the region from the Iron Age.
Montagne e Archeologie, 2023
These pages offer reflections on the point of archaeological studies at high mountain altitudes; ... more These pages offer reflections on the point of archaeological studies at high mountain altitudes; the nature of the archaeological record in high mountains; and the methodology adopted at these altitudes.
Montagne e Archeologie, 2023
In the first part of the paper, motivations, methods used and initial results obtained from the “... more In the first part of the paper, motivations, methods used and initial results obtained from the “Oltre il confine” Project held in Recoaro Terme (VI)
in the years 2019-2021 are presented. In the second part of the paper, the excavation of three shelters is discussed, underlining their membership in larger systems. In the 15th-18th centuries they were subject of interest for the close mountain communities, but also for the aristocratic families residing further afield and for the policies of the Republic of Venice. During the Recent and Final Bronze age the shelters and, more widely, the findings in these high pastures, often prestigious ones, hint at pastures, travel routes, exchanges, boundaries and rituals. In the final part of the paper, some method consideration about the archaeological work in the high quotes are presented.
Journal of Archeological Science: Reports, 2022
Archaeological surveys and aerial-photo interpretation organised by the University of Padua in th... more Archaeological surveys and aerial-photo interpretation organised by the University of Padua in the surroundings of the terramara of Castello del Tartaro identified, outside the village closed by channels and enbankments, the traces of a Big Road This has been interpreted as a drove-way, possibly used for the passage of cattle. The drove-way is in the Costantini estate, Comune of Cerea (VR), in the lowland of Valli Grandi Veronesi. The road was sampled along a section, at 4 different levels of depth, and the content in Inorganic, Organic and Total Phosphorous was assessed by the Soil Chemistry Laboratory of DAFNAE Department, at the University of Padua. In the sampled section the content of P and the relationships among the different P forms show the presence of discontinuities and strong P accumulation in the layers under the arable land. The results corroborate the hypothesis of a drove-way. This hypothesis agrees with both paleobotanical and zooarcheological data from the territory around the embanked settlements (terramare), and underlines the importance of cattle husbandry within the complex relationships of the Bronze age world.
Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 2021
In this paper we present the preliminary results of the 2019 field survey conducted in the framew... more In this paper we present the preliminary results of the 2019 field survey conducted in the framework of the project "Beyond the border. Study and enhancement of the highlands between Veneto and Trentino". The aim of this overarching project, which applies a multidisciplinary approach, is threefold: to detect in this mountain landscape the main activity areas and reconstruct possible connections between them; to analyse the long-term relationships between Trentino and Prealpine Veneto from prehistory to the present day; and to study the evolving function of this frontier area during periods of conflict/interaction. Several methods were employed to shed light on the above-mentioned research aims: field-walking survey, analysis of aerial photos, ethnographic and archival research, GIS-based landscape analysis and predictive modelling, and LiDAR data for feature detection in wooded areas. The combined use of all these approaches allowed us to identify long-term exploitation activities, which are documented also by both the ethnographic and archaeological data. The major periods of conflict in these areas are also highlighted in the archaeological record. The 2019-survey campaign opens up new research directions such as the future excavation of Bronze Age occupation zones; network and connectivity analysis between Prealpine Veneto and Trentino; hillforts and their interaction with the highlands. 1. Il progetto "Oltre il confine": contesto, motivazione, obiettivi della ricerca Nell'autunno 2019 si è svolta la prima campagna del progetto "Oltre il confine. Studio e valorizzazione delle terre alte tra Veneto e Trentino", organizzato dall'insegnamento di Preistoria e Protostoria dell'Università degli Studi di Verona e finanziato dal Comune di Recoaro Terme (Provincia di Vicenza) 2. Il progetto nasce dunque con intenti scientifici e contemporaneamente intende contribuire al monitoraggio e alla valorizzazione delle aree montane d'alta quota, inserendosi nel quadro di quella che è definita "archeologia pubblica" 3 .
The paper deals with the findings at Monte Busino (Lessini mountains, Verona), where three dagger... more The paper deals with the findings at Monte Busino (Lessini mountains, Verona), where three daggers and two razors dating to the final phases of the Bronze age were found around a great stone. The presence of the razors in the classical sources is considered, and their connection with the construction of male identity is discussed. A possible interpretation of the discovery is proposed, thinking also of similar findings in the Veneto and surrounding regions
At the archaeological fortified site of Monte Loffa, in the Lessini Mountains north of Verona, a ... more At the archaeological fortified site of Monte Loffa, in the Lessini Mountains north of Verona, a significant number of inscribed loom weights were discovered from the end of the 19th century to the end of the 20th century in different and not always well documented excavations. The inscribed loom weights date to the Iron Age II (from the end of the 6th to the 1st century BC) and are exceptional both because they are made of stone and due to the unique typology of the inscriptions. As a matter of fact, the stele-shaped loom weights present a repertoire of inscribed signs, including numerals and icons that are often connected, combined and modified by small diacritics. The loom weights have been compared by the authors both with archaeological evidence of textile production and with all the known inscriptions recovered from an area comprising Trentino, Alto Adige and western Veneto. Although relevant to the Rhaetic writing system, no comparison for this particular type of loom weight has been found until now. Nevertheless, some other repertoires of signs connected to production activities, in the past and more recently, are the nearest candidates for a possible comparison. This paper identifies possible similarities between the unique inscriptions on these loom weights to other sign codes, with an analysis of ethnographic parallels of textile production across space and time.
In the Iron Age of the Italian Peninsula almost all the civilizations have developed a proper cou... more In the Iron Age of the Italian Peninsula almost all the civilizations have developed a proper counting/number system, partly inherited – together with the alphabet – from the Greeks, partly autonomously developed. The Authors have analysed an advanced sign system connected with a class of objects referred to the textile production in Northern Italy during the second Iron Age (end of the 5th-1st Century B.C.). In the Lessinia Mountains, to the north of Verona, they could analyse 80 stone loom weights (from 1 to 2 kg heavy) presenting a varied repertoire of inscribed signs. It was possible to recognize a group of base signs, partly alphabetic, partly naturalistic or symbolic, varied by small diacritical marks. Authors argue that a similar sign system can represent the trace of quantitative/ qualitative inputs connected with the production, not only of textile, but also of other classes of artefacts. Riassunto Numeri e lettere come strumenti di processi produttivi nell'età del Ferro: il caso dei pesi da telaio nell'antica Lessinia (Italia settentrionale) Nell'età del Ferro della penisola italiana quasi tutte le civiltà svilupparono un proprio sistema di conteggio/numerazione, parzialmente ereditato insieme all'alfabeto dai Greci, parzialmente sviluppato in modo autonomo. Le autrici hanno analizzato un sistema avanzato di segni connesso con una classe di oggetti riferentesi alla produzione tessile in Italia settentrionale durante la seconda età del Ferro (fine VI-I secolo a.C.). Nei monti della Lessinia a nord di Verona le AA. hanno potuto analizzare 80 pesi da telaio di pietra (pesanti da 1 a 2 chili), che presentano un repertorio vario di segni iscritti. È stato possibile riconoscere un gruppo di segni-base, parzialmente alfabetico, parzialmente naturalistico o simbolico, variato grazie a piccoli diacritici. Secondo le AA. un tale sistema segnico può costituire una traccia di indicazioni quantitative e qualitative connesse con la produzione, non solo di tessili, ma anche di altre classi di manufatti. Parole chiave: pesi da telaio, produzione tessile dell'età del Ferro, epigrafia dell'età del Ferro, Italia settentrionale, numeri, marchi.
Since 2000 a multidisciplinary team of archaeologists, geologists and paleobotanists has been car... more Since 2000 a multidisciplinary team of archaeologists, geologists and paleobotanists has been carrying out joint investigations at Ca’ Tron, a 11 km2 estate located at the northern lagoon of Venice and included in the east countryside of the ancient Venetian-Roman Altinum. During the systematic survey conducted in Ca’ Tron estate nine Roman sites were identified, three of which were excavated in extension. Two rural settlements are analyzed in this paper, both attended since Ist to IV-V th century AD, having different planimetric features and economic role: the first one was a farm with several outbuildings, the second one was specialized in breeding sheep, with a large rectangular building, interpretable as a sheepfold on the basis of comparison with the Roman “bergeries” investigated in the Crau of Arles (Provence). Particularly relevant to the understanding of economic activities were the micromorphological analysis of soil types, chemical and biological, especially to clarify th...
Il Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage, 2015
The comparison of experiences carried out in different areas of Northern Italy has allowed to eva... more The comparison of experiences carried out in different areas of Northern Italy has allowed to evaluate potentialities and limits of direct and indirect indicators of pastoralism. In the Trieste Karst prehistoric pastoralism was focused on in the late '90s by geo-archaeological studies of cave deposits, based on sedimentological and soil micromorphological analyses of samples collected in previous excavations; further evidence was then found essentially by reviewing old data. In the eastern and north-eastern part of Friuli Venezia Giulia, a similar situation of absence of new fieldwork suggested the adoption of a similar approach, integrated by a specific attention to ethnography, through interviews to the few shepherds still active in the area. Ethnography has played an even more important role in the interdisciplinary field investigations carried out since the ‘80s in Veneto, in particular in the Lessini highlands, where hundreds of abandoned pastoral buildings were detected, a...
The paper will be published in the volume "Summer farms", edited by John Collis... more The paper will be published in the volume "Summer farms", edited by John Collis, Mark Pearce, Franco Nicolis
Two settlement areas, situated between Sarcedo and Montecchio Precalcino (VI) municipalities, wer... more Two settlement areas, situated between Sarcedo and Montecchio Precalcino (VI) municipalities, were object of archeological investigations in 2012, in conjunction with the realization of the new Venetian Piedmont Highway. The two areas were about 500 m far from one another and can be referred to the Middle and Late Bronze Age: both were characterized by evidences of housing structures, ditches and wells, besides pottery and lithic artifacts on the archeological surface.
ABSTRACT Uomo della Roccia (The Stone Man) is a huge calcareous monolith arising in the hilly lan... more ABSTRACT Uomo della Roccia (The Stone Man) is a huge calcareous monolith arising in the hilly landscape of the Italian Prealps between Lake Garda and River Brenta. The area has always been a natural passage between the alpine world and the Po plain, and the big stone surely was a land-mark useful for people living in the zone. Therefore, when the team of the Agno-Leogra Project made the first surface survey around the monolith, it was not surprised to find archaeological artefacts. The following surveys and excavations discovered several interesting archaeological areas. In the slopes under the monolith an agrarian landscape made of terraces covered a previous occupation in which the remains of a structure and a big amount of ceramic and lithic artefacts were pinpointed. Uphill from the monolith impressive stone ramparts were detected, while in close proximity clearings suited to hunting and comfortable caves had attracted human exploitation. A series of specialistic studies is collected in this book, dealing with the troubled geology of the area and the analysis of the findings -ceramics and lithic tools, a unique metal artefact, human and animal bone fragments, palaeobotanical remains- as well as the spatial analysis of the relationships of the site with the contemporaneous settlements of the area. The results of the study as a whole show that the bulk of occupation was in an advanced stage of Neolithic age, when the site was devoted to animal -especially sheep and goat- husbandry, agriculture, hunting and fishing, but interestingly -as far as the metal artefact is concerned- it was inserted in a network of contacts reaching up to the Balcans. The earliest terraces downstream the monolith can probably be dated to this age. In the Bronze age Uomo della Roccia was occupied by a seasonal exploitation, involving both men and women in pasture and wood management. The big stone was attended also in late Roman period, and again in early and late Middle ages until modern times. Each occupation left its traces in the landscape, that is described in the book also in the more recent use. A fascinating archaeological route is being designed by archaeologists and locals working together. Aim of the project is inviting people to know and love this land and to love and enhance it.
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Papers by Mara Migliavacca
dealing with the archaeological remains of the dwellings used during the Iron Age in the eastern
Alps compared with the Etruscan domestic architecture attested both in central Italy and in the
Po Valley (Padanian Etruria).
The domestic space is the product of a series of natural, functional and cultural factors, that
modify each other in a systemic context. In the paper, a particular attention will be devoted to
decoding the culturally fixed factors, that are the most important determinants of architectural
form and use, but are often the least recognisable in the remains of the distant past. Although
we should not expect archaeological remains to correlate completely with linguistic, historical
and genetic data, cultural conventions clarified by the study of ancient architecture can suggest
something about the relationships among Alpine and Etruscan populations.
The analysis will be broadened to other geographical and cultural contexts, such as the Iron age
villages in eastern (Slovenia) and western (Golasecca culture) Alps, and in the Apennines region,
without forgetting the Paleo-Venetian remains of dwellings in the Po valley.
interrelate alle risorse offerte dall’ambiente, e l’ambiente a sua volta è stato plasmato dalle scelte umane.
Per questo motivo i siti di indagine protostorici oggetto del progetto Food and Wine in ancient Verona
sono stati selezionati in base alla loro appartenenza a una delle ecozone in cui possiamo dividere il territorio
della provincia di Verona: la pianura, che si distingue a sua volta in alta e bassa pianura; l’area montana,
che possiamo dividere in area subalpina (fino agli 800 m di quota) e area prealpina, propriamente montana
(sopra gli 800/1000 m di quota). Infine si sono selezionati alcuni dei – purtroppo ancora poco noti – rinvenimenti
protostorici fatti nell’area di Verona città.
Per ogni epoca protostorica considerata si è posta attenzione a una serie di temi, connessi all’alimentazione,
quali le strategie insediative, i dati ambientali derivanti da eventuali analisi paleobotaniche, i dati
riferibili a coltivazioni e immagazzinamento/stoccaggio del raccolto; i dati relativi ad allevamento e caccia,
la preparazione/lavorazione e consumo dei cibi, la preparazione e il consumo delle bevande. Non riusciamo
in questo contributo invece a entrare in problematiche connesse al significato simbolico e rituale del cibo,
che pure sono molto importanti.
Alle analisi svolte in modo specifico all’interno di questo progetto si è cercato di collegare i dati già noti
derivanti da altri studi e ricerche. Le analisi svolte grazie al progetto In Veronensium mensa sono state volutamente
concentrate sui reperti databili all’età del Ferro; per l’età del Bronzo, già esistono pubblicazioni sul
tema1, che si raccolgono e confrontano in questo contributo per offrire un quadro di sintesi, pur nei limiti
delle possibilità di ricostruzione della vita quotidiana di epoche così lontane.
Prehistory in the Veneto region and exploits the close connection between salt use and livestock keeping on
which Veneto historically relied as a crucial resource during protohistoric and Roman times. The region was one
of the most significant areas of the central Mediterranean during Later Prehistory, as it provides evidence of rich
central places and long-distance trading between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Despite the absence of
salt mines, this area had access to abundant sal marinus from its extensive lagoons, which were natural environments
for salt production and winter pastures, as supported by archaeological evidence from the Bronze Age,
Roman times, and late antiquity. Topographic, ethnographic, and historical data demonstrate that the pastoral
routes from the mountains grazed the coastal lagoon areas, creating connections between diverse ecosystems
within the region and its surrounding areas. While pinpointing the exact movement of salt remains speculative,
considering the available data, this preliminary study suggests that during the Bronze Age, sea salt from the coast
was the primary source of salt especially in eastern Veneto, whereas rock salt from the Alps’ significant mines
was likely to arrive in the western Venetian mountains from the Iron Age onwards. Thus, at least two distinct
circuits for salt production, trade, and distribution likely coexisted in the region from the Iron Age.
in the years 2019-2021 are presented. In the second part of the paper, the excavation of three shelters is discussed, underlining their membership in larger systems. In the 15th-18th centuries they were subject of interest for the close mountain communities, but also for the aristocratic families residing further afield and for the policies of the Republic of Venice. During the Recent and Final Bronze age the shelters and, more widely, the findings in these high pastures, often prestigious ones, hint at pastures, travel routes, exchanges, boundaries and rituals. In the final part of the paper, some method consideration about the archaeological work in the high quotes are presented.
dealing with the archaeological remains of the dwellings used during the Iron Age in the eastern
Alps compared with the Etruscan domestic architecture attested both in central Italy and in the
Po Valley (Padanian Etruria).
The domestic space is the product of a series of natural, functional and cultural factors, that
modify each other in a systemic context. In the paper, a particular attention will be devoted to
decoding the culturally fixed factors, that are the most important determinants of architectural
form and use, but are often the least recognisable in the remains of the distant past. Although
we should not expect archaeological remains to correlate completely with linguistic, historical
and genetic data, cultural conventions clarified by the study of ancient architecture can suggest
something about the relationships among Alpine and Etruscan populations.
The analysis will be broadened to other geographical and cultural contexts, such as the Iron age
villages in eastern (Slovenia) and western (Golasecca culture) Alps, and in the Apennines region,
without forgetting the Paleo-Venetian remains of dwellings in the Po valley.
interrelate alle risorse offerte dall’ambiente, e l’ambiente a sua volta è stato plasmato dalle scelte umane.
Per questo motivo i siti di indagine protostorici oggetto del progetto Food and Wine in ancient Verona
sono stati selezionati in base alla loro appartenenza a una delle ecozone in cui possiamo dividere il territorio
della provincia di Verona: la pianura, che si distingue a sua volta in alta e bassa pianura; l’area montana,
che possiamo dividere in area subalpina (fino agli 800 m di quota) e area prealpina, propriamente montana
(sopra gli 800/1000 m di quota). Infine si sono selezionati alcuni dei – purtroppo ancora poco noti – rinvenimenti
protostorici fatti nell’area di Verona città.
Per ogni epoca protostorica considerata si è posta attenzione a una serie di temi, connessi all’alimentazione,
quali le strategie insediative, i dati ambientali derivanti da eventuali analisi paleobotaniche, i dati
riferibili a coltivazioni e immagazzinamento/stoccaggio del raccolto; i dati relativi ad allevamento e caccia,
la preparazione/lavorazione e consumo dei cibi, la preparazione e il consumo delle bevande. Non riusciamo
in questo contributo invece a entrare in problematiche connesse al significato simbolico e rituale del cibo,
che pure sono molto importanti.
Alle analisi svolte in modo specifico all’interno di questo progetto si è cercato di collegare i dati già noti
derivanti da altri studi e ricerche. Le analisi svolte grazie al progetto In Veronensium mensa sono state volutamente
concentrate sui reperti databili all’età del Ferro; per l’età del Bronzo, già esistono pubblicazioni sul
tema1, che si raccolgono e confrontano in questo contributo per offrire un quadro di sintesi, pur nei limiti
delle possibilità di ricostruzione della vita quotidiana di epoche così lontane.
Prehistory in the Veneto region and exploits the close connection between salt use and livestock keeping on
which Veneto historically relied as a crucial resource during protohistoric and Roman times. The region was one
of the most significant areas of the central Mediterranean during Later Prehistory, as it provides evidence of rich
central places and long-distance trading between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Despite the absence of
salt mines, this area had access to abundant sal marinus from its extensive lagoons, which were natural environments
for salt production and winter pastures, as supported by archaeological evidence from the Bronze Age,
Roman times, and late antiquity. Topographic, ethnographic, and historical data demonstrate that the pastoral
routes from the mountains grazed the coastal lagoon areas, creating connections between diverse ecosystems
within the region and its surrounding areas. While pinpointing the exact movement of salt remains speculative,
considering the available data, this preliminary study suggests that during the Bronze Age, sea salt from the coast
was the primary source of salt especially in eastern Veneto, whereas rock salt from the Alps’ significant mines
was likely to arrive in the western Venetian mountains from the Iron Age onwards. Thus, at least two distinct
circuits for salt production, trade, and distribution likely coexisted in the region from the Iron Age.
in the years 2019-2021 are presented. In the second part of the paper, the excavation of three shelters is discussed, underlining their membership in larger systems. In the 15th-18th centuries they were subject of interest for the close mountain communities, but also for the aristocratic families residing further afield and for the policies of the Republic of Venice. During the Recent and Final Bronze age the shelters and, more widely, the findings in these high pastures, often prestigious ones, hint at pastures, travel routes, exchanges, boundaries and rituals. In the final part of the paper, some method consideration about the archaeological work in the high quotes are presented.
Ricognizione di superficie, scavo, archeo-metallurgia, etno-archeologia, valorizzazione delle risorse eco-culturali della montagna
Nel luglio 2016 si terrà una campagna di ricognizione di superficie e scavo nell’area, nota per la ricchezza delle sue risorse minerarie e che a partire dall’età del Bronzo recente e finale sembra delinearsi come terra di confine tra sfere culturali ed ideologiche distinte: la facies culturale Luco di formazione trentina e gli aspetti “protovillanoviani” tipici dell'ambiente peninsulare, presenti in area prealpina. Dall'età del Ferro invece l’area in questione vedrà il contatto tra le popolazioni retiche e i Veneti in pianura.
Ricognizione di superficie, scavo, archeo-metallurgia, etno-archeologia, valorizzazione delle risorse eco-culturali della montagna
Nel luglio 2016 si terrà una campagna di ricognizione di superficie e scavo nell’area, nota per la ricchezza delle sue risorse minerarie e che a partire dall’età del Bronzo recente e finale sembra delinearsi come terra di confine tra sfere culturali ed ideologiche distinte: la facies culturale Luco di formazione trentina e gli aspetti “protovillanoviani” tipici dell'ambiente peninsulare, presenti in area prealpina. Dall'età del Ferro invece l’area in questione vedrà il contatto tra le popolazioni retiche e i Veneti in pianura.
The archaeologists' work took place in annual campaigns, from 2019 to 2021, in three mountain areas: the pastures of Malga Campodavanti and Mesole; Campogrosso; and the Montagnole plateau. The fieldwork was preceded by a reflection on the most suitable methods for getting to know the area: these methods are presented in the first chapter of the book. In all three areas, a careful surface reconnaissance was carried out, which covered the entire territory, recording the evidence present without affecting it. In the Campodavanti and Montagnole areas, targeted excavations were also carried out on certain structures that the reconnaissance had identified. The volume combines the archaeological results obtained in the field with archive and environmental studies, with the intention of returning a more complete, if not exhaustive, account of these highlands. The data collected speak of human habitation starting from the Palaeolithic period, through the Bronze Age, the Roman, Medieval and modern eras, up to the great twentieth-century conflicts and finally to the present day.
Uomo della Roccia (The Stone Man) is a huge calcareous monolith arising in the hilly landscape of the Italian Prealps between Lake Garda and River Brenta. The area has always been a natural passage between the alpine world and the Po plain, and the big stone surely was a land-mark useful for people living in the zone. Therefore, when the team of the Agno-Leogra Project made the first surface survey around the monolith, it was not surprised to find archaeological artefacts. The following surveys and excavations discovered several interesting archaeological areas. In the slopes under the monolith an agrarian landscape made of terraces covered a previous occupation in which the remains of a structure and a big amount of ceramic and lithic artefacts were pinpointed. Uphill from the monolith impressive stone ramparts were detected, while in close proximity clearings suited to hunting and comfortable caves had attracted human exploitation.
A series of specialistic studies is collected in this book, dealing with the troubled geology of the area and the analysis of the findings -ceramics and lithic tools, a unique metal artefact, human and animal bone fragments, palaeobotanical remains- as well as the spatial analysis of the relationships of the site with the contemporaneous settlements of the area.
The results of the study as a whole show that the bulk of occupation was in an advanced stage of Neolithic age, when the site was devoted to animal -especially sheep and goat- husbandry, agriculture, hunting and fishing, but interestingly -as far as the metal artefact is concerned- it was inserted in a network of contacts reaching up to the Balcans. The earliest terraces downstream the monolith can probably be dated to this age.
In the Bronze age Uomo della Roccia was occupied by a seasonal exploitation, involving both men and women in pasture and wood management. The big stone was attended also in late Roman period, and again in early and late Middle ages until modern times. Each occupation left its traces in the landscape, that is described in the book also in the more recent use.
A fascinating archaeological route is being designed by archaeologists and locals working together. Aim of the project is inviting people to know and love this land and to love and enhance it.
in occasione della mostra “Metalli
Mostri Miniere” tenutasi dal 7 al
29 ottobre 2017 a Palazzo Fogazzaro,
Schio (VI).
circa 5000 anni fa, provengono da quella che è considerata la scoperta archeologica più
straordinaria del ventesimo secolo, il rinvenimento di un uomo mummificato il 19 settembre
1991 a 3.210 metri slm, nei ghiacci presso il Giogo di Tisa, nelle vicinanze del
rifugio Similaun, sulle Alpi tirolesi, non lontano dal confine con l’Austria. L’uomo è stato
sorpreso dalla morte nel pieno della sua quotidianità, vestito e attrezzato normalmente.
Le ricerche interdisciplinari che sono seguite hanno perciò potuto svelare le informazioni
ricchissime e inaspettate sulla vita quotidiana e sugli ambienti attraversati che la mummia
ha portato con sé, come un viaggiatore del tempo. L’analisi del radiocarbonio ha dimostrato
che l’uomo di Similaun, o Ötzi come è stato affettuosamente soprannominato dal
nome tedesco dell’area alpina, Ötztaler Alpen, è vissuto tra 3350 e 3120 a.C.: un’età che
può essere definita la fine del periodo Neolitico o l’Età del Rame. Comunque la si definisca,
un’età chiave nella storia del genere umano, che dopo avere imparato a coltivare e
allevare, andava scoprendo le enormi potenzialità offerte dalla lavorazione dei metall
structures, the rare discovery of indicators of activity. The latin writers of de re rustica treatises and Vitruvius provide helpful descriptions,
but rarely decisive: for the cattle (bubile), stables close to the kitchen, south-facing (Colum. 1.6), wide 10 to 15 roman feet
(3.00-4,50 m) (Vitr. 6,6,2), equipped with feeders (Colum. 1,6,7); for the sheep, low sheepfolds (humilia stabula), longer than they are
wide, south-facing (Colum. 7,3,8), with wide doorways; also for the horses (equile) the latin authors suggest to set stables in warm place
(Cat. 14.2; Vitr. 6.6; Var. 2,7,14; Colum. 6.27), to put in praesepia to keep the animals separated (Var. 2,7,7; Col. 6:27), to get the floor
paved and declining to keep it clean and dry (bubile: Var. 2, 5, 16; Col. 6, 23; ovile: Var. 2, 2, 19, 2, 3, 6; Col. 7, 4, 4; equile: Col. 6:30).
The framework provided by the archaeological record is therefore very poor: a stable is generally assumed in case of large dimension,
long shape, south-facing buildings, especially if they are equipped with small channels. Instead, scientific analysis (biological,
chemical) may have a significant role.
They are dated in the second Iron Age, and are exceptional both because of the material (stone) and the typology of inscriptions. As a matter of fact the stele-formed loom weights present a repertoire of inscribed signs, namely numerals and icons often connected, combined and modified by small diacritica. No real "text", i.e. personal or divine names, as it happens in other loom weights from the Graeco-Roman world, is attested here.
The weights have been compared by the authors both with the archaeological evidence of textile production and with all the known inscriptions coming from an area comprising Trentino, Alto Adige and western Veneto: their pertinence to a Rhaetic writing system is assured, but no punctual comparison for this particular type of loom weights has been found until now.
Nevertheless some other sign repertoires connected to production activities, in the past as well as in more recent times, are the nearest candidates for a possible comparison. In the present contribution the Authors attempt to find out possible similarities to other sign codes, first of all analyzing ethnographic parallels of the textile production in space and time.
Ore 17.00
a Mestre, presentazione del volume Paesaggi delle Venezia, cui ho contribuito per la sezione Paesaggi preistorici
Periodo: 16 luglio - 3 agosto 2018 (tre settimane)