No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Tracing the Final Bronze Age–Early Iron Age transition. Groningen Institute of Archaeology settlement excavations in the Sibaritide, 2018-2019
Abstract
We report here on the first two seasons of excavations by the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (the Netherlands) at two settlement sites in the foothill zone of the Sibaritide coastal plain (northern Calabria, Italy). The work is throwing new light on finds assemblages unique to the transitional period of the Final Bronze Age–Early Iron Age, a poorly understood period in southern Italy, and is helping to resolve methodological questions about the interpretation of non-invasive archaeological and geophysical survey data. The finds so far excavated, supported by radiocarbon dates, form one of the first ‘pure’ FBA–EIA transitional assemblages, and thus contribute to fill a significant typochronological hiatus with wider implications for protohistoric archaeology in the region. It is also becoming clear what long-term effects mechanized ploughing has on slope processes and soil profiles typical for the region, knowledge that will help us understand the results of the wider field surveys and geophysical investigations conducted since 2000 in the Raganello River basin.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
The article is a tribute to the pioneering role of Klavs Randsborg in the early Nineties in search for a new comprehensive chronology for Italian and European prehistory based on a combination of dendrodates with C14 dates. The debate of the last 25 years on this matter is presented, demonstrating a scholarly split, in particular in Italy. At the same time, an Italian peculiarity, the presence of layers of volcanic eruptions mixed with archaeological deposits is proposed as a sort of meeting ground for opponents and proponents of absolute chronology and a way to pair it with known cultural phenomena.
In this thesis, I evaluate different approaches for the study of settlement and land use during the Metal Ages (ca. 3000-800 BC) in northern Calabria (Italy). Our understanding of communities in this period is tainted by biases which result in incomplete and unbalanced reconstructions of land use and settlement dynamics. I distinguish three main types of biases: methodological biases, research or conceptual biases, and biases caused by landscape and site formation processes (chapter 3). This thesis aims at countering these biases by testing and refining methods for landscape-archaeological research on and around small surface pottery scatters in the Raganello basin, mapped by the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA) between 1990-2010; in chapter 2 I present the scientific and environmental backgrounds of my research. The research was conducted as a sub-project of the interdisciplinary Rural Life in Protohistoric Italy research program, funded by the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and directed by dr. P.M. van Leusen. Within this framework, I collaborated closely with the researchers in two other sub-projects, dr. K.L. Armstrong (archaeo-geophysical methodology) and prof. dr. J. Sevink (soils and soil processes); therefore, relevant geophysical and pedological results from their research are used in this thesis.
The heart of this thesis is formed by chapters 4, 5, and 6. Chapter 4 justifies my research strategy for the study of the 155 known Metal Age surface sites in the Raganello basin. The first step in this strategy was the design of a site classification system based on assemblage variation and location properties, avoiding a priori assumptions about the character and function of these sites. Subsequently, selected examples of six site classes were intensively investigated. I explain which field methods were used to study these sites, and why: high resolution archaeological (re-)surveys, geophysical surveys, manual augering, on- and off-site soil studies, test pits, and topsoil stripping. The results are summarized in chapter 5. Magnetic-based geophysical techniques proved to yield the best results in our area; this thesis therefore presents a number of magnetometry and magnetic susceptibility datasets and attempts to associate magnetic features with archaeological and pedological data. In chapter 6 the effectiveness of my field method is assessed with regard to my research aims, and recommendations are made for further refinement of landscape-archaeological research methodology. The methodological results of my study can be summarized in four themes:
- The original research design of the GIA surveys, based on a standard surface coverage of 20%, is too coarse to reliably detect the location, character and density of Metal Age activity areas. I propose a coverage of at least 40%;
- Geophysical data show that surface mapping by field walking alone is insufficient for mapping archaeological landscapes: magnetometry data revealed archaeological features not associated with surface artefact concentrations. Furthermore, seemingly ‘natural’ features such as gullies and local depressions can be of archaeological relevance
- Slope processes may lead to dramatic topographical changes; therefore, systematic study of the stability of landscape zones is crucial to archaeological landscape research;
- Minimally invasive field techniques (coring, test pitting) are essential to assessing the effect of anthropogenic and natural depositional processes on the archaeological record. The interpretation of manual augering profiles in stony soils should be done with caution; sites in stony debris slopes all contain deep archaeological stratigraphies, despite their seemingly shallow depth as inferred from coring attempts.
The central proposition of this PhD research project is that seemingly unpromising small surface scatters can yield many new insights in Metal Age land use and settlement, provided that they are investigated in a systematic, intensive, and interdisciplinary manner. The high-resolution integration of archaeological, geophysical and pedological datasets is essential. This argument is elaborated and illustrated with three case studies in chapter 7: the probable urnfield on Monte San Nicola, site RB073 in the upland valley which turned out to be only the tip of an iceberg of a buried prehistoric landscape, and the Contrada Damale area in the foothills, where a strong increase in Late Bronze Age artefact scatters occurs – some of them associated with rectangular structures.
Aware that not all interpretative issues can be solved by intensifying archaeological research, I use non-systematic ethnographical observations in chapter 8 to fill gaps in our understanding of daily rural life in the Metal Ages. This gives insight in the occurrence of archaeological artefacts in sometimes very remote mountain locations, the size and quality requirements of agricultural land, the need for storage facilities, and the level of exchange and risk management among small-scale mixed farming groups. In chapter 9, I move to a broader scale and use the results presented in the previous chapters to evaluate current models for Italian Metal Age communities. I take four influential perspectives as my starting point: Graeme Barker’s model of minimally stratified agro-pastoralists (Biferno Valley); Marco Pacciarelli’s model of changing location preferences related to increasing socio-political complexity (Tropea peninsula); the territorial-hierarchical model of Renato Peroni based on emerging socio-political and socio-economical dependencies (Sibaritide); and Alberto Cazzella’s model in which the emergence of central places is explained by increasing craft specialization (Apulia). I show that the new data presented in this thesis can be applied to update these models in the following manner:
- New archaeological evidence from the Raganello upland valley is dated to the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age. This is an important contribution to our fragmentary knowledge about early farming communities in the Sibaritide.
- The role of the uplands and mountains in settlement and land use systems has long been discounted. This thesis shows that a persistent research bias in favor of large, central settlements in easily accessible landscape zones has resulted in a systematic underrepresentation of the hinterland in studies of pre- and protohistoric land use, whereas the earliest settlement traces are found there.
- In addition to Peroni’s model of ‘central’ settlements of several hectares in size, Metal Age settlement in the Sibaritide also has a rural dimension, consisting of single farmsteads with little or no access to the rare artefact groups that occur in large settlements.
- The large dolio a cordoni o a fasce storage vessels, clearly inspired by Eastern Mediterranean wares, are not among these rare artefact groups, since they occur in almost all rural Late Bronze Age sites in the Contrada Damale. This can be explained by reference to the need for storage facilities in small-scale farming communities to minimize risk and counter poor harvests, as observed in the ethnographical study in chapter 8.
- There is a strong increase in small-scale habitations in the foothills during the Final Bronze Age (ca. 1100-950 BC), which does not continue into the Early Iron Age (ca. 950-800 BC) and Full Iron Age (ca. 800-720 BC). This may be due to a visibility bias related to our inability to recognize EIA pottery wares, but could also result from a displacement of settlement into the coastal plain. This latter landscape zone was not studied in the present research because of its later thick sedimentation; a research bias that should be countered in future studies.
- Changes in social structure and settlement system after the Final Bronze Age are reflected in the introduction of a new burial custom. On Monte San Nicola, a combination of high-resolution field walking and magnetometry survey has resulted in the identification of most likely an urn field, radiocarbon dated to the EIA. This case is unique in Calabria, where only indirect evidence for cremation burials is known.
Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche-LVIII-2008, 75–98 FABIO CAVULLI (1) Le strutture antropiche del Neolitico antico in Italia settentrionale: considerazioni e proposte interpretative Summary-St ruct ures in Early Neol it hic Nort hern Italy: Considerat ion and Int erpretat ive Advances.-In spite of the traditional interpretations of the Neolithic pits as semi-subterranean dwellings or simple rubbish pits, the actual knowledge about early Neolithic features shows a much more varied archaeological reality including palisades, ditches, storage pits, and knapping areas as well as a few cases of surface dwellings. The diffi culty in interpreting these settlements is due to post-depositional events and problems related to the methodology of research: mainly that the areas investigated were too small to understand the spatial organization of the features. At fi rst sight, the few extensive fi eld excavations that have been undertaken did not give the expected results. However, reconsidering these results by the means of spatial analysis, a comparison of the structural evidence and additional recent research, allows a revised and much more interesting picture of the early Neolithic settlements. These differ completely from both the Mesolithic and middle Neolithic evidence. Parole chiave: struttura antropica, elemento strutturale, complesso strutturale, capanna, struttura accessoria, palizzata, Neolitico, Italia settentrionale.
In this article, the author identifies the concentration principle for the accumulation of large quantities of objects in the settlements of the Balkan Neolithic and Copper Age and suggests reasons for this principle. One of the chief examples of this principle is the structured deposition of objects in pits. After the characterisation of the location of such pits - whether under houses or in the open air, there is a discussion of the forms of deposits in pits - including human bone deposits, burnt deposits and unusual combinations of rare and quotidian objects, as related to different manifestations of the life-cycle of the pits. The structure of the deposits is investigated in the light of their immense variability. Rather than attempting to ‘explain’ all the cited examples in a global, structuralist manner, the pits and their contents are interpreted in terms of local strategies of categorisation of everyday and exotic materials used in social practices. This does not exclude broader forms of prehistoric rationality, which appear to endure over a long period of time and in many different regions. These findings are related to the wider social dynamics of enchainment and accumulation - two important long-term social practices characterising the Balkan Neolithic and Copper Age.
In 720/710 v. Chr. werd de antieke stad Sybaris gesticht door Griekse kolonisten aan de zuidkust van Italië. Een veelbesproken kwestie in de mediterrane archeologie is de vraag in welke mate er contacten waren tussen Grieken en de inheemse bevolking in gebieden voor de Griekse kolonisatie er een aanvang nam. Promovendus Jan Jacobsen onderzocht de Griekse invloed op de autochtone samenleving in de Sibaritide (de streek waar later Sybaris zou verrijzen) in de periode 780-620 v.Chr. Hij bestudeerde daarvoor Grieks aardewerk dat gevonden is op de site Timpone della Motta. Op basis van dit materiaal is de conclusie gerechtvaardigd dat er al Griekse individuen in inheemse nederzettingen woonden en werkten ruim vijftig jaar voordat Sybaris werd gesticht.
Raganello Archaeological Project (Cosenza): obiettivi e primi risultati
- P A J P M Attema
- Van Leusen
ATTEMA, P.A.J. & P.M. VAN LEUSEN 2007. Raganello Archaeological Project (Cosenza): obiettivi e primi risultati. In:
Scarfò M.S. & V. Tinè (eds.), Preistoria e Protostoria della Calabria II: Scavi e ricerche 2004-2005. Atti delle giornate di studio
Pellaro (RC), 22-23 ottobre 2005. Pellaro, Gruppo Archeologico
Pellarese ONLUS, 83-92.
Insediamenti, Aree Funerarie ed Entità Territoriali in Etruria Meridionale nel Bronzo Finale, Firenze, All'Insegna del Giglio
- B Barbaro
BARBARO, B., 2010. Insediamenti, Aree Funerarie ed Entità Territoriali in Etruria Meridionale nel Bronzo Finale, Firenze, All'Insegna del Giglio.
Fragmentation in Archaeology. People, Places and Broken Objects in the Prehistory of South Eastern Europe
- J Chapman
CHAPMAN, J., 2000b. Fragmentation in Archaeology. People,
Places and Broken Objects in the Prehistory of South Eastern Europe. London, Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9780203759431.
Torre del Mordillo (Cosenza)
- O C Colburn
COLBURN, O.C., 1977. Torre del Mordillo (Cosenza). Scavi negli
anni 1963, 1966 e 1967. Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 423-526.
Riflessioni sulla Calabria settentrionale nell'età del Ferro
- C Colelli
COLELLI, C., 2015. Riflessioni sulla Calabria settentrionale
nell'età del Ferro. In Brocato, P. (ed.), Note di archeologia calabrese. Cosenza, Pellegrini Editore, 83-105.
I pozzetti neolitici. Una proposta metodologica e interpretativa
- N Degasperi
DEGASPERI, N., 2000. I pozzetti neolitici. Una proposta metodologica e interpretativa. Annali del Museo Civico -Rovereto
15 (1999), 3-37.
- W De Neef
DE NEEF, W., 2013. Het paard van Cerchiara. PaleoAktueel 24,
51-58.
Tecniche edilizie e funzioni architettoniche sulla costa ionica dell'Italia meridionale nell'età del Ferro
- M Denti
- Di Ciottoli
DENTI, M., 2020. Di terra e di pietre, di legno e di ciottoli. Tecniche edilizie e funzioni architettoniche sulla costa ionica
dell'Italia meridionale nell'età del Ferro. In: Pesando, F. & G.
Zuchtriegel (eds.), Abitare in Magna Grecia: l'età Arcaica, Atti
Convegno Napoli-Paestum, 15-16/3/2018. Pisa, Edizioni ETS,
193-214.
Prima delle colonie: organizzazione territoriale e produzioni ceramiche specializzate in Basilicata e in Calabria settentrionale ionica nella prima età del ferro, Atti delle Giornate di studio (Matera
- F Ferranti
FERRANTI, F., 2008. Nascita, evoluzione e distribuzione di una
produzione specializzata: il caso della ceramica geometrica
enotria della I età del ferro. In: Bettelli, M., De Faveri, C. & M.
Osanna (eds.), Prima delle colonie: organizzazione territoriale
e produzioni ceramiche specializzate in Basilicata e in Calabria
settentrionale ionica nella prima età del ferro, Atti delle Giornate
di studio (Matera, 20-21 Novembre 2007). Venosa, Osanna Edizioni, 37-74.
Before the Iron Age. The oldest settlements in the hinterland of the Sibaritide
- F Ippolito
IPPOLITO, F., 2016. Before the Iron Age. The oldest settlements in the
hinterland of the Sibaritide (Calabria, Italy). PhD thesis, University of Groningen.
Struttura da fuoco da Monte S.Nicola a Civita (CS)
- F Ippolito
IPPOLITO, F., 2019. Struttura da fuoco da Monte S.Nicola a Civita (CS). In: Peinetti, A., Cattani, M. & F. Sesto Debandi (eds.),
Incontro Annuale Preistoria e Protostoria. Firenze, Istituto Italiano Preistoria e Protostoria, 80-82.
Nuovi dati sulla diffusione dei dolii protostorici d'impasto nell'hinterland della Sibaritide
- F P A J Ippolito
IPPOLITO, F. & P.A.J. ATTEMA, in press. Nuovi dati sulla diffusione dei dolii protostorici d'impasto nell'hinterland della
Sibaritide. In: Atti dell'Incontro di Studi in Memoria di Renato
Peroni, 19-20 Dicembre 2016. Roma, All'Insegna del Giglio.
Oenotrians at Lagaria Near Sybaris: A Native Proto-urban Centralised Settlement: A Preliminary Report on the Excavation of Timber Dwellings on the Timpone Della Motta Near Francavilla Marittima (Lagaria), Southern Italy
- M Kleibrink
KLEIBRINK, M., 2006. Oenotrians at Lagaria Near Sybaris: A Native Proto-urban Centralised Settlement: A Preliminary Report
on the Excavation of Timber Dwellings on the Timpone Della
Motta Near Francavilla Marittima (Lagaria), Southern Italy.
Accordia Specialist Studies on Italy 11, London, Accordia Institute.
Documenti dell'eta del bronzo: Ricerche lungo il versante adriatico pugliese
- M C Martinelli
MARTINELLI, M.C., 1998. L'attrezzatura da lavoro in pietra. In:
Radina, F. & A. Cinquepalmi (eds.), Documenti dell'eta del
bronzo: Ricerche lungo il versante adriatico pugliese. Fasano,
Schena Editore, 253-264.
Analisi degli intonaci di capanna e delle piastre da focolare in malta di fango dai riempimenti delle buche 45 e 10
- C Moffa
MOFFA, C., 1998. Analisi degli intonaci di capanna e delle piastre da focolare in malta di fango dai riempimenti delle buche 45 e 10. In: Peroni R. & A. Vanzetti (eds.), 1998. Broglio
di Trebisacce 1990-1994. Elementi e problemi nuovi dalle recenti
campagne di scavo. Rubettino, Soveria Mannelli, 109-111.
Sorgenti della Nova. L'abitato del Bronzo Finale. Firenze, All'Insegna del Giglio
- Negroni
- N Catacchio
NEGRONI CATACCHIO, N., 1995. Sorgenti della Nova. L'abitato del
Bronzo Finale. Firenze, All'Insegna del Giglio.
Monte Pedalacci (Rocca di Neto
- G Nicoletti
NICOLETTI, G., 2014. Monte Pedalacci (Rocca di Neto, Prov. di
Crotone). Notiziario di Preistoria e Protostoria 1:III, 75-77.
The Iron Age in the Mediterranean: a chronological mess or 'Trade before the Flag', Part II
- A J Nijboer
NIJBOER, A.J., 2005. The Iron Age in the Mediterranean: a chronological mess or 'Trade before the Flag', Part II. Ancient West
& East 4:2, 255-277.
Is the tangling of events in the Mediterranean around 770-760 BC in the Conventional Absolute Chronology (CAC) a reality or a construct?
- A Nijboer
NIJBOER, A., 2016. Is the tangling of events in the Mediterranean around 770-760 BC in the Conventional Absolute
Chronology (CAC) a reality or a construct? In: Donnellan, L.,
Nizzo, V. & G-J. Burgers (eds.), Contexts of Early Colonization.
Papers of the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome 64, Roma,
Palombi Editori, 35-47.
Nota sulla cronologia assoluta della prima età del Ferro in Italia
- M Pacciarelli
PACCIARELLI, M., 1996. Nota sulla cronologia assoluta della
prima età del Ferro in Italia. OCNUS 4, 185-189.
Dal villaggio alla città. La svolta protourbana del 1000 a.C. nell'Italia tirrenica
- M Pacciarelli
PACCIARELLI, M., 2001. Dal villaggio alla città. La svolta protourbana del 1000 a.C. nell'Italia tirrenica. Firenze, All'Insegna del
Giglio.
Verborgen landschappen, naar een alternatieve benadering van de Mediterrane landschapsarcheologie
- P M Van Leusen
VAN LEUSEN, P.M., 2005. Verborgen landschappen, naar een
alternatieve benadering van de Mediterrane landschapsarcheologie. Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie 33, 4-9.
Sibari, Archeologia, storia, metafora. Castrovillari
- A Vanzetti
VANZETTI, A., 2013. Sibari Protostorica. In: Delia, G. & T. Masneri (eds.), Sibari, Archeologia, storia, metafora. Castrovillari, Edizioni Il Coscile, 11-33.
The Matt-painted pottery of Southern Italy
- D Yntema
YNTEMA, D., 1990. The Matt-painted pottery of Southern Italy.
Utrecht, Drukkerij Elinkwijk.
(MSN18I7.59.2 continued)
Date: FBA3
Parallel: Barbaro 2010: Fig. 76A no. 8