Zooarchaeological evidence of functional and social differentiation in northern Italy between the Neolithic and Bronze ages

Many sites dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age have been investigated in northern Italy and have provided important zooarchaeological data. These sites are mostly settlements, but also places of worship and necropoli. While there are few zooarchaeological studies for the north-western part of Italy, the north-east and the Po Valley have been better investigated. Particularly important are the pile-dwellings and the Terramare sites of the Po Valley as they have a long chronological span, the animal bone assemblages are large and, therefore, highly statistically reliable, and have been excavated relatively recently. There is evidence of functional and social differentiation in the Bronze Age which coincided with the evolution of more complex societies. The most common type of functional differentiation began when human communities started to settle and is visible in the zooarchaeological record. Until the end of the Copper Age, animal bone assemblages are characterized by the presence of both domestic animals and a relatively important proportion of wild animals. In the early Bronze Age, domestic animals dominated, if not entirely, the assemblages, and a growing interest in secondary products is evident. From the Middle Bronze Age, the foundation of semi-permanent settlements multiplied in the Alpine area, in the internal areas (secondary valleys and areas far from the main watercourses) and at medium-high altitudes. This was coupled with the seasonal occupation of sites at a high altitude, used for the practice of vertical transhumance (alpine pasture). This phenomenon implies the existence of a settlement hierarchy and, therefore, of forms of social stratification within the framework of the settlement system. Unfortunately, the few zooarchaeological studies of sites located in the Emilia Apennines do not currently allow us to confirm the existence of such links between the mountain sites and those on the plain. Nevertheless, other evidence, such as the introduction of the horse, which is attested from the late Early Bronze Age onwards, can be interpreted as proof of social differentiation; the horse was, in fact, considered a status symbol of the emerging warrior elite. Very few animal burials, dated to the period studied, show the link between animal species (such as dog, cattle, deer) and cultural practices, although a number of examples of such a relationship are provided by the terramare necropoli. In conclusion, in light of current knowledge, it seems that zooarchaeology cannot confirm the existence of important forms of social stratification. This does not mean that they cannot necessarily be postulated: the complex use of territory and the evidently communal nature of funerary and cult ceremonies (which often involved animals) that characterize the Bronze Age make it difficult to exclude the existence of such stratification

Sulle tracce dei pastori-allevatori pre-protostorici nel Carso (e altrove): esempi di uso integrato di indicatori diversi

The Classical Karst is a plateau of low rounded hills and low mountains ranging from 100-200 m to 800-900 m above sea level, that covers the eastern most part of northern Italy and the southwestern part of Slovenia. The outcropping rocks are chiefly limestones, crossed by two flysch (marl and sandstone) belts, a dozen kilometres wide. The area is not suitable for agriculture, and since historical times pastoralism / herding of sheep and goats has been one of the main economic activities. Its importance also in prehistoric times – hinted at already at the end of the 19th century by Marchesetti – was confirmed in the late 1990s, when sedimentological and soil micro-morphological analyses of some cave deposits indicated that these sites, at least in the investigated areas, had been used by prehistoric shepherds for stabling their flocks. The re-examination of the archaeological materials found in the same caves suggested that the pastoral use presumably started in the Neolithic and continued till the Bronze or Iron Age. In the course of millennia the agents and the ways of using the caves would have clearly changed: on the grounds of the available data, and still referring to the models proposed by Brochier c. 20 years ago, at present the hypothesis that most of the Karst caves were basically used as “grottes-bergeries” – i.e. as stables almost without a contemporaneous human presence –, rather than “habitats-bergeries”, is likely, though not beyond doubt. Our interpretation combines direct and indirect indicators from different scientific fields: besides sedimentology, soil micromorphology and archaeology, at the basis of the renewed interest in pastoralism, archaeometry, geomorphology, archaeozoology, ethnohistory and ethnography. To test the potentiality of the use of data derived in particular from the last two fields, we have recently extended our research to other geographical areas, close to the Karst, immediately to the north, in the northeastern part of the region Friuli Venezia Giulia, and far away, in Sardinia

Costi e benefici degli animali. Metodi per le stime produttive e gestione dell’allevamento nell’età del Bronzo: il caso del villaggio di via Ordiere a Solarolo (RA)

Il presente lavoro ha come obiettivo la ricostruzione di una stima ipotetica del numero di animali domestici che un villaggio dell’età del Bronzo dell’Italia settentrionale poteva sostenere nell’arco di un determinato periodo di tempo. A tale scopo, si è deciso di analizzare nello specifico un campione selezionato di faune provenienti da due distinte aree dell’abitato di via Ordiere a Solarolo (RA), una prettamente insediativa e una marginale all’insediamento, entrambe riferibili alla fase di Bronzo Medio 2. Il ristretto arco temporale (circoscritto a circa 100 anni di vita dell’insediamento) è stato diviso in quattro sottofasi di 25 anni ciascuna. L’analisi di tali sottofasi ha fornito, non solo un termine di osservazione puntuale del dato faunistico utile alla deduzione del numero minimo degli individui (NMI) abbattuti per ogni specie, ma anche la base per le proiezioni dei dati sull’intero nucleo insediativo. Dall’indagine condotta sono emerse forme di sfruttamento diversificate delle diverse specie domestiche (buoi, pecore, capre e maiali) che hanno permesso di ipotizzare il ruolo e l’importanza che le diverse risorse domestiche avevano nell’economia locale, sia in termini di produttività e costi che di impatto sulla gestione del territorio. Tramite le proiezioni dei dati è stato, infatti, possibile ottenere il presunto numero di animali viventi contemporaneamente nell’abitato e attraverso una simulazione ipotizzare la capacità produttiva del territorio sulla base della sua estensione e destinazione d’uso. È stato, dunque, proposto un approccio metodologico destinato a fornire informazioni utili alla ricostruzione del popolamento (animale e umano) e soprattutto ad indirizzare i futuri metodi di raccolta e di analisi del materiale archeologico durante lo scavo e la fase di studio. In particolare, il contributo conclude fornendo delle stime sulla presenza degli animali allevati nell’abitato, utili ad una ricostruzione demografica basata sui consumi alimentari umani.This work aims to provide a hypothetical estimate of the number of domestic animals that a Bronze Age village in northern Italy may have supported over a given period. For this purpose, it was decided to analyse in detail a selected sample of faunal remains from two distinct areas of the village via Ordiere in Solarolo (RA), one purely for settlement and the other marginal to the village, both spanning the Middle Bronze Age 2. The short time span (restricted to about 100 years of the settlement’s occupation) was further divided into four sub-phases of 25 years each. The analysis of the sub-phases has provided not only an accurate term of observation for the faunal data useful to determinate the minimum number of individuals (MNI) killed for each species, but also the basis for projecting the data to the entire settlement. From the analysis conducted, diversified exploitation forms of the different domestic species (cows, sheep, goats, and pigs) have emerged, allowing to postulate the role and importance that the different domestic resources had in the local economy, both in terms of productivity and costs, and their impact on the management of the territory. The data modelling led, in fact, to obtain the number of animals supposedly living at the same time in the settlement, while a simulation allowed to theorise the carrying capacity of the territory based on its extension and intended uses. Therefore, a methodological approach has been proposed to provide valuable data for the reconstruction of the population (animal and human) and to guide future methods for collecting and analysing the archaeological material during the excavation and the study phase. The contribution concludes by providing estimates of the presence of domestic animals useful for demographic reconstruction based on human food consumption

La prime testimonianze della metallurgia nei colli albani (Roma, Italia Centrale)

The earliest evidence of metallurgy in the Alban Hills (Latium, central Italy), dated between the Eneolithic and the Recent Bronze Age (c. IV – end of II millennium B.C.), is described through a review of the published materials and the study of unpublished finds. The analysis allows to understand the technological capabilities and cultural, social and economic aspects of the local communities in the pre-protohistoric period

Systems of economic management and diet among Bronze Age communities with particular reference to northern Italy

La ricerca di dottorato affronta le dinamiche del popolamento in Italia settentrionale durante l'età del Bronzo attraverso lo studio delle risorse alimentari. In particolare sono analizzate le strategie di sussistenza all'interno dell'interazione uomo-ambiente e le modalità di gestione economica nel sistema sociale. La ricerca analizza i fattori antropici implicati nelle attività economiche di sussistenza: acquisizione delle risorse vegetali e animali, produzione artigianale ed elementi per la ricostruzione dell'alimentazione. Nel Capitolo 1, sono affrontati lo stato delle ricerche sui sistemi di gestione economica e sull'alimentazione antica con particolare riferimento all'età del Bronzo in Italia settentrionale, lo studio della demografia e le teorie sull’economia antica. Il Capitolo 2 analizza la documentazione delle risorse vegetali con i dati archeobotanici editi. Una particolare attenzione è stata assegnata all'agricoltura con il confronto tra dati archeologici, osservazioni etnografiche e risultati delle sperimentazioni archeologiche relative alle coltivazioni. Nel Capitolo 3 è affrontata la documentazione delle risorse animali (dati archeozoologici) e l’esame delle pratiche dell'allevamento, permettendo di acquisire nuovi dati sulla dieta basata su carne, latte e derivati. Il Capitolo 4 affronta il rapporto tra produzione delle risorse ed esigenze alimentari dell'uomo, con una generale valutazione del rapporto tra apporto calorico e sostentamento demografico. I parametri ricavati sono confrontati con la sostenibilità del territorio. Nel Capitolo 5 sono analizzate le modalità di preparazione del cibo attraverso lo studio dei manufatti e delle strutture utilizzate nella trasformazione degli alimenti. Le conclusioni riassumono i sistemi di gestione delle risorse e l’effetto sul popolamento, attraverso l’interazione tra comunità, ambiente e risorse.The PhD research concerns the reconstruction of population dynamics in Northern Italy during the Bronze Age, through the analysis of subsistence strategies within the human-environment interaction and the analysis of the modalities of economic management inside the social system. The research was dedicated to the analysis of anthropic factors involved in subsistence activities: acquisition of plant and animal resources, craft production and description of the basic elements for producing food. In Chapter 1, the state of research on the management of economic systems and ancient food was dealt with particular reference to the Bronze Age in northern Italy, accompanied by a synthetic archaeological framework and a discussion on the study of demography and ancient economy. In Chapter 2 the documentation of plant resources is analyzed, with the collection of published archaeobotanical data with particular regard to cereal production and its relationship with population dynamics. Particular attention was given to the comparison of archaeological data, ethnographic observations and results of archaeological experiments related to ancient crops. Chapter 3 deals with the documentation of animal resources, presenting the archaeological data and comparing them with the examination of farming practices, in order to acquire new data on the diet based on animal proteins, through the consumption of meat, milk and derivates. In Chapter 4 we attempted to deepen the relationship between the production of resources and human food needs, with a general assessment of the relationship between caloric intake and the subsistence of a certain number of individuals. In Chapter 5 we examined the theme of how to prepare food through the study of the artefacts and structures used in the transformation of foods. The conclusions summarizes a comprehension of resource management systems and an analysis of the effect on population, highlighting the ways of interaction between community, environment and resources

L’abitato dell’Età del Bronzo recente di Meldola (FC)

In questo contributo si presentano i materiali e i dati di scavo relativi ad una struttura databile all’età del Bronzo Recente rinvenuta a Meldola, in un’area precedentemente interessata da segnalazioni ottocentesche. Il rinvenimento si inserisce nel quadro del popolamento della provincia di Forlì-Cesena e offre spunti interessanti soprattutto per l’analisi dell’occupazione del territorio collinare scarsamente documentato per la fase protostorica. I reperti ceramici indicano una piena adesione ai modelli del subappenninico con ampi riscontri nel territorio romagnolo e adriatico centro-italico. L’analisi delle faune rinvenute completa il quadro conoscitivo del sito

Lane, pecore e pastori in Puglia fra Tardoantico e Medioevo: novità dai dati archeozoologici

This paper deals with the bioarchaeological researches on ovine transhumance in Apulia from the Late Antiquity to the Medieval Age, with particular regard to the contribution of the zooarchaeological researches. By integrating historical, epigraphic, archaeological and bioarchaeological data it is now possible to re-enact the development and the characters of the sheep/goat movements and the transhumance products, such as wool and milk, from the 4th to the 15th c. A.D. Archaeobotanical and archaeoantropological data indicate that Apulian landscape was characterized by uncultivated areas (woods, marshlands or pasture) from Roman to the Late Antique Ages; zooarchaeological analysis propose the continuity of sheep/goat breeding until the Middle Ages, in spite of some changes, with a prevalent and continuous wool production activity. In this way the study of faunal remains can integrate the knowledge by new evaluation elements such as the mortality and the periodical slaughtering, with regard to the identification of the species in a specific territorial context and the breeding purposes. Besides the mortality data also the sexual distinction is important; a constant element is the ovine prevalence in the sheep/goat flock composition. Taking into consideration the pastoral practice from the Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages it is possible to pick out some elements that are compatible with a transhumant management of the flocks, such as a general staging post of the size on medium-big one and the above average recorded in other Italian and European sites