Metal finds at the Middle and Late Bronze Age settlement of Scoglio del Tonno (Taranto, Apulia): results of archaeometallurgical analyses

Scoglio del Tonno (Taranto) is a settlement with a strategic location in one of the best natural harbours of the Italian Peninsula. During the Late Bronze Age it was an emporion, a privileged and permanent landing place for ships sailing between the Aegean and Italian Peninsulas. Crucibles and a number of metal artefacts were found during its excavation (1899, Quagliati 1900; Säflund 1939); this work reports the quantitative analysis of these metal artefacts by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. All are made of copper alloys except for one piece, an eyelet pin made of a gold-silver-copper alloy. The examination of these objects and the analytical data obtained help reconstruct the functions of this site. Metal was systematically accumulated at Scoglio del Tonno, presumably to be shipped towards the eastern Mediterranean. The site highlights the exponential increase in northern Italian metal production during the Recent Bronze Age (ca. 14th-13th c. BC)

Alcuni problemi relativi ai rapporti fra l'Italia e la Penisola Balcanica nella tarda età del bronzo — inizi dell'età del ferro

Bietti Sestieri Anna Maria, Lo Schiavo Fulvia. Alcuni problemi relativi ai rapporti fra l'Italia e la Penisola Balcanica nella tarda età del bronzo — inizi dell'età del ferro. In: Iliria, vol. 4, 1976. Premier colloque des Etudes Illyriennes (Tirana 15-20 septembre 1972) – 1. pp. 163-189

Conditions de vie et état de santé de deux communautés du latium à l’Âge du fer : le cas de Castiglione et d’Osteria dell’Osa (Rome, xe-ixe siècles av. J.-C.)

This paper presents a comparison between the archaeological and palaeo-biological data relative to two contemporary Iron Age complexes from the same district of ancient Lazio : the cemeteries of Osteria dell’Osa, thoroughly studied and published in 1992, and of Castiglione, a minor cemetery in the same district, presently under study.The archaeological evidence from these two cemeteries shows that the community of Osteria dell’Osa was larger and more open to interregional contacts. Closely connected to the these features, the community was better organized, with a clear distribution of horizontal roles by age and gender ; vertical roles were attributed to single adult men, apparently the political and religious chiefs of the community, who also managed external relationships and exchange.The Castiglione community was much less organized ; moreover, and the evidence of interregional contacts is extremely scanty.The archaeological differences between the two cemeteries correspond to the results of the palaeo-biological analysis : the Osteria dell’Osa sample is characterized by marked sexual dimorphism, a low incidence of caries, which, moreover is exclusive to infants of weaning age, and a well-balanced diet including both proteins and carbohydrates. In the Castiglione sample the rather low degree of sexual dimorphism points to a general similarity between the activities of men and women, while the high incidence of caries for all age classes indicates an excess of carbohydrates in the diet, which apparently was based almost entirely on agricultural products

Metal finds at the Middle and Late Bronze Age settlement of Scoglio del Tonno (Taranto, Apulia): results of archaeometallurgical analyses

Scoglio del Tonno (Taranto) is a settlement with a strategic location in one of the best natural harbours of the Italian Peninsula. During the Late Bronze Age it was an emporion, a privileged and permanent landing place for ships sailing between the Aegean and Italian Peninsulas. Crucibles and a number of metal artefacts were found during its excavation (1899, Quagliati 1900; Säflund 1939); this work reports the quantitative analysis of these metal artefacts by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. All are made of copper alloys except for one piece, an eyelet pin made of a gold-silver-copper alloy. The examination of these objects and the analytical data obtained help reconstruct the functions of this site. Metal was systematically accumulated at Scoglio del Tonno, presumably to be shipped towards the eastern Mediterranean. The site highlights the exponential increase in northern Italian metal production during the Recent Bronze Age (ca. 14th-13th c. BC).Scoglio del Tonno (Taranto) es un yacimiento con una posición estratégica sobre uno de los mejores puertos naturales de la península italiana. Durante el Bronce Tardío fue un emporion, lugar permanente de contactos entre el Egeo y la península italiana. Crisoles y diversos objetos de metal recuperados en las antiguas excavaciones (1899) han sido recientemente analizados con ED-XRF. Excepto una pieza (una aguja de una aleación de oro, plata y cobre), todos los objetos son aleaciones de base cobre. El estudio de los objetos de metal, incluido los datos de su composición, aporta elementos útiles para una reconstrucción de las funciones de este lugar. En Scoglio del Tonno el metal era sistemáticamente almacenado, presumiblemente para ser enviado hacia el Mediterráneo oriental. El yacimiento ilustra también el aumento exponencial de la producción de metal en el norte de Italia durante el Bronce Reciente (siglos XIV y XIII a.C.)

Production, mixing and provenance of Late Bronze Age mixed alkali glasses from northern Italy: an isotopic approach

Late Bronze Age glass in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece was made from silica and plant ashes. Around 1200 BC in Europe a new glass type appears of a mixed alkali composition. Although the highest concentration of this glass is found at Frattesina in the Veneto, northern Italy there is no absolute proof that it was fused there from raw materials. A variety of possible alkali raw materials have been suggested but there is still no certainty about its identity. The chemical compositions of these mixed alkali glasses are characterised by a series of mixing lines which suggest that raw materials or glasses were mixed. To address these issues we present here the first set of radiogenic isotope (87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd) results for highly coloured samples of 11th century BC raw and waste glass from Frattesina together with new isotopic results for northern Italian silica and plant samples. Although a relatively small number, the isotopic results suggest that primary production of mixed alkali glass occurred in northern Italy. Moreover, it can be suggested that two of the samples were made from a mixture of different glasses, with contrasting isotopic signatures, one probably deriving from northern Italy and the other from a non-local source. This indicates that there were two production centres for mixed-alkali glass. We have shown that Frattesina glasses were made using isotopically distinct raw materials from those used to make the slightly earlier Late Bronze Age Mesopotamian and Egyptian plant ash glasses. Even though we have tested a small number of samples the isotopic results nevertheless provide significant new evidence for these mixed-alkali glasses being the first European glasses

Frattesina: un centro internazionale di produzione e di scambio nell’Età del bronzo del Veneto

The site of Frattesina (Rovigo), in southern Veneto participated in a territorial system extending from Villamarzana (S-E), to Campestrin di Grignano Polesine (E), from the Recent Bronze Age to the initial Iron Age (c. XIII- IX century BC). The territorial extension of the system and its chrono-typological sequence have been defined by Paolo Bellintani (2000) who identified three phases: 1 - Recent Bronze Age and Final Bronze Age early; 2 - Central phase of the Final Bronze Age; 3 - Final Bronze Age late and initial Early Iron Age. Throughout the time-span considered, the territorial system was specifically characterized by a unique concentration of manufacturing activities on an industrial scale. The raw materials processed were both local – especially antler and mixed alkali glass – and exotic: amber, metals (bronze, copper, lead, gold), elephant ivory, ostrich egg

Un aliment sain dans un corps sain

Un aliment sain dans un corps sain : au cœur des préoccupations actuelles, les liens qu’entretiennent le corps, l’alimentation et la santé ont une longue histoire. Souvent considérées sous leurs rapports antagonistes, dans le cadre (réel ou supposé) des peurs et des pathologies qui ont l’alimentation pour origine, les relations entre nourritures, corps et santé doivent également être envisagées à travers l’émergence d’un souci de soi qui se manifeste par une certaine idée du corps, de son esthétique, de sa représentation et du bien-être corporel en général. Entre les attentes, les désirs, les habitudes mais aussi les craintes des consommateurs, les discours, les normes et les réglementations médicales, civiles, politiques et religieuses, quels rôles, quels effets sur le corps attribue-t-on à l’alimentation et à quelles pratiques ces conceptions donnent-elles naissance au cours des siècles ? Dégager des évolutions dans le cadre d’une réflexion pluridisciplinaire : ce livre traite d’une Histoire qui s’inscrit dans la longue durée