Budapest Régiségei 36. (2002) – In memoriam Rózsa Kalicz-Schreiber (1929-2001)

Aspes, Alessandra - Fasani, Leone - Visentini, Paola: The late neolithic and the early metal age in Northern Italy = Észak-Itália a késői neolitikumban és a korai fémkorban 175-190

THE LATE NEOLITHIC AND THE EARLY METAL AGE IN NORTHERN ITALY Distinctive differences may be observed in the composition of the grave goods from the two cemeteries: at Remedello the pottery is never associated with daggers and arrowheads, as may instead be seen in the graves at Spilamberto; copper axes have not been found at Spilamberto cemetery while they are relatively frequent in the Remedello burials.

26 While at Remedello and at Spilamberto mainly single graves are confirmed, at Riparo Valtenesi (Brescia), along the western coast of Lake Garda a rather complex ritual with secondary collective graves have been found, the ceramic material of which seems in some way to be linked with the Remedello environment, due to the presence of carinated bowls some of which have "metope" and "White Ware" decoration (Fig. 8).

27 The Valtenesi shelter forms part of the phenomenon, widespread in the foothills area of Veneto, Lombardy and Liguria, in the Appenines of Emilia and in the Adige Valley, of burial in caves or in shelters, which has been assigned to an Eneolithic horizon. This attribution is not always due to the presence of precise elements linked to the cultural aspects mentioned above, but rather on the basis of the presence of copper objects.

28 The aspect referred to as "White Ware", recognised for the first time by Barfield

29 at Monte Covolo, documents again the dynamism of the Eneolithic in northern Italy This type of ceramic, characterised by a simple vessel shape made from a rather course ware tempered with inclusions of limestone and distinguished by rims embossed by impressing with a stick (fori non passanti). This type of pottery reflects contacts with the north Alpine world, in particular with Swiss Horgen Culture. It is found at Monte Covolo, in the Prealps of the Brescia area, in a horizon with "White Ware" pottery stratified between a level with Lagozza type pottery and a subsequent level which may be assigned to the Bell Beaker Culture (Fig. 9).

30 The presence of the "White Ware" pottery was subsequently also recognised within other contexts in Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont, but to date the relationships with the successive Po basin contexts are not clear, in particular that with the 'metope" ware complexes. In fact while, as mentioned above, at Monte Covolo this type of ceramic appears in a level by itself, at Sasso di Manerba and probably Colombare di Negrar the "White Ware" ceramics are found associated with vessels decorated in the "metope" style.

31 26 Ni COLIS 1998 27 BARFIELD 1986; 1998; BARFIELD 1995 28 CORNAGCIA CASTIGLIONI 1971a; BAGOLINI 1981 29 BARFIELD 1975-76 3° BARFIELD 1975-76 31 In the case of Colombare di Negrar the date may not be considered certain, as the stratigraphy identified by ZORZI (1953) does not seem to be reliable. Even if the diffusion of the Bell Beakers is extensively documented in northern Italy it is not well understood, except for rare exceptions, from the point of view of its cultural identity and its evolution, above all with reference to its relationship with the other late Neolithic aspects of the Alpine area and the Po Basin territory It was identified for a long time with the Remedello Culture and it has been only in recent decades, above all on the basis of new findings and the revision of material from previous research, that its identity and chronological position have been defined.

32 It is known from a limited group of cemeteries (Cà di Marco, Roccolo Bresciani, Santa Cristina di Fiesse), where there is evidence of a ritual which recalls the central European mortuary houses has been affirmed and from some complexes of Megalithic type such as Velturno - Val dTsarco

33 and the largest one in S. Martin di Corleans (Aosta).

34 The latter one confirms close contacts with the Sion area. The Bell Beaker pottery is found in some settlements where it seems to represent a cultural horizon of its own, as for example at Rubiera and SantTlario d'Enza in Emilia,

35 at Gazzo Veronese

36 in south western Veneto, at S. Polo near Brescia and in the above mentioned site of M. Covolo, where the Bell Beakers level succeeds that of the already discussed "White Ware".

37 Bell Beaker elements are widespread in northern Italy from Liguria to the western Veneto while certain evidence for their occurrence in north-east Italy has not been found. Two burials found in the Adige Valley at La Vela

38 and Romagnano Loch,

39 probably belong to a late phase of the Bell Beakers pottery and these also show elements such as toggle ("Montgomery") type buttons" which may be linked to south eastern France but which may also be compared with the lake settlement contexts of the initial phase of the Bronze Age (Polada Culture).

40 Northern Italy seems to have subjected to influences from different sources. In fact, while for Liguria we can identify elements of contact with southern France, for the Po Basin region and the Verona and Brescia Préalpine areas the most widespread style of the Bell Beakers pottery is the so-called International 32 A synthesis of the problems associated with the evolution of the studies and knowledge of the Bell Beaker pottery in northern Italy is given by NICOLIS (1998). (ACANFORA 1956; CORNAGCIA CASTIGLIONI 1971b; BARFIELD 1975-76; NICOLIS 1998) 33TECCHIATI

1998; NICOLIS 1998 34 BURRONI-MEZZENA 1991; MEZZENA 1997 35 BARFIELD 1975-76 36 SALZANI 1998 37 BARFIELD 1975-76; BARFIELD 1977-79; BARFIELD 1995 ^FASANI 1990 39 PERINI 1971 4()

FASANI 1990; 1994 177