In: L. Zemmer-Plank (a cura di), Kult der Vorzeit in den Alpen. Opfergaben, Opferplätze, Opferbrauchtum/Culti nella Preistoria delle Alpi. Le offerte, i santuari, i riti, “Arge Alp”, Bolzano, 2002
RIASSUNTO - La località Valemporga ubicata a sud-ovest dell'attuale paese di Mechel, è un'ampia v... more RIASSUNTO - La località Valemporga ubicata a sud-ovest dell'attuale paese di Mechel, è un'ampia vallecola solcata da un corso d'acqua. Il reperimento di oggetti metallici con una patina di colore verde chiaro dovuta all'esposizione al calore indica la presenza di roghi votivi. Se si escludono resti di orlo multiforato del Bronzo Antico, l'arco cronologico rappresentato dai materiali si estende dal Bronzo Recente (XIII sec. a. C.) all'epoca romana (IV sec. d. C.). Con la Cultura Fritzens-Sanzeno o retica della Seconda età del Ferro, così come si verifica per la successiva epoca romana, la maggior parte delle offerte è costituita da fibule. Non di rado presentano dimensioni miniaturistiche e si può quindi riconoscere una produzione artigianale specializzata, finalizzata all'utilizzo nell'ambito del luogo di culto di fibule con un valore simbolico piuttosto che funzionale. Fra le offerte si annoverano ex voto in piombo, sezioni di corno con iscrizioni, pendagli triangolari ricavati da lamine decorate secondo l'Arte delle Situle, situle miniaturistiche e figurine schematiche in lamina ritagliata. Queste ultime testimoniano l'assunzione di influssi culturali irradiatisi dall'Etruria padana, probabilmente dal Mantovano. Di grande rilievo è la prosecuzione del rituale in epoca romana, a dimostrazione di un'evidente continuità cultuale che si modifica solamente per l'accoglimento di nuove tipologie di materiali. Per la varietà dei materiali, la loro abbondanza e l'ampio arco cronologico rappresentato, il luogo di culto di Mechel si connota come un'area santuariale di grande e prolungato richiamo, utilizzata con ogni probabilità da più centri non solo delle immediate vicinanze.
SUMMARY - The locality of Valemporga, situated southwest of the present-day village of Mechel, is a wide valley traversed by a watercourse. The discovery of metallic objects with a light green patina due to exposure to heat indicates the presence of votive pyres. Excluding remains of perforated rims from the Early Bronze Age, the chronological range represented by the materials extends from the Late Bronze Age (13th century BCE) to the Roman period (4th century CE). With the Fritzens-Sanzeno or Rhaetic Culture of the Second Iron Age, as well as in the subsequent Roman era, the majority of offerings consist of fibulae. Often they exhibit miniature dimensions, indicating specialized craftsmanship aimed at their use within the cult site, more for symbolic than functional purposes. Offerings also include lead votive offerings, horn sections with inscriptions, triangular pendants made from decorated sheets following the Art of the Situlae, miniature situlae, and schematic figurines made from cut-out sheets. These latter items bear witness to the adoption of cultural influences radiating from the Po Valley Etruria, likely from the Mantuan area. Of significant importance is the continuation of the ritual into the Roman era, demonstrating evident cultic continuity that only changes with the inclusion of new types of materials. Due to the variety of materials, their abundance, and the extensive chronological span represented, the Mechel cult site stands out as a sanctuary area of considerable and prolonged significance, likely used by multiple centers beyond just the immediate vicinity.
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RIASSUNTO: L’articolo illustra i contenuti concettuali del progetto del parco palafitticolo di Fiavé in corso di realizzazione. È previsto un percorso didattico scenografico di impatto esperienziale ed emozionale con la ricostruzione, il più vicino possibile alla realtà della documentazione di scavo, dei villaggi palafitticoli abbandonati (Fiavé 3-5) e del villaggio costruito con l’ingegnoso reticolo di fondazione (Fiavé 6). Ci si prefigge di creare un dialogo tra l’archeologia e l’ambiente naturale, al fine di accrescere sia conoscenza e consapevolezze culturali, sia l’attrattiva del territorio dal punto di vista turistico, offrendo un’opportunità di fruizione integrata del patrimonio culturale e ambientale.
SUMMARY - The contribution deals with the identification of some bronze fragments found during the excavations carried out by E. Ghislanzoni in 1927 at Sanzeno, in Val di Non (Trento), and now preserved in the collections of the Castello del Buonconsiglio in Trento. A parallel established with similar fragments kept at the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck identifies them as elements of a syrinx or Pan flute, and places them in a period ranging from the beginning of the Second Iron Age to the ancient La Tène. The attribution to the ancient La Tène is also supported by the recurrence of depictions of syrinx players in the Art of the Situlae, within the chronological framework of the 6th-4th century BC, and, particularly concerning the Alpine area, the 5th-4th century BC.
SUMMARY - In the last decades, the progress of the research on primary metallurgy in the south-eastern Alps and on the circulation of copper has been remarkable. Methods based on the combination of isotopic and geochemical analyses have increased the knowledge coming from archaeological contexts and from archaeometric analyses on products of the smelting processes, primarily the slag. Copper from the southern Alps, and more particularly from Trentino, has been detected in artifacts from the Po Valley, central and southern Italy, the Balkans, Greece and Scandinavia. These objects are dated not only to the Italian Recent and Final Bronze Age but also to the Middle Bronze Age, a period for which there is currently no archaeological evidence for extraction of copper minerals in the area. From an overview of the available data, which is the subject of this article, it is possible to come to the conclusion that there is a discrepancy between the results of the isotope analyses on the Middle Bronze Age artifacts from Europe, 14C dates and the archaeological evidence which, at the current state of research, excludes any evidence of copper production on the mountains of Trentino out of the range between Recent and Final Bronze Age. Another topic of discussion is the social context in which the large-scale production of metal in Trentino must have played a big role. Copper production at such an intensive scale presupposes the existence of an articulated social organization with a strong cohesion controlled by an armed elite which benefited from the wealth produced and from the exchange etworks, as evidenced by the prestigious signs of power and prestige found in Valsugana. The presence of the Luco/Laugen Alpine Culture out of its main area, in nodal sites of the Po Plain, indicate the capacity of expansion of this cultural horizon and the probable active intermediary role of the Luco/Laugen area between the Po Plain itself and the Transalpine Urnfield Culture of Southern Germany and the Inn Valley.
ABSTRACT - An overview of the archaeological evidences coming from the southern side of the eastern Alps (Trentino) is here presented, from the Valsugana, the adjacent plateaus of Vezzena, Lavarone and Luserna, affected together with the Cembra Valley and the Primiero area by the presence of more than two hundred smelting sites in mountain area. The evidences belonging to the Alpine smelting sites date back, without exception, between the Recent and Final Bronze Age (Luco/Laugen A) and this classification is consistent with the 14C dating analysis. In Trentino the archaeological remains of smelting activity of the Middle Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age are completely absent and the same situation is found in Alto Adige/Südtirol. This paper aims to discuss recent proposals on the use of 14C dating interpretations through which some authors have extended the chronology of smelting activity in the mountain areas of Trentino to the Middle Bronze Age (from the 16th century BC), to the Early Iron Age (9th – 8th century BC) in supposed continuity to the evidence of the advanced Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age. This extension of the chronology is linked to the identification, through the analysis of artifacts pertinent to the Middle Bronze Age (1700/1600-1300 BC.), of traces of copper from the south-eastern Alps in finds from the Po Valley, Scandinavia and the western and central Balkan area. In the light of the fact that the reports relating to the wide-ranging circulation of copper in Trentino Alto Adige/Südtirol already in the Middle Bronze Age at the current state of research find no confirmation in the archaeological reality of the supposed supply areas, the theoretical and methodological problem arises of this lack of correlation.
ABSTRACT: The contribution provides an overview of the Late Iron Age in Trentino, including an introduction to the history of studies related to this period in Northern Italy. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to presenting the archaeological data of the region and their interpretation, along with an analysis of the distinctive material culture characterizing the cultural facies of this period.
ABSTRACT: The contribution provides an overview of the Early Iron Age in Trentino, including an introduction to the history of studies related to this period in Northern Italy. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to presenting the archaeological data of the region and their interpretation, along with an analysis of the distinctive material culture characterizing the cultural facies of this period.
ABSTRACT: The contribution provides an overview of the Late and Final Bronze Ages in Trentino, including an introduction to the history of studies related to these periods in Northern Italy. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to presenting the archaeological data of the region and their interpretation, along with an analysis of the distinctive material culture characterizing the cultural facies of this period.
ABSTRACT: The crucial theme of the relations between the Rhaetic-Alpine cultural area and the Etrusco-Italic world has regained relevance over the past decade or so, following an intensification of research conducted in the field between the 1950s and 1980s. The systematic acquisition of data has, on the one hand, put an end to the fruitless disputes that flourished in the 19th century regarding the mere exegesis of written sources, which famously suggested the Etruscan origin of the Rhaetians. On the other hand, the considerable progress of investigations has allowed for the recognition of a specific and uninterrupted cultural development in much of the territory attributed to the Rhaetians by the sources. This development is marked by the articulation of regional facies or cultures such as Luco/Laugen-Meluno/Melaun (12th to the middle of the 6th century BC) and Fritzens-Sanzeno (middle of the 6th to 1st century BC), which, although clearly differentiated from each other, are connected in multiple aspects. These include episodes of settlement persistence, the repeated use of burial areas and often places of worship with votive pyres (Brandopferplätze), survivals in the expressions of metallurgical industry, and, even more prominently, traditionalism in pottery production.
RIASSUNTO. In un contesto fortemente condizionato dalla considerevole eterogeneità della documentazione archeologica, la questione dei legami matrimoniali tra soggetti culturalmente eterogenei è un terreno piuttosto insidioso a causa delle ampie lacune lasciate all'interpretazione. I matrimoni misti dell'era preromana sono generalmente legati a testimonianze epigrafiche. Le prove di livelli di maggiore probabilità o addirittura mere ipotesi sono l'attestazione di oggetti esotici non correlati al contesto culturale locale spesso suggeriti da sepolture "fuori dall'ordinario", soprattutto quelle delle donne. In definitiva, si tratta di indicazioni di mobilità che riflettono trasferimenti individuali verso un territorio al di fuori di quello dell'attestazione culturale; o testimonianza di un'integrazione più estesa tra esponenti di culture diverse, come ad esempio nel caso delle interazioni tra le comunità etrusche e celtiche scoperte nell'Appennino bolognese. Pertanto, alcune prove di mobilità in relazione agli spostamenti nelle aree pianeggianti da parte delle popolazioni alpine preromane (Reti) sono tradizionalmente considerate come indicazioni del fenomeno dei "matrimoni misti" in riferimenti specializzati.
SUMMARY - During the IV millennium BC, between the Late Neolithic and Copper Age, studies unanimously recognise the establishment of systems of pasture exploitation at high altitudes in the Alpine region, in form of vertical transhumant grazing and summer mountain pasturing. This is evidenced by pollen analyses and the widespread findings of artefacts in the mountain area. The development of pastoral transhumance should improve the mobility of human groups, as indicated by the similarities in the ceramic types as well as the circulation of raw materials and prestige items through the mountain range. From the end of the III millennium B.C., in the Early Bronze Age, a large increase of anthropic impact tied to pastoral practices is recorded in the Alpine region, with a systematic attendance of high altitude pastures. Pastoral activities in the mountains, even if permeated from strong traditionalism, connotes an extremely complex and dynamic reality.
SUMMARY - Castelar de La Groa is a rounded hill rising in isolation at an altitude of 874 meters above sea level, on the northern edge of Mount Bondone on the outskirts of Trento. Based on the presence of powerful deposits of carbonaceous soil, containing small fragments of calcined bones and a significant quantity of ceramic fragments from the Luco Culture phase A, Perini recognized the cultic nature of the site during the Late Bronze Age, in the 12th-11th centuries BCE. The attestation of ceramic fragments and ornamental elements from the Second Iron Age (mid-6th to mid-3rd centuries BCE), discovered within a carbonaceous deposit at a rocky outcrop, has also been attributed to cultic reasons.
SUMMARY - The locality of Valemporga, situated southwest of the present-day village of Mechel, is a wide valley traversed by a watercourse. The discovery of metallic objects with a light green patina due to exposure to heat indicates the presence of votive pyres. Excluding remains of perforated rims from the Early Bronze Age, the chronological range represented by the materials extends from the Late Bronze Age (13th century BCE) to the Roman period (4th century CE). With the Fritzens-Sanzeno or Rhaetic Culture of the Second Iron Age, as well as in the subsequent Roman era, the majority of offerings consist of fibulae. Often they exhibit miniature dimensions, indicating specialized craftsmanship aimed at their use within the cult site, more for symbolic than functional purposes. Offerings also include lead votive offerings, horn sections with inscriptions, triangular pendants made from decorated sheets following the Art of the Situlae, miniature situlae, and schematic figurines made from cut-out sheets. These latter items bear witness to the adoption of cultural influences radiating from the Po Valley Etruria, likely from the Mantuan area. Of significant importance is the continuation of the ritual into the Roman era, demonstrating evident cultic continuity that only changes with the inclusion of new types of materials. Due to the variety of materials, their abundance, and the extensive chronological span represented, the Mechel cult site stands out as a sanctuary area of considerable and prolonged significance, likely used by multiple centers beyond just the immediate vicinity.
RIASSUNTO: L’articolo illustra i contenuti concettuali del progetto del parco palafitticolo di Fiavé in corso di realizzazione. È previsto un percorso didattico scenografico di impatto esperienziale ed emozionale con la ricostruzione, il più vicino possibile alla realtà della documentazione di scavo, dei villaggi palafitticoli abbandonati (Fiavé 3-5) e del villaggio costruito con l’ingegnoso reticolo di fondazione (Fiavé 6). Ci si prefigge di creare un dialogo tra l’archeologia e l’ambiente naturale, al fine di accrescere sia conoscenza e consapevolezze culturali, sia l’attrattiva del territorio dal punto di vista turistico, offrendo un’opportunità di fruizione integrata del patrimonio culturale e ambientale.
SUMMARY - The contribution deals with the identification of some bronze fragments found during the excavations carried out by E. Ghislanzoni in 1927 at Sanzeno, in Val di Non (Trento), and now preserved in the collections of the Castello del Buonconsiglio in Trento. A parallel established with similar fragments kept at the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck identifies them as elements of a syrinx or Pan flute, and places them in a period ranging from the beginning of the Second Iron Age to the ancient La Tène. The attribution to the ancient La Tène is also supported by the recurrence of depictions of syrinx players in the Art of the Situlae, within the chronological framework of the 6th-4th century BC, and, particularly concerning the Alpine area, the 5th-4th century BC.
SUMMARY - In the last decades, the progress of the research on primary metallurgy in the south-eastern Alps and on the circulation of copper has been remarkable. Methods based on the combination of isotopic and geochemical analyses have increased the knowledge coming from archaeological contexts and from archaeometric analyses on products of the smelting processes, primarily the slag. Copper from the southern Alps, and more particularly from Trentino, has been detected in artifacts from the Po Valley, central and southern Italy, the Balkans, Greece and Scandinavia. These objects are dated not only to the Italian Recent and Final Bronze Age but also to the Middle Bronze Age, a period for which there is currently no archaeological evidence for extraction of copper minerals in the area. From an overview of the available data, which is the subject of this article, it is possible to come to the conclusion that there is a discrepancy between the results of the isotope analyses on the Middle Bronze Age artifacts from Europe, 14C dates and the archaeological evidence which, at the current state of research, excludes any evidence of copper production on the mountains of Trentino out of the range between Recent and Final Bronze Age. Another topic of discussion is the social context in which the large-scale production of metal in Trentino must have played a big role. Copper production at such an intensive scale presupposes the existence of an articulated social organization with a strong cohesion controlled by an armed elite which benefited from the wealth produced and from the exchange etworks, as evidenced by the prestigious signs of power and prestige found in Valsugana. The presence of the Luco/Laugen Alpine Culture out of its main area, in nodal sites of the Po Plain, indicate the capacity of expansion of this cultural horizon and the probable active intermediary role of the Luco/Laugen area between the Po Plain itself and the Transalpine Urnfield Culture of Southern Germany and the Inn Valley.
ABSTRACT - An overview of the archaeological evidences coming from the southern side of the eastern Alps (Trentino) is here presented, from the Valsugana, the adjacent plateaus of Vezzena, Lavarone and Luserna, affected together with the Cembra Valley and the Primiero area by the presence of more than two hundred smelting sites in mountain area. The evidences belonging to the Alpine smelting sites date back, without exception, between the Recent and Final Bronze Age (Luco/Laugen A) and this classification is consistent with the 14C dating analysis. In Trentino the archaeological remains of smelting activity of the Middle Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age are completely absent and the same situation is found in Alto Adige/Südtirol. This paper aims to discuss recent proposals on the use of 14C dating interpretations through which some authors have extended the chronology of smelting activity in the mountain areas of Trentino to the Middle Bronze Age (from the 16th century BC), to the Early Iron Age (9th – 8th century BC) in supposed continuity to the evidence of the advanced Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age. This extension of the chronology is linked to the identification, through the analysis of artifacts pertinent to the Middle Bronze Age (1700/1600-1300 BC.), of traces of copper from the south-eastern Alps in finds from the Po Valley, Scandinavia and the western and central Balkan area. In the light of the fact that the reports relating to the wide-ranging circulation of copper in Trentino Alto Adige/Südtirol already in the Middle Bronze Age at the current state of research find no confirmation in the archaeological reality of the supposed supply areas, the theoretical and methodological problem arises of this lack of correlation.
ABSTRACT: The contribution provides an overview of the Late Iron Age in Trentino, including an introduction to the history of studies related to this period in Northern Italy. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to presenting the archaeological data of the region and their interpretation, along with an analysis of the distinctive material culture characterizing the cultural facies of this period.
ABSTRACT: The contribution provides an overview of the Early Iron Age in Trentino, including an introduction to the history of studies related to this period in Northern Italy. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to presenting the archaeological data of the region and their interpretation, along with an analysis of the distinctive material culture characterizing the cultural facies of this period.
ABSTRACT: The contribution provides an overview of the Late and Final Bronze Ages in Trentino, including an introduction to the history of studies related to these periods in Northern Italy. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to presenting the archaeological data of the region and their interpretation, along with an analysis of the distinctive material culture characterizing the cultural facies of this period.
ABSTRACT: The crucial theme of the relations between the Rhaetic-Alpine cultural area and the Etrusco-Italic world has regained relevance over the past decade or so, following an intensification of research conducted in the field between the 1950s and 1980s. The systematic acquisition of data has, on the one hand, put an end to the fruitless disputes that flourished in the 19th century regarding the mere exegesis of written sources, which famously suggested the Etruscan origin of the Rhaetians. On the other hand, the considerable progress of investigations has allowed for the recognition of a specific and uninterrupted cultural development in much of the territory attributed to the Rhaetians by the sources. This development is marked by the articulation of regional facies or cultures such as Luco/Laugen-Meluno/Melaun (12th to the middle of the 6th century BC) and Fritzens-Sanzeno (middle of the 6th to 1st century BC), which, although clearly differentiated from each other, are connected in multiple aspects. These include episodes of settlement persistence, the repeated use of burial areas and often places of worship with votive pyres (Brandopferplätze), survivals in the expressions of metallurgical industry, and, even more prominently, traditionalism in pottery production.
RIASSUNTO. In un contesto fortemente condizionato dalla considerevole eterogeneità della documentazione archeologica, la questione dei legami matrimoniali tra soggetti culturalmente eterogenei è un terreno piuttosto insidioso a causa delle ampie lacune lasciate all'interpretazione. I matrimoni misti dell'era preromana sono generalmente legati a testimonianze epigrafiche. Le prove di livelli di maggiore probabilità o addirittura mere ipotesi sono l'attestazione di oggetti esotici non correlati al contesto culturale locale spesso suggeriti da sepolture "fuori dall'ordinario", soprattutto quelle delle donne. In definitiva, si tratta di indicazioni di mobilità che riflettono trasferimenti individuali verso un territorio al di fuori di quello dell'attestazione culturale; o testimonianza di un'integrazione più estesa tra esponenti di culture diverse, come ad esempio nel caso delle interazioni tra le comunità etrusche e celtiche scoperte nell'Appennino bolognese. Pertanto, alcune prove di mobilità in relazione agli spostamenti nelle aree pianeggianti da parte delle popolazioni alpine preromane (Reti) sono tradizionalmente considerate come indicazioni del fenomeno dei "matrimoni misti" in riferimenti specializzati.
SUMMARY - During the IV millennium BC, between the Late Neolithic and Copper Age, studies unanimously recognise the establishment of systems of pasture exploitation at high altitudes in the Alpine region, in form of vertical transhumant grazing and summer mountain pasturing. This is evidenced by pollen analyses and the widespread findings of artefacts in the mountain area. The development of pastoral transhumance should improve the mobility of human groups, as indicated by the similarities in the ceramic types as well as the circulation of raw materials and prestige items through the mountain range. From the end of the III millennium B.C., in the Early Bronze Age, a large increase of anthropic impact tied to pastoral practices is recorded in the Alpine region, with a systematic attendance of high altitude pastures. Pastoral activities in the mountains, even if permeated from strong traditionalism, connotes an extremely complex and dynamic reality.
SUMMARY - Castelar de La Groa is a rounded hill rising in isolation at an altitude of 874 meters above sea level, on the northern edge of Mount Bondone on the outskirts of Trento. Based on the presence of powerful deposits of carbonaceous soil, containing small fragments of calcined bones and a significant quantity of ceramic fragments from the Luco Culture phase A, Perini recognized the cultic nature of the site during the Late Bronze Age, in the 12th-11th centuries BCE. The attestation of ceramic fragments and ornamental elements from the Second Iron Age (mid-6th to mid-3rd centuries BCE), discovered within a carbonaceous deposit at a rocky outcrop, has also been attributed to cultic reasons.
SUMMARY - The locality of Valemporga, situated southwest of the present-day village of Mechel, is a wide valley traversed by a watercourse. The discovery of metallic objects with a light green patina due to exposure to heat indicates the presence of votive pyres. Excluding remains of perforated rims from the Early Bronze Age, the chronological range represented by the materials extends from the Late Bronze Age (13th century BCE) to the Roman period (4th century CE). With the Fritzens-Sanzeno or Rhaetic Culture of the Second Iron Age, as well as in the subsequent Roman era, the majority of offerings consist of fibulae. Often they exhibit miniature dimensions, indicating specialized craftsmanship aimed at their use within the cult site, more for symbolic than functional purposes. Offerings also include lead votive offerings, horn sections with inscriptions, triangular pendants made from decorated sheets following the Art of the Situlae, miniature situlae, and schematic figurines made from cut-out sheets. These latter items bear witness to the adoption of cultural influences radiating from the Po Valley Etruria, likely from the Mantuan area. Of significant importance is the continuation of the ritual into the Roman era, demonstrating evident cultic continuity that only changes with the inclusion of new types of materials. Due to the variety of materials, their abundance, and the extensive chronological span represented, the Mechel cult site stands out as a sanctuary area of considerable and prolonged significance, likely used by multiple centers beyond just the immediate vicinity.
Come ricordato da più autori in questo volume, la ricerca archeologica ha permesso di identificare a livello di cultura materiale quell’insieme di popolazioni che le fonti di epoca romana hanno indicato con il nome di Reti.
Si tratta di comunità insediate in un territorio montuoso, che nonostante la struttura morfologica si è sempre configurato non solo come importante via di comunicazione ma anche come luogo di incontro tra popoli e culture.
Al quadro riduttivo che vedeva nei Reti una popolazione posta alla periferia dei grandi protagonisti della Protostoria recente, quali ad esempio Veneti, Celti ed Etruschi, si contrappone sempre di più l’immagine di una realtà circoscritta a livello territoriale ma notevolmente dinamica e aperta alle influenze provenienti dagli ambiti culturali limitrofi, che vengono sistematicamente rielaborate al fine di adattarle ai gusti e alle tradizioni locali.
I contributi di questo volume si caratterizzano per la ricchezza di nuovi dati provenienti dagli abitati, non più semplici “villaggi” ma ormai centri complessi dislocati spesso lungo importanti vie di comunicazione e di scambio e articolati a livello spaziale in diverse aree funzionali: zone “artigianali”, spazi prettamente residenziali e luoghi di culto.
Nella pianificazione e nella costruzione di questi insediamenti venivano utilizzati saperi, probabilmente già antichi, che testimoniano una profonda conoscenza dell’ambiente circostante, delle dinamiche naturali che caratterizzavano i contesti nei quali si sceglieva di insediarsi, delle migliori tecniche costruttive (con il probabile utilizzo di unità metriche ricorrenti) e dei materiali da costruzione più adatti.
Queste comunità della seconda età del Ferro denotano dunque un elevato livello culturale arricchito dai contatti con le altre popolazioni alpine e con i Veneti, gli Etruschi e i Celti, come testimoniato da importanti scoperte sia epigrafiche sia archeologiche.
Viene così delineandosi un articolato quadro nel quale le specificità locali si arricchiscono di elementi alloctoni, riconducibili alla presenza di genti “straniere” oppure alla condivisione di elementi culturali, sia a livello di “sentire” religioso che di conoscenze prettamente tecnologiche, a testimonianza della profondità e dell’impatto di queste relazioni.
L’incontro di Sanzeno ha permesso inoltre di far conoscere importanti novità concernenti i territori vicini (quali gli attuali Veneto e Friuli Venezia Giulia) che vanno a integrare le conoscenze indispensabili alla comprensione delle dinamiche di interazione avvenute tra il mondo centro-alpino e questi ambiti geografici.
Al termine di questa “fatica” non ci rimane che esprimere un formale ma sincero rigraziamento a tutti i colleghi che hanno contribuito a rendere possibile la pubblicazione di questo volume, e in particolare ai colleghi dell’Ufficio beni archeologici che hanno profuso un impegno che va al di la dei propri compiti professionali.
ROSA RONCADOR e FRANCO NICOLIS
Soprintendenza per i Beni architettonici e archeologici
Ufficio Beni archeologici
Provincia autonoma di Trento