FUNERARY HYPOGEISM IN SOUTHERN ETRURIA: CULTURAL CHANGES BETWEEN THE ENEOLITHIC AND THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE
Nuccia Negroni Catacchio  1, *@  , Matteo Aspesi  2@  , Christian Metta  3@  
1 : Università degli Studi di Milano, Centro Studi di Preistoria e Archeologia Milano
2 : Centro Studi di Preistoria e Archeologia Milano
3 : Università di Siena - Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche e dei Beni Culturali, Centro Studi di Preistoria e Archeologia Milano
* : Corresponding author

Between the Eneolithic and the Middle Bronze Age, in Southern Etruria several different funerary hypogean structures and many funerary rituals reflect changes in society.

The funerary ritual attested during the Eneolithic period is attributable to the Rinaldone culture that is characterized by single and multiple burials inside rock cut tombs with a typical structure made of a chamber and a well entrance (tombe a grotticella artificiale). Necropolises are distributed between Northern Latium and Southern Tuscany, but in the territories between the Fiora and Albegna rivers a high concentration of necropolises organized by groups more or less close to each other, whose distance varies from 1 to 5 kilometers, is present. This area is defined “nuclear area”.

With the passage to Bronze Age in the middle Fiora river valley a drastic reduction of funerary evidences can be noticed. This situation is also reflected in the lack of settlements. In fact, given the current state of research, if we exclude surface materials, settlements remains and caves frequentations are poor during this phase.

During the Middle Bronze Age two important funerary phenomena are attested: the first one is the birth of the monumental chamber tombs with a dromos of access (Roccoia, Prato di Fabulino, Civita di Musarna and in the territory of Blera), clearly designed for high ranking members, that seem to appear in the region at this time; the second one is the use of caves and natural cavities as cemeteries (Grotta Misa, Felcetone, and Grotta Di Carli) that refers to the Eneolithic tradition of burials inside natural cavities that are attested throughout the rest of the Italian Peninsula.

 



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