The rock shelters of Pian del Cherry:
a Neolithic site in the Finale (Western Liguria)
(Author: Alfredo Pirondini)
Describes the archaeological site, its location, the archaeological and relationships with other sites in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Finale (Province of Savona, Liguria, Italy North-West) and the Mediterranean.
The archaeological site of Pian del Cherry (in Liguria by Cian Séréja) consists of a rock shelter located in Val Ponci near Plateau Manie, Municipality of Finale Ligure (Savona Province, Western Liguria).
Coordinates obtained by GPS device, are:
altitude: 238 m, latitude: 44 ° 12'8, 388 "N, longitude: 8 ° 22'29, 748" E.
The area has obvious and numerous karst features and is characterized by the presence of numerous rocks, eroded by weathering, consisting of Miocene bioclastic limestone, rich in fossils: the Stone of the Finale. The karst led to the formation of numerous caves and natural cavities, often inhabited by humans in the Paleolithic period, such as Weapon (Ligurian word in Italian means cave) Manie, one of the largest caves in the Finale, which is about 420 meters as the crow flies from the shelter under consideration. Pian del
Cherry can be reached along a detour towards the south-west, on the left side of the trail (trail, two red squares), which, descending from the plateau of the long-Manie Valley Voze del Rio, in Val Ponci comes near the third bridge Romano said, well, "Bridge Voze.
Picture 1
deviation described above is overrun by vegetation and the author (the last visit was in July 2010) has restored the access trail, which must exceed 2 bands dry stone walls to get to the mall bordered by a rock wall to the south, where you open the shelters under (Photo 1) and to the left of that, a little cave (No. F3 the Land of the Caves Ligurian), with walls Dry (Photo 2).
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Currently, the excavation area is sheltered and protected by railings and is not, for obvious reasons, accessible. At the base of the entrance of the cave you see a boulder that has a roughly square cross-shaped orientation (Photo 3), located at the base of a more massive (Photo 4).
The petroglyph dating is not unique, but its edges, sharp enough, even in the presence of alterations weathering due to exposure, suggest an age later than the findings of the nearby shelter: can not be expected that prior to the Iron Age, in Liguria, was developed between 900 and 180 BC The stones
description is also recall the structure of the megalithic altars in the Finale (6), (7), (8), (9), (19), typical of Celtic culture - the Ligurian and date from a period of time between the end of the fifth, at the end of the third millennium BC, including the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age (10), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16).
On the other hand, the cross-shaped, could also be considered a sign of Christianity (Roman era - Christian and / or post-Roman) in an area that had a religious function (14), also related to the cult of the dead, as evidenced by the remains of a tomb found in the area of \u200b\u200bshelter.
must remember that the whole area was probably visited in ancient times (Paleolithic), given the proximity to the Arma delle Manie, so the presence of man in this area, it would be documented for a very extended period of time: from the Paleolithic to the present day (1).
The excavations (11) were conducted, following the reporting of unauthorized excavations, between the end of 1992 and the summer of 1997 by the Archaeological Superintendence of Liguria.
Studies also show that the site was attended by 400 to 500 years, mainly for the processing and production of handmade terracotta. Carbon deposits were found related to the remains of ovens stack, pottery fragments, stone implements for smoothing pottery.
The storage of materials, measuring about 40 square meters, is present only in a depression in the ground, produced by the erosion of a stream that led into a sinkhole, then buried. This stream, known for karst features, he later moved to its current bed of the Rio Voze.
The analysis of carbon and pollen have allowed us to date the finds from the Neolithic period (which was developed in Liguria 5800 to 3600 BC) and, more specifically, the period of the "Culture of Ceramica Impressa" and "Culture of Vases Square Mouth" (Middle Stone Age: 5000 to 4200 BC).
Figure 1
The stratigraphy of the site (Figure 1) attests to a succession of acquaintances that leave from the Neolithic, with a succession of levels Anthropogenic (beaten, carry-ground beds of ashes and levels of use in dark gray, impregnated with organic matter and carbon-rich) (Photos 5 and 6) and levels of sterile silt, resulting from the effects of flooding of the river in front of the site.
Analysis micromorfologiche dei livelli evidenziati hanno consentito di comprendere le diverse modalità di frequentazione del sito: la presenza di coproliti di origine caprovinica e l'alternanza di livelli di uso (con strati cinerei e limi sterili) avvalorano l'ipotesi di un uso stagionale del riparo (principalmente come ricovero degli animali), con un uso abitativo e di produzione di utensili ceramici (come dimostrano le evidenze della cottura dell'argilla) ed anche funerario, come dimostrato dai resti di una sepoltura.
Fotografia 5
Fotografia 6
The ash layers indicate that the site was cleaned up, by fire, the recovery of human presence, a residue from the previous season forages to material gathered by the abandonment.
The formation of a soil at the top of the deposit suggests that the guard was more frequent, significantly, following the steps documented.
in the deposit have been reported and identified the remains of charred seeds and fruits, in relation to cereals (barley, barley, wheat) and forest resources, such as elderberry, raspberry, hazelnut and wild plum.
are also numerous cotyledons of acorns which could also be used for food. The radiocarbon datings
(11), eseguite per i livelli della “Cultura dei Vasi a Bocca Quadrata”, risalgono al V millennio a.C. (tra il 4700 ed il 4300 circa).
Indagini archeometriche (5), condotte con microscopia ottica e XRPD (X-Ray Powder Diffraction) su campioni appartenenti alle culture dei Vasi a Bocca Quadrata e della Ceramica Impressa, suggeriscono differenti fonti di materie prime e di tecniche di produzione.
La natura delle inclusioni minerali indica, in tutti i casi, una produzione locale o circumlocale (raggio massimo di circa 10 Km).
Gli impasti delle ceramiche dei Vasi a Bocca Quadrata contengono, infatti, elementi che possono essere riferiti alle rocce metamorfiche paleozoiche affioranti nella zona ( con presenza di inclusioni calcite) with characteristics typical of other productions of Neolithic pottery from contexts of caves in the area studied.
In contrast, the "Ceramics impressed, even if it has been found in more limited quantities, shows a great variability with regard to its composition and area of \u200b\u200borigin.
Besides, in fact, several local bodies (with inclusions of metamorphic rocks and the presence of varying amounts of calcite), mixtures were also found with inclusions ophiolitic (coming probably from Tuscany) or volcanic (originating, in all likelihood , Central Italy).
These data confirm and complement those of neighboring sites archaeological Arene Candide and Pollera: during the Neolithic was, presumably, a movement by sea, long-distance passenger and freight (including ceramics).
The finding of a cylinder of clay (11) with a series (5x12) of linear incisions on the surface, perpendicular to each other, forming 60 square boxes. This is probably a "Token" term that can be translated as "sign printed", "mark printed, but that - in archaeological terms - means a system of digital recording. The article presents, in 8 of 60 cases, a point, imprinted before firing and, probably, would be a very old system of numbering. Similar findings are found in archaeological sites, dating back to the contemporary site in question, located especially in the Middle East: the object in question is unique among the finds of the Neolithic Italian.
The Neolithic was a decisive period of prehistory: in less than 2000 years of human existence changed more deeply than the 2 million years that preceded it. Many authors speak of "Neolithic Revolution": Man, by Binder and Hunter became Farmer and Breeder, starting to control natural resources to suit their own food needs. At the same time, the man began to be settled and this led to changes in a company, which had been devoted to nomadism. These radical changes due, according to some authors (2), (3), (18) the arrival of new people arrived by sea in Liguria, Italy Centre - South, according to others (4) to an origin as a result of self- an economic crisis and technological Mesolithic groups, are reflected in their caves in the Finale (Arenas, poultry) and in the shelter of Pian del Cherry.
Pian del Cherry appears to be an archaeological complex, probably would restrict other findings in the case of recovery delle indagini, anche alla luce dei reperti esterni alla zona attualmente sede degli scavi. Il reperimento di petroglifi e di megaliti, dimostrerebbe una frequentazione antropica più estesa, anche alla zona della grotta F3, non solo durante il Neolitico, ma anche in periodi precedenti e successivi al Neolitico stesso (Età dei Metalli) fino ad un'epoca molto vicino alla nostra. Ricordo che l'Altopiano delle Manie e la omonima Arma, furono abitati fin dal Paleolitico e la presenza dell'uomo è testimoniata fino ai nostri giorni.
Il Finalese rappresenta, dunque, un'area cruciale per comprendere appieno gli sviluppi delle tappe della preistoria e storia umana.
Archaeology Magazine Online (September 2009). http://www.archeomedia.net/tutela-e-salvaguardia/
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© 2011 by Alfredo Pirondini
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