Torre Guaceto (Brindisi)
Archaeological excavation of the Bronze Age urnfield of Torre Guaceto (BR)
Archaeological mission coordinator/director
Claudio Cavazzuti (DiSCi - Università di Bologna), Teodoro Scarano (Univeristà del Salento)
Research Area and ERC Panels
Starting date of the campaign and duration
June 2020 - June 2021
Overview
After the discovery of 4 Late Bronze Age urn cremation graves in 2019, due to a coastal storm which had removed the superficial sand layers, the research team directed by Teodoro Scarano (Università del Salento) and Claudio Cavazzuti (Università di Bologna) has been planning and leading an excavation in the territory of the Natural Reserve of Torre Guaceto (Brindisi), in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le Provincie di Brindisi, Lecce e Taranto. The objective of the action is to extend the investigated area for a better understanding of the funerary context in the wider framework of the protohistoric evidence in the territory of the Natural Reserve.
The urns were normally in good state of preservation, at least when they were deposed at a sufficient depth, not to be damaged by modern treading.
From a structural perspective, the area is characterized by the presence of numerous post holes, both above and below the present-day sea-level, which may be referred to religious activities, but whose function is to clarify through further investigations.
The funerary custom and the typology of the material show the typical traits of Late Bronze Age urnfield in the Italian peninsula (c. 1200-900 BCE): ceramic urn lidded by a bowl, sporadic presence of bronze and amber grave goods. The archaeological material is currently stored in the laboratory of the Natural Reserve, where students also carry out the micro-excavation of the urns, for a better understanding of the ossilegium, the ritual of collection and deposition of cremated bones in the graves.