Torre dell’Alto (LE)

Coordinator/ Excavation Director

Francesco Iacono

ERC sector (2nd level)

• Archaeological disciplines from prehistory to the Middle Ages
• SH6 The study of the human past: archaeology, history and memory (12 III level)

Excavation starting date and duration

The mission has been active since 2021. Excavation campaigns normally take place in June.

Description

The dig is part of the  PRIN 2022 project “Mediterranean Coastal Lifestyle and Mobility” (https://site.unibo.it/medcoastlife/it).

The site of Torre dall’Alto is located on the Ionian coast of Salento, within the Porto Selvaggio Natural Park, municipality of Nardò. It consists of a dry stone wall dating back to the Bronze Age and located perpendicular to a promontory delimited by rocky spurs and on whose end is located the sixteenth-century tower of the same name, at a height of about 50 meters above sea level.

Starting from the second millennium BC, coastal Salento has represented one of the most dynamic realities of Southern Italy with very important sites characterized not only by monumental architecture but also by abundant traces of long-range contacts and relationships (e.g. with the state societies of the Aegean and the Bronze Age communities that inhabited the Northern Adriatic, as well as the Balkans). In this rich documentary framework, the poor knowledge of the Nardò area during the Bronze Age phases, especially the most advanced ones, stands out. Although preliminary interventions have highlighted the presence of remains of considerable importance, our knowledge for the phases relating to the second millennium BC unfortunately remains extremely incomplete.

The site of Torre d’Alto, despite having been known for some time and also being indicated by signs, remains essentially unknown except for the preliminary results of surface investigations (Iacono et al. 2023; Valchera et al. 2011).

Since 2023, surface reconnaissance activities have been supplanted by an excavation campaign aimed at identifying the last phase of frequentation of the wall, the masonry technique used for its construction, and, in the context of the PRIN 2022 research project “Mediterranean Coastal Lifestyles and Mobility”, to further investigate the subsistence/life strategies of the coastal communities of the Mediterranean. In this case, these new data were obtained thanks to the continuation of the sampling activities of paleobotanical and faunal remains, as well as the discovery within the material culture record of objects attributable to practices related to coastal life.

The archaeological project of Torre dell'Alto is being developed under the auspices of the University of Bologna. All authorizations have been granted by the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto. The excavation at the site is being conducted in synergy with the Regional Natural Park of Portoselvaggio and Palude del Capitano and the Museum of Prehistory of Nardò.

Information for students

Food and lodging are normally provided in a building that is rented specifically for this purpose. The mission's activities also include a laboratory aimed at the preliminary quantification and study of the finds discovered. For information please contact francesco.iacono5@unibo.it

Literature

Iacono F., Fiorini, A., Agostini, G., Ceccato, Z., Favaron, S., 2023. “Torre dell’Alto (Nardò, Lecce): un primo inquadramento”, Fastionline, 1-17.

Scarano, T., 2012. Roca I. Le Fortificazioni Della Media Età Del Bronzo. Foggia: C. Grenzi.

Valchera, A., C. Martino & M. Sammarco, 2011. “Carta Archeologica della fascia costiera tra Torre Inserraglio e Torre del fiume,” in Serra Cicora Tra VI e V Millennio a. C, ed. I. Tiberi (Origines 32). Firenze: Istituto italiano di preistoria e protostoria, 21–44.