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Papers by Maria Maffi

Il territorio di Le Mose, posto a sud-est di Piacenza tra le direttrici della via Emilia e della ... more Il territorio di Le Mose, posto a sud-est di Piacenza tra le direttrici della via Emilia e della via Caorsana, è noto da tempo per la presenza di significativi rinvenimenti di età romana, probabilmente collegati al tracciato dell’antica via Postumia e costituiti specialmente da fornaci per laterizi che sfruttavano i sedimenti argillosi della zona. Nel corso degli ultimi anni le conoscenze sul popolamento antico di quest’area si sono però notevolmente arricchite, poichè le indagini archeologiche che dal 1998 hanno accompagnato la realizzazione del polo logistico hanno consentito di riconoscere intense e ripetute occupazioni a partire dall’immediato post-glaciale. Sono le prime attestazioni del popolamento preistorico del territorio di Piacenza. In questa sede si presenta un aggiornamento sulla frequentazione dell'area relativa al Neolitico Medio.

Le analisi micromorfologiche effettuate su campioni indisturbati provenienti da tre sezioni strat... more Le analisi micromorfologiche effettuate su campioni indisturbati provenienti da tre sezioni stratigrafiche localizzate nell\u2019area adiacente al villaggio neolitico hanno permesso di ricostruire la stratigrafia del sito e di individuarne alcune caratteristiche geopedologiche. La base della stratigrafia \ue8 costituita dalle ghiaie tardo pleistoceniche - oloceniche di un terrazzo del fiume Trebbia. Il livello di occupazione neolitica, invece, si \ue8 impostato al di sopra di un paleosuolo bruno-rossastro di cui si sono conservate solo delle tracce discontinue a tetto del terrazzo fluviale. Successivi episodi di colluvio costituiscono la parte sommitale della sequenza stratigrafica; tali apporti di materiale dal versante risultano posteriori al periodo di piena attivit\ue0 del villaggio neolitico (4300 \u2013 3800 BC cal), ma ancora contemporanei alla presenza dell\u2019uomo nell\u2019area. L\u2019innesco di questi fenomeni di degradazione del versante potrebbe essere stato causato, dunque, da interventi antropici (disboscamento) in concomitanza coi documentati cambiamenti climatici del periodo atlantico - subboreale.Micromorphological analyses on undisturbed samples from three stratigraphic sections located near the Neolithic village allowed the stratigraphic reconstruction of the site and identification of geopedological features. The base of the stratigraphic sequence is composed by gravel and sand constituting a terrace of the Trebbia River, Late Pleistocene - Holocene in age. The Neolithic soil overlies a red-paleosol that is recognizable by the presence of few and discontinuous traces at the top of the fluvial terrace. The upper part of the stratigraphic sequence consists of superimposed colluvial layers; such slope deposits are more recent than the settling period of the village (i.e. 4300-3800 B.C.), however, still corresponding to the human presence in the area. Therefore, anthropic influence (clearance) together with well-documented climatic deterioration events (Atlantic - Subboreal in age) could be responsible for provoking colluvial episodes that buried the Neolithic layer

SUMMARY-SMP CULTURE BURIALS IN WESTERN EMILIA. ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY-This paper offers an ... more SUMMARY-SMP CULTURE BURIALS IN WESTERN EMILIA. ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY-This paper offers an overview of the study in progress regarding the SMP Culture funerary traditions in Emilia focusing on the discoveries recently occurred in Parma and Piacenza territories. The position in which the deceased is placed in the burial and the grave good assemblages analysis are here considered in relation to the chronology of the ne-cropolis, to gender and age of death. The burials studied are about 180, coming from Le Mose, Ponte Ghiara, Collecchio, Vicofertile, Pontetaro, Gaione, Benefizio and via Guidorossi settlements. The via Guidorossi necropolis is the biggest one, counting 58 inhumations. The skeletal sample has been fully analyzed and sex and age of death have been determined. Regarding the displacement by sex and age of the burials it is clear that in a first stage of the culture the graveyards consist of small, probably family, groups, while during the second stage wider and community necropolis occurred. The funerary rituals follow very strict patterns, but infractions to the standard are not rare and their valuation suggests particularly interesting interpretations. The flexed position of the deceased on the left side is largely predominant, but the evaluation of the position patterns shows how the variants, connected to chronology, sex, age and equipment, can be representative of wealth and status of some members within the community. The widest variations concern the female burial practices, such as the cremations seemingly involved only adult women. Burials dated to the SMP 1 phase have generally no grave-goods, while a strong percentage of the second phase burials, including those of children, are equipped with grave-goods. The grave-goods indicate a very marked gender distinction. Male burials are provided with objects declaring a strong cultural identity such as peculiar flint artefacts (blades and arrow-heads) and polished stone tools (axes and chisels) and rare antler artefacts. Female grave-goods include SMP undecorated pots, Serra d'Alto small flasks, bone spatulas and awls, grinding stones and personal ornaments. The great care for the disposal of the body and for the choice of the funerary equipment reveals a strong symbolism linked to metaphysical beliefs. A strong distinction distinguish everyday objects from mortuary equipments; the objects intended as grave goods are in fact similar to those found in the settlements but at the same time unlike for some aspects, indicating the intention to represent two different worlds, that of the living, secular and profane, and that of the dead, of the ancestors and of the sacred.

SUMMARY - The Emilian Recent Neolithic (ERN): proposal for a new definition - The period under re... more SUMMARY - The Emilian Recent Neolithic (ERN): proposal for a new definition - The period under review is one of the few in the Italian prehistory where the archaeological record allows to determine the arrival of foreign groups in conjunction with the disintegration of an indigenous world of ancient tradition. Studies on this phase of the Neolithic mainly relate to the observations by Bagolini (Bagolini 1981, 1984; Bagolini et alii 1998) resumed by various other authors (Barfield et alii 2000). These remarks outline a multifaceted framework for northern Italy, result of the interaction between the people of the local culture of Square Mouth Pottery and the people of the Chassey culture from France. If the reference framework outlined by Bagolini in the 80s remains roughly shared, the development of the cultural debate and the recent discoveries in Emily will allow further information and updates. The Emily region is a crossroad of all the direct and indirect influences from above mentioned cultural groups and it’s therefore a privileged area for observation. The study focuses on the analysis of the ceramic industry, from the point of view of both technology and typology, in order to better define the internal chronology of the different sites. From this analysis were in fact identified some representative types, that have proved useful to build a relative chronology and to reconstruct a chronological framework of the ERN bringing out the variability observed in Emilia at the turn of the fifth millennium BC. Through the study of the stratigraphy of Travo, Le Mose and Botteghino and of the different settlement phases from the SMP to the Late Neolithic, in fact, it was possible to get important data for the evaluation of the different diachronic cultural indicators and to identify multiple cultural components that characterize this facies in its various stages of development. The study of the Emilian sites has thus allowed to build a regional chrono-typological sequence of the facies that we suggest to call “Emilian Recent Neolithic” (ERN) placed between the last centuries of the fifth and the beginning of the fourth millennium cal BC.

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Les cistes de Chamblandes et la place des coffres dans les pratiques funéraires du Néolithique moyen occidental, Atti del Congresso di Losanna, Cahiers d’Archéologie Romande 110, préhistorique française XlII, Lausanne et Paris,, 2007

In some Square Mouthed Pottery culture burials, during the V millennium BC, personal ornaments ha... more In some Square Mouthed Pottery culture burials, during the V millennium BC,
personal ornaments have been found; their study allows to investigate the different
levels of SMP cultural identity and some regional peculiarities within the
communities of Northern Italy, together with the representation of social roles
and personal identity. The most significant sample was found in the Emilia plain,
where some 230 burials were analysed; the 10% of them, with a high prevalence
of female individuals, were equipped with items of personal adornment. This
sample allows a detailed analysis regarding the choice of materials (stone, bone,
fossil and marine shells), the shapes of the ornaments, the modalities of their
deposition within the burial and their association with the anthropological data
related to gender and age of the individuals. The comparison with the artefacts
found in the settlements in the same area indicates the partial adherence of the
funerary use with the living costume.

SUMMARY – Chrono-typological analyses of the pottery of Sant’Andrea a Travo (Piacenza) in certain... more SUMMARY – Chrono-typological analyses of the pottery of Sant’Andrea a Travo (Piacenza)
in certain sectors of the excavation – Travo Sant’Andrea in the province of Piacenza is one of the most
significant sites for the recent Neolithic in northern Italy. The site continued to exist for several centuries, as
revealed by the C14 datings and by the layering of the structures. Nevertheless, the intense pedogenesises of the
soil prevents the identification of a stratigraphy which would permit evaluation of the typological variation of
the pottery production over time. To identify the different phases of frequentation of the site in the overall pottery
industry, the presence and frequency of certain diagnostic types within the artificial layers made during the
excavation were analysed. Although preliminary, this analysis furnishes some interesting lines of interpretation.

SUMMARY – Residential structures dating to the recent and final Neolithic at Le Mose (Piacenza) –... more SUMMARY – Residential structures dating to the recent and final Neolithic at Le Mose (Piacenza)
– The area of Le Mose in Piacenza is known for important archaeological discoveries, principally of
prehistoric age. Here the residential structures dating chronologically to the recent and final Neolithic are analysed.
In the recent Neolithic, when the scattered nature of the finds indicates the presence of a settlement with
several residential sections, the habitations appear to be based on the model with rectangular plan and continuous
foundation trench. In the final period of the Neolithic, Alpine and north-Alpine influences can be discerned
both in the Breno-type pottery materials and in the residential units of rectangular or oval layout bordered by
holes which are unlike the previous ones

Summary – anomalous burials of SMP culture in western Emilia – Studies regarding the around 230 S... more Summary – anomalous burials of SMP culture in western Emilia – Studies regarding the around 230
SMP burials found in western Emilia revealed strongly standardized funerary rituals, which became more and
more complex throughout the development of the culture. However, alongside the standard practice, anomalous
burials are also attested, revealing the existence of rituals in which funerary practices appear to take on partially
different meanings. In all the settlements investigated to date at least one anomalous burial has been brought to
light, whilst in some sites this kind of evidence appears to predominate (Ponte Ghiara and Pontetaro sites).

Summary – The Late-Neolithic phase in central-western Emilia – During the second quarter of the I... more Summary – The Late-Neolithic phase in central-western Emilia – During the second quarter
of the IV millennium BC a depletion of Late Neolithic Emilian (here indicated as NRE) and of “Western
tradition” markers is attested, alongside the introduction of several new elements. Analysis of the
settlements discovered between the Trebbia and Enza valleys enables the drafting of a chrono-cultural
sequence valid for central-western Emilia. The examined sites are dated between the third and the fifth
century of the fourth millennium BC. Two main phases have been identified: the first (Spilamberto VIIII-
II, S. Andrea-Icut, Vignola, Le Mose-Pessina, Botteghino-Le Ghiaie, Le Mose Ikea, Parma-Scarzara, S.
Ilario d’Enza settlements) is characterized by a polymorphic cultural complex consisting of Breno, Square
Mouthed Pottery (SMP) III and Lagozza elements together with probable Alpine, Balkan and Peninsular
contributions. The second phase (Parma Ex Vighi and via Pontasso settlements) reveals more frequent
contact with Tuscany and more generally with the Peninsula. The successive cultural groups in Emilia are
closely linked by a guiding thread, possibly composed mainly of the SMP tradition, with continuous new
additions, but without significant interruptions, up to the onset of the Copper Age.