Coppa Nevigata
Encyclopedia
Coppa Nevigata is an archaeological site in the province of Foggia
, Italy
, southwest of Manfredonia
, on the coast of the Gargano
peninsula.
The earliest human presence on the site, which was situated on the edge of a coastal lagoon
, with easy access to the sea and numerous natural resources, dates back to the Neolithic
, between the 7th
and 5th millennia BC
. At a later date, a settlement of the final Neolithic period continued into the Bronze Age; occupation at the site is attested for the Protoappenine, Appenine, and Subappenine phases of the Italian Bronze Age
.
During the Bronze Age, a significant settlement arose that had contacts with the civilizations of the Aegean; these contacts are most visible during the Subappenine phase, when fragments of Mycenaean ceramics are found at the site. From the beginning of the Protoappenine phase, there is evidence for the extraction of purple dye
from murex
shells and for pressing of olives to extract olive oil
. The purple dye production, starting around 1800 BC, is the earliest yet attested in Italy. This dye production increased through the 14th century BC, but sharply dropped off by the 12th century in the Subappenine phase. Some areas near the fortifications and on the shore of the lagoon were dedicated both to the processing and storage of cereals and to the extraction of purple dye; these activities were later moved within the settlement. The site was defended by dry stone
fortification walls.
The site is currently under periodic excavation by a team from Sapienza University of Rome, under the direction of Alberto Cazzella.
Province of Foggia
The Province of Foggia is a province in the Apulia region of Italy.This province is also known as Capitanata, originally Catapanata, because during the Middle Ages it was governed by a catapan, as part of the Catapanate of Italy...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, southwest of Manfredonia
Manfredonia
Manfredonia is a town and comune of Puglia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is 35 kilometres northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and giving its name to the gulf to the east of it...
, on the coast of the Gargano
Gargano
Gargano is a historical and geographical Italian sub-region situated in Apulia, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of the Gargano Promontory projecting into the Adriatic Sea. The high point is Monte Calvo at . Most of the upland...
peninsula.
The earliest human presence on the site, which was situated on the edge of a coastal lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
, with easy access to the sea and numerous natural resources, dates back to the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
, between the 7th
7th millennium BC
During the 7th millennium BC, agriculture spreads from Anatolia to the Balkans.World population was essentially stable at around 5 million people, living mostly scattered across the globe in small hunting-gathering tribes...
and 5th millennia BC
5th millennium BC
The 5th millennium BC saw the spread of agriculture from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe.Urban cultures in Mesopotamia and Anatolia flourished, developing the wheel. Copper ornaments became more common, marking the Chalcolithic. Animal husbandry spread throughout Eurasia,...
. At a later date, a settlement of the final Neolithic period continued into the Bronze Age; occupation at the site is attested for the Protoappenine, Appenine, and Subappenine phases of the Italian Bronze Age
Prehistoric Italy
thumb|A Sardinian bronze statuette, perhaps portraying a tribal chief. [[Cagliari]], Museo Archeologico Nazionale.The territory of what is now Italy was settled by Neanderthal man in the Lower Palaeolithic, roughly 500,000 years ago. As elsewhere in Europe, the Neanterthals co-existed with Homo...
.
During the Bronze Age, a significant settlement arose that had contacts with the civilizations of the Aegean; these contacts are most visible during the Subappenine phase, when fragments of Mycenaean ceramics are found at the site. From the beginning of the Protoappenine phase, there is evidence for the extraction of purple dye
Tyrian purple
Tyrian purple , also known as royal purple, imperial purple or imperial dye, is a purple-red natural dye, which is extracted from sea snails, and which was possibly first produced by the ancient Phoenicians...
from murex
Murex
Murex is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. These are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly calle "murexes" or "rock snails"...
shells and for pressing of olives to extract olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
. The purple dye production, starting around 1800 BC, is the earliest yet attested in Italy. This dye production increased through the 14th century BC, but sharply dropped off by the 12th century in the Subappenine phase. Some areas near the fortifications and on the shore of the lagoon were dedicated both to the processing and storage of cereals and to the extraction of purple dye; these activities were later moved within the settlement. The site was defended by dry stone
Dry stone
Dry stone is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their unique construction method, which is characterized by the presence of a load-bearing facade of carefully selected interlocking...
fortification walls.
The site is currently under periodic excavation by a team from Sapienza University of Rome, under the direction of Alberto Cazzella.
External links
- "Coppa Nevigata - Testimonianze archeologiche dal VII al II millennio avanti Cristo"
- Cazzella, Alberto & Maurizio Moscoloni. 1998. "Coppa Nevigata: un insediamento fortificato dell'eta del Bronzo," in Luciana Drago Troccoli (ed.), Scavi e ricerche archeologiche dell'Università di Roma La Sapienza, pp. 178-183.
- Cazzella, Alberto et al. 2004. "L’insediamento dell’età del Bronzo di Coppa Nevigata (Foggia) e la più antica attestazione della produzione della porpora in Italia," Preistoria Alpina Supplement 1, v. 40, pp. 177-182.