Remedello culture
Encyclopedia
The Remedello culture developed during the Copper Age
(3rd millennium BC) in Northern Italy
, particularly in the area of the Po valley
. The name comes from the town of Remedello
(BS) where several burials were discovered in the late 19th century.
The Remedello culture is associated in the traditional historiography with the first identified wave of Indo-European
peoples who entered in Italy
and took over the Po Valley.
, but, as a result of the low temperatures, he fell ill and died. The excavations continued under the direction of Giovanni Bandieri, who moved the relics to the Museum of Reggio Emilia
.
The male set was represented by arrows, stone daggers and polished stone axes, among the tombs few are those with axes and daggers or ornaments made of copper.
The female burials are accompanied by ceramic vessels or (in rare occasions) ornaments. The graves of children contained simple kits of flint stone.
Among the found items noteworthy is the presence of extremely accurate works in flint stone as axes and other weapons, objects in copper and arsenical silver (arms, pins, pectorals, bracelets), all of them characterized by decorative elements of eastern origin.
and the Iron Age
have also been recovered.
The Remedello culture has been recently periodized by scholars into two distinct historical periods both dating back to the Copper Age.
Remedello I : 3400 / 3200 BC - 2800 BC, or ancient Copper Age stage;
Remedello II: 2900 / 2800 BC - 2400 BC, or full Copper Age stage.
Copper Age
The Chalcolithic |stone]]") period or Copper Age, also known as the Eneolithic/Æneolithic , is a phase of the Bronze Age in which the addition of tin to copper to form bronze during smelting remained yet unknown by the metallurgists of the times...
(3rd millennium BC) in Northern Italy
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
, particularly in the area of the Po valley
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
. The name comes from the town of Remedello
Remedello
Remedello is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy....
(BS) where several burials were discovered in the late 19th century.
The Remedello culture is associated in the traditional historiography with the first identified wave of Indo-European
Proto-Indo-Europeans
The Proto-Indo-Europeans were the speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language , a reconstructed prehistoric language of Eurasia.Knowledge of them comes chiefly from the linguistic reconstruction, along with material evidence from archaeology and archaeogenetics...
peoples who entered in 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...
and took over the Po Valley.
First excavations
The first burials were discovered in the winter of 1884, the excavations were initiated by Gaetano ChiericiGaetano Chierici
Gaetano Chierici was an Italian painter.-Biography:Having attended the Reggio Emilia School of Fine Arts in 1850 and 1851, Chierici continued his studies at the academies of Modena and Florence before completing his training in Bologna under the guidance of Giulio Cesare Ferrari...
, but, as a result of the low temperatures, he fell ill and died. The excavations continued under the direction of Giovanni Bandieri, who moved the relics to the Museum of Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
.
The burials
The Copper Age graves contained a single body in a crouching or supine position with the head facing north-west.The male set was represented by arrows, stone daggers and polished stone axes, among the tombs few are those with axes and daggers or ornaments made of copper.
The female burials are accompanied by ceramic vessels or (in rare occasions) ornaments. The graves of children contained simple kits of flint stone.
Among the found items noteworthy is the presence of extremely accurate works in flint stone as axes and other weapons, objects in copper and arsenical silver (arms, pins, pectorals, bracelets), all of them characterized by decorative elements of eastern origin.
Chronology
Although most of the discovered tombs date to the Chalcolithic, burials from the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
have also been recovered.
The Remedello culture has been recently periodized by scholars into two distinct historical periods both dating back to the Copper Age.
Remedello I : 3400 / 3200 BC - 2800 BC, or ancient Copper Age stage;
Remedello II: 2900 / 2800 BC - 2400 BC, or full Copper Age stage.