<< Feature Articles >> Castelliere of Verezzi - Hillfort in Italy in Liguria
Submitted by mpwpir on Tuesday, 03 August 2010 Page Views: 14499
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Castelliere of VerezziCountry: Italy Region: Liguria Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Crosa
Latitude: 44.172490N Longitude: 8.309670E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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It covers a relevation (351 m; Coordinates: 44°10'20,964''N, 8°18'34,812''E) located on the western side of a fossil and suspended valley, rich of red mould, because of the known karst phenomena existing throughout the Finale (Photo1).
The north east slope of that fossil valley is, in fact, part of the ridge and penepiano of Caprazzoppa and the Orera.
Photo 1: The Castle Hill Verezzi with the town of Crosa
The area, currently rich in vegetation, is located ay a short distance from other structures of archaeological and archaeoastronomical interest, such as Menhir of Torre di Bastia, Arma (i.e. Cave) of Crosa, Dolmen and Stone Fence in Caprazzoppa, described earlier by Codebò et al. (1), (2) (3), (5).
The presence of rural people who join in this ancient high seat (for their livelihoods, their defense from external aggression, looting, theft, especially livestock), extended over a much wider area, compared to only fortified Hill discussed in this work.
The megalithic structures outside Castelliere could also be interpreted as places used for worship of deities and/or deads (2), (3) and this may be suggestive of human frequentation of the site prior to the Iron Age.
The creation of megalithic structures, such as menhirs and dolmens is datable, in fact, over a period of time between the end of the fifth millennium BC to the late third millennium: corresponding roughly to a period between the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age.
Of the Castelliere remain, at present, ruins of defensive walls on the hill (Photos 2 and 3): from the bottom of the valley to the top of the hill, following developments of the land, with a roughly trapezoidal plan.
You may recognize three main concentric walls, separated by shelves and terraces of about 7 meters, with the stone fences attributable, in part basements of huts (admissions, i.e., probably made of perishable materials such as the wooden walls and straw for the roof), partly for the shelter of fences livestock (mainly sheep and pigs) (Photo 4).
The technique of construction of boundary walls of Castelliere is megalithic: big blocks of local stones are juxtaposed and overlapping and the spaces left free, between a rock and the other, are filled, sometimes, with smaller stones and mould.
The top of the hill was defended by a massive stone wall about 2.5 meters high and the west side of the hill is steep and is a sort of natural defense (Photo 5).
The top part could also act as lookout area, given the wide scope observation that, from the sea (with the island named Gallinara) and the coast ranges widely to inland.
The area of Castelliere, towards the top, contains some stone tools well preserved by the presence of cups and deep furrows, grooves and notches.
(Photo: 6, 7, 8, 9).
The observed stones could be used as mortars for grinding grain and/or vegetables in order to obtain food meal, or as containers for collecting water for watering the animals therein. One last feature may also be to collect the blood of the animals after killing them, either for food or sacrifice.
I also documented the presence of a figure due to a cruciform detected on a fragment of a stele (Photo 10).
The dating of the finds described is a difficult problem, because petroglyphs are in a place "open" and easily modifiable whether by climatic or by human factors.
In all likelihood, also, the Castelliere was inhabited in periods subsequent to those previously considered as the other Castellieri in Finale area: Rocca di Perti (Castelliere delle Anime, i.e. Castle Rock of Souls) and S. Antonino (4) (6).
The clarity and depth of incisions on the stones, suggests, however, that were obtained with metal utensils and it would be in agreement with the dating site at Iron Age.
The cruciform could be, instead, a sign of Christianity (1) and, therefore, be considered less remote period: this confirms attendance at a site in Roman age, medieval and, perhaps more recently, also for purposes different from those relating to a pure defensive retreat, as, for example, that a location devoted to agricultural use.
It would therefore be desirable to study the complex archaeological examination aimed at clarify the many questions it poses, both as regards the dating of artefacts, but also to culture and origin of the populations from which sprang such events that we, today, call "of archaeological interest, which we, at the current state of knowledge, make only hypothetical assessments.
Bibliography
1) CODEBÒ M., Archaeo-astronomical hypotheses on some ligurian engravings
"Proceeding NEWS95 - INTERNATIONAL ROCK ART CONGRESS, North East West
South 1995. Tourin, Italy, by Ce.S.M.A.P. & I.F.R.A.O., Survey supplement 1999, Pinerolo, Italy”.
2) CODEBÒ M. 1993. I menhir di Torre Bastia. Notiziario C.A.I., Sez. Ligure, Sottosez. Bolzaneto, 11: 30-31.
3) CODEBÒ M.1994, I Primi Passi di un Archeostronomo. Bollettino dell'Osservatorio Astronomico di Genova, n.66, Genova, pp. 12-20.
4) PIRONDINI A. 2010. Osservazioni su un sito di interesse archeologico nei pressi del Castelliere delle Anime (Rocca di Perti - Finale Ligure). TRACCE Online Rock Art Bulletin
http://www.rupestre.net/tracce_php/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=43
5) TIZZONI M. 1975. Incisioni all'aperto nel Finalese, Liguria. Bollettino del Centro Camuno Studi Preistorici, 12, Capodiponte (Brescia).
6) PIRONDINI A. 2010. Site near Finale Ligure. The Megalithic Portal.
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=26588 src="">
(By Alfredo Pirondini)
Note: An Investigation of the hill fort and prehistoric artefacts found inside it
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