The Remedello culture (Italian ''Cultura di Remedello'') developed during the
Copper Age
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in dif ...
(4th and 3rd millennium BCE) in
Northern Italy
Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...
, particularly in the area of the
Po valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain (, , or ) is a major geographical feature of northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetian Plain, Venetic extension not actu ...
. The name comes from the town of
Remedello (
Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
) where several burials were discovered in the late 19th century.
First excavations
The first burials were discovered in the winter of 1884, the excavations were initiated by Gaetano Chierici, 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 nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...
.
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, with a few tombs having 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 noteworthy items found noteworthy were extremely accurate works in flint stone such as axes and other weapons, and objects in copper and arsenical silver (arms, pins, pectorals, bracelets), all of them characterized by decorative elements of eastern origin.
Genetics
C. Quiles (2021) gathered three ancient DNA results for the Remedello culture: two I2-L460, and one G2a2a.
[carlosquiles, all-ancient-dna-2-07-73.xlsx, latest version of 27.08.2021]
Chronology
Although most of the discovered tombs date to the
Chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
, burials from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
and the
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
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 BCE – 2800 BCE, or ancient Copper Age stage;
Remedello II: 2900
/ 2800 BCE – 2400 BCE, or full Copper Age stage.
Gallery
File:Decorated alpine stone - 52050283189.jpg, Engraved stone from the Italian alps, c. 2500 BC
File:Stone from the Alps - 52052669113.jpg, Engraved stone from the Italian alps
Notes
See also
*
Bagnolo stele
The Bagnolo steles are two stone boulders found in Ceresolo-Bagnolo, Malegno commune, Brescia province, Lombardia, Northern Italy, at the base of Monte Mignone, at an altitude of ca. 700 m. Bagnolo 1 was discovered in 1963, bearing depictions of ...
*
Beaker culture
The Bell Beaker culture, also known as the Bell Beaker complex or Bell Beaker phenomenon, is an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell Beaker (archaeology), beaker drinking vessel used at the beginning of the European Bronze Age, ...
*
Chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
*
Prehistoric Italy
The prehistory of Italy began in the Paleolithic period, when members of the genus ''Homo'' first inhabited what is now modern Italian territory, and ended in the Iron Age, when the first written records appeared in Italy.
Paleolithic
In preh ...
External links
*
*
*{{Cite web, url=http://www.iipp.it/?p=575, title=Atti della XXXI riunione scientifica IIPP "La Valle d'Aosta nel quadro della preistoria e protostoria dell'arco alpino centro-occidentale" su "Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria", date=3 September 2007 , access-date=2009-10-06
Chalcolithic cultures of Europe
Archaeological cultures of Europe
Archaeological cultures in Italy