Scamozzina culture
Encyclopedia
The Scamozzina culture (Italian Cultura della Scamozzina), which takes its name from the necropolis found in C.na Scamozzina of Albairate
, was a prehistoric civilization of Italy
that developed between the end of the middle Bronze Age
and the beginning of the late Bronze Age (14th and 13th century BC), in western Lombardy
and Piedmont
.
It was located in an area that is generally defined as ethnically Ligurian and it introduced some cultural characteristics more specific to the subsequent proto-Celtic Culture of Canegrate.
Among the evidences of this culture there is a cremation tomb, dating to the late Bronze Age (13th century BC.) found at the Crossing of Gugnano in February 1876, during the flatworks in a field near the Lisone.
The Scamozzina culture, clearly distinct from the coeval Terramare culture
, saw the establishment of the funeral rite of cremation in which also a set of ornaments was deposed with the bones in the cinerary urn, an early phenomenon, ahead of other Italian regions but also of most of Europe who knew of this development only from the earliest phases of the Urnfield culture
.
One of the favorite motifs in the decoration of the Scamozzina pottery is that of two strips of triangles arranged with the top hatch opposed to form a zig-zag band. Characteristic is also the spread of the decoration technique with fake strings.
It is assumed that the buildings of this culture were made in wood, straw and clay.
Albairate
Albairate is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 20 km southwest of Milan. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,360 and an area of 15.0 km²....
, was a prehistoric civilization of 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...
that developed between the end of the middle Bronze Age
Bronze 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 beginning of the late Bronze Age (14th and 13th century BC), in western Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
.
It was located in an area that is generally defined as ethnically Ligurian and it introduced some cultural characteristics more specific to the subsequent proto-Celtic Culture of Canegrate.
Among the evidences of this culture there is a cremation tomb, dating to the late Bronze Age (13th century BC.) found at the Crossing of Gugnano in February 1876, during the flatworks in a field near the Lisone.
The Scamozzina culture, clearly distinct from the coeval Terramare culture
Terramare culture
Terramare, Terramara or Terremare is a technology complex mainly of the central Po valley, in Emilia, northern Italy, dating to the Middle and Late Bronze Age ca. 1700-1150 BC. It takes its name from the "black earth" residue of settlement mounds. Terramare is from terra marna, "marl-earth", where...
, saw the establishment of the funeral rite of cremation in which also a set of ornaments was deposed with the bones in the cinerary urn, an early phenomenon, ahead of other Italian regions but also of most of Europe who knew of this development only from the earliest phases of the Urnfield culture
Urnfield culture
The Urnfield culture was a late Bronze Age culture of central Europe. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and placing their ashes in urns which were then buried in fields...
.
One of the favorite motifs in the decoration of the Scamozzina pottery is that of two strips of triangles arranged with the top hatch opposed to form a zig-zag band. Characteristic is also the spread of the decoration technique with fake strings.
It is assumed that the buildings of this culture were made in wood, straw and clay.
Sources
- Raffaele de Marinis, Liguri e Celto-Liguri in Italia. Omniun terrarum alumna, Garzanti-Scheiwiller, 1988, 724 pp.gg.