Nuovi dati sull’occupazione di età campaniforme della Pianaccia di Suvero

Amateur survey carried out in the late 1970s on the eroded surfaces of the Pianaccia di Suvero, a large plateau overlooking the left side of the middle Vara valley between 580 and 590 meters asl, yielded quite abundant finds of chipped artefacts, mainly attributable to the Mesolithic and the Early Neolithic. Excavations carried out between 1982 and 1990 in the only area spared from erosion explored a deposit which covered a stony expanse of pebbles and boulders of peridotite, that provided evidence of Bell Beaker occupation. Subsequent middle and late Bronze age non-residential intense activities, including repeated strong perturbance of the soils and clearing by fire, severely disturbed the primary depositional conditions. Such story is reflected in the high fragmentation and worn condition of the pottery shards. A subsequent excavation campaign conducted in 2010 clarified aspects of the stratigraphy, particularly of the Beaker phase, got new radiocarbon dates, and extended the investigation of the stony expanse. This paper also discusses aspects of the Beaker and of the common ware; the latter characterized by pots with a cordon just below the everted rim. We also discuss clues that suggest the original presence of a lithic platform, eventually recalling well-known cases, which interpretation is however altered by the succession of the post-beaker activities.