Montane Ethnoarchaeology in Italy: Two Recent Books

Abstract

The rock carvings of the Valle Camonica (Brescia, Alps, Northern Italy) are one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the world, spanning from the Epipalaeolithic to the Middle Ages. Notably, they represent the first World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO in Italy. Beside the hundred of thousands rock carvings counted so far, the area hosts a relevant archaeological and ethnographic heritage as well. The book by Ausilio Priuli focuses on the northernmost sector of the area, the High Valle Camonica, which is poorly known when compared to the rest of the region. The volume is the product of a fiveyear long research program carried out by the author with the support of local administrators and presents the first systematic record of archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence of the High Valle Camonica. The book is organized in nine chapters and it is characterized by an impressive number of high-quality illustrations. The first two chapters introduce the study and the methods used in the research. The third chapter focuses on the geomorphology of the region and highlights the most relevant elements of the natural landscape. Chapter four overviews the history of research in the High Valle Camonica, followed by a short summary of Holocene occupation. The core of the book appears in the longer chapter five, where the author systematically reports results from his surveys, including discussions and maps of several ancient settlements. Non-domestic sites are described in chapter six, including corrals, pens, metal smelting slags, potsherds, and lithic debitage, which combined define a complex cultural landscape. Chapter seven assesses rock art of the Valle Camonica and adjacent regions, whilst chapter eight deals with rock marks, cups, and kettles found in a variety of archaeological contexts throughout the High Valley Camonica. Detailed drawings are helpful in understanding size and spatial distribution of signs on boulders and rocks. Brandopferplatz (fire worship remains) are the subject of chapter nine, where the author records a number of these features often still recognizable atop of High Valle Camonica peaks. This volume is intended as a preliminary surface study of a part of the Valle Camonica, and it does not include excavations or radiocarbon dates. As a result, precise chronological control cannot be offered for the archaeological evidence. Instead, the author draws on an in-depth knowledge of the archaeological landscape of the Valle Camonica and compares this with ethnoarchaeological perspectives based on a direct historical approach to estimate the age of archaeological finds. Hunters-herders, artisans, and traders have continuously inhabited the Valle Camonica. Without ignoring the radical transformations that occurred in the ethnoarchaeology, Vol. 8 No. 1, April, 2016, 97–99