Il popolamento montano tra Reno e Panaro nelle fasi centrali e tarde dell’età del Bronzo

Here we present the preliminary analysis of the protohistoric settlement pattern in the area comprised between the middle-upper course of the Reno and Panaro rivers, stimulated by previous studies and by the results of new fieldwork at the Bronze Age site of Monte della Croce (Santa Maria Villiana, Gaggio Montano, Bo). The analysis, which draws its methodologies from the vast field of upland archeology, focuses on the middle and late phases of the Bronze Age (c. 1550-1050 BCE) and is articulated onto three territorial scales: the first, intra-site, aims to define the settlement area through the spatial location of the material evidence on the surface, keeping into account the complex geomorphological dynamics, as well as the chronological range of use of Monte della Croce, thanks to the chrono-typological analysis of the artefacts (micro-scale); the second investigates the distribution of some coeval sites, located along the slopes of the middle-upper Reno valley, as well as their spatial relationship and their territorial vocation, inferred from the topographic position and from the relationship with potential ancient routes (meso-scale); the third and last examines the Bronze Age settlement pattern on a larger scale (about 350 sq km), which includes the Leo-Scoltenna-Panaro confluence area, the middle-upper Reno valley with its tributaries and the entire inter-valley system (macro-scale). Coherently to what other authors previously suggested for different territorial districts of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, the Reno valley is also characterized by a relatively dense and structured occupation pattern, in which intervisibility, visual communication at medium and long distances, defensive potential, control and management of the routes, as well as land exploitation of agricultural and pastoral areas strongly influence the settlement strategies.