Piano dei Cardoni (Ustica, Palermo): primi risultati dell'analisi sulle ceramiche del Neolitico Medio-Recente

Archaeological research at the site of Piano dei Cardoni (island of Ustica) started in 2018 as part of the Brains2Islands project, funded by the INGV of Napoli and coordinated by the Soprintendenza ai BB.CC.AA of Palermo. Following a survey of the area, the first excavation trenches revealed a stratigraphy datable between the end of the Middle and the Late Neolithic (mid-5th mill. B.C.). In particular, a megalithic hypogeic tomb structure was uncovered, with secondary bone depositions both inside the burial cell and above and around the cover stone slab, testifying to an occupation over several centuries. The still-in progress study of the ceramic material, from both the layers inside the cell and those associated with the outer bone clusters, has allowed to identify 4 main ceramic classes, distinguished by technological features and surface treatment: coarse and smoothed ware; dark burnished ware, sometimes decorated with incisions/excisions; red burnished ware; red-on light painted ware. The typological analysis of the ceramic assemblage shows peculiarities related to the insular nature of the context, but also similarities with cultural aspects attested in the Aeolian Islands, Sicily and Southern Italy. The petrographic and micromorphological analyses carried out so far have revealed local production for most of the vessels, highlighting possible technological choices made by the potters in the selection of the raw materials.