Una sepoltura infantile a Orsara di Puglia con fibula a forma di volatile

• Autores: Marisa Corrente
• Localización: Bollettino d'arte, ISSN 0391-9854, Vol. 100, Nº. 28, 2015, págs. 24-34
• Idioma: italiano
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • A bird–fibula from the Tomb 241 in the indigenous necropolis of Giardinetto (inland from Orsara di Puglia).

    The difficulty in developing a clear definition for the Daunian ethnos is evident in analysing the indigenous community of Giardinetto (inland from Orsara di Puglia), an important archaeological site in the province of Foggia recently excavated by the Soprintendenza before named as Archeologia della Puglia. The large cemeterial site, with 450 inhumation tombs containing grave goods, provides useful information about the permeability of ethnic–geographical borders as well as about a broad expansion in interregional interaction. The indigenous community tended to show the cultural features of the Daunians’ political and territorial organization in combination with the distinctive cultural features of the Apennine Samnite peoples.

    This study identifies a high concentration of receptivity in an area of intense contact between separate ethnic groups. During the fifth century B.C., patterns of finds appears to display growth in the population of the settlement and also a development in differentiation of the status between families. In support of such positive evidence, the recent discovery of a bird–fibula, a silver plaque mounted on a bronze support found in an infant’s burial, constitutes a further contribution to the current research on the circulation of different forms of jewellery. This recent find demonstrates several distinctive regional distributions, craftsmanship production and workshops. The infant’s bird–fibula is an isolated case in the archaeology of the Daunia, but the “circulation of form” in an inter–elite networking has parallels in the existing documentation of neighbouring regions.

    Due to its typological and decorative features, this precious metal object is comparable to the most fascinating example from significant house: the anaktoron in Torre di Satriano, an excellent example of the “regimes of value” in palatial societies.

    The example from Giardinetto in the burial ritual of the late 5th century B.C. and the specific assemblage of forms in a well–documented context suggest that the fibula was incorporated into the systems of amulets with protective powers for women and children. Moreover, the “indigenous” version, with combinations of bronze and silver translated into the local vocabulary, needs to be considered as testimony of a particular conservatism in metallurgical knowledge. This is clearly illustrated by a number of plate fibulae (brooches) produced in the 5th century B.C. at Minervino Murge, a site within the compass of Lavello and Canosa.