Caves and shelters in the Uccellina Mountains (Alberese – Grosseto) – funerary practices and rituals during the Bronze and Copper Ages at Grotta dello Scoglietto and Buca di Spaccasasso

This paper discusses two funerary contexts in the northern Uccellina Mountains (Alberese – Grosseto) in the Parco Regionale della Maremma where an interdisciplinary project conducted by the University of Siena is under way. The project involves the excavation and study of Copper and Early Bronze Age burial sites located in the natural features of Scoglietto and Spaccasasso caves and shelter. The Scoglietto Cave is one of the most significant late Copper Age – Early Bronze Age Tuscan funerary sites and was first excavated by Cardini and Rittatore (1933-1955). Recent research has uncovered evidence of complex burial activities in this large natural cave. In contrast, diverse locations, open-air and underground spaces, were used for different phases of funerary practices in the Spaccasasso shelter and cave. The Spaccasasso burial ground was situated in an abandoned late Neolithic cinnabar mine. Reference is also made to another burial site located in a similar setting, the Fontino Cave in the district of Grosseto.