Caves and shelters characterise the landscape of Natisone basin and constitute a natural resource exploited by human communities during Prehistory and Protohistory. The contribution presents the first steps of a project aiming to explore prehistoric settlement strategies of this valley system that connects the Friulian plain to the alpine reliefs. Here we expose some critical issues related to the building up of the GIS that is used to compare different sources and to carry on the analysis. A rich list of caves, shelters and other hypogeal features, available from the speleological archive of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, has been acquired into the GIS system and represents a primary information in order to evaluate which of these cavities have been occupied by prehistoric people. We propose some observations on the prehistoric use of the different type of hypogeum starting from a perspective that considers the caves as elements of the prehistoric landscape. Are caves temporary or seasonal shelters related to mobile human groups? The problems and potentialities of the analysis of this long-lasting phenomenon are explored through archaeological and spatial criteria. The study aims to individuate which are the characterising features involved in the settlement strategies of these valleys. The analysis highlights some topographical issues that we think might be significant for the interpretation of caves and the study of the prehistoric landscape of the Natisone basin. Through the GIS tools we explore the different location of prehistoric sites and we propose the identification of three settlement typologies. These are useful for identifying areas in the Natisone Valleys that express different relationships with the prehistoric landscape. To date, the sites located in the contact belt between the Prealps and the high plain show consistent evidence that may also derive from the role of this zone as a ‘hinge’ between the various geographical areas. The Biarzo rock-shelter is a main reference for the study of the settlement strategy based on the pattern observed for the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. Here the interdisciplinary studies of the archaeological context and artefacts allow the identification of short- and long-range movements, to reach both the Alpine plateaus and the Adriatic coast. In the contact belt between the mountains and the high plain, from the Neolithic through to the Metal Ages, the cavities utilised are mainly the ones close to the summits which provided a wide view across the high plain and in their turn can also be identified from a distance. This evidence suggests uses other than for domestic activities, thus adding other variables into the selection criteria of the cave sites. Starting from the Neolithic, the evidence from the innermost sectors of the hydrographic basin increases. The sites on the slopes, positioned along the interior sectors of the Natisone Valleys, may have responded to a different settlement strategy, perhaps linked to a more local perspective, as suggested by the visibility analyses. Their brief use may also refer to forms of mobility for transhumance with temporary stops which, as is known, leave ephemeral traces. The choice of cavities does not seem to prefer caves with large internal spaces. Around the sites with repeated occupation are hypogeal environments that have revealed the remains of sheep and goats and other domestic species that may indicate an exploitation of nearby cavities as auxiliary environments or facilities.

Pizziolo, G. (2020). Grotte e ripari nelle Valli del Natisone: paesaggio e strategie insediative tra Preistoria e Protostoria. In V.P. Muscio G. (a cura di), Antichi abitatori delle Grotte in Friuli. (pp. 171-185). Udine : Comune di Udine.

Grotte e ripari nelle Valli del Natisone: paesaggio e strategie insediative tra Preistoria e Protostoria

GIOVANNA PIZZIOLO
2020-01-01

Abstract

Caves and shelters characterise the landscape of Natisone basin and constitute a natural resource exploited by human communities during Prehistory and Protohistory. The contribution presents the first steps of a project aiming to explore prehistoric settlement strategies of this valley system that connects the Friulian plain to the alpine reliefs. Here we expose some critical issues related to the building up of the GIS that is used to compare different sources and to carry on the analysis. A rich list of caves, shelters and other hypogeal features, available from the speleological archive of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, has been acquired into the GIS system and represents a primary information in order to evaluate which of these cavities have been occupied by prehistoric people. We propose some observations on the prehistoric use of the different type of hypogeum starting from a perspective that considers the caves as elements of the prehistoric landscape. Are caves temporary or seasonal shelters related to mobile human groups? The problems and potentialities of the analysis of this long-lasting phenomenon are explored through archaeological and spatial criteria. The study aims to individuate which are the characterising features involved in the settlement strategies of these valleys. The analysis highlights some topographical issues that we think might be significant for the interpretation of caves and the study of the prehistoric landscape of the Natisone basin. Through the GIS tools we explore the different location of prehistoric sites and we propose the identification of three settlement typologies. These are useful for identifying areas in the Natisone Valleys that express different relationships with the prehistoric landscape. To date, the sites located in the contact belt between the Prealps and the high plain show consistent evidence that may also derive from the role of this zone as a ‘hinge’ between the various geographical areas. The Biarzo rock-shelter is a main reference for the study of the settlement strategy based on the pattern observed for the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. Here the interdisciplinary studies of the archaeological context and artefacts allow the identification of short- and long-range movements, to reach both the Alpine plateaus and the Adriatic coast. In the contact belt between the mountains and the high plain, from the Neolithic through to the Metal Ages, the cavities utilised are mainly the ones close to the summits which provided a wide view across the high plain and in their turn can also be identified from a distance. This evidence suggests uses other than for domestic activities, thus adding other variables into the selection criteria of the cave sites. Starting from the Neolithic, the evidence from the innermost sectors of the hydrographic basin increases. The sites on the slopes, positioned along the interior sectors of the Natisone Valleys, may have responded to a different settlement strategy, perhaps linked to a more local perspective, as suggested by the visibility analyses. Their brief use may also refer to forms of mobility for transhumance with temporary stops which, as is known, leave ephemeral traces. The choice of cavities does not seem to prefer caves with large internal spaces. Around the sites with repeated occupation are hypogeal environments that have revealed the remains of sheep and goats and other domestic species that may indicate an exploitation of nearby cavities as auxiliary environments or facilities.
2020
978-88-88192-68-0
Pizziolo, G. (2020). Grotte e ripari nelle Valli del Natisone: paesaggio e strategie insediative tra Preistoria e Protostoria. In V.P. Muscio G. (a cura di), Antichi abitatori delle Grotte in Friuli. (pp. 171-185). Udine : Comune di Udine.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11365/1123777