I focolari, forni e fosse per combustione di Lugo di Grezzana (VR).

THE HEARTHS, OVENS, KILNS AND FIRING PITS AT LUGO DI GREZZANA (VERONA) - Traces of fire are very frequent into archaeological deposits and recorded in very ancient periods of human prehistory. They can be referred to various activities, both domestic and crafting: lightning, heating, cooking of the food,transformation of raw materials like bone, wood,horn, stone or pigments and many other materials often difficult to detect. Fire pits are the remains of new complex productive activities linked to sedentary lifestyles. "Fire places are part of archaeological surface delimited and distinguishable for a heat alteration of the substrate. It may show fragments of charcoal and ash, specific arrangements and/or special preparations. It is the area where the fire is lit, which provides heat and light, and enabled food to be cooked" (Cavulli 2008: 320). Among the fire features is the "fire pit: an excavated pit used for cooking food, ceramics or other materials. Archaeologically, the pit carries trace of intense firing, prolonged and, probably, repeated as shown by rubefaction of the walls. The fire alteration of the bottom surface is little or rarely recorded "(Cavulli 2008:445). In Lugo di Grezzana (VR), an ancient Neolithic settlement located in Valpantena and dated between 5300 and 4900 cal. B.C.in the Lessini Mountains, five fire pits of different shapes and sizes were excavated between 2003 and 2005. They are all characterized by deep rubefaction of the walls, a slightly-fired bottom (or not fired at all) and large carbonized beams just few centimeters above the bottom. There are also all those identifying elements of activities related to the use of fire: ash, charcoal, fired clay, ecofacts and artifacts with traces of fire alteration. The filling over the carbonized beams consists of mixed sediment and chaotic lying artifacts (Costa et al 2015; Cavulli et alii 2015; Pedrotti et alii 2015; Costa 2018). The largest concentration is coming from area XVI (EESS 635/03, 554/03, 541/03, 543/03), located in the northern part of the settlement. The features EESS 635/03 and 554/03, have subquadrangular openings, subvertical walls and flat bottom. The first has the main axis 1.70m large and short axis 1.50m and the second is larger with the maximum diameter of 2.10 m and the small one of 1.55 m. Other pits (EESS 541/03, 543/03; Fig. 3) have subcircular mouth and diameters of 1.28x1.15m the first and 0.85m the second (Table 1; Fig. 2). Besides the morphological and dimensional data, they seem to have different characteristics of the fillings: the findings in the larger pits are few and little varied, while the smallest ones are rich in lithic, ceramic and bone materials. Other specificities are evident. In ES 541/03 the abundance of burnt bones is possibly related to a later use or infilling of the pit, while flint, bone fragments and sherds are in the ES 543/03, as well as widely scattered on the external surface (US 544/03; Fig. 3). In some cases (EESS 543/03, 554/03) some "post holes" have been detected near the pits but their relation with it is still unclear; although the hypothesis of the presence of roofed structures or vents is interesting. In the upper fillings of the pit ES 635/03 two large daub/burnt clay “bricks” (50 cm large) in side positions, at a distance of about 25-30 cm, were intentionally placed and from these two elongated depressions branch off, filled with sediment rich in burnt clay small fragments (US 588), which may represent the firing pits vents. The ES 473/03=920 excavated in area X (Table1; Fig. 2) is similar to the largest pits. The circular opening has long axis of 1.45 m, small axis of 1.27 m and a depth of 0.53 m. Traces of heat alteration are well evident on the walls and less on the bottom. It is flared on the upper part due to the erosion and collapse of the upper portion of the wall. Two interesting (post?) holes are near the pit, interpreted as possible vents (Cavulli 2008: 233-234, 322; Costa et alii, 2015; Costa 2018). The two holes have ellipsoidal mouths, are very deep and narrow, the filling was easy to identify because of the presence of burnt clay and charcoal fragments, but the excavation has been limited to the depth of the operator's arm due to the physical and visual impossibility to dig deeper. A trench opening a cross section between the pit and the holes, unfortunately, has not verified their function as vents. The combustion pits of Lugo di Grezzana can be compared with two structures with burnt walls at S. Giustina di Baldaria (Salzani 1986, 1990; Pangrazzi 2001-02). The distribution of pyrotechnic features is significant. The simple fire places are mostly located south of the foundation trench of the wooden palisade or linked to covered structural complexes (see area XIII, the ES 906 hut, or area XII), while the fire pits or articulated fire arrangements are located in the northern area outside what appears to be the most strictly residential area. In area X, during the excavation 1999, the presence of a large heap (US 506) has been interpreted as the remains of a vault roofed oven because functionally related to the hearth ES 508,made up by an irregularly shaped lens, and related to ES 281, scattered burnt clay fragment resulting from the cleaning of the surface. These structural complexes have been interpreted as traces of domed ovens/kilns (Cavulli 2008: 216, 321, 234, 417, Fronza 2003-2004, Costa 2018). In Northern Italy similar ovens have been found in the hut of Lugo di Romagna (Degasperi et alii, 1993) and in the "oblong furnaces" of Rivaltella in the early phase of VBQ culture (Tirabassi 1987). Recently similar typologies seem to have been identified in the ancient Neolithic of Foggia, in sites like Masseria Pedone and Serra di Cristo (Tunzi 2015; Tunzi et alii 2017) A complex placed on the second “comb house”,area XIII, which is clearly to refer to the domestic sphere, provides an exception to this dichotomy between simple fireplaces and articulated combustion arrangements. The hearth ES 139/03 (1.68x1 m, with a thickness of 7 cm in the most cohesive part) differs from other fireplaces due to the superimposition of a flat-convex accumulation of burnt clay, 17 cm thick (US 138/03), which could represent the remains of a covering (vault of an oven?). Part of the complex is a channel, ES 151/03, with a 'S' shape, 4 m long and 4 cm deep outside the hearth and shallow where passing through the hearth. Since the sides of the small channel are fired, the depression appears to be contemporary and functionally connected to the fireplace. In the northernmost area of the deposit (area XIV), a large circular concentration of burnt clay, 3 m large in diameter, has been dug. Under it, the trench of a semi-circular wall opens, with deep postholes joined by a channel, ES 352/03. The complex has a horseshoe shape and has two overlapping fireplaces in central position with irregular plan, EESS 391/03, 392/03(Fig. 3). Another fireplace, ES 390/03, is about 2 m from these and four quadrangular pits and some postholes are surrounding the hearths. These evidences have been interpreted as a covered kiln in a production area (Cavulli et alii 2015: Fig. 4; Costa 2018). The presence in the fills of the fire pits of burnt materials cannot be reliably related to the primary use of the pit, as already highlighted by Barfield and Bagolini (1976). Many open questions remain without a clear answer. The bottom of the pit shows a less marked and homogeneous heat alteration than that found on the walls; the carbonized beams in place did not complete the combustion process becoming ashes; there are no traces of a covering of the firing pits, although it is documented both at the archaeological and ethnographic level (Costa 2018). The morphological peculiarities, the characterization of the fills and the dimensional differences between the combustion structures suggest different functions. Only the largest and deepest pits can be interpreted as kilns for pottery firing, but neither other functions are not excluded neither they may be multi-functional pits. Note: ES: structural element (EESS, plural); US:stratigraphic unit (UUSS, plural)