Nuovi dati sul Tardo Neolitico in Italia nord-occidentale: il sito di Brebbia (VA). Ricostruzione paleoambientale e prima analisi dei materiali ceramici e litici

This study presents a preliminary analysis of the Brebbia archaeological site. Pottery and lithic analyses, combined with radiocarbon dating, place the site in the Late Neolithic period, whereas geoarchaeological and palynological investigations permit to reconstruct its environmental context. The site is situated on a ridge at the margin of a seasonally wet area, surrounded by croplands and pastures. Although post-depositional processes (mostly erosion and colluviation) have affected the stratigraphy, it is still possible to identify three distinct depositional phases most likely happened at the periphery of the main settlement. The pottery assemblage consists primarily of coarse, unpolished fragments attributed to Fiavè 1, Castel Grande, Pfyn-Altheim, and other Late Neolithic sites in the Varese area. A small number of finely textured bowls are redominantly of the Breno type. The abundance of flint artifacts (tools and debitage) suggests that raw materials were brought to the site and processed there. Among these, two sickle blades point to cultural interactions with the Cortaillod and Pfyn cultures from beyond the Alps. The Brebbia site is tentatively dated to ca. 3800–3700 BC and 3600–3500 BC. It appears to have been part of the transalpine cultural network characteristic of the transition from the Late Neolithic to the Early Copper Age in northwestern Italy.