The first inter-cultural ‘party’ in Europe?

Past Horizons ^ | December 6, 2015 | Francesco Iacono

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The sharing of food and alcoholic beverages is extremely important today as in the past because provides a wealth of information on societies where this occurred. So far however, most of these practices known through archaeology have been primarily those undertaken by people from the same individual community or regional district.

The Bronze Age site of Roca (2) in Southern Italy, has produced clear evidence for the existence at this place of one of the earliest inter-cultural feasting 'party' in Mediterranean Europe, dating to c.a. 1200 BC.

This small (about 3 hectares nowadays, although it was larger in the past) but monumental fortified settlement (its stone walls measured up to 25m in width), located on the Adriatic coast of Apulia, southern Italy, has been investigated for many years by a team from the University of Salento. Such a research has demonstrated the existence of a long-lasting and intense relationship with Minoan and Mycenaean Greece at least from c.a. 1400 BC and of more sporadic connections since the earliest Bronze Age occupation at the site. One of the areas of the settlement (investigated a few years ago) has produced the largest set of ceramics of Mycenaean type ever found in the same context west of Greece (more than 380 vessels). This pottery was associated with abundant local ceramics, remains of meals and of numerous animal sacrifices. A recent study (1) suggests this was the result of a large-scale feast in which it is possible to recognise the participation of groups of people with two distinct cultural backgrounds.

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Aerial view and location of Roca. Image: Laboratory of Sciences Applied to Archaeology, University of Salento (Italy)

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Six tools that are revolutionising archaeology by helping us find sites without digging
December 7, 2015 8.31am EST
http://theconversation.com/six-tools-that-are-revolutionising-archaeology-by-helping-us-find-sites-without-digging-51826

(Google Earth, LIDAR, Drones, Shallow geophysics, Soil geochemistry, and Ground penetrating radar)

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more stuff for later:

Poles study ancient Greek colony of Tanais
http://scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/news/news,407567,poles-study-ancient-greek-colony-of-tanais.html

Archaeological Society denies claims of Agamemnon throne discovery
http://www.ekathimerini.com/204104/article/ekathimerini/life/archaeological-society-denies-claims-of-agamemnon-throne-discovery

ARCHAEOLOGIST DISCOVERS 8,000-YEAR-OLD NEPHRITE ‘FROG-LIKE’ SWASTIKA IN SLATINA NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENT IN BULGARIA’S CAPITAL SOFIA
http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/2015/12/07/archaeologist-discovers-8000-year-old-nephrite-frog-like-swastika-in-slatina-neolithic-settlement-in-bulgarias-capital-sofia/

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