Processi culturali e diffusione degli oggetti di prestigio nella Puglia preromana. Le influenze dell'Orientalizzante tirrenico

Montanaro A. C.

Prestige goods  funerary rituals  aristocratic women  birth of the aristocracies  funerary assemblages 

The latest studies about the customs of Italic people in Apulia have added relevant data concerning the Orientalizing period and the phenomenon related to the "birth of the aristocracies" in the 8th and 7th cent. BC. The dominant groups of the indigenous communities strengthened their position with families that held prestigious roles, with rich funerary assemblages attesting to elaborate ceremonials, which exhibit the distinctive indicators of specific functions and rank. Testimonies of such features are the prestige goods coming from Etruria and Campania, especially precious ornaments and bronze vases to demonstrate the particular economic and political power enjoyed by the deceased and his family within the community. Among these dominant groups some female figures stand out for their extraordinary funerary assemblages, attesting the primary role of Italic women within the communities. In the dynamics of social representation of noble families, women are not simply relegated to spinning, weaving and caring for their children, but they are recognized as having an important role in the sphere of the sacred through the management of ceremonies relating to the life of the community and covering also important public functions.

Source: The Orientalizing cultures in the Mediterranean, 8th-6th cent. BC. Origins, cultural contacts and local developments. The case of Italy, pp. 283–320, ROMA, 19-21/01/2017

Publisher: Edizioni Quasar, Roma, Italia