The origin of inequality in central and southern Italy during the Copper Age

In contrast to the advancement of knowledge on the archaeological record, the analysis of the social organisation of Copper Age Italian communities has scarcely developed. This paper seeks to examine in detail some aspects considered of value in both proposing and discussing avenues of interpretation for this subject. In particular, the demography of Copper Age communities of central-southern Italy, their patterns of social self-representation through funerary costumes, the social role of warriors and warfare are discussed. These issues in the past have been mostly analysed separately from one another. Their correlation here, to achieve a broader, holistic picture of Copper Age societies, constitutes the main innovative point of this paper.