Coltivare, conservare, condividere. Aspetti economici e sociali della coltivazione dei cereali nel Neolitico antico. I dati archeologici e archeobotanici del sito di Portonovo (Ancona)

This paper aims to examine the available data about the cultivation and storage of cereals in the early stages of the Neolithic, starting from the results so far emerged from the excavation of the site of Portonovo-Fosso Fontanaccia (Ancona). Since 2011, five excavation campaigns were conducted revealing 23 underground ovens with a circular base, seven of which are intact. A good amount of cereal caryopses (mainly barley) in some of these ovens may suggest their use for the pre-treatment of cereals before storage. The considerable quantity of ovens in a very limited area, even though not all in use at the same time, suggests the existence of a “specialized” productive area, related to one or more communities. Starting from this evidence some reflections on economic and social aspects of the cultivation of cereals in the early Neolithic are proposed.