La facies di Palma Campania: omogeneità culturale interna e circolazione dei modelli ceramici.

Considering archaeological facies as “the set of archaeological evidence relating to a certain chronological horizon in a given territory, aggregated by typological connections allowing to link archeological sources relevant to heterogeneous classes” (Peroni 1994), the case study of the facies of Palma Campania (Campania, Italy) seems to provide opportunity for reflection. This facies was identified from the ceramics from an excavation executed in 1972 at Palma Campania (Na), (Albore Livadie 1980) buried by the Plinian eruption of the Somma-Vesuvius volcano, known as the eruption of the “Pomici di Avellino”, name derived from the main direction of the fall of the pyroclasts. This finding started research on this period as until then this period did not receive much consideration in Campania. One of the more recent proposed radiocarbon dates, based on the bone remains of sheep and goats who died during the Nola-Croce del Papa eruption, places the event around 3550 ± 20 BP (1951-1778 BC, 2σ) (Passariello et al. 2009). Other analyses executed on the remains of a dog found on the same site, confirm the previous dating (Passariello et al. in cds). The “catastrophic” event, besides allowing the investigation of the environmental, cultural and biological impact of this eruption document the close contemporary living of sites that show clear traces of violent destruction due to the eruptive event: these “closed complexes” are particularly suitable to the critical observation of synchronous processes readable in archaeological material. Over the years, an increased amount of n, allows to document the close contemporary living of sites that show clear traces of violent destruction due to the eruptive event: these “closed complexes” are particularly suitable to the critical observation of synchronous processes readable in archaeological material. Over the years, an increased amount of archaeological finds and the most accurate protection of the area of interest, have given a remarkable consistency to the samples of the settlements. In this case, we intend to evaluate the degree of “internal homogeneity” of the facies’ ceramic production by examining the nature of the differences (chronological or regional?). We will thus consider the ceramics of the sites of Nola (Croce del Papa and Masseria Rossa), Palma Campania (Tirone/Balle), Ottaviano (various places), Saviano (Masseria Tufano), Pratola Serra (Pioppi), Camposauro (Il Campo)– all sites apparently pertaining to the horizon of destruction– and compare them to other sites from marginal areas in comparison to the nucleus of the settlements, located in the central area of the Piana Campana, namely Roccarainola (Calcara Pagliara) (perhaps pertinent to the horizon of destruction), Ariano Irpino (La Starza) (levels of occupation over the eruption), and the further away Battipaglia (Castelluccia), Salerno (Oliva Torricella) Posta Rivolta (Foggia). By considering the Site Catchment analysis (Saccoccio et al. 2013), it appears evident that the Piana Campana area was intensely occupied, a possibly equally intense circulation of models is suggested, even if probably not everywhere equally adopted.