LA TRASFORMAZIONE DEI CEREALI: I PRIMI FORNI NEOLITICI IN ITALIA

The adoption of agricultural practices during the Neolithic led to the need for the advancement of tools, not only to cultivate the land but also for collecting, preserving, and cooking the harvested products. Ovens are among the newly introduced tools associated with the advent of agriculture, and their archaeological evidence shows a wide regional variation, influenced by different culinary traditions. The construction methods employed for these ovens vary, often taking into account environmental conditions and available resources The limited preservation of fire structures has posed challenges for systematic research in the past, but recently, appropriate methodologies have been applied for their documentation and analysis. This article examines the documentation pertaining to ovens found in Neolithic sites in Italy, with a specific focus on the multidisciplinary investigative approach used to study the structures discovered at the Portonovo site in Marche