The village of Le Cerquete Fianello is located in the area of Maccarese “Bonifica”. the extension of a coastal lake which shores where inhabited from Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age has been reconstructed using geomorphological analysis.
The excavation, started in 1992, covers an area of 1000 square meters, which represents nearly one tenth of the estimated extension of the site. Five huts have been detected, four oval and one sub-circular. Two oval huts are divided in two by a partition. Hearths inside and outside of the huts are also present, as well as oval and round pits. Alignments of postholes between huts may be referred to enclosures. In some areas the ceramic material seems to create a living floor, perhaps for drainage purposes. In the southern part of the settlement there was a pit burial of a young male in a contracted position. A skull of an adult male was found nearby. The area toward the eastern limit of the village was characterized by the presence of many pits, one of them containing a burial of a domestic horse accompanied by two dog pups. The ceramic assemblage shows two main classes and standardised shapes.
The lithic industry in flint shows a variety of tools, mainly arrow heads. Knowledge of metal working is confirmed by the presence of a small awl in pure copper. Husbandry and agriculture represent the economic basis. The AMS determinations date this village to the end of the fourth millennium b.C. cal.
(Cecilia Conati Barbaro)