The excavation which concluded in 2002 was reopened in 2007. The Neolithic settlement in contrada Santa Barbara is situated on the second sub-coastal rise at 1.5 km from the Adriatic coast. The site, already investigated in the mid 1970s, had two occupation periods. During the first (VI-V millennium B.C.) a hut village was built (of which the post holes remain), surrounded, if only in certain tracts, by a ditch. In this period the organised community practised primitive agriculture and stock-raising in stalls. They also practised related and occasional activities such as hunting or craft-working, destined for the production of pottery and tools for everyday use. In the second occupation period (mid IV millennium B.C.) a new generation of farmers appeared with a strong propensity for selective hunting and pottery production. They introduced artificial hypogea with complex structures, usually with entrances at the bottom deep trenches. The Manfredi hypogeum is the best example.

This important Neolithic site is situated in the contrada of Santa Barbara, in the territory of Poliganano a Mare. It lies on the second sub-coastal rise (circa 60 m a.s.l.) at 1.5 km from the coast. The archaeological site, investigated in the mid 1970s, saw two occupation periods. The first period (6th-5th millennium B.C.), saw the construction of a village, enclosed in certain sectors by a ditch which is exceptional for central Apulia, and was characterized by huts of which the post holes remain. Archaeological investigations were recently extended to the plateau enclosed by stretches of ditch where hut post holes were excavated in several places. This led to a new change in the research aims, which in this case involved the archaic occupation, preceding the opening of the hypogea. The same programme investigated the trenches-ditch (in particular on the north-eastern side), which dated to the same period. At that time the community practiced primitive agriculture and raised animals in pens, as well as collateral and occasional activities, for example hunting and craft-working for the production of pottery and implements for daily use. In the second occupation period (mid 4th millennium B.C.) a new generation of farmers had settled at Santa Barbara. They showed a strong propensity for selective hunting and pottery production. They created artificial hypogea, with complex structures and usually with the entrances at the bottom of the ditches. The ipogeo Manfredi, which was the object of more detailed research, is the most visible example. The radiometric dating for the structure is 3670±130 B.C. (BM 2257) e 4170±170 B.C. (BM 2256), where BM stands for British Museum. In the southern stretch of ditch a fill was identified on top of which were three small tumuli containing skeletal remains in a fetal position.

The 2010 campaign concentrated almost exclusively on checking the stratigraphy of the deposit inside the ditch, the so-called La Trappola, on the south side of the site. Work was undertaken on rectifying and characterising the recording undertaken in the previous campaign both within the archaeological deposit and to its exterior. The latter, situated in the central portion of the ditch structure, was seen to be over two and a half metres high from the calcarenitic floor of the ditch. The present surface is distinguished by a funerary phase with two small stone tumuli abutting the ditch’s eastern internal parapet. Tumulus 1, in the north-west part of the ditch was well-preserved and contained the remains of an adult individual. This was an inhumation burial with the deceased in a fetal position and placed in a grave dug directly in the deposit in the ditch. The occupation layer on which both tumuli rested produced Serra d’Alto type pottery, fragments of stone blades and faunal remains. Beside each tumulus, to the east, there were two distinct areas of burning characterised by ash and charcoal fragments. The areas were surrounded by medium sized limestone blocks. Faunal and marine mollusc remains were found in an evident state of calcinations caused by exposure to fire. The structures, interpretable as hearths, were directly linked to the individual tumuli and had ritual functions. During the 2010 campaign the surface on which the funerary structures rested was identified across the entire excavation area (trench I) in particular in the proximity of the hearths where samples were taken of the ashy sediment. Furthermore, during the reclamation of a small area (occupied by solid urban refuse and rubble) undertaken by the land owner, the presence of post holes was noted. They relate to the Neolithic hut structure which probably extends below the present local road Scorze di Santa Barbara. Lastly, part of the annual campaign was dedicated to the topographical geo-referencing (using GPS) of a number of areas investigated in previous years.

This settlement site in contrada Santa Barbara, south of Polignano al Mare, lies on the second sub-coastal rise (c. 60 m a.s.l.) at 1.5 km from the coast. The archaeological site, already known at the end of the 1940s for the presence of artificial underground structures was investigated in the mid 1970s. The archaeological area covers 25 hectares close to the first terrace of the “Murge” south-east of Bari. This season, excavations took place in the north-eastern area of the Neolithic hut village to investigate a sector of the trench-ditch that seemed to intercept a series of underground structures that were reused in the historical period. The exploration was limited to the definition of several interesting rock-cut structures that may relate to a hypogean context, probably the entrance and one room. The later had clearly been altered in the historical period.

The known archaeological site in contrada Santa Barbara, in the territory south of Polignano a Mare, is situated on the second sub-coastal rise (c. 60 m a.s.l.) at 1.5 km from the coast. The archaeological site, already noted in the 1940s for the presence of artificial hypogea, was systematically investigated during the mid 1970s. The archaeological area covers 25 hectares close to the first terrace of Bari’s south-eastern _murge_. In 2016, excavations took place in the north-eastern area of the Neolithic hut settlement to investigate an unexplored section of the trench-ditch that seemed to intercept a series of underground structures most of which were reused in the historical period. As well as continuing the investigation of the structures identified during the last campaign, a new underground structure was explored which the first results show was used for funerary purposes until an early phase of the meander-spiral ceramic culture.