During work conducted by ENI- Rete di Raccolta four prehistoric sites came to light on the plain on the right bank of the river Agri. This confirms the scenario of intensive occupation on the alluvial plain close to the river bed as early as the later phases of the Neolithic, as already attested by recent discoveries at the nearby Località della Valle which also came to light during the excavation of pipe trenches by ENI. Thus an overall picture is taking shape of ancient occupation, not only on the slopes and summits of the higher ground but also on the plains. This confirms the existence of conditions favourable to settlement in periods much earlier than the first Lucanian presence. The geology of the territory is made up of ancient alluvial deposits: thin strata of conglomerates, sand and loam which form layered terraces (late Pleistocene-Olocene). The late Neolithic period (end of the 4th millenium-first half of the 3rd millenium B.C.) is attested in an area which revealed a sub-oval depression containing numerous fragments of pottery, obsidian, animal bone (some worked), other food remains and lumps of charcoal. The pit was sealed by alluvial material containing pebbles and occasional impasto fragments of uncertain date. Typologically the identifiable vessel forms, characterised by typical handles and "reel" shaped lugs, can be attributed to the Diana facies (type). (Maria Luisa Nava)