With the aim of protecting the site an archaeological investigation was undertaken at Trasanello, close to the Neolithic village of Murgia Timone. This area had been explored by Ridola as it was believed to be the site of prehistoric tombs and man-made grottos. Today the site looks the same as it did when Ridola saw it, that is, edged by a series of limestone blocks fixed into the ground in the form of a semicircle. Found within this structure was the bottom of a probable hut previously excavated by Ridola. It was dug into the bed-rock and had a large post-hole in the centre. The space in front of the hut revealed several rows of post-holes of various dimensions, some of which had already been documented. In the same area, several rock-cut pits were identified, perhaps the housings for large storage vessels, together with a typical “hutâ€� shaped silos. The interior of the semicircular stone structure, the hut bottom and the post-holes produced very few fragments of Bronze and Iron Age impasto. In the surrounding area, including that next to the Neolithic village of Murgia Timone, the presence of Bronze Age burials and man-made grottos (robbed in antiquity) was documented. Also present were tens of funerary tumuli each with a square stone cist at the centre, these had also been robbed. The density of the documented evidence, from the Neolithic villages to the Iron Age tumuli gives a good idea of the intensity of prehistoric occupation on the Murgia Materana. (Maria Luisa Nava)

The site at the Trasanello cement factory, discovered by G. Lionetti and V. Camerini, was investigated by the Archaeological Superintendency of Basilicata in 1997. Eleven trenches were opened and documented the extension of the village and a ditch, partially interrupted by later rebuilds. The new excavations began in September 2007 under the direction of the Superintendency in collaboration with the University of Pisa. Four trenches were opened: TRENCH I (5 x 4 m) – innermost and highest point of the village, where hill-wash had eroded the deposit. A small amount of material was found on the surface. TRENCH II (30 x 1.50 m) -an area situated midway along the short axis of the village, on a north-west/south-east alignment. Following the discovery of three post holes, two new trenches were opened on either side of the original trench. In the first (Trench IIa of circa 12 m2) four holes emerged, in the second (Trench IIb of circa 24 m2) two holes emerged on the border with the central trench. The nine holes were cut into the calcarenite bed-rock on a central and slightly raised surface. The distribution of at least seven of the nine holes suggested the existence of two parallel rows of three and four holes at a recurring distance and different depths, depending on the preservation of the rock (minimum 3 cm to a maximum of 17 cm). A modest amount of material was recovered, non of which of use for dating the structure relating to the post-holes. TRENCH III (4.50 x 7.50 metri) – to the south-east in correspondence with the ditch fill. The area of circa 34 m2 overlay the ditch, the line of which was marked by a difference in the vegetation. On the interior a stretch of the ditch’s inner edge emerged, which in the south-west corner was partially covered by a rather unhomogeneous collapse, constituted by medium-small stones and some calcarenite blocks. The external edge of the ditch was also below a collapse, extending from south-east to north-east as far as covering part of the fill. Following the removal of the two lateral collapses excavation of the compact rock (calcarenite) continued to define the internal and external edges of the ditch. The internal border was quite regular in the central section and tended to close in on itself on the outer sides. The external border was more or less curvilinear. Excavation of the fill continued with the removal of the surface deposit which produced a very small amount of material: millstone, grinder, flint, impasto pottery including one fragment with impressed decoration, and modern pottery. TRENCH IV the first tumulus immediately adjacent to Trench I. This circular monumental structure had a diameter of circa 20 m. It was built of limestone boulders which had been purposely transported into the village for its construction.

The second campaign was undertaken in May-September 2008. Work resumed on Trench III with the excavation of the deposits of the ditch fill. These were characterised to the north by layers of sterile collapse and disintegration of the walls, and to the south by layers of archaeological material relating to the Neolithic occupation (Impressed pottery, Graffita and painted pottery). North of the trench two sunken structures were identified. The first was filled with a sediment with a black clay matrix and occasional blocks of crumbling calcarenite. The second was sub-oval in shape and partial cut into the calcarenite wall. The fill was constituted by a dark brown clayey sediment and abundant fragments of crumbled calcarenite. These features produced a modest amount of archaeological material which post-dated the Neolithic period, thus they can be attributed to the reorganisation of the area probably during the metal age. Below and resting on the calcarenite bed-rock another structure delimited by calcarenite and limestone blocks was identified. It did not produce any finds. TRENCH V – trial trench in correspondence with a fissure in an outcrop: sterile. TRENCH VI (3x3 m) – opening of a new area south of trench III and in correspondence with the ditch fill. In this area the external edge of the ditch was rectilinear and well-preserved, whilst the inner border was irregular and the rock appeared deteriorated and friable. Moreover, a sort of hollowing was observed in the ditch wall. The trench was gradually widened in correspondence with the edges and two post holes were uncovered in the interior in R20 (hole 1) and R19 (hole 2). Widening of the trench continued on the side of the inner edge, where another three post holes emerged in R-S 17-18 (hole 3), R 16-17 (hole 4) and S16 (hole 5). The post holes contained material (pottery and baked clay fragments) datable to the Bronze Age. Their morphology was generally regular in size (diameter and depth) and distance between them. The alignment was more or less curvilinear suggesting the presence of a circular or apsidal structure. The only unaligned hole (5) may represent an addition to the structure or a subsequent alteration.

The third campaign took place from May-September 2009. Trenches III and VI were reopened. The ditch fill was completely removed and its bottom reached in both trenches. The excavation was widened in the area of the internal border where in the previous campaign the five post holes came to light. The excavation uncovered all of the post holes outlining a large apsidal structure (preserved length 10 m; maximum width 5.20 m) with three large post holes down the centre, probably those for the supporting posts. The structure can be put into relation with another structure identified during the 1997 excavations and situated on the exterior of the ditch. Both huts had a number of characteristics in common: north-west/south-east alignment, rectangular to sub-rectangular shape with apse on the short side to the north-west and probable opening to the south. The material found in the post holes was homogeneous and datable to the middle Bronze Age. The construction of such structures in correspondence with the Neolithic ditch attests a new settlement phase during the metal age, when the ditch had been completely obliterated. TRENCH VII (3x8 m) – an area north of the village in correspondence with the ditch. Investigation of the ditch circuit continued in an area where large stone blocks suggested the presence of a containing wall on the side of the inner border. Here the deposit seemed more substantial, even though the ditch walls were affected by the same processes of deterioration and crumbling of the calcarenite identified in Trench III. This was an incrustation of calcarenite incorporating limestone blocks. This natural formation had, in some points, completely sealed the ditch fill, in others only covered the ditch walls. The presence of Neolithic material within and below the incrustation dates it to a phase post-dating the ditch. To date the research has identified two distinct phases: the first dating to the early Neolithic period (phase with Ceramica Impressa evoluta e recente), during which the ditch surrounding the settlement was excavated. The archaeological evidence is represented by the ditch, whose fill produced pottery with impressed, graffito and painted decoration, lithic industry in local and imported flint and obsidian, stone axes, millstone and grinder fragments, badly-preserved faunal remains. At present the ditch represents the only structural element belonging to the Neolithic settlement. Subsequently the ditch was obliterated and the area was probably abandoned for a long period. The assemblage of finds – pottery with impressed decoration and thin graffito ( _stile Matera-Ostuni_ ) – dates the settlement to a late phase of the _Cultura della Ceramica Impressa_. The second phase can be dated to the middle Bronze Age ( _facies appenninica_ ), during which the area was reorganised, as attested by the 28 post holes forming the perimeter of a sub-rectangular hut.

The fourth excavation campaign took place in May-June 2010. Trench VII was reopened and enlarged to cover an area of 60 m2. The rectilinear walls of the ditch, partially covered with natural concretions, were exposed. Of particular interest was the discovery of a collapse from a wall built of limestone and calcarinite blocks along the inner wall of the ditch. In the lower layers of the fill at a depth of about 2 m a concentration of pottery emerged. Some had impressed decoration and the fragments were from at least three vessels. Also present were faunal remains, lithic industry (including an intact blade of Gargano flint) and small patches of charcoal. During the course of the excavation the area with the two Bronze Age huts was reopened with the aim of documenting the rows of post holes and their depths. These huts were rectangular in plan with an apse and a reconstruction of the timber structures and covering has been proposed on the basis of the morphology and dimensions of the post holes and, above all, the plaster remains. The material found during the preceding campaigns (2007-2009) was displayed in an exhibition “Trasanello: quattro passi nella Murgia preistorica” at the Ridola National Archaeological Museum at Matera. The aim of the exhibition was to present the archaeological materials through their history “from the excavation to the laboratory”. Therefore, the information panels illustrated the study phases of the finds from conservation to documentation, with particular attention given to laboratory analyses. Furthermore, alongside the archaeological materials in the display cases samples of raw materials, pottery thin-sections and experimental reconstructions were also shown.

The fifth excavation campaign took place in May-June 2011. Trench VII was enlarged by 100 m2 and the ditch fill was excavated. The following sequence emerged: - Surface layer (US 1a) this was a fill post-dating the abandonment of the ditch, which produced middle Neolithic material, probably washed down from the centre of the settlement. Pottery painted with red bands was found in these typical forms: hemispherical and globular bowls, carenated bowls and vases with necks. The finds were concentrated in a restricted strip corresponding with the outer edge of the ditch, where the slope of the deposit was steeper; - Surface layer (US 1b) deposit containing impasto pottery with impressed, thin-lined graffito and painted narrow banded decoration of the Lagnano da Piede type; - Intermediate layers of loose sediment (US 7-US 8) contained small amounts of pottery. Plain ware pottery was absent from the lowest layer (US 8); - Concretionary intermediate layers (US 2-US 3-US 4) concretionary deposits which had incorporated a small amount of archaeological material; - Lower layers (US 6 and US 5) this layer contained a large quantity of archaeological material, in particular impasto pottery with impressed decoration, and concentrations of baked clay. Its excavation is to be completed. Trench VII, in the northern part of the village produced the following sequence : - The initial phase dating to the early Neolithic was attested by impasto pottery with impressed, graffito and painted decoration. The village was probably built during a late phase of the Impressed Pottery Culture, correlated to a subsequent moment of the Trasano phase III and contemporary with the Tirlecchia phase II; - The later phase dating to the middle Neolithic period was attested by plain ware pottery with red-painted bands, which probably came from the internal area of the settlement, where no archaeological evidence was preserved due to substantial hill-wash. At present, there is no evidence for subsequent occupation dating to the Serra d’Alto culture. Lastly, the absence of Bronze Age pottery in the ditch should be noted. Occupation of this date was however well-attested in the eastern sector, where in previous campaigns (trenches III and IV) materials and huts dating to the middle Bronze Age were uncovered.

The 6th excavation campaign saw work continuing in trench VII, situated in a northern section of the enclosure ditch surrounding the Neolithic settlement. The concretionary layers were excavated using pick and pneumatic hammer with narrow points. These concretionary deposits covered the ditch walls and part of the fill. As the deposits were removed, some fragmentary material was recovered that was incorporated within them; charcoal and soil samples were taken for analysis. The complete removal of the concretion revealed the original walls of the ditch and the lower levels of the fill. The latter contained abundant concentrations of materials, in particular pottery and faunal remains. The width of the ditch varied between 2.20 and 2.50 m and the lower layers were at a depth of 2.30 m below present ground level. These layers will be excavated in coming seasons; the finds will be processed and numbered in order to determine the mode of their deposition.

During the 7th excavation campaign, work continued in trench VII and a new area was opened in the eastern part of the plateau (trench VIII). Trench VII The excavation area was extended to cover c. 150 m2. Digging took place in two adjacent areas: the ditch, where investigation of the fill continued, and a second area just to the south, where a concentration of limestone and calcarenite blocks were partially visible on the surface. Ditch area The exposure and removal of a compact layer of ceramic material was of particular interest. This concentration of heavily concretionary pottery was present in layers US6 and 5 and extended for over a third of the ditch length. The materials, still in the study phase, seemed to represent all horizons of impressed pottery. The roof of an apparently sterile layer with a prevalently sandy matrix was reached beneath US5 and 6. External area The investigation in this area revealed the remains of a “wall” formed by large stone blocks arranged in two rows, about 10 m in length, parallel to the south side of the ditch. Only a few of the blocks forming its base remained. It was not possible to determine the wall’s original length or the period of its construction. However, its position running parallel to the ditch and the presence of similar structures at nearby sites, belonging to the same chronological horizon, suggest the ditch and wall were contemporary but this will have to be ascertained by further excavation. Trench VIII In this area, east of trench VII, a cavity originally interpreted as an “a grotticella” tomb, and a new section of the ditch were investigated. The “a grotticella” tomb The tomb was a natural karstic cavity that had been modified. An oval opening cut into the bedrock led down into a vertical shaft. The latter provided access to a first chamber, divided by a narrowing of the walls, from a second, smaller one. Several marks identified on the vault and walls showed that tools were used to enlarge and modify the natural cavity. Traces of this activity were most clearly visible in the first room where a rock outcrop was present in the southern half, which was partially modified to form a sort of “bench”. To date the finds can be attributed to reuse of the structure in more recent periods. The investigation of the cavity continues. The new ditch sector This section of the ditch was excavated abutting the eastern side of a calcareous hump occupied by a tumulus (Tomb 2). The ditch presented vertical, parallel walls partially cut in the calcarenite and in part, as mentioned above, in the limestone. At the south-west end of the excavation area, the walls were still parallel, while at the north-eastern end they seemed to reach the point at which the ditch curved sharply to the east to then join with the part that enclosed the north side of the plateau. The layers forming the fill had a predominantly sandy matrix, with slight variations in colour, containing abundant stones some of which large. The finds are still in the study phase and it is not possible at present to suggest a chronological attribution.

During this campaign, work continued in Trench VII and two new trenches were opened: IX and X. Trench VII – in 2013, the excavation of the ditch fill was almost completed with the removal of the lower layers US 5 and 6, which produced abundant impressed and thin-lined grafitto pottery of the “Matera-Ostuni” type, datable to a late phase of the early Neolithic period. Two _sondages_ were dug in order to check the depletion of the fill, in which a completely sterile layer emerged that had a compact silt matrix with yellowish-brown carbonate concretions and small blocks of calcarenite and limestone (US 14). This layer was at the bottom of the trench, whose original morphology was irregular, as it had been altered by concretionary action. TRENCH IX – (2.5 m E-W x 6m N-S) situated east of trench VII. The surface layer was removed and the layers of fill excavated, from the top: -US 1(removed) layer with blackish, rather loose clay-silty matrix. It was characterised by a concentration of calcarenite blocks along the inner face of the ditch and towards the central part of the fill. In the upper part there was very little archaeological material, while the lower part (US 1 base) contained fragments of plain pottery with red painted bands. -US 2 ( _in situ ) a compact concretion on the inner edge of the ditch, made up of calcarenite blocks cemented to the ditch wall. -US 3 (removed) a crumbly, yellowish-light brown sandy-silty layer with small calcarenite blocks. Very little archaeological material. The edge with US 4 not clear. -US 5 (partially excavated in c.10 cm spits: spits 1 and 2) a loose, brown clay-silt layer with abundant calcarenite blocks. It contained impasto pottery, lithics and faunal remains. The fill was partially covered by the concretion on the internal edge (US 2). TRENCH X (3.5 m E-W x 4 m N-S) situated west of Trench VII. Layers from the top: -US 1 (removed) dark brown, loose clay-silt matrix with an abundant skeleton formed by medium and small calcarenite blocks and sporadic limestone blocks. Heavily disturbed by roots and a rodent burrow. -US 2 ( _in situ ) a compact concretion on the interior edge of the ditch, constituted by large calcarenite blocks cemented to the ditch wall. -US 4 loose concretion on the external edge of the ditch made up of hard, compact sediment with small calcarenite blocks and a looser and incoherent sediment. Scarce archaeological material.

La nona campagna di scavo è stata condotta nel mese di Settembre 2015. L’indagine è ripresa nei SAGGI VII e X e con l’apertura del nuovo SAGGIO XI. _SAGGI VII e X_ Nei Saggi VII e X si procede nell’asportazione degli strati inferiori (UUSS 12 e 13) nelle file di quadrati M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U. Dallo scavo emergono diffuse concentrazioni di materiale ceramico in buono stato di conservazione con frammenti riconducibili a forme ceramiche ricostruibili: vasi a collo inornati caratterizzati da applicazioni di protomi in corrispondenza dell’imboccatura; vasi decorati a impressione e a graffito a linea sottile dello “stile Matera-Ostuni”. Inoltre tra i materiali si segnala una discreta quantità di reperti faunistici e oggetti in osso, scarsa invece l’industria litica scheggiata e rara l’industria levigata (frammenti di macine e macinelli). _SAGGIO IX_ Si procede nella documentazione grafica dei sedimenti concrezionati e della sequenza stratigrafica. Si ricopre la sezione, che sarà oggetto di campionatura al fine di procedere ad un’analisi geoarcheologica mirata alla comprensione dei processi di formazione degli strati indagati. _SAGGIO XI_ (dimensioni 2,5 mt. EW x 6 mt. NS). Posto a circa 2 mt ad Est del SAGGIO IX e immediatamente adiacente al Saggio 1 del 1997. L’area aperta è di circa 30 mq, dopo la rimozione dell’humus è stato individuato il bordo esterno del fossato, mentre quello interno era coperto da una serie di massi in calcare e calcarenite derivanti da un crollo, alcuni di questi di dimensioni consistenti. L’indagine è stata affrontata mediante l’apertura di due sondaggi nei quadrati AE-AF/4-5-6 e AH-AI 4-5-6. Anche in questo caso, aderenti al bordo della parete sono state identificati i sedimenti concrezionati US 2 e US 4, quest’ultima risulta molto estesa. Il saggio è ancora in fase di scavo.

La decima campagna di scavo è stata condotta nel mese di settembre 2016. L’indagine ha interessato solo il riempimento della trincea neolitica nel SAGGIO XI (dimensioni 4 m EW x 7 m NS per circa 30 mq di superficie), localizzato a circa 2 m ad Est del SAGGIO IX e immediatamente adiacente al Saggio 1 del 1997. Si procede nello scavo dei testimoni risparmiati nella campagna di scavo 2015 (quadrati AG4-AG5-AG6 e AL5-AL6-AM5-AM6) e quindi all’asportazione di US 1b e US 3. Successivamente si smontano gli strati concrezionati lungo i bordi interno (US 2) ed esterno (US 4), raggiungendo su tutta l’area di scavo lo strato di base US 5, dove emergono i primi materiali relativi alla fase d’uso e/o di vita della trincea. Si recuperano ceramiche, frammenti di macine e resti faunistici riferibili al Neolitico antico a Ceramica Impressa. Nelle file di quadrati AL e AM si sottolinea la presenza di una particolare concentrazione costituita da numerosi resti di bovino, in ottimo stato di conservazione, tra cui emerge un cranio con un corno, quasi integro.