Primo intervento nel territorio di Salve con attività di ricognizione nel sito Macchie Don Cesare, in seguito a segnalazioni pervenute da ricercatori locali circa la presenza nell’area di frammenti ceramici attribuibili all’eneolitico. La ricerca ha confermato l’importanza del sito con l’individuazione di presumibili tumuli, non si sa se funerari o meno, da indagare nel prossimo anno.

The area is scattered with tumuli and during the 2006 investigations six were opened. Two were revealed to be of no interest (tumuli 3 and 5) as they were of recent construction. In fact, the entire zone was subjected to land reclamation after the Second World War and it is possible that many known tumuli are the result of the clearance of land destined for agricultural use. Tumuli 2 and 4 were constructed with large blocks at the base and the fragments of impasto pottery present suggest a date within the metal age. Lastly, the typology of two of the tumuli qualifies them as funerary structures. Both were oblong in shape and inside were vases containing cremated remains, probably human. Tumulus 1 had a base platform comprising large blocks arranged inside a large cavity in the rock. On top of these, on the north-west side, were deposited three stacked vases, one of which could not be recovered, containing burnt remains. Scattered on the opposite side were numerous fragments of a small vase (now partially reconstructed) of the Gaudo style. Tumulus 6 was of the same typology: of elongated form and covered with stones and earth, in this case the base was formed by the bedrock itself. In the central part, below the covering of stones, between two blocks placed on edge, was a small intact Laterza style vase inserted into a truncated cone-shaped vase with a rim with impressed notches. This in turn was inside a third vase which can largely be reconstructed. Nearby were another two fragmented containers, human teeth and burnt bones. This evidence shows that there were two types of structure: one funerary attesting the use of cremation with offerings of three stacked vases and others of single vases; the other for cult use which may be defined as a sepulchral monument or a monument erected for ritual purposes. The settlement related to this necropolis has still to be found and the chronology of the area to be defined. In fact, it cannot be said that all the tumuli are contemporary, it may be that they were erected at different times between the 3rd and 2nd millennium during the continuous occupation of the area.

The construction of tumulus 10 differed from those previously excavated at the same site. It was an apsidal structure, with large boulders around its perimeter with two rectangular chambers on the western side, the outermost constituting the entrance and the chamber parallel with it was in direct contact with the central chamber. Here, the floor was paved with stone blocks and the cinerary urns placed at the eastern end, with other vases placed nearby. The importance of this find, apart from the new typology, lies in the fact that it confirms that the entire area was a necropolis of tumuli, the only one known to date for the Eneolithic period in southern Italy.

The architecture of the trapezoidal tumulus 68 (8.90 x 6.30 m; h. 0, 60 m) is complex. The interior presented two funerary structures: at the centre a triangular stone cyst containing cremated human bones and pottery fragments; on the south side, abutting the outer wall of the tumulus, a circular structure characterized by the presence of a vase with applied plastic decoration, carbonized wood and other burnt remains. The entire floor of the tumulus presented traces of ritual activity involving fire and the deliberate smashing of pottery vessels and the scattering of their fragments. Tumulus 68 differs from the others in its architecture (trapezoidal plan with internal chamber delimited on two sides by rows of large stone blocks) and for the particular triangular structure used for the deposition of the cremated bones, probably of more than one individual. The importance of this find lies not only in its typology and the variety of ritual activities attested, but also in the fact that it provides confirmation that the entire area was occupied by a necropolis of tumuli, the only one known to date for the Eneolithic period in southern Italy.

Tumulus 11 (20 x 18 m; h. 1) is a large and complex monument divided into two chambers, one funerary, the other ceremonial.The funerary chamber is formed by a space within a circular enclosure created through the careful placing of boulders and stones that were also used to create a floor surface. Here, at the base, was a vase containing burnt bones placed inside a crown of flat slabs inserted into a circle of blocks. The vase rested on a surface of baked clay and wooden elements. On the north side of the enclosure there was a dry-stone construction in the form of a circular cist built of stone blocks, containing a vase and burnt human bones. The funerary chamber was distinct from the ceremonial space: it appears as a sort of arena bordered along its circular perimeter by an imposing dry-stone wall with a double curtain whose collapse was attested by the spread of small stones from the fill, visible along its line. At the centre was a 1 x 1 m hole containing abundant charcoal and some human bone. The entire monument, built by exploiting the bedrock’s natural differences in height, appears as a megalithic construction able to transmit the idea of strength and power visible from a great distance. The importance of this find comes not only from the architectural type and variety of ceremonial activities attested within it, but also from the fact that it confirms the entire area to be an actual necropolis of tumuli, the only one known to date for the Eneolithic period in southern Italy.