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Country: |
Italia |
Locality: |
Mompantero - Costa Seppa |
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Region: |
Piemonte |
Area: |
Valsusa |
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Environment & Surface |
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Altitude:
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1120 m
Open-air
Shelter
Cave
Portable
Megalithic
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Geography: |
Rocky slope, southward exposed, panoramic site, abandoned sheep pasture, xerophilous vegetation (Juniperus, little pine-tree), stone walls, arid and windy area, lateral morainic pudding-stone deposits. |
Proximity: |
Path |
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Geology: |
Filladic calcschist (metamorphic rock composed by calcite and mica). This kind of rock allows the pecking technique, but is more affected by the erosion (water and wind) than the Permian sandstone, thus the siliceous component, not soluble in water, is quite resistant. |
Surface: |
Smooth, convex, microgranulated, flat, 30° of inclination, patina |
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Dimensions:
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Length 4.50 m.
Width 3.20 m.
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Art |
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Description: |
Engravings
Paintings
Painted engravings
High or low-relief
Sculpture
The 2 zig-zagging meanders are parallel, both originating from a little rounded cup-mark (a snake head?).
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Figures: |
total number 3
Two zig-zagging meander figures taking origin by a little cup-mark, one eroded cup-mark
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Chronology: |
Palaeolithic
Epipalaeolithic - Mesolithic
Neolithic
Copper Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Roman
Middle Age
Modern
Unknown
This is a problematic subject to be dated. It's possible to find a double chronological attribution: Neolithic-first Copper Age (by comparison with the meanders and the spirals of the Irish passage graves and of the megalithic art) or Bronze Age - First Iron Age (by comparison with the engravings of the Haute Maurienne French valley where such patterns seem to be related to the Iron Age topographical compositions). The study of the superimpositions in the Valsusa area testify that the meandro-spiralic pattern is overlapped by late Iron Age figures, like axes.
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Notes: |
The engraved surface is partially sheltered by a large rock. It is just near the path. The entire area was terraced and cultivated (vines, potatoes) till the '50-'60s. No water available if not through artificial channels. It's one of the possible ways to reach the top of the Rocciamelone mountain (more than 3500 m), the highest mountain in the Susa valley, where traditional pilgrimage is still practised (the Holy Mary of the Rocciamelone, http://www.rupestre.net/archiv/nat3.htm)). |
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Bibliography |
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Conservation |
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Status: |
Public
Private
Park
Classified site
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Risk: |
Figures are visible only on a grazing light. The site is poorly attended, thus some people is passing with motorbikes along the mountain path. The surface is affected by the erosion. The area is rarely covered by snow. |
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Conservation: |
Good
Quite good
Mediocre
Bad
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Intervention: |
The rock has been completely recorded (International western Alps rock art record), traced (contact tracing and digital vectorial rendition), photographed (normal light and grazing light colour slides) under enchargement of the Archaeological Superintendence of Piedmont. More info (Italian version) at http://rupestre.net/archiv and http://rupestre.net/alps. |
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By |
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| Record n. 498 / 806 |
No commercial use is allowed. Specific © is mentioned in the captions or owned by each Author or Institution |
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