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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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1015 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 |
Dimensions:
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Length 1.50 m.
Width 1.50 m.
Depth 0.30 m.
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Art |
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Description: |
Engravings
Paintings
Painted engravings
High or low-relief
Sculpture
The three axes are quite different: the first is very large and the second much more tiny, thus of the same shape. They seem to represent a couple, like in CHM2 rock, and they overlap the underlying meandering figure. The third axe is tiny with a very thin handle, quite strictly recalling some little votive axes of the Gallo-Roman period (like in the Roman-Celtic sanctuary of Thoune - Allmendingen, Switzerland-). The pecking of the axes is also larger than the pecking of the meanders, which are more eroded. Two meandering figures take origin from the typical round little-cup-mark.
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Figures: |
total number 35
3 axes, 1 unidentified tool connected with the axe, 5 meanders, 1 modern letter "V", sparse dots or groups of pecking
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Chronology: |
Palaeolithic
Epipalaeolithic - Mesolithic
Neolithic
Copper Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Roman
Middle Age
Modern
Unknown
The axes are very similar to the late Iron Age axes (I cent. BC - I cent. AD, in this period the area was occupied by the Celtic people called "Segusii", after the 9 AC the Romans). The meandering subject is a problematic one 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 the axes of this rocks which clearly cut the meanders.
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Notes: |
Looking at the engraved surface in the complex it seems evident that the rock has been reversed, probably coming from the terrace above. In this case it is possible that the slab was dressed, like a stele. 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 rock is just on the 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. 500 / 807 |
No commercial use is allowed. Specific © is mentioned in the captions or owned by each Author or Institution |
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EuroPreArt, European Prehistoric Art, is a web-based archaeological project funded by the European Union which aims to establish a lasting data-base of European prehistoric art documentation, to launch the base of an European institutional network and to contribute to the awareness of the diversity and richness of European Prehistoric Art.
It is proposed by: Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (IPT, Portugal),
CUEBC - European University Centre for Cultural Heritage (Italy - Europe),
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España),
Asociación Cultural Colectivo Barbaón (España),
Université de Liège (Belgique),
Gotland University College (Sverige),
University College Dublin (Eire),
Cooperativa Archeologica Le Orme dell'Uomo (Italia),
Study Centre and Museum of Prehistoric Art of
Pinerolo (Italia),
The European Centre for Prehistoric Research in the Alto Ribatejo (Portugal),
ArqueoJovem - a youth NGO (Portugal).
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