Monica Bersani

This research deals with the phenomenon of anthropomorphic vessels between the 7th and the beginning of the 5th millennium BC in a vast area that includes the Italian peninsula with Sicily, Central Europe, the Balkans and the Near East. The survey concerned 927 specimens from 229 sites.

The formal analysis of the artifacts belonging to the cultures attested between Mesopotamia and the Rhine river allowed to establish the times and vectors of diffusion of this tradition before its arrival in Italy, as well as to hypothesize the connections that have transmitted the tradition of the anthropomorphic vessel to the Neolithic farming communities in the south-east of southern Italy. The study of Italian finds has led to the recognition of four main areas affected by the phenomenon and has allowed us to define their styles.

An important part of the study was the examination of the archaeological contexts of the finds, in order to understand the possible spheres of use. In particular, the research allowed us to highlight the frequent and widespread presence of the anthropomorphic vessel in waste pits together with a series of symbolic objects: a constant presence and therefore not random, which is a hint of deliberate deposition of selected materials. This circumstance suggests that the anthropomorphic vessel belongs to a set of objects of ritual use and that the neolithic refuse pit, contrary to what is generally believed, should be interpreted also as places of performative activity.