British School at Rome: Papers of the British School at Rome (4.1907)

The Early Iron Age in South,. Italy.

289

In the extreme North we find two groups, Golasecca in the West and
Este in the East. In the Po valley we have Villanova proper, and
south-west of this the Villanova civilization in two different forms
which can be fairly distinctly separated. These are firstly the Tuscan
form and secondly the Latian. But there is still another form which
for our present purpose is highly important: this is the so-called
Novilara or Alfedena civilization, which occupies the eastern slope of
the Apennines.1 It is unnecessary to describe here the leading
characteristics of this civilization. Suffice it to say that it is remarkably
distinctive and homogeneous. If the stations be accurately plotted out on
a map it will be found that it is not essentially a civilization of traders.
Few of its stations are actually on the coast, .and foreign imports are rather
rare. Indeed, it strikes inland wherever a sufficiently good valley offers an
inducement. This occurs several times, the valleys in question being those
of the Metauro, Chienti, and Tronto. The number of stations known is
remarkably large, being over forty. The most northerly is Novilara, near
Pesaro, and from here they run in a south-easterly direction, occupying the
coast plain and the valleys.
In the presence of this civilization in the eastern half of Italy during the
iron age, we have a decisive proof that the Adriatic slope of the Apennines
was not the route by which Villanova influence penetrated into South Italy.
Of the true and properly so-called Villanova civilization there is no trace
in this district. Cremation, the burial of the Italici, is virtually absent,
even at Novilara.2 The earlier Villanova forms of pottery do not occur,
in fact it is very doubtful whether any of the burials can be carried further
back than the eighth century B.C., and if a current of Villanova civilization
had been passing through this district in early times the inhabitants could
not have remained so long in their primitive condition. The skeletons are
dolichocephalic and there is little doubt that the civilization is due to de-
scendants of the neolithic inhabitants under the influence of their Villanova
neighbours. Thus, if the difficulties of establishing any considerable
relations between South and North Italy by means of the eastern slope
the Italici descending from the North ; those marked with some form of circle to the original
Ibero-Liguri of the neolithic age. The complete isolation of the Italici at Timmari is evident.
The map also shows how the civilization of the group marked Novilara moves southwards up the
river-valley, converging on Alfedena, and suggesting that it penetrated into Campania.
1 Brizio in Mon. Ant. vol. v. and Mariani in Mon'. Ant. vol. x.
2 Brizio in Mon. Ant. vol. v. and Mariani in Mon. Ant. vol. x.
U