|
|
 |
Location |
 |
|
 |
 |
Country: |
Italia |
Locality: |
Mompantero - see original record (ask compiler - institution) |
|
|
Region: |
Piemonte |
Area: |
Valsusa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Environment & Surface |
|
|
|
|
Altitude:
|
1060 m
Open-air
Shelter
Cave
Portable
Megalithic
|
Geography: |
Rocky
slope, southward exposed, panoramic site, abandoned sheep pasture,
xerophilous vegetation (Juniperus, little pine-tree), stone walls, arid
and windy area. Terrassment, area cultivated till 1950 (wheat, rye,
vines). |
Proximity: |
Path |
|
|
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, 0° of inclination, patina |
|
Dimensions:
|
Length 0.80 m.
Width 0.50 m.
Depth 0.18 m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Art |
|
|
|
Description: |
Engravings
Paintings
Painted engravings
High or low-relief
Sculpture
The two largest human figures clearly show
their sex: penis, testicles, breast. They are depicted arm-in-arm. It
could depict a family scene. The meander goes all around the perimetral
borders, showing a large pecking. M. Rossi suggest that it could be a
representation af the biblic scene of Adam and Eva and the snake. In
reality the human figures superimpose the meander and so belong to a
different phase.
|
Figures: |
total number 12
1 meander, 1 male figure, 1 female figure, 1 little human figure, 1 branched figure, 1 cup-mark like figure.
|
|
|
Chronology: |
Palaeolithic
Epipalaeolithic - Mesolithic
Neolithic
Copper Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Roman
Middle Age
Modern
Unknown
The meander 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. The human figures,
which overlap the meander, could find some point of contact with
romano-celtic human representations, but could pertain also to later
phases
|
Notes: |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Bibliography |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Conservation |
|
|
|
Status: |
Public
Private
Park
Classified site
|
Risk: |
The
stone is under the risk of being moved. 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. |
|
|
Conservation: |
Good
Quite good
Mediocre
Bad
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By |
|
|
| |
| 501 / 806 |
Specific © is mentioned in the captions or owned by each Author or Institution |
|
| |
|
Total
General
Specific
