Archeonaut journeys through time touring around Basilicata Texts Margherita Romaniello Editorial manager Maria Teresa Lotito Editorial assistance and support Annalisa Romeo Editorial project Margherita Romaniello / Michele Cignarale Concept and layout michelecignarale.com Photos Apt Basilicata Archive / The Basilicata Architectural Heritage Department Maps Powered by Google Maps Printing BMG srl Museums and Archaeological areas 6 Potenza Basilicata, 16 Matera A LAND TO DISCOVER, 24 Venosa TOGETHER WITH ARCHEONAUT A journey, an adventure and a story. 32 Melfi Basilicata, discovered and rediscovered through its museums and archaeological areas, provides visitors with fascinating places that 38 Metaponto have been traversed by peoples, made sacred by gods and inhabited 44 Policoro by women and men with their activities, customs and fears. Routes traced out thousands of years ago are brought back to life, 52 Muro Lucano thanks to the discoveries of excavation campaigns that began over a 60 Vaglio century ago, and moments of everyday life, captured in objects that were used for household activities, warfare, sacred ceremonies and 66 Grumento rites of passage recover their true dimensions. Anyone who wishes to venture along the fascinating paths of ancient 72 Maratea history in Basilicata will feel like an “archeonaut”, a traveller from 78 Baragiano the present who rediscovers the story of yesterday. With its rivers, which traverse it from the sea to the most hidden 84 Archaeonaut Routes heart of its lands, and its nature, at times generous and at times 86 Glossary severe, Basilicata has welcomed peoples, seen the rise and fall of civilisations, undergone invasions and given birth to myths. 88 Travel Journal Its museums now house the precious relics of the past and its archaeological areas contain infinite stories, like open-air history books. These are the starting or finishing points for an exploration in which time is not a measure but a guide, and its tracks are fascinating companions for the imagination of every visitor. The “Dino Adamesteanu” National Archaeological Museum The National Archaeological Museum in Potenza, inaugurated in May 2005, was named after Dinu Adamesteanu, the Romanian archaeologist and undisputed father of archaeology in Basilicata. The desire to create a network of museums in Basilicata, in those places principally marked by the presence of Lucanian history and The archaeology, was mainly due to him. The two floors of the museum house a true archaeological anthology of Basilicata: an adventure of peoples, both Hellenic and non-Hellenic “Dino Adamesteanu” (and then indigenous and Roman) which can be seen in the display National cabinets, in the reconstructions of buildings and tombs, and in the descriptions on the panels that guide the tours of the museum. Archaeological Following a chronological plan, the museum guides the visitor Museum through its halls among archaeological records gathered from the countless excavation campaigns that have been organised throughout Via Andrea Serraoopening - Palazzotimes: Monday Loffredo 2:00 - tel – (+39)8:00 pm; 0971 323111 Basilicata. Tuesday - Sunday 9:00 am - 8:00 pm It is an anthology of epic events and common people, of kings and closed weekly: Monday mornings princesses, of materials that were brought from afar (such as the amber from the Baltic and bronzes from the Etruscan world) and objects created by the hands of local craftsmen. The pre-colonisation phase, the indigenous presence of Oenotrians, Provincial Daunians and Peuketiantes, then the Greek colonisation, the presence of the Lucanians, and lastly Romanisation are the fundamental stages Archaeological through which the history of Basilicata is presented at the Dinu Museum Adamasteanu Museum. The spectacle fibulas that the women used Via Ciccotti - tel (+39) 0971 444833 to adorn their clothes, the armillas (bracelets) and gold and bronze Sunday and Monday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm; pendants, and the warriors’ swords discovered in pit graves in the huge necropolises portray the Choni-Oenotrians who lived along the Tuesday - Saturday 4:00-7:00 pm (wintertime: 9.00-13.00) closed weekly: Monday afternoons Ionic coast (Santa Maria d’Anglona - the ancient Greek Pandosia) between the 5th and 8th centuries BC. The settlement at Incoronata di Pisticci (in Matera) has also produced remains from the first phase of Greek colonisation. The oldest decorated ceramics, on which skilled hands painted scenes of heroes and myths borrowed from Greek culture, date back to this Potenza period. 7 The Peuketiantes, the occupants of grave goods that were unearthed by the inland and mountainous areas of the excavation of the Acropolises in ancient Basilicata, are represented in BC and comes from the tomb of the Chiaromonte, Aliano and Guardia the Palazzo Loffredo Museum through urban acropolis in Crucinia. Perticara. The dead, buried in pit tombs, the armour of their warriors and PRECIOUS HEADGEAR PotenzaIts five horizontal layers, finally worked were not laid with their legs flexed, especially through the grave goods of a This should certainly not be and embossed, depict ancient horse- but in a supine position. The skeleton king (“the tomb of the Basileus”) and overlooked, in fact it is fascinating. It lords and a feature a delicate floral of a woman, probably of high rank, his family. These are characterised by comes from Metapontum, the Greek sequence in which every flower has buried with a rich array of jewellery, the wealth and refinement of the objects colony established in 640 BC, and was individually-attached corollas, petals of hair spirals and fibulas to support her buried with them (ceremonial and war placed on the head of a woman who varying sizes and a pistil. The eye barely clothing, lies in a display cabinet at weapons, tableware and jewellery, and died at around 35 years of age and manages to grasp all the numerous the centre of the hall dedicated to her a fine set of black-figure Attic vases), was certainly a member of a high- nuances and minute details that make people. Thanks to the removal method, and come from Baragiano, the centre of ranking elite, perhaps a priestess. It this a precious and unique object, the archaeologists have managed to the Marmo Platano area, not far from is known as a polos in archaeological which would easily bear comparison realistically reconstruct her burial, and Potenza. terminology and is a splendid gilded with the works of the finest modern hence the manner in which Oenotrians silver head covering. goldsmiths. faced the long journey towards the The polos exhibited in the museum, The world of the Oenotrians (9th-8th unknown. produced by master craftsmen from century BC) is seen in the geometric Taranto and preserved almost intact, ceramics and particularly in the dates back to the end of the 6th century Gold diadem with embossed decorations, from Braida di Vaglio 8 9 The “Braida” Embossed bronze plate Exhibition Room depicting Amphitrite riding in Vaglio a dolphin, from Rossano di The National Vaglio Archaeological Museum in Potenza XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXthe reconstruction of their sanctuary There are some important 6th-5th courtyard. Rich votive gifts were century BC grave goods from the Braida discovered there, including small di Vaglio settlement, which can also be statues, jewels and miniature vessels traced to basileis of the Peuketiantes. donated to the goddess Mefitis, who These include Greek and Etruscan was venerated together with the god Campania-produced bronze tableware, Mamerte (the Mars of the Lucanians). as well as implements used in banquets, Mefitis was the goddess of springs and moments of joyful gathering and nature, and of the living and the world of decidedly male politics. There are the dead. When the “Lucanians became huge meat cauldrons (lebeti), roasting Romans”, Roman dominion was skewers, tripods and vessels for mixing imposed on the indigenous settlements and drinking wine (kraters), and and the two major centres, Grumentum ceremonial trappings for horses and and Venusia, arose. The transformations riders that recreate the scene of an of the territory and the cultural fusions indigenous world in which difference in the areas involved can be seen from in rank was truly expressed in every the grave goods and remains recovered detail. in the patrician residences. The section The Lucanians were people of Osco- of the museum dedicated to Roman Sabellian stock that arrived in the Basilicata can be identified particularly internal areas of Basilicata towards by the colour of its walls. Pompeian red, the end of the 5th century. Their high reminiscent of the Villa of the Mysteries, ground positions, which were provided together with an image of maenads from with fortifications (each within visible the Dionysian procession and the verse communication range of the next), of Horace, the Latin poet who was born and the most important worship site in Venusia, introduce the phase that of their Olympus, the Rossano di began in the 3rd century BC and lasted Vaglio sanctuary, have been brought until late antiquity. back to life in the museum through 10 11 Provincial discovered and where it was kept from Archaeological400-470 BC. Museum We are welcomed by a goddess seated on a throne, like a priestess. She must once This is the symbol of the Provincial have held a baby in her hands. Behind Archaeological Museum in Potenza, her is the temple, which was probably which housed all the archaeological dedicated to her. remains recovered in the provincial This is the Temple of Garaguso, named capital before the opening of the after the location in which it was National Museum. Temple and goddess from Garaguso 480-470 BC An acroterium from Vaglio punishment from Athena for having met The acroterion, an architectural feature Poseidon in front of her temple. placed at the apex of the roof, was Medusa was killed by Perseus, who unearthed managed to cut off her head with a in Serra di Vaglio and can be dated to knife and a magic shield given to him the 4th century BC.