Saracino, M et al 2014 Investigating Social Exclusion in Late Prehistoric pia Italy: Preliminary Results of the ‘‘IN or OUT’’ Project (PHASE 1). Papers from the Institute of Archaeology, 24(1): 12, pp. 1-14, DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5334/pia.462 SHORT REPORT Investigating Social Exclusion in Late Prehistoric Italy: Preliminary Results of the ‘‘IN or OUT’’ Project (PHASE 1) Massimo Saracino*, Lorenzo Zamboni†, Vera Zanoni† and Elisa Perego‡ This report presents the preliminary results of the ‘‘IN or OUT’’ Project, a col- laborative, interdisciplinary effort which aims to investigate social exclusion, mar- ginality and the adoption of anomalous funerary rites in late prehistoric Italy. In particular, this contribution explores the incidence and meaning of practices of ritual marginalisation and funerary deviancy in the region of Veneto between the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age period. Introduction Research Background This report presents the preliminary results Recent research by the authors of this con- of the “IN or OUT” Project, a collaborative, tribution has investigated the incidence interdisciplinary effort which aims to inves- of practices of marginalization and funer- tigate social exclusion, marginality and the ary deviancy in the Italian region of Veneto adoption of anomalous funerary rites in late between the beginning of the Iron Age and prehistoric Italy. In particular, research focus- the early Roman period (c.10th-9th century ing on Practices of Ritual Marginalization in BC – early 1st century AD) (e.g. Perego 2010, Bronze Age Veneto (“IN or OUT” Project PHASE 2012a, 2012b, in press, forthcoming; Perego 1) has been carried out by our team (Perego, et al. 2013a, forthcoming; Saracino 2009; Saracino, Zamboni and Zanoni) since April Saracino and Zanoni 2014; Zamboni and 2013 (see Perego et al. 2013a, 2013b, forth- Zanoni 2010; Zanoni 2011). A fundamental coming; Saracino et al. 2014). To the best of aspect of this research was the attempt to our knowledge, this research represents the connect the adoption of rare or anomalous first systematic attempt to investigate funer- funerary rites (e.g. prone or settlement burial) ary deviancy and social exclusion in Bronze to genuine occurrences of social exclusion, Age Italy. potentially relating to the status, age, gen- der, health condition or cause of death of the deceased. From a methodological and theo- * PhD Independent researcher, Verona, Italy retical point of view, our work has drawn on [email protected] archaeological research on funerary deviancy † Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy (e.g. Murphy 2008; Reynolds 2009; Tamorri [email protected], [email protected] 2012) and on anthropological approaches ‡ Institute of Archaeology, UCL, United Kingdom to marginality and social exclusion (e.g. [email protected] Germani 1980; Park 1928, 1931; Stonequist Art. 12, page 2 of 14 Saracino et al: Investigating Social Exclusion in Late Prehistoric Italy Fig. 1: Map of Veneto region with sampled sites (elaboration by L. Zamboni). 1935). When available, a particular empha- Aims and Methodology sis has also been placed on osteological and The aim of the “IN or OUT” Project, PHASE bioarchaeological data (e.g. Agarwal and 1, is to widen the focus of our research to Glencross 2011; Robb 2002). This evidence include the Bronze Age period, in order to – potentially shedding light on the life con- identify possible occurrences of social exclu- ditions, health status and cause of death of sion and funerary deviancy in Veneto during the deceased – may be vital to uncover the the late third and the second millennia BC reasons motivating the adoption of abnormal (FIG. 1). In this article, therefore, we pro- funerary treatments (e.g. immature or abnor- pose the preliminary results of a contextual mal death, contagious disease, handicap and and statistical analysis of funerary evidence physical deformity, or social discrimination archived in a relational database hosting based on gender, age or status). all the archaeological, bioarchaeological, Saracino et al: Investigating Social Exclusion in Late Prehistoric Italy Art. 12, page 3 of 14 archaeometric and taphonomic data avail- the complete lack of Venetic written sources able for each burial selected for examination. regarding these issues. To date, our research has mainly consisted of a preliminary screening of published data: Preliminary Results this includes evidence from more than 30 Early Bronze Age (23rd – 17th settlement and cemetery contexts across an centuries BC) area roughly corresponding to present-day The funerary rituals of Early Bronze Age Veneto. Further research relating to PHASE Veneto remain poorly investigated and 1 is intended to add unpublished evidence poorly understood, with the exception of to our dataset. Furthermore, we aim to some recent discoveries (e.g. de Marinis and broaden the focus of our analysis to sites we Valzolgher 2013). However, a recent survey have previously been unable to sample, or of the available evidence (de Marinis 2003) to archaeological contexts currently under offers a starting point for identifying pos- study or in press. Future research may be sible occurrences of anomalous mortuary extended to other regions of Italy and/or to behaviour in this region. different chronological phases. A suitable The skulls or cranial fragments found methodology for the identification of funer- at sites such as the pile dwellings of Canàr ary deviancy in the context under study has (San Pietro Polesine, Rovigo) and Dossetto di been preliminarily discussed in recent pub- Nogara (Verona) – as well as at other contem- lications and conference presentations (e.g. poraneous northern Italian pile-dwellings Perego 2012a; forthcoming; Perego et al. settlements – might have been linked to 2013a; forthcoming; Saracino and Zanoni rituals relating to ancestor and skull venera- 2014; Zanoni 2011). For Iron Age Veneto, tion (culto dei crani) or other forms of skel- possible markers of funerary abnormality etal manipulation whose meaning remains include the adoption of the inhumation rite unclear (e.g. de Marinis 2003: 38–39; (but see below); a lack or scarcity of grave Tecchiati 2011; Menotti et al. 2014). Given goods; forms of spatial displacement (set- the overall scarcity of funerary data from this tlement burial, burial in ritual or sacrificial phase, we believe that these practices can- sites, burial in marginal cemetery areas not be easily classified as abnormal burials and/or burial in isolation); the adoption of or occurrences of social exclusion marked by anomalous tomb structures; the evidence of the adoption of atypical funerary treatments. pre-mortem, peri-mortem and post-mortem The only possible case of funerary mar- violence, deviant body treatments (e.g. bind- ginalization identified so far is attested near ing) and/or anomalous body postures (e.g. the burial site of Arano di Cellore di Illasi prone or face-down burial); the adoption (Verona) and dates to the central phase of of practices of skeletal manipulation (e.g. the Early Bronze Age (c. 20th - 19th centuries disarticulation) and hasty interment possi- BC) (de Marinis and Valzolgher 2013; Salzani bly aimed at constraining or degrading the and Salzani 2008; Valzolgher et al. 2012). corpse. The social criteria determining the With over 60 inhumation tombs and one adoption of anomalous mortuary treatments cremation, Arano is the largest Early Bronze for some individuals may have been linked Age cemetery presently known in northern to their low social status, health condition, Italy. The relevant tomb, known as US 20–1a, age and/or cause of death. Occurrences of was found in isolation c. 90 m north-west of capital sentence, damnation and forms of the cemetery, on the bank of a ditch running exclusion relating either to local religious close to the settlement area known as Sector practice or necrophobia (the fear of the dead: A. The grave belonged to a three to four year- Tsaliki 2008) are also possible, although they old child and is currently the focus of in-depth remain more difficult to demonstrate due to chronological and stratigraphic analysis. The Art. 12, page 4 of 14 Saracino et al: Investigating Social Exclusion in Late Prehistoric Italy deceased was buried in a crouched position this burial, presumably pertaining to a ‘sub- on an E-W orientation with the head point- adult’, was the only inhumation found in the ing to the west. The skeleton was covered Bovolone cemetery segment known as Sector with stones and a wooden table. While the C 1996 (FIG. 3). burial displays some ritual features compa- The most significant evidence dating to rable to those characteristic of most graves this phase, however, is the appearance of clustered in the main cemetery area (e.g. prone inhumation burials in biritual cem- adoption of inhumation rite), its location far eteries such as Olmo di Nogara (Verona), from the other tombs may be indicative of Scalvinetto di Legnago (Verona), Castello del the young child’s anomalous status within Tartaro (Cerea, Verona) and Franzine Nuove his or her burial group. di Villabartolomea (Verona). At these sites, the vast majority of the inhumations were Middle and Recent Bronze Age (17th – supine burials, while prone burial was an 12th centuries BC) extremely rare practice. As far as Iron Age Whilst a greater amount of data is avail- Veneto is concerned, prone burial is a ritual able for the subsequent Middle and Recent phenomenon which has already been con- Bronze Age phases, further research is nected to practices of social exclusion and needed to identify clear occurrences of social marginalization, especially when accom- marginalization and funerary deviancy in panied by occurrences of spatial displace- this time period within this dataset, espe- ment (e.g. settlement burial), pre-mortem or cially in view of the preliminary nature of peri-mortem violence, handicap or disease, some published material (e.g. Salzani 2011) and abuse or degradation of the corpse (e.g. and the scanty and/or poor osteological evi- Perego 2012a; in press; forthcoming; Saracino dence accessible for some burial contexts 2009; Zamboni and Zanoni 2010).