Titolo della tesi: La necropoli a cremazione di Timmari (MT).Nuove considerazioni sul Bronzo finale nel Sud Italia a partire dal recupero di un contesto chiave della Protostoria italiana
The Final Bronze Age (12th-10th century BC) in the Italian peninsula marks a pivotal transition in funerary practices, characterized by the widespread adoption of the 'urnfield' model. This period witnessed a relative homogenization of the cremation rite across the peninsula, extending as far as Sicily. Currently, only four urnfield sites in Southern Italy are sufficiently documented. A seminal discovery in this context occurred in 1901 when Domenico Ridola and Quintino Quagliati unearthed an extensive urnfield on the slopes of Mount Timbro near the village of Timmari (MT, Basilicata). The excavation revealed more than 250 burials, making it the largest excavated urnfield in Southern Italy. Despite subsequent excavations in the early 2000s that uncovered an additional 32 graves, a comprehensive scholarly review and analysis of this site have not yet been conducted, leaving this significant necropolis relatively understudied.
The recovery of historical documentation from past excavations at the Timmari necropolis has restored access to previously obscured data. A key component of this study was the transition from a physical to a digital archive, aimed at mitigating the risks of information loss and further damage which, as it was discovered, occurred predominantly during the conservation phase rather than during the excavation or initial documentation stages.
Furthermore, the renewed study of the context has enabled a better understanding of the phases of occupation and development of the burial site, providing new perspectives on its chronological and cultural framing relative to contemporary necropolises in the South. This research presents fresh data that have emerged from the recovery and reassessment of legacy data, prompting a reconsideration of the cultural and social dynamics of the Late Bronze Age in Southern Italy.