Ricerc@Sapienza

In contrast to the advancement of knowledge on the archaeological record, the analysis of the social organisation of Copper Age Italian communities has scarcely developed. This paper seeks to examine in detail some aspects considered of value in both proposing and discussing avenues of interpretation for this subject. In particular, the demography of Copper Age communities of central-southern Italy, their patterns of social self-representation through funerary costumes, the social role of warriors and warfare are discussed.

The Copper Age in Italy (4000-2300 BCE) is represented mostly by funerary contexts, with many cultural practices still under debate. The funerary ritual is expressed by burials in artificial or natural hypogea, often used for collective burials over a long period, as witnessed by secondary depositions and radiocarbon dates. Grave goods are scarce if related to the number of inhumed, suggesting a specific socio-cultural relation within individuals of the same funerary structure, but our understanding of daily life is influenced by the ritual aspects of these contexts.