Ricerc@Sapienza

This contribution shows the first results of an experimental reconstruction of the Portonovo's underground ovens in order to explore their function. A comparison between the data collected on site and in laboratory confirm the hypothesis of a multipurpose use of the ovens and puts in evidence the problem of bias between the temperatures measured during the firing experiment and the temperatures estimated after XRPD analysis.

This paper presents a new evidence of underground ovens found in the ancient Neolithic site of Portonovo Fosso Fontanaccia in the Marche region, central Italy. Here 23 underground ovens, dated to the first half of the VIth millennium BCcal, were uncovered. To date no trace of a settlement connected to this site has been found. A multidisciplinary approach has been applied to the study of this extraordinary Italian site in order to understand the life cycle of these structures: construction technique, maintenance, lifespan, function, and social value