Il Bronzo tardo tra il fiume Adda e il lago di Garda: un quadro d'insieme

The Late Bronze Age between the River Adda and Lake Garda: an overview - Between the river Adda and the Garda Lake is an area with a great variety of geographical zones, in which a number of excavations and field surveys has been conducted. Research has dealt with various types of sites such as settlements, burials, cult locations, caves and rock-shelters and places devoted to specialized activities. A wealth of new data allows for the study of shared territorial strategies and common patterns in both settlement foundation and subsequent evolution through the extent of the considered area, during the Late Bronze Age (13th-10th cent BCE); a general trend appears to be the abandonment of the settlements at the end of the Bronze Age. This study focuses mainly on material culture aspects, with special attention to its most recognizable traits. Regarding the cultural aspects, this study reveals a composite picture in which the material culture of marginal areas show a number of features similar to the ones of the major and better known cultural groups of LBA Northern Italy: the sites of the north-western area appear connected with the Canegrate and Protogolasecca groups, while a small number of villages in the upper part of the plain, such as Calcinato – Ponte San Marco show some of the typical aspects of the Alpine Culture of Luco, to the north. As for the eastern part of the area, there are hints of a connection to the Protoveneti and central-Italic cultures, particularly in strategically located sites with respect to certain resources or road networks (Lovere, Cicola, Monte Guarda). Overall, a complex and varied state of affairs in which multi-directional and diverse contacts seem to be active, sometimes in the same areas and during the same period.