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Copper Age cist tomb unearthed in Valtellina
Archaeologists have unearthed a prehistoric cist tomb at the site a new primary school gym in Berbenno di Valtellina, a town in northern Italy’s Lombardy region. The tomb contains the remains of at least two individuals and preliminary dating indicates it is at least 4,000 years old.
The cist, the first of its kind found in the Valtellina area, is a rectangular cut lined with stone slabs. One of the slabs is much older than the tombs: it is around 5,000 years old and is a stele, shaped and engraved with several objects that suggest it represents a male type. It may have originally been part of a standing stone alignment in a sanctuary. The burial was originally surrounded by a stone circle and likely a mound.
“It can certainly be said that what is emerging from the excavations represents one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made in Valtellina – says Stefano Rossi, archaeologist of the Superintendency – Several artifacts recovered since the nineteenth century had already indicated that human presence in Berbenno dated back at least to the Bronze Age, but these new findings move the frequentation of the area back at least a thousand years. In particular, the stele statue constitutes the most western testimony of this important cultural phenomenon, dating back to over five thousand years ago. I thank the municipal administration that, understanding the importance of the site, is working to deal with the costs and delays caused by the excavation operations. I am sure that the current inconveniences will be amply repaid by the importance of these findings”.
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