Valcamonica Archaeology and Rock Art Fieldwork
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Panorama from Paspardo over the Concarena mountain
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Paspardo, Valcamonica (Italy)
The Footsteps
of Man Archaeological Cooperative Society is based in Valcamonica,
an alpine valley comprised between the province of Bergamo and Brescia
in Northern Italy, where rock art constitutes an archaeological, artistic,
ethnographic and historical patrimony of inestimable value, not only for
its antiquity but, above all, for the thematic and iconographic wealth.
The rupestrian tradition of Valcamonica
consists of about three hundred thousands engraved figures mainly located
in open air and on flat rocks. 
Iron Age warrior, tracing The art is distributed
across five fundamental periods from Palaeolithic to the arrival of the
Romans in the valley.
As an active rock art centre, member of IFRAO (International Federation of Rock Art Organizations), the Footsteps of Man organizes its annual archaeology fieldwork at Paspardo, one of the major area with engravings concentration, giving the opportunity to those interested (archaeologists and scholars, students and enthusiasts) to help the research and the study of the rock art of Valcamonica.
The project participants will: survey, excavate, clean, photograph, draw and catalogue the rocks engraved in three main sites at Paspardo, Valcamonica: Vite-Deria, Dos Costapeta, Dos Sulif.
Paspardo - Valcamonica
Tracing Valcamonica rock art, Iron Age figures
Taranis, an Iron Age God The archaeological site is Paspardo and others areas in Valcamonica, where there are many engravings and situated in different places. The engravings are dated from the Neolithic to the Middle Age.
The project consists of different phases, some are made on the sites, some in the laboratory:
1) researches on the sites: surveys for finding new engraved rocks; analysis of the damages of the rock surfaces and conservation problems; drawing of the engravings with permanent pens on plastic sheets; photographs;2) in laboratory: reduction of the drawings in scale size and catalogue of the engravings.
Participants usually come from different countries of the
world, official languages are English and Italian. In Paspardo the accommodation
is provided in houses with rooms, dormitories, showers and kitchen.
Who is interested in coming should stay for
a session of seven days in minimum.
a link to the application form is included in the Fieldwork
TRACCE page
Program of a week session
Tracing Valcamonica rock art, Etruscan writings
- 1st day: Opening and
welcome. Visit to the rock art sites of Paspardo.
Evening: conference "What is rock art? Rock art in the Alps" - 2nd day: Morning and
afternoon: introduction to the work of documentation, tracing rock art
figures.
Evening: conference "How to study a rock: examples from Valcamonica and Valtellina" - 3rd day: Morning and
afternoon, research and documentation tracing and recording
Evening free - 4th day: Morning and
afternoon: survey in rock art sites
Evening: conference "How to date Rock Art?" - 5th day: Morning and
afternoon: research and documentation; tracing and recording.
Evening free - 6th day: Morning: guided
visit to an Archaeological Museum and/or Rock Art sites.
Afternoon: computer work (data and pictures). Evening conference: “The management of rock art sites: the example of Valcamonica and Valtellina”. - 7th day: Morning free.
Afternoon: collecting materials and closing session.
Evening free.
Paspardo In Valle
This itinerary is only an example of a session of 7 day. The programs of the two weeks are different. The conferences (usually in English or with English translation) will be illustrated with the help of slides or Power point. The themes of conferences also will be diversified.
We suggest also to take a look at Rock Art in the Alps page.
There are vacancies for 25 volunteers
Useful Information
Italian - English - French - Spanish spoken
Paspardo (Valcamonica)
- How to reach Paspardo: there are two ways, by bus or by train.
- BUS: from the Piazza Garibaldi Station (Bus Terminal) in Milan (that you can easily reach with the green line of the underground, get off at the Garibaldi station) there is a bus (at 2.00 p.m.) that takes you to the Valcamonica where you get off at Ceto-Cerveno station.
- TRAIN: from the National Railway station in Brescia there is a train (at 5.00 p.m.) that goes to Valcamonica. You get off in the station of Ceto-Cerveno.
Dos Sulif, research and documentation Things to bring
Work clothes and gloves, gym shoes, sleeping bag, solar cream and sun glasses, mountain clothes (Paspardo is 1000 m over the sea level). Please to take out insurance against illness and injury, because we decline any responsibility. If you can, please have an anti-tetanus vaccination. Minimum age is 16 years.
Valcamonica granaries
Attendance certificate
At the end of the course, on request, it will be possible to obtain a certificate of attendance.
Bibliography
- Attorrese E., A. Fossati, "Rock 53 of Vite-Deria:
New Elements for the Study of Degradation of Valcamonica
Petroglyphs." American Indian Rock Art. 28: 103-110. 2002. - Fossati A., "But they are only puppets. Problems of management and educational programs in the rock art of Valcamonica and Valtellina, Lombardy, Italy." Rock Art Research. 20(1): 25-30. 2003.
- Arcà A. , A. Fossati, Sui sentieri dell'arte rupestre. Le rocce incise delle Alpi. Storia, ricerche, escursioni (On the paths of rock art. The carved rocks of the Alps. History, researches, excursions). Turin, 1995 (available from here)
- Simoes de Abreu M., A. Fossati, L. Jaffe, Etched in Time. The Petroglyphs of Val Camonica. Cerveno, 1990
For any further information :
read
the specific TRACCE paper (2021)
Footsteps of Man, Archaeological Cooperative Society
Piazzale Donatori di Sangue, 1
25040 CERVENO (BS) - ITALY
tel. – fax +39-0364-43.43.51 Cell. +39-340.851.7548
email: cont@ct form
