The Neolithic Age/1 – The Dwells
1.
The earliest Neolithic materials, dating to the second half of the 6th millennium BCE, come from two sites: a grinding stone found at Copezzato and the remaining artifacts from Benefizio. Among them are fragments of a vessel decorated with applied clay strips, tools made from gray Alpine flint and pink flint from the Marche region, objects shaped from local stone, and the first flakes of obsidian—an exotic volcanic glass.
2.
In the early 5th millennium BCE, a wide area near Ponteghiara—between Fidenza and Salsomaggiore—was used for different purposes over time: as a settlement, farmland, and burial ground. Excavations uncovered storage pits, a deposit of plaster containing broken terracotta figurines, and several graves. Some of the earliest square-rimmed pots were found here, decorated with incised geometric patterns. This site also yielded the first loom weights and spindle whorls, made by reusing pottery fragments. Blades and points were crafted from Alpine flint. A particularly rare find is a pair of pintaderas—ceramic stamps impressed with intricate spiral designs, likely used to decorate fabrics or skin.
3.
On the southwestern edge of the city, at Via Guidorossi, rows of post holes arranged in shallow trenches probably marked the outline of small rectangular huts. Nearby, several irregularly shaped pits of varying sizes were also discovered. Pottery fragments from both the early and later phases of square-rimmed vessels show that the site was occupied between the beginning and the middle of the 5th millennium BCE. Among the most remarkable finds are bone points, blades made of rock crystal, and a very rare obsidian arrowhead. Fragments of clay figurines representing female forms suggest that ritual practices took place here.
4.
The nearby site of Benefizio, adjacent to the Via Guidorossi area, also shows evidence of settlement by groups from the Square-Rimmed Pottery Culture, dating to the first half of the 5th millennium BCE. Archaeologists uncovered storage pits, variously sized hollows—some likely functional, others possibly ritual—and several burials. A steatite (soapstone) working area was identified through the presence of flat stones used as anvils, tiny flint tools likely used as drills, waste flakes, roughed-out pieces, and beads. One striking find is a vessel intentionally cut in half and placed in a small pit. Other objects include flint blades and arrowheads, greenstone axes and chisels, and bone points.
5.
In the second half of the 5th millennium BCE, several settlements associated with the Square-Rimmed Pottery Culture developed along a stream in the Gaione area. One site stood out for the exceptionally large quantities of obsidian and greenstone, suggesting it may have functioned as a trading center. Other finds include flint cores, points, blades, and arrowheads from the Alpine region, as well as locally sourced steatite worked into pendants and ornaments—including one shaped like a wild boar’s hoof. A pottery fragment featuring a meander pattern is also of note.
6.
The site at Pontetaro, also linked to the Square-Rimmed Pottery Culture, was occupied over an extended period—from the beginning to the second half of the 5th millennium BCE. Excavations revealed wide, shallow pits (possibly related to dwellings), post holes, small areas paved with pebbles, large and deep circular pits, and several burials, probably placed during phases of temporary abandonment of the settlement. Among the most remarkable finds are a small square-rimmed cup and bowl, fragments of female clay figurines, greenstone axes, chisels, and pecking tools, flint blades and arrowheads, steatite beads and pendants, bone points, and both obsidian and rock crystal cores and blades—including a beautifully crafted arrowhead.