The Terramare/2 – Wooden Artifacts
These wooden artifacts come from the deepest layers of the Castione terramara, where they were preserved thanks to the soil’s unique humidity conditions. They date to approximately between the late 16th and late 15th century BCE.
Undoubtedly one of the most significant artifacts on display is the cart wheel—the only known example from the terramare region. The two small wheels below it may have belonged to model carts or, more likely, served as flywheels for drills.
To the right are several spoons, and below them, a series of spindles, used in spinning. When combined with a spindle whorl—a small terracotta disk that aids the spinning motion—these tools transform plant or animal fibers into thread.
Also on the base are loom weights made of terracotta, in circular, cylindrical, or square shapes. These were used to keep the warp threads taut on a vertical loom. Other weaving tools include the long, sword-like implement known as a weaver’s sword, and a shuttle displayed just below the spindles.
The purpose of the two elongated containers with handles remains unclear, while the items with thickened ends may have served as stops or fittings.
The wooden finds from Castione include numerous cutting boards of various shapes and sizes, as well as small containers such as bowls and ladles—some crafted with remarkable refinement—alongside basket fragments, handles fitted with bronze tips, and hafts for bronze axes.
The axe was secured to its handle using a socket formed by the two lugs and fastened with leather straps, some of which are still preserved on the fragmentary haft displayed at the far right of the case.
The two rods in the background, whose function remains unknown, have carved or thickened ends. They are the only decorated items in the collection, featuring fine incised lines arranged in geometric patterns.
Finally, the semicircular object in the right corner is a parasitic fungus from oak trees—inedible, and used to prepare fire-starting tinder.
The pointed sticks in the upper left corner may have been clod breakers—tools used, as in ethnographic contexts, to complement the work of the plough. The fragment just below may have belonged to a forked support.
The wooden boards with appendages on the right side are also believed to be agricultural tools, interpreted—albeit with some uncertainty—as parts of a plough. They were likely inserted into the ploughshare and designed to be easily replaced to prevent rapid wear.
At the base are fragments of planks, floorboards, and a square-section beam, while the function of the trapezoidal board with a hole and extension remains unclear.
Unlike the other wooden artifacts in this display, the poles come from the terramara of Parma, not from Castione Marchesi.
At the bottom of the wall are several different types of hafts. The two examples on the left were likely intended for sickles, while in the center is the upper part of a haft for axes, with its lugs still wrapped in the original leather straps used to secure the bronze blade. Other objects in this group may have served as small hoes or hooks.
The two triangular artifacts at the top—one of which is heavily deformed—may have been spades. The circular object in the upper left may also be associated with the plough.
On the right side, the artifacts with regularly spaced holes of varying sizes may have been structural elements with different functions and characteristics.