The Terramare/6 – Burials and Cults
1.
Among the Terramare settlements of Emilia, cremation is the only funerary rite documented so far. The urns containing the cremated bones were buried in simple pits dug into the ground, located in designated areas outside the settlement. In the case of the Parma Terramara, the funerary urns were discovered a few hundred meters west of the settlement.
Five urns in total have been uncovered, each with distinct features; the two examples with typical glossy black surfaces can be dated to between the 14th and 13th centuries BCE.
2.
At several European sites dating to the mid-2nd millennium BCE, representations of small chariots—made of bronze or terracotta—have been discovered.
These miniature vehicles, drawn by horses or birds, carry a solar disk. It is during this period that one of the most iconic myths of the classical age begins to emerge: the belief that the alternation of night and day is caused by the sun’s journey across the sky in its chariot.
Wheels of varying sizes—solid or spoked—made of horn, bronze, or terracotta, and found at various Terramare sites, may therefore have belonged to such small votive chariots.
3.
Several Terramare settlements in the Parma area have yielded one or more small terracotta animal figurines, while anthropomorphic figures are much rarer.
Among the animals, cattle are recognizable by their sturdy bodies, short heads, and small protrusions representing ears or horns. Goat- or sheep-like figures can be identified by their elongated snouts and longer horns. These figurines are thought to have been used in small-scale domestic cults.
A pair of joined legs is all that remains of one human figurine, while the cylindrical specimen is considered a highly stylized representation of a human figure with a covered head.
4.
Miniature vessels, which closely replicate the pottery used in daily life, are generally interpreted by scholars as being associated with ritual or votive practices.
This interpretation is supported by the discovery of large numbers of these objects in caves with underground springs. A proportionally significant quantity has also been found in the votive basin of Noceto, which was in use between the late 15th and late 14th centuries BCE.
The examples recovered from within Terramare settlements may have been used in domestic cults.
5.
In 2009, a burial area with over 30 cremation graves was discovered to the east of the Terramara settlement.
This necropolis is particularly significant due to the presence of a large burial mound, nearly 12 meters in diameter, topped with four sandstone markers, as well as a smaller mound nearby.
At the center beneath each mound, an urn had been placed prior to the mound’s construction. The urn found beneath the larger mound is displayed on the right side of the case. Most of the other graves were concentrated on the northeastern slope of this mound.
No grave goods have been identified inside the funerary urns so far, but several bronze items—including a sword fragment, pin shafts, studs, rivets, and a pendant—have been recovered from the surrounding soil.
Near one of the urns, a selection of cremated bones from an adult male is also on display.
