TWO NEW SCARABS FROM THE EIA SETTLEMENT OF PONTECAGNANO: SYMBOLS OF PRESTIGE FOR AN EVOLVING COMMUNITY

Abstract

The paper presents the preliminary results of a preventive archaeological excavation carried out at the protohistoric
center of Pontecagnano, whose significance emerges across multiple interpretative dimensions. From a
topographical perspective, the newly acquired data allow for a more precise definition of the extent and organization of
the settlement during the Orientalizing period. The stratigraphic sequence reveals a marked discontinuity between the
Orientalizing phase – characterized by the presence of hut structures – and the preceding phase, which is documented
by a funerary cluster. The composition of the grave goods further displays distinctive features that identify this group as
an elite segment of the local community during the Early Iron Age (Phase IIB in the Pontecagnano sequence). On the
basis of the exceptional discovery of two steatite scarabs, combined with the typological analysis of selected categories
of material culture, it has been possible to outline a network of long-distance interactions linking the Near East and the
Tyrrhenian coasts of the Italian peninsula, likely mediated by Phoenician agents. The paper therefore aims to stimulate
further critical discussion and in-depth analysis of the dynamics of exchange and interaction that affected not only
Pontecagnano but also the broader framework of interregional connections during the crucial transition from the Early
Iron Age to the Orientalizing period.

Keywords: Pontecagnano; Early Iron Age; Ancient Scarabs; Ancient Trade Networks; Mediterranean Exchanges