Lack of Funds Halts Excavations of Oldest Bronze Age Plow Site
No excavations are planned to search for missing parts of the world’s oldest plow. The reason is the lack of funds. The project concerns the Lavagnone, a sub-littoral marshy area located just inland from Lake Garda between Desenzano and Lonato. The area presents exceptional archaeological features because it was inhabited starting from the Early Bronze Age, approximately four thousand years ago. What makes this site special is that the zone was continuously inhabited for over a millennium. Therefore, the subsoil conceals the remains of dwellings built on stilts using oak wood, as well as everyday tools. The first artifacts were discovered as early as 1880 during peat extraction operations.
The excavations and discoveries
The stilt house site was later excavated in the 1970s. In the summer of 1978, a plow was unearthed. The wooden artifact, made of oak and over two meters long, dates to the Early Bronze Age. It was found intact, including some replacement parts of the share, because the ingenious inhabitants of Garda four millennia ago had designed a system of interlocking parts that allowed the exchangeability of components that would wear out as they cultivated the land.
Nearby, other spare parts were recovered, such as the handles used to grip and steer the plow. The subsoil also yielded part of a yoke and numerous other wooden tools, which constitute another rarity of the site. Excavations at Lavagnone resumed in 1989 and are complemented by studies and assessments.
Dating and research projects
In particular, the most modern dating methods have established that the plow dates to around 2050 B.C. and is therefore the oldest preserved in the world. Meanwhile, the stilts of the oldest sector of the settlement, according to dendrochronological analysis, are dated roughly between 2028 and 2010 B.C. This is why the museum leadership decided to continue the excavation campaigns, which had resumed in 1989.
Among the ongoing projects, particular importance is given to continuing excavations in the sector of the earliest bronze age, where the plow and yoke were discovered. “Judging by what has been recovered, it is reasonable to believe that there are still some missing parts underground,” explains Dr. Claudia Mangani, who collaborates on the research project.
The excavations over the years have taken place in various sectors, depending on available funds. Unfortunately, she concludes, no operations will be carried out this summer due to lack of financing. “We hope to discuss it again next year.”