Bronze Age Pile Dwellings Exhibit Opens at Sirmione Archaeological Museum

As part of the third Week for Culture, the Superintendence of Archeology of Lombardy today opened an exhibition at Sirmione, within the museum of the archaeological area of the Grotte di Catullo, titled “The pile dwellings of the Bronze Age in Sirmione.”

The displayed materials, representing a rich and detailed selection of over 2,000 artifacts recovered from underwater excavations conducted between the 1970s and 1980s, pertain to four pile-dwelling settlements from the Bronze Age along the coasts of the Sirmione peninsula.

These include the settlement located at S. Francesco on the western shore, near the border with the Municipality of Desenzano, the pile dwellings at Porto Galeazzi and Lugana Vecchia on the eastern coast, and the Maraschina site southeast of Punta Gro, which extends partly into the Municipality of Peschiera.

A portion of the exhibition is dedicated to the history of studies on pile dwellings, from 19th-century theories to current data, dendrochronological research, and recent underwater archaeological investigations carried out by the Superintendence of Archeology in Garda.

Chronological context and materials

The chronological framework of the materials spans from the Early Bronze Age (13th-17th centuries B.C.), characterized by the Polada culture (from the site near Lonato), distinguished by pots with curved handles, to the Middle Bronze Age (16th-14th centuries B.C.) and the recent Bronze Age (13th century B.C.), during which the pile-dwelling-terramaricola culture thrives in Emilia Romagna, eastern Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino. Its ceramics are notable for their horn-shaped handles and engraved decorations.

After the 13th century B.C., this settlement system collapses with the definitive abandonment of pile-dwelling settlements and a shift to terrestrial habitation choices.

The ceramics mainly document the ancient and middle phases of the Bronze Age through their forms and decorations.

The same period is reflected in the abundant lithic industry present, with polished stone tools (axes) and flint (arrowheads, sickle parts, and scrapers).

Production and placement of artifacts

The extensive bronze production from Lugana Vecchia and Maraschina, including axes, daggers, bodkins, hooks, harpoons, sickles, and ornamental objects, relates to a broader chronological span from Early to Recent Bronze Age.

Most of the exhibited artifacts, previously stored in the deposits of the Superintendence of Archeology, will be permanently placed in the prehistoric section of the Grotte museum.

Duration and visiting hours of the exhibition

The exhibition will be open to the public until October 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.