Ancient Bronze Age Artifacts Donated to Verona’s Cavaion Museum

Two cardboard boxes of ceramic material, dating from the ancient and middle Bronze Age and originating from the Ca’ Nova settlement, have been donated by an anonymous donor to the Archaeological Museum.

These are extremely interesting artifacts, including some nearly intact vessels with special decorations. “I thank the anonymous donor not only for this valuable gift but also for having cared for and kept these artifacts in good condition over the past twenty years,” says the museum director Mario Parolotti. “I hope that other people will also donate archaeological materials rather than throwing them away when they lose interest.”

The Ca’ Nova site and the artifacts

The mayor Giancarlo Sabaini also expressed his satisfaction: “I also join in thanking the donor for contributing to enriching the collection of the Civic Museum. These collector enthusiasts are often passionate individuals rather than tomb raiders, and in some cases, they have helped to report the discovery of new archaeological sites.” The Ca’ Nova site was discovered at the end of the 1980s and has yielded numerous artifacts, particularly vessels and terracotta objects, bronze daggers, amber, flint, and bone points and tools from the ancient and middle Bronze Age (1800-1500 BC), now preserved in the Museum’s rooms in the Municipality building.

Inaugurated in 1990 thanks to the collaboration of the Superintendence for Archaeology of Veneto, the Civic Natural History Museum of Verona, and the Municipality of Cavaion, which facilitated the recovery of materials and the setup of exhibit structures, the museum is composed of four rooms. The first room is dedicated to screening a documentary that illustrates the discoveries, while the second room is entirely dedicated to the Ca’ Nova artifacts.

Each display case comprehensively illustrates and explains a specific activity: how the vessels were modeled, the de-greasants; vessel finishing; firing; handles and spouts; ornaments; agriculture, livestock, and hunting; weaving; metallurgy; decoration; and methods of dating an artifact. A total of 11 display cases are present.

Other sites and significant artifacts

The third room displays objects (including some donations) from neighboring towns: Costermano, Pastrengo, and Affi. There are five display cases. The fourth room houses the remains of the Roman necropolis uncovered in 1993 at the locality of Bossema, near Calmasino.

Here, two tombs have been reconstructed: one shows the burial of the deceased and contains inside two loculi holding small vials, balsam containers, and ceramic pots. The other tomb relates to incineration technique and contains parts of burned bones and grave goods consisting of a glass plate, two square glass vessels, a reticulated ceramic vessel, and a coin of Antoninus Pius.

There are two other display cases with objects from the grave goods of other tombs: a glass bottle and a lignite bracelet. “Soon, some of the donated artifacts will be displayed and can be admired at the Museum,” concludes Parolotti.