Walking around Vollein, between funerary rituals, daily activities, and art forms

It is also planned to clean the engraved rock surface to allow its beauty to be admired. That, because a few meters from the funeral area, a rock emerges where, looking carefully, we can see rock carvings that represent lines, geometric and serpentine figures, cups and ring marks. Two pediforms stand out, that is, silhouettes that can be interpreted as representations of feet. They are symbols created by the expert hands of those who, between the 5th and 2nd millennium BC, artistically expressed their thoughts. The area is best visited at sunrise or sunset, when the sunlight highlights the deep beauty of these meaningful forms.

During the excavations that began in 1968 and continued until 1994, many finds were discovered. Among these, some were intended to accompany the deceased on their journey to the afterlife, such as a bracelet consisting of a large perforated shell of Glycymeris sp., proving the exchanges and movements between the Mediterranean and the transalpine territories.

Thanks to the project “Scoprire per promuovere“, a cataloguing of the work and a first general study of the archaeological material found during these excavation campaigns were carried out.

Among the most interesting objects are 2 decorated pins, a metal arrowhead, and fragments of ceramic pottery that tell of a subsequent frequentation, which occurred in the Middle Bronze Age, in the 2nd millennium BC.

While it is certain that there was a necropolis in the Neolithic, the findings related to the Bronze Age have not yet allowed archaeologists to clarify the reasons why Vollein had been frequented.

It is likely that there was a village nearby, of which there are no certain traces.

The “Scoprire per promuovere” project has achieved important goals that have made Vollein an appreciable site underlining its historical importance and transforming it into a tourist and discovery destination.

The Vollein site can now be visited also with the help of new technologies that dialogue with Prehistory helping us to relive it, thanks for example to an app rich in video content, in augmented reality, and insights accessible from the archaeological site through a QR Code.