Final Eneolithic

At the close of the Eneolithic (2100-1800 BC) comes the important culture called the Campaniform Vase. The name derives from the “inverted bell” shape of the typical, richly decorated glass, which characterizes the archaeological contexts attributable to this culture.

The culture of the Campaniform Vase appears to be present in many areas of Europe: in addition to Sardinia, we have attestations in Sicily, in part of northern Italy, on the southern coast of France, in Spain, in the Rhine Valley, in Germany, in Poland, in Hungary, in the Netherlands, in Belgium, in England, in Scotland, in Ireland.

Ceramic products are characterized, in addition to the above-mentioned glass, by an interesting morphological variety and by a typical tendency to cover vascular surfaces with dense decoration.

Equally interesting is another artifact, which appears for the first time in Sardinia precisely in bell-shaped contexts: the “brassard”, a particular rectangular plate used by archers to protect the wrist from the vibration of the bowstring when the arrow hits.

Archaeological evidence makes the hypothesis plausible that the bearers of the Campaniform Vase culture were itinerant metallurgists, capable of interacting peacefully with the local populations with whom they came into contact without losing their cultural identity.

Update

24/10/2023 - 18:34