Two New Scarabs from EIA Settlement of Pontecagnano: Symbols of Prestige for an Evolving Community

Abstract

The paper presents the preliminary results of a preventive archaeological excavation carried out at the protohistoric center of Pontecagnano, whose significance emerges across multiple interpretative dimensions. From a topographical perspective, the newly acquired data allow for a more precise definition of the extent and organization of the settlement during the Orientalizing period. The stratigraphic sequence reveals a marked discontinuity between the Orientalizing phase – characterized by the presence of hut structures – and the preceding phase, which is documented by a funerary cluster. The composition of the grave goods further displays distinctive features that identify this group as an elite segment of the local community during the Early Iron Age (Phase IIB in the Pontecagnano sequence). On the basis of the exceptional discovery of two steatite scarabs, combined with the typological analysis of selected categories of material culture, it has been possible to outline a network of long-distance interactions linking the Near East and the Tyrrhenian coasts of the Italian peninsula, likely mediated by Phoenician agents. The paper therefore aims to stimulate further critical discussion and in-depth analysis of the dynamics of exchange and interaction that affected not only Pontecagnano but also the broader framework of interregional connections during the crucial transition from the Early Iron Age to the Orientalizing period.