Dome ovens in Late Bronze Age Southern Etruria: Sorgenti della Nova as a case study

Abstract

The settlement of Sorgenti della Nova, dating to the Late Bronze Age, is characterized by a proto-urban spatial organization, hosting a series of complex structures, among which sub-elliptic wooden/straw huts, artificial caves, animal enclosures, warehouses and service structures. As part as this last category, 5 ovens has been found in the site, both within and nearby the huts, very likely used for food processing and cooking. This paper presents preliminary results of experimental and archeometric research. In particular the astonishing state of preservation of oven 1 provided precious data for a pilot-experiment, testing hypotheses about building techniques and the relationship between shape and materials related to the thermal behavior. XRD analyses carried out on a few samples from ovens 3 and 5 added new data about the composition of the material used for the construction.

Keywords

• sorgenti della nova
• bronzo finale
• forni
• archeologia sperimentale
• analisi xrpd