Recherche par auteur > Previato Caterina

The southern slopes of the Lessini Mountains, just north of Verona (Italy), are rich in stone materials of good quality, extensively exploited since the Roman era. This is confirmed by evidence of quarrying activities and by the widespread use of these materials in structures and infrastructures of the city of Verona. 

These limestones, primarily quarried in the valleys of Valpolicella and Valpantena, were employed for construction purposes and the production of stone artifacts and architectural decorations. Often exhibiting marble-like characteristics when appropriately polished, these stones were highly prized for their aesthetic qualities. They were traded beyond Verona to the neighboring regions through a dense and well-structured network of roads, navigable rivers, and maritime routes, connecting cities and inland territories with the lagoon of Venice and the Adriatic Sea. Waterways, in particular, were used for the transportation of heavy stone loads over medium and long distances.

Nevertheless, the macroscopic and microscopic similarities between these stones and other lithotypes from Northern Italy can complicate the investigation of trade routes; their study requires indeed meticulous archaeological and archaeometric considerations.

The contribution aims to explore this trade network from the quarries in the Lessini Mountains to the primary urban centers of northern Italy, tracing the most probable routes of distribution. This allows for the consideration of the supply of a stone resource on a multi-scalar level, examining the interaction of different economic systems.

The case study is part of a broader project currently undertaken by a team from the University of Padova, with the goal of investigating the exploitation, use, and commerce of stones in northern Italy during the Roman era.