Probably modelled in a Colombino style, eventhough the thickness of the sides is very thin (cercini ancoration marks visible from the inside). Cup characterized by its bell shaped feature, open mouthed rim, globular body and curved base. The body presents typical Bell Beaker decorations. The surface of the vessel is smouth, red coloured made out of a fine grind.

Morphology of the object:

Probably modelled in a Colombino style, eventhough the thickness of the sides is very thin (cercini ancoration marks visible from the inside). Cup characterized by its bell shaped feature, open mouthed rim, globular body and curved base. The body presents typical Bell Beaker decorations. The surface of the vessel is smouth, red coloured made out of a fine grind. Probably modelled in a Colombino style, eventhough the thickness of the sides is very thin (cercini ancoration marks visible from the inside).

The use of a peculiar decorative technique was detected through recent analysis of the ware (Niolis in NIOLIS-MOTTES 1998, 57-59). The cord/zoned Maritime decoration, typical of the Marittime Bell Beaker Ware style, was obtained with a twined fibre string. The string spirals along the whole outside surface of the cup. The intension of creating a decoration characterized by an alternation of decorated bands and plain ones (Maritime style) forced the artist to interrupt, always at the same spot, the string. String which is then reapplied at a lower level, therefore creating a characteristic inversion of the bands (detail in picture). The base of the cup is decorated with two crossed bands

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The cup from Santa Cristina, like other vessels from funerary contexts from the Po Valley region (Ca’ di Marco, Roccolo Bresciano), fits in the Cord/Zoned Maritime style, characterized by alternated bands, decorated (comb or string style) and plain. The spiraling interrupted string technique characteristic decorative motif of this style ( explained in “decoration”) can also be found in other Bell Beaker ware recovered in burial sites in Northern Italy. The technique seems to suggest a local production with specific characteristics clearly noticeable.

The cup was recovered in one of the two tombs from Santa Cristina from Fiesse, near Brescia (south tomb). It represents one of the rare funerary context Bell Beaker recoveries in Italy. The two tombs were located close to each other almost tangent in the western edge where the feet of the bodies were positioned. This suggests the simulateous inhumation of the bodies that were laied on their left side, along the east-west axis, with their heads pointing east. The one scheleton which has survived in good condition presents an extended right leg while the left leg is bent at a right angle. This kind of burials (single burials shaft grave, with the body positioned on one side) are similar to the ones characteristic of the close by Eneolithic burial site of Remedello. Site from which takes the name the Late Copper Age period in Northern Italy. Two post-holes were located, by archaeologists, to the north of the first tomb and two post-holes were located to the south of the second burial. These can be compared to the four post-holes found at the corners of the Bell Beaker tomb from Ca’ di Marco, that have been interpreted as the remains of a typical covered monumental structure of the tomb (cd. Mortuary huts). A copper axe was recovered along with the Bell Beaker cup in the south tomb from Santa Cristina. In the northen tomb, instead, was recovered a copper knife and a second Bell Beaker vessel. These metal objects are unique in regard to their association to the Bell Beaker burials in Northern Italy. Sud canines, arrow points and small pebbles were found inside the cup.

ACANFORA M.O., 1955, Sui vasi campaniformi dell’Italia settentrionale, Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche, X, 38-46. BARFIELD L.H., 1974, Vasi campaniformi della Valpadana: attribuzioni cronologiche e culturali, Preistoria Alpina, 10, 73-77. BARFIELD L.H., 1987, The Italian Dimension of the Beaker Problem, in Waldren W.H., Kennard R.C. (eds), ‘Bell Beaker of the Western Mediterranean’, BAR, IS, 331, 499-515. BARFIELD L.H., 1994, Vasi campaniformi nel Mediterraneo centrale: problemi attuali, in Tusa S. (ed.), ‘La Preistoria del Basso Belice e della Sicilia meridionale…’, Atti del Convegno, Palermo, 439-460. COLINI G.A., 1899, Sepolcri eneolitici del Bresciano e del Cremonese, Bullettino di Paletnologia Italiana, XXV, 28-32. NICOLIS F., MOTTES E., 1998, Simbolo ed enigma. Il bicchiere campaniforme e l’Italia nella preistoria europea del III millennio a.C., Catalogo della Mostra, Trento.