PRODUZIONE PER IL SACRO E RITUALITÀ NEL PICENO PREROMANO. INVER SIONI DI PRO SPETTIVE E METODI D’INDAGINE *

Abstract

F. Demma – E. Sartini

To date, the data we currently have on the Picene cult areas, which were usually located near rivers, do not make it possible to distinguish with certainty the areas that were used for production. Thus far, the only production area clearly identified in the proximity of a sacred context is a small, second century-B.C. kiln found in Ascoli Piceno, close to the hill of the Annunziata, which was most likely used for the production of miniatures.
The lack of knowledge relating to the sacred and rituality in the Picenum region has created a large number of problems in identifying and distinguishing individual ritual activities and genuine sacred areas. In some instance, this has led researchers to underestimate or misinterpret certain archaeological evidence. This is the case of a number (most likely ritual) activities that can be identified thanks to the presence of specific deposited objects, which are not purely connected to sacred contexts, but also to living and productive areas. The aim of this presentation is to identify and outline a number of ritual actions, both inside and outside sanctuary contexts in Picenum, which are still to be fully identified and understood.