L’armamento chonio-enotrio tra IX e VIII secolo a.C. nelle vallate dell’Agri e del Sinni

Abstract

In the Chonio-Enotrian burials dated to the early Iron Age in Basilicata, the grave goods highlight the symbolism of
weapons and the composition of the armament present in the elite burials, which indicate complex socio-economic
structures. The identified weapons show links to northern, Tyrrhenian and trans-Adriatic typologies and models. The
adult man buried with a spear indicates the warrior status and defender of the community. In the elite burials the spear
can be associated with a sword and in some cases with a weapon with a curved blade, a knife and tools (axes, chisels)
for specialized activities such as woodworking or agriculture. While the sword indicates the individual value, the tools
highlight the control of the means for agricultural production and the concept of land ownership. Social differences
were based on the rank rather than on the role.