Vasca Votiva

Vasca Votiva, or Noceto Vasca Votiva, is an archaeological feature in northern Italy.  The archaeologists studying this feature think it is a votive or sacred tank.
Structure
The structure is  on the top of a hill, near the town of Noceto in the Po (river) valley.  It was found in 2004.  Using  dendrochrology and radiocarbon dating,  archaeologists have calculated that the structure was built in 1432 BC (plus or minus 4 years).  The Vasca Votiva was a tank lined with logs and boards.  The structure is 12 meters by 7 meters and about 3 meters deep.  The scientists know it contained water because there were layers of sediment in it.  Because there are no channels for water to flow out, the scientists think it had a ritual, or religious function.  The intentional depositing of ceramic vessels supports this interpretation.  The period when the structure was built was the Bronze Age.  At this time, the culture of this region, the Terramare culture was changing a lot.  The society was changing from mostly individual little farms to larger communities.  Plowing and irrigation were increasingly used.

There were many artifacts that had been placed in the tank at different times.  These were made of stone, wood, other plant material, and fired clay.  The archaeologists recovered "about 150 whole vases, 25 miniature vessels, 7 clay figurines, numerous examples of baskets, handles or bands, spindles, shovels and four plows or parts of these made of wood or other vegetal tissue"

Interestingly, there was an older tank underneath.   It had been built about ten years earlier.  It had collapsed during or shortly after construction.  Some of its materials were re-used in the later tank.

References

Category:Archaeological sites in Europe
Category:2nd millennium BC buildings and structures
Category:Buildings and structures in Italy