Ethnoarchaeology: Current Research and Field

Methods Conference Proceedings, Rome, Italy,

13th–14th May 2010

Edited by

Francesca LugliAssunta Alessandra Stoppiello

Stefano Biagetti

BAR International Series 24722013

Published by

ArchaeopressPublishers of British Archaeological ReportsGordon House276 Banbury RoadOxford OX2 7EDEnglandbar@archaeopress.comwww.archaeopress.com

BAR S2472

Ethnoarchaeology: Current Research and Field Methods. Conference Proceedings, Rome, Italy, 13th–14th May 2010

© Archaeopress and the individual authors 2013

ISBN 978 1 4073 1083 1

Printed in England by Information Press, Oxford

All BAR titles are available from:

Hadrian Books Ltd122 Banbury RoadOxfordOX2 7BPEnglandwww.hadrianbooks.co.uk

The current BAR catalogue with details of all titles in print, prices and means of payment is available free from Hadrian Books or may be downloaded from www.archaeopress.com

Research into the oral traditions of a given locality knownto the local community is the starting point for historicalresearch generally speaking, and is also occasionallyutilised in archaeology. In 2008, during the third excavationcampaign in the Mora Cavorso cave at Jenne1, theinvestigation of recently executed wall structures (Fig. 1)and the surface conformation of the deposit2 (Fig. 2)suggested a study of local historical memories concerningthe grotto. This served the double purpose of obtaininguseful information for the historical perspective of the siteand of testing the potential of handed-down oral testimony.Such aspects are rather important in a research area like theupper Aniene valley, where the scarcity of localdocumentary sources makes it impossible to provide anoptimal context for archaeological evidence.

Methodology

Research into the historical memory of the local inhabitantswas organised so as to obtain reliable information on theuse of the cave and on any wall structures existing eitherinside or close to the grotto. The local population selectedfor interviews were aged over sixty, had lived since birth atJenne, and had direct or indirect information about the cave.Between July 2008 and February 2010, 15 inhabitants wereinterviewed out of a total of 428, providing indications ofvarious kinds, which could be interpreted in different ways.A basic questionnaire was prepared for use during the

Fig. 1. Map of site location for Mora Cavorso cave - viewof the entrance.

Oral Sources and the Archaeological Data for the Study Case of the Mora Cavorso Grotto atJenneKatia F. Achino, Daniele Proietti, Daniele. Silvestri, Mario F. Rolfo

Abstract

The aim is to introduce the results of the ethno-archaeological research started in 2007, during the second archaeologicalexcavation in the Mora Cavorso cave at Jenne (RM). Lacking any records about the cave, research focused on historicalmemory of the site by interviewing the local population. These sources have been divided into three typologies:” direct”,“indirect” and “mythical”. Cross-checks with the archaeological data have shown various levels of reliability in themonitored sources. Cases of convergence are listed: the most interesting of these concerns the moving of the dry-stone wallwhich currently closes the cave. The oral information collected has played a central role in interpreting the archaeologicaldata and confirms the utility of studying local memories to complete and enrich scientific sources.

KEYWORDS: Cave, Interview, Oral Source, Memory, Shepherd.

Résumé

On présente les résultats de la recherche ethnoarchéologique effectuée à partir du 2007, en occasion de la fouille près dela grotte “Mora Cavorso”, à Jenne (RM) commencée en 2006. N’ayant aucun document concernant la cavité, on a entreprisdes études sur la mémoire historique du site, par des intervues aux membres de la population locale. On a enrégistré dessources orales de typologies différentes, divisées en “directes”, “indirectes” et “mythiques”. L’intégration croisée de cesdonnées et des informations archéologiques, a confirmé qu’il y a des niveaux différents de crédibilité parmi les sourcesexaminées. Quand-même, de cette façon on a pu verifier plusieurs cas de convergence: le plus interessant consiste aurecent déplacement d’un mur en pierre, que aujourd’hui ferme la cavité. Les témoignages orales collectionnées ont eu uneimportance fondamentale pour l’interprétation des contexts archéologiques douteux: elles ont fourni beaucoupd’informations pour completer et enrichir la donnée sciéntifique, en confermant l’utilité de cette méthode.

MOTS CLÉS: grotte, interview, source orale, mémoire, berger.

293

interviews, which were all fully recorded by portable video-camera and subsequently transcribed.1) è mai stato alla grotta? Have you ever been to the cave?2) quando? When?3) chi frequentava la grotta? Who used to go there?4) le hanno mai raccontato storie sulla grotta? Have youever heard stories about the cave?5) come si ricorda la grotta? How do you remember thecave?6) dov’era il muro che chiudeva la grotta e com’era ilpavimento? Where was the wall that closed the cave andwhat was the floor like?7) cosa c’era sul muro? What was there on the wall?8) ha mai raggiunto le aperture poste sul fondodell’antegrotta? Have you ever gone as far as the openingsat the back of the grotto’s first chamber?The most relevant excerpts from interviews with the twomost reliable witnesses, who had stayed or lived in thegrotto for greater or shorter lengths of time are given below3(Fig. 3).

Flamini Gualtiero1) Have you ever been to the cave? The interviewee statesthat people did not go there every day; the period when theywent there was during early November for the acornharvest, when it was also possible to graze.2) When? The interviewee remembers frequenting thegrotto when he was 16-17 years old which, since he wasborn in 1932, probably means in the ’forties-’fifties.

3) Who used to go there? For a time, two shepherds wentthere: Luca Lauri and Giovannino Molinari. Inside theyfixed wooden railings for the she-goats, one on the left andone on the right. For a time, it was frequented by theshepherd Rodolfo Fratticci and his father to shelter theirgoats and cows. After that, there was a certain Augustaccioand his father who sheltered their goats. The intervieweeremembers that he often went to the grotto to gather thewild figs that grew in abundance on the terrace in front ofit; lastly he remembers that the grotto was utilised byshepherds at least until 1953.4) Have you ever heard stories about the cave? It hasalways been said that there were brigands at Jenne, butmany of them were “famiglie” who came from elsewhereand operated in Roman territory. They used to shelter in thewoods and often in the caves in the area.5) How do you remember the cave? The intervieweeremembers that the cave was large and was divided in twoby wooden railings, when it was frequented by Lauri andMolinari.6) Where was the wall that closed the cave and what wasthe floor like? The old people used to tell that once it wasall open, without stone walls, and there were only woodenrailings, but for fear of wolves and other animals, theyreplaced the wooden railings with stone walls. Theinterviewee recalls that the floor of the grotto was flat, ofwith heaps of dung; the environment was fairly dry withoutany dripping water. Interesting is the interviewee’sreference to the heap of dung produced by the sheltered

Fig. 2. View of the cave surface area from indoor.

294

animals which, during the winter, was used to mitigate thetemperature in the grotto, and in spring was carried in sacksto manure the land. This activity was performed by theowners of the sheltered animals: the interviewee recalls that“le buche4” were always clean. Flamini also remembersthat the grotto wall was closed by an unfixed woodenrailing made of two wooden posts with planks tied to them.7) What was there on the wall? On top of the stone wallresting on the rock they used to put branches; they coveredit all with boughs so that animals wouldn’t come near; forthis purpose they often used thorny shrubs, like hawthorn.8) Have you ever gone as far as the openings at the back ofthe grotto’s first chamber? The interviewee affirms that hehas never attempted, neither he nor his friends, to enter theholes that open at the back, fearing that wild animals mightspring out.

Rodolfo Fratticci1) Have you ever been to the cave? The interviewee recallshaving been to the cave with friends and having used it asa nighttime shelter for goats and sheep.2) When? The interviewee remembers that he lived in thegrotto during the Second World War to avoid the round-upsby German troops.53) Who used to go there? Fratticci maintains that during thetime he frequented the grotto, there was no one else; unlikethe other shepherds who used the cave only for shelteringanimals, he lived and slept there for months.4) Have you ever heard stories about the cave? Theinterviewee recalls that his father told him about thebrigands in the area, who stole cattle and took refuge in thevalley’s caves.5) How do you remember the cave? The grotto was wide atthe mouth and then narrowed toward the back where theykept the goats; the interviewee states that he neverinspected the holes at the back of the grotto.3) Where was the wall that closed the cave and what wasthe floor like? Interesting is the interviewee’s reference tothe original position of the wall closing the grotto. Fratticcirecalls that the structure was originally placed at the caveopening, but cannot say who erected it or when. On theother hand, he recounts that his father moved the wallinwards, in its present position, so that the animals (sheepand goats) sheltered there for the winter would suffer lessfrom the cold. Fratticci also remembers the presence of awooden door in the dry-stone wall. 8) Have you ever gone as far as the openings at the back ofthe grotto’s first chamber? The interviewee states that henever went as far as the back of the grotto or its holes andhad never noticed any surface archaeological material.

Results, the Sources and their Typology

The interviews have restored a wealth of diversified - andoften discordant - oral sources, which can be divided asfollows:- Direct sources: provided by those who frequented thegrotto as habitation or for pastoral purposes. Sometimes theinterviewees contradicted each other, or else, more rarely,the same person expressed a concept and contradicted itimmediately afterwards. For this reason, it has not beenpossible to reconstruct the precise time sequence for singlefrequentation around the time of the Second World War. Onmeeting Luca Molinari, one of those assumed to havefrequented the grotto, the Research Team cast doubt on theperiod during which the grotto was reportedly frequentedby Flamini, in view of the fact that Fratticci is older thanMolinari. This led to the conclusion that Fratticcifrequented the grotto earlier than Molinari. The sourcestestify that the grotto was utilised both for sheltering cattleand as a refuge and store for food products, to hide themfrom the requisitioning by German troops stationed in thearea close to the Cassino front. Such sources have beenclassified as fairly reliable.- Indirect sources: provided by those who have neverfrequented the grotto, but know of its existence and have

Fig. 3. The interviewees: Rodolfo Fratticci and GualtieroFlamini.

295

been in contact with those who have frequented it. Besidesproviding a list of persons who used the cave and shouldtherefore be contacted, their indications are generic andhardly verifiable. Such sources have been classified asgeneric and not very reliable. - Mythical sources: this expression is used to define indirecttestimony on the utilisation of the grotto going back to‘ancient’ times, which has become part of the population’scollective imagination, without any historical verification.Often, interviewees cited the presence of ‘brigands’, butthe information is never historicized. Frequently reported isthe tale of the “chicken that laid the golden egg” discoveredin a grotto by two brothers from Jenne, a tale typical oflocal tradition, which the interviewees connected to severalcaves in the surrounding area. The reliability of suchsources is scarce, the information being generic and lackingany context. As can be imagined, several source typologies may coexistand intertwine in the testimony of those interviewed, giving

rise, with regard to the data collected, to incongruities thatare not always possible to clarify, but as a rule explicable asinvoluntary distortions of memory in single cases. It hasbeen interesting and resolutive, where possible, to bepresent at and record the dialogue between “witnesses”providing discordant data.

Analysis of sources and archaeological interpretationThe comparison between local sources and archaeologicaldata has in one case led to two highly interesting directverifications. The first refers to the wall closing the grotto:its current position, on the same line as the front of therocky vault, is reported by the sources as being subsequentto the Second World War (Figs. 1-2). Two direct sources onthe other hand refer to an older dry-stone wall, movedoutwards in order to form a space in front of the grotto.Archaeological investigations in 2006/09 (Fig. 4) haveconfirmed this testimony, bringing to light the outline of aspace closed by a dry-stone wall, parallel to the existing

Fig. 4. Plant of the excavation in the external area.

296

one, but several metres further out. Some intervieweesreport the existence of a double wooden railing for theshelter of goats and sheep. Others, on the contrary, recallonly one door, in which case the space must have had adifferent function. This discrepancy can be attributed to themoving inward of the wall from its outer position, with apossible change of usage. The absence of any significantarchaeological material makes it impossible to hazard adate for the erection of the earlier structure, which cannothowever be later than the beginning of last century. The second confirmation concerns the presentconformation of the grotto surface area, which is horizontalbut without any emerging archaeological element (Fig. 2):such a scenario can be linked with the practice reported bythose interviewed of periodically gathering the dung thataccumulated during the winter. This practice, repeated overtime, has caused a constant levelling of the cave floor,especially in the central area, as shown by thearchaeological survey6. The witnesses thus gave anexplanation for this previously unexplained stratigraphicanomaly, as a rule attributed to more or less recentclandestine excavations.

Future developments and thanksThe initial transparency shown by the excavation teamtoward interested inhabitants was matched by thewholehearted readiness of the local community to shareinformation and memories concerning the area and, inparticular, the grotto. Collaboration between archaeologistsand locals was therefore wholly spontaneous, giving rise toan ethno-archaeological survey featuring extremenaturalness and lacking in diffidence, which often forms anot negligible obstacle in the search for oral testimony7.

Notes

1 On the archaeological excavations, see Rolfo et al. (2009); Rolfoet al. (2010).2 The floor surface is sub-horizontal without signs of recenthuman habitation.3 For brevity’s sake and a better understanding, translatedsummaries of the interviews are given below.4 Dialect term used by the interviewee, whose real meaning is notunderstood: whether it refers to the grotto and thus indicates the‘holes’ used for sheltering the animals, or whether it refers moregenerically to the caves of the area.5 The Subiaco area lay behind the Cassino front between January12th and May 18th 1944.6 The deposit in this part of the grotto is characterised by a deepre mixing of Pleistocene fossil material with recent microfauna.The routine cleaning up process has probably led to the removalof the thin historical layers as well as the removal of prehistoricHolocene levels preserved in the back parts of the space, evendisturbing the Pleistocene deposit on the margins of the areasurveyed. 7 Our thanks are due to the following local sources: Mario Cecconi(Mayor of Jenne); Bernadetta and Gualtiero Flamini; RodolfoFratticci; Luca Molinari;Angelo Pacchiarotti.

References

ROLFO, M. F., SALARI, L., ZARATTINI, A. (2009)Nota preliminare sulle indagini archeologiche presso lagrotta “Mora di Cavorso” (Jenne, Roma). In: Atti del Vincontro di studi Lazio e Sabina, Roma, pp. 15-22.ROLFO, M. F., MANCINI, D., SALARI, L., ZARATTINI,A. (2010) La grotta di “Mora Cavorso” a Jenne (Roma).Nuove ricerche. In: Atti del V incontro di studi Lazio eSabina, Roma, pp. 11-17.

297