Offerings and rituals in a Messapian holy place: Vaste, Piazza Dante (Puglia, Southern Italy)

Abstract

Archaeological investigations carried out in 1999 in the town centre of Vaste (inland from Otranto, Puglia, Southern Italy) have brought to light a sanctuary dating back to the end of the fourth/beginning of the third century bc. The holy place appears to have been dedicated to a female deity whose name, Oxxo, is painted on a cup and carved into a stone basin. The sacred area includes a building divided into rooms with fireplaces and three large underground pits. The two smaller pits served as containers for votive offerings, whereas the largest was used for religious rites, including libations and the sacrifice of piglets. On the basis of the combined analysis of artefacts and ecofacts it is possible to distinguish different ritual actions and to identify functional differences in the use of the three underground pits.

Keywords:

• Sanctuary
• Messapia
• ritual actions
• votive offerings

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Professor Francesco D'Andria for the advice and enthusiastic support provided during the analysis of the archaeological remains. We also thank Professors Jacopo De Grossi Mazzorin and Girolamo Fiorentino, who lead archaeozoological and palaeobotanical investigations at the Università del Salento, for making available unpublished data. Artefact drawings: F. Malinconico. Maps and plans: Arch. F. Ghio. Photos: Archivio Dipartimento di Beni Culturali (fig. 11: P. Pulli; fig. 14: M. Vantaggiato). Fig. 1: Web-GIS degli insediamenti, Laboratorio di Informatica per l'Archeologia, Università del Salento, B. Pecere; figs 6–7: concept: F. D'Andria; drawing: InkLink Ltd., Florence. Authorship: ‘Introduction’ and ‘The settlement of Vaste’ by Paolo Ciuchini, ‘The Piazza Dante holy place’ and ‘Discussion and conclusions’ by Giovanni Mastronuzzi.