Assonautica harbour La Spezia
Bocca di Magra
Castelnuovo Magra
La Spezia naval museum
La Spezia: Gulf Palio
La Spezia: Porto Mirabello
The road of love
Levanto
Manarola
Fezzano harbour
Monesteroli
Monterosso
Palmaria
Pontremoli: Museum of the Stele Statues
Porto delle Grazie
Porto Venere
Riomaggiore, Manarola e Monesteroli
San Terenzo: Villa Shelley
Tellaro
Varignano
Porto Lotti
Pontremoli: Museum of the Stele Statues
Log book
Syusy visits the Museum of the Stele Statues at Potremoli together with Angelo Diretti, the director of the museum and an archaeologist that deals with Prehistory of the Apennines. The museum has 80 menhirs that represent masculine and female anthropomorphic figures, found in Lunigiana and going back to even 5000 years ago.
These steles were entirely carved with stone tools, and it was only in some cases – for instance to separate the fingers of the hands – that flint blades with handles were used that made it possible to work on the sandstone from the Great Apennine Ridge and the ridge of the Magra and Vara valleys.
Similar finds have been made in Sardinia, Trentino and eastern Europe ... But what do they represent? Looking at the shape the most probable interpretation is that every stele represents a dagger with human semblances, the head being the hilt. A weapon stuck in the ground, a deterrent for passers-by and a warning to nearby communities, a symbol of power and economic status.
What do we know about these populations? Very little actually, we have some burials but no finds of settlements in the area ... It would be necessary to set aside some resources to deepen the researches, this museum is excellent, the fascination of the steles speaks for itself: it is worth investing resources in Prehistory!
Link esterni
- > Il comune di Pontremoli
- > Pontremoli su Wikipedia
- > Museo delle Statue Stele Lunigianesi
- > Terre di Lunigiana