On amber and shepherdesses – prehistoric transhumance in the Schnals Valley of South Tyrol

Abstract

In the Finail Valley – a tributary valley of the Schnals Valley (South Tyrol) – a ritual site from the Bronze Age has been successfully excavated. It consisted of an »altar« of small stones and offering pits for the preparation of food offerings. The cult place is surrounded by big monolithic stones, which are inserted into the soil. The archaeological finds date to the Late Bronze Age and attest the use of the sanctuary for the pastoral economy practised in the valley. The discovery of several pearls of amber and glass is extraordinary, as they show that the users of the cult place were of a high social status. Furthermore interesting is the exclusive female character of the finds, possibly explainable by a female dominance in the Bronze Age pastoral economy or by the presence of an undiscovered settlement close to the site.