Grotta Antica

Grotta Antica rock art site

Grotta Antica is a karst cave with rock art that remained hidden for millennia in the underground darkness of Mt. Soratte near Rome before the speleologist Paolo Forconi of the Speleo Club Roma widened a tiny vertical passage on the forested slopes of this mountain relief in 2004. Here, a local farmer had previously observed airflow from a crack opening in the ground, indicating a possible cave continuation. After descending a couple of vertical pits, Mr. Forconi discovered previously unexplored wide chambers with archaeological remains, including ceramics, lithic artifacts, bone tools, and clumps of red colouring substance possibly ochre.

This cave, a 350-meter-long karstic complex, was used as a burial site during the initial phase of the Middle Neolithic (5th – 4th millennium BCE). Based on archaeological evidence, the cavity remained accessible until the Middle Bronze Age.

Grotta Antica artificial entrance widened by the speleologists (from giorgiopintus.blogspot.com)

Grotta Antica artificial entrance widened by the speleologists (from giorgiopintus.blogspot.com)

Grotta Antica, descending the second pit (from giorgiopintus.blogspot.com)

Grotta Antica, the archaeological evidence (from giorgiopintus.blogspot.com)

Grotta Antica, the archaeological evidence (from giorgiopintus.blogspot.com)

Grotta Antica, the archaeological evidence (from giorgiopintus.blogspot.com)

Grotta Antica, plan and section drawings

 

Grotta Antica rock art figures

In addition to the archaeological remains, there are traces of red ochre on the walls inside the cave (lines, dots, undulating and crisscross lines). Particularly noteworthy are two large segments of stalactite (or stalagmite) painted with red ochre and artificially positioned in a later niche.

One of the two columns artificially positioned in a later niche of the cave clearly shows in the upper part the discontinuity between the column and the stalactite that has merged to it.

Grotta Antica, the black painting (photo by T. Mattioli)

Grotta Antica, the black painting (photo by T. Mattioli)

Grotta Antica, the black painting (photo by T. Mattioli)

The two concretionary columns painted with red color, presumably ochre (photo by T. Mattioli)

One of fhe two concretionary columns painted with red color, presumably ochre (photo by T. Mattioli)

One of the two concretionary columns painted with red color, presumably ochre (photo by T. Mattioli)

Red painting (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Red painting (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Red paintings (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

 

References

@article{RN20,

title = {Grotta Antica. Primi dati sul complesso archeologico},

author = {Patrizia Petitti and Silvia Mogliazza and Tommaso Mattioli and Umberto Pessolano and Giovanni Mecchia and Maria Piro and Michele Di Filippo and Mario Di Nezza and Flavio Cecchini and Siro Margottini and Beniamino Toro and Damiana De Leo and Carmela Savella},

year  = {2010},

date = {2010-01-01},

urldate = {2010-01-01},

journal = {Daidalos. Studi e Ricerche del Dipartimento di Scienze del Mondo Antico},

volume = {10},

pages = {1-22},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@bachelorthesis{nokey,

title = {La scoperta di Grotta Antica},

author = {Silvia Mogliazza},

url = {https://www.speleo.lazio.it/GROTTA/doc/pdf/fsl4.pdf},

year  = {2005},

date = {2005-01-01},

urldate = {2005-01-01},

journal = {Speleologia del Lazio, Rivista delle Federazione Speleologica del Lazio},

volume = {4},

pages = {40},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {bachelorthesis}

}