Riparo del Gabbio

Riparo del Gabbio rock art site

This site is a large limestone shelter with a prominent overhang, situated near the medieval village of Gabbio. It’s renowned as a popular climbing destination offering routes graded from 4 to 8b+. The shelter’s terrain is rocky, featuring flint outcrops and sloping outward. Its vertical wall is adorned with delicate layers of concretion and, in some areas, thick concretion flows. Numerous stalactite formations dangle from the ceiling, formed by active dripping water outcrops, particularly noticeable during autumn and winter. Additionally, a small seasonal water spring creates a small pool at the base of the wall in the shelter’s right sector.

There is a conical-shaped niche (12cm in length, 13cm in depth) carved into the vertical wall in the central sector of the rock shelter. This niche is formed within a thick concretion layer, approximately one meter above the floor level. Similar niches have been observed in locations, such as the Riparo del Cavaliere in the same region (featuring a rectangular niche of measuring 35 by 15 cm carved in the decorated wall), in the Santo Spirito I rock shelter in Abruzzo region (where a natural niche in the wall roughly 30 cm in diameter and located about 1 meter above the ground in the western section of the site, is likely to have been used, based on the black soot residues above, as a small fireplace).

Riparo del Gabbio (photo by T. Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio (photo by T. Mattioli)

Viewshed from Riparo del Gabbio (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

 

Riparo del Gabbio rock art figures

There are 11 figures in red color and 1 in black color. The painted figures were discovered at the beginnings of 2000s by Mr. Feliciano Benci and then studied for the first time by the archaeologist T.Mattioli in 2003.

The most interesting drawing is a praying anthropomorphic figure of approx. 20cm, composed by a thick vertical line, representing the axis of head-torso-legs, cut in the middle by a thick semicircular segment with ends pointing upwards, which is representing the upper limbs. 

The rock art of Riparo del Gabbio (drawing by Tommaso Mattioli)

The rock art of Riparo del Gabbio (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio rock paintings (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio rock paintings after DStretch (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio rock paintings (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio rock paintings after DStretch (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio rock paintings (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio rock paintings after DStretch (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio rock paintings (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo del Gabbio rock paintings after DStretch (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

 

References

@article{RN22,
title = {L'arte rupestre preistorica e protostorica dell'Umbria},
author = {Tommaso Mattioli},
url = {https://www2.muse.it/pubblicazioni/7/46/vol2/08%20Mattioli.pdf},
year  = {2012},
date = {2012-01-01},
urldate = {2012-01-01},
journal = {Preistoria Alpina, Museo Tridentino Scienze Naturali},
volume = {46},
number = {II},
pages = {155-163},
abstract = {This paper presents four new prehistoric rock art sites recently discovered in Umbria (Cen- tral Italy). The chronology of these figures, based on iconographic comparison, is ranging from Neolithic to Copper age. The landscape analysis of sites provides other information about patterns in place selection.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

@book{RN13,
title = {L'arte rupestre in Italia centrale : Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo},
author = {Tommaso Mattioli},
url = {http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?clio7293493},
isbn = {9788887594997},
year  = {2007},
date = {2007-01-01},
urldate = {2007-01-01},
pages = {230 p., 16 p. of plates},
publisher = {Ali&no},
address = {Perugia},
series = {Quaderni di protostoria},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {book}
}