Riparo Monte Eremita

Riparo Monte Eremita rock art site

Riparo Monte Eremita is a slightly overhanging limestone rock wall, which was only partially explored in 2007 by the archaeologist Tommaso Mattioli and the hiking guide Daniele Piermarini. The rock art site remains unpublished and has not yet been accurately documented. It is situated on the southeastern slopes of Monte Eremita (1528 meters above sea level). This side of the mountain features a majestic natural wall almost 1000 meters high known as Le Muraglie, or the rock barrier, providing a unique opportunity to appreciate the deformative style of the anticline of the Umbria-Marche Apennines. Adjacent to the rock art site, near the area of maximum curvature of the Maiolica layers along this rock wall, the detachment niche of a rockslide of considerable dimensions has resulted in the landslide dam of the Pian delle Melette basin, forming a small temporary barrier lake. The lacustrine area of Pian delle Melette, named after small apples, enriched the soil, facilitating the cultivation of wheat and forage needed for the population, along with apples that, stored in straw during winter, supplemented the meager diet of the mountain dwellers.

Facing Gavelli is the majestic rock wall called “Le Muraglie,” which gradually loses compactness and thins on the northeast side of the mountain. During the 5th-6th century BC, the majestic rock wall of “Le Muraglie” hosted the Hermitage of St. Anthony, a rugged and challenging site to reach, nestled under a rocky roof formed by rock disintegration and fractured by tectonic stresses.

Riparo Monte Eremita seen from the village of Gavelli (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo Monte Eremita seen from the village of Gavelli (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

The Riparo Monte dell'Eremita rock wall (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

 

Riparo Monte Eremita rock art figures

The rock art at Riparo Monte Eremita consists of black figures and other incisions created using the martellina technique , also known as ‘pecking techinque’ or ‘piquetage’. This technique involves tapping the rock surface with a stone or metal tool to create small circular concavities. The individual peck-marks vary in depth and in size, they are generally round in shape, more-or-less, as seen both from above and in cross-section. They are generally a few millimetres in size.

The martellina or pecking technique is rarely documented in peninsular Italy, with some examples found in rock art sites in Tuscany and Abruzzo.

Riparo di Monte dell'Eremita rock art figures (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

Riparo di Monte dell'Eremita rock art figures (photo by Tommaso Mattioli)

 

References

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