Pùrcarel quarry is the name of a little natural circular hollow, about 60 metres in diameter, located in the woodlands of the little Bertignano Lake, near
Viverone
Viverone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about south of Biella. It is on the shore of Lago di Viverone. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of ...
,
Province of Biella
The Province of Biella ( it, Provincia di Biella, Piedmontese: ''Provincia ëd Biela'') is a province of Italy located in Piedmont. It was created in 1992 and its capital is the city of Biella.
It has an area of , and a total population of 17 ...
in
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
The soil rich in clay (typical of the moraines),turn occasionally this basin in a pond, although not possessing affluents and emissaries.
The site is of archaeological interest. It was the seat of a garrison-prehistoric dwelling, consisting of huts resting on twelve heaps of stones, still visible on the border.
Archaeological excavations unearthed ceramic materials, related to two different eras, the late
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
and the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
. It is common opinion of the connection with two prehistoric canoes found in nearby Bertignano Lake, and stored at the Antiquities Museum in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
.
The Pùrcarel name is of unknown origin.
Other important archaeological remains can be found at the nearby
Monte Orsetto and inside a wooded area near Peverano (
Roppolo
Roppolo is a municipality in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about south of Biella.
Roppolo is located on the southern slopes of Ivrea glacial ridge, west to the Lake of Viverone. It ...
).
References
Province of Biella
Archaeological sites in Piedmont
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