2025
Don't miss the wide range of events organized by professors, researchers, and collaborators from the Prehistory team at the University of Bologna.
Conference with Professor Maurizio Cattani as part of the Onfoods in Prehistory Project!
Sunday, August 31, at 4 p.m.: Ecomuseum of Serravalle Castle, held during the Festa del Saslà.
ONFOODS: food and drink in Bronze Age villages in the Po Valley
Abstract ⤵️
During the early Bronze Age (2300-1350 BC), the Po Valley experienced a period of significant population growth. A great variety of villages sprang up, especially in the Emilia region, often very close to each other, reflecting the densely populated nature of the area. Among these, the site of Rocca di Bazzano is a particularly crucial example for understanding the organization and quality of life, with particular reference to the area between Modena and Bologna.
What made this expansion possible? Archaeologists are trying to answer this question, and one of the main hypotheses is economic prosperity linked to abundant food production. However, the latter was not due to external factors, such as a favorable climate or the introduction of new technologies; it was rather the result of prudent and sustainable management of local resources—a model of balance between humans and the environment from which we can still learn today.
A recent project by the University of Bologna has allowed us to explore these aspects in greater depth, studying archaeological remains that attest crop yields, livestock products, and even... fermented beverages, which have been part of human life for over 5,000 years.
The presentation will be an opportunity to discover how these communities lived, what they ate, how they organized their territory, and, above all, what we can learn from their example today. From sustainability to food education, prehistory still has much to teach us.