Villanova d’Albenga, loc. Coasco (SV): un insediamento neolitico all’aperto nell’entroterra ingauno

Coasco (Villanova d’Albenga, Savona Province): an open-air Neolithic settlement in the hinterland of Albenga - The neolithic site of Coasco, near Villanova di Albenga (Western Liguria), is located on a Pleistocene terrace, about 7 km away, as the crow flies, from the current coastline, along the valley of the Arroscia torrent. The paper presents a first overview of the site, its stratigraphic context, radiocarbon chronology and the finds. Preliminary investigations followed its accidental discovery and between 2011 and 2012, a rescue campaign aimed at defining the site extension was organized by the Superintendence for the Archaeological Heritage of Liguria and directed by one of the authors (ES). In one of the excavated trenches, an archaeological deposit with the remains of a paved area has been explored for an extension of about 48 m2. The paved feature was formed by river pebbles and cobbles. The deposit yielded potsherds, rare charcoal fragments and lithic artefacts, including millstones, handstones and some bédoulien blonde flint bladelets. The archaeobotanical remains were collected and analysed for the reconstruction of plant resource procurement strategies. The micromorphological study of undisturbed soil samples showed that the Neolithic soil was affected by ancient deforestation and tillage. A14C date, obtained on a charred shrub fragment, places the occupation of the site in the first centuries of the fifth millennium BCE. The discovery is of particular importance since in western Liguria Neolithic open-air settlements are very rare and our knowledge is generally limited to the traces of frequentation documented in several caves and rock shelters of Val Pennavaire, Val Varatella and Finalese region.