Una patera baccellata in bronzo da Altamura (Bari): confronti e produzione

Around the 1970s a grave of high-ranking warrior was found in the Peucetian centre of Altamura (Ba); dating from the mid-seventh century B.C., it contained some objects of great value including, among which stands out a bronze ribbed bowl showing a particular decorative pattern. The decoration consists of a series of ribs (43) covering the wall and a network of small lozenges, (43) arranged in three concentric rows increasing outwards from the centre of the bowl. The central part of the floor is taken up by a thirty-three petalled-rosette in very low relief. The decoration pattern of the Altamura bowl is not comparable with the decorative patterns of bronze ribbed bowls found in Italy, but it is represented in a few bowls from the Neo-Assyrian period, the oldest known example being the Assurtatlak bowl from the mid-8th century B.C. On the other hand, in terms of profile and number of the ribs it is more closely linked to the bowls found in certain rich tombs of Etruria, Lazio and Campania. Therefore, it is possible that the Apulian exemplar may have been produced by Near-East artisans, active at the Assyrian courts, and then imported into Italy, to the Etruscan centre of Pontecagnano, situated at the western end of the Sele-Ofanto river route that connected the Tyrrhenian region to Apulia, which has yielded a number of luxury goods. The bowl may be considered a gift, the result of some redistribution, arriving from Pontecagnano through an agent of an Etruscan prince. In conclusion, the Altamura bowl is an important reminder of the profound cultural and trade relations between Apulia and Campania, influenced by Etruscan culture, which played a key role in the diffusion of behaviour patterns and the distribution of prestigious objects of eastern origin in Italic centres in Southern Italy.