The indigenous necropolis of Sant’Antonio Abate (Ferrandina, Italy). Topography and material culture of a 7th century BC buffer zone site in ancient Lucania

The aim of this paper is to look beyond the chorai of Siris and Metapontum, in order to draw attention to an important area in the south-eastern inner part of Basilicata, that of Ferrandina (MT), about 30 km from the Ionian coast, where an archaeological research project (“FArch – Ferrandina Archeologica”) is currently being carried out by the Chair of Classical Archaeology of the University of Basilicata. In particular, it presents for the first time the results of the archaeological excavations (2019-2022) conducted in the necropolis of Sant’Antonio Abate, approximately 1.5 km S of Ferrandina Hill, along the ancient trade routes between the Ionian coast and the hinterland of Lucania. It is an unknown and perfectly preserved funerary context dating back to the central quarters of the 7th century, belonging to a Peucetian settlement. The burial group examined here, with its grave goods, features and funerary spaces, not only contributes to definition of the specific social and cultural identity of the community, which was very traditional and not so open to contact with the newly-arrived Greek settlers, but is also of great archaeological importance for the reconstruction of the wider, complex settlement framework of ancient Basilicata during the pre-Roman period.