The archaeological site of Notarchirico, just a short walk from Venosa, has yielded important prehistoric artefacts.
MIBAC (the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities), together with the Basilicata Museum Network (now the Regional Museums Directorate), has been managing the site since December 2014.
Description
The area is of archaeological significance as it includes a ancient Palaeolithic settlement.
No fewer than eleven stratified layers confirm the presence of human activity at the site, spanning a period from 600,000 to 300,000 years ago.
They are characterised by a large number of stone tools as well as the remains of large (now extinct) animals such as
- elephants
- bison
- oxen
- rhinos
It’s not just wildlife: a fragment of a female Homo erectus femur, known as Marpi and dating back some 300,000 years, supports the theory of human presence.
To find out more, we recommend a visit to the National Archaeological Museum in Venosa.
