I contatti ideologici ed economici tra la Grecia e l'Italia nell'XI secolo a.C.

The unique properties of luster, durability, workability, and rarity made gold a preferred substance for symbolizing and representing the very essence of eternity, distinction, and value very early since humans started to work metal. In the framework of a research project on Mycenaean Gold, the identification of the Mycenaean gold transportation networks was one of the major goals. One such network might have stretched towards Italy, as we know of intense relationships between Italy and Greece since the middle of the second millennium and down to the 11th century BCE. The chemical compositions of Bronze Age gold objects from Roca Vecchia and Frattesina were investigated with the innovative portable laser ablation mass spectrometry technique. These investigations provided, inter alia, information regarding the geological source of the gold. Indications of both serial production and a direct or indirect contact between northern and southern Italy as well as Mycenaean Greece were found.