Handmade Vessel in Coarse Clay

Cylindrical-ovoid vessel (olla) made of coarse, unrefined clay and shaped by hand, known as impasto ware. The handles are spool-shaped, tapering toward the center.

The olla comes from the funerary assemblage of a Neolithic burial (3500–3000 BC) discovered at the site of Carìa, in the territory of Girifalco (CZ). The tomb was identified in 1899 by Marquis Armando Lucifero, together with another burial; both were characterized by a kind of stone cist formed by large limestone slabs arranged around and above the interments. For many years, this discovery represented a key piece of evidence for reconstructing patterns of human settlement in prehistoric Calabria. In addition to this olla, the grave goods included a cup—also made of impasto ware with spool-shaped handles—a fragment of a flint blade, and a stone disc with a central perforation. These finds provide important evidence of everyday objects that likely assumed ritual or symbolic significance within the funerary context.