Sito palafitticolo San Sivino-Gabbiano, archaeological site in Manerba del Garda, Italy
The San Sivino-Gabbiano pile-dwelling site lies about 900 m southwest of Porto di Dusano in Manerba del Garda. It covered roughly 150 by 75 m; today only oak posts driven into the lake bed, 5 to 40 cm thick, survive. A semicircular arrangement of large stones found slightly south of the settlement has no known connection to it.
The site was reported in 1971 by the Tritone Sub diving club from Desenzano del Garda near Zocco beach. Lawrence H. Barfield conducted first investigations in 1978, followed by Gabriella Erica Pia two years later. The settlement belongs to the Polada culture and was added in 2011 to the UNESCO World Heritage list of prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps under reference 1363-093.
The site belongs to the Polada culture of northern Italy and is one of the 111 Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2011, under reference 1363-093 or IT-LM-02. Finds include a bronze fish hook and harpoon tip, flint arrowheads, pierced stone archer's wristguards and a sickle blade, showing fishing, hunting and cereal farming.
The site lies about 900 m southwest of the Porto di Dusano harbour, near the Zocco beach, and the wooden posts are visible in the water. Bathing and diving have damaged the remains, so keep a distance from the marked area. Finds such as the bronze fish hook and harpoon tip are kept in the Museo Civico Archeologico della Valtenesi on the Rocca di Manerba.
About 140 metres south of the settlement, divers found a semicircular arrangement of large stones; whether it belongs to the pile-dwelling is still unknown. The site also carries UNESCO reference 1363-093 (IT-LM-02), with a protected area of 1.85 hectares and a buffer zone of 3.46 hectares.
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