CO·48 Prestino

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Object
Classification:	slab
Material:	stone
Size:	length 380 cm, width 18 cm, thickness 33 cm
Condition:	damaged
Archaeological culture:	Golasecca II B
Date:	late 6th–early 5th c. BC
Date derived from:	archaeological context
Site:	Prestino (fraction of: Como, Como, Lombardia, Italy)
Field name:	Fondo Giulini
Coordinates (approx.):	45° 48' 3.60" N, 9° 3' 25.20" E [from site]
Find date:	1966
Find circumstances:	salvage excavation
Finder:	Cirillo
Current location:	Museo Archeologico ‟Paolo Giovio” (Como)
Inventory no.:	8777
Inscription:	CO·48 (uvamokozis:plialeθu:uvltiauiopos:ariuonepos:siteś:tetu)
Alternative sigla:	Tibiletti Bruno 1981: 23 Solinas 1995: 65 Motta 2000: 2 Morandi 2004: 180
Sources:	Morandi 2004: 638–640

Images

Slab CO·48 Prestino with inscription CO·48 from Lejeune 1971

Slab CO·48 Prestino from Morandi 2004

Slab CO·48 Prestino with inscription CO·48 from Tibiletti Bruno 1966b

Commentary

Roughly rectangular slab of friable sandstone, found in early April 1966 in the find spot called fondo Giulini – a site of pre-Roman Como – during the construction of the motorway (exact find circumstances in Società Archeologica Comense 1966, Mirabella Roberti 1966: 114 and Tibiletti Bruno 1966b: 279–282). Upper left corner was damaged. Beside another similar slab without inscription and more above (TB 282 f. and SAC), position and function TB 284–287 (also Prosdocimi 1967: 200, Ferri 1967). Golasecca-Beifunde: Società Archeologica Comense 1966, Mirabella Roberti 1966: 115 (dating to ca. 400 BC for the putative temenos). Brought to the Museo Como in May 1966, on exhibition since 1969 (TB 1969: 233). The size of the stone is different according to different sources: 385 × 19 (max.) × 42 (max.) cm (Motta 2000: 197), 375 × 18 (mean) × 33 (mean) cm (Morandi 2004: 638), 378 x 19 x 23 cm (Markey & Mees 2003: 121, fig. 2, who refer to the "'official' measurements"). Also the dating differs according to different sources: second quarter of 5^th century BC (Motta 2000: 197, cf. De Marinis & Motta 1991: 211), "datable on epigraphic and archaeological grounds to about 480–450 BC" (Markey & Mees 2003: 116). The site is within Golasecca III B–Golaseccca III A 1-2; beaker finds in the approximate context of the stone can be dated Golasecca III A (Markey & Mees 2003: 116, 212, fig. 2, De Marinis & Motta 1991: 211 f., fig. 7). Sketch of the site in Markey & Mees 2003: 121 (fig. 2, from De Marinis & Motta 1991: fig. 6). The inscription on the stone "faced west, toward an area devoid of archaeological definition and away from what appear to have been more elaborate interior structures to the east", the stone was "apparently dry-mounted on a low exterior wall" (Markey & Mees 2003: 212, fig. 2, see also 120–122).

• Luraschi et al. 1969: 221–223 (site map, in situ photography)
• De Marinis & Motta 1991: 211, n. 16 (details about the excavation of the site)
• Tibiletti Bruno 1989: 77–105 (with details of excavation)
• Casini et al. 2001: 108 f.

Cf. CO·21 Rondineto.

Bibliography

Casini et al. 2001	Stefania Casini, Raffaele C. De Marinis, Marta Rapi, "L'abitato protostorico dei dintorni di Como", in: Various authors, La protostoria in Lombardia. Atti del 3o convegno archeologico regionale, Como – Villa Olmo 22–23–24 ottobre 1999, Como: 2001, 97–140.
De Marinis & Motta 1991	Raffaele C. De Marinis, Filippo Motta, "Una nuova iscrizione lepontica su pietra da Mezzovico (Lugano)", Sibrium 21 (1990–1991), 201–225.
De Marinis 1986	Raffaele De Marinis, "Lingua e alfabeto", in: Various authors, Como fra Etruschi e Celti, Como: Società Archeologica Comense 1986. (Catalogo della mostra), 73–76.
De Marinis 1986c	Raffaele De Marinis, "L'abitato protostorico di Como", in: Various authors, Como fra Etruschi e Celti, Como: Società Archeologica Comense 1986. (Catalogo della mostra), 25–38.
Ferri 1967	Silvio Ferri, "Esigenze archeologiche - VIII", Studi Classici e Orientali 16 (1967), 417–435.