Coppa Nevigata

Coppa Nevigata is an archaeological site in the province of Foggia, southern Italy, southwest of Manfredonia, on the Apulian coast of the Gargano peninsula [1]. The earliest recorded human presence on the site, which was situated on the edge of a coastal lagoon, with easy access to the sea and numerous natural resources, dates back to the Neolithic, between the 7th and 5th millennia BC [1]. During the Bronze Age, a significant settlement arose that had contacts with the civilizations of the Aegean; these contacts are most visible during the Subapennine phase, when fragments of Mycenaean ceramics are found at the site [1]. From the beginning of the Protoapennine phase, there is evidence for the extraction of purple dye from murex shells and for pressing of olives to extract olive oil [1]. The purple dye production, starting around 1800 BC, is the earliest yet attested in Italy [1]. This dye production increased through the 14th century BC, but sharply dropped off by the 12th century in the Subapennine phase [1]. The site was defended by dry stone fortification walls [1].