Minucciano III
This male stele statue is broken into two parts at the height of the elbows and lacks the base and the lower left portion. It was found in 1968, along with two others, at the Sanctuary of Madonna del Soccorso in Minucciano (Minucciano, LU) during the construction of a parking lot. At the time of its discovery, it was already broken in half at the height of the elbows. This stele statue belongs to Group B, and based on the results of stratigraphic excavation, it has been dated to the Eneolithic period (between 3400/3300 and 2300/2000 BC). The body is trapezoidal, with a wide and tall truncated conical neck, and a semi-circular head. The face is defined by a narrow, circular band that descends in the upper part to indicate the nose. The eyes, barely visible, are represented by two small indentations on the upper sides of the nose. The clavicular band is depicted with a double motif interrupted at the center, and the upper limbs are slightly bent at the elbows. On the chest, vertically positioned, there is a depiction of an axe with a long handle and a rectangular blade. A dagger, barely visible due to the fracture of the stone, is placed horizontally under the arms.
In 1971, a stratigraphic excavation was carried out at the discovery site, and the results have recently been revised. This allowed for the hypothesis that this stele statue was erected during the Copper Age in association with a small alignment of stones embedded in the ground (Level IVb). This arrangement shows similarities with other sites of the time (Venelia II, Velturno in Val d’Adige, Aosta, Sion). Subsequently, presumably in the Middle Bronze Age, the stele statue would have been toppled. It was found in a horizontal position in a different ground level (Level IV). The attributes depicted on the stele statue, comparable to those found on other monuments of the same group (Group B), seem to confirm a dating to the Eneolithic period or at most to the Early Bronze Age.
The stele statue is preserved at the Museum of Pontremoli, where a cast is also located. There are also casts at the Museum of the Territory of Alta Valle Aulella in Casola in Lunigiana, in the educational area in Nibbiara (Casola in Lunigiana), and in the area in front of the Sanctuary of Madonna del Soccorso in Minucciano.
| Nr. 442 |
| Name: Minucciano III |
| Classification: Group B |
| Place of discovery: Minucciano (LU) |
| Current location: Museo delle Statue Stele Lunigianesi (Pontremoli, MS) |


