3373

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 34; Larghezza: 47

pergamena- inchiostro

From the middle of the 13th century, small communities from all over Liguria settled on the coast of the Black Sea. The overseas Genoese made up more than 80% of the western population of those lands. Cities such as Soldaia, Pera and Caffa, experienced exceptional development, built walls and resisted the assaults of the Greeks and Mongols, although two centuries later they did fall into the power of the Ottomans, who were superior in numbers, ships and firepower. The Genoese coexisted with the Orientals, not integrating, converting or subduing them as was the logic of 19th century colonialism. The Genoese colonies in the Black Sea were the privileged meeting point between the world of the steppe and the forest and the Mediterranean merchant cities, places where the most important local resources - wax, honey, furs, cereals, even slaves - were traded in exchange for cloth, canvas, wine.

Unità di misura: UNR (

osso

The burial was that of a 60-year-old male. The elderly individual had lost most of his teeth and had alveolar resorption. The subject had: a left parietal depression with hairline fractures; possible trauma and attempted trepanation; a fractured right clavicle with pseudoarthrosis; osteophytic spurs on the thoracic vertebrae. In addition to the skeleton, only a green stone axe, heavily worn from use, has survived, which was probably a personal tool of the deceased. The axe is a common working tool among Neolithic populations and is considered a male symbol because it has only been found in the burials of men in this and other prehistoric cultures. The artefact comes from the Caverna della Pollera (Finale Ligure – SV).

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 16,5; Larghezza: 25; Lunghezza: 39

ossa

This skull was found in the Caverna delle Fate (SV) together with other bone remains documenting the presence of cave bears in numerous prehistoric caves in Liguria. Larger than today's grizzlies and predominantly herbivorous, it was widespread in Europe in the Upper Pleistocene. On its hind legs it could reach up to 3.5 metres in height and had long teeth and sharp claws. These animals took refuge in caves during the winter and some individuals could die or be hunted by Neanderthals: hunting cave bears could procure a large amount of meat, but also fur, tendons and fat. In Toirano (SV), in the Caverna della Bàsura, cave bears lived between 50,000 and 24,000 years ago and an excavation inside the cave uncovered a level where traces of fossilised fur were found. A large specimen reassembled from the bones of different individuals from the Caverna del Pastore (Toirano, SV) can also be admired in the museum. Skull of "Ursus Spaeleus" (order: carnivores; family: ursidae), somewhat chipped and covered with clay incrustations. It preserves 'in situ' all the teeth except the incisors. Found in the Caverna delle Fate (Finalborgo).

3475

sgottare l'acqua dai bacini chiusi fissato per mezzo della catena ad una gru a bilanciere girevole detta 'cicogna' quando il bacino è stato delimitato da palificate

Iron bucket with pivoted reinforcement and chain. Before the invention of dredgers - vessels used to excavate the seabed of a harbor - operations were carried out manually.

3382

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 150; Larghezza: 220; Lunghezza: 38

legno

The galea was a type of vessel used by European fleets until the early 19th century, although its ‘golden age’ coincided with the 16th-17th centuries. Its strong points - whose conception dates back to the ancient Greco-Roman triremes - did not change over the centuries: the possibility of sailing and rowing, its manoeuvrability, its shallow draught (that is, the submerged part of the hull), and its function as both merchant and military vessel: in fact, it could embark a few dozen ‘naval soldiers’, armed at one time with bows and arrows, then with crossbows, and finally with arquebuses and muskets; artillery pieces could be few and light, a shortcoming that eventually made the galley lose its centuries-old confrontation with the great vessels. The hull is banded in alternating courses to reveal the internal ribs. The galley is rigged but without sails. The oars are of the ‘scaloccio’ type (one for every 4-5 men) and in rowing position. The sternpost, rather than the wheel, indicates a late-period type of galley.