Early Start Development and Variability of a Mediterranean Decorative Tradition: Archaeometric and Stylistic Analysis of the Aeolian Capo Graziano Pottery

This paper presents the results of an interdisciplinary study of the decorated pottery assemblage (ca. 1,000 decorations) from the Bronze Age settlement of San Vincenzo on Stromboli Island (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy). Combining compositional and stylistic analyses with a detailed stratigraphic and chronological framework, the research traces the origins and development of the local Capo Graziano decorative tradition. The study highlights the early emergence of this style in the late 3rd millennium BCE, earlier than previously recognized, and documents its evolution over more than 800 years of the village occupation, struc- tured into four main phases marked by changes in topography. The ceramic assemblage also reflects connections with broader Southern Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean networks, as evidenced by imported and locally produced decorations influenced by external cultural traditions such as the Zungri-Corazzo and Rodì-Tindari styles. These findings contribute to a deeper un- derstanding of cultural identity, artisanal production, and interregional exchange in the Bronze Age Central Mediterranean.