The Origins of Tremona
From the Neolithic Period to the Bronze Age
The story of the settlement on the hill of Tremona began in the Neolithic Period, in other words between 5400 and 3400 BC. This is shown by many archaeological finds, including axes made of serpentine stone, arrowheads, blades and razors, flint tools and hundreds of fragments of terracotta vessels. But Tremona continued to be a “living” settlement even in the Copper Age (from 3400 to 2200 BC, as shown by the fragments of numerous beakers in the form of an upturned bell), and into the Bronze Age which followed (from 2200 to 900 BC).
The Iron Age
The historic period that has left the greatest mark on the area is without doubt the Iron Age (from 900 BC until the arrival of the Romans), as demonstrated by the tombs found in Stabio and Ligornetto. Many of the artefacts found in Tremona come from this time, discovered in the lower layers of the medieval settlement and in the deep fissure situated on the edge of the northern terrace: thousands of fragments of ceramic vases made by hand and on the potter’s wheel, bronze earrings and fibulae, some of them perhaps made on site: testimony to the presence of craft activities and trade.
Tremona in Roman times
Unlike other periods, the story of Tremona in Roman times can only be reconstructed hypothetically. There are no documents and at the current time none of the structures that have been discovered can be attributed with certainty to that period. Even ceramic remains, usually found in abundance from the classical period, are limited. However, around fifty coins that can be dated to the first century BC - including a sestertius of Septimius Severus - found in or above the fissure and in the medieval remains suggests that Tremona was already inhabited in Roman times and that the settlement was of some importance.