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It was occupied circa 9,000 years ago, making this location the oldest settlement in Campania.
Among the many artifacts unearthed here were decorated ceramics and majolica dating back to a period between the 16th and 13th centuries B.C. Curiously, the nearby town of Ariano Irpino is renowned for its ceramic production to this day—and many have hypothesized that La Starza’s ceramic artifacts offer evidence that this tradition has been 4,000 years in the making. Artifacts used in metalworking and farming have also been discovered here, along with animal remains, a sign that agriculture was central to the settlement. Human remains have also been found on the nearby mountain pass, Sella di Ariano, a possible millennia-old necropolis.
