La falcula vineatica: studio e proposta interpretativa delle roncole a manico tortile dell’Italia settentrionale

In Latin sources, the falcula vineatica is mentioned for viticulture practices. Columella (Colum., 12, 18, 2) explains its function, providing us with the image of a pruning hook used for detaching grapes during harvest. A group of small billhooks found in northern Italy is characterized by a handle obtained by twisting the quadrangular tang and by dimensions not exceeding 20 cm, making them suitable for small pruning actions and cutting elements of limited thickness. These peculiar artifacts are widespread since the late La Tène period with some sporadic findings dating back to the Roman Imperial Age. This contribution aims to analyse these tools, highlighting their distribution and function, also in relation to written sources.