Motta Buffetto Mound by sandra46
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Description
Motta (plural: motte) is a word used in our region, Veneto, to define any heap of dirt or ground. It comprises both burial mounds, moat-and-bailey structures as well as 'castellieri' (hillforts), although they are usually made of stones. It also is a place-name or a part of it. The word 'motta' comes from Classic Latin 'mota' (mud), Medieval Latin 'mound, fortification', French motte, mound, which becomes moat in English, to mean the fortified ditch, usually accompanied by the bailey (palisade or wall), and not the mound where the lord of the castle had his residence inside the castle.
So this is Motta Buffetto, the mound or hillock covered by the trees in the background, from the name of the owners, a family of farmers living near Scorze, in the province of Venice. The field of colza also belongs to them. Motta Buffetto was saved from destruction by a group of citizens, because during the construction of the Mestre highway loop (to make the traffic from Padova to Trieste and the Eastern countries less hectic), one of the constructors wanted to use that dirt for the road floor. A committee made the local politicians understand the historical value of the mound, dating the Bronze Age, which, even if not excavated, but only superficially explored, looks to be a burial mound. This mound was the starting point for the two Simons, my archeologist friends, to start the study of the 'motte' (plural of motta), and making a census of them in our region. They discovered a number of intriguing and puzzling facts about them. My task was to explore the legends, stories and place-names linked to them. More about that in the next postings.
Thanks for your kind comments.
P.S.: I was more than busy during the last two weeks, but I'm trying to catch up with comments.
Comments (47)
anmes
I did read all your info..am sure you are working on some exciting material. Fine landscape..great comtrast between crop and trees. look forward to more!
FredNunes
Great colors in this shot...
mickeyrony
Hummm a nice place i like the trees on... ((5++))
erlandpil
Very nice shot erland
danapommet
A historical photo and wonderful information to go along with your photo.
Isabelle711
What a most gorgeous landscape. :)))))) Love the yellow flowers. :)))))))) Breathtaking image. :))))) Loved hearing the history. :)))))))) Most excellent capture my friend. :))))) Thank you for sharing all of the beauty you see. :))))))) Carry A Sunshine Smile In Your Heart :))))))
tennesseecowgirl
Lovely!
blondeblurr
Would that be a flowering field for the rape seed oil plant ? lovely image, BB
bebert
very nice POV
1358
mounds... tombs, entrances to underworld kingdoms... places of wonder and magic.. I'd like to be buried in a mound some day
MagikUnicorn
wow love nature
icerian
Marvelous. Well seen dear Sandra.
joedepas
It's always edifying to read the captions of your nice photos.
KatesFriend
Interesting details. One wonders about these ancient structures and their ability to survive the ages as this one seems to have done - for now at any case. I love the sweeping character of this photo, it brings to mind the vast tracts of time that separate s from the builders of this mound.
junge1
Fascinating Sandra!
myrrhluz
Very interesting narrative. It's amazing that someone would see an ancient mound and think, "Ah, dirt supply!" I'm glad there were citizens ready to protect it. It is so interesting to think of all the knowledge of the past that lies untouched beneath our feet. Lovely scene and capture!
anahata.c
Coming here, I do remember that you said your task was to gather, collate, inter-relate (etc) the legends, stories, etc that are associated with these mounds. I also remember you doing presentations (and showing us some of the visuals) about those tales. I also remember you discussing newer legends along with the older, how the legends had been transformed (to WWII heroes, for example), or how older ones had still be retained. Perhaps that was your role with the other sites you've shared with us here. (If you've discussed your role in each case, I just don't remember all the details now, for which I give a big mea culpa---these uploads are quite rich, and my memory doesn't retain everything, unfortunately.) But anyway, I wonder if part of your work was to actually go door to door, make appointments, etc, to speak with people who lived or worked here. And if you heard various modern versions of older legends (or found the older legends embedded in the ones you heard). Again, just musing. I had several friends, both in college and grad school who were folklorists, and while I don't know all the connections with your work, I do remember them going on expeditions to gather new versions of old legends, and I also remember an incredibly complex system of categorizing motifs, etc. (And getting a wonderful collection of books for almost no money because I knew them...considering the price of scholarly texts, that was a boon; and even today, with Kindle and iBook prices, most scholarly titles never make it to those formats, which, for those of us outside the academic community, is a real detriment, since we can only afford a small number of the titles that academics use all the time. But I digress...) The whole culture of mounds is fascinating to those of us who don't know that much about them. As you point out in this series, they are even spaced with conscious measurement. In this capture, we see the mound hidden by the trees, but we're amazed at how small it is: Amazing not to you, perhaps, but to anyone who knows little about mounds, as they carry a great deal of lore and history with them. And the land continues around them, oblivious to their existence: This shot shows that very well. A fine introductory shot to this series (and the mound uploads to follow). Very generous of you to give us snippets of what you were doing, through this time; and sharing some salient details of all you've uncovered and spoken about to others. I appreciate all of that greatly.