From 30 April to 21 June 2025 the ground floor of Palazzo Bettoni, with access from Piazza Bruno Boni, will host the travelling exhibition ‘’I primi custodi della memoria. Le sepolture nel Paleolitico', a fascinating exploration of the anthropological significance of prehistoric burials through a series of casts, which accurately reproduce the situation that came to light during excavation.
Curated by Giacomo Giacobini, Cristina Cilli and Giancarla Malerba, the exhibition was first presented in January by the University of Turin, and following the exhibition at Palazzo Bettoni, one of the administrative offices of the University of Brescia, it will continue at the other partner universities of UNITA Universitas Montium, the alliance funded by the European Commission as part of the Erasmus+ programme that brings together 12 universities and over 250,000 students from 7 countries.
The exhibition was organised by the Working Group (Hub) dedicated to Cultural Heritage under the coordination of Prof. Irene Giustina and Prof. Angelo Mazzù.
From the earliest burials of Neanderthal Man to the dawn of agriculture, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through funerary rites, social changes and the first artistic achievements linked to the cult of the dead. Indeed, funerary practices represent a fundamental stage in the social history of mankind and offer us the opportunity to investigate the evolution of human thought, as well as to learn about the history of the deceased and their group.
Thanks to Palaeolithic burials, complete or nearly complete skeletons have come down to us, of which the casts reproduce the state at the very moment of discovery, becoming historical evidence of extraordinary importance. Turin's collection of prehistoric casts is the most important internationally. Prominent among the casts on display are:
- The burial of the Lady of Caviglione, famous for its ochre and shell ornaments.
- The burial of the Young Prince, with its rich grave goods
- The double burial of the Riparo del Romito, a touching example of care and inclusion, with an individual with dwarfism protected by the community
The exhibition can be visited free of charge until 13 June 2025, Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 16:30.