The Neolithic Period (6,000–4,000 BCE). One of the defining features of the Neolithic period is the appearance of pottery, both coarseware and figuline ware. For the earliest phase of the Sicilian Neolithic, the best-known pottery tradition is that of Stentinello, which can be seen on display in the museum. Layer II of the stratigraphic sequence at the Sperlinga Shelter of San Basilio also yielded figuline pottery. In the museum, this is represented by a flattened round vase (Showcase 2), comparable to examples from Serra d’Alto pottery, another widespread culture in the Italian peninsula during the fifth millennium BCE, characterised by refined earthenware decorated with brown painted geometric designs. Far more abundant among the finds is pottery from the Diana culture (Showcase 2), named after the settlement discovered in the Diana district on the island of Lipari. This culture flourished between 4,500 and 4,000 BCE. Characteristic features of the material recovered from this final phase of the Sicilian Neolithic at the Sperlinga Shelter include red surfaces created by careful polishing after firing, and distinctive spool-shaped handles, which gradually evolved from a larger format into slender decorative bands with no practical purpose.