Il popolo falisco ha abitato la Valle del Treja quasi tremila anni fa. La loro fu una civiltà ava... more Il popolo falisco ha abitato la Valle del Treja quasi tremila anni fa. La loro fu una civiltà avanzata e molto importante, per quanto comunemente poco conosciuta. Questa guida si prefigge lo scopo di riparare una lacuna dei nostri testi scolastici e far luce su quelli che, nella Valle del Treja, furono i nostri avi. Le scoperte dei secoli scorsi si sommano a quelle recentissime e ci forniscono un quadro di stupefacente bellezza. Basti pensare alle trecento maschere votive rinvenute nel 2014 dagli archeologi, in seguito a dei lavori finanziati ed attuati dal Parco. Il senso di mistero che ammanta un popolo così lontano nel tempo e circoscritto nel suo territorio è superato da questa guida, che vuole "raccontare" la storia, i riti, le gesta, di una civiltà che ha lasciato tracce indelebili non solo nella Valle del Treja. Qui sono visitabili i resti di templi, tombe, aree archeologiche. Il territorio delle forre, le strette valli incise dalle acque che vi scorrono sul fondo, con le sue imponenti rupi tufacee, fu il luogo di insediamento privilegiato dei Falisci, proprio per la sua difendibilità. Discendiamo dai Falisci, potremmo dire con un po' di suggestione. E se pure non sarà proprio così, ci piace pensarlo, accarezzando il mito della loro audacia e della loro fertile intelligenza. Indagando su questo popolo scopriamo così un'altra chiave di lettura per interpretare e conoscere questo territorio: quello dell'archeologia, che è in diretta connessione con gli aspetti ambientali che ancora caratterizzano queste
Experiencing the Landscape in Antiquity, Atti del II Convegno Internazionale di Antichità Classiche (Roma, 22-25 novembre 2021), 2022
The paper intends to present the application of multispectral remote sensing by drone as an innov... more The paper intends to present the application of multispectral remote sensing by drone as an innovative tool for the identification of buried remains, specifically in the area of Campetti at Veii. The use of this methodology represents a new opportunity for fast identification of a consistent number of archaeological evidence over vast extensions. The use of multispectral cameras makes it possible to record the spectral response of plants in different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. By processing the images acquired through the use of “vegetation indices”, it is possible to identify the slightest variations in the physiological conditions of the vegetation produced by buried remains and invisible to the human eye. The experimental application of this technique started at Veii in 2017, has shown how it has been possible to identify a considerable amount of crop marks, the careful reading of which has allowed us to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the development of the urban landscape in a large portion of an ancient city.
Storie interrotte. Riconoscere e valorizzare il patrimonio dimenticato, Atti del Convegno del Corso di Dottorato in storia, Critica e Conservazione dei Beni Culturali (Padova, 25-26 novembre 2021), 2022
The archaeological research on Narce, one of the most important centres of the Ager Faliscus, rep... more The archaeological research on Narce, one of the most important centres of the Ager Faliscus, represents an exemplary case study of the need for integration of archaeological and archival data. Our knowledge of the site is mainly based on the excavations of the necropolis carried out between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, which were characterised, amidst scandals, trials and suspicions about the consistency of the grave goods, by the acquisition by the State only of a small part of the recovered artefacts, while the remainder was sold to numerous foreign Museums or dispersed on the antique market. Studies on Narce, which have been systematically resumed since the 1980s, are based on a complex attempt to re-read the entire documentation produced during the excavations, with the aim of recomposing the available evidence and to outline the cultural characteristics of this important centre. This paper aims to analyse the centrality of the archival documents within the reconstruction of the archaeological data focusing on the eastern burial grounds of the Faliscan town which knowledge, thanks to the systematic perusal of numerous archives, has now profoundly improved. The analysis of the documents has made it possible to recontextualise a nucleus of grave goods kept in the warehouses of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia and the Museo Archeologico dell’Agro Falisco in Civita Castellana, whose correct attribution had been lost, as well as to recover a second tombs group through the examination of the photographic documentation.
The use of drones for archaeological research has been increasing rapidly in recent years, as can... more The use of drones for archaeological research has been increasing rapidly in recent years, as can be seen in the large number of studies mentioning their use. Nonetheless, few of these studies focus on the identification of archaeological marks, and even fewer are based on multispectral imaging. This study demonstrates how drone multispectral remote sensing combined with an agronomic approach can guarantee great improvements in the identification of crop marks, opening up opportunities from both an economic and scientific point of view. An innovative multispectral camera makes it possible to record the vegetation reflectance in four different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the near infrared spectrum, which is the most important band for vegetation analysis. The aerial imagery was processed using vegetation indices to identify crop marks, through the analysis of the type and variations of vegetation stress produced by buried remains. The experimental application of this technique on a portion of the Etruscan city of Veii demonstrates how, even in a single flight that was undertaken slightly later than the ideal timing, it was possible to detect and interpret a considerable amount of particularly significant archaeological marks.
The complete perusal of the late 19th and early 20th century (les on Narce and its territory kept... more The complete perusal of the late 19th and early 20th century (les on Narce and its territory kept in the Documents Archive of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, made it possible to reconstruct a hitherto unpublished season of excavations involving the eastern necropolis of the Faliscan town in the (first two decades of the 20th century. These investigations concerned localities such as Monte Cerreto and Contrada Morgi, already extensively explored by Benedetti between 1890 and 1891 and published in the 1894 volume of the Monumenti Antichi dei Lincei on Narce, but were also an opportunity to investigate areas not considered by o)cial excavations before and with no data so far. Six excavation campaigns were carried out between 1903 and 1918 by private excavators under the careful supervision of government overseers in order to avoid a repetition of the scandals concerning the reliability of the grave goods of a few years earlier. In particular, a comparison between the lists of materials acquired by the State and the contents of a large number of boxes kept in the storerooms of the Museo di Villa Giulia made it possible to identify 10 of the 44 grave goods found by Natale Malavolta in the Monte dei Porcari burial ground during the 1917 excavation campaign, which were included in the Museum’s collection but the correct attribution of which had been lost until now. In the light of the new data emerged, the paper intends to present, on a preliminary basis, some objects from the grave goods identified and to provide some brief insights on the funerary landscape and the definition of the Narce settlement in relation to its necropolises.
Lo strano caso di Francesco Mancinelli Scotti, 2021
Amongst the most important sites that Francesco Mancinelli Scotti explored during his life, Narce... more Amongst the most important sites that Francesco Mancinelli Scotti explored during his life, Narce is certainly the one that led him to his most prominent discoveries as well as to his deepest legal problems. From 1890 to 1904, for almost twenty-!ve years, Mancinelli Scotti returned multiple times to the southernmost Faliscan site. Whether gaining the legal permits to excavate or – more often – acting without any authorization, Mancinelli Scotti worked in different parts of the necropoleis as well as at one of the temples. This chapter presents the chronology of what can be considered the ‘love story’ between Mancinelli Scotti and Narce, trying to locate the actions of the excavator within the larger picture of the multiple excavations that were going on, especially in the southern necropoleis of Narce.
Through the examination of the correspondence of Felice Barnabei held at the Biblioteca Angelica ... more Through the examination of the correspondence of Felice Barnabei held at the Biblioteca Angelica in Rome and a number of documents at the Biblioteca di Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte in Palazzo Venezia, also in Rome, new interesting data has emerged relating to the prospections and excavations conducted in 1892, with the participation of Francesco Mancinelli Scotti, in the territory between the northern shore of Lago di Bracciano and Sutri. The results of these investigations would become the topic of chapters two and three in the volume of the Monumenti Antichi dei Lincei of 1894 on the Narce excavation. The objective, as hypothesized by Felice Barnabei, a central figure in archaeological research in the newly formed Regno d’Italia at the end of the 19th century, is to identify the places of origin of the peoples who had founded Narce and Falerii, the main centres of the Ager faliscus." According to Barnabei, this could only be discovered by «going up the river Treja», which traverses the entire Faliscan territory, intensely excavated in those years as part of the work for the Carta Archeologica d’Italia. This chapter aims to reconstruct the main events and characteristics of this excavation venture, which lasted just under a month, with particular attention to the role played by Mancinelli Scotti in light of a signed letter of July 1892 concerning his preliminary explorations." Furthermore, several reports sent to the Ministry of Education by the “Custode dei Monumenti di Civita Castellana” Giuseppe Magliulo, allow us to reconstruct the progress of the investigations week by week. To these documents is added a manuscript written by Adolfo Cozza on the results of the excavation essays. As a result of this work a quite unexpected image Mancinelli Scotti emerges, involved in this instance in the scientific activity of the Ministry and not as we usually find him, searching for profitable business.
Preistoria e protostoria in Etruria. Atti del quattordicesimo incontro di studi, 2020
Research activities at Marsiliana d’Albegna have been carried out since 2002 by the University of... more Research activities at Marsiliana d’Albegna have been carried out since 2002 by the University of Siena, in collaboration with the SABAP per le Province di Siena, Grosseto e Arezzo and the Manciano municipal government. The diggings have highlighted the comprehensive profile of the inhabited area: test excavations driven on the Poggio del Castello have brought to light the most ancient traces known for the site, dating at least at the Middle Bronze Age. This report wishes to update the ongoing research, concerning the early steps of development of the Etruscan centre.
Impasto bruno orientalizzante (J. Tabolli) 80 Ceramica protocorinzia e corinzia (S. Neri) 91 Cera... more Impasto bruno orientalizzante (J. Tabolli) 80 Ceramica protocorinzia e corinzia (S. Neri) 91 Ceramica attica (L. Pulcinelli) 92 Ceramica etrusco-geometrica (S. Neri) 94 Ceramica etrusco-corinzia (S. Neri) 98 Ceramica depurata acroma (S. Neri) 103 Ceramica a bande (S. Neri) 105 Bucchero (J. Tabolli) 105 Impasto rosso (S. ten Kortenaar) 136 Impasto white on red (S. ten Kortenaar) 160 Impasto rosso bruno (M. Milletti, F. Pitzalis) 161 Impasto chiaro sabbioso (V. Re) 213 Instrumentum domesticum 221 Instrumentum da fuoco, da dispensa e da mensa (C. Predan) Instrumentum tessile (F. Farroni Gallo) Anfore da trasporto (L. Pulcinelli) 259 Ceramica fine di età romana (L. Pulcinelli) 259 Ceramica a vernice nera Sigillata italica Sigillata africana Ceramica a pareti sottili Ceramica a vernice rossa interna Ceramica comune di età romana (L. Pulcinelli) 261 Ceramica da mensa e da dispensa Ceramica da fuoco
Società e pratiche funerarie a Veio. Dalle origini alla conquista romana, 2019
Per informazioni sui precedenti volumi in collana, consultare il sito: www.editricesapienza.it 40... more Per informazioni sui precedenti volumi in collana, consultare il sito: www.editricesapienza.it 40. Human Nature Anima, mente e corpo dall'antichità alle neuroscienze Nunzio Allocca 41. The state of the art of Uralic studies: tradition vs innovation
The importance of ancient Falerii in the panorama of pre-Roman Italy is well known and is to a la... more The importance of ancient Falerii in the panorama of pre-Roman Italy is well known and is to a large extent due to the intensity of the field research carried out on the site over the last 150 years. Following in-depth research on the sacred areas and the necropoleis, in recent years the focus has shifted to the inhabited area, which was laid out on the two hills of Civita Castellana, characterised by a substantial continuity of habitation from the Middle Ages to the present day, and of Vignale, used almost exclusively for agricultural purposes during the same time period. Today Vignale, which stretches over 14 hectares, is almost entirely free of buildings and therefore presents an enviable case study. For this reason, a new research project was launched in 2019 as part of the broader project Giving Voice to a pre-Roman City: Falerii. This new research package aims to resume archaeological investigation on the hill in order to understand the layout of this large sector of the pre-Roman city. This paper presents the research path that has been carried out to date: this includes the re-examination and systematisation of both the published and unpublished existing documents/materials, as well as the results of the most recent fieldwork (multispectral and thermal drone flights, a GPR campaign and a fieldwalking survey). Interestingly, the analysis has highlighted the fact that the use of the plateau was quite diversified. The area appears to have been divided into an eastern portion which, as was previously known, housed one of the main sacred areas of the city and a western portion in which, at least according to the data available, an area used for residential purposes was most likely located. It can be hypothesised that habitation of this sector of the site extended from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, with later phases of used (early Imperial and post-antique), albeit with a particular concentration in the Archaic period. The possibility that the site was abandoned temporarily in the Early Iron Age must be corroborated through fieldwork and an initial excavation campaign to test this hypothesis has now been confirmed for June 2022.
This paper aims to present the application of a new tool for the identification and analysis of c... more This paper aims to present the application of a new tool for the identification and analysis of crop‐marks in archaeological contexts. Multispectral drone remote sensing, which is currently mainly used in agronomic contexts, has been shown to guarantee great advantages and opportunities in the archaeological field, both from an economic and scientific point of view, in identifying the presence of archaeological evidence not visible to the human eye.
The use of multispectral cameras makes it possible to record the electromagnetic response of plants in the field of near infrared waves, allowing for the detection of particular anomalies in the subsoil that prevent the homogeneous growth of vegetation. By processing the data recorded through the use of different vegetation indices, it is possible to distinguish any anomalies related to anthropogenic buried remains.
Drones offers enormous advantages to archaeological practitioners, significantly reducing flight costs, allowing repeated applications of techniques and also the possibility of flying at significantly lower altitudes than aircrafts in order to obtain higher detail images.
The experimental application of this technique on a portion of the Campetti area at the site of the ancient Etruscan center of Veii has shown how, even with a single flight performed slightly later than the ideal time frame for application, it was possible to detect a considerable amount of particularly significant traces from the point of view of the archaeological analysis of the site.
The possibility of integrating this new methodology with different techniques (survey with surface collection of materials, targeted excavation tests, analysis of the subsoil with geophysical investigation methods, use of thermal sensors), alongside precise planning, clearly represents a significant advance in the cognitive potential for archaeological research.
The paper aims to present the various activities carried out at the Etruscan city of Veii by the ... more The paper aims to present the various activities carried out at the Etruscan city of Veii by the équipe of Etruscology and Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy of the Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità of the Sapienza University of Rome. In particular, it provides an updated picture of the 2018-2019 research campaigns. In total, four sectors were investigated during these campaigns (the so-called Edificio Lanciani, and sectors 19, 25, and 26). In the Edificio Lanciani two rooms (E-Q) related to the large villa (4000 mq) built in the late Republican period were excavated. The most relevant outcome of this work can be considered the discovery of walls with a different orientation, suggesting the presence of pre-existing buildings which were part of a different settlement fabric. In sector 19 part of the urban water supply system was brought to light. In particular, a large tank in which a tripartite structure in tufa blocks was built in the Middle Republican period, and a cuniculus equipped with an inspection pit were partially investigated. In the closely interconnected sectors 25 and 26, the excavation focused, on the one hand on the large (about 4 m wide) EW road that connects the edge of the plateau with the main arterial road that crosses it, and on the other hand on the investigation of a massive group of thick layers, which indirectly testifies to the presence of an extremely consistent pottery production (especially bucchero and Etruscan Corinthian wares). In sector 26 the recovered sherds of architectural terracotta fortify the hypothesis of the presence in the area since at least the Archaic period of a sacred context, whose location must however still be identified, while in sector 25 the several thousand misfired bucchero sherds, an extremely interesting test for a decoration in the form of a gorgoneion, alongside an impressive quantity of kiln tools, fully confirm the presence of a production area at Piano di Comunità at least from the late 7th c. BC. The final part of the paper describes the didactic activity and the past and future dissemination paths related to the archaeological mission, and in particular an exhibition at the Museum of Etruscan and Italic Antiquities of the Sapienza University of Rome and the project Veio: lost city. Conservazione, valorizzazione e fruizione del sito archeologico etrusco in collaboration with the Department of Architecture and Project.
This work tries to shed light on the Etruscan geography of the Albegna Valley, starting from the ... more This work tries to shed light on the Etruscan geography of the Albegna Valley, starting from the archaeological profile of Orbetello and considering its possible role of seaport for the nearby centres of Marsiliana d’Albegna and Doganella, under the political influence of Vulci. At the same time, recent discoveries at Marsiliana have highlighted the profile of the centre, lying on a hill system including the Poggio del Castello, the Uliveto di Banditella and a sector of the Poggio di Macchiabuia, defining a large plateau settlement, measuring about 47 hectares. The excavations carried out on the Poggio del Castello have detected intense occupation from Middle Bronze Age up to Final Bronze Age, with a reoccupation in the Orientalizing period; moreover, the suburban area has been investigated through the digging of a Late Archaic monumental building lying on Poggio Alto, named “Casa delle Anfore”. Research in the suburban area has brought to light the emergence of an intense agricultural production promoted by the local communities, including aristocracies and lower classes, who strenghten their role by the end of the 7th century onwards. The foundation of Doganella during the 6th century BC, about 7 km far from Marsiliana, detects the role of such classes in the management of both agricultural production (mainly wine and olives/oil) and trade towards the western Mediterranean coasts. Doganella and Orbetello are therefore eventually identified with the Etruscan polis of Oinaréa, mentioned by Ps. Aristotle inside the De mirabilibus auscultationibus book. The same city could probably match to the centre of *Kamarte, revealed from the late- Archaic stele found at Podere il Bagno nearby Saturnia.
Preistoria e protostoria in Etruria. Atti del tredicesimo incontro di studi, 2018
Il contributo presenta una sintesi dei risultati della campagna di ricerca condotta nel 2015 sul ... more Il contributo presenta una sintesi dei risultati della campagna di ricerca condotta nel 2015 sul Poggio del Castello a Marsiliana d’Albegna, con la conclusione dei saggi di scavo eseguiti dall’Università degli Studi di Siena con la direzione dell’allora Soprintendenza Archeologia della Toscana. Le indagini su questa parte del sito, avviate nel 2013, hanno rivelato un’occupazione protrattasi, con alcune soluzioni di continuità, dalla tarda età del bronzo (BR2) fino all’alto medioevo, con tracce di una più antica frequentazione, risalente già alla fine del Bronzo Medio (BM3). Evidenze riferibili al Bronzo Recente sono state individuate lungo le pendici meridionali del Poggio (Saggi 3-4), prospicienti l’altura contigua di Uliveto di Banditella: si tratta di un allineamento discontinuo di canalette per il drenaggio delle acque, che correva lungo i margini di una terrazza naturale. Un maggior numero di testimonianze sono riconducibili a un momento terminale del Bronzo Finale (BF3), con interventi di ampliamento delle pendici sud-occidentali (Saggi 5-5bis), realizzati alternando scarichi di pietrame a strati con consistenti butti di materiale ceramico, e di alcuni resti di strutture capannicole e due grandi fosse circolari (Saggi 3-4), obliterate con strati di carbone e di cenere alternati a livelli di argilla.
This paper presents the results of the 2015 excavation in the necropolis of Monte Li Santi at the... more This paper presents the results of the 2015 excavation in the necropolis of Monte Li Santi at the Faliscan site of Narce (Mazzano Romano-Calcata), 35 kilometers north of Rome. Our knowledge of the necropolis was based until now mainly on the 1894 publication in the Monumenti Antichi dei Lincei. During the 2015 excavation, three large rock-cut chamber tombs were discovered, unfortunately already looted, together with a series of niches near them, used probably for ritual practices. The most impressive evidence is represented by the largest chamber tomb (Tomb A), which is characterised by a large pillar in the center of the chamber, partially stone carved in the shape of a column. The area facing the tombs corresponded to a large platform, organised around a small altar. Traces of quarrying activities appeared also contemporary to the use of the necropolis. The few undisturbed contexts and the limited number of finds discovered testify to the phase of abandonment of this part of the necropolis, which seems to have taken place at the beginning of the 3rd century B.C.E., probably in relation to the Roman conquest of Narce. Nevertheless, the presence of earlier finds suggests the use of this part of the necropolis especially during the Archaic and Late Archaic periods. The rediscovery of the excavation journal of the necropolis permitted also to gain new insights concerning the 1890 excavation by Francesco Mancinelli Scotti. Combining data from past and present excavations, allowed for a new typology of tomb architecture and a general reconsideration of the mortuary landscape of this necropolis. In the different sections of this paper, the authors discuss the history of the research, the stratigraphy, the finds, the few human remains discovered and the process of restoration and conservation of the finds.
Il popolo falisco ha abitato la Valle del Treja quasi tremila anni fa. La loro fu una civiltà ava... more Il popolo falisco ha abitato la Valle del Treja quasi tremila anni fa. La loro fu una civiltà avanzata e molto importante, per quanto comunemente poco conosciuta. Questa guida si prefigge lo scopo di riparare una lacuna dei nostri testi scolastici e far luce su quelli che, nella Valle del Treja, furono i nostri avi. Le scoperte dei secoli scorsi si sommano a quelle recentissime e ci forniscono un quadro di stupefacente bellezza. Basti pensare alle trecento maschere votive rinvenute nel 2014 dagli archeologi, in seguito a dei lavori finanziati ed attuati dal Parco. Il senso di mistero che ammanta un popolo così lontano nel tempo e circoscritto nel suo territorio è superato da questa guida, che vuole "raccontare" la storia, i riti, le gesta, di una civiltà che ha lasciato tracce indelebili non solo nella Valle del Treja. Qui sono visitabili i resti di templi, tombe, aree archeologiche. Il territorio delle forre, le strette valli incise dalle acque che vi scorrono sul fondo, con le sue imponenti rupi tufacee, fu il luogo di insediamento privilegiato dei Falisci, proprio per la sua difendibilità. Discendiamo dai Falisci, potremmo dire con un po' di suggestione. E se pure non sarà proprio così, ci piace pensarlo, accarezzando il mito della loro audacia e della loro fertile intelligenza. Indagando su questo popolo scopriamo così un'altra chiave di lettura per interpretare e conoscere questo territorio: quello dell'archeologia, che è in diretta connessione con gli aspetti ambientali che ancora caratterizzano queste
Experiencing the Landscape in Antiquity, Atti del II Convegno Internazionale di Antichità Classiche (Roma, 22-25 novembre 2021), 2022
The paper intends to present the application of multispectral remote sensing by drone as an innov... more The paper intends to present the application of multispectral remote sensing by drone as an innovative tool for the identification of buried remains, specifically in the area of Campetti at Veii. The use of this methodology represents a new opportunity for fast identification of a consistent number of archaeological evidence over vast extensions. The use of multispectral cameras makes it possible to record the spectral response of plants in different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. By processing the images acquired through the use of “vegetation indices”, it is possible to identify the slightest variations in the physiological conditions of the vegetation produced by buried remains and invisible to the human eye. The experimental application of this technique started at Veii in 2017, has shown how it has been possible to identify a considerable amount of crop marks, the careful reading of which has allowed us to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the development of the urban landscape in a large portion of an ancient city.
Storie interrotte. Riconoscere e valorizzare il patrimonio dimenticato, Atti del Convegno del Corso di Dottorato in storia, Critica e Conservazione dei Beni Culturali (Padova, 25-26 novembre 2021), 2022
The archaeological research on Narce, one of the most important centres of the Ager Faliscus, rep... more The archaeological research on Narce, one of the most important centres of the Ager Faliscus, represents an exemplary case study of the need for integration of archaeological and archival data. Our knowledge of the site is mainly based on the excavations of the necropolis carried out between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, which were characterised, amidst scandals, trials and suspicions about the consistency of the grave goods, by the acquisition by the State only of a small part of the recovered artefacts, while the remainder was sold to numerous foreign Museums or dispersed on the antique market. Studies on Narce, which have been systematically resumed since the 1980s, are based on a complex attempt to re-read the entire documentation produced during the excavations, with the aim of recomposing the available evidence and to outline the cultural characteristics of this important centre. This paper aims to analyse the centrality of the archival documents within the reconstruction of the archaeological data focusing on the eastern burial grounds of the Faliscan town which knowledge, thanks to the systematic perusal of numerous archives, has now profoundly improved. The analysis of the documents has made it possible to recontextualise a nucleus of grave goods kept in the warehouses of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia and the Museo Archeologico dell’Agro Falisco in Civita Castellana, whose correct attribution had been lost, as well as to recover a second tombs group through the examination of the photographic documentation.
The use of drones for archaeological research has been increasing rapidly in recent years, as can... more The use of drones for archaeological research has been increasing rapidly in recent years, as can be seen in the large number of studies mentioning their use. Nonetheless, few of these studies focus on the identification of archaeological marks, and even fewer are based on multispectral imaging. This study demonstrates how drone multispectral remote sensing combined with an agronomic approach can guarantee great improvements in the identification of crop marks, opening up opportunities from both an economic and scientific point of view. An innovative multispectral camera makes it possible to record the vegetation reflectance in four different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the near infrared spectrum, which is the most important band for vegetation analysis. The aerial imagery was processed using vegetation indices to identify crop marks, through the analysis of the type and variations of vegetation stress produced by buried remains. The experimental application of this technique on a portion of the Etruscan city of Veii demonstrates how, even in a single flight that was undertaken slightly later than the ideal timing, it was possible to detect and interpret a considerable amount of particularly significant archaeological marks.
The complete perusal of the late 19th and early 20th century (les on Narce and its territory kept... more The complete perusal of the late 19th and early 20th century (les on Narce and its territory kept in the Documents Archive of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, made it possible to reconstruct a hitherto unpublished season of excavations involving the eastern necropolis of the Faliscan town in the (first two decades of the 20th century. These investigations concerned localities such as Monte Cerreto and Contrada Morgi, already extensively explored by Benedetti between 1890 and 1891 and published in the 1894 volume of the Monumenti Antichi dei Lincei on Narce, but were also an opportunity to investigate areas not considered by o)cial excavations before and with no data so far. Six excavation campaigns were carried out between 1903 and 1918 by private excavators under the careful supervision of government overseers in order to avoid a repetition of the scandals concerning the reliability of the grave goods of a few years earlier. In particular, a comparison between the lists of materials acquired by the State and the contents of a large number of boxes kept in the storerooms of the Museo di Villa Giulia made it possible to identify 10 of the 44 grave goods found by Natale Malavolta in the Monte dei Porcari burial ground during the 1917 excavation campaign, which were included in the Museum’s collection but the correct attribution of which had been lost until now. In the light of the new data emerged, the paper intends to present, on a preliminary basis, some objects from the grave goods identified and to provide some brief insights on the funerary landscape and the definition of the Narce settlement in relation to its necropolises.
Lo strano caso di Francesco Mancinelli Scotti, 2021
Amongst the most important sites that Francesco Mancinelli Scotti explored during his life, Narce... more Amongst the most important sites that Francesco Mancinelli Scotti explored during his life, Narce is certainly the one that led him to his most prominent discoveries as well as to his deepest legal problems. From 1890 to 1904, for almost twenty-!ve years, Mancinelli Scotti returned multiple times to the southernmost Faliscan site. Whether gaining the legal permits to excavate or – more often – acting without any authorization, Mancinelli Scotti worked in different parts of the necropoleis as well as at one of the temples. This chapter presents the chronology of what can be considered the ‘love story’ between Mancinelli Scotti and Narce, trying to locate the actions of the excavator within the larger picture of the multiple excavations that were going on, especially in the southern necropoleis of Narce.
Through the examination of the correspondence of Felice Barnabei held at the Biblioteca Angelica ... more Through the examination of the correspondence of Felice Barnabei held at the Biblioteca Angelica in Rome and a number of documents at the Biblioteca di Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte in Palazzo Venezia, also in Rome, new interesting data has emerged relating to the prospections and excavations conducted in 1892, with the participation of Francesco Mancinelli Scotti, in the territory between the northern shore of Lago di Bracciano and Sutri. The results of these investigations would become the topic of chapters two and three in the volume of the Monumenti Antichi dei Lincei of 1894 on the Narce excavation. The objective, as hypothesized by Felice Barnabei, a central figure in archaeological research in the newly formed Regno d’Italia at the end of the 19th century, is to identify the places of origin of the peoples who had founded Narce and Falerii, the main centres of the Ager faliscus." According to Barnabei, this could only be discovered by «going up the river Treja», which traverses the entire Faliscan territory, intensely excavated in those years as part of the work for the Carta Archeologica d’Italia. This chapter aims to reconstruct the main events and characteristics of this excavation venture, which lasted just under a month, with particular attention to the role played by Mancinelli Scotti in light of a signed letter of July 1892 concerning his preliminary explorations." Furthermore, several reports sent to the Ministry of Education by the “Custode dei Monumenti di Civita Castellana” Giuseppe Magliulo, allow us to reconstruct the progress of the investigations week by week. To these documents is added a manuscript written by Adolfo Cozza on the results of the excavation essays. As a result of this work a quite unexpected image Mancinelli Scotti emerges, involved in this instance in the scientific activity of the Ministry and not as we usually find him, searching for profitable business.
Preistoria e protostoria in Etruria. Atti del quattordicesimo incontro di studi, 2020
Research activities at Marsiliana d’Albegna have been carried out since 2002 by the University of... more Research activities at Marsiliana d’Albegna have been carried out since 2002 by the University of Siena, in collaboration with the SABAP per le Province di Siena, Grosseto e Arezzo and the Manciano municipal government. The diggings have highlighted the comprehensive profile of the inhabited area: test excavations driven on the Poggio del Castello have brought to light the most ancient traces known for the site, dating at least at the Middle Bronze Age. This report wishes to update the ongoing research, concerning the early steps of development of the Etruscan centre.
Impasto bruno orientalizzante (J. Tabolli) 80 Ceramica protocorinzia e corinzia (S. Neri) 91 Cera... more Impasto bruno orientalizzante (J. Tabolli) 80 Ceramica protocorinzia e corinzia (S. Neri) 91 Ceramica attica (L. Pulcinelli) 92 Ceramica etrusco-geometrica (S. Neri) 94 Ceramica etrusco-corinzia (S. Neri) 98 Ceramica depurata acroma (S. Neri) 103 Ceramica a bande (S. Neri) 105 Bucchero (J. Tabolli) 105 Impasto rosso (S. ten Kortenaar) 136 Impasto white on red (S. ten Kortenaar) 160 Impasto rosso bruno (M. Milletti, F. Pitzalis) 161 Impasto chiaro sabbioso (V. Re) 213 Instrumentum domesticum 221 Instrumentum da fuoco, da dispensa e da mensa (C. Predan) Instrumentum tessile (F. Farroni Gallo) Anfore da trasporto (L. Pulcinelli) 259 Ceramica fine di età romana (L. Pulcinelli) 259 Ceramica a vernice nera Sigillata italica Sigillata africana Ceramica a pareti sottili Ceramica a vernice rossa interna Ceramica comune di età romana (L. Pulcinelli) 261 Ceramica da mensa e da dispensa Ceramica da fuoco
Società e pratiche funerarie a Veio. Dalle origini alla conquista romana, 2019
Per informazioni sui precedenti volumi in collana, consultare il sito: www.editricesapienza.it 40... more Per informazioni sui precedenti volumi in collana, consultare il sito: www.editricesapienza.it 40. Human Nature Anima, mente e corpo dall'antichità alle neuroscienze Nunzio Allocca 41. The state of the art of Uralic studies: tradition vs innovation
The importance of ancient Falerii in the panorama of pre-Roman Italy is well known and is to a la... more The importance of ancient Falerii in the panorama of pre-Roman Italy is well known and is to a large extent due to the intensity of the field research carried out on the site over the last 150 years. Following in-depth research on the sacred areas and the necropoleis, in recent years the focus has shifted to the inhabited area, which was laid out on the two hills of Civita Castellana, characterised by a substantial continuity of habitation from the Middle Ages to the present day, and of Vignale, used almost exclusively for agricultural purposes during the same time period. Today Vignale, which stretches over 14 hectares, is almost entirely free of buildings and therefore presents an enviable case study. For this reason, a new research project was launched in 2019 as part of the broader project Giving Voice to a pre-Roman City: Falerii. This new research package aims to resume archaeological investigation on the hill in order to understand the layout of this large sector of the pre-Roman city. This paper presents the research path that has been carried out to date: this includes the re-examination and systematisation of both the published and unpublished existing documents/materials, as well as the results of the most recent fieldwork (multispectral and thermal drone flights, a GPR campaign and a fieldwalking survey). Interestingly, the analysis has highlighted the fact that the use of the plateau was quite diversified. The area appears to have been divided into an eastern portion which, as was previously known, housed one of the main sacred areas of the city and a western portion in which, at least according to the data available, an area used for residential purposes was most likely located. It can be hypothesised that habitation of this sector of the site extended from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, with later phases of used (early Imperial and post-antique), albeit with a particular concentration in the Archaic period. The possibility that the site was abandoned temporarily in the Early Iron Age must be corroborated through fieldwork and an initial excavation campaign to test this hypothesis has now been confirmed for June 2022.
This paper aims to present the application of a new tool for the identification and analysis of c... more This paper aims to present the application of a new tool for the identification and analysis of crop‐marks in archaeological contexts. Multispectral drone remote sensing, which is currently mainly used in agronomic contexts, has been shown to guarantee great advantages and opportunities in the archaeological field, both from an economic and scientific point of view, in identifying the presence of archaeological evidence not visible to the human eye.
The use of multispectral cameras makes it possible to record the electromagnetic response of plants in the field of near infrared waves, allowing for the detection of particular anomalies in the subsoil that prevent the homogeneous growth of vegetation. By processing the data recorded through the use of different vegetation indices, it is possible to distinguish any anomalies related to anthropogenic buried remains.
Drones offers enormous advantages to archaeological practitioners, significantly reducing flight costs, allowing repeated applications of techniques and also the possibility of flying at significantly lower altitudes than aircrafts in order to obtain higher detail images.
The experimental application of this technique on a portion of the Campetti area at the site of the ancient Etruscan center of Veii has shown how, even with a single flight performed slightly later than the ideal time frame for application, it was possible to detect a considerable amount of particularly significant traces from the point of view of the archaeological analysis of the site.
The possibility of integrating this new methodology with different techniques (survey with surface collection of materials, targeted excavation tests, analysis of the subsoil with geophysical investigation methods, use of thermal sensors), alongside precise planning, clearly represents a significant advance in the cognitive potential for archaeological research.
The paper aims to present the various activities carried out at the Etruscan city of Veii by the ... more The paper aims to present the various activities carried out at the Etruscan city of Veii by the équipe of Etruscology and Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy of the Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità of the Sapienza University of Rome. In particular, it provides an updated picture of the 2018-2019 research campaigns. In total, four sectors were investigated during these campaigns (the so-called Edificio Lanciani, and sectors 19, 25, and 26). In the Edificio Lanciani two rooms (E-Q) related to the large villa (4000 mq) built in the late Republican period were excavated. The most relevant outcome of this work can be considered the discovery of walls with a different orientation, suggesting the presence of pre-existing buildings which were part of a different settlement fabric. In sector 19 part of the urban water supply system was brought to light. In particular, a large tank in which a tripartite structure in tufa blocks was built in the Middle Republican period, and a cuniculus equipped with an inspection pit were partially investigated. In the closely interconnected sectors 25 and 26, the excavation focused, on the one hand on the large (about 4 m wide) EW road that connects the edge of the plateau with the main arterial road that crosses it, and on the other hand on the investigation of a massive group of thick layers, which indirectly testifies to the presence of an extremely consistent pottery production (especially bucchero and Etruscan Corinthian wares). In sector 26 the recovered sherds of architectural terracotta fortify the hypothesis of the presence in the area since at least the Archaic period of a sacred context, whose location must however still be identified, while in sector 25 the several thousand misfired bucchero sherds, an extremely interesting test for a decoration in the form of a gorgoneion, alongside an impressive quantity of kiln tools, fully confirm the presence of a production area at Piano di Comunità at least from the late 7th c. BC. The final part of the paper describes the didactic activity and the past and future dissemination paths related to the archaeological mission, and in particular an exhibition at the Museum of Etruscan and Italic Antiquities of the Sapienza University of Rome and the project Veio: lost city. Conservazione, valorizzazione e fruizione del sito archeologico etrusco in collaboration with the Department of Architecture and Project.
This work tries to shed light on the Etruscan geography of the Albegna Valley, starting from the ... more This work tries to shed light on the Etruscan geography of the Albegna Valley, starting from the archaeological profile of Orbetello and considering its possible role of seaport for the nearby centres of Marsiliana d’Albegna and Doganella, under the political influence of Vulci. At the same time, recent discoveries at Marsiliana have highlighted the profile of the centre, lying on a hill system including the Poggio del Castello, the Uliveto di Banditella and a sector of the Poggio di Macchiabuia, defining a large plateau settlement, measuring about 47 hectares. The excavations carried out on the Poggio del Castello have detected intense occupation from Middle Bronze Age up to Final Bronze Age, with a reoccupation in the Orientalizing period; moreover, the suburban area has been investigated through the digging of a Late Archaic monumental building lying on Poggio Alto, named “Casa delle Anfore”. Research in the suburban area has brought to light the emergence of an intense agricultural production promoted by the local communities, including aristocracies and lower classes, who strenghten their role by the end of the 7th century onwards. The foundation of Doganella during the 6th century BC, about 7 km far from Marsiliana, detects the role of such classes in the management of both agricultural production (mainly wine and olives/oil) and trade towards the western Mediterranean coasts. Doganella and Orbetello are therefore eventually identified with the Etruscan polis of Oinaréa, mentioned by Ps. Aristotle inside the De mirabilibus auscultationibus book. The same city could probably match to the centre of *Kamarte, revealed from the late- Archaic stele found at Podere il Bagno nearby Saturnia.
Preistoria e protostoria in Etruria. Atti del tredicesimo incontro di studi, 2018
Il contributo presenta una sintesi dei risultati della campagna di ricerca condotta nel 2015 sul ... more Il contributo presenta una sintesi dei risultati della campagna di ricerca condotta nel 2015 sul Poggio del Castello a Marsiliana d’Albegna, con la conclusione dei saggi di scavo eseguiti dall’Università degli Studi di Siena con la direzione dell’allora Soprintendenza Archeologia della Toscana. Le indagini su questa parte del sito, avviate nel 2013, hanno rivelato un’occupazione protrattasi, con alcune soluzioni di continuità, dalla tarda età del bronzo (BR2) fino all’alto medioevo, con tracce di una più antica frequentazione, risalente già alla fine del Bronzo Medio (BM3). Evidenze riferibili al Bronzo Recente sono state individuate lungo le pendici meridionali del Poggio (Saggi 3-4), prospicienti l’altura contigua di Uliveto di Banditella: si tratta di un allineamento discontinuo di canalette per il drenaggio delle acque, che correva lungo i margini di una terrazza naturale. Un maggior numero di testimonianze sono riconducibili a un momento terminale del Bronzo Finale (BF3), con interventi di ampliamento delle pendici sud-occidentali (Saggi 5-5bis), realizzati alternando scarichi di pietrame a strati con consistenti butti di materiale ceramico, e di alcuni resti di strutture capannicole e due grandi fosse circolari (Saggi 3-4), obliterate con strati di carbone e di cenere alternati a livelli di argilla.
This paper presents the results of the 2015 excavation in the necropolis of Monte Li Santi at the... more This paper presents the results of the 2015 excavation in the necropolis of Monte Li Santi at the Faliscan site of Narce (Mazzano Romano-Calcata), 35 kilometers north of Rome. Our knowledge of the necropolis was based until now mainly on the 1894 publication in the Monumenti Antichi dei Lincei. During the 2015 excavation, three large rock-cut chamber tombs were discovered, unfortunately already looted, together with a series of niches near them, used probably for ritual practices. The most impressive evidence is represented by the largest chamber tomb (Tomb A), which is characterised by a large pillar in the center of the chamber, partially stone carved in the shape of a column. The area facing the tombs corresponded to a large platform, organised around a small altar. Traces of quarrying activities appeared also contemporary to the use of the necropolis. The few undisturbed contexts and the limited number of finds discovered testify to the phase of abandonment of this part of the necropolis, which seems to have taken place at the beginning of the 3rd century B.C.E., probably in relation to the Roman conquest of Narce. Nevertheless, the presence of earlier finds suggests the use of this part of the necropolis especially during the Archaic and Late Archaic periods. The rediscovery of the excavation journal of the necropolis permitted also to gain new insights concerning the 1890 excavation by Francesco Mancinelli Scotti. Combining data from past and present excavations, allowed for a new typology of tomb architecture and a general reconsideration of the mortuary landscape of this necropolis. In the different sections of this paper, the authors discuss the history of the research, the stratigraphy, the finds, the few human remains discovered and the process of restoration and conservation of the finds.
I Falisci attraverso lo specchio. Atti della giornata di studi per festeggiare Maria Anna De Lucia Brolli , 2016
In 2013, after a long struggle against illegal excavations in the area of the Faliscan town
of N... more In 2013, after a long struggle against illegal excavations in the area of the Faliscan town
of Narce, the Municipality of Mazzano Romano and the Archeological Superintendence of
South Etruria inaugurated the Virtual & Archeological Museum of Narce (MAVNA), thanks
to a successful intuition by Maria Anna De Lucia Brolli. This paper presents an overview of the peculiar collection of MAVNA. This collection is divided into two different sections. The first section originates from the ‘collection’ of the local parish of San Nicola di Bari (mostly rescuing vases from the confessions of the tomb looters) and the second one comes from private donations by the local community. The peculiar formation of this collection reflected the heterogeneity of the materials, both in terms of chronology and provenience. The collection consists of nineteen different classes of material, dating from the Late Bronze Age to the 1st century B.C.E. Concerning the chronological distribution of the groups of finds, most of the artefacts can be dated to the 7th, 6th and 5th centuries B.C.E., and a major second group to the 2nd century B.C.E. Regarding the provenience, the largest group of the pottery probably came from the different necropoleis in the southern area of Narce, dating back to the Orientalizing and Archaic period (Monte Lo Greco, Monte Soriano, Monte La Corte and Cavone of Monte Li Santi). On the other hand, a second group of pottery and votives may come from illegal excavations at the sanctuary of Monte Li Santi Le Rote.
7 giugno 2018, Sapienza Università di Roma, Museo dell’Arte Classica (Odeion) P.le Aldo Moro, 5 -... more 7 giugno 2018, Sapienza Università di Roma, Museo dell’Arte Classica (Odeion) P.le Aldo Moro, 5 - Roma. Giornata di studi italo-francese finanziata dall’Ambasciata di Francia in Italia (bando Cassini 2017)
This conference presents the preliminary results of the ongoing excavation and related research a... more This conference presents the preliminary results of the ongoing excavation and related research at the site of San Casciano dei Bagni in Tuscany. Here in 2022 we have uncovered an intact votive deposits with hundreds of bronze ex votes dating between Etruscan and Roman times
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cameras makes it possible to record the spectral response of plants in different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. By processing the images acquired through the use of “vegetation indices”, it is possible to identify the slightest variations in the physiological conditions of the vegetation produced by buried remains and invisible to the human eye. The experimental application of this technique started at Veii in 2017, has shown how it has been possible to identify a considerable amount of crop marks, the careful reading of which has allowed us to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the development of the urban landscape in a large portion of an ancient city.
Our knowledge of the site is mainly based on the excavations of the necropolis carried out between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, which were characterised, amidst scandals, trials and suspicions about the consistency of the grave goods, by the acquisition by the State only of a small part of the recovered artefacts, while the remainder was sold to numerous foreign Museums or dispersed on the antique market. Studies on Narce, which have been systematically resumed since the 1980s, are based on a complex attempt to re-read the entire documentation produced during the excavations, with the aim of recomposing the available evidence and to outline the cultural characteristics of this important centre.
This paper aims to analyse the centrality of the archival documents within the reconstruction of the archaeological data focusing on the eastern burial grounds of the Faliscan town which knowledge, thanks to the systematic perusal of numerous archives, has now profoundly improved. The analysis of the documents has made it possible to recontextualise a nucleus of grave goods kept in the warehouses of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia and the Museo Archeologico dell’Agro Falisco in Civita Castellana, whose correct attribution had been lost, as well as to recover a second tombs group through the examination of the photographic documentation.
traverses the entire Faliscan territory, intensely excavated in those years as part of the work for the Carta Archeologica d’Italia.
This chapter aims to reconstruct the main events and characteristics of this excavation venture, which lasted just under a month, with particular attention to the role played by Mancinelli Scotti in light of a signed letter of July 1892 concerning his preliminary explorations."
Furthermore, several reports sent to the Ministry of Education by the “Custode dei Monumenti di Civita Castellana” Giuseppe Magliulo, allow us to reconstruct the progress of the investigations week by week.
To these documents is added a manuscript written by Adolfo Cozza on the results of the excavation essays. As a result of this work a quite unexpected image Mancinelli Scotti emerges, involved in this instance in the scientific activity of the Ministry and not as we usually find him, searching for profitable business.
Following in-depth research on the sacred areas and the necropoleis, in recent years the focus has shifted to the inhabited area, which was laid out on the two hills of Civita Castellana, characterised by a substantial continuity of habitation from the Middle Ages to the present day, and of Vignale, used almost exclusively for agricultural purposes during the same time period.
Today Vignale, which stretches over 14 hectares, is almost entirely free of buildings and therefore presents an enviable case study. For this reason, a new research project was launched in 2019 as part of the broader project Giving Voice to a pre-Roman City: Falerii. This new research package aims to resume archaeological investigation on the hill in order to understand the layout of this large sector of the pre-Roman city.
This paper presents the research path that has been carried out to date: this includes the re-examination and systematisation of both the published and unpublished existing documents/materials, as well as the results of the most recent fieldwork (multispectral and thermal drone flights, a GPR campaign and a fieldwalking survey).
Interestingly, the analysis has highlighted the fact that the use of the plateau was quite diversified. The area appears to have been divided into an eastern portion which, as was previously known, housed one of the main sacred areas of the city and a western portion in which, at least according to the data available, an area used for residential purposes was most likely located. It can be hypothesised that habitation of this sector of the site extended from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, with later phases of used (early Imperial and post-antique), albeit with a particular concentration in the Archaic period. The possibility that the site was abandoned temporarily in the Early Iron Age must be corroborated through fieldwork and an initial excavation campaign to test this hypothesis has now been confirmed for June 2022.
The use of multispectral cameras makes it possible to record the electromagnetic response of plants in the field of near infrared waves, allowing for the detection of particular anomalies in the subsoil that prevent the homogeneous growth of vegetation. By processing the data recorded through the use of different vegetation indices, it is possible to distinguish any anomalies related to anthropogenic buried remains.
Drones offers enormous advantages to archaeological practitioners, significantly reducing flight costs, allowing repeated applications of techniques and also the possibility of flying at significantly lower altitudes than aircrafts in order to obtain higher detail images.
The experimental application of this technique on a portion of the Campetti area at the site of the ancient Etruscan center of Veii has shown how, even with a single flight performed slightly later than the ideal time frame for application, it was possible to detect a considerable amount of particularly significant traces from the point of view of the archaeological analysis of the site.
The possibility of integrating this new methodology with different techniques (survey with surface collection of materials, targeted excavation tests, analysis of the subsoil with geophysical investigation methods, use of thermal sensors), alongside precise planning, clearly represents a significant advance in the cognitive potential for archaeological research.
In total, four sectors were investigated during these campaigns (the so-called Edificio Lanciani, and sectors 19, 25, and 26).
In the Edificio Lanciani two rooms (E-Q) related to the large villa (4000 mq) built in the late Republican period were excavated. The most relevant outcome of this work can be considered the discovery of walls
with a different orientation, suggesting the presence of pre-existing buildings which were part of a different settlement fabric.
In sector 19 part of the urban water supply system was brought to light. In particular, a large tank in which a tripartite structure in tufa blocks was built in the Middle Republican period, and a cuniculus equipped with
an inspection pit were partially investigated.
In the closely interconnected sectors 25 and 26, the excavation focused, on the one hand on the large (about 4 m wide) EW road that connects the edge of the plateau with the main arterial road that crosses it, and on
the other hand on the investigation of a massive group of thick layers, which indirectly testifies to the presence of an extremely consistent pottery production (especially bucchero and Etruscan Corinthian wares).
In sector 26 the recovered sherds of architectural terracotta fortify the hypothesis of the presence in the area since at least the Archaic period of a sacred context, whose location must however still be identified, while in sector 25 the several thousand misfired bucchero sherds, an extremely interesting test for a decoration in the form of a gorgoneion, alongside an impressive quantity of kiln tools, fully confirm the presence of a production area at Piano di Comunità at least from the late 7th c. BC.
The final part of the paper describes the didactic activity and the past and future dissemination paths related to the archaeological mission, and in particular an exhibition at the Museum of Etruscan and Italic Antiquities of the Sapienza University of Rome and the project Veio: lost city. Conservazione, valorizzazione e fruizione del sito archeologico etrusco in collaboration with the Department of Architecture and Project.
profile of Orbetello and considering its possible role of seaport for the nearby centres of Marsiliana d’Albegna
and Doganella, under the political influence of Vulci. At the same time, recent discoveries at Marsiliana have
highlighted the profile of the centre, lying on a hill system including the Poggio del Castello, the Uliveto di
Banditella and a sector of the Poggio di Macchiabuia, defining a large plateau settlement, measuring about 47
hectares. The excavations carried out on the Poggio del Castello have detected intense occupation from Middle
Bronze Age up to Final Bronze Age, with a reoccupation in the Orientalizing period; moreover, the suburban area
has been investigated through the digging of a Late Archaic monumental building lying on Poggio Alto, named
“Casa delle Anfore”. Research in the suburban area has brought to light the emergence of an intense agricultural
production promoted by the local communities, including aristocracies and lower classes, who strenghten their
role by the end of the 7th century onwards. The foundation of Doganella during the 6th century BC, about 7 km far
from Marsiliana, detects the role of such classes in the management of both agricultural production (mainly wine
and olives/oil) and trade towards the western Mediterranean coasts. Doganella and Orbetello are therefore
eventually identified with the Etruscan polis of Oinaréa, mentioned by Ps. Aristotle inside the De mirabilibus
auscultationibus book. The same city could probably match to the centre of *Kamarte, revealed from the late-
Archaic stele found at Podere il Bagno nearby Saturnia.
Le indagini su questa parte del sito, avviate nel 2013, hanno rivelato un’occupazione protrattasi, con alcune soluzioni di continuità, dalla tarda età del bronzo (BR2) fino all’alto medioevo, con tracce di una più antica frequentazione, risalente già alla fine del Bronzo Medio (BM3). Evidenze riferibili al Bronzo Recente sono state individuate lungo le pendici meridionali del Poggio (Saggi 3-4), prospicienti l’altura contigua di Uliveto di Banditella: si tratta di un allineamento discontinuo di canalette per il drenaggio delle acque, che correva lungo i margini di una terrazza naturale. Un maggior numero di testimonianze sono riconducibili a un momento terminale del Bronzo Finale (BF3), con interventi di ampliamento delle pendici sud-occidentali (Saggi 5-5bis), realizzati alternando scarichi di pietrame a strati con consistenti butti di materiale ceramico, e di alcuni resti di strutture capannicole e due grandi fosse circolari (Saggi 3-4), obliterate con strati di carbone e di cenere alternati a livelli di argilla.
cameras makes it possible to record the spectral response of plants in different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. By processing the images acquired through the use of “vegetation indices”, it is possible to identify the slightest variations in the physiological conditions of the vegetation produced by buried remains and invisible to the human eye. The experimental application of this technique started at Veii in 2017, has shown how it has been possible to identify a considerable amount of crop marks, the careful reading of which has allowed us to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the development of the urban landscape in a large portion of an ancient city.
Our knowledge of the site is mainly based on the excavations of the necropolis carried out between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, which were characterised, amidst scandals, trials and suspicions about the consistency of the grave goods, by the acquisition by the State only of a small part of the recovered artefacts, while the remainder was sold to numerous foreign Museums or dispersed on the antique market. Studies on Narce, which have been systematically resumed since the 1980s, are based on a complex attempt to re-read the entire documentation produced during the excavations, with the aim of recomposing the available evidence and to outline the cultural characteristics of this important centre.
This paper aims to analyse the centrality of the archival documents within the reconstruction of the archaeological data focusing on the eastern burial grounds of the Faliscan town which knowledge, thanks to the systematic perusal of numerous archives, has now profoundly improved. The analysis of the documents has made it possible to recontextualise a nucleus of grave goods kept in the warehouses of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia and the Museo Archeologico dell’Agro Falisco in Civita Castellana, whose correct attribution had been lost, as well as to recover a second tombs group through the examination of the photographic documentation.
traverses the entire Faliscan territory, intensely excavated in those years as part of the work for the Carta Archeologica d’Italia.
This chapter aims to reconstruct the main events and characteristics of this excavation venture, which lasted just under a month, with particular attention to the role played by Mancinelli Scotti in light of a signed letter of July 1892 concerning his preliminary explorations."
Furthermore, several reports sent to the Ministry of Education by the “Custode dei Monumenti di Civita Castellana” Giuseppe Magliulo, allow us to reconstruct the progress of the investigations week by week.
To these documents is added a manuscript written by Adolfo Cozza on the results of the excavation essays. As a result of this work a quite unexpected image Mancinelli Scotti emerges, involved in this instance in the scientific activity of the Ministry and not as we usually find him, searching for profitable business.
Following in-depth research on the sacred areas and the necropoleis, in recent years the focus has shifted to the inhabited area, which was laid out on the two hills of Civita Castellana, characterised by a substantial continuity of habitation from the Middle Ages to the present day, and of Vignale, used almost exclusively for agricultural purposes during the same time period.
Today Vignale, which stretches over 14 hectares, is almost entirely free of buildings and therefore presents an enviable case study. For this reason, a new research project was launched in 2019 as part of the broader project Giving Voice to a pre-Roman City: Falerii. This new research package aims to resume archaeological investigation on the hill in order to understand the layout of this large sector of the pre-Roman city.
This paper presents the research path that has been carried out to date: this includes the re-examination and systematisation of both the published and unpublished existing documents/materials, as well as the results of the most recent fieldwork (multispectral and thermal drone flights, a GPR campaign and a fieldwalking survey).
Interestingly, the analysis has highlighted the fact that the use of the plateau was quite diversified. The area appears to have been divided into an eastern portion which, as was previously known, housed one of the main sacred areas of the city and a western portion in which, at least according to the data available, an area used for residential purposes was most likely located. It can be hypothesised that habitation of this sector of the site extended from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, with later phases of used (early Imperial and post-antique), albeit with a particular concentration in the Archaic period. The possibility that the site was abandoned temporarily in the Early Iron Age must be corroborated through fieldwork and an initial excavation campaign to test this hypothesis has now been confirmed for June 2022.
The use of multispectral cameras makes it possible to record the electromagnetic response of plants in the field of near infrared waves, allowing for the detection of particular anomalies in the subsoil that prevent the homogeneous growth of vegetation. By processing the data recorded through the use of different vegetation indices, it is possible to distinguish any anomalies related to anthropogenic buried remains.
Drones offers enormous advantages to archaeological practitioners, significantly reducing flight costs, allowing repeated applications of techniques and also the possibility of flying at significantly lower altitudes than aircrafts in order to obtain higher detail images.
The experimental application of this technique on a portion of the Campetti area at the site of the ancient Etruscan center of Veii has shown how, even with a single flight performed slightly later than the ideal time frame for application, it was possible to detect a considerable amount of particularly significant traces from the point of view of the archaeological analysis of the site.
The possibility of integrating this new methodology with different techniques (survey with surface collection of materials, targeted excavation tests, analysis of the subsoil with geophysical investigation methods, use of thermal sensors), alongside precise planning, clearly represents a significant advance in the cognitive potential for archaeological research.
In total, four sectors were investigated during these campaigns (the so-called Edificio Lanciani, and sectors 19, 25, and 26).
In the Edificio Lanciani two rooms (E-Q) related to the large villa (4000 mq) built in the late Republican period were excavated. The most relevant outcome of this work can be considered the discovery of walls
with a different orientation, suggesting the presence of pre-existing buildings which were part of a different settlement fabric.
In sector 19 part of the urban water supply system was brought to light. In particular, a large tank in which a tripartite structure in tufa blocks was built in the Middle Republican period, and a cuniculus equipped with
an inspection pit were partially investigated.
In the closely interconnected sectors 25 and 26, the excavation focused, on the one hand on the large (about 4 m wide) EW road that connects the edge of the plateau with the main arterial road that crosses it, and on
the other hand on the investigation of a massive group of thick layers, which indirectly testifies to the presence of an extremely consistent pottery production (especially bucchero and Etruscan Corinthian wares).
In sector 26 the recovered sherds of architectural terracotta fortify the hypothesis of the presence in the area since at least the Archaic period of a sacred context, whose location must however still be identified, while in sector 25 the several thousand misfired bucchero sherds, an extremely interesting test for a decoration in the form of a gorgoneion, alongside an impressive quantity of kiln tools, fully confirm the presence of a production area at Piano di Comunità at least from the late 7th c. BC.
The final part of the paper describes the didactic activity and the past and future dissemination paths related to the archaeological mission, and in particular an exhibition at the Museum of Etruscan and Italic Antiquities of the Sapienza University of Rome and the project Veio: lost city. Conservazione, valorizzazione e fruizione del sito archeologico etrusco in collaboration with the Department of Architecture and Project.
profile of Orbetello and considering its possible role of seaport for the nearby centres of Marsiliana d’Albegna
and Doganella, under the political influence of Vulci. At the same time, recent discoveries at Marsiliana have
highlighted the profile of the centre, lying on a hill system including the Poggio del Castello, the Uliveto di
Banditella and a sector of the Poggio di Macchiabuia, defining a large plateau settlement, measuring about 47
hectares. The excavations carried out on the Poggio del Castello have detected intense occupation from Middle
Bronze Age up to Final Bronze Age, with a reoccupation in the Orientalizing period; moreover, the suburban area
has been investigated through the digging of a Late Archaic monumental building lying on Poggio Alto, named
“Casa delle Anfore”. Research in the suburban area has brought to light the emergence of an intense agricultural
production promoted by the local communities, including aristocracies and lower classes, who strenghten their
role by the end of the 7th century onwards. The foundation of Doganella during the 6th century BC, about 7 km far
from Marsiliana, detects the role of such classes in the management of both agricultural production (mainly wine
and olives/oil) and trade towards the western Mediterranean coasts. Doganella and Orbetello are therefore
eventually identified with the Etruscan polis of Oinaréa, mentioned by Ps. Aristotle inside the De mirabilibus
auscultationibus book. The same city could probably match to the centre of *Kamarte, revealed from the late-
Archaic stele found at Podere il Bagno nearby Saturnia.
Le indagini su questa parte del sito, avviate nel 2013, hanno rivelato un’occupazione protrattasi, con alcune soluzioni di continuità, dalla tarda età del bronzo (BR2) fino all’alto medioevo, con tracce di una più antica frequentazione, risalente già alla fine del Bronzo Medio (BM3). Evidenze riferibili al Bronzo Recente sono state individuate lungo le pendici meridionali del Poggio (Saggi 3-4), prospicienti l’altura contigua di Uliveto di Banditella: si tratta di un allineamento discontinuo di canalette per il drenaggio delle acque, che correva lungo i margini di una terrazza naturale. Un maggior numero di testimonianze sono riconducibili a un momento terminale del Bronzo Finale (BF3), con interventi di ampliamento delle pendici sud-occidentali (Saggi 5-5bis), realizzati alternando scarichi di pietrame a strati con consistenti butti di materiale ceramico, e di alcuni resti di strutture capannicole e due grandi fosse circolari (Saggi 3-4), obliterate con strati di carbone e di cenere alternati a livelli di argilla.
of Narce, the Municipality of Mazzano Romano and the Archeological Superintendence of
South Etruria inaugurated the Virtual & Archeological Museum of Narce (MAVNA), thanks
to a successful intuition by Maria Anna De Lucia Brolli. This paper presents an overview of the peculiar collection of MAVNA. This collection is divided into two different sections. The first section originates from the ‘collection’ of the local parish of San Nicola di Bari (mostly rescuing vases from the confessions of the tomb looters) and the second one comes from private donations by the local community. The peculiar formation of this collection reflected the heterogeneity of the materials, both in terms of chronology and provenience. The collection consists of nineteen different classes of material, dating from the Late Bronze Age to the 1st century B.C.E. Concerning the chronological distribution of the groups of finds, most of the artefacts can be dated to the 7th, 6th and 5th centuries B.C.E., and a major second group to the 2nd century B.C.E. Regarding the provenience, the largest group of the pottery probably came from the different necropoleis in the southern area of Narce, dating back to the Orientalizing and Archaic period (Monte Lo Greco, Monte Soriano, Monte La Corte and Cavone of Monte Li Santi). On the other hand, a second group of pottery and votives may come from illegal excavations at the sanctuary of Monte Li Santi Le Rote.
Giornata di studi italo-francese finanziata dall’Ambasciata di Francia in Italia (bando Cassini 2017)