The typology called “secondary settlement” groups together all centralized settlements that are developed in the imperial period. A vague definition, which often creates confusion on interpretation; the best one is probably the definition...
moreThe typology called “secondary settlement” groups together all centralized settlements that are developed in the imperial period. A vague definition, which often creates confusion on interpretation; the best one is probably the definition of Corbier, which, referring to the Gallo-Roman vici says that are "Villages that live with exploitation of the territory, but not necessarily with only agriculture." The study of this type of settlement has an important tradition in European literature, while in Italy, only in recent years, are developing research on vici, mansiones, mutationes, ports.
We cataloged 1,829 sites living between I and V century in the studied districts (Grosseto, Siena, Arezzo); we have 301 farms, 174 villas and 42 mansions, villages or ports. The life-continuity of these settlements represents the first remarkable data: if necropolis and generic settlements barely exceed a century of life, the scattered settlement comes to 2,26 centuries, the villas in 3,48 and secondary settlements reaches 3,83 centuries of life.
If it is obvious to assume that the close relationship with a Roman road would offer economic advantages, we can assume that a similar thing could happen with the rivers.
In southern Tuscany, 63% of secondary settlements are less than 2 km from a Roman road or a large watercourse compared to 54% of scattered houses and 51% of the villas, below 50% for other sites.
An additional point of view is a systematic catalog of ceramic materials imported in Tuscany: there is a strong majority of the claims in the cities and along the coastline. If the Siena District is characterized by some findings, the Arezzo area is even poorer (we find Gallic, Iberian, African or Oriental production in Arezzo and in Cincelli and Ossaia villas) and are linked to Adriatic market flows.
Is interesting to note that between the first and the mid-third century there are more villas, than the secondary settlements to attract productions from the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. This trend begins to change in the second half of the third century , finally reversed in the sixth century.
As indicated by the “Modello Toscano”, the sixth century is the breaking point for settlement of the region: secondary settlements, as noted, have had a prominent role in the rural areas, go on to a recession.
The diffusion of the imported pottery in the topic area, is characterized by a stream that goes from the Tyrrhenian coast to the hinterland; as mentioned above, we could see the gathering of such materials in coastal areas and a progressive thinning proceeding towards the hinterland. Although this physiological easing of imports, we can observe focal areas of goods near precise zones. These three attractive elements are the Val d'Arno in the district of Arezzo, the Ombrone river and the road from Siena to Populonia in the districts of Grosseto and Siena.
All the items collected could be summarized in the history of Santa Cristina in Caio. The vicus was founded probably in the first century BC in the Ombrone valley. Santa Cristina grows in the middle of a territory characterized by farms and some villas and should be a kind of central place, a site of gathering and sorting of agricultural production, handicraft activities and market.
The investigations have shown manufacturing area that develops from the first century BC to the fifth century AD: this was characterized by the production of thin-walled pottery, lamps (whose production continues until the second century), roof tiles and bricks, amphorae, antefixes.
The excavation, began in 2009 and directed by Prof. Marco Valenti (University of Siena), has allowed us to find a thermal implant that was founded in the late first century BC, abandoned by the middle of the fourth century AD and then re-used, first as a source of building materials, and ultimately as settlement during the Early Middle Ages. On the nearby Poggio alle Fonti, where among the first century BC and the first century A.D. was located the ceramics production area of thin-walled pottery, it was built (during the third century) a semi-circular structure, whose function is not yet clear.
As for the spolio of the Roman baths, what little material culture pertaining to this phase, in addition to an absence of areas used for housing for the workers, let us to think that such activities have been conducted in a systematic way, but for a very limited period of time. A study of the pottery of this phase has confirmed this hypothesis, being that the claims are mainly concentrated between the end of fourth and the early years of the fifth century.
Later on the thermal structure ruins was built three houses in mixed techniques, which exploit the perimeter of the rooms or building walls with recycled materials.
Next to this functional discontinuity, we will, however, observes a certain continuity in space planning, given that the new houses respect the planimetric scheme of previous building, in addition to a continuation (although recessive compared to the previous period) of metallurgical activities. On Poggio alle Fonti the excavation has identified a building similar to those built on Roman baths, which was perhaps the workshop of a blacksmith.
By the sixth century there has been a significant change in the settlement: we identify a village of huts which will continue to be inhabited until the beginning of the eighth century. The economy of this settlement appears to be characterized by agriculture and livestock activities. The artisan production seems to disappear completely, like all commercial activities of import/export that characterized the economy of Santa Cristina, continuously, from the first century BC until the fifth century AD.
From the sixth century, on the hill of Poggio alle Fonti there is a cemetery. Between the four depositional phases we find even two grubenhaus, accompanied in both cases by two large external granary pits. The village, at least in this area, is comparable to Povegliano Veronese (Ortaia), where the huts are mixed with the cemetery area. Towards the end of the sixth century the huts are abandoned, and continue the use of the cemetery, perhaps with the church of Santa Cristina in Caio, mentioned for the first time in a Diploma of Louis the Pious in 814.
The developments of the settlement are the Ombrone river and the road that connected the Vicus with the towns of Chiusi and Siena. Within an agricultural landscape, peripheral to the city, like the valleys of the Arbia, the Ombrone and Orcia should be, the role of central place which was played by the site of Santa Cristina. If in the middle of the sixth century was built a church in the Ombrone valley, the village of huts would have still had a productive role in the landscape.
The real crisis of these types of settlements would be seen during the late sixth century, possibly with the Lombard conquest of Tuscany.
With the end of the commercial benefits (roads, rivers, extensive agriculture) these types of settlements lose their functions: a special case are the settlements where the church was built between the V and VII centuries. This is the case of San Genesio, who had a more significant development in early middle ages compared Roman age and, probably, also of Santa Cristina.
