Populonia

At Populonia, a coastal settlement in Tyrrhenian Etruria, a joint study has been launched that looks at quarries of stone, particularly calcareous sandstone, and the buildings in which it was used, as part of a plan to reconstruct the production processes of ornamental and building stone and, in parallel, to understand their economic and social value for the urban community. Various methodologies were tested and integrated, particularly for the study of quarries, in order to reconstruct the organization of the extraction process and to make possible the comparison with the built environment: stratigraphic excavation, bi- and three-dimensional survey, cataloguing of quarrying traces, geophysical survey (seismic refraction), and mineralogical and petrographic analyses. Although calcareous sandstone has been used in squared blocks since at least the Orientalizing period (mid-seventh century BC) in upper class funerary buildings, a study of the traces of extraction in the Buche delle Fate quarry made it possible to identify the technical background of the workers and the procedures for extracting the blocks, datable to the reconstruction of the acropolis of Populonia between the late third to mid second century BC. Archaeometrical analyses allowed the stone material samples taken from buildings to be related with different quarry areas, revealing itself as the most reliable method for tracking the supply points of the calcareous sandstone for individual construction sites.

This paper presents a chemical characterization by means of WDXRF and mineralogical characterization by means of XRD of 21 individuals of black gloss pottery from the excavations on the acropolis of Populonia. The results shed new light on the circulation of pottery to this major urban centre in North Etruria during the Roman Republican period, while they also suggest the likelihood of local manufacture. In particular, we identify at Populonia four different black gloss productions that can be archaeometrically defined as Campanian A, Volterra, Etrusco-Latial 1 and a possible local production of ceramics belonging to the Petites Estampilles Group, active in the late fourth and third centuries BCE. Once thought to be a workshop located at Rome itself, this class is now understood as a diffuse network of workshops located in South Etruria and Latium producing pottery of similar technology and style. The present study potentially extends the map of its production to North Etruria in a region at that time newly incorporated into the expanding Roman Republican empire.

Una recente fotografia satellitare, disponibile in rete, mostra, nei pressi della località Il Frassine (Monterotondo Marittimo, GR) la presenza nel sottosuolo di tracce di antiche strutture che, per la loro pianta, ricordano edifici di età etrusca e romana. Sulla base delle indicazioni fornite dalla Tabula Peutingeriana, gli autori affermano che potrebbe trattarsi  dei resti della Aquae Populoniae, la cui esatta localizzazione è stata oggetto di numerose ipotesi da parte degli studiosi a partire dal XVIII secolo.

The hilltop fortress represents a distinct type of settlement around Populonia, characterizing to a significant degree the settlement pattern of the territory of the polis in the Classical and Hellenistic periods.
This type of site would have come about in response to an imminent military threat or to the various phases of imperial expansion, particularly on the part of the Romans. These fortifications were often
abandoned after such threats had passed, but while in use they constituted a network of constant and widespread surveillance both around Populonia and on the island of Elba. Hence, aside from exhibiting close typological and functional characteristics, these fortified settlements constituted a well structured system that exercised control over their respective areas as well as the mineral, agricultural, maritime resources within the territory of the polis.

"Résumé – Cuciurpula constitue, à près de 1000 m d’altitude, un regroupement d’environ 35 structures reconnues pour la plupart comme des habitations. Sa fouille programmée, menée depuis 2008, a permis d’étudier l’intégralité de la maison 1, une partie de la maison 3 et un abri-sous-roche. La chronologie du gisement s’étale sur le premier âge du Fer, probablement du VIIIe siècle pour les niveaux précédant la construction de la maison 1, au début du VIe siècle pour les aménagements les plus récents de cette même structure. Le contexte d’étude est donc indigène précolonial. Les fouilles de la maison 1 ont permis de documenter de façon satisfaisante l’aspect primitif des élévations grâce à la reconnaissance de plusieurs réseaux de poteaux porteurs. Elles ont aussi permis d’aborder le domaine de l’organisation domestique du VIIe siècle avec, d’une part, un équipement domestique immobilier (foyer, siège, four, sols construits, seuil) et mobilier (vaisselle de faciès Nuciaresa, indices de métallurgie locale du bronze et du fer, matériel de meunerie) particulièrement bien préservé et, de l’autre, les vestiges d’activités du quotidien spatialement discriminées. Au-delà des considérations architecturales, l’excavation de la tranchée d’implantation de la structure a livré un dépôt de fondation qui évoque certaines pratiques religieuses. Les analyses anthracologiques préliminaires réalisées dans ce contexte permettent de reconstituer un paysage globalement ouvert ponctué de zones agropastorales (céréaliculture et élevage extensif) et de friches exploitées pour le petit bois de feu alors que la partie sommitale du gisement semble occupée par un massif arboricole.

Abstract – At an altitude of nearly 1,000 m, Cuciurpula includes approximately 35 structures mostly identified as dwellings. House 1 as a whole, as well as part of house 3 and a rock shelter were studied in the planned excavation of this site, carried out since 2008. The chronology of the deposits covers the first Iron Age, probably from the 8th century as regards the levels prior to the construction of house 1, to the beginning of the 6th century a regards the more recent developments of this same structure. The study is thus based in a pre-colonial indigenous context. The excavation of house 1 provided suitable information about the primitive aspect of the elevations thanks to the identification of several networks of load-bearing columns. The issue of domestic organisation in the 7th century was thereby also addressed, with domestic household (hearth, seat, oven, built flooring, doorstep) and furniture (Nuciaresa-type tableware, evidence of local bronze and iron metallurgy, milling machinery) equipment particularly well preserved, on the one hand, and spatially distinguished remains of daily activities, on the other hand. In addition to architectural considerations, the excavation of the structure’s settlement trench disclosed a foundation deposit suggesting religious practices. The preliminary anthracological analyses carried out in this context allow to reconstruct a largely open landscape with scattered agro-pastoral areas (cereal farming and extensive stockbreeding) and fallow land used for kindling wood, whereas the top part of the deposits appears to be covered in an arboricultural plot.

Riassunto – L’insediamento di Cuciurpula, posto a 1000 metri di altitudine, è costituito da un nucleo di circa 35 strutture interpretabili come capanne. Lo scavo, iniziato nel 2008, ha interessato l’intera superficie della capanna 1, una parte della capanna 3 e un riparo sotto roccia. Il sito è databile alla prima età del Ferro, dall’ottavo secolo degli strati precedenti l’impianto della capanna 1, agli inizi del sesto secolo delle fasi più recenti di questa stessa struttura. Il contesto in studio è quindi indigeno e precoloniale. Lo scavo della capanna 1 ha permesso di ricostruire con certezza l’aspetto originario dell’alzato e del tetto, grazie alla scoperta di numerosi buchi di palo e ha inoltre fornito informazioni sull’organizzazione domestica del settimo secolo, sia attraverso l’indagine di elementi strutturali (focolare, sedile, forno, battuti pavimentali, soglia) e il recupero di materiali (vasellame tipico della facies Nuciaresa, indizi di metallurgia locale del bronzo e del ferro) particolarmente ben conservati, sia attraverso l’individuazione di tracce di attività artigianali espletate in aree specificatamente adibite allo scopo. Oltre a informazioni di carattere architettonico, lo scavo della fossa di fondazione della capanna ha consentito di individuare un deposito rituale che evoca pratiche religiose. I risultati preliminari delle analisi antracologiche mostrano un paesaggio globalmente aperto incentrato su zone a destinazione agropastorale e aree boschive sfruttate per la raccolta di legname da ardere o da costruzione."

Le ricerche sistematiche che si sono svolte a Populonia negli ultimi decenni
hanno chiarito notevolmente la ricostruzione storica della città e del suo territorio,
dalla sua formazione fino all’epoca medievale, delineando progressivamente
un quadro sempre più nitido e solido dal punto di vista documentario.
Ciò nonostante, persistono ancora molte incertezze. Una delle fasi più ambigue
e controverse rimane senza dubbio quella corrispondente al passaggio dall’Orientalizzante
al periodo arcaico, quando una netta cesura si manifesta con
particolare evidenza sull’acropoli e soprattutto sulla terrazza sommitale di
Poggio del Telegrafo, dove sembrerebbe scomparire qualsiasi traccia di frequentazione
almeno fino alla fine del IV-inizi del III secolo a.C.

Between 2004 and 2011 the Archaeological Superintendence of Tuscany 1 investigated a portion
of the Fonte San Cerbone Etruscan necropolis in the Baratti Gulf, Populonia. The excavation
revealed a continuous frequentation of the cemetery from the 9th to the end of 4th century B.C., when,
after a period of abandonment, the area was occupied by production activities. The over eighty contexts
brought to light are characterized, especially in the earlier phases, by a great variety, in terms
of both the rituals and burial structures. The grave goods, never excellent, include objects from the
Tyrrhenian area, the Greek World and the Eastern Mediterranean. The paper focuses on the phase
after 540 B.C., when this part of the necropolis underwent radical restructuring, implying a generalized
use of the panchina sarcophagus, but which nevertheless respected certain cult structures,
including three circular altars and one rectangular, in use since the end of the 9th century B.C.,
where worship continued much longer. The perfect preservation of ancient life levels, the variety
and articulation of contexts, the heterogeneous finds and especially the careful documentation of
rituals helped enhance our knowledge of the Etruscan city and its role in Upper Tyrrhenian traffic.