C. Colombi, The Necropolis of Vetulonia during the Orientalizing Period. A Research Project, in: A....

THE NECROPOLIS OF VETULONIA DURING THE ORIENTALIZING PERIOD; A RESEARCH PROJECT1

Camilla Colombi

Introduction

The cemetery of Vetulonia was excavated mainly in the late 19th and early 20th century and is considered one of the most important of the Etruscan Orientalizing period. Nevertheless, this necropolis was, until recently, mostly known thanks to the book by Isidoro Falchi Vetulonia e la sua necropoli antichissima, dating back to 1891. While single object classes and single grave complexes have been examined extensively,2 a general study of the discoveries in the whole necropolis has yet to be conducted.3 A number of studies examine the most relevant findings from Vetulonia, even though the cohesion and composition of the grave assemblages have not been confirmed so far. There are two possible reasons for this lack of investigation: firstly, the apparently chaotic situation of the original docu-mentation and, secondly, the damages caused by the flood that inundated Florence and the National Archaeological Museum in 1966, damaging es-pecially the Etruscan collection, which was exhibited on the ground floor.4 Despite the huge restoration work following this tragic incident, some Vetulonian grave assemblages remain unrestored up to this day.5

1. [email protected]. This paper presents the doctoral project of the au-thor, currently in progress at the University of Basel under the supervision of Prof. M. A. Guggisberg and Prof. A. Maggiani. I am very grateful to dott. M. Cygielman and the Soprindentenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana for giving me the possibility to study this interesting aspect of the Vetulonian history.

2. Benedetti 1959; Benedetti 1960; Camporeale 2000; Camporeale 1967; Cygielman in Bruni 1994: 82-102; Cygielman and Pagnini 2006; Dei 1996; Gregori 1991; Naldi Vinattieri 1957. Cf. also the exhibition catalogues Bartoloni et al. 2000: cat. 100-06, 128-85, 246-49, 261, 263, 278, 281, 373-87, 391, 413, 433; Camporeale 1985: 70-74, cat. 156-239; Cygielman 1987: 175-216; Cygielman and Rafanelli 2002; Cygielman and Rafanelli 2004; Cygielman, Palmieri and Rafanelli 2005.

3. Cf. lastly Cygielman and Pagnini 2006, 11, note 2.4. For the history of the Archaeological Museum in Florence cf. Romualdi in Torelli

2000:515-21.5. Almost all Villanovan and Orientalizing objects from Vetulonia were reorganized

andpartly re-inventoried after the flood. The Villanovan corredi were verified with the docu-mentation and old museums lists and the findings from the Orientalizing graves werereor-reor-dered by dott.ssa Lucia Pagnini.

2 CAMILLA COLOMBI

The aim of the current research project is therefore to evaluate first the original documentation of the 19th and early 20th century excavations in order to verify the grave assemblages of the individual burials and to re-construct a topographical map of the necropolis. The second aim is to establish the typology of fibulae and ceramic vessels in order to position the graves chronologically. Thirdly and finally, the development of the cemetery as a whole shall be analysed, addressing several questions: how did the location of the burials develop through time? Are the graves organ-ised in groups, and how? What is the composition of the corredi? How are the grave goods distributed with regard to status and gender, and can we trace a specific development or pattern? Is such an analysis even possible for a cemetery that has not been excavated with modern techniques?

The discovery of Vetulonia and the history of the excavations

Vetulonia is located in northern Etruria, in today’s Maremma region in southern Tuscany. Both the ancient settlement and the modern village are located a on a hill, approximately 340 metres high (fig. 1).6 The northern, western and southern slopes of the Vetulonian mound have a steep inclina-tion. On these hillsides, flat areas are almost absent, with the exception of Colle Broncio. On the foothills, some narrow hills emerge (Poggio Valli, Cerrecchio). The shape of the north-eastern and eastern side of the mound

6. The whole Vetulonian mound or hill has a footprint of ca. 4 by 3 kilometers; the part of the mound with archaeological remains known to me comprises an area of ca. 380 hectares. An exact calculation remains difficult because of the irregular shape of settlement and necropolis and the differences in heights.

Fig. 1 View of the Vetulonian mound from the southeast (photo: C. Colombi).

3THE NECROPOLIS OF VETULONIA

appears to be different: the slope descends more gently and forms several narrow hills and planes. The main road, which enabled access to the settle-ment, was probably located on this side of the mound, as are the majority of the known graves of the necropolis. The mining region of Colline Metallifere is located to the north of the settlement and directly linked to it through the river Bruna. To the south, the ancient settlement dominated a large lake or bay, called Lacus Prelius in Roman times, linking Vetulonia directly to the sea –ca. 15 km from the settlement hill. Probably due to changes in the course of the river Ombrone, the bay began to shrink and became a marsh in late antiquity.7 During the early Middle Age, not only the lake, but also the city and its name disappeared; a medieval village emerged on the Vetulonian hill and was called Colonna. The Etruscan city of Vetulonia, mentioned in sources dating from Roman times,8 was strenuously searched for and rediscovered only in the late 19th century by Isidoro Falchi – a local doctor and enthusi-astic amateur archaeologist.9 As Ispettore degli scavi of the Ministero della pubblica istruzione10, Falchi conducted several archaeological excavations on the settlement and the cemetery, from 1882 until his death in 1914, leaving behind a large number of unpublished documents. He discovered hundreds of Villanovan burials, rich Orientalizing graves and the remains of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman city.11 The vast majority of the finds were brought to the National Archaeological Museum in Florence, where they are still preserved.12 Until 1900 Falchi promptly published his results in the peri-odical Notizie degli Scavi13 and also tried to summarize and analyze his

7. After several drainings, which were started during the 18th century, the marsh was turned into the fertile Grosseto plain. On the geological characteristics of the Vetulonian region and the dimension and development of the Lacus Prelius cf. Citter and Arnoldus Huyzendveld 2007: 41-62; Curri 1978: 24-51.

8. Mentions of Archaic Vetulonia in Sil. 7.484-489; D.H. 3.51.4; Plin. Nat. 2.106.9. For Isidoro Falchi cf. Bruni 1994. For the history of discovery and the controversy

aboutthe localisation of Vetulonia cf. Bruni in Bruni 1994: 39-58; Delpino in Bruni 1994: 109-26; Cygielman 1989: 139-40.

10. For the history of the cultural institutions after the Italian unification cf. Musacchio 1994: in particular 61-63 on the figure of the ispettore; Bencivenni, Dalla Negra and Grifoni 1987.

11. On the remains of the settlement cf. Cygielman 1989: 111-39; Cygielman 2002; Renzetti 1951. On the settlement and cemetery in Archaic and Classical times cf. Giuntoli 1997.

12. Part of the findings is now exhibited at the Museo archeologico e d’arte della Maremma in Grosseto and the Museo Civico “Isidoro Falchi” in Vetulonia.

13. Reports published in Notizie degli Scavi 1885, 1887, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1898, 1900, 1908 and 1913.

4 CAMILLA COLOMBI

excavations in his book Vetulonia e la sua necropoli antichissima, pub-lished in 1891. After Falchi’s discoveries, the village of Colonna was re-named as Vetulonia by decree of the Italian king.14

At the same time, in the 1880s, a local family started diggings on their land in an area called Colle Baroncio, uncovering a large Villanovan cem-etery and later burials. The finds were however not ordered according to their specific grave context.15 Some of the objects found there were later donated to the Museo di Archeologia e Arte della Maremma in Grosseto.

14. Cygielman 2000: 16. 15. Despite the presence of ispettori, it was in fact still possible for private individu-

als to excavate archaeological remains buried on their respective properties until 1909, cf. Musacchio 1994: 16-19. For the situation in Toscana cf. Musacchio 1994: 35-42.

Fig. 2 List of the findings from the Circolo di Bes, Poggio alla Guardia 1890 (extract). Archivio Storico della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana (image: C. Colombi).


In more recent times, only few investigations of the necropolis have been undertaken: in the 1950s and 1960s some burials and a wider cem-etery area called Dupiane were excavated by Anna Talocchini, leaving be-hind very few documents and plans.16 In 1964, the University of Florence investigated a tumulus and a fossa grave in the locality of Castelvecchio, published in Notizie degli Scavi in 1966.17 Finally, in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Soprintendenza explored two archaic tumuli in Val di Campo and the big monument of Pozzo all’Abate. The latter had already been discovered by Falchi.18

The documentation

The original documentation of Falchi’s campaigns is stored in the histori-cal archives of the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana in Florence and in the Archivio Centrale di Stato in Rome. They consist of the excavation journals in which the work was described day by day, lists of the findings (fig. 2), lists of the objects that were transported to the archaeological museum in Florence, some agreements between the Ministero and the landowners, a great amount of correspondence concern-ing several aspects of the excavations, and other documents, such as the bookkeeping of each campaign. We do not possess the complete docu-mentation of every campaign.19 However, these documents give us the possibility to reconstruct what was researched by Falchi and they also allow us to gain insight into the methods of his field work in Vetulonia. Other historical aspects, such as the complicated personal relationship between Falchi and the chief of the archaeological Museum in Florence, Luigi Adriano Milani, or the impact of this relationship on the history of the discovering of Vetulonia, deserve special attention but are beyond the scope of this paper.20

16. Talocchini and Giacomelli 1966; Talocchini 1963; Talocchini 1981; column “Scavi Talocchini and Giacomelli 1966; Talocchini 1963; Talocchini 1981; column “Scavi e scoperte” in SE 35, 1967: 481; SE 36, 1968: 157; SE 38, 1970: 251.

17. Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966. Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966.18. Cygielman 2000: 58-59, 64-68. Cygielman 2000: 58-59, 64-68.19. The original Giornali di scavo are missing for the following campaigns: 1885

(spring), 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, a part of 1898 and 1899 (march-april). The lists of findings are however preserved.

20. For considerations about this relationship cf. Delpino in Bruni 1994: in particular note 12 with transcription of a letter by Milani.

6 CAMILLA COLOMBI

The known graves

In the published and unpublished reports, about 182 burials from the Orientalizing period are mentioned.21 Nearly half of them, however, do not seem to be preserved: they are only mentioned in the excavation journals, but no finds belonging to them are actually found in the Museum (fig. 3). The majority of the missing corredi could not be identified among the material available to us today; these graves are probably missing, although they have been described by Falchi (38% of the total amount of the tombs actually known to me). Ca 7% of the Orientalizing graves is lost, i. e. robbed, lost after the excavation or unrecovered. Among the graves with preserved goods, nearly one half of the corredi is complete or probably complete (16%, 9%), ca. 15% is partly robbed or partly missing and 13% can not be retraced.22 The absence of such a large amount of data - namely

21. In addition there is an unknown number of Orientalizing finds from Colle Baroncio and ca. 140 unexplored or undateable circoli or tumuli mentioned by Falchi (e.g. Falchi 1891: 203-04) and by Levi 1931. The present project does not study the assemblages from Pietrera, Pozzo all’Abate and Poggio Pepe in detail because the findings belonging to the individual burials can not be retraced.

22. Graves or assemblages without documentation could not be evaluated.

Fig. 3 Chart of the state of preservation of the Orientalizing graves from Vetulonia (chart: C. Colombi).


Fig. 4 Reconstructed topographical map of the necropolis of Vetulonia with indication of the explored areas. Map: Cartografia C.T.R. 1:10.000, Archivio Fotocartografico della Regione Toscana (elaboration: C. Colombi).

8 CAMILLA COLOMBI

the information on the burials with lost or imcomplete corredo - will una-voidably compromise our research and general analysis of the cemetery. Nevertheless, I am convinced that a detailed investigation of the remain-ing data on the Vetulonian Orientalizing graves will increase our under-standing of the site.

The topographical map

An important aspect that we could reconstruct through the original jour-nals and maps is the extention of the areas researched by Falchi (fig. 4). In fact, an archaeological map of Vetulonia already exists and was published by Doro Levi in Studi Etruschi 1931.23 In his plan, however, the unpub-lished investigations of Falchi are not considered and some graves are

23. Levi 1931: pl. in annex; a more recent but small-scale map has been published in Cygielman 1989: pl. 2.

Fig. 5 Excavation plan, Costiaccia Bambagini 1902. Archivio Storico della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana (image: C. Colombi).


clearly misplaced, probably due to a poor topographical source map.24 In Falchi’s diaries and publications, only few maps or drawings exist, and those that do are mostly not very accurate in scale. However, they pro-vide us with important information about the position of the excavated areas (fig. 5). Moreover, Falchi frequently provides precise descriptions of the position of the new graves, especially in reference to other well-known burial areas. In addition to this information, the cemetery areas are generally named after the owner of the land where they were discovered (Poggio alla Guardia Renzetti, Costiaccia Bambagini etc.). Thanks to a land register dating to the beginning of the 20th century, which was com-pared to the existing maps of Vetulonia, it was possible to create a plan of the areas and a reconstructed topographical map of the cemetery. It is clear that such a plan cannot be as precise as a plan of a modern excavation, but it presents a useful overview of the necropolis.

It has often been stated that the cemetery of Vetulonia gradually grew from the higher hill of Poggio alla Guardia towards the rest of the slopes of the Vetulonian mound. A first evaluation of the topographical map shows a more elaborate picture, despite the fact that the dating of the graves is still in progress. The largest Villanovan burial areas are located on two hills near the settlement: on Poggio alla Guardia (with Poggio Belvedere and Poggio alle Birbe) and on Colle Baroncio. Their location has led to the as-sumption that two Villanovan communities existed on the Vetulonian hill, burying their dead in two different places.25 In fact, it seems that several little groups of graves already existed during the Villanovan period: the groups on Poggio Bevedere and on Poggio alle Birbe are actually situated on a location separate from Poggio alla Guardia and may not belong to the same burial area.26 In addition, a smaller group was identified in the zone called Sagrona, far away from the other cemeteries, probably beginning at the end of the Villanovan period and developing until the 7th century BC.27

24. For example, Pietrera and Pozzo all’Abate are too close to each other For example, Pietrera and Pozzo all’Abate are too close to each otherPietrera and Pozzo all’Abate are too close to each other on the map.25. Cristofani 1997: 195 believes that two settlement areas existed, on the Convento

hill and on the actual hill of the village with two separate cemeteries; in contrast, Cygielman 2002: 163 postulates a single settlement surrounded by the cemeteries.

26. On the group of Villanovan fossa graves from Poggio alle Birbe: Cygielman 1994: 264, fig. 7-8/1.

27. Falchi 1891: 185, pl. �VI no. 15, 20 Falchi 1891: 185, pl. �VI no. 15, 20 Tomba a fossa 3 vicino al quinto circolo; the Tomba a fossa del 1907 contained a fragment of a Villanovan razor in accordance with Falchi’s description in the Giornale di scavo 20 maggio 1907 (unpublished).

10 CAMILLA COLOMBI

During the Orientalizing period, single graves and grave groups seem to have emerged in proximity to the settlement, on the north-eastern slopes and far away on the plain (Val di Campo, Diavolino). The deve-lopment does not seem to be progressive, i.e. the earlier burials are not restricted to higher areas near the settlement and the later burials are not exclusively found in flat terrain. Instead, it seems that during the entire Orientalizing period, some burials were still situated on the borders of the Villanovan cemetery of Poggio alla Guardia, while other graves were located in new and visible places, resulting in the creation of new grave groups (Castelvecchio, Costiaccia Bambagini, Cerrecchio; later Pellicce, Pietrera, Pozzo all’Abate).

The grave assemblages

A further aim of the study is the revision and dating of the currently pre-served grave assemblages. The excavation journals and lists provide us with information about the objects that were found in each grave, although not always in the most accurate manner. Sometimes, the journals contain

Fig. 6 Drawing of the burial from the Circolo B, Poggio alla Guardia 1900. Archivio Storico della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana (image: C. Colombi).


drawings of the grave with the position of the finds or sketches of the objects (fig. 6). The published reports, on the other hand, are often ac-companied by drawings of the objects. This material – together with the descriptions by Falchi – allows us to determine whether an object belongs to the grave assemblage on a reliable, probable or unlikely level. The iden-tification of objects, which were wrongly assigned to some graves, is es-sential for the analysis of the object types, the dating of the complexes and for every aspect of research considering the composition of the corredi.

In some cases, objects from two burials became combined when they were sent to the Archaeological Museum in Florence, where they were inven-toried as belonging to a single grave. This is the case for the Circolo di Bes. The circle grave with a single central fossa was dug up in 1890 and contained an intact burial, probably of a female individual, dating from the early Orientalizing period.28 At the same time, a tumulus was discovered in the proximity of the Circolo di Bes, containing many fragmented pottery vessels, mostly “lisci e rozzi”, but also fragments with red vegetal elements on a black background, others with grapes in relief, two gold earrings and gold foil.29 The museum bought only the earrings from landowner Ranieri

28. The original journals have not been preserved; Falchi 1891: 104-09; Falchi 1892: 388-89; Levi 1931: no. 26; Cygielman 1989: no. 17.

29. Falchi 1891: 109.

Fig. 7 Bowl in grey impasto, attributed to the Circolo di Bes, h 8.6 cm. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Firenze, inv. 7702 (image: C. Colombi).

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and they were inventoried as acquisitions in 1890.30 No objects were in-ventoried as belonging to the tumulus. However, some pottery vessels and fragments from a later period became mixed with the corredo of the Circolo di Bes. This is the case for a grey impasto bowl or kotyle (fig. 7),31 a form not attested otherwise in the repertoire of Orientalizing pottery from Vetulonia, but apparently known from 6th century graves located in the region.32 A lekythos, probably originally a Hellenistic black glazed

30. Archaeological Museum Florence, inv. 74023-74024, acquired 17.10.1890. Cf. Karo 1901, 123, fig. 100 and probably 120 fig. 93 (attributed to Circolo del Cono). For parallels dating to the 6th century BC cf. Curri 1977: 264, tav. LVII (Val Berretta, graves 2, 13, 16, 35 and 56).

31. Archaeological Museum Florence, inv. 7702, H 8.6 cm. Cf. Parise Badoni 2000: Cf. Parise Badoni 2000: 115, pl. L�VI.1.

32. Vetulonia Dupiane grave 9, Cygielman 2000: 68, no. 6, fi g. 39� Accesa, grave 4 Vetulonia Dupiane grave 9, Cygielman 2000: 68, no. 6, fig. 39� Accesa, grave 4 eastern necropolis, Camporeale 1993: 89, fig. 94� Accesa, kylix type II, Camporeale 1997: 171, fig. 25.2, pl. XXXII.2, XXXIII.1.

Fig. 8 Black glazed lekythos, attributed to the Circolo di Bes, h 12 cm. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Firenze, inv. 7705 (image: C. Colombi).


type, could be traced back to the 4th century BC (fig. 8).33 These vases, as well as other fragmentary vessels, currently attributed to the Circolo di Bes, should in fact be assigned to the later tumulus grave.34

Other grave assemblages were mixed up as a consequence of the 1966 flood. Although the larger part of the grave assemblages could be recon-structed after the flood, the identity of some gold and silver objects still remains uncertain. Before 1966, the majority of the precious metals from Vetulonia had been exhibited in a special showcase, separate from the other finds of the same burials. They were recovered and restored after the flood. However, the attribution and the inventory numbers were not clear for all pieces. Thanks to the detailed descriptions and drawings in Falchi’s accounts and thanks to Karo’s publications of the Vetulonian gold and silver ornaments, it was possible to reidentify a number of gold and silver objects and assign them to the correct assemblage.35

Another means of verifying burial assemblages is, of course, through the dating of the objects. This enables the identification of some graves that must have had two or more chronologically different burials. One well-known example is the Fossa di Castelvecchio, discovered together with a partly ruined tumulus during the excavations conducted by the University of Florence in 1964.36 The big fossa (4.4-5 x 5.3 m) had no ‘circle’ and had been partially robbed. Several object groups were identified during the excavation, probably corresponding to different burials. A well-preserved burial was located on a ‘bank’ on the northern side of the fossa;37 remains of a probable second burial were found in the centre.38 Additonally, an object group was discov-

33. Archaeological Museum Florence, inv. 7705. Cf. Morel 1981: 316, Lekythos sé-rie 5416.

34. Archaeological Museum Florence, inv. 7703, cup with one handle in grey im-pasto, cf. CVA Firenze (1) IV B, pl. 16.5; inv. 7706, closed shape in light brown clay with many inclusions.

35. Cf. Karo 1899, 1902, 1934. For instance, the silver leech fibula with the number SNI_60and the bronze quadruped fibula SNI_57, now ascribed to the Circolo del 1895, are currently identified with the two pieces from the Secondo Circolo delle Pellicce, clearly depicted in Falchi 1891: pl. XV no. 8-9� Karo 1899: 249-50, fig. 16a.

36. Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966; Cygielman 1989: no. 73. Some pieces discus- Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966; Cygielman 1989: no. 73. Some pieces discus-sed in Bartoloni et al. 2000: 138, cat. 106; Camporeale 1969: 76-78, 99-101, 112; Rizzo 2008-2009: 131-34; Torelli 2000: 576, cat. 111-13.

37. Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 34-42, no. 48-229. Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 34-42, no. 48-229.38. Camporeale, �ggeri, and Banti 1966: 28-29, no. 3-12 (horse gear), 32-33, no. 32-39 Camporeale, �ggeri, and Banti 1966: 28-29, no. 3-12 (horse gear), 32-33, no. 32-39

(in the filling)� 33-34, no. 40-46 (including bronze spits and fragmentary bronze vessels).

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ered close to the surface in the south-western corner.39 In the 1966 publi-cation, the authors argue that all the objects had the same dating and that the groups possibly belonged to two burials set in the same period, around the end of the 7th century – beginning of the 6th century BC.40 The pottery from the south-western group clearly belongs to this period, as shown by the presence of aryballoi and alabastra of Etrusco-Corinthian fabrics.41 The objects from the ‘bank’ – and probably also the ones from the centre of the grave – seem to be much older, however. As Rizzo recently con-cluded from the presence of a scarab of the Lyre Player Group among the objects from the ‘bank’, this burial should be dated to the beginning of the 7th century BC.42 Fibulae and pottery from the ‘bank’ seem to sup-port this date (in particular the fibulae ‘ad arco ribassato’ with a fully decorated bow,43 the massive leech fibula with decorations on the whole

39. Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 30-32, no. 13-31. Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 30-32, no. 13-31.40. Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 44-51; one burial accompanied by the objects

on the ‘bank’, the second one includes all other materials.41. Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94082-04091; Camporeale, Uggeri and

Banti 1966, 30, no. 15-24, fig. 7-9.42. Rizzo 2008-2009: 134.43. Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94173-94175, 94182; Camporeale, Uggeri

and Banti 1966: 39, among no. 109-119. Compare to von Eles 1986: 60-62, no. 497-501; Tovoli 1989: 257-58, type 78A/79A, pl. 116, phase Vill. II-III� Dore 2004: type 24, pl. 4, from Vill. II onwards� Close Brooks 1965: 56 fig. 4, phase IIB� Toms 1986: 62-63, note 95, phase IIB; Guidi 1983: 99, tab. A, phase IIB2 (Veio Quattro Fontanili grave II 9-10).

Fig. 9 Cup in reddish-brown impasto with painted decorations in white from the Fossa di Castelvecchio, h 8 cm. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Firenze, inv. 94250 (image: Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana).


bow and a large symmetrical foot,44 the hollow leech fibula ‘rigonfia’ with decorations on the upper part of the bow and an asymmetrical foot,45 the

44. Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94171-94172; Camporeale, Uggeri and Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94171-94172; Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 39, no. 107-108, fig. 25a. Compare to earlier pieces from Veio: Guidi 1993: 46, type 89A/89D, fig. 18/2, phase IIA-IIB2, short foot� Close Brooks 1965: type 38, phase IIB, elongated foot. A good parallel in: Romualdi 1994: pl. II. 3-5, Populonia Tomba delle Pissidi Cilindriche. While massive leech fibulae seem to have fallen out of use in Southern Etruria by the end of the Villanovan time, they are still attested in Vetulonia during the Early and Middle Orientalizing period.

45. Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94184-94189; Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 39, no. 120-125, fig. 22a. The type is very widely attested in Vetulonia with dec-orations consisting of plain strips alternating with bands of incised herringbone design (cf. Circolo del Tridente, Cygielman and Pagnini 2006: 51-58, no. 56-98, fig. 14). Comparisons from the Late Villanovan to the Early Orientalizing periods: Rizzo 2008-2009: 106-07, fig. 3, Cerveteri Laghetto grave 345, beginning of the last quarter of the 8th century BC; Hall Dohan 1942: 11-12, no. 10-11; MacIntosh Turfa 2005: 94, no. 19, Narce grave 18B, begin-ning of the 7th century BC� Guidi 1983: 48, type 96D, fig. 20/4, Veio Quattro Fontanili phase IIB1-IIC� Guidi 1983: 48, type 96E, fig. 16/1� Toms 1986: type I.35, fig. 31, Veio Quattro Fontanili phase IIC.

Fig. 10 Trefoil jug in reddish impasto from the Fossa di Castelvecchio (unrestored), h 12 cm. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Firenze, inv. 94231 (image: C. Colombi).

16 CAMILLA COLOMBI

two navicella fibulae46 and, as for the pottery, a type of fine impasto cup with two handles47 and another type with one handle48). The attested types seem to be typical for Vetulonian burials of the early Orientalizing period. Moreover, a cup with horizontal handles in reddish-brown impasto with painted decorations in white is possibly related to the form of the imported Greek Geometric cups/skyphoi and their imitations (fig. 9),49 and a trefoil jug in reddish depurated clay was identified by Rizzo as being a possible Phoenician import (fig. 10).50

The Fossa di Castelvecchio therefore includes at least two chronologi-cal phases: an Early Orientalizing burial on the ‘bank’, a second group at the centre of the grave, probably contemporaneous with the first one, and a third looted burial dating to the end of the 7th century BC in the south-western corner of the tomb.

46. Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94190-94191, Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 39, no. 126-127, fig. 25b-c. Compare to Romualdi 1994: 178-79, pl. II. 7-8, Populonia, fossa-grave from San Cerbone, end of the 8th - beginning of the 7th century BC; Tamburini-Müller 2006: type 58, pl. 65, Verucchio Lavatoio, unicum from phase IIIA; Bietti Sestieri 1992: 365-66, type 38dd, Latial periods III-IV; Torelli 2000: 548, photo no. 4, Tarquinia Poggio Gallinaro 9.

47. Tazza biansata con corpo lenticolare, piede ad anello, anse sormontanti, decora-zione incisa e plastica sulla spalla; Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94232-94233; Camporeale, �ggeri and Banti 1966: 41-42, no. 168-169, fig. 34a-b. The type is attested until the first half of the 7th century BC: Romualdi 1994: 176-78, pl. IV. 1, Populonia grave 1/1931� Hall Dohan 1942: 16, no. 9-10, pl. VII n. 10, Narce grave 71M, p. 50-51, no. 20, pl. ��V, Narce Grave 105F; Pellegrini 1989: 41, pl. ��I n. 97, Poggio Buco, slightly different handles.

48. Tazza monoansata con corpo lenticolare, piede ad anello, ansa sormontante, decorazione incisa e plastica sulla spalla; Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94234-94235, 94237, 94243� Camporeale, �ggeri and Banti 1966: 42, no. 170-174, 179-180, fig. 34c. Compare to other pieces from the Vetulonian region: Giuntoli 2002: 34, no. 15, fig. 9, Accesa Podere del Lago grave 14, third quarter of the 8th century BC; Romualdi 1994: 176-78, pl. IV. 2, Populonia grave 1/1931, Early Orientalizing period.

49. Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94250; Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 43, no. 187, fig. 37b� Maggiani 1973: 81 note 9� Cygielman 1994: 290-92. Similar to types in light depurated clay with dark painting imitating Greek Geometric skyphoi: Guidi 1993: 32, type 41, fig. 19/6, Veio Quattro Fontanili phase IIB1-IIC� type 42, fig. 22/3, Veio Quattro Fontanili phase IIA-IIC.

50. Archaeological Museum Florence inv. 94231; Camporeale, Uggeri and Banti 1966: 41, no. 167, fig. 33� Rizzo 2008-2009: 134 with references. The traces of black paint are actually not visible; the jug was not restored after 1966. For the form: Grau-Zimmermann 1978: 185-99; D’Agostino 1977: 37-39. Pottery pieces, imported and imitations: Rizzo 1991: 1173-75, fig. 1.c-d, e-f, from Cerveteri� Rasmussen 1979: 75-77 type 2a� Parise Badoni 2000: 32-33, pl. VII.1-2.


Conclusion

Despite the inevitable loss of a considerable amount of data due to the excavation methods, missing documentation and more than 100-year-old history of the finds, the study of the necropolis of Vetulonia underlines the importance of evaluating ‘old excavations’. New information could be re-constructed with regard to the position and distribution of the graves in the cemetery and the composition of the corredi. Further research shall include new datings for the burials and an analysis of the distribution of objects ac-cording to status and gender. It will contribute to a better understanding of the community living at Vetulonia during the Orientalizing period.

C. Colombi, The Necropolis of Vetulonia during the Orientalizing Period. A Research Project, in: A....

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