Books by Laura Maria Michetti
Tutti i diritti riservati. È vietata la riproduzione di testi e illustrazioni senza il permesso s... more Tutti i diritti riservati. È vietata la riproduzione di testi e illustrazioni senza il permesso scritto dell'Editore
The Montetosto locality lies 4 km to the west of Caere and is located along the road that
connec... more The Montetosto locality lies 4 km to the west of Caere and is located along the road that
connected the city to its main harbour, Pyrgi. Until 1962 the locality was known only for
the considerably large tumulus (60 m in diameter) excavated by Raniero Mengarelli (1924-
1929). The excavation of the area was carried out in three campaigns (1965, 1967 and 1969)
under Giovanni Colonna’s direction and Francesca Melis’ supervision. The primary aim was
to understand the plan of the discovered complex. Both the imposing structures discovered
and the rich group of architectural terracottas testified to its monumentality. After the first
uncertainties surrounding the interpretation of the structures, the squared layout (54x54 m),
comprising a central courtyard around which a series of rooms were disposed, immediately
drew the attention of the scholars for the analogies with other Archaic structures, such as the
ones at Murlo and Acquarossa. G. Colonna proposed relating the construction of the complex
to the funerary cult, created to expiate the guilt of the Phocaeans stoned to death after the
Alalia battle (540 BC), still performed by the Caeretans in Herodotus’ time. Despite the strong
interest in the context, the materials recovered remained substantially unpublished. This book
reconstructs the sequence of events connected to the excavations of the 1960s, and re-examines
the structures, the architectural decorations and the findings recovered.
Edited books by Laura Maria Michetti
Parmi les métropoles étrusques, Vulci est peutêtre celle sur laquelle pèsent encore aujourd’hui l... more Parmi les métropoles étrusques, Vulci est peutêtre celle sur laquelle pèsent encore aujourd’hui le plus les vicissitudes des fouilles, qui ont profondément conditionné la possibilité de reconstruire son histoire et d’apprécier convenablement son rôle dans le cadre plus large de l’Italie préromaine. Pour ces raisons, l’École française de Rome et le secteur d’Etruscologia e Antichità italiche du Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità de la Sapienza Università di Roma, avec le patronage de l’Istituto Nazionale di Studi Etruschi e Italici, ont organisé entre février et mai 2022 le cycle de rencontres Chroniques vulciennes : séminaire sur l’histoire
des fouilles et des collections archéologiques dispersées /Cronache vulcenti : seminario sulla storia degli scavi e sulle collezioni archeologiche disperse, dans le but d’aborder le thème de la dispersion du patrimoine
archéologique de Vulci, à travers la récupération de la documentation d’archives relative aux fouilles menées au cours des siècles passés et grâce à l’implication de chercheurs qui ont étudié ce sujet sous différentes perspectives.
Nella sua veste attuale rispecchia l'articolazione, proposta da Enzo Lippolis, in tre fascicoli, ... more Nella sua veste attuale rispecchia l'articolazione, proposta da Enzo Lippolis, in tre fascicoli, il primo dei quali raccoglie studi e ricerche del Dipartimento, gli altri due sono dedicati a tematiche specifiche, con la prospettiva di promuovere una conoscenza complessiva dei vari aspetti delle società antiche. Le espressioni culturali, sociali, politiche e artistiche, come le strutture economiche, tecnologiche e ambientali, sono considerate parti complementari e interagenti dei diversi sistemi insediativi di cui sono esaminate funzioni e dinamiche di trasformazione. Le differenti metodologie applicate e la pluralità degli ambiti presi in esame (storici, archeologici, filologici, epigrafici, ecologico-naturalistici) non possono che contribuire a sviluppare la qualità scientifica, il confronto e il dialogo, nella direzione di una sempre più proficua interazione reciproca. In questo senso si spiega anche l'ampio contesto considerato, sia dal punto di vista cronologico, dalla preistoria al medioevo, sia da quello geografico, con una particolare attenzione rivolta alle culture del Mediterraneo, del Medio e del Vicino Oriente. Il prossimo fascicolo del volume 28 (2022) accoglierà la seguente tematica: 3. Scrittura epigrafica e sacro in Italia dall'Antichità al Medioevo. Luoghi, oggetti e frequentazioni.
sua veste attuale rispecchia l'articolazione, proposta da Enzo Lippolis, in tre fascicoli, il pri... more sua veste attuale rispecchia l'articolazione, proposta da Enzo Lippolis, in tre fascicoli, il primo dei quali raccoglie studi e ricerche del Dipartimento, gli altri due sono dedicati a tematiche specifiche, con la prospettiva di promuovere una conoscenza complessiva dei vari aspetti delle società antiche.
Papers by Laura Maria Michetti
Il caso di Pyrgi, il principale porto di Caere, può rappresentare un punto di partenza significat... more Il caso di Pyrgi, il principale porto di Caere, può rappresentare un punto di partenza significativo per la possibilità di indagare l’incidenza del dono delle armi in un complesso sacro articolato in due distinte e ben diverse aree , aperte a una dimensione internazionale e caratterizzate da un regime votivo del quale è stata da tempo evidenziata la stretta affinità con i grandi santuari del mondo greco.
The 2021-2023 excavation campaigns have provided more information about Pyrgi’s overall urban ass... more The 2021-2023 excavation campaigns have provided more information about Pyrgi’s overall urban asset, focussing the relation between the sacred district, the settlement area and the harbour.
In the settlement area, fieldwork has mainly addressed the Ceremonial Quarter at the intersection between the urban track of the Caere-Pyrgi road and a pebbled road leading to the oriental port-basin. This includes
public buildings that have played representative, political and economic functions from the middle 6th century BC at least. Excavation has confirmed the performance of metallurgic activities and connected ritual
acts in the plot N of the pebbled road, as already shown by the metal offerings focussing the gray tuff container included in room A; noteworthy is the recovery of two leaden counterpoise weights of lever scales.
The building complex S of the pebbled road has certainly played a public function, as highlighted by the decorated roofs and the many ritual acts associated with any building intervention; its peculiar late-archaic
plan matches the model of the transversal porticoed houses- well documented by Caeretan funerary architecture, and the atrium houses. Excavation is outlining the archaic asset of the building, also documented by the recovery of architectural terracottas; extremely interesting is a huge polycrome mud-brick basement maybe connected with some ritual structure, that falls in the underground of the portico. In general, the
ritual deposition of local and imported amphoras and of stone anchors, together with the offering of phoenician lamps, well highlights the attendance of the building by (foreign) merchants and the strict connection with the commercial sphere.
As far as the Monumental Sanctuary, the excavation area now includes not only the entrance area but also a wide strip along temple A and its frontal terrace. Fieldwork has definitively confirmed the presence of a road
that stems from the Caere-Pyrgi track and runs parallel with Temple A, marking the limit of the Sanctuary to the N in spite of the lack of evidence of a proper témenos wall. Another important new acquisition is the
evidence of a dry masonry rectangular archaic building-maybe a shrine, that was intercepted by Temple’s foundation cut, whereas the recovery of a ashlar masonry base included in the frontal terrace provides further
information about the location of altars or donations in the sacred area.
As regards the overall asset of the maritime settlements, important new data have been gathered through the documentation and collection of pottery shards from the houses that are being dismantled by the sea erosion and through the underwater survey performed in 2023 in front of the excavation areas.
The project ‘Ritorno a Vulci’ focuses on specific sectors of the south-eastern necropolis of Vulc... more The project ‘Ritorno a Vulci’ focuses on specific sectors of the south-eastern necropolis of Vulci, where excavations have been conducted since the 1800s. One of the primary objectives of this project is to create a dedicated WebGIS that will generate and manage new topographical documentation of the area. This will serve as a collaborative digital research platform, making document consultation more accessible and contributing to their preservation. Another significant digital project is ‘Vulci nel Mondo’ (VNM), which is conceived as a Virtual Museum. The Authors illustrate this highly versatile tool as an online space to bring together a permanent collection on Vulci. The standard virtual tour model is built on two key aspects: navigation, providing access to the collections and other information on the museum’s website, and interaction, simulating a physical space with which visitors can engage
Da Veio a Modena: acquisizione e valorizzazione della raccolta di ex-voto Cristiana Zanasi -8 Are... more Da Veio a Modena: acquisizione e valorizzazione della raccolta di ex-voto Cristiana Zanasi -8 Aree sacre, depositi votivi e culti a Veio tra V e III sec. a.C.: persistenza della tradizione e nuovi orizzonti nell'età della romanizzazione Laura Maria Michetti -18 La raccolta di terrecotte votive del Museo Civico di Modena Carla Tulini -26 Analisi sulla policromia Andrea Rossi -86 Dalla materia all'immagine: analisi degli aspetti produttivi. Tecnica e manifattura Carla Tulini -98 Ornarsi all'etrusca: acconciature e gioielli delle teste femminili Carla Tulini -104 Aspetti economici: la committenza Carla Tulini -110 Paleopatologia e valutazione anatomofunzionale degli ex-voto: contesto storico e opportunità interpretative Mirko Traversari, Gianandrea Pasquinelli, Luca Ventura -113 Bibliografia -121 La mostra sulla raccolta delle terrecotte votive di Veio del Museo Civico di Modena arriva nel 2024 alla sua seconda tappa a Roma, al Museo delle Antichità etrusche e italiche del Polo museale Sapienza. Non solo una tappa, ma il "ritorno" -simbolico e temporaneo -di un importante nucleo di reperti partiti nel 1894 da Roma, dalle collezioni del Museo Pigorini, per giungere al Museo Civico di Modena dove è stato riscoperto, ristudiato attraverso indagini multidisciplinari e valorizzato tramite un'esposizione che fa dialogare elementi museografici ottocenteschi con installazioni contemporanee. Gli scavi che portarono alla luce l'immenso deposito votivo in loc. Comunità, nel settore meridionale del pianoro di Veio, dal quale provengono le terrecotte, furono promossi nel 1889 dalla proprietaria dei terreni, Teresa Cristina di Borbone, figlia del re delle due Sicilie Francesco I di Borbone. Appassionata di archeologia, seguì con attenzione le ricerche nonostante il matrimonio con l'imperatore del Brasile l'avesse condotta lontano dall'Italia. L'"imperatrice archeologa" ebbe il merito di far conoscere le antichità italiane al Brasile, facendo nello stesso tempo confluire nei musei italiani le testimonianze delle culture degli indios brasiliani. Come ci racconta Cristiana Zanasi nel primo contributo del Catalogo, le vicende che portarono i reperti etruschi a Modena sono strettamente connesse alla vasta rete di relazioni che Carlo Boni, fondatore e primo direttore del Museo Civico, intratteneva con intellettuali e studiosi dell'epoca e che ha portato Luigi Pigorini a cedere all'istituzione modenese una significativa selezione di ex-voto di Veio in cambio di oggetti destinati ad arricchire il Regio Museo Preistorico ed Etnografico. Se la pubblicazione integrale nel 2011 dei materiali della stipe veiente da parte di Gilda Bartoloni e Maria Gilda Benedettini fornisce una base conoscitiva fondamentale all'inquadramento tipologico, stilistico e cronologico dei reperti, la mostra DeVoti Etruschi ha rappresentato la preziosa occasione per rivisitare questo importante contesto sacro -uno dei più rilevanti di Veio e dell'intero comparto centro-italico -e aggiungere nuovi dati soprattutto sotto il profilo delle caratteristiche produttive, con significative novità sulla policromia degli ex-voto, alla luce delle indagini archeometriche con tecniche multispettrali per l'identificazione e la caratterizzazione dei pigmenti che il Museo Civico di Modena ha affidato al Laboratorio DI.AR di Andrea Rossi. I risultati davvero interessanti, che trovano spazio in uno dei saggi che seguono, aprono nuovi orizzonti di ricerca che andrebbero estesi ad altri nuclei simili di oggetti votivi nel quadro di un progetto più ampio sul tema della pittura su terracotta. Un ulteriore contributo di grande rilievo, a conclusione del Catalogo, si deve a una équipe di paleopatologi afferenti all'Università di Bologna e al Gruppo Italiano di Paleopatologia, che hanno esaminato gli ex-voto anatomici della raccolta nel quadro più ampio delle patologie presenti nelle comunità etrusche e delle conoscenze mediche che queste avevano sviluppato. La mostra, nelle due tappe modenese e romana, è il frutto della collaborazione tra il Museo Civico di Modena, alle cui collezioni appartiene l'intera serie di terrecotte esposte, e il Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichità della Sapienza Università di Roma che da molti anni conduce studi, scavi e ricerche sull'area urbana di Veio, sulle sue aree sacre, Introduzione Bibliografia
Ogni volume è sottoposto a doppio referee anonimo. GIOIELLI PER GLI DEI Le evidenze dai santuari ... more Ogni volume è sottoposto a doppio referee anonimo. GIOIELLI PER GLI DEI Le evidenze dai santuari etrusco-italici Atti delle Giornate di Studi Urbino, 13-14 gennaio 2023 a cura di Alessandra Coen Edizioni ETS
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Books by Laura Maria Michetti
connected the city to its main harbour, Pyrgi. Until 1962 the locality was known only for
the considerably large tumulus (60 m in diameter) excavated by Raniero Mengarelli (1924-
1929). The excavation of the area was carried out in three campaigns (1965, 1967 and 1969)
under Giovanni Colonna’s direction and Francesca Melis’ supervision. The primary aim was
to understand the plan of the discovered complex. Both the imposing structures discovered
and the rich group of architectural terracottas testified to its monumentality. After the first
uncertainties surrounding the interpretation of the structures, the squared layout (54x54 m),
comprising a central courtyard around which a series of rooms were disposed, immediately
drew the attention of the scholars for the analogies with other Archaic structures, such as the
ones at Murlo and Acquarossa. G. Colonna proposed relating the construction of the complex
to the funerary cult, created to expiate the guilt of the Phocaeans stoned to death after the
Alalia battle (540 BC), still performed by the Caeretans in Herodotus’ time. Despite the strong
interest in the context, the materials recovered remained substantially unpublished. This book
reconstructs the sequence of events connected to the excavations of the 1960s, and re-examines
the structures, the architectural decorations and the findings recovered.
Edited books by Laura Maria Michetti
des fouilles et des collections archéologiques dispersées /Cronache vulcenti : seminario sulla storia degli scavi e sulle collezioni archeologiche disperse, dans le but d’aborder le thème de la dispersion du patrimoine
archéologique de Vulci, à travers la récupération de la documentation d’archives relative aux fouilles menées au cours des siècles passés et grâce à l’implication de chercheurs qui ont étudié ce sujet sous différentes perspectives.
Papers by Laura Maria Michetti
In the settlement area, fieldwork has mainly addressed the Ceremonial Quarter at the intersection between the urban track of the Caere-Pyrgi road and a pebbled road leading to the oriental port-basin. This includes
public buildings that have played representative, political and economic functions from the middle 6th century BC at least. Excavation has confirmed the performance of metallurgic activities and connected ritual
acts in the plot N of the pebbled road, as already shown by the metal offerings focussing the gray tuff container included in room A; noteworthy is the recovery of two leaden counterpoise weights of lever scales.
The building complex S of the pebbled road has certainly played a public function, as highlighted by the decorated roofs and the many ritual acts associated with any building intervention; its peculiar late-archaic
plan matches the model of the transversal porticoed houses- well documented by Caeretan funerary architecture, and the atrium houses. Excavation is outlining the archaic asset of the building, also documented by the recovery of architectural terracottas; extremely interesting is a huge polycrome mud-brick basement maybe connected with some ritual structure, that falls in the underground of the portico. In general, the
ritual deposition of local and imported amphoras and of stone anchors, together with the offering of phoenician lamps, well highlights the attendance of the building by (foreign) merchants and the strict connection with the commercial sphere.
As far as the Monumental Sanctuary, the excavation area now includes not only the entrance area but also a wide strip along temple A and its frontal terrace. Fieldwork has definitively confirmed the presence of a road
that stems from the Caere-Pyrgi track and runs parallel with Temple A, marking the limit of the Sanctuary to the N in spite of the lack of evidence of a proper témenos wall. Another important new acquisition is the
evidence of a dry masonry rectangular archaic building-maybe a shrine, that was intercepted by Temple’s foundation cut, whereas the recovery of a ashlar masonry base included in the frontal terrace provides further
information about the location of altars or donations in the sacred area.
As regards the overall asset of the maritime settlements, important new data have been gathered through the documentation and collection of pottery shards from the houses that are being dismantled by the sea erosion and through the underwater survey performed in 2023 in front of the excavation areas.
connected the city to its main harbour, Pyrgi. Until 1962 the locality was known only for
the considerably large tumulus (60 m in diameter) excavated by Raniero Mengarelli (1924-
1929). The excavation of the area was carried out in three campaigns (1965, 1967 and 1969)
under Giovanni Colonna’s direction and Francesca Melis’ supervision. The primary aim was
to understand the plan of the discovered complex. Both the imposing structures discovered
and the rich group of architectural terracottas testified to its monumentality. After the first
uncertainties surrounding the interpretation of the structures, the squared layout (54x54 m),
comprising a central courtyard around which a series of rooms were disposed, immediately
drew the attention of the scholars for the analogies with other Archaic structures, such as the
ones at Murlo and Acquarossa. G. Colonna proposed relating the construction of the complex
to the funerary cult, created to expiate the guilt of the Phocaeans stoned to death after the
Alalia battle (540 BC), still performed by the Caeretans in Herodotus’ time. Despite the strong
interest in the context, the materials recovered remained substantially unpublished. This book
reconstructs the sequence of events connected to the excavations of the 1960s, and re-examines
the structures, the architectural decorations and the findings recovered.
des fouilles et des collections archéologiques dispersées /Cronache vulcenti : seminario sulla storia degli scavi e sulle collezioni archeologiche disperse, dans le but d’aborder le thème de la dispersion du patrimoine
archéologique de Vulci, à travers la récupération de la documentation d’archives relative aux fouilles menées au cours des siècles passés et grâce à l’implication de chercheurs qui ont étudié ce sujet sous différentes perspectives.
In the settlement area, fieldwork has mainly addressed the Ceremonial Quarter at the intersection between the urban track of the Caere-Pyrgi road and a pebbled road leading to the oriental port-basin. This includes
public buildings that have played representative, political and economic functions from the middle 6th century BC at least. Excavation has confirmed the performance of metallurgic activities and connected ritual
acts in the plot N of the pebbled road, as already shown by the metal offerings focussing the gray tuff container included in room A; noteworthy is the recovery of two leaden counterpoise weights of lever scales.
The building complex S of the pebbled road has certainly played a public function, as highlighted by the decorated roofs and the many ritual acts associated with any building intervention; its peculiar late-archaic
plan matches the model of the transversal porticoed houses- well documented by Caeretan funerary architecture, and the atrium houses. Excavation is outlining the archaic asset of the building, also documented by the recovery of architectural terracottas; extremely interesting is a huge polycrome mud-brick basement maybe connected with some ritual structure, that falls in the underground of the portico. In general, the
ritual deposition of local and imported amphoras and of stone anchors, together with the offering of phoenician lamps, well highlights the attendance of the building by (foreign) merchants and the strict connection with the commercial sphere.
As far as the Monumental Sanctuary, the excavation area now includes not only the entrance area but also a wide strip along temple A and its frontal terrace. Fieldwork has definitively confirmed the presence of a road
that stems from the Caere-Pyrgi track and runs parallel with Temple A, marking the limit of the Sanctuary to the N in spite of the lack of evidence of a proper témenos wall. Another important new acquisition is the
evidence of a dry masonry rectangular archaic building-maybe a shrine, that was intercepted by Temple’s foundation cut, whereas the recovery of a ashlar masonry base included in the frontal terrace provides further
information about the location of altars or donations in the sacred area.
As regards the overall asset of the maritime settlements, important new data have been gathered through the documentation and collection of pottery shards from the houses that are being dismantled by the sea erosion and through the underwater survey performed in 2023 in front of the excavation areas.
the dispersed heritage, and by bringing together available resources. The project is also gearing up to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by the emerging Metaverse.
finds
This contribution aims to investigate the dynamics by which the production activities related to the sphere of the sacred were organised.
The decision has been made to focus on the later, moulded productions, for which Veii is undoubtedly an important case study due to the quantity of objects that have been retrieved. In particular, specific products occur in high quantities and were distributed contemporaneously in various sacred areas in the city. It is therefore necessary to reflect on the organisation of the various ateliers and on the mechanisms by which their products were distributed to the different sacred areas.
In order to clarify some of these production dynamics, Mattia Bischeri and Carla Tulini have considered the case of the lyricine Apollo, adopting a morphometric approach.
This analysis would seem to open up a new perspective. Several “sizes” of the same objects were identified, with a calibrated percentage reduction of clay from one size to another. While this aspect may be a valid criterion for the distinction of the “generation” transition in the artisanal practice, it could also validate the idea of the existence of a standardised “sampler”, intentionally articulated by sizes within the same type. In other words, larger and more carefully retouched votive offerings may have had a higher intrinsic value, determined by the amount of raw material used and above all by the added value of the labour, thus responding not only to different religious practices, but perhaps also to variable “market” demands
This paper provides an overview and analysis of the extraordinary amount of metal (gold, silver, bronze, iron, lead) finds recovered from both of the Pyrgi sanctuaries, as well as the public ceremonial quarter N of temple A. The treatment takes into consideration all categories of objects discovered (ingots, premonetary bronze, inscribed tablets, jewels, weapons, containers and tools, furniture) as well as evidence for the ritual use of melted metal.
This paper provides an overview and quantification of the extraordinary amount of metal (gold, silver, bronze, iron, lead) finds recovered from both Pyrgi’s Sanctuaries and the public ceremonial quarter N of temple A, considering all categories of objects (ingots, premonetary bronze, inscribed tablets, jewels, weapons, containers and tools, furniture) and evidence for the ritual use of melted metal.
Since 1992, as a consequence of private and public interventions on the modern urban structure, a series of exca- vations has been carried out at Civita Castellana, under the supervision of the Soprintendenza.
A shared research project between the Soprintendenza Archeologia del Lazio e dell’Etruria Meridionale and the Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità (Insegnamento di Etruscologia e Antichità Italiche, Sapienza Università di Roma) was launched in 2016 and a thorough publication plan was designed on that occasion.
Since then, the several contexts investigated between 1992 and 2016 have been systematically studied, shedding new light to extremely relevant sectors of the preRoman city of Falerii-Civita Castellana between the Iron Age and the Middle Ages.
This paper is the first contribution of the series and deals with an extremely interesting context discovered in 1999 in the western sector of the Civita Castellana plateau.
The several thousand shards recovered on that occasion testify on the one hand the dumping activity of multifunc- tional pottery workshops of the 4th-3rd c. BC that produced small votive terracottas, red‐figure vases, plastic vases, and black‐gloss pottery, and on the other hand the presence of a new sacred area in the SW sector of the ancient city.
On a wider scale the possibility to study simultaneously a great quantity of shards coming from a productive context and pertaining to different classes of materials, according to modern typological approaches, can help to shed light also on the necessity to introduce a reflection on the ways in which modern classifications relates to ancient productive systems.
Giornata di studi italo-francese finanziata dall’Ambasciata di Francia in Italia (bando Cassini 2017)
This workshop aims to re-read the sacred in ancient Italy between the 7th and the 2nd c. BC from an economic perspective, shifting the focus from material artefacts in their final form to the moment of their production, i.e. from objects to the intentions and actions underpinning their production.
The purpose of the workshop is to encourage scholars who deal with the religious phenomena of pre-Roman Italy to develop new interpretative strategies, aimed at reaching a better understanding of the economic choices carried out in the different types of sacred contexts and cultural contexts, through the reading of the material data.
In particular, we intend to explore the following issues:
The production processes related to the creation and formalisation and/or monumentalisation of cult places, with particular regard to the agency of the various actors involved (worshippers, artisans, cult workers,…).
The economic processes connected to cult places, both as production intended for internal purposes (sacred furniture, tools for worship, ...) and for use from the outside (offers in the broadest sense, votive materials, ...).