Hill and archaeological site in Murlo, Siena, Italy
Poggio Civitate is a hill in the commune of Murlo, Siena, Italy and the location of an ancient settlement of the Etruscan civilization. It was discovered in 1920, and excavations began in 1966 and have uncovered substantial traces of activity in the Orientalizing and Archaic periods as well as some material from both earlier and later periods.
Iron Age.
Limited Iron Age (Villanovan) architectural and artifactual evidence suggests that there was Iron Age activity and possibly Iron Age occupation at Poggio Civitate during the mid-8th to early 7th centuries BCE.
Iron Age Hut.
On an area of the site known as Civitate C, a trench labeled Civitate C 7 (CC7) uncovered the post holes and countersunk floor of a curvilinear, ovoid hut of approximately five by seven meters. After its period of use, this structure appears to have been reused as a midden, including a deposit of over one thousand murex shells ("Bolinus brandaris"), possibly used for small scale dye production.
Iron Age artifacts.
Artifacts, such as fragments of coil-made pottery, an Iron Age technology, suggest a presence of Iron Age Etruscans on Poggio Civitate. An impasto handle fragment has a typology and decorations reminiscent of Iron Age (Villanovan) cover bowls for biconical urns. There are also fragments of bronze fibulae of an Iron Age design. These artifacts have been recovered from an area of the site known as Civitate A as well as from a trench labeled Tesoro 27, which sounded below the ground level of the Intermediate Orientalizing Complex 2(OC2)/Workshop.
Orientalizing period.
The Orientalizing period lasted roughly from the early or mid 7th century BCE to the early 6th century BCE. The Orientalizing period at Poggio Civitate is often further divided into the Early Orientalizing Period and Intermediate Orientalizing Period, which last from roughly 630-580 BCE. This period marked the first large scale architectural works being constructed on the site and new technology was used to support new features like the terracotta roofs. Excavations of artifacts and architecture indicate clear class structures with evidence of rich aristocratic homes (the Intermediate Phase Orientalizing Complex) and items along with the more simple homes (non-elite domestic architecture) found throughout Poggio Civitate. The Orientalizing period as a whole was one of renewed Italian and Mediterranean trade as exhibited by the influx of new goods and materials during this time. Products such as Greek pottery and murex shell show this increase in trade.
Five surviving buildings from the Orientalizing period have been uncovered. Early Phase Orientalizing Complex 4(EPOC4) and Early Phase Orientalizing Complex 5(EPOC5) are two buildings from the Early Orientalizing Period. EPOC4 is thought to be a residence and EPOC5 is poorly preserved and thus harder to judge its function. Intermediate Phase Orientalizing Complex 1 (OC1) is a residence, Intermediate Phase Orientalizing Complex 2 (OC2) is a workshop, and Intermediate Phase Orientalizing Complex 3 (OC3) is a tripartite building, with possible religious functions. They were large complexes with decorative tile roofs and were built in the second quarter of the seventh century. All three buildings are thought to have been destroyed by the same fire sometime between 590 and 580 BCE.
History of excavations in the orientalizing period.
In 1970, archaeologists discovered foundations underneath the floor level of the Archaic Building which predated the building. Subsequently, as excavation continued, archaeologists excavated three buildings: Orientalizing Complex 1 (OC1) in 1970, Orientalizing Complex 2 (OC2) in 1980, and Orientalizing Complex 3 (OC3) from 1996 to 1999. However, the discovery of even earlier foundations, structures now called the Early Phase Orientalizing Period Complex (EPOC), showed that OC1, OC2, and OC3 dated to the intermediate phase of the Orientalizing period. This dating schema was further supported by ceramics discovered in the Orientalizing Complex buildings.
The Early Phase Orientalizing Complex.
Once archaeologists differentiated between the Early and Intermediate Phase Orientalizing complexes, they attributed two buildings to the Early Phase Orientalizing Period. The first building was identified as Early Phase Orientalizing Complex 4 (EPOC4). It is located in the west part of the site, and materials found at the site suggest it has a domestic function. Early Phase Orientalizing Complex 5 (EPOC5) is located to the southeast of EPOC4. Unfortunately, EPOC5 is poorly preserved, so the function of the building is more difficult to deduce.
Early Phase Orientalizing Complex 4 (EPOC4).
EPOC4 was a tremendous rectangular structure built sometime between the end of the 8th century and the beginning of the 7th century BCE at Poggio Civitate. The building, which featured a stone foundation, large porch, and back room, was remarkably similar to structures from the Etruscan settlements of San Giovenale and Rusellae. The foundation was 20.5m long and 7.6m wide, the porch extended 12.8m by 5.7m, and the back room measured 5.35m by 5.1m. The foundation walls were very sturdy, employing an average thickness of 1.1m. While the northern wall was damaged from early excavation practices, the southern wall was completely preserved.
The roof of EPOC4 was constructed with terracotta roofing tiles. Through the investigation of later structures from the site of Poggio Civitate, it was determined that terracotta roofing tiles varied in length but consistently measured 0.54m in width. Furthermore, the foundation walls from EPOC4 were devised to be divisible by this width. Considering buildings from later phases of the site's development employed this same design and featured terracotta roofing tiles, it is plausible to conclude that EPOC4 possessed these tiles.
Through excavation, a variety of materials and items that were found shed light on the uses of EPOC4. Decorative plaques and a horn acroterion suggest that EPOC4 was a domestic space for an aristocratic family. The discovery of grains, seeds, and ceramics from the floor of the porch area indicate that food preparation took place here; spindle whorls and rocchetti were also found, which implies that textile production occurred.
EPOC4 was nearly ten times the size of surrounding domestic spaces. In addition, these smaller domiciles lacked strong foundations, so they were not constructed with terracotta roofing tiles. This suggests that EPOC4 could have been the domestic space for the leading family in the community. However, its close proximity to these domiciles might be the reason for its eventual abandonment in the second quarter of the 7th century BCE. The large porch of EPOC4 was possibly a public space used for gatherings and meals. Eventually, as the elite, aristocratic classes grew amid a developing system of political/social order, it seems their desire for privacy also grew. Perhaps for this reason, EPOC4 was abandoned in the second quarter of the 7th century BCE. After its abandonment, building materials, such as the terracotta roofing tiles and wooden timbers, were likely taken and reused in other spaces, possibly for buildings of the site's Intermediate Phase.
Early Phase Orientalizing Complex Building 5 (EPOC5).
Early Phase Orientalizing Complex 5 (EPOC5) was found a few meters east of EPOC4 on Piano del Tesoro. This structure was built of irregularly-shaped flat stones that are thought to be the base for a wooden column which would have supported the roof of the building. It is hypothesized to be a workshop contemporary with Early Phase Orientalizing Period 4 (EPOC4).
Similarities to Orientalizing Complex 2/workshop (OC2).
EPOC5 is thought to be a workshop, because of similarities between its design, specifically its column pads, with Orientalizing Complex 2/Workshop (OC2). Both structures involve a common measurement system of 0.27 meters used during the Orientalizing period. The distance between the column bases at EPOC5 is 2.7m (ten times the uniform distance), and the distance between column pads of OC2 visible in trench Tesoro 26 (T26) is also 2.7m. Another measurement example is found in T30 where the distance between columns pads is 5.4m, twice the measurement of the intercolumniation of EPOC5 and other portions of OC2.
Intermediate phase Orientalizing Complex (OC) overview.
Following the early phase of the Orientalizing period came the next phase, the intermediate phase of the Orientalizing period. The main complex from the intermediate phase consisted of three main buildings. The buildings in this complex served a variety of purposes, from residential to manufacturing, for the benefit of the people of Poggio Civitate. The first building, which was discovered in 1970, is known as the Orientalizing Complex 1 (OC1), and it is believed that this building was a residential building. The second building in the Complex is the Orientalizing Complex 2 (OC2) which was discovered a decade after the first building in 1980. OC2 was believed to be a workshop that produced an assortment of different products from furniture to jewelry, but the main product of this workshop were terracotta roofing materials. Finally, the third building in the complex, discovered in 1996, was the Orientalizing Complex 3 (OC3) which served as some sort of religious building or temple. It is believed that this building was a temple because the floor plan of the building is similar to that of other Etruscan temples.
Orientalizing Complex 1.
The Orientalizing Complex 1 (OC1) is located within the Poggio Civitate Intermediate Phase Orientalizing Complex. Located at the top of a plateau sat these three massive buildings; the spot would later house the Archaic Building. Each of these buildings had their own individual specific purpose. The Orientalizing Complex 1 functioned primarily as a domicile or residence which was built on the western edge of the Piano del Tesoro Plateau. At the time, these structures represented architectural breakthroughs with their lateral gutter roofs (simae) that guided water into these channels and off the roof. It is unclear how long exactly these buildings had stood for, but there is evidence that they were all destroyed in the same fire that set the hilltop ablaze towards the end of the seventh century BCE.
The total length of Orientalizing Complex 1 is 36.2 m and the width is 8.6 m. Due to the level of deterioration and aging when the Orientalizing Complex was uncovered, little structural evidence can be analyzed, but evidence shows that each building had similar stylistic schemes. The Orientalizing Comlex 1 building had timber superstructures which supported wattle and daub walling. Because of OC1's positioning on the plateau, architects built the structure with diagonal struts to support against the heavy winds. OC1 included of a terracotta roof with pantiles and covertiles constructed from molds. Among other discoveries were cooking utensils, handcrafted ceramics and bronze vessels. Culinary items like small braziers and crockery indicated the type of food production that occurred within the residential complex. Archeologists also uncovered residential objects such as furniture, antler inlays, cosmetics, and figurines that helped decipher the domicile nature of the Orientalizing Complex 1 building. Most of the furniture was designed with geometrical association that consisted of triangles and other patterns. These luxurious items for the time prove that the inhabitants of this residence could have been of higher authority or higher class. Furthermore, exquisite bucchero banquet service suggested that the inhabitants dined extravagantly.
Pottery in Orientalizing Complex 1.
There were multiple works of Ionian pottery, which dates back to the 7th century BCE, found on the floor of OC1. These were fragmented Ionian cups with large bases and horizontal loop handles. There were also Corinthian, Rhodian, Samian and Chiote amphorae that date back to 620-580 BCE.
Intermediate phase Orientalizing Complex 2 (OC2).
Orientalizing Complex 2 (OC2) at Poggio Civitate is one of three of buildings located on Piano del Tesoro, one section of Poggio Civitate. It is established that OC2 was a "workshop," as the remains "revealed an abundance of evidence" of what was being produced at the site. This included furniture, wooden items, bronze working, jewelry, and, most prominently, terracotta roofing systems. The floor of OC2 was made of plaster and had "three rows of limestone column pads" that led to a terracotta roof held by wood beams. The column pads are sporadically lined with "auxiliary stones" that are hypothesized to have acted as some form of support for the columns and wooden beams. However, further excavation is required in order to identify their purpose with certainty. There is evidence that either the building that was on the site before OC2 burned down or there was burning used in the construction of OC2, as there was a "concentration of carbon-included soil" under the plaster floor. It is hypothesized that OC2 burned down in the early sixth century BCE, as the remains of an unfinished terracotta roof were found with the "raw clay elements" having been prematurely fired.
Industries in intermediate phase Orientalizing Complex 2.
A substantial amount of materials recovered