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Excavation

  • Poggio Colla
  • Vicchio di Mugello
  •  
  • Italy
  • Tuscany
  • Florence
  • Vicchio

Tools

Credits

  • The Italian Database is the result of a collaboration between:

    MIBAC (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Direzione Generale per i Beni Archeologici),

    ICCD (Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione) and

    AIAC (Associazione Internazionale di Archeologia Classica).

  • AIAC_logo logo

Summary (English)

  • The primary goal of the 2015 season was to continue research on the early history of the site. The re-opening of PC 49 (the combination of PC 27, 28 and 34) focused on the need to study the architecture and shed light on the early phases of the site, specifically the first phase of a late Archaic temple. Results of the past few years of excavation were presented at the 2016 AIA annual meetings . Excavation has recovered a remarkable buried ritual context sitting on the floor of the cella, seemingly put to rest after the destruction of that building. Most of this deposit was originally excavated in 2005 and 2006 and published by Greg Warden. Included were a circular sandstone cylinder, which Warden argued was either the capital of a column or a small altar. To the north of the cylinder were two sandstone statue bases, the larger of which was inscribed. These were joined by several fragments of bronze, intertwined gold wire, and two bronze bowls and animal remains. Excavation in 2014 produced two bronze statuettes which probably belong to the same context. These two Archaic female figures found were presented at last year’s annual meetings of the AIA by Ann Steiner and Gretchen Meyers. Another bronze female figure as well as a male kouros discovered during excavations in July of 2015 may have belonged to the ritual activity associated with the temple. Excavations here have detailed what we now believe is part of the cella wall of Temple A, a peripteral or semi peripteral temple with stone functions, molded blocks, and column bases dating to the end of the 6th or beginning of the 5th C BCE.

    More evidence of the early phases of the site came from trench PC 48, the combination of earlier trenches PC 2,8,14 and 36. Most notable was the discovery of an inscribed stele reutilized as part of the foundations of the aforementioned Temple A. With help from the conservation laboratory of the Florence Archaeological Museum, the stele was removed and sent to the museum for conservation and study. Initial examination of the stele by Rex Wallace found 46 confirmed letters and punctuation marks. An additional 24 unreadable letters as well as another 7 marks that may have been letters would raise the total to 77.

    A smaller 5 by 5 meter trench on the southern flank of the terrace, PC 50, represented the only newly opened area of excavation of the 2015 season. A new section of wall was discovered along with notable material culture dating to the Hellenistic phases.

  • Michael Thomas- University of Texas at Austin 

Director

  • Greg Warden, Franklin College

Team

  • Ann Steiner - Franklin and Marshall College
  • Gretchen Meyers- Franklin and Marshall College
  • Phil Perkins- Open University

Research Body

  • Franklin and Marshall College
  • Southern Methodist University
  • The University of Pennsylvania
  • The University of Texas at Austin

Funding Body

  • Kress Foundation
  • Poggio Colla Field School

Images

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