The Colle Mazéit overlooks, to the north, the confluence between the valley of the river But and that of the Tagliamento. The tower (excavated in 1989-1990 and 2000-2005), built on the summit of the hill in the 6th century A.D. and destroyed by a fire between 1150 and 1270 (C14 dating), controlled the surrounding territory. The investigations in 2005 revealed a Roman wall of imperial date and a room covered by a 4th-5th century A.D. level below the 6th century A.D. level.
The excavations undertaken south of the tower uncovered a settlement surrounded by a fortified stone wall, which included the tower and several rooms which attest the occupation of an area up against the perimeter wall between the 4th millennium B.C. and the 4th century A.D. The areas investigated were: Area II – a square room of Roman date abutting the south-east corner of the wall, with a chronological sequence running from the 1sr century B.C. to the 4th century A.D.; Area VI – in the direction of the south-east corner of the wall, with complex occupation evidence that date to within the late Neolithic, Recent-final Bronze age, evolved Iron age, the Celtic period, the late Republican and early Imperial periods; Area VII – rectangular room of Roman date built astride the wall and re-used as a cemetery in the 8th-9th century A.D., as attested by a female burial with paleo-slavic type earrings.
During the course of the latest excavations, in Area VII, the construction technique of the rectangular room was made clear following the removal of the stretch of fortified perimeter wall within the structure. Moreover, earlier structures emerged outside the room and the related layers produced fragments of pottery of the 6th-4th century B.C. This evidence indicates an interesting development of the Roman and pre-Roman structures towards the west. A project is being drawn up for the consolidation of the structures and valorization of the site. (Maria Gloria Vannacci)