This year, the Danish Institute in Rome undertook excavations on the east side of the sanctuary of Timpone della Motta, Francavilla Marittima (CS).
The excavations returned to investigate a context that had been partly explored in 2009 and 2010 revealing a 6th century B.C. structure-altar stratigraphically associated with a beaten floor surface, and a votive deposit situated on the north side of the structure. There was also a stratigraphical link with a ritual midden intercepted on the south side of the structure-altar. The votive deposit contained Greek and colonial artefacts, in addition to glass paste, gold, bronze and faïence jewellery, choroplastics and elements of sacred furnishings. The ritual midden contained hydriskai and kernoi of _ hydriskai_ of colonial production; colonial krateriskoi, numerous unguentaria: Corinthian aryballoi, alabastra and amphoriskoi; Corinthian kotylai and skyphoi; Corinthian mesomphalic bronze phialai together with Corinthian pottery phlialai; examples of terracotta statuettes of standing female figures and various pieces of jewellery.

The presence of sheep-goat bones indicates that the structure-altar was used for the Greek sacrificial rite of the thysia. These faunal remains are characterised by the high level of fragmentation and combustion even reaching total calcinations, as well as by the selection of anatomical parts – only femurs, kneecaps, and coccyx-caudal vertebra were present. This has been interpreted as the result of the burning of femurs, kneecaps and the tails of the sacrificial victims, wrapped in fat with seasonings, placed on the pyre and completely burnt so that the fragrant smoke reached the deity.

The area south-east of the altar produced table wares, and different bones to those from the structure-altar. These faunal remains were certainly part of the sacrificial victim but were the remains of the carcass, except for the femurs, kneecaps, and coccyx-caudal vertebra. They were well-preserved and showed butchery marks but no signs of burning.
A preliminary analysis suggests they were the remains of the sacrificial banquet, destined for the participants in the ritual. The absence of burning suggests the meat for the banquet was boiled and had no direct contact with fire.