An inspection was made in the area of a find spot, discovered during a survey in May 2005 in the locality of Paiole (Corte Franca), at the same time as more extensive archaeological investigation was being undertaken on a prehistoric site.
horizontally laid tiles emerged from just below the grass along a field track which lead to the supposition that what lay below was probably an “a cassa” type, tile lined tomb.
The opening of a small trench (1.60×2.00m) revealed, at a depth of 0.15m below present ground level, the presence of two imbrices, placed with their short sides touching and the curved part underneath. Both presented numerous breaks caused by the passage of agricultural vehicles. Along the north-eastern edge was a line of cobbles and stones.
The removal of the tiles showed that the line of cobbles was part of a small dry-stone wall, c. 0.45m wide and 1.45m long, which bordered a sub-rectangular cavity (0.66m deep) the bottom of which was to the south-east. The cut was filled with cobbles and occasional stones. No pottery or brick was present, only the presence of occasional pieces of charcoal and a single fragment of bone was noted.
On the basis of what was observed it is possible that the structures examined were part of an inhabited context.
In fact, they could be linked to the systematization of the slope, which in antiquity was even steeper than it is today. Agricultural terracing, especially in the western zone, have certainly removed a large part of the archaeological deposit (tile fragments are scattered all over the area). (Fausto Simonotti)