This seventh campaign of excavations on the necropolis of Macchiabate at Francavilla Marittima led to the discovery and excavation of six burials situated in two different areas of the cemetery. In addition, a rescue excavation was carried out on the remains of a damaged tomb.

Area Strada
Two stone-lined earth graves, typical of this area, were excavated at the northern end of this zone. One was the monumental burial of an adult male (Strada 17), the other an infant burial of smaller dimensions (Strada 18). The male tomb was of particular interest: the grave goods included a well-preserved lance point and a short sword, both made of iron. Two iron axe heads of different types were also present together with a rich assemblage of vessel forms, including three in levigated pottery and a bronze lamina cup. The exceptional nature of the finds indicates that the deceased was a warrior and member of the local elite of the period preceding the foundation of the Greek colonies in southern Italy.

Area Est
During this campaign, the University of Basle began the excavation of a new area with the aim of studying the genesis and development of a tumulus. Numerous tombs were identified in the new zone, including those of at least two infants. The tomb of an adult male containing a large iron grip-tongue sword was of particular interest. The tombs excavated in this area also date to the period preceding the Greek colonisation.

Rescue excavation
The team from Basle also recovered the remains of a burial damaged by machinery and datable to the 8th century B.C. Among the finds were a terracotta figurine and three bronze pendants each in the shape of an embracing couple. Images of this type are very rare and are interpreted as representations of a pair of divinities. The presence of numerous examples in one tomb is a unique find.

Recording of the burials in the Temparella and Cerchio Reale tumuli
As part of the project to enhance the archaeological park, the team from the University of Basle undertook new graphic documentation showing the present situation in the cemetery areas denominated Temparella and Cerchio Reale, excavated in the 1960s by P. Zancani Montuoro.