In 2008 the excavation continued the previous year’s work in sectors Vb and VIII.

In sector Vb exploration continued of the area close to the western end of the monumental “ditch” dwelling where one of its entrances was situated. As the collapse sealing the structure had been removed, this year’s campaign deepened the excavation, identifying several of the structure’s occupation levels, but without reaching the bed-rock. As in previous years there was an abundance of pottery, all datable to the late Bronze Age, with the exception of an almost complete but fragmented jug. Probably a votive offering it was placed inside a small pit up against the wall on the up-hill side of the structure.
A second excavation front was opened at circa 12 m from the old edge of the eastern sector, east of the steps which today provide access to the top of the rock. This extension aimed to identify a possible continuation of the structure, whose eastern limit was never reached. The accumulations of material which had tumbled down from above, and which produced a large amount of proto-historic material, were removed, thus revealing the bed-rock. The surface showed plough cuts but was far better preserved here than in the rest of the sector. A number of post holes were also present together with a small channel which at present cannot be dated, but which seemed to be part of a terrace corresponding to that into which the “ditch” structure was excavated. A little further down hill the edge of a second terrace was identified, which however extends within private property.

Sector VIII, situated at the eastern end of the rock, had been partially investigated several times in previous years due to the presence of the so-called “Scala Santa”, a structure with a probable symbolic/sacred function, dated to the proto-historic period. In 2008 the excavation concentrated on the small plateau at the base of the tower, already partially explored in the previous year, where numerous post holes and a large rectangular cut in the rock were overlaid by a structure in squared tufa blocks. Excavation of the post holes and the large pit, filled with an ash and charcoal layer, showed that all structures in this area of the rock were of medieval date. However, the unusual presence of large quantities of impasto pottery on the surface, just south of the small plateau close to the tower, suggested that exploration of the area should not be completely abandoned and thus another excavation area was opened here. To date only surface cleaning has been undertaken, with the partial removal of the humus, but this was sufficient to reveal the presence of a cut in the rock. This was filled with collapsed material and the recovered finds were almost exclusively of proto-historic date.