The investigation undertaken on the site of the Messapian-Roman settlement of Pozzo Seccato uncovered a residential complex consisting of a large square building. The foundations were constructed of large, very regular blocks of local limestone and the walls were in part blocks and in part dry-stone construction. An open area excavation was undertaken on the area occupied by the building, although it is still to be completed. Numerous rooms were brought to light, some with the remains of limestone slab pavements, amongst which a kitchen, several open rooms and a reception room were identified. Another large room, separate from the main building was uncovered in the north-western corner of the complex, up against the fortified walls. Of the latter, the northern arm was completely uncovered on the interior side and all of the eastern arm (of which for the most part only the external facing remains). This was an imposing structure consisting of a dry stone wall with a facing of large squared limestone blocks.

In 2007 the tenth excavation campaign was undertaken at Acquarica di Lecce, locality of Pozzo Seccato, the site of an important Messapian fortified settlement. Excavations mainly concentrated on the northern side of the great fortification constituted by a dry-stone wall (3.50 m wide) and an external facing of large squared limestone blocks. The collapse of this structure, partially uncovered in the previous campaign, was excavated. In this area a number of courses of the outer facing were preserved. Their collapse may have been caused by an earthquake (given the position of the blocks which were still adjoining as they were when standing). These blocks were overlain by part of the dry-stone wall. At the same time the dismantling of the modern dry-stone wall which covered the ancient structure for a length of circa 40 m continued. In the north-western corner four new blocks from the external facing were uncovered, preserved here in two courses, together with part of the collapse to the exterior of the structure. The material recovered from the dismantling of the modern dry-stone wall was used for the reconstruction of the dry-stone wall, begun in previous years, in this corner of the fortification.

As part of the work for the creation of the Ecomuseo dei Paesaggi di Pietra di Acquarica di Lecce (project approved by MiBAC), an intense campaign of excavation and reconstruction was undertaken in the locality of Pozzo Seccato on the Messapian-Roman settlement first identified in 1997 by the University of Salento. Work was undertaken on the north, west and east fortifications in particular, that had been partially investigated and reconstructed in past years. On then north side of the fortifications the lowest levels of the collapse of blocks from the external facing were reached. These levels were constituted by tufina still visible along the line of the walls; one badly preserved block was visible in the eastern sector. On the eastern side of the fortifications recently formed layers of earth and stones were excavated. The absence of substantial archaeological evidence can be attributed to post-depositional disturbance (above all ploughing and other agricultural activities). On the western side the modern dry-stone wall was dismantled and the layers of stones relating to the collapse of the internal wall were excavated. At present the walls on a north-south and east-west alignment in the western area of room A are visible, inside which is the probable abandonment layer with elements still in the collapse. South of room A an arrangement of smoothed stones, similar to a paving, and several layers of collapse were visible. These will be subjected to archeo-botanical analyses (concentration of carbonised logs immediately south of room A). Following the excavation the reconstruction of the fortification’s internal dry-stone structures began. The reconstruction of the northern structure was almost completed, whilst for the east and west sides the intervention was limited to the external part of the structure prior to the completion of the excavations.

The modern asphalt road crossing the settlement was dismantled and thus it was possible to excavate the underlying structures. A new beaten earth road was constructed, which passing outside the Messapian fortifications provides a better view of them. Excavations on the north side were completed, revealing the external facing of large limestone blocks in its entirety. The reconstruction of the fortifications continued alongside the excavations. In particular the eastern wing, which was completely destroyed by agricultural activity and of which only the remains of the external facing were preserved, was rebuilt. In the north-eastern corner of the settlement a small mound of stones resulting from the farmers having removed them from the surrounding land was dismantled. These materials were also reused in the reconstruction of the dry-stone fortifications. The reconstruction work undertaken in these years has rendered the form of the ancient settlement clearly visible. The completion of the work and opening of the area to the public is foreseen for the end of 2010.

With the completion of work relating to the creation of the _Ecomuseo dei Paesaggi di Pietra di Acquarica di Lecce_ an excavation campaign was undertaken on the Messapian-Roman settlement in the locality of Pozzo Seccato at Acquarica di Lecce, Vernole (LE). The excavation was carried out by the University of the Salento under concession from the Archaeological Superintendency. The Messapian settlement of Pozzo Seccato is a fortified farm dating to the end of the 4th century B.C. It is completely surrounded by a substantial wall just under 4 m wide, dry-stone built and faced with large, squared limestone blocks. Inside the walls a residential building was uncovered. Some of the rooms had domestic functions (reception room, kitchen, storeroom etc) and other rooms were destined for craft-working activities. The building had a two-story tower in its central part which was used for keeping watch over the surrounding territory as far as the sea, at least five kilometers away. Another large room, 16 m long and about 8 m wide, situated up against the fortifications to the west of the main building, must have functioned as a warehouse for the conservation of agricultural products from the surrounding fields. The most recent investigations undertaken by a team from the University of Salento, directed by Prof. Francesco D’Andria, Prof, Grazia Semeraro and Dr. Corrado Notario, uncovered the southern side of the fortifications on one of the pieces of land recently acquired from the local administration as part of the project (lot 115, sheet 52 of the Cadastral plan of the municipality of Vernole). With the excavation of the southern wall the total extension of the settlement is now known and covers a surface area of just under 5,000 m2 (east-west side 72 m, north-south side 67 m). On the eastern side of the fortification the gate to the settlement was uncovered, next to which was a small room, or porter’s lodge, for controlling access. At present part of the fortifications are under reconstruction so as to provide visitors with a better understanding of the settlement’s form. This involves the north, west and eastern fortifications in particular, which had already been partially investigated and reconstructed in previous years. On the north side of the fortifications the lowest levels of collapse from the external facing were reached. The facing comprised small tufa blocks (tufina) which are still visible along the alignment of the walls; only one block in very bad condition is still visible in the eastern zone. On the eastern side of the fortifications recently formed layers of earth and stones were excavated. The absence of archaeological evidence can be put down to ploughing. On the western side of the fortifications a modern dry-stone wall was dismantled (U.S. 30 = 1066), and the layers of stones from the collapse of the internal wall of the fortifications were excavated. The north-south and east-west walls in the western area of the warehouse were identified and abandonment layers with elements still in collapse were excavated in their interior, To the south of this building an arrangement of smoothed stones, similar to a paving was visible (1081) together with further layers of collapse, on which archaeo-botanical analyses have been undertaken. In the warehouse area a number of soil samples were taken and tested for high phosphate levels. The results were negative and thus confirmed the absence of animals within the structure and reinforced the hypothesis that it was in fact used as a warehouse. Following the excavation, work on the reconstruction of the fortification’s internal dry-stone walls began. Reconstruction of the northern structure was completed, whilst the east and west sides are almost completed. On the west side a stretch of the external facing was reconstructed with the putting into place of four rows of large limestone blocks, quarried for this purpose. The work is due to be completed in December 2010 and the site opened to the public with the creation of a visitors route with information panels.

Sabato 11 dicembre 2010, alla presenza di Angela Barbanente (Assessore all’Assetto del Territorio della Regione Puglia) e di Teresa Cinquantaquattro (ex Soprintendente per i Beni Archeologici della Puglia) è stato ufficialmente inaugurato l’Ecomuseo dei Paesaggi di Pietra di Acquarica di Lecce. Il completamento dei lavori, con l’allestimento di un percorso di visita corredato da pannelli esplicativi, permette oggi al pubblico di fruire dell’area archeologica di Pozzo Seccato in modo completo. Con le ultime ricerche sono state definitivamente riconosciute due distinte fasi di vita dell’insediamento. La struttura viene costruita alla fine del IV secolo a.C. e viene usata come abitazione da una famiglia di ricchi proprietari terrieri per circa un secolo. Alla fine del III secolo a.C. l’insediamento viene abbandonato e subisce una serie di spoliazioni. Dopo circa un trentennio la frequentazione dell’area riprende e l’edificio principale viene completamente ristrutturato. Vengono abbassati tutti i pavimenti degli ambienti che ricevono nuove destinazioni d’uso. Per circa due secoli l’insediamento vive del lavoro dei campi e del pascolo delle greggi. L’area viene definitivamente abbandonata verso gli inizi del I secolo d.C. Lo studio della grande struttura muraria ha fornito numerosi dati sui metodi costruttivi adottati ed ha confermato la contemporaneità costruttiva del muro a secco e del paramento esterno. Tra le due strutture, durante la costruzione, veniva lasciata una stretta intercapedine riempita con frammenti di calcare, tufina e piccole pietre al fine di assicurare un perfetto ancoraggio reciproco. Per lo stesso scopo il filare di fondazione del paramento era costituito da blocchi più larghi inglobati direttamente nella struttura a secco. All’interno della fortificazione è continuato lo scavo dell’edificio residenziale già indagato negli anni precedenti. Nella sua seconda fase di vita l’edificio era fornito di un vano adibito a cucina, in cui erano stati realizzati due focolari con base in lastre di calcare per la cottura dei cibi. Adiacente alla cucina era un piccolo ambiente dove probabilmente venivano conservate le derrate da cucinare. Il grande vano collocato a ridosso della fortificazione ad Ovest dell’edificio principale (granaio) è stato completamente scavato con la messa in luce definitiva del suo limite occidentale. Alla fine delle indagini archeologiche sono state parzialmente ricostruite le fortificazioni, crollate nel corso dei secoli, per consentire una migliore lettura della forma dell’insediamento da parte dei visitatori. Nell’edificio residenziale era presente una sala adibita al ricevimento degli ospiti, preceduta da un vano anticamera. E’ stato ricostruito il primo filare di elevato in blocchi di calcare per permettere una migliore lettura dei volumi del vano che si apriva verso sud con una larga porta a due battenti.

These excavations concentrated on the area to the west of Building D. The archaeological levels were uncovered, in particular the beaten earth floor level (US 1212) adjacent to the west side of building D (interpreted as a tower) was cleaned off and extended towards the west, by about 2 m. Preceding investigations in this area had already uncovered a row of stone blocks (fig. 2, US 1219) on an E-W alignment. Its maximum length was c. 4 m and it was constituted by blocks of soft local limestone, heavily cut by agricultural work. In the immediate vicinity of the wall, there was a substantial rock outcrop that presented clear traces of working. The excavation revealed a series of aligned cuts that were at a right angle to the wall, and probably represent the cuts for housing the stone blocks forming the west wall to another room perhaps belonging to a different building (building G). This suggestion is supported by the discovery of several fragments from blocks, interpretable as the remains of the west side of the room. In this area, the excavation of the levels overlying the rocky outcrop recovered residual fragments of impasto pottery, confirming a proto-historic occupation of the area. The excavation of the agricultural terrain east of the stone block wall (US 1219) intercepted a concentration of tufa fragments that seemed to represent what survived of the same wall’s continuation, which was probably delimited by the west side of building D. The partial excavation of the levels underlying the wall produced pottery fragments datable to the Hellenistic period, characterised by a large amount of plain ware, occasional fragments of black glaze, some fragments from large containers and numerous tiles. A concentration of baked clay was excavated along the northern edge of the beaten earth floor (US 1212); probably part of a dump of material used to fill a hole in the floor itself. Based on the new evidence it is possible to hypothesize the partial plan of room G, both to the west and east, with a maximum length of c. 10m. At present it is not possible to suggest how this room was used.

Excavations took place in the locality of Pozzo Seccato where research undertaken from 1997 onwards by the University of Salento has revealed the presence of a fortified farm. The structure, built in the late 4th century B.C., had a quadrangular plan (72 x 65 m) and was occupied until the mid-1st century A.D. (Fig, 1). Excavations were carried out in the settlement’s central sector, an area west of the look-out tower (D) and south of the granary (B), in the area of the stable (C), and of the complex with tower that had residential and production functions (A) (Fig. 2). In this area, in 2017, a rectangular room was identified (G9 (Fig. 3), on an east-west alignment. Part of the north wall was uncovered, made of squared limestone blocks (US 1219), together with the cuts in the bed-rock for housing the west wall (US 1220). About 3 m south-west of the wall (US 1219), there was a beaten surface of whiteish crushed tufa (US 1212), covering an area of 5 x 5 m. The aim of the 2018 excavations was to clarify the function of room G. The first intervention took place outside the room in an area measuring 3 x 4 m, west of the cuts in the bed-rock (US 1220). The first task involved the removal of a layer of gravel relating to the make-up of the asphalt road that until 2008 crossed the site. This revealed an accumulation of dark brown soil mixed with pottery and brick fragments (US 1232). A dark soil (US 1230) containing impasto pottery, dating to the proto-historic phases of the site, was present in the vicinity if the bed-rock (US 1220) outcrops. Inside room G an area of 2.5 x 2.5 m was excavated, positioned at one metre south of wall US 1219 and characterised by rock outcrops at the centre and north-east and south-west corners (Fig. 4). In the northern half of the trench, a layer (US 1216), identified in 2017, containing abundant pottery - plain ware, banded ware and cooking ware, was removed. Below was a layer of greyish soil with concentrations of baked-clay (US 1237) constituting the remains of a hearth. The removal of the crushed tufa surface (US 1212) revealed: a) an arrangement of flat stones (US 1234) positioned so as to fill the gaps between the outcrops at the centre and south-west corner of the trench and level up the surface; b) at the south-east corner of the trench a layer of compact soil (US 1236) containing tile and pottery fragments similar to US 1216. The removal of US 1236 exposed a circular baked-clay structure, identified as a hearth (US1235). The layer of brown soil (US 1238) in contact with the hearth (US 1235) can be identified as an occupation layer.