In collaboration with the Superintendency of Molise, in September 2011 a new research project has started on the Italic cult place of S. Giovanni in Galdo, Colle Rimontato. The project aims to shed light on the historical development and wider context of the rural sanctuary. After excavations at the cult place by the Superintendency in the 1970’s, the sanctuary and its surroundings have been investigated in detail with a series of intensive off-site field surveys on and around the temple site (2004-2008), which were combined with a re-study of part of the 1970’s excavation finds (2006). The 2011 campaign has focused on the documentation of the standing architecture of the temple itself as well as on the archaeological remains on the lower terrace in front of the actual cult place. In this area, a set of roughly cut limestone blocks and other features have been investigated in more detail. A test trench in the SW corner of the lower terrace showed that some of the abovementioned blocks are in alignment with the southern perimeter of the sacred area (i.e. in a E-W orientation). This alignment of blocks seems to have been part of a structure, and has now been excavated over a length of about 2 m. Alongside the blocks the foundation trench for the structure has been excavated. The filling of the trench contained pottery and one coin on the bottom, suggesting a late 2nd or 1st century BC date.

This season, the excavations on the site of the sanctuary at San Giovanni in Galdo (locality of Colle Rimontato) continued the investigation of the southern sector immediately in front of the temple. The temple is known thanks to excavations carried out by the Archaeological Superintendency of Molise in the 1970s. The appearance on the surface of numerous worked blocks of grey limestone mirroring the position of those uncovered during the 2011 excavations, suggests they probably belonged to the same, as yet unidentified, structure. Similarly, the continuation of the east and west perimeters of the enclosure in a south-eastern direction beyond the south side of the sacred area, suggested that the general plan of the sanctuary continued beyond the south-eastern side of the enclosure. The situation in this entire southern sector was heavily compromised by the actions of time and surface erosion; however, the excavations identified two rows of large limestone blocks, probably _in_ _situ_, in the south-eastern and southern corners of the sacred area, and running parallel with the south edge of the temple terrace. The two rows, which did not join, are interpreted as retaining and terracing structures for the hill. In the absence of a reliable stratigraphy associated with these retaining structures, at present it is difficult to establish an absolute chronology for the construction of these walls. A second trench was opened in the north area immediately behind the temple perimeter wall known from the earlier excavations. In this trench, N, it was possible to intercept and document a section of the retaining wall for the cult area was intercepted and recorded; this had already been partially uncovered in the 1970s, but back-filled and was no longer visible. This structure was built of large and medium sized stone blocks, cut directly from the hillside, using the dry-stone technique.

During this season, the excavations concentrated on the north-eastern area of the sanctuary. The area north east of the portico’s perimeter wall, in addition to the remains of the retaining wall to the north (partially excavated in the 1970s and further documented in 2012), seemed to be characterised by a deep stratigraphy that will presumably provide evidence for the layout of the sanctuary to the exterior of the perimeter formed by the portico. A substantial section of a retaining wall on a west/north-east alignment was uncovered in the north-western part of the east trench. This wall ran parallel to the temple portico’s northern perimeter wall, following the same alignment as the section situated immediately behind the temple _cella_, identified in 2012. At the edge of the northern part of the trench, this containing wall joined to a second stretch of wall on a north-east/east alignment. Like its other parts, the wall was a dry-stone construction built of large and medium sized stones cut directly from the hillside. This structure, in particular the northern sector, as well as delimiting the area occupied by the temple, also contained the strong thrust exercised by the hill itself, in antiquity as now, on the central zone of medium grade slope occupied by the sanctuary area. Over time, this pressure had caused the walls to collapse and they were also affected by hill-wash from the surrounding slopes.

The 2015 campaign concentrated on the investigation of two sectors: the north-eastern area, where work began in 2014 and is of particular interest, and that to the west, where it was thought possible to intercept the rest of the sanctuary’s containing wall, of which some sectors had been uncovered during earlier excavations. In the north-eastern sector, the work began with a complete survey of the excavated containing walls. In this eastern area, the structure was at some distance from the known perimeter of the temple, therefore leaving a free area. Here, the upper levels were completely covered by elements of collapse from the destruction of the containing wall. In fact, over time this structure was subject to collapse caused by the pressure from the hill slope and hill-wash. The removal of these substantial layers of collapse revealed the edges of another rectangular structure on a north-east alignment, approximately parallel to the portico’s eastern perimeter wall and situated between the latter and the containing wall. The archaeological finds, mainly constituted by pottery fragments but also a few bone, metal, and glass elements, suggest an approximate preliminary date for the upper layers between the 1st century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. The presence in these layers of abundant Italian sigillata pottery and two bronze coins dating to the early imperial period was significant. Where the excavation was deeper, the find of abundant well-preserved black glaze pottery and, in one case, of a bronze Republican coin, made it possible to reconstruct a chronology dating back to at least the 2nd century B.C. In the northern part of the room, traces of at least three carbonised timber posts were found. A vast collapse of roof tiles was also documented. The area between this structure and the containing wall produced an abundance of well-preserved black glaze pottery, including intact forms, which mainly dated to the earliest phases documented thus far. In fact, some fragments seem to date to the 3rd century B.C. and there appears to be no post-2nd century B.C. material. This suggests that this material could belong to a votive deposit relating to one of the sanctuary’s earliest phases, placed intact or semi-intact beyond the sanctuary structures but still within the sacred area delimited by the containing wall. In the western sector, the opening of a trench parallel to the west side of the portico, on a north-west/south alignment, revealed the western stretch of the containing wall numerous parts of which had been identified previously. The western containing wall was completely exposed and documented. Like the east and north sectors, it was built of large and medium sized roughly-worked stone blocks cut from the bedrock, which outcropped close to the sanctuary area in this part of the site. Indeed, when the temple terrace was created the western side of the containing wall was built directly up against the bedrock.