The excavation at Longano began in 2007 on the site where the bronze hieratical mask was found. A settlement site of great interest was identified. Surface finds included materials ranging in date from the early Bronze Age to the 4th century B.C.

The remains of a hut comprising a beaten gravel floor, a hearth and a post hole were uncovered in the first trench. Numerous fragments of dolia and other pottery was found just below the ground surface. A funerary area was also uncovered, comprising only two “a cassone” burials, an infant and an adult, both without grave goods. Important fragments of pottery typical of the Apennine culture were found throughout the area, as well as spindle whorls dating to the proto-Villanovan period.