Welcome to Scavi

Saturday 22 June 2012

Welcome and Introductions

This week has been a flurry of introducing students to the site and archaeology in general, appreciating the beauty of the Tuscan countryside and its incredible cuisine, and reuniting with old friends.

Many of the staff arrived in Vescovado di Murlo last Saturday night (June 16). Luckily, we made it in time to celebrate Vescovado’s annual Festa del Cinghiale (The Festival of the Wild Boar). As forests surround Vescovado, hunting is a common hobby of its inhabitants. This festival celebrates the tradition of hunting wild boar native to the Tuscan hills with an outdoor dinner that all locals attend. After dinner, several generations of Vescovadians danced together to a live band. Some of us danced, while others shared wine and reconnected after another year apart.

Andrew Carrol using a transit to lay out trenches

Friday marked the first full day of excavation at Poggio Civitate. The excitement among staff and students was tangible. It was the beginning of a new excavation season and in an area that has been minimally explored in the 45 years of excavation at Poggio Civitate.

The area we are excavating this season is just southeast of Piano del Tesoro, the plateau upon which the ancient settlement of Poggio Civitate lies. Piano del Tesoro maintains a residence, a workshop, and a tripartite building dating to Urbanizing-era Etruria (7-6^th century BC) and an Archaic-era complex (5^th-4^th century BC) that coalesces the three previous buildings. The evidence of wide scale manufacture in the Urbanizing workshop and the Archaic complex would lead one to believe that there was a work force at Poggio Civitate that lived near the plateau.

Ann Glennie excavating trench CB 47

Thus, we are excavating at a lower elevation than Piano del Tesoro and approximately 50 meters away. We believe that this area could possibly provide evidence for habitation by this worker population.

The focus today was to teach students basic methods of excavation, including how to pick axe for a pick pass and how to sort topsoil with a trowel and hand picks.

Definitions

Pick Pass: The process of pick axing across a section of the trench in order to sort soil. Soil is sorted by varying methods as required by the type of soil, area of excavation, and concentration of artifacts.

Topsoil: The soil on the surface of the trench prior to excavation. Depending on the area, topsoil can extend from a few centimeters into the earth to several.