Tarquinia - Monterozzi. Nuovi dati sulla prima età del ferro dalla Doganaccia e dalle aree limitrofe

Since 2008 the Etruscan graves of the Doganaccia area, lying at the heart of the Monterozzi burial ground, have been subject to systematic investigation by the University of Turin in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologica. The archaeological excavation, concentrated on the “Queen’s” Tumulus dating to the Orientalising Period, has brought to light finds associated with the occupation of the area during the Early Iron Age. Excavation of the area around the tumulus has recorded the presence of Villanovan coarse ware sherds, of a type characteristic of domestic pottery, encouraging the conclusion that part of the earth used to build the tumulus was extracted from a nearby Early Iron Age settlement site. As well as the data from the Doganaccia site, this paper presents the results from fieldwork on two other known nearby burial sites (Acquetta and Fontanaccia); these new results enrich the archaeological record for the area to the north of the Monterozzi hill, encouraging a new reading of the settlement pattern of the area during the Early Iron Age.