The »Tomba della Regina« of Sirolo-Numana (prov. Ancona, Italy). The outstandig funerary complex of a Picene woman of the late 6th century B.C. as key finding for European protohistory

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Markus Egg
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 398015648

The "Tomba della Regina" from Sirolo-Numana (prov. Ancona, Italy) is the most famous and representative burial context of the Picenum, and also one of the richest graves in the 6th century BC in European protohistory. There is no other grave in the Mediterranean or in Central Europe with more than 1.500 dress accessories, two wagons, a sumptuous drinking set with Attic pottery and bronze vessels, as well as a Greek kline. Even though most of the fast 2.000 grave goods have been restored and included in a database, and we have an extensive documentation of the modern excavation, the »Tomba della Regina« is still waiting for a thorough scientific study after almost 30 years since its discovery. This challenging enterprise is the aim of the project bringing together the Römisch-Germanisches Zerntralmuseum Mainz, the Polo Museale and theSoprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of the Marche region. The focus of the project is the rich and complex grave with its local and imported grave goods, which place it at the convergence of research about the Picenum and the study of the Italian peninsula, Greece and the so called »princely graves« of Central Europe during the 6th and the 5th century BC. The project will use the archaeological and cultural study of the grave goods and of the burial complex to approach far-reaching problems concerning the forms and meanings of the Picenean burial ritual, the expression of gender, power and status in pre-Roman Italy, and the archaic trade networks. This project will provide the building block on which to develop the research on the Picenean material culture and on the international role of the seaport of Numana.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants