The hidden Cityscape of Vulci. Archaeological studies of the urban landscape of an Etruscan-Roman city.

• Applicants: Dr. Mariachiara Franceschini; Dr. Paul P. Pasieka
• Subject Area: Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 524639714

Despite 200 years of archaeological excavations, knowledge about the organization, structure and appearance of Vulci, one of the largest cities in the Etruscan heartland, is very limited. Although the urban centres of Etruria contributed significantly to ancient urbanism, for considerable time, they have received little scientific attention. Accordingly, study of Etruscan towns is still a central desideratum of classical archaeology. Of particular interest is how street systems as well as different public and private spaces were structured and, on a wider scale, how the collective city life was urbanistically dealt with. Extensive preliminary work through an initial geophysical campaign in 2020 and excavation campaigns in 2021/2022 has demonstrated that Vulci is suitable for addressing these questions. Workflows and best practice procedures have also been established. The aim of the present project is to develop a digital city map of the study area, which covers a major part of the area north of the decumanus, to better grasp the historical dimension and sociocultural dynamics of the city's history and with it the cityscape of a central part of the city. The city plan created in the previous projects is now to be complemented by the new project "The hidden Cityscape of Vulci" and provided with in-depth relative and absolute chronological data. Excavation of different public and private spaces, in sacred and residential areas, with adjacent streets, will provide detailed information on the course of development and design as well as their chronological and structural setting in the cityscape of Vulci. Especially the focus on the newly discovered monumental Late Archaic temple should allow a better understanding of long-term changes and sacral uses, exemplified by this central public area of the city. For this purpose, approximately 11 ha will be surveyed with ground-penetrating radar, as well as other smaller areas of roads and previously identified kilns, using geoelectrics and IP/SIP measurements. This will be the first study to use an integrated research design combining various large-scale and targeted non-invasive geophysical methods with archaeological excavations at neuralgic points to investigate the structure, organization and design of a larger area of Vulci from its urbanization in the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age to its abandonment in the Early Middle Ages. The objective is to establish an absolute chronological benchmark for the urban development of Vulci in the longue durée and to provide historical depth to the diachronic palimpsest of the city plan, thus making a significant contribution to comparative urban research in pre-Roman Italy.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants