Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – A rare, intact 7th-century BC Etruscan chamber tomb in San Giuliano, about 70 km northwest of Rome, Italy has been uncovered by a team of archaeologists, led by Baylor University’s Davide Zori, Ph.D., principal investigator for the San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project (SGARP).
The Etruscan tomb held the remains of four individuals laid out on beds of carved stone (two shown here), surrounded by grave goods. (Credits: Jerolyn Morrison)
The sealed chamber tomb, which dates back 2,600 years, is the first such intact object in the region that can be examined using modern methods, researchers say.
There are more than 600 already documented tombs in this ancient necropolis surrounding the Etruscan city. Interestingly, this one is the only one that escaped robbery -even during the Roman occupation in the 3rd century BC.
“This completely sealed burial chamber represents a rare find for Etruscan archaeology,” Zori commented.
Image credit: Baylor University
“In the internal hilly region of central Italy, where the SGARP team works, a preserved chamber tomb of this age has never before been excavated with modern archaeological techniques. It is a unique opportunity for our project to study the beliefs and burial traditions of this fascinating pre-Roman culture.”
Archaeologists washing the pottery in situ at the entrance to the tomb. (Credits: Anna Gibbs)
Carved into the rock, the tomb in San Giuliano resembles a miniature house with a gable roof, which was a characteristic element of Etruscan burial practices. The Etruscans established their small empire in central Italy before the rise of the Roman Republic, achieving its most significant influence and power around the 6th century BC.
During the Roman-Etruscan Wars, the Etruscans ultimately fell to the Romans. The scarcity of written records from the Etruscan era, combined with the passage of time, has resulted in very limited historical knowledge about this period.
Therefore, each new research breakthrough is incredibly valuable for expanding our understanding of this ancient civilization.
Joshua Smith, a senior anthropology major from Houston, holds a bucchero kylix found in the tomb in the SGARP Finds Laboratory. Credits: Jerolyn Morrison
Within the chamber, the team discovered the remains of four individuals resting on stone beds.
These remains are, for the time being, identified as two pairs, but definitive conclusions await further anthropological and genetic analysis. The most remarkable aspect of this find is the presence of over 100 perfectly preserved funeral items, which offer significant insights into historical burial practices.
The discoveries made by the team include ceramic vessels, iron weapons, brown jewelry and silver hairpins with extraordinary detail.
“The SGARP team has completed the excavation of the tomb, but the study and analysis of the archaeological data yielded by this incredible discovery is just beginning,” Zori said.
The discovery is the result of the work of the San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project – SGARP) – an interdisciplinary program running since 2016. Led by Baylor University, the Consortium works with institutions in Rome and the authorities of Barbarano Romano. The researchers analyze the settlement changes on the San Giuliano plateau, focusing especially on the Etruscan and medieval periods.
The team included archaeologists specialized in DNA issues, geophysics, and epigraphics. The conclusions regarding this discovery will be known first after many years of analysis.
Genetics and isotopic studies will take time but one day, they may shed new light on the origins of the Etruscans.
Source
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer
