Introduction

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Introduction

Civitate A is the area north of the Medieval Road which bisects Poggio Civitate and west of the monumental buildings found on Piano del Tesoro. The area has been continually excavated since 1991 when several features were discovered during the establishment of a master grid system for the entire site of Poggio Civitate.

In the western area of Civitate A several roasting pits (CA 33- JB I & JB III ), an archaic period well with an intentional fill (CA 42- JBB II , LS I , & MG II ), and finally several Iron Age lenses (CA 36 JB IV , TT IV ; CA 55- CO II ; CA 62- AEG I ) were excavated during the 90s and 00s. They have continued to motivate excavators to work in the surrounding area in an attempt to clarify the relationship of these features to each other and the monumental complex to the east.

Trenches continued to be opened moving away from the archaic well towards the Archaic complex

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along the Medieval Road in an attempt to further clarify previous discoveries. During the 2012 season, two test trenches, CA 70 and 71 were opened ~50 meters west of the Archaic complex ( AAF II & CGL I ). These trenches uncovered a linear packing of rocks running through both trenches. In order to better clarify this feature, the trenches were expanded and during the 2012 and 2013 seasons more trenches were opened to the east and west. CA 72 and 73 (ARR IV & AEG VI) were placed along the eastern baulk and CA 74, CA 80, and CA 83 ( CAC I , CLP I , & KRK VI ) was placed to the west. CA 78 and CA 82 ( AJC V & RDC I ) was placed north of CA 73, while CA 76, CA 77, CA 79 ( LHS II , EC X , & EMO IV ) were placed south of CA 72. These trenches revealed several thin lines of distinct and separate rock features. In the east through CA 78, 73, 72, and 76 a partially preserved foundation indicating a possible light frame building was found.

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In the west, from CA 82 through CA 79 a possible retaining wall was also uncovered.

Additionally large amount of waste products from metal production and antler carving were recovered. This combination of materials and rock features has lead excavators to believe that in addition to workshop like activities in this area there may have been a domicile of a non-elite inhabitant of Poggio Civitate.

North of the 2014 excavation area, the original excavators of Poggio Civitate dropped several exploratory test trenches. While most of them were quickly abandoned when no substantial architecture or architectural terracotta was reveal, several of these trenches did uncover a large amount of decorative terracotta intentionally dumped into a lens (CA 2, CA 24, & CA 28- BH II , BB I , & EN I ). This deposit seems to be associated with the destruction of Archaic period complex and the scattering of the decorative material from the roofing structure.

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T-57 will be placed 20 meters to the east of the 2012/2013 excavations in an attempt to further clarify an area of the hill previously unexcavated.

2014 Goals

1. To explore the area immediately to the east of CA 72, 73, and 78 and reveal new architectural features, stratigraphy, and topographic information in this area.
2. To recover dateable material from a secure context to better understand the features found in 2012/2013 in Civitate A
3. To search for evidence of non-elite habitation on the western area of the hill in association with previous architecture and deposits of the area.
4. To explore the possibility of other intentional archaic deposits as those found in CA 2/24/28.

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