The research program, led by R. Brancato under concession from the Superintendency for the Territory of Viterbo and Southern Etruria, involves archaeological survey campaigns in the lower Fiora River valley, covering the municipalities of Ischia di Castro, Canino, Piansano, and Tuscania (Viterbo). The intensive and systematic investigations will focus on a buffer area ranging 5 to 10 km from the urban centers of Vulci, Castro, and Tuscania, with the aim of deepening knowledge of the ancient landscape and the Etrusco-Roman road network. The project integrates various non-invasive survey methodologies, including: field survey, geophysical prospections (GPR and magnetometry), proximal sensing and remote sensing for landscape analysis. A central aspect of this research concerns the reconstruction of the Via Clodia segment between Tuscania and Saturnia, an unresolved issue in the ancient topography of Southern Etruria. In particular, the investigation will focus on the possible location of Materno, a road station mentioned in the Tabula Peutingeriana (Tav. Peut. 5,1), situated 12 miles from Tuscania and 18 miles from Saturnia, but never definitively identified.
Collaborations
Unità di ricerca dell’Università di Napoli: R. Brancato
Unità di ricerca dell’American University of Rome: P.M. Barone
Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la provincia di Viterbo e per l’Etruria Meridionale: S. Carosi, B. Corradini
Research products:
R. Brancato, M. Pacciarelli, T. Tescione, Ricognizioni archeologiche nella bassa valle del Fiora (comuni di Ischia di Castro e Canino): dati preliminari della campagna 2022, in R. Brancato (a cura di), Come Federico opera sul campo Scavi e ricerche archeologiche dell’Università di Napoli Federico II. Atti del Convegno organizzato dalla Scuola di Specializzazione in Beni Archeologici, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici Napoli 17-18 novembre 2022, Roma 2024, pp. 55-72
