Ricerc@Sapienza

The port of Pyrgi played a fundamental role in the ancient Mediterranean sea, thanks to a favorable geographical position along the maritime routes towards the mineral resources of Northern Etruria. The analysis of the relationship between Caere (Cerveteri, RM), one of the main Etruscan cities, and its outpost on the sea is the goal of the project. The strategies followed by Caere for the management of the coastal area in relation to its role in the mediterranean commercial, political and military scenarios will be analysed. The Etruscan metropolis, the only one in the Tyrrhenian area to own a "thesauròs" in Delphi's panellenic sanctuary (Strabo 5.220), was connected to its main military and commercial port by the Caere-Pyrgi road, monumentalised at the time of the tyrant Thefarie Velianas. Pyrgi played different functions: harbour, settlement, sanctuary. Since it was abandoned after the Romanization period (3rd c. BC), the site is an exceptional case study because of the possibility of a full analysis of its different topographical components and a large-scale research over its territory. The excavations, whose fame was the basis for the launch of the funding "Grandi Scavi Sapienza", have brought to light a large sacred district, including the Sanctuary of Uni-Astarte and Leukothea, exceptionally mentioned by the literary sources (Aristot. Oec. 2.1349b; Aelian. V.H. 1.20), and a demetriac cult place dedicated to the couple of deities Sur and Cavatha. In recent years, excavations have extended to the settlement, where a "Ceremonial Quarter", next to the terminal tract of the Caere-Pyrgi road, was discovered. Research program for the year 2023 aims to improve the knowledge of the topographical asset of Pyrgi. The project implies a strong interdisciplinary approach (9 Depts. involved), matching different research fields in a coherent framework: archaeology, history of institutions, geomatics, remote-sensing, biology, chemistry, restoration, landscape architecture.