Ricerc@Sapienza

The Port and the Sanctuary of Pyrgi have played a fundamental role in the political and commercial history of the ancient Mediterranean sea. The analysis of the relationship between Caere, one of the main Etruscan cities, and its outpost on the sea to which it was connected by a large road comparable to the one linking Athens to the Piraeus, 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 political and military scenarios will be analysed.
Pyrgi played different functions (port, settlement, sanctuary) thanks to its favourable geographic location along the Tyrrhenian maritime routes. Moreover, since it was abandoned after the Romanization period, Pyrgi 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 have brought to light a large sacred district, including the famous Sanctuary of Uni-Astarte and a demetriac cult place dedicated to the couple of deities Sur and Cavatha.
Since 2009, investigations have focused on the sector N of the Sanctuary, where a "Ceremonial Quarter", next to the terminal trait of the Caere-Pyrgi road, was discovered.
Research program for the year 2019 aims to improve the knowledge of the relationship between Caere and its Port and maritime Sanctuary, through geophysics and topographical research focused on strategic contexts along the Caere-Pyrgi road.
The excavations of the "Ceremonial Quarter", based on the results of the georadar prospections carried on during the 2018 campaign, will allow us to reconstruct the topographical asset of this crucial area and its relationship with the port.
Special care will be reserved to the conservation, through the "cantiere-scuola" which will involve students of the Scuola Spec. Restauro Monumenti, and a new project of enhancement, also including the virtual riconstruction of the site.