Ricerc@Sapienza

The district North of Temple A, intermediate between the Monumental Sanctuary, the settlement and the harbour, played a fundamental role in the urbanistic development of the Etruscan site of Pyrgi. It includes the intersection between the terminal trait of the main road connecting Caere to the coastline and the large pebbled road leading towards the harbour, and different buildings erected along the latter track. Recent fieldwork (2011-2016) has shed light on the layout of the district and its progressive transformation, starting from the 7th century BC. Its peculiar function is proved by the many ritual actions performed to stress meaningful events, such as the deposition of a dissected dog for the foundation of a trapezoidal tower-building North of the pebbled road and the deposition of selected imported items (5 phoenician oil lamps, the gorgonic mask of a campanian antefix and ionian pottery shapes) inside the so called "Edificio porticato", erected at the intersection between the two roads. Extremely meaningful is the sequence of archaic decorated roofs (ionian, campanian and caeretan style) attested by several fragments of architectural terracottas, highlighting the fundamental role of Caere (and Pyrgi) in the reception/elaboration of architectural decorative systems, thanks to its strict cultural contacts with Latium and Campania/Cuma.