Archaeological
Service
in Magliano (GR)
Directed by Dr.P.Rendini
H O M E
| Tuscan Archaeological Service | Archaeological excavations in Magliano (GR) Directed by Dr.P.Rendini | H O M E |
Magliano in Tuscany (GR). The most substantial traces of the presence of the
Etruscans can be found among the many necropoli scattered throughout the hills
surrounding the territory of Magliano, situated right in the middle of the
Albegna valley, and especially in the vicinity of the ford across the river;
these were probably related to small and isolated rural settlements, rather than
one single urban centre, and probably still ruled over by Vulci, the metropolis
in the south. The only necropolis that can be visited at present is that of S.
Maria in Borraccia; further information can be found at the Archaeological
Documentation Centre, which opened in Magliano in the summer of 1995.
The Necropolis of S. Maria in Borraccia. This necropolis, discovered on a hill to the
east of Magliano, is thought to date from the late 7th-early 6th century B.C. It
is formed of an underground tomb chamber, dug out of the natural white limestone,
preceded by a "dromos" or corridor, typical of others found in this area and
inner Etruria. The square rooms are divided by a centre wall with lateral graves
cut out of the rock. The existence of the necropolis has been known since the
late nineteenth century, but it was not excavated until the 1970's when
furnishings were brought to light that included large quantities of Etruscan
ceramics produced in the central-northern and southern areas (buccheros,
decorated round earthenware jars, Etrusco-Corinthian ceramics), as well as
imported Greek amphoras and ceramics.
