Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Rusellae in Tuscany have uncovered ten burials dating to the early medieval period. Researchers hope the cemetery will offer new evidence about the people who lived in the region as the former Etruscan and Roman city was transformed during the Middle Ages.
The excavations at Rusellae, near the modern city of Grosseto in central Italy, uncovered ten burials containing well-preserved human skeletal remains. The graves have been dated to between approximately 568 and 774, a period that encompasses Lombard rule over much of Italy.
The project is led by Alessandro Sebastiani, associate professor and chair of the Department of Classics at the University at Buffalo, as part of the IMPERO archaeological project. Researchers from Michigan State University, Texas Tech University and The College of New Jersey are also collaborating on the excavation.
The first phase of work at the site began earlier this summer, with a second phase happening this month that will expand the area under investigation. Archaeologists hope to establish the size of the medieval cemetery, when it was used and how the graves were arranged.
A medieval cemetery in an ancient city
Roselle Archaeological Park. Photo by LepoRello / Wikimedia Commons
One of the major questions facing the researchers is how the cemetery fits into a city with a history stretching back many centuries.
“We also hope to understand how the burials relate to the medieval cathedral, the earlier Roman buildings and the changing urban landscape of Rusellae,” Sebastiani says. “The site offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate how an important Etruscan and Roman city was transformed during the Lombard and early medieval periods.”
Rusellae, also known as Roselle, was an important settlement in ancient Etruria, came under Roman control in the third century BCE and remained an important regional centre for centuries. The archaeological site preserves extensive remains from its Etruscan and Roman past, including sections of its defensive walls, Roman houses, baths and a forum.
What the skeletons could reveal
The well-preserved human remains may provide considerably more information than the graves themselves. Researchers plan to use radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA analysis and isotopic analysis to study the individuals buried at Rusellae.
“These analyses well help us establish a more precise chronology and explore questions concerning ancestry, biological relationships, chronology, population mobility, diet, and the demographic history of the region,” Sebastiani says.
The work therefore has the potential to shed light on the population of this part of Tuscany during a period of major political and social change following the end of Roman rule in the West.
Excavations are expected to continue as researchers expand the investigation area and attempt to determine the cemetery’s full extent and organization. The findings from Rusellae are also being prepared for scholarly publication. They will eventually be presented to the public as part of an exhibition marking the tenth anniversary of the IMPERO project at the Archaeological Museum of Grosseto next year.
Top Image: An aerial view of the area of the medieval cathedral with the cemetery under investigation in Rusellae. Photo courtesy of Alessandro Sebastia / University of Buffalo
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Rusellae in Tuscany have uncovered ten burials dating to the early medieval period. Researchers hope the cemetery will offer new evidence about the people who lived in the region as the former Etruscan and Roman city was transformed during the Middle Ages.
The excavations at Rusellae, near the modern city of Grosseto in central Italy, uncovered ten burials containing well-preserved human skeletal remains. The graves have been dated to between approximately 568 and 774, a period that encompasses Lombard rule over much of Italy.
The project is led by Alessandro Sebastiani, associate professor and chair of the Department of Classics at the University at Buffalo, as part of the IMPERO archaeological project. Researchers from Michigan State University, Texas Tech University and The College of New Jersey are also collaborating on the excavation.
The first phase of work at the site began earlier this summer, with a second phase happening this month that will expand the area under investigation. Archaeologists hope to establish the size of the medieval cemetery, when it was used and how the graves were arranged.
A medieval cemetery in an ancient city
One of the major questions facing the researchers is how the cemetery fits into a city with a history stretching back many centuries.
“We also hope to understand how the burials relate to the medieval cathedral, the earlier Roman buildings and the changing urban landscape of Rusellae,” Sebastiani says. “The site offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate how an important Etruscan and Roman city was transformed during the Lombard and early medieval periods.”
Rusellae, also known as Roselle, was an important settlement in ancient Etruria, came under Roman control in the third century BCE and remained an important regional centre for centuries. The archaeological site preserves extensive remains from its Etruscan and Roman past, including sections of its defensive walls, Roman houses, baths and a forum.
What the skeletons could reveal
The well-preserved human remains may provide considerably more information than the graves themselves. Researchers plan to use radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA analysis and isotopic analysis to study the individuals buried at Rusellae.
“These analyses well help us establish a more precise chronology and explore questions concerning ancestry, biological relationships, chronology, population mobility, diet, and the demographic history of the region,” Sebastiani says.
The work therefore has the potential to shed light on the population of this part of Tuscany during a period of major political and social change following the end of Roman rule in the West.
Excavations are expected to continue as researchers expand the investigation area and attempt to determine the cemetery’s full extent and organization. The findings from Rusellae are also being prepared for scholarly publication. They will eventually be presented to the public as part of an exhibition marking the tenth anniversary of the IMPERO project at the Archaeological Museum of Grosseto next year.
Top Image: An aerial view of the area of the medieval cathedral with the cemetery under investigation in Rusellae. Photo courtesy of Alessandro Sebastia / University of Buffalo
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