Torre di Satriano
- Details
- Category: Progetti
- Created on Monday, 01 October 2012 17:04
Project Director
Survey Director
Director Medieval Sector
Fieldwork Coordinator
Barbara Serio
Laboratory
Gianclaudio Ferreri
Topography and Graphics
Daniele Mallardi, Giuseppe Loiudice
Architectural Terracottas Database, 3D Modelling
Donato Bruscella, Vincenzo Capozzoli, Alberto Comini
GIS
Emiliano Tondi
Ancient Roads and Landscape Reconstruction
Palaeobotanics
Donatella Novellis (Lab. di Archebotanica – Univ. del Salento - LE)
Pollen Analysis
Annamaria Mercuri, Assunta Florenzano
Archaeometry
Tonia Giammatteo (in collaborazione con Lab. CNR-IMAA, Tito Scalo - PZ)
Chromatographical Analysis
Giuliana Bianco
Geomorphological Analysis
Salvatore Ivo Giano, Francesco Sdao, Cinzia Zotta (DiSGG, UNIBAS)
Indagini geomagnetiche
Mimmo Chianese, Enzo Rizzo, Gregory De Martino (CNR-IMAA, soc. Tomogea)
Archaeozoology
Chiara Corbino
Anthropology
Tracy Prowse, Robert Stark, Metthew Emery
Between the towns of Tito and Satriano di Lucania, in the heart of the Lucanian Apennine, there is an isolated peak named Torre di Satriano, which overviews a vast area. The name Torre di Satriano derives from the Norman tower of Medieval Satrianum, a settlement that ˗ developed during the 11th century A.D. on the slopes surrounding the hilltop ˗ was finally abandoned either in the 15th or in the 16th century.
Underneath the Medieval settlement there are much earlier remains, including traces of human frequentation which date back as early as the 2nd millennium B.C. Around the mid-8th century B.C., the settlement, which lasts until the 3rd/beginning of 2nd century B.C., starts showing a more regular settlement pattern.
Since 2000 the area has been studied within the scope of a “global archaeology” project, which is based on the collaboration of scholars from various disciplines. Thanks to an archaeological survey carried out in the territory surrounding the hilltop centre of Torre di Satriano (covering approximately 20 square kilometres), it has been possible both to reconstruct the development of the settlement and to start stratigraphic excavations in spots which are significant for the understanding of the area.
During the Early Iron Age phases I and II the settlement is organized in nuclei of huts and burials which spread closely on the slopes and terraces around the peak. One of the huts, located South-East of the hilltop, is standing out among the others both by size (22 x 12,5 metres) and findings. Its owner must have been a leading figure within the local community. The hut goes back to the 7th century B.C., and is abandoned during the second quarter of the 6thcentury B.C.
An even more outstanding dwelling has been discovered in 2008 on the Northern slopes of the hill. It can be interpreted as the centre of power within the local community between 560/550 and 480 B.C. Its size (30,7 x 22,3 metres) as well as its architectural terracottas and the objects found inside testify to its extraordinary importance. The roof features terracotta simas and a terracotta frieze showing fighting hoplites accompanied by squires on horses. The ridge of the roof was decorated with acroterial statues. Not far from the building a small necropolis and a manufacture area have been brought to light.
During the Lucanian period the settlement pattern changes profoundly. On the one hand, the hilltop of Torre di Satriano becomes a fortified ‘central place.’ On the other hand, in the surrounding areas archaeological research has discovered a number of farmsteads, most of them dating back between mid-4th century and the 3rd/beginning of the 2nd century B.C.
On the Southern slopes of the hill, there is a 4th century B.C. sanctuary which has been fully excavated, consisting of a square shrine in the middle of a rectangular enclosure. Within the sacred area, archaeological investigations have yielded an high number of votive and ritual objects. As elsewhere in the area under scrutiny, there are no signs of frequentation after the beginning of the 2nd century B.C. However, the sanctuary is reactivated between the second quarter of 1st century B.C. and the following century, by that time being transformed into a typical Roman cult place in terms of ritual practices and votive dedications.
During the Roman period, the territory is plausibly part of the municipium of Potentia (modern Potenza). Only a small number of farmsteads and villas can be dated to the Roman period, continuing until the 4th-5th century A.D. A new frequentation is attested from the Middle Ages, leading to the foundation of the diocese of Satrianum. As for the Medieval phase, archaeological excavations have been carried out in the 11th century cathedral which is located on the hilltop, and in the episcope, where a number of 12th-15th centuries accommodation rooms have been discovered.
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