The present volume is the fourth in the series The Chora of Metaponto edited by Joseph Coleman Carter, dedicated to publishing the results of the survey and excavation work conducted by Carter and his team in the territory of Metaponto since the 1970s. This was a research project of such extraordinary importance–for the methodology adopted, the data it generated and the scientific rigour of its analysis–that it constitutes an essential point of reference for whomever studies historical landscapes from a diachronic perspective.
This book is the result of five years of analysis of the archaeological evidence recovered following the excavation in 1980 at the site of the Imperial and Late Roman period farmhouse of San Biagio, located on the left bank of the Basento River, a few kilometres from the ancient city of Metaponto.
This is a volume of considerable interest and quality for a number of reasons. Methodologically, it is an excellent example of a critical inquiry and analysis of data from an excavation conducted more than 30 years ago, not using truly stratigraphic methods. Historically and archaeologically, the book represents a precious contribution to our understanding of rural landscapes of the Roman period in the lower valley of the Basento River and the territory of Metaponto. For the area investigated, this research agenda has been little explored. The ample coastal plain of Basilicata bordering the Ionian Sea has long been studied with a focus on the social and settlement dynamics of Greek colonisation, on the dynamics of interaction with the inhabitants and the culture of the indigenous population, and on the outcomes of contact with Rome. Yet, more recently, there have emerged important investigations and contributions aimed at shedding light on Roman and Late Roman phases of the principal urban centres there and of the neighbouring territories: one should think of the work of A. De Siena and L. Giardino on the transformations of the urban fabric of Metaponto and Heraclea; of the contributions of M. Gualtieri on Roman Lucania; of the focused programme of excavation and survey conducted by the Soprintendenza della Basilicata and the Institute of Classical Archaeology (Texas), in the hinterland of Metaponto, whose results are in great part published; and of the recent project, organised by M. Osanna, of systematic and diachronic survey in the territory of Heraclea.
There is, finally, another reason, by no means secondary, that recommends the volume: the object of study is representative of a small–mid-sized farmstead and from its social, economic and cultural milieu, classified by such a typology as a ‘minor’ site. From the grand rural estates of the aristocracy that rose to the pinnacle of economic–political power of the empire, to the places of life, work and production of the farming population that constituted in fact the wide base of Roman and Late Antique social structure. This is not only an ideological shift from the standard emphasis of archaeology; it is above all key reading to begin, on a solid methodological and historical base, a new thought process.
Chapter 1, by L. Giardino, constitutes a historical–archaeological preface to the more in-depth discussion of the farm of San Biagio: the site is inserted into the wider picture of settlement organisation of Basilicata in the Roman and Late Antique periods, from the third century b.c. to the Early Middle Ages. Settlement dynamics of the Metaponto plain, in a synthetic but effective way, are compared to those of other territorial contexts nearby, already objects of intense and systematic research: the hinterland of Venosa, the Basentello Valley, north-central Basilicata, the Val d'Agri and the territory of Grumentum. At the same time, the organisation and transformation of the local rural landscapes were linked to the diachronic evolution of the city of Metapontum: from the crisis and contraction of the city after the Roman conquest to the reorganisation of the Late Antique settlement (still a city? a vicus?) equipped with an open and active maritime port, at least until the end of the fifth century a.d., oriented towards the commercial trends of the western and eastern Mediterranean. Beyond some excessive generalisations (for example, on the theme of the development of villas), the framework presented seems convincing. It would have been appropriate to dedicate more space to a description of the processes of economic and settlement reorganisation that affected the coast and interior of Basilicata between the fourth and end of the sixth century a.d., with significantly different outcomes. In the same way, there was the intention to offer a diachronic and complete contextualisation, but further study is required on the transition into the Early Medieval period, marked by the abandonment, reuse and functional reoccupation, and cultural admixture with non-indigenous ethnic groups, as has recently emerged following the investigations conducted at the site of Barricelle and in the nearby Val d'Agri.
In Chapter 2, edited by L., begins the full description of the site of San Biagio. The first section presents a topographic survey of the site as it relates to the Basento River. Then follows a brief history of the excavation undertaken in 1980, with a detailed explanation of the methodology employed at the time (a modified Wheelerian approach) and the documentation system used. Ample space is given to the description of the site under study and the evidence uncovered. The discussion focuses on the definition of the three different phases of occupation known topographically at the site: the first is ascribed to the late Neolithic; the second is datable between the sixth and fourth century b.c., and refers to a scarcely recognisable Greek structure; and finally, the third and principal phase of occupation, the farm, dated to the mid-second century–first half of the fourth century a.d. It is from this phase that the main archaeological evidence derives: both the architectural structures and the artefacts. This was a rectangular structure of small dimensions (270 m2), characterised by a succession of narrow spaces (residential quarters, a kitchen, storage rooms and service areas), in which was found also a small atrium and a modest heated area that functioned as a balneum. The complex was organised around a portico opened to the outside, supported by wooden pilasters on stone bases. L. gives a detailed description of this imperial structure, abandoned in the first half of the fourth century a.d., after a period of minor renovations, paying particular attention to wall construction techniques, roofing and flooring techniques, and the decorative programme of residential space. Of high quality and effect are the virtual reconstructions proposed by M. Limoncelli that facilitate the reading and comprehension of the evidence.
The bulk of the volume, in Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6, is dedicated to the artefacts and ecofacts found during the excavation, dated from the prehistoric period to the fourth century a.d.: ceramics, coins, metals, glass and archaeozoological remains. One can appreciate the ample catalogue, curated by specialists from various sub-fields, not only for the quality of their scientific study, their careful descriptions and the rich comparisons, but also for the quality of the images and page layout, that aids consultation of the volume.
Chapter 7, edited by L., presents the conclusions. All the available data, studied in detail, are employed to furnish answers to some final questions: how does one insert the farm of San Biagio into imperial settlement organisation in Metapontum's hinterland? Who occupied this farm? What was produced there? Why was it abandoned? The arguments advanced and the comparative contexts from nearby Apulia and central Basilicata seem on-point and are for the most part persuasive.
