This volume is the third in the series The Cities and Communities of the Etruscans. It provides an accessible, English-language introduction to Cetamura del Chianti, a small artisans’ settlement and sanctuary in northern Etruria that was occupied mainly in the Hellenistic Period and early Roman Empire. The volume is written primarily for students new to Etruscan archaeology, who will find it both approachable and informative, as it contains detailed maps and plans, along with a timeline of historical events relevant to the site's history.
Cetamura del Chianti is situated on a hilltop in the Chianti region of Northern Etruria. The site was located at a crossroads connecting the cities of Volterra, Arezzo, Chiusi and Fiesole (p. xii). Archaeologists have identified four areas of the site, with most materials coming from the apex of the hilltop (Zone I) and a plateau located on the hill's northern slope (Zone II) (p. 3).
The book is organised roughly chronologically. After introducing the site in Chapter 1, d.G. devotes Chapter 2 to the Early and Middle Etruscan periods, which span the seventh to the fourth centuries bce. Nearly all evidence for both periods consists of ceramics, which indicate that the site was occupied in the seventh and sixth centuries bce, was abandoned in the fifth century and was re-occupied in the fourth century (pp. 7–9). Large volumes of materials were deposited in a crevice separating Zones I and II c. 300 bce, and the crevice was covered with roofing tiles (pp. 10–14). This is interpreted as a sacred deposit, perhaps made by newcomers to the site, and anticipated larger building projects of the Late Etruscan Phase (p. 10).
Chapter 3 focuses on the Late Etruscan Phase I (300–150 bce). This period saw rapid population growth, which is attributed to migrations resulting from disturbances caused by Roman interventions in Etruscan communities (p. 18). The Artisans’ Quarter was constructed at this time in Zone II. The Artisans’ Quarter consisted of structures for production, including a large kiln (Structure K), a room for water collection (Structure B), a room for textile production (Structure C), a workman's platform (Structure J) and an iron forge (Structure N). In addition, two wells were constructed, Well #1 in Zone I and Well #2 in Zone II. To date, no domestic architecture has been found. Large quantities of pottery were discovered, including Volterran presigillata, which date the Artisans’ Quarter to the third and second centuries (pp. 35–43).
The fourth chapter covers the Late Etruscan Phase II (150–75/50 bce). This period saw further population growth, resulting from the construction of the Via Cassia and increased mobility (p. 53). Most evidence from this phase also was found in Zone II. Some structures of the Artisans’ Quarter were renovated, others were dismantled, and new buildings were constructed. Specifically, the kiln was disassembled, although production likely continued in this area (p. 56). Structure B was renovated, and two new rooms, Structures A and D, were added to the west of Structure B.
The most important addition to the Artisans’ Quarter was Structure L, the Sanctuary of the Etruscan Artisans. Structure L was trapezoidal in shape, with an open-air courtyard in the south-eastern quadrant (p. 60). This courtyard contained two altars (Altars 1 and 2), and a channel transected the courtyard. Seven distinct votive features were found here, including a likely foundation deposit (Votive Feature #1) that contained miniature cups, pouring and storage vessels, and grains (pp. 66–9). The northern part of Structure L consisted of small rooms (Rooms 2–5), which shared walls with Structures A, B and D (p. 61).
The sixth chapter addresses Cetamura's Roman phase. A veteran of the Battle of Actium settled at Cetamura between 29 and 27 bce. In Zone I this veteran likely constructed a Roman bath complex and deposited a coin hoard in a fissure (pp. 90–2). D.G. also argues that industry continued in the Artisans’ Quarter. High quantities of scoria were found alongside a coin of Antony and Lepidus and early Imperial terra sigillata, indicating continued iron production in the Roman period (p. 93).
Although preceding Chapter 6, Chapter 5 is dedicated to Cetamura's two wells, which contained deposits dating from 300 bce to the Medieval Period (p. 72). Organisationally, it would have been more logical to discuss Cetamura's wells after Roman materials are introduced. That being said, the presentation of the wells is clear. Along with numerous ceramic sherds, archaeologists uncovered hundreds of examples of seeds, pollen and wood, which shed light on Cetamura's environment, agricultural practices and diet. Both wells also preserve evidence of ritual activities, and religion is a dominant theme throughout this volume.
Divination and augury were central to religion at Cetamura. In the Sanctuary the positioning of the courtyard in the south-eastern quadrant is deemed ideal for augury (p. 64). The gods worshiped at Cetamura, Lur and Leinth, likely were gods of fate and fortune (p. 43), and a number of knucklebones were deposited in Well #1; these are interpreted as tokens of good fortune, rather than game pieces (p. 77). Additionally, numerous examples of votive vessels were found in and around Well #1. Many are miniatures or tokens that had been cut or broken in half (p. 84). D.G. argues that ritual activity occurred in earlier occupational phases as well. She interprets the late fourth-century crevice deposit separating Zones I and II as sacred, perhaps as a means of demarcating the threshold of a nascent Zone I settlement (p. 10).
D.G. compares the Sanctuary to temples at major cities and sanctuaries, like Temples A and B at Pyrgi (G. Colonna, Santuari d'Etruria [1985]; F. Prayon, ‘Deorum sedes: sull' orientamento dei templi etrusco-italici’, ArchCl 43 [1991], 1285–95). Specifically, she argues that atypical elements of Structure L may be adaptations of typical elements of Etruscan temples. The courtyard may both be a space for augury and an adaptation of an Etruscan temple's deep porch, while the northern rooms could correspond to a temple's cellae (pp. 60–4). Such comparisons highlight the challenges of interpreting Cetamura's evidence. This volume is an important contribution to Etruscan archaeology because Cetamura was a small settlement occupied by ‘middle-class’ artisans (p. 17) and so provides a different picture of Etruscan life than large cities that were dominated by elites, two of which are discussed in the first two volumes in this same series (N.T. de Grummond and L. Pierancini, Caere [2016]; J. Tabolli and O. Cerasuolo, Veii [2019]). However, d.G. frequently compares materials from Cetamura to those from larger cities and sanctuaries. While such comparisons can be instructive, comparanda from smaller, northern Etruscan communities, like Poggio Colla, would be more applicable.
Issues of status and economics are addressed in Chapter 7. Not only does d.G. argue that Cetamura's socio-economic structure did not adhere to the elite/non-elite binary observable in many Etruscan communities (p. 106), she addresses economic issues, like production, agriculture and diet. The Artisans’ Quarter preserves evidence for ceramic, textile and metal production, and coinage indicates that craftspeople sold their wares (p. 50). Materials in the Artisans’ Quarter also relate to trade. Black and red gloss vessels were imported from Volterra and other northern Etruscan sites (pp. 11, 36), while iron ores likely were sourced from Populonia (p. 84). Interestingly, d.G. does not indicate whether any Cetamura products were exported from the site.
The waterlogged conditions of Cetamura's wells preserved evidence pertaining to agriculture and diet. Palaeobotanical studies show that Cetamura's environment consisted of hardwood, deciduous oak forests. Pollens and grains indicate a diet of barley, emmer wheat, bread wheat, apples, pears, nuts and olives (p. 105), and faunal analysis suggests an increase in poultry consumption during the Roman period (p. 114). Moreover, thousands of cultivated grape pips were recovered, including some from fourth-century deposits, indicating the great antiquity of viticulture in the Chianti region (p. 51).
This volume presents evidence from Cetamura in an accessible manner. It is best suited for students new to Etruscan archaeology and helps to broaden the discipline's scope by focusing on a non-elite, rural community. Moreover, this volume underscores the value of rigorous palaeobotanical research.
