Dalla villa al cantiere. Vivere in Toscana tra tarda Antichità ed alto Medioevo: la villa d’Aiano (Siena)

The Roman villa of Aiano, located in the river Fosci valley, was occupied during a long period running from the 3rd century AD to the mid-7th century AD. The archaeological excavations undertaken since 2005 have enabled us to establish a site periodization which has recently been slightly revised and has led to the identification of six phases between the 3rd century AD and the middle of the 7th century. The site was reoccupied at the end of the 5th century AD after the late roman villa phase and the rooms were re-functionalized into artisanal workshops. All activities stopped at the middle of the 6th century AD, and most areas were abandoned. The last excavations in 2018 have uncovered two interesting contexts. They give a better understanding of the last occupation period. It seems that some areas have been filled in with layers of tiles and painted plaster. This article gives the opportunity to better characterize the villa occupation periods: it analyses those contexts and combines archaeological, historical and topographical data