Prima interpretazione di rinvenimenti di epoca etrusca e tardo-ellenistica in territorio vulcente Farnese (Viterbo), loc. Chiusa del Belli

Preliminary archaeological research in Farnese, a small town in the province of Viterbo (Italy), revealed late Etruscan archaeological evidence. These findings are probably related to a settlement dating back to the last decades of the fourth and early third century BC. The remains consist of a checkered masonry water tank, an underground tunnel (probably a sewer), a wall made of tufa blocks, and a quite large area scattered with potsherds and heaps of stone chips. Tentatively, some underground cavities (basement/cellars), later reused as dwellings, may also be related to this settlement. This second phase of the settlement – apparently less permanent and less structured than the first – can be dated to the second century BC, or a little later. The stratification within the late Etruscan dwelling consists of some beaten earth floors associated with hearths and few finds: food remains and fragments of pottery (mostly jars, lids, and amphoras for domestic use)