Sulla provenienza apuana del marmo di cippi funerari etruschi

In this paper the preliminary results of mineralogical-petrographical investigation performed on the Etruscan cippi guarded in the Archaeological Museum of Pietrasanta are presented and discussed. Since their discovery these monuments represented a significant object able to improve the knowledge concerning the diffusion of the Etruscan culture in Northern Tuscany. They can set some valuable constraints on the knowledge and the ability of the Etruscans to exploit the Apuan marbles. The marbles of the cippi nn. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 guarded in the “Bruno Antonucci” Archaeological Museum of Pietrasanta (Lucca), are analyzed. They are represented by predominantly white marbles and veined white marbles. From every cippo a microsample was obtained for the preparation of ultrathin sections (thickness between 5 and 7 micron). The ultrathin sections were analized using an optical microscope and the quantification of the microstructural parameters was carried out through image analysis. The petrographical-microstructural analyses performed on ultrathin section provide important parameters for the archaeometric study and remarkable indications of the possible areas of origin of the material used for the realization of the monuments. The characterization of the provenance area of the marbles used for the realization of the monuments was conducted comparing the petrographical-microstructural characteristic of the cippi marbles with those of marbles coming from areas hypothesized as possible zones of ancient exploitation of the Apuan marble. Marble samples were sampled from several Versilian sites (Ceragiola, Solaio, Trambiserra, Cappella, Uccelliera, Giustagnana and from the Cave Palazzo Mediceo of Seravezza) as well as from the more important historical places of the Carrara Basin. The marbles used for the realization of the cippi appear quite homogeneous: they are medium-fine grained calcitic marbles, with grain boundaries from lobate to sutured. These microstructural characteristics are typical of few areas located in the Carrara Basin and largely diffused in some Versilian sites (Valle del Serra-Ceragiola). On the basis of the general characteristics of the monuments (dimensions, mesoscopical and microscopic characters) the conflicting hypothesis related to the origin of the marbles used for the realization of the cippi is discussed. Etruscan cippi, marbles, microstructures, Versilia, Tuscan