ROMAN-ETRUSCAN ETRURIA:CITIES AND STONE RESOURCES

the case histories of Roselle and Cosa

Prof. Geol. Massimo Coli, Dr. Geol. Michele Baldi, Dr. Jacopo Sabatini - Dip. Scienze della Terra – UNIFIDr. Geol. Pasquino Pallecchi - Laboratorio di Restauro - SBAT

Roselle

Cosa

Over the past decades a claimed interest in "historic quarries” rose up: quarries no longer active from which the raw stone material, which is found today in the work, monuments, works of art, archaeological sites and manufactured for use in common was extracted

The "historic quarries" are to be regarded as examples of architecture “carved out“ or negative of the architecture built, a unique historical heritage to be exploited

These quarries are the historical tangible trace of the human activities related to the use of stone materials for construction and thus potential sources of knowledge about the cycles of production, transportation, and employment related to them in time

This work concerns the local stone resource and its historic use in Roselle and Cosa, Southern Tuscany, during the Etruscan-Roman period

The different development of the two cities is reflected in the local use and in the localization of the quarries

ROSELLE – It was settled in the VII century B.C. in a strategic position to control the main links in Southern Tuscany: it controls a wide area until to the territories of the other Etruscan cities-state of Volterra, Chiusi, Vulci and Vetulonia. In those times Roselle was characterized by the construction of the cyclopean defensive city-walls (VI century B.C.). In the 294 B.C. Roselle was conquered by the Romans who built the forum, amphitheater, baths and the main sewer. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Roselle followed the events around the Mediterranean area; especially it became Episcopal until to 1138 when the diocese was transferred to Grosseto, since this moment the decline began and Roselle was progressively abandoned

old necropolis

quarry sites

quarry sites

Roselle

COSA – It was settled by the Romans in the 273 B.C., in the Vulci’s territories, after Vulci defeated in the 280 B.C.. Cosa became the first roman colony in the Etruscan territory, it was placed in a strategic position to control the country-side and the shipping. Cosa represents a typical roman colony: roads intersect at right angles and there are spaces for public or private buildings. The control of the territories was made through land reclamation (centuriazione), roads, links, ports and others. The first and the more important construction of the city was the cyclopean defensive city- walls. After a fire in the 71 B.C. the city was abandoned until the 20 B.C., (Augustan age), when it the forum and acropolis were reconstructed. From this moment, the city began a slow decline.

quarry sites

Cosa

GEOLOGY OF THE ROSELLE AREA

GEOLOGY OF THE COSA AREA

THE REMAINS OF ROSELLE

THE REMAINS ARE REPRESENTED BY THE DEFENSIVE WALLS, ANPHITHEATER AND SOME DOMUS

THE REMAINS OF ROSELLEOpus reticulatum

Cyclopean defensive walls

Opus reticulatum amphiteather walls

THE REMAINS OF COSA

THE REMAINS ARE REPRESENTED BY THE DEFENSIVE WALLS, ACROPOLIS AND FORUM

THE REMAINS OF COSA

Cyclopean defensive walls

Cyclopean defensive walls

Capitolium Capitolium and limestone outcrop

FOR EACH QUARRY SITE IN BOTH CITIES A SURVEY FORM WAS FILLED WITH ALL THE DATA USEFULL FOR ITS ANALYSIS:

GPS DATA

LITOLOGIC DATA

BEDDING

FRACTURE SET

QUARRY CUT SET

PHOTOS

NOTES

MAP LOCATION

FOR EACH LITOBUILT SITE IN BOTH CITIES A SURVEY FORM WAS FILLED WITH ALL THE DATA USEFULL FOR ITS ANALYSIS:

LITOLOGIC DATA

STONE RESOURCE

BUILDING DATA

FIGURES

PHOTOS

NOTES

MAP LOCATION

ROSELLE EXTRACTION SITES

COSA EXTRACTION SITES

ROSELLE LITOBUILT SITES

COSA LITOBUILT SITES

QUARRY SITES

ANCIENT QUARRIES WERE ANCIENT QUARRIES WERE WORKED AS OPEN PIT WORKED AS OPEN PIT

QUARRIERS USED THE QUARRIERS USED THE BEDDING WEAKER BEDDING WEAKER SURFACE IN ORDER TO SURFACE IN ORDER TO FOSTER THE BREAK OF FOSTER THE BREAK OF THE BLOCKTHE BLOCK

ENUCLEATED BLOCKSIn the absence of clear and defined working traces, probably due to the type of ext ract l imestone and c l imate cond i t ions , an impor tant ro le is r e p r e s e n t e d b y t h e p r e s e n c e o f

the enucleated blocks

CITIES EVOLUTIONAND DIFFERENCE IN THE QUARRIES LOCATIONThe because of the different quarries location between Roselle and Cosa is probably represented by the different foundation’s reasons: Roselle like as an important site to control and to link the Etruscan territories and the major ancient roads; Cosa as a stronghold on a geological surface leveling, on a promontory overlooking the sea and controlling the shipping

Topographic section about Cosa

CITIES EVOLUTIONAND DIFFERENCE IN THE QUARRIES LOCATIONIn Roselle area the quarries were mainly within the city-walls (or outside but very close to them)

In Cosa the quarries ere outside the city-walls, but close to them in order to increase the gap between the outside ground level and the wall top, in agreement with the role of a fortified city

Cosa Roselle

CONCLUSIONSTHE STONES USED ARE STRICTLY RELATED TO THE GEOLOGY OF THE AREA, ACCORDING WITH THE LITOLOGIC PRESENCE OF THE STONE RESOURCE AND DURABILITY

THE STUDY OF THE QUARRY SITES AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF THESE SITES ARE IMPORTANT TO OPEN A WINDOW TO THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF THE CITIES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNIQUES REGARDING QUARRYING, WORKING TOOLS, LOCATION AND TRANSPORTING

THE QUARRIES OF LIMESTONE POINT IN FAVOUR OF A SPECIFIC USE TO BUILT THE DEFENSIVE WALLS, THE MOST IMPORTANT STRUCTURES IN ROSELLE AND COSA