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A synthesis of the current knowledge of the so-called Italian giacimenti a olle d’impasto rossiccio (reddish jar potsherd deposits) is presented. These sites are common along the Tyrrhenian side of Central Italy and are usually interpreted as salt-production sites, because of parallels with similar European specialised sites. In the latter, salt was obtained by boiling a brine in special disposable pottery, a technique known as briquetage. However, the analogies are not straightforward and alternative hypotheses, e.g. fish-processing, and a more complex intertwined economy have also been put forward. To solve the interpretation issues, we advocate to use a multidisciplinary approach involving quantification of the ceramics encountered, establishment of their morphological and functional typologies, and physico/chemical analyses to identify their use.

This paper proposes an innovative integrated methodology that combines the chaîne opératoire approach with digital 3D modelling. The methodology is demonstrated through the reconstruction of the late Archaic temple of Mater Matuta at Satricum, specifically the phase that goes by the name ‘Temple II’, dating to 500-480 BC. Studying technology through the lens of a chaîne opératoire approach enables to break the complex sequence of building activities into several steps, and 3D modelling applied during research enables to virtually re-build the temple step by step, or stone by stone. Additionally, the integrated technology assesses and combines both traditional and digital datasets from a different perspective, which generates new information. Ultimately, the bottom-up perspective to architectural technology allows to enter the previously intangible building site of the past, revealing how multiple craft communities and foreign workshops were organized and how they communicated about construction matters.

A synthesis of the current knowledge of the so-called Italian giacimenti a olle d’impasto rossiccio (reddish jar potsherd deposits) is presented. These sites are common along the Tyrrhenian side of Central Italy and are usually interpreted as salt-production sites, because of parallels with similar European specialised sites. In the latter, salt was obtained by boiling a brine in special disposable pottery, a technique known as briquetage. However, the analogies are not straightforward and alternative hypotheses, e.g. fish-processing, and a more complex intertwined economy have also been put forward. To solve the interpretation issues, we advocate to use a multidisciplinary approach involving quantification of the ceramics encountered, establishment of their morphological and functional typologies, and physico/chemical analyses to identify their use.

Verslag van de opgravingscampagne 2020 in de Romeinse villa van Satricum.

In 2017 ancient Satricum (Lazio, Italy) has been subject of 40 years of scientific archaeological research. Reflections on this long-time research generally are focussed on the archaeological discoveries and their interpretations. At the same time the long existence of the project offers possibilities for an historical overview of the organizational and bureaucratic practices related to archaeological research in the Mediterranean area. In this article a first step is taken towards an historical research of archaeological practices in the Mediterranean: what goes with it and in what way has it influenced the choices that were made and the knowledge that has been acquired.

Within the expansionist policy of Rome in late 6th and early 5th centuries BC, Satricum certainly occupied a prominent position. Direct evidence comes from the Lapis Satricanus, a public memorial dedicated to Publius Valerius, one of the legendary founders of the Roman Republic. Many literary references also point to Roman military interest in the Satrican region, in the end leading to the town’s destruction in 488 BC. It is perhaps no coincidence that Satricum shows intense building activities and urban development during this period. Field research since 1977 has revealed an exceptionally rich and varied archaeological record. Highlights among this record are two monumental temples with innovative terracotta roofing systems, a well-organized and laid-out acropolis, an elaborate defensive system around the city and an impressive infrastructural organization in the lower city area. These collective efforts presuppose a strong centralized authority comparable to that of Rome. This paper relates the ‘building boom’ with traditional accounts of Roman military activities in the area. Had Satricum become a satellite town of Rome? Or does the historical record have to be re-assessed?

Zesendertig jaar geleden, toen Conrad Stibbe - archeoloog van het Nederlands Instituut in Rome - de uitnodiging van het archeologisch comité voor Latium accepteerde om een archeologisch onderzoek in het antieke Satricum te starten, kon hij niet bevroeden dat dit onderzoek nog altijd vruchtbaar zou zijn lang na zijn vertrek. Ook in 2013 werd er weer gegraven en ook nu leidde dat weer tot verrassende ontdekkingen.

Satricum (nowadays Le Ferriere) is the name of an ancient Latin settlement, situated ca. 60 km south of Rome in the province of Lazio.

Wie aan Satricum denkt, denkt aan Latijnen en Volsken, aan Mater Matuta, aan Publius Valerius, aan Coriolanus, aan de Lapis Satricanus, zomaar een aantal zaken die bekend zijn geworden door het archeologisch onderzoek dat sinds de jaren zeventig van de vorige eeuw in de antieke nederzetting plaats vindt. Ze verwijzen naar het rijke archeologische verleden van Satricum dat zijn grootste bloei kende in de 7de en 6de eeuw v. Chr.

Lapis Satricanus is the name of an archaic Latin inscription, which was found in the settlement of ancient Satricum, 60 km south of Rome.

Anyone studying traditional narratives on early Roman expansion in Italy will be familiar with the reports about the volatile political situations caused by the Volscians, one of the Italic peoples of central Italy.

This article presents an overview of the research conducted into the architecture of the ancient town of Satricum during the Archaic Period (late seventh-early fifth century BC). A comparable article with more visuals can be found in the recent exhibition catalogue 'Satricum. Trenta Anni di Scavi Olandesi' (Peeters 2008), which is available for purchase either online or through the editors.

The research undertaken at ancient Satricum concentrated on three areas: Poggio dei Cavallari, the area of the presumed agger at the city’s eastern boundary and the acropolis. The 2006 excavation concentrated on the area of Poggio dei Cavallari, where, in recent years 140m of wall have been discovered. Dating to the end of the 6th-beginning of the 5th century B.C. they can be interpreted as the foundations of the road which led to the acropolis. Graves dating to the 5th century B.C. were documented along the sides of the road. The investigation identified a road on a north/west-south/east alignment flanked by two structures which made use of the side walls of the road itself. The tile rubble and other material found overlying its presumed surface suggest that the road and the structures went out of use at a certain point. The fact that the rubble was found in combination with a thick upper layer of clean sand, in various places covering the walls themselves, indicates that the sand at least was a raising or levelling of the surface. The rubble seems to be in secondary deposition and not the result of a fall in situ following a fire. The reason behind the raising of the level is unsure due to the absence of the upper surface and of any structures. Some indication of their original purpose is given by the presence of large cobbles across the entire area, which, where in situ were always on a higher level than the archaic walls, an indication that they belong to a later construction phase. The raising of the zone is datable to the post-archaic period, given the presence of several fragments of late archaic tiles amongst the rubble overlying the surface. The later material, which forms part of the surface itself does not date to beyond the archaic period. The connection between this road and the archaic one is yet to be clarified. There was a group of at least five tombs excavated in the archaic road surface, identified as a family unit. Dated on the basis of the vases they contained to between the 5th-4th century B.C., the period when Satricum was inhabited by the Volsci, the tombs demonstrate that the archaic settlement was not limited to the acropolis, but that there were buildings in the lower part of the city. In the post-archaic period, the restructuring of the archaic road and of the side road show that the settlement was still of an urban nature. This restructuring was not an isolated phenomenon but must have been part of a larger project which included building work within the urban area itself. It may be suggested that architectural structures were also present along the road side but were not uncovered by the excavations as they were probably obliterated by levelling, an indication of this being the dumps of rubble and sand to raise levels and the presence of numerous cobbles throughout the upper layers.