All The Lake of Bolsena: Archaelogy

Acquapendente
Arlena di Castro
Bagnoregio
Bassano in Tev.
Bomarzo
Canino
Castiglione in Tev.
Civitella D'Agliano
Cellere
Celleno
Farnese
Graffignano
Ischia di Castro
Latera
Lubriano
Montalto di Castro
Onano
Piansano
Proceno
Tarquinia
Tessennano
Tuscania
Vitorchiano

VITERBO

Barbarano
Bassano Romano
Blera
Calcata
Canepina
Carbognano
Capranica
Caprarola
Castel S. Elia
Civita Castellana
Corchiano
Faleria
Gallese
Monteromano
Monterosi
Nepi
Oriolo
Orte
Ronciglione
Soriano nel Cimino
Sutri
Vallerano
Vasanello
Vejano
Vetralla
Villa San Giovanni

Archaelogy

THE HISTORY

The dawn of the Iron Age appears like a multicoloured mosaic of civilizations. The Villanovan culture (IX - VIII century) excels for economic wealth, territorial extension, complexity and organization of the social weave, and the origins of the glorious Etruscan people in our area go back to that age, most probably due to contacts with people perhaps coming from the East. The breakdown of the settlement of the Villanovan civilisation is linked to a simple housing structure: that of the village. Only in the course of the VII century does the urban structure reflect the political and social organization of the community.

Plinio, describing the cities and the people of Etruria at the time of Augustus, mentions, among others, the VESENTINI, ancient inhabitants of the Etruscan town of VESENTUM, situated on the southern shore of Lake Bolsena, on the hill that is reflected in the crystal clear waters, and has inherited the name Mount Bisenzio. This ancient city had to be included in the territorial jurisdiction of the powerful and rich Tarquinii, the original descendents of Etruria, relapsing in its sector of eco demographic expansion.

Consequently, if the lake belonged to city of Tarquinia, obviously everything that was to the south of the lake, including VESENTUM, had to be included in the Tarquinese territory. VESENTUM gained great importance from the beginning of the IX century B C with the pre-Etruscan culture of the Villanovans characterized by the original burials to cremation burials, where the ashes of the dead were put in an urn "a hut" representing the Etruscan dwelling, or in a biconic urn. In this era VESENTUM assumed the position of leader for the original production of the famous bronze furnishings; we must mention, by the way, the famous vessel with figurines, richly decorated, embossed with geometric motifs, fish bones, points and studs. On its shoulder and on the lid, a double circle of figures, applied with nails, performing a ritual dance around a monstrous, chained animal. From the same period is the famous bronze chariot with perfume brazier. You can admire the originality and the exquisite make of these and many other objects from these areas in the rich room dedicated to VESENTUM in the National Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome.

In the subsequent VIII and VII centuries B C we see a sudden change in the life and customs of the population of Visentina, this very probably due to the contacts with the people coming from Lidia bringing with them a new political and cultural vision. The influx of objects coming from the East, brought by these people and the near-oriental matrix of the Etrurian handicraft production, led researchers to name the Orientalisation period starting from the last decades of the VIII century B C until the end of the VII century. Arriving in Italy from the Eastern Mediterranean area, artists install workshops and influence the artistic culture and bringing new iconographic and decorative motifs. It is precisely in this period that Visentium was the true and only ruler of the ‘Great Tarquinese Lake’ (as Plinio defines the basin in the second book of his Natural History) and in all probability the true source and point of reference of the Etruscan people. Beautiful, rich and populated town (estimated 60,000) busy with works of handicraft, well placed and defended by a powerful city wall more than 2 kms long, with its high and imposing Acropolis and with the radiant polychronia of temples offered to the eyes of the many satisfied people, ogling quietly the nearby island of Bisentina which inherited its name.

The best of the Vesentina culture has been given, given that in the following centuries the opening of new trade routes towards the Tyrrhenian favours the unfolding of coastal towns that overlook the sea, consequently we are witnessing a static phase in the commercial, craft and cultural activities in general. However the excavation of tombs dating back to the V century B.C. continue bringing to light valuable equipment , unique in its kind and found only in these rural areas highlighting again the uniqueness and centrality of the area. The richness of the decorations and careful attention to the smoothness of the forms, characterize the period conventionally called Classic (V-IV century B.C.) Symbolic works from these centuries are the famous Sarcophagus of the Spouses and the splendid terracotta compound of Pyrgi (460 B.C) It is in the classic period that one mainly perceives the influence of Greek culture. On this wake the Etruscans undertake complex iconographies. Belonging to this period the female head of a group of sculptures that decorates the pediment of the Temple of Pyrgi (middle of the IV century B.C.) The major yield is found in the tomb of shields and chairs (350-340 B.C.) The decline of the Pax Romana was close, imposed with weapons in 280 B.C. the Etruscan civilisation is consumed in a period of civil wars. The culture extinguished almost voluntarily in the last decades of the century. Unfortunately historical sources are lacking more detailed information on the ancient city of Vesentum, due to the fact the Etruscans usually wrote on highly perishable material so we have only an infinitesimal part of the written information, and all of this combined with the lack of systematic excavations have led to almost total abandonment of the modern Etruscology, of the local and national institutions and of the appropriate in depth studies on this highly important area, which, with its immense necropolis, the funerary objects belonging to the various ages, the presence of varied forms of burial, together to the valuable and unique bronze workmanship that characterizes VESENTUM among all the cities of the Etruria, would require a bigger attention from the competent authorities with the purpose to make this area a real national and worldwide archaeological open-air school and not only the grave robber's exploitation area.

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