The town of Volterra (in Etruscan Velathri) perched atop a hill placed on the watershed between the valleys of the rivers was (North) and Cecina (south). The plateau is built on a NW-SE direction, while its NE slope is steep and marked by deep valleys, slopes down to less inclination SW-NE towards the valley of the river Cecina. In the SE side of the hill comes down with a sudden jolt, while declines in other parts with a series of plateaus. The height of this plateau varies by altitude of 555 meters above sea level Plan Castle, up to about 460 of the Plan of Guerruccia. Near this hill and there are two small hills connected with it: Montebradoni west (440 m asl) and Poggio alle Croci to the east (536 meters above sea level), which include parts of the town. In the area shows a strong NO to landslide, which gave rise to the phenomenon of "Balze" and which involved over the centuries the suburban dwelling.
Volterra was an 'important Etruscan city, and unlike what happened in other towns' s era, was also inhabited in Roman and medieval settlement continuity has so obliterated most traces of the past. Some ancient building works, as for example the walls, were retained as they were also used in later centuries. The ancient sources do not provide much information, in fact the Greek and Latin writers have written little about Volterra. But it was one of the first city in modern times in which we developed an interest in the Etruscans, the first studies of objects found after accidental discovery began in the sixteenth century and they were soon followed by systematic research and studies in the cemeteries monuments. Over the past two centuries, archaeological excavations in the cemeteries in town and then brought to light numerous remains of Roman and Etruscan Volterra, despite many gaps still remain about the early history of the city, we are now able to be able to draw a fairly faithful.
Are known examples of a human settlement on the hill of Volterra already from 'neolithic; in the last century was in fact found a tomb dating from 3000 - 2000 Others C. near the city. By the tenth century. a. C. increase the sporadic findings, which are increasing significantly with the 'advent of the Villanova culture. We did not direct information about the 'attitude' s village, as most of the archaeological record of this period concerns the burial areas. We do know that in the period were built on the site of Volterra Villanovan some villages, each served by a different cemetery, which during the seventh century. a. C. united in a single settlement that was installed at the top of the hill: l 'Acropolis; these villages are located just under the provisions of their burial grounds. They are in the area of the Plan of Castle served as a necropolis at Ripaie; to Montebradoni, where burials were found at the Balze, Poggio alle Croci, whose tombs are in the area of Ulimeto, somewhere in the modern neighborhood of S. Right, that would be attributable to the tombs found at the convent of S. Clear. The excavations made in the area west of the Acropolis have unearthed the remains of part of dwelling which was in this area and constitute the major source of information for the understanding of urban development. The first phase known urbanism of Volterra is dated to the late sixth century. a. C. The city is presented with an area of concentration of population placed on the top. ty of the hill called also, from the Middle Ages, Piano di Castello, was surrounded probably stable. you by a wall of small size and was identified in the area served by the necropolis of Ripaie. Around it were to develop suburbs distributed along the main road as we witnessed by the discovery of huts dating from this period near the source of S. Happy. During the fourth century BC C. we are witnessing a remarkable economic development of the city (Fig. 1), the increase in exports, issuing its own currency and the rich tomb complex is evidence of economic wealth.
This phenomenon affected almost the entire northern Etruria and is connected with the decline of Etruscan power of the Po valley, caused by the invading Gauls, and the expansion of the city of Rome, Lazio to the south, and these two events caused a gradual decline of the Etruscan territory and an increase in the significance of the northernmost cities: Arezzo, Chiusi, Fiesole and Volterra. As a result of 'increased wealth there was a considerable population growth, which was the basis for a major urban expansion. This expansion has been designed primarily by the construction of a large city walls dating from the first half of the third century BC (These walls had a perimeter of over 7 kilometers and protect an area of approximately 116 hectares), the construction of this wall is also due to threats of aggression at this time across the region and forced many cities to update their works of defense. Simultaneously Volterra also endowed a new town plan internal testimoniat.o once again from the excavations conducted on the 'Acropolis. During the m sec. a. C. this area was affected by an intense building activity, which led to the creation of a district in which buildings in religious destiny prevailed. In a first phase, dating from the early m sec. a. C., was built the temple called "H". We suspect that the new district is the only section of a documented urban restructuring that involved at least part of town. A significant date in the history of Volterra and I1 90 A. C., when, as a result of the Lex Iulia de civitate, its inhabitants gained the Roman citizenship by joining the tribe Sabatini. The deployment of its population in favor of Gaius Marius in the civil war was the result of a long siege by the troops loyal to Sulla, who conquered the city in '80 a. C. Because of this military defeat, the city lost its legal status derivatogli by the Lex Iulia, with every right to be a municipium, as we have witnessed the indictment of Cicero in defending the interests of a family member of Cecina Volterra.
One sign of the siege and subsequent destruction of the end use of certain circles d service that are located south of the temple A of 'Acropolis, the start of filling the tanks of some of this area is in fact dated back to these years. Since the end of 'siege Sulla to Augustus, Prince of the archaeological evidence is scarce urban planning of Volterra, abound and other types of information. We know that the city was declared a colony and, through prayer uttered by Cicero in defense of the noble Aulus Cecina Volterra, we are able to reconstruct the part of the company's position Volterra transition period. During the Augustan period the city experienced a period of intense activity instead public housing private, documented the remains of numerous public and private buildings built according to a new regulation, based on Pialli 'alignment of roads and houses. This intervention regularize settled the area of 'Acropolis. The space in front of the two sanctuaries was enlarged and placed around the 20 d. C., when the ground was leveled and brought up to the square outside the Temple H. In the early decades of the century. d. C. was also conducted by the largest public building (the Roman city. Due to the generosity of some members of a patrician family of Volterra, the Caecinae, was built a theater in the valley of Vallebuona, on the north slopes of the hill. This large building provided also the basis for regularizing the neighborhood and adapted to the new scheme by which the city had been restored. The many remains of buildings found in Volterra provide us with the evidence that new buildings were built, and focuses on its basis, following new criterion for u building program.
Other interventions, dating a few decades later, complete the monumental area of the theater with the creation of a Porticus Post Scaenam, which frames the stage in an architectural design immediately visible to those who came to the city from the north. Until the age of Septimius Severus (193 to 217 AD) we have no archaeological data to enable us to identify significant changes since the construction phase of the Augustan age. Only with the early first century, we have signs of a new commitment building. Were in fact built the baths of S. Felix, generally dated to the third century, and those of Vallebuona built after the mid-third century. We must note that while this building intervention, some areas of the cit show signs of deterioration. During this time it ends up being frequented the temples of the Acropolis area (that is, the bottom of the tank of the temple at the Acropolis was found a coin dated to 238 m Gordian), begin to be carried out burials within the city must also signal the end of the theater of Vallebuona, which occurred at the end of the third century. d.C. (The river on this time to 280 AD), perhaps due to an earthquake. |
