Excavations of the Chair of Greek and Roman Archaeology and Art History
Prof. Gian Luca Grassigli
Montecchio di Terni
The investigations at the Vallone di San Lorenzo necropolis, located in Montecchio (Province of Terni) in the locality of Raiano, began in 2017 and involve the Municipality of Montecchio, the University of Perugia, the Department of Humanities, Chair of Classical Archaeology, represented by Prof. Gian Luca Grassigli, Scientific Director of the excavation, Kent State University (Ohio, USA), represented by Prof. Sarah Harvey, and the Acqua Association.
The project is part of a broader agreement aimed at the comprehensive study and enhancement of the archaeological heritage of the entire municipal territory. The research seeks to determine the actual extent of the burial area, expand knowledge of the site, clarify its chronological framework, and investigate its relationship with the surrounding hills, where several settlements of varying sizes are located, according to a paganic-vicanic settlement model. Another key objective is to strengthen the site's protection and promote its future enhancement, including the exhibition of recovered artifacts and excavation results at the AMAT (Antiquarium Museo Archeologico di Tenaglie, Montecchio).
Each year, the excavation involves approximately thirty researchers and students from both the University of Perugia and Kent State University.
Further information is available on the Follow the Wall! Archaeological Laboratory website.
Urvinum Hortense – Collemancio di Cannara (Perugia)
Since 2017, the University of Perugia has organized archaeological excavation campaigns for educational and research purposes at the site of Urvinum Hortense, an area once occupied by a Roman municipium.
The campaigns generally last two months and are organized into two-week sessions, with a maximum of thirty students per session.
In recent years, excavations have focused on:
- A sanctuary area;
- A marketplace structure;
- A bath complex;
- A domus with an atrium and peristyle.
Excavations of the Chair of Near Eastern Archaeology and Art History and Mediterranean Protohistory
Prof. Andrea Polcaro
Italian-Spanish Archaeological Mission at Jebel al-Mutawwaq, Jordan
The archaeological mission at Jebel al-Mutawwaq, carried out in collaboration with the Pontifical Faculty of San Esteban of Salamanca and the CESAR Study Center of Rome, is co-directed by Andrea Polcaro and Juan Muñiz and supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The mission has been active since 2012.
The archaeological site of Jebel al-Mutawwaq, dating to the second half of the 4th millennium BC and located in the Zarqa region of Jordan, is considered one of the most important protohistoric sites in the area. It belongs to the period known as Early Bronze Age I, during which the first stages of urbanization emerged in the Levant.
Over the last six years, excavations have focused on:
- The village, covering approximately 18 hectares;
- The monumental megalithic necropolis, consisting of hundreds of well-preserved dolmens.
Archaeological Mission on Mount Petrarvella (Panicale)
Since 2025, the Department of Humanities of the University of Perugia has been collaborating with the Municipality of Panicale on excavations at Mount Petrarvella, under the scientific direction of Prof. Andrea Polcaro and with authorization from the Regional Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Umbria.
Now in its third excavation campaign, the project has uncovered:
- A necropolis containing pit graves mainly dating between the 11th and 13th centuries AD;
- The remains of a small medieval castrum from the same period.
In addition, the artifacts recovered and the discovery of underground chambers suggest a long history of human occupation at the summit. The earliest settlement likely dates back to the Copper Age, during the 4th millennium BC.
Excavations of the Chair of Medieval Archaeology
Prof. Donatella Scortecci
Excavations at Pietrarossa (Trevi)
Since 2015, the Chair of Medieval Archaeology at the University of Perugia has conducted regular archaeological excavations at the site of Pietrarossa, in the municipality of Trevi.
The investigations have revealed a complex of structures attributable to:
- A large private domus;
- A public complex certainly associated with the Roman municipium of Trebiae.
The excavated areas belong to a settlement system characterized by a long continuity of occupation, extending from the 3rd century BC to the 7th–8th centuries AD.
Funding: CARIFOL Foundation, Municipality of Trevi.
Permit: Ministry of Culture excavation concession granted to Castrum Archeologia Associazione ETS (DG ABAP – SERV II_UO1, No. 0019726-P, 31 May 2023).
Website FASTIONLINE
Excavations of the Chair of Archaeological Research Methodology, Etruscology, and Italic Antiquities
Prof. Lucio Fiorini
Excavations at the Emporium Sanctuary of Gravisca (Port of Tarquinia)
Along the coast of Tarquinia, north of the salt marshes and near the eighteenth-century Porto Clementino, lies the sacred area of Gravisca, a place of worship and trade of outstanding historical importance.
The sanctuary was founded at the beginning of the 6th century BC by merchants from various cities of eastern Greece, particularly Phocaea and Samos. Connected to a harbor protected from the open sea, it allowed Greek merchants to exchange their goods in Etruscan territory under the protection of deities who guaranteed the security of commercial transactions.
The first deities worshipped there were:
- Aphrodite, associated with Phocaean merchants;
- Hera, associated with Samian merchants.
Over time, additional cults were introduced, including:
- Demeter, linked to the Siceliote trading communities;
- The Etruscan deities Śuri and Cavatha, identified by the Greeks with Apollo and Persephone.
Associated with the sanctuary of Aphrodite was also a monument dedicated to the hero Adonis, a structure of exceptional importance and unique in the western Mediterranean for its completeness and state of preservation.
The excavation campaigns are organized by the Chairs of:
- Archaeological Research Methodology;
- Etruscology and Italic Antiquities;
- History of Architecture I.
For further information, please contact: lucio.fiorini@unipg.it (Prof. Lucio Fiorini)