One of my favorite journeys in Italy this summer was to the Banditaccia Necropolis in Ceveteri, which is about an hour or so north west of Rome.  Taking the following from my last post, because I’m lazy: It is home to some of the best preserved Etruscan tombs.  Dates range from all the way back to the Villanovans (ca 9th c BCE) to about the 3rd c BCE.  The majority of tombs are either tumuli or rock cut and similar to tumuli just not in a big ole circle, but lined up like houses on the street.  All use the local tufa, which is a type of volcanic rock.

Anyways, I wanted to show this picture for scale (there’s me over there, trying not to trip and fall and die). These tumuli were giganto and it’s incredible and you all should go.

TUMULI!

I went to the Banditaccia necropolis today! It was so cool! Tumuli, EVERYWHERE. They’re like little hairy lumps and you just want to shave them. THEY ARE GIGANTIC!

okok, so Banditaccia is located in what is now Cerveteri (ancient Caere), which is about and hour or so north west of Rome, pretty close to the coast. It is home to some of the best preserved Etruscan tombs.  Dates range from all the way back to the Villanovans (ca 9th c BCE) to about the 3rd c BCE.  The majority of tombs are either tumuli or rock cut and similar to tumuli just not in a big ole circle, but lined up like houses on the street.  All use the local tufa, which is a type of volcanic rock.

Getting there was not particularly easy and required some serious, long distance, bus use. I have trouble with the buses in NYC, never mind in Italy. Anyways after guessing what stop to get off at and walking around for a good 30 minutes (at the end we realized we got off at one stop too early) and asking a kind lady who works at a sporting goods store, we made it to the road…a very hilly road. When you all go here, wear sneakers or some sort of comfy supportive shoe.  It was a long, but very pretty walk.  Once you get close to the entry, tumuli line one side of the pathway.  We got there, we got a map, and we went and played on the tombs, because you can climb all up on everything, which was the best.  Some tombs were lighted and fancy and shit, others were dark and scary. Some also had random staircases on the outside that I probably shouldn’t have climbed.

It was super cool. Way effing cool, let’s be real. I’ll write more about it later. I have some tufa wounds that need band-aids and a body that needs sleep.

Tivoli tomorrow!

archaeologicalnews:

ATHENS - Greek archaeology students hit by state funding cuts are making an online appeal for donations to join excavations in Iraqi Kurdistan, the state-run Athens News Agency said on Monday.

In a posting on donation site www.indiegogo.com, the group of Athens University students ask…

battle of guag? send me too!

Trajan’s Column, Rome, 113 CE

column graveyard, forum, rome

Spending a few days in Rome and then to Tuscany on the 21st until Aug. 4!

Info on Poggio Colla

Cool birth scene found last season

I’ll try to update as much as I can, but if anything there will be an array of posts in August.

Jug attributed to the Swallow Painter, e. 6th c BCE, Etruscan

You guys, this is super cool! The Google Maps of ancient Rome!

Ever wonder how long it would take you to travel from Rome to Constantinople in July using a rapid military march? Well wonder no more! It would take about 19.2 days!

Play here!

ire90:

Villa di Livia di Prima Porta, I sec b.C. Rome.