Due to some particularly rainy weather last week, the team was unable to start working at Podere Cannicci until this Monday. To make up for the lost time, our entire group pitched in, splitting into 3 teams: some clearing out the first contextual layer in Room 5 of Podere Cannicci others attending to Room 1, and a small group of Dr. Vanni and Thuraya excavated at area 1000, an expansion to the prior years excavation due to findings from the Geo-Radar suggestion there was materials below, one such discovery being a dolium.
The day’s tasks consisted of the removal of the uppermost contextual layer of soil. The teams used pick-axes to turn up the surface level of dirt, followed by a series of shoveling to clear the debris from the site. The team kept a keen eye out for any pieces of pottery, black glossware, iron slag deposits, metal tools, or any other items with archeological significance to the excavation. Thankfully, the site was no longer under water, and the water pumps from the days prior made it possible to shift through the thick clay and soil to identify evidence of the lives lived long ago.
Some of the mentionable findings of the day included several loom weights, animal bone fragments, and several iron nails in both Room I and V. Even just within the top contextual layer of Podere Cannicci, our team found an immense amount of pottery fragments and broken black glossware, which helps us to paint a picture of the Roman Republican civilization’s kiln work, orientation, and day to day operations.
As we document the team’s findings and begin to uncover the walls surrounding Room I and V, we are hopeful to find more useful artifacts in the following contextual layers and uncover more about the peoples from this beautiful area in Tuscany throughout its inhabitation.
Interconnected Mobility of People and Economy along the River Ombrone 