The Podere Cannicci team undertook diverse tasks today yet completed a tremendous amount of work. Several students, under the supervision of Michael, washed and organized ceramic materials that had been previously recovered during our excavations while Federico and Betsy led the rest of the team in finishing the removal of Context 75 and in fully exposing and cleaning Contexts 73 and 60, which respectfully refer to levels of collapsed brick and tile and what may have been a floor foundation of packed stone, tile, and other spoliated elements.
By the afternoon, these efforts had been completed, and Edo, Federico, and Betsy supervised the students as they sketched and photographed the strata that had been brought to light. After this, the team began to remove Context 60, bringing up impressive fragments of ceramic as well as misfired tile, evidencing production in the vicinity. The students were full of excitement as they filled multiple bags of pottery and drew large bones, slag, and structural elements from the earth.
Furthermore, partway through the day, Betsy and Dr. Fabiana Fabbri, the project’s votive specialist, left with Edo and Jacopo, one of our project’s gracious hosts, to conduct a field survey at a place called Fonte Cavalli along Monteverdi’s slopes. These investigations returned some tile and ceramic fragments as well as a clearer understanding of the zone; the area will continue to be scrutinized in the coming days.
Despite splintering into different teams, there was ample time for the Podere Cannicci crew to both educate and to push their respective projects forward. We are looking forward to the wonders that our final week will bring!
Interconnected Mobility of People and Economy along the River Ombrone 