The necropolis at Podere Cannicci

The necropolis of Cannicci is located on a gentle slope southeast of the main settlement area of Podere Cannicci, in the municipality of Civitella Paganico (Grosseto, Tuscany). It was identified during archaeological investigations carried out as part of the IMPERO Project. The site provides important evidence for the funerary practices of a rural Etruscan community in the 2nd century BCE.

So far, three tombs have been discovered, all characterized by a circular rock-cut chamber accessed via a short pseudodromos. The funerary architecture reflects a standardized plan and a deliberate adaptation to the natural bedrock of the slope.

All documented burials are cremation deposits, consistent with widespread practices in Etruria during the Hellenistic period. Although modest in number, the tombs offer valuable data on ritual behavior, landscape use, and the structuring of memory and identity in a peripheral but active zone of Etruscan settlement.

Further investigations are ongoing, aiming to clarify the spatial organization of the necropolis and its relationship to the nearby vicus at Podere Cannicci.

An interactive exhibition featuring 3D reconstructions, excavation data, and educational content about the Cannicci necropolis and the broader research project is available online at www.etruscanidentities.com.

References

Sebastianiย A., De Pari M., Vanni E., 2024, The Tomb of the Rings and the Tomb of the Linen. New Data for a Late Etruscan Community in the Middle Valley of the Ombrone River.ย Journal of Etruscan and Italic Studies, 27: 197-216.

Sebastiani A.  2023, II.4. La Tomba di Paganico. In G. Baldini, V. Del Segato, A. Marcocci, M. Milletti (edited by) Gli Etruschi di Casenovole. Passato remoto di una comunitร , Effigi, Arcidosso: 61-74.

Sebastiani A. 2022. A Late Etruscan Burial at Podere Cannicci (Civitella Paganico โ€“ Grosseto), Journal of Etruscan and Italic Studies, 25, 1-2: 173-197.

Sebastiani A.  2022, Una sepoltura ellenistica da Podere Cannicci (Civitella Paganico โ€“ Grosseto). Riflessioni a margine tra vita e morte di un santuario e villaggio tardo etrusco e repubblicano. In A. Cristilli, F. de Luca, G. di Luca, A. Gonfloni (eds) Experiencing the Landscape in Antiquity 2, BAR Publishing, Oxford: 265-273.