Excavations at Roccagloriosa, 1982–83 (Province of Salerno, S. Italy)

187 EXCAVATIONS AT ROCCAGLORIOSA, 1982-83 (Province of Salerno, S. Italy) A prel iminary assessment of the evidence turned up in the late 1970's at the Italic site of Roccagloriosa (about 30 miles SE of Paestum) 1 has suggested a programme of exploration, at the kind invitation of the I tal ian Department of Antiquities, 2 in the area of interfluvial terraces around the limestone ridge of the Capitenal i, situated between the middle courses of the Mingardo and Bussento rivers (figs. 1, 2). The major goal of the research project, started by the University of Alberta in 1982 and made possible by the financial support of SSH RCC, 3 is the systematic exploration of the settlement areas surrounding the massive fortification wall explored in 1976-77 in order to define the nature of the 4th/3rd c. B. C. site and collect different kinds of archaeological evidence bearing on major aspects of the organization of the native community in the period immediately preceding the romanization of the region. The availability of relevant data deriving from the previous exploration of 1Summary report on the exploration conducted in the late 70's by D. Ridgway, "Archaeology in Southern Italy 1977-81", JHS-AR 28 (1981-82) 68-69; also W. Johannowsky, St Etr 49 (1981), 51~ 2, t is with deep gratitude that we acknowledge the help and cooperation of Prof. W. Johannowsky, Superintendent of Antiquities for the Provinces of Salerno, Avellino and Benevento. We also wish to express our thanks to the Ministero dei Beni Culturali, Rome for granting the excavation permit to the University of Alberta. 3Grants No. 410-82-0370 and No. 410-83-0395; we take this opportunity to express our thanks to the Research Grants Division of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Ottawa for the generous support of the Roccagloriosa Project. 188 M. GUALTIERI o D area sopra 1000m. area sopra 500m. km. o 10 15 Figure 1. Map of Mingardo river catchment with indication of transhumance trails (dotted lines). Large dot indicates the central area of the ancient settlement of Roccagloriosa (after Mel Rome 1983/1). EXCAVATIONS AT ROCCAGLORIOSA, 1982-3 189 o 50 150 250m I I I I I I o 100 200 - FortilicationWall ~ ~~e~e~overedby Magnetmeter [·=·2~ Area Surveyed by Core Drilling c:=J Area Excavated in 1982 G:lliJ Soundings 1977 ~ Soundings 1971 BECROPOul CEMETERY AREA ~ Modern Farm-houses Figure 2 - Contour map of nucleated settlement. 190 M. GUALTI ERI the wall circuit, and from the excavation of a mCljor, undisturbed burial ground immediately outside the wall at the southern extremity of the site, 4 confers greater importance and a wider framework for the data to be extracted from the habitation areas. An intensive core-drilling and magnetometer survey5 in selected areas inside the defensive circuit has clarified the distribution of pattern habitation within the enclosed settlement during the fourth century B. C. Subsequent trial trenching in the most promising areas has also revealed the existence of earlier Iron Age habitation of still uncertain size and nature, at least on the northeast corner (Carpineto) of what could be regarded as the "acropolisll of the IInucleated settlement II .6 Actual excavations inside the fortification wall, however, have been concentrated successively in the central part of the area enclosed by the wall, on a gently sloping surface immediately East of the major entrance gate explored in 1977 (the so-called Central gate), occupying a very central position within the defended circuit (the area is indicated on fig. 3 as Central Plateau). A series of trenches opened during the 1982 campaign, indeed, showed the possibility of recovering in that area a well-preserved and well-stratified group of buildings pertaining to the period under 4M• Gualtieri, IICremation among the Lucanians ll , AJA 86 (1982) 475-81. Also, NSc 32 (1978) 383-421 and 34 (1980) 103-10g:-5The magnetometer survey has been directed by R. E. Linington of the Fondazione Lerici Prospezioni Archeologiche, Rome. 6The term lIacropolisll, ambiguous and improper though it may be, is often used to describe the upper part of an Italic fortified settlement; see A. La Regina, 1111 Sannioll in P. Zanker (ed.) Hellenismus...