The archaeological project “Understanding Urban Identities” examines the remains of the Etruscan city of Vulci to the north of Rome. The project is run by the University of Gothenburg in cooperation with several partners, amongst them the Norwegian Institute in Rome (DNIR).
Irene Selsvold, classical archaeologist and postdoctoral fellow at DNIR, has been involved in the Vulci project since the first physical surveys in 2019, when she was a Ph.D. researcher in Gothenburg. She says that Vulci is a special place.
A unique city
- Most Etruscan cities are covered by later settlements and buildings. Vulci, on the other hand, was not settled after Antiquity. The remains are therefore easily available, which is convenient for archaeological exploration.
The Etruscans were a dominant people in the North of Italy before Rome’s rise as a superpower. They came from Etruria, which corresponded largely to contemporary Tuscany and nearby areas, among them the north of Lazio.
- How did Vulci emerge?
- That is one of the questions examined by the project. A so-called proto-urbanisation took place in the early Iron Age, around year 1000 BCE. During the Etruscan period, between 730 and 280, an urban settlement developed, and one of the project’s goals is to examine this process.
Looking for breadth
Irene reports that the excavations, which began in 2022, have revealed, amongst other findings, a cult place which was not of a monumental character – and therefore particularly interesting.
- Research on Etruscan culture has traditionally tended to focus on graves and monumental buildings, which often represent the elite. The Vulci project, on the other hand, seeks to examine broader parts of society.
Around ten researchers, representing different specialities, are participating in the project, which is directed by Serena Sabatini at the University of Gothenburg. Additionally, students from all of Sweden attend the yearly field course in June, where they take part in the excavations. The field course represents an introduction to this kind of work for many of the students, whereas others are having their first encounter with Mediterranean archaeology.
From Vulci to DNIR
Rebecca Ringdahl, who is currently doing a master’s degree in archaeology at Lund University, has also contributed to the excavations twice as a student. In April she was an intern at the Norwegian Institute, where she worked on research data and documenting findings. Recently, Rebecca and Irene presented the Vulci project at the Institute’s weekly seminar, and afterwards the audience had the opportunity to get close to some of the findings from the excavations: some of the objects have been sent to DNIR for more focussed work on documentation.
- The project’s excavation permit was recently renewed for three more years, so there will be more field courses and more excavations, Irene promises.
The findings will be published during the project, but interested readers can access the article about the project’s background and the first examinations can be consulted at the website Bollettino di archeologia online.
Read more about the project “Understanding Urban Identities”.