In August 1983, an archaeological discovery was announced in Abruzzo and an Aquila newspaper wrote: "L' Aquila - The discovery was extraordinary, but the results of the excavations, conducted by the Abruzzo Archaeological Superintendence of Chieti, are even more interesting. What is now called the "Cervetri d' Abruzzo", an ancient settlement at a thousand meters above sea level in the mountains of Forca Caruso, appears to be, something exceptional: more than 300 stone circles on just 4 hectares of land, at a thousand meters altitude, at the ancient headquarters of the consular Tiburtina Valeria that connected Rome to the Adriatic coast through the mountains of Abruzzo. The stone circles, as the archaeologists concluded at the outset, serve to protect the tombs. They are very wide, from 6 to 8 m in diameter. All this dates back to the sixth century BC, but in the area there are finds dating back to 2000-2500 BC. It is proof, the archaeologists say, that permanent human settlements can be found on the mountains of Forca Caruso in very ancient times. To date, 12 tombs have been "violated". Inside, male and female skeletons, all oriented in the same way (a small archaeological conundrum), with the same objects beside them: bronze weapons, pottery in stone niches, bone ornaments for women. And also, recently discovered, remains of imposing fortifications to protect what appears to be a high mountain necropolis.".
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This incredible discovery was reconfirmed four years later, when another necropolis was found 30 km away. Several necropolises have been found in Abruzzo which are the testimony of an ancient civilization of which there is no information, though from the findings made this ancient civilization is very close to the Etruscan one.
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During the seventh century BC the extended burial began to spread, becoming the predominant burial type in the fifth-fourth century BC. To avoid contact with the earth it is conceivable that wooden structures or gravestones were used, as evidenced by the presence of marks, placed at deposition level, present in certain burials.
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Starting from the sixth century BC, in some tombs we can see an area below the feet (or next to the head, as in the case of offerings) to create spaces for objects of the grave goods, particularly domestic equipment and tableware. Some trenches are characterized by the presence of grave goods, which may be quite rich, but also by the absence of skeletal remains; perhaps cenotaphs, that is, burials with a predominantly commemorative character.
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Starting from the eighth century BC, single or multiple burials begin to spread, enclosed by an outer trench and originally covered by a mound of earth. This type of burial, typical but not exclusive to central Italy (e.g. Apulia and Veneto), is not well defined butinvolves differences that concern both the structure of the circle, which can be continuous or interrupted, and the number of burials it encloses, whether single or multiple.
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At the present, both the oldest (tenth-ninth century BC) and the greater concentration of evidence are found in the Apennine area (Terni, Tivoli, Borgorose, Scurcola, Celano, Fossa, Castelvecchio Subequo, Caporciano, Barisciano, Bazzano) suggesting that this type of burial is typical of the Italic peoples settled in the inland areas. In the Matelica region (necropolises of the Crocifisso, Incrocca, Cavalieri, Brecce) the evidence dates from the end of the eighth to the first years of the seventh century BC, while in the area south of the Conero (near Numana and Sirolo) it finds greater development in between the last years of the seventh and fifth centuries BC.
Source: Terre Marsicane News [October 05, 2017]
