The Birth of the Cult and Urban Development in Southern Etruria: The Case of Veii in the Light of the Most Recent Archaeological Discoveries (X - VII Centuries B.C.E.) (20 min)

Presenters

Ugo Fusco, Tor Vergata University of Rome

Abstract

Recent discoveries of sanctuaries and votive deposits in Etruria are spreading new light on rituals, cults, structures, and material culture, providing new insights into protohistoric and Etruscan religions. In the context of studies on Veii, a specific and updated analysis of the proposed topic (the birth of the cult in relation to urban development) between the early Iron Age and the Orientalizing period is still lacking. This paper thus intends to fill the gap in light of the most recent archaeological discoveries published. The main research problem of this paper is to determine the role played by religion in the birth of the urban center of Veii. The questions to be answered, to consider as the paper's goals are: How much has the cult influenced the birth and development of the settlement? Are the first cultural testimonies contemporary or posterior to the urban center? What are the religious and social influences that the most ancient testimonies of worship have had in the following building phases of Veii? To answer these questions and considering the bibliography already published as data used in the study, three cases will be examined more carefully: the first is the well-known hut-heroon of Piazza D’Armi; the other two, even if less known (the hut with inhumation at Porta NO and the sequence of timber-buildings at Campetti SO), will be of great use for the research problem and therefore require greater visibility. As a conclusion of the research, this paper will allow reconstruction, based on the data currently available, of a chronological sequence of cult and building activities that are comparable to each other. This analysis will be the starting point for comparisons of the settlement sequences and cult activities in the nearby centers such as Cerveteri and Tarquinia.