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The "Doganaccia" necropolis |
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Princely mounds -
The “Doganaccia” necropolis
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 23 May 2010 01:00 |
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Among the oldest and most suggestive "Monterozzi" burial-grounds stands the one of the "Doganaccia", at the centre of the Etruscan necropolis of Tarquinia. It is a large archaeological complex dominated by a great pair of princely mounds placed in a hill landscape sloping down towards the seashore. The site, after the first excavations conducted in 1928, is now under investigation by the Università degli Studi di Torino and the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell'Etruria Meridionale.
The "Doganaccia" is distinguished by the presence of two very similar and regular terraces stretched out towards the coast. The terraces have a slightly elevated area in the centre, where the large mounds are. The two monuments, of the Orientalising period (7th century BC), are known by the popular names of the "King's" and the "Queen's".
The location of the "Doganaccia" mounds is remarkable: the two tombs were built in a particularly exposed place, so as to enhance their colossal character. Furthermore, the pair disposal of the mounds, a situation not very common in Etruria, suggests the belonging of the tombs to members of the same aristocratic family (brothers or cousins). The economic power of this family is probably based on the exploitation of the fertile coastal plain, and on the control of the traffic between the town and the port of Tarquinia. The "Doganaccia" mounds are in fact positioned along one of the oldest routes towards the sea, next to a remote access to the "Monterozzi" necropolis. The road coming from the coast followed the large gully that separates the two terraces occupied by the mounds.
There are just a few reports about the archaeological events of this place. Of the19th century we only generically know about an excavations carried out in this area. The first of the two princely tombs was scientifically explored in 1928: in this occasion the excavation of the "King's" mound allowed to have knowledge for the first time, in Tarquinia, of a large princely tomb of the Orientalising period.
Meridionale |
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Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 20:16 |
