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Department of Archaeology |
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THE GUBBIO PROJECT
Project Directors
Project Phase
Publication of sub-projects.
Collaborating Institutions (in addition to financial
supporters) and Project Members
- Department of Archaeology, University of
Cambridge
- Soprintendenza Archeologica per l’Umbria
(Prof.ssa A. Feruglio, Dott.ssa D. Manconi, Dott.ssa M.C.
De Angelis)
- Prof. E. Biondi (Università di Ancona)
- Prof. M. Coltorti (Università di Siena)
- Prof. J. Sevink (University of Amsterdam)
- Dr. J. Whitley (University of Cardiff)
- Nicholas Whitehead (Milan)
Financial Support
- British Academy
- British School at Rome
- Comune di Gubbio
- Comunità montana dell’Alto Chiascio
- Crowther Beynon Fund (University of Cambridge)
- Emslie Horniman Fund of the Royal Anthropological
Institute
- Magdalene College, Cambridge
- National Geographic Society (Washington DC)
- Prehistoric Society
- Provincia di Perugia
- Regione dell’Umbria
- Society of Antiquaries
- Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
Research aims and current results
The Gubbio valley is the last agricultural valley of any
importance in north east Umbria (Italy), before crossing
the Apennines. Before the project, work had focused on
linguistic study of the Iguvine Tables (bronze tablets)
(discovered in the fifteenth century in no certain context)
and excavation in the Roman city. The successfully
accomplished aims of the project were to understand the
origins of these historical developments and provide an
understanding of the territory. Interpretation of the
Iguvine Tables had suggested precocious state formation in
this relatively remote and upland valley. Our
archaeological work suggests that the tablets were a late
reworking of historical reality.
A programme of regional survey, selected excavation and
environmental reconstruction was carried out between 1983
and 1987 to understand the development of the valley of
Gubbio. In practice, the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Archaic and
Roman phases of the landscape were investigated in more
detail with the aid of excavation of representative
sites.
The excavation of San Marco showed that this part of
central Italy was first exploited for agriculture in the
second half of the sixth millennium. However, Gubbio was
first substantially occupied in the Bronze Age. A founder
site (Monte Ingino) in the Middle Bronze Age, formed a
central focus of Final Bronze Age nucleation on other peaks
(e.g. Monte Ansciano) and at the level of the slopes above
the modern town. Further excavation on Monte Ansciano has
provided a rare example of a systematically excavated
Archaic rural sanctuary with the deposition of schematic
figurines. A further excavation examined a rural Roman
structure, deliberately aiming to understand non villa
settlement.
Principal Publications
- Malone, C.A.T. & Stoddart, S.K.F. (eds.), 1994,
Territory, Time and State: The archaeological
development of the Gubbio basin, Cambridge,
Cambridge University Press.
- Hunt, C., Malone, C.A.T., Sevink, J. & Stoddart,
S.K.F., 1990, 'Environment, soils and early agriculture
in Apennine central Italy', World Archaeology 22
(1): pp34--44.
- Malone, C.A.T. and Stoddart, S.K.F., 1992, (with
contributions from G. Barker, M. Coltorti, L. Costantini,
J. Giorgi, G. Clark, J. Harding, C. Hunt, T. Reynolds and
R. Skeates), 'Survey and excavation of the Neolithic site
of San Marco, Gubbio (Perugia), Umbria. 1985-7.'
Papers of the British School at Rome 60:
pp1--69.
