Established in 2009, the research project investigates Roman settlement trends, communication networks and trade in coastal Southern Tuscany between the mid-Republican period and late Antiquity. The current excavations focus on the newly identified Roman cabotage port on the Ombrone River. The port provided an important commercial focus for the ancient Etruscan–Roman city of Rusellae and around th
e Roman road of the Via Aurelia vetus that linked the area with Rome. Excavation has revealed an extensive complex of workshops producing bone-, metal- and glass-objects on a scale unmatched in the area. Active between the mid-1st-early 6th centuries AD, the site was gradually covered by alluvial clay, which has sealed the structures and abundant finds in a near-perfect state of preservation. The Project also encompasses landscape and infrastructure studies centered around the via Aurelia vetus and excavations of a hilltop sanctuary dedicated to Diana. These provide important new evidence for the relationship between cities and rural settlements as well as for the 'Romanization' of Etruria. The Field Schools are an integral part of the research excavations, and the participants contribute actively to this through their on-site and off-site work.
