The Monte Abatone-Necropolis of Cerveteri

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Martin Bentz
• Subject Area: Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 425480927

The Monte Abatone-Necropolis of the Etruscan city of Caere/ Cerveteri is one of the most extensive Etruscan necropoleis with a surface of about 100 hectares. There are mostly chamber graves, whose occupancy time covers the entire history of the city from the 8th century BC until the early Roman Empire. In the 1950s more than 600 graves were discovered during emergency excavations. However, none of the findings were documented. Roughly 6000 grave goods from more than 300 grave contexts have been preserved in the magazines of the museum; only 40 of these have already been published. The overall objective is to investigate the historical and demographic development of the metropolis of Caere, its cultural contacts and a more detailed knowledge of the social structure of the urban population. Building on the very good results of the first funding period the goals of the second funding period are: at firstly, the evaluation and publication of the excavations of an exemplary cluster of graves from 2019-22. Secondly, the topography of the necropolis shall be analized by means of different survey and remote sensing methods in order to create a reliable plan of the entire area. And lastly, the documentation of the material from the older excavations shall be finished, which will build the base for the final analysis and publication.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Dennis Beck