Type:

Luoghi della cultura; Ente/Istituzione

Category:

Museums

Vallone San Lorenzo Umbrian-Etruscan Necropolis The Necropoli Umbro-Etrusca del Vallone di San Lorenzo is located between Montecchio and Baschi, inside the Parco Fluviale del Tevere, the natural park on the Tiber River, which extends along the slopes descending towards the stream of San Lorenzo, a tributary of the river. This is one of the most extensive Pre-Roman necropolises ever discovered in Umbria up until now, testifying the existence of a flourishing center—not yet identified—in the immediate vicinity of the Tiber River. The visit to the necropolis and to this portion of the Nature Reserve is rendered easy by the presence of a signed pathway—with parking areas available—guiding the visitors to the site. The investigations have brought a number of tombs excavated in the rock to light, usually consisting of a sole squared room, to which a short “dromos”—corridor—provides access. The inner space was endowed with benches, where the funerary goods and the body of the deceased were arranged, following a more or less standard ritual consisting of piling-up the bones and objects in the corners to allow for new burials. The finds pertaining to the ancient period—7th century B.C.—reveal the presence of a population sensibly influenced by the hegemonic site of the Etruscan Orvieto. In those pertaining to the most recent period—4th century B.C.—a progressive impoverishment that led to the definitive abandonment of the necropolis is documented. Several materials are exhibited in the Civic Antiquarium in the nearby locality of Tenaglie. The necropolis, attended from the 7th to the 4th century B.C., was discovered in the 19th century and methodically investigated during the course of the 1970s.