Quartiere artigianale Le Fornaci Romane

Le Fornaci Romane preserves part of an ancient craft quarter below Montedoro at Eboli. Three kilns and a metalworking installation reveal the productive life of ancient Eburum.

Why it matters

The remains shift attention from monumental civic buildings to the manufacture of pottery, architectural terracottas and building materials. The excavated structures date to several phases between the fourth and second centuries BC.

What to notice

The smallest kiln retains its perforated firing floor and combustion-chamber entrance. Larger structures show different arrangements for heat circulation. A neighbouring workshop contained a drainage channel with residues of iron and lead; Republican coins were recovered from reinforcement of one wall.

Context and history

The quarter came to light during building works and was excavated by Jan Maurin in the 1970s. The exposed remains represent only part of a larger productive area. Paving beside the complex has been tentatively associated with the Via Popilia, not securely identified as that road.