Parco Archeologico di Dometaia

Dometaia Archaeological Park preserves an Etruscan and Roman burial landscape in the hills between Colle di Val d'Elsa, San Gimignano and Casole d'Elsa. Its tombs record changing funerary practices over several centuries.

Why it matters

The necropolis developed from the mid-sixth century BC to the early second century AD, tracing the transition from rural Etruscan to Roman life. Archaeological work began in 1877 and 1880 with investigations by Bonaventura Chigi Zondadari. Systematic excavation resumed in 1972 through cooperation between the Soprintendenza and the Gruppo Archeologico Colligiano. A group of tombs associated with the Calisna Sepu family, discovered in 1893 and later dispersed among European collections, is interpreted in a reconstruction.

What to notice

The burial ground includes several architectural types. In the western area, archaic tombs include hypogean chambers with internal partitions. Classical-period family tombs used vestibules connected to multiple burial chambers. Later Hellenistic hypogea show connections with Volterra, alongside simpler chamber and trench burials. The Roman phase includes square cremation pits with grave goods. Pottery from the tombs includes black-glaze and red-figure ware from Volterra workshops and fragments of Attic imports. Finds from the site are held in museums in Colle di Val d'Elsa and Siena.

Context and history

Chigi Zondadari's investigations in 1877 and 1880 opened five tombs associated with wealthy local families. Archaeologists, including Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli, later discussed the site. Systematic work resumed in 1972 and continued until 2011, when the archaeological park was established. Some tombs near farm buildings were reused as shelters and cellars. Local tradition associates Cennino Cennini with the area, though the story that he collected pigments from an Etruscan tomb remains uncertain.