Area archeologica del Sodo (Melone I e II)

The Melone tumuli of the Sodo near Cortona are Etruscan burial mounds from the late seventh and sixth centuries BC. Their chambers, ceremonial architecture and grave goods reflect the wealth and funerary traditions of the region's ancient elite.

Why it matters

The two tumuli belong to a period when Cortona was one of the important Etruscan centres of inland Tuscany. Their scale and construction document the status of aristocratic families and the role of funerary monuments in marking the landscape. The built altar associated with Tumulus II adds evidence of ritual activity connected with the tombs.

What to notice

Tumulus II has a terraced staircase with sculptural decoration and a nearby altar interpreted in connection with funerary rites. The tomb chamber, cut into the mound, was excavated with its contents intact and is associated with the Velara family. Tumulus I contains a corbel-vaulted burial chamber reached by a long corridor. Both monuments show how burial structures combined underground chambers with visible mounds and exterior stonework.

Context and history

Known locally as meloni because of their rounded profiles, the tumuli were built in the late seventh and sixth centuries BC. Etruscan Cortona, or Curtun, was connected with routes across the Apennines, the Valdichiana and Lake Trasimeno. Recent archaeological work has identified ancient roadbeds in the surrounding area. Finds from the tumuli are held in the MAEC at Palazzo Casali, where they provide context for the monuments and their burial practices.