The material culture in the re-use phase (V-Earlier VII A.D.) on the site Aiano-Torraccia di Chiusi (San Gimignano-Siena-Italy). Preliminary notes

Since 2005 an Italian-Belgian expedition, supported by the Université catholique de Louvain, part of the international project “VII Regio. Valdelsa during the Roman Age and late Antiquity” manages the archeological dig of a villa longinqua built between the end of 3th and the beginning of 4th century A.D. with monumental, architectural and decorative characteristic. At the end of 4th century A.D., the villa was subjected at significant restoration and, perhaps, also a resizing. At the end of the 5th century A.D., it was abandoned, and for the first time spoiled of the main part of marble, reused for the production of lime. Between the 6th and the 7th century A.D., it was occupied by craftsman that installed several workshops for the iron, glass, gold, lead and probably bronze manufacturing; they used, villa’s architectural and decorative parts, for the production of base material. Among the handcrafted plant there was a furnace for the pottery production (not yet dug). The main parts of the found pottery on the villa’s dig, comes from the latest phase, and documents the material culture between the 5th and the 7th century A.D. Theses detections allows us to appreciate coexistence of Roman age shapes and production’s techniques, with same anticipation of those of the Early Middle Ages. These coexistence becomes clear from the lecture of the functional and technological characters of the cooking pottery (prevalent shapes: cooking pots, casseroles, cups, small handled pots, clibani/baking dishes, lids), multifunctional devices, only apparently poor and of minor value

Constantinople

general view, fishmonger, Kible Cesme Street, March 200

Constantinople

general view, graffiti, Haci Kadin District, March 200