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Etruscan Tombs in Via del Bargellino

The Etruscan Tombs in Via del Bargellino are an Etruscan archaeological site in Fiesole, in the metropolitan city of Florence, Tuscany. They are the only known remains of the necropolis that once surrounded ancient Fiesole outside the city walls. The site consists of two rectangular chamber tombs built with large square limestone blocks. The smaller tomb is cut into the difference in the rock level, while the other has an access portal with an architrave, a large closing stone still in place, and a stepped compartment where funerary urns and offerings were found. Finds from the excavations, dating from the 2nd century, are preserved at the Archaeological Site of Fiesole.

Sunken stone Etruscan tomb structure with moss and weeds growing over the weathered blocks.
A weathered Etruscan tomb sits sunken into the grassy ground, with moss and weeds covering the stonework.
October 2019 © · CC BY 3.0
Etruscan tomb built of weathered stone blocks with a small square entrance, set beside a stone wall.
Weathered stone remains of an Etruscan tomb in Fiesole, with rubble scattered in front of the structure.
October 2019 © · CC BY 3.0
An Etruscan tomb with a small rectangular doorway in a moss-covered ashlar structure, with a fallen stone on the grass in front.
Moss-covered masonry and a narrow entrance mark one of the Etruscan tombs at Fiesole.
October 2019 © · CC BY 3.0
Etruscan tombs made of grey stone in a grassy outdoor area, with a vine-covered building and stone wall nearby.
Ancient Etruscan tombs in Fiesole, seen among grass, stonework, and surrounding ruins.
October 2019 © · CC BY 3.0
Weathered stone blocks and a slanted slab inside an Etruscan tomb ruin, with patches of green moss.
Interior stonework of an Etruscan tomb, showing weathered blocks and a narrow opening beneath a slanted slab.
October 2019 © · CC BY 3.0

Identification

NameEtruscan tombs in Via del Bargellino
Original nameTombe etrusche di via del Bargellino
TypeEtruscan archaeological complex

Location and ownership

LocationVia del Bargellino, Fiesole, Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Current location of findsFiesole Archaeological Area / Museo archeologico di Fiesole

Historical context

ContextThe only known remains of the necropolis that surrounded ancient Fiesole just outside the city walls
Date3rd–2nd century BC
Period of useUsed until the late Imperial period and beyond

Physical characteristics

Number of tombsTwo
PlanTwo rectangular chamber tombs
Smaller tombCarved into the unevenness of the rock
Larger tombHas an architraved entrance and a large closing stone in front of it
Interior featureStepped chamber
Funerary contentsSmall cinerary urns and funerary offerings placed on the stepped chamber

Materials

Construction materialLarge squared blocks of limestone

Discovery and provenance

Archaeological findsFinds connected with the excavation, dated as late as the 1st century AD